Aura Nova floated gently down from above, her form descending with effortless grace. The shimmering hair of various colors that had cascaded around her moments ago slowly vanished, dissolving into a familiar and serene shade of beauty-blue. The ethereal quality that had once cloaked her body faded away, returning her form to its normal, tangible state. Her glowing sky-blue eyes dimmed slightly, yet they remained just as captivating as ever, carrying a quiet depth that reflected both power and calm.

The moment her feet touched the earth below, it was as though a switch had been flipped. She snapped back into her usual self entirely. No longer did she resemble the creator and architect of all things, a being whose mere presence bent reality. She was now simply Aura Nova once more, a girl who loved cats, books, and quiet moments just as much as battle.

Under normal circumstances, she would have staggered the instant she landed, her body betraying the toll of exhaustion. After all, her stamina and mana had been thoroughly depleted and squandered over the course of hours of endless combat, fought without pause, reprieve, or rest. Yet the moment she had entered Root Access Mode, all of that exhaustion had vanished as though it had never existed. She had been returned to the peak of her normal state, as if time itself had rewound her condition to an untouched point.

At this moment, she was perfectly healed. Her mana core brimmed to its absolute limit, her stamina fully restored, leaving no need for rest, recovery, or healing of any kind. Her body felt light, responsive, and complete.

A smile slowly appeared on her lips, the same familiar smile she always carried before a battle. She would not deny it; she had enjoyed every moment of the spar. Well… almost every moment. The parts where she had been struck were considerably less enjoyable, as she was not a masochist in any sense of the word.

Her eyes shifted toward Kingsley, who was stretching casually, much like someone who had just woken up from a long, peaceful, and deeply satisfying nap. She began walking toward him, her footsteps light and unhurried. The moment she drew close, Kingsley spoke.

"Great spar. Really needed that," he said, a relaxed smile resting on his face.

Aura Nova blinked briefly. 'Not sure I've ever seen him smile,' she thought to herself, the observation quietly amusing.

"Yeah," she replied, returning the smile, "loved every moment of it." She paused for only a fraction of a second before continuing. "I have a question."

"Ask away," Kingsley replied without even a hint of hesitation. His tone was calm, open, and unguarded. He had nothing to hide.

"Is there a reason I couldn't copy your martial techniques, or any of your skills or abilities, for that matter?" Aura Nova asked plainly. As someone accustomed to replicating virtually any phenomenon she witnessed, the inability to replicate his abilities had gnawed at her curiosity.

Kingsley fell silent for a moment. He tilted his head slightly, then shook it as he spoke. "I don't really know," he admitted truthfully and without embellishment. It could have been the universe itself protecting him, or some deeper principle at work, but he simply wasn't sure.

Aura Nova nodded slowly in response. "What was that power you were using?" she asked next. "The one you used to destroy lightning and ice attacks… and then again during your End Of All technique."

Normally, asking about someone's abilities, especially techniques of that caliber, would have been considered rude, even taboo. But she and Kingsley were acquainted, and she trusted that if it were truly a secret, he would simply refuse to answer.

"It's called the Concept of Destruction," Kingsley replied. "It allows me to destroy things."

That was all he said.

Aura Nova remained silent, waiting patiently for him to elaborate further. When he didn't, she realized that was truly all there was to it, at least from his perspective. Kingsley had no mentor for that power, no archives, no records, no ancient libraries to consult. He had learned what he knew entirely on his own, and beyond that, there was nothing.

'What exactly is a Concept?' Aura Nova asked herself quietly. From what she could tell, even Kingsley himself did not fully understand.

"Last question," she said after a moment. "When I halted time… how did you move?"

This question mattered to her. This was a spar, and every spar existed to reveal flaws, mistakes that could be erased before they became fatal in real combat.

"I destroyed the time around me using the Concept of Destruction," Kingsley replied flatly, his expression unchanged.

Aura Nova exhaled softly. 'It seems we won't be understanding this Concept thing anytime soon.'

"If you have any questions, you can ask," she said then. "I'll answer them to the best of my abilities." It wouldn't be right for her to be the only one asking questions. That would have been rude, and pointless.

Kingsley fell into thought. At first, nothing came to mind. He didn't particularly feel confused or lacking. But then, two questions surfaced naturally.

"How did you resist my last technique?" he asked. There was no accusation in his voice, only genuine curiosity. If Aura Nova could resist it, then there was no guarantee Anthony or others wouldn't be able to do the same.

"My Omniedit ability activated on its own and shielded me," Aura Nova answered honestly. "As for how it specifically erased whatever you did to me at that moment… I don't really know. All I know is that my ability helped me."

Kingsley nodded, accepting the answer without pressing further. There was no reason to dig deeper. If the technique could be resisted, then all he needed to do was modify it and try again.

"Final question," he said. "That final state you entered, Root Access Mode. What is it exactly?"

Aura Nova paused before answering.

"It's a command skill under my ability," she began. "I don't really know what it fully entails. I've never used it before. I awakened at the age of ten, and there was simply nobody strong enough to force me to use it, so I never bothered."

She continued after a brief pause. "I used it against you because you have so many strange abilities. If I didn't act fast, who knows what ridiculous skill you would've pulled out next."

She sighed softly. "In essence, I still don't really know. This was my first time using it. But while I was in that state…" She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "I felt omnipotent. As though if I ordered the Acarnis Galaxy to collapse, it would do so, simply because I commanded it."

Kingsley remained silent for a moment after she finished speaking. Then he nodded once, calmly. His curiosity had been satisfied. And with that, the conversation ended, quietly, naturally, just as the battle had.

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