Alephee was basically setting a timeline for Eren to achieve certain things. This way, he won't go astray in his quest for unprecedented power.
She elaborated on the topic further.
"You had asked me about soul spells and I had told you it was too early for you to learn them. But I guess now's the time for you to at least know these details.
Soul spells can be seen as the evolution of Hex spells. Cultivating an intent into soul space and then using it to power your spells will make them turn into soul spells. They will not use your mana, only your intent. The stronger the intent, the more powerful your spells will turn out to be.
Since you have an awakened soul sense, you don't need to worry about casting normal Hex spells. The advantages of having a soul sense will gradually become apparent the further you climb up the ranking ladder. So my suggestion would be to start small and start early."
Eren decided to test Alephee's theory immediately. He started following her intentions as his grip around the Rigor Mortis' hilt tightened.
'I am no longer the ghost of my past. I am finally starting to mean something to myself. Let my sword cut down anything and anyone who tries to take this meaning away from me.'
A thought rippled in Eren's mind as he coated Rigor Mortis with his soul sense. The blade started humming when that happened. Eren felt like he had become one with the weapon itself for the time being. The runes on the sword lit up brighter than ever as their potential was called forth.
The butcher swung the sword in front of him abruptly and sent a flying slash forward, observing its effects closely. Following that, the sword slashes sliced through the air. This sword slash was denser with mana than ever, as evidenced by the darker shade of red-lightning mana it packed. It seemed sharper and more threatening. Also, it hummed with a faint intent to cut down anything it encountered.
Had there been a ranker in its path, they would have felt the intent first. It would have resonated with their consciousness before the attack hit them. Any lower-ranked entity than Eren would have been stunned by Eren's intent first before they could do anything about the incoming flash.
Even Eren was impressed with the improvement his simple slash received just by adding his intent to the mix. Thanks to his soul sense, he didn't have to spend time getting things right. Plus, he could only improve on his first try.
Eren raised his eyebrows when he saw the result of his own attack getting enhanced to this extent. He finished his smoke quickly and decided to conduct another experiment. The sword in his hand disappeared and was replaced with a katar. Lightning struck and the butcher appeared on a stone platform located not too far away.
This time, Eren imbued his weapon with the intent to pierce it and simply dropped it on the ground. One had to note that he neither activated the runes on the weapons nor tried to increase their lethality with his mana. This was pure intent imbued into Katar.
The tip of the katar made contact with the stone platform and slid in without apparent obstruction. In the next moment, a crack ran over the stone platform, splitting it in two. The butcher could feel that even the stone platform was affected by his intent. It was vibrating lightly as if trying to shake off the fraction of consciousness it was subjected to and come to a state of inertia as before.
"This intent-driven magic is really something. Hex magic, you say? Is there a developed structure for Hex magic in other worlds? I don't want to pioneer into the field and waste my time researching if I can help it."
Alephee appeared beside Eren's updated position and replied promptly.
"Yes. But there is nothing really profound you can learn about Hex magic or soul magic from others. Such magic begins with your intent and what you feel in your heart.
This type of magic is very personal. It does not have anything to do with what others have experienced. That's why you won't be able to devour someone's intent even with your Abilities.
You can learn about Hex gear that is better equipped to handle the intent you imbue into your weapons, though. There are also things called soul artifacts that are way better than Hex gear. You can check them out and draw inspiration from them.
Exploring other worlds is one way to have a stronger intent as well. Exploration creates desires that allow you to harness stronger intent. So it's worth a shot."
Eren nodded at Alephee's suggestion and started planning his long game. He had already learned about demon possession. According to Alephee, these wretched beings liked to take over the original denizens' bodies from other worlds and explore them for God Sparks. The butcher was planning something similar for himself by combining these two streams of knowledge.
Storing his weapon in storage, Eren stretched his arms and ran his fingers through his hair. Suddenly, he realized that his white-haired transformation was still active.
The butcher could understand why Alephee was prioritizing mana control for him. Due to his newfound control over his mana pathways and mana points, he could cast close combat spells with relative ease even while being turned into a summoner. By the time he achieves absolute control, his summoning spells and close combat spells will be cast with the same intensity by him in any transformation.
Plus, he could see himself taking more classes in the future. Thus, mana control was more necessary for Eren today than intent-driven magic. His multi-class specialty will see tremendous growth if he keeps on training his mana points and mana pathways.
AN: The term soul spell was first mentioned in chapter 637. The term soul space was first mentioned in chapter 662.
