The Oblivion Walker

Qi and mana are energies typically incompatible in most people.

Most people are typically just unable to house both in their bodies. Due to the both having considerable differences. Magic being an incredibly external force, can be absorbed to change one's ability to wield magic, whereas qi being a heavily internal is absorbed to change someone's body.

Although the both are still somewhat similar and can be replaced with the other in machines, this is not the case with humans, of which handle both energies differently.

Qi strengthens the human body when absorbed at a non lethal dosage so that even if the user runs out, their body will still have incredible strength. Whereas mana will not typically have a permanent change in body. One would have to take advantage of spells to mold their body.

The more mana one uses, the more their ability to use mana increases. It's somewhat taxing on the body, so if one uses enough magic, it'll be similar to doing a bunch of exercise. Qi on the other hand does not have this effect, in order to lose weight, one has to actually exercise.

Still, the two energies are still affected by talent and despite their similarities, most humans cannot use both at all. One's body would reject and spew the other energy out, and if one tried too hard to absorb the energy, they would just die. Possibly by explosion. 

Some people, for various reasons, use items that hold qi or mana in order to bypass the fact they can not use both. This is however, widely considered by cultivators and mages alike, as incredibly pointless, since using items don't typically grant you the main benefits of either.

There are few to many exceptions to this fact. Dragons, beings that are said to hold dominion over energy, able absorb both relentlessly. Though, they don't use either qi or mana, converting both into something far odder.

Wyverns, beings that are pretty similar, are able to copy this, however the energy they create as a result is something even stranger than that. Still, wyverns are typically weaker either way.

Dice, oddly, can use both at the same time. Added to his obscenely powerful talent in both, his ability to train both at the same time makes him someone who breaks past the term of genius, and into the realm of monsters.

Kali, however, can't use either at all. While a majority of humans don't use them, they still contain a small ability to do so, and their bodies at the very least contain some of either energy. As even those who have had their ability to concentrate power destroyed, if pumped with enough of it, they'd still be able to somewhat use it no matter what.

Kali though, not even a drop of it lingers in his body. His inability to use either mana or qi is so incredibly high it'd be something of a novelty.

June had tried a few herbs and potions to see what effect they'd have on his body, and while it did have a temporary change on him, it was definitely not something she'd ever do again, nor was it a desired change.

Getting thrown through a couple of trees, Dice took a strong exhale, "Damn, are you sure you haven't been a cultivator this entire time?"

"My body's just strong."

"Huh? No magic reinforment?"

"Nope. Just physical training. Plus you're not strong enough for me to bother."

'That's absurd." His thoughts were interrupted, as he was hit by a giant beam of mana.

Thrown through a few more trees, he cracked his neck, "Come on now, think about the trees Melissa."

"They'll be fine. Now die."

"I'm not gonna lie, it almost seems like you're trying to actually kill me!"

Snapping her fingers, she smiled. A tiny speck of light appeared. Slowly floating towards him, he jumped as it exploded into countless streams of light, shooting towards him.

Dodging them, they ended up shooting into the skies. Turning around and running away, he started focusing on the rhythm of his breathing, before rapidly speeding up.

Appearing in front of him, she smiled, "Nice try."

Tanking a strike to the face, she pointed a finger to his chest.

"Not this again."

Taking a stance, she pushed off her back foot, popping forward, striking him in the chest.

Falling over, he sighed, "Melissa, why do you always use that move? Like, you don't even bother putting power behind it."

Flicking her nose with her thumb, she smirked, "Because it looks cool. Very cool."

"Yeah. You're right." Kipping back up, he took a fighting stance, "Bring it on!"

"There we go."

Throwing a barrage of kicks, he found it very ineffective, as everyone was either being deflected, blocked, or avoided. Switching up to a barrage of both punches and kicks, he found himself pushing a bit closer.

Taking a few steps back, he placed both his hands near his chest, one palm facing up, the other facing down, both facing each other.

Between both hands, a ball of green glowing energy formed, wobbling as air gathered around it. Thicker and thicker. Pushing both hands out, it exploded violently, sending a condensed torrent of air at her.

Aiming with two fingers, she pointed them both down, smiling as the streams of light that had flown toward the sky came back down.

Falling upon Dice, it began forcing him down, pushing him into the ground, before erupting in an explosion of light. As the light fell on him, Melissa placed one hand out, tanking the entirety of his attack. Melissa seemed impressed, "That was pretty neat, almost ripped my sleeves."

Crawling out of the crater she left him in, he got up, cracking his back. Taking a breath, he exhaled. 

With a pose, he yelled out, "Domain! Five Fold Elemental Stream!"

Nothing happened.

"You really thought you were gonna get me with that huh?"

"Damn I really thought I'd make you flinch or something."

She scoffed, "Nah. Even if you did manage a domain, I'd probably be fine."

Sighing and muttering, he put his hand out forward. With a command, a staff flew towards him from a long distance away. Catching and flourishing the metal pole, he pointed it at her.

Cracking her knuckles, she began filling her body up with mana. Then she began coursing it through her body. Synchronizing with the movement of her muscles and matching the flow of her blood, it seemed to beat with her heart.

Dice couldn't help at admire the spectacle. Body-strengthening magic wasn't much besides a raw output of magic power, but she did so with such incredible veracity and at such a level to which it approached the level of an art. It looked like a god had been summoned.

But then Dice remembered they weren't just demonstrating. Blocking a punch from her with the metal staff, he felt a violent trembling in his body. Taking a few steps back, he found that his arms felt sorta numb, and it was a bit harder to stand.

Fortifying his body with qi, he braced himself for another attack. But that second attack never came. Instead, Melissa simply stood there with a disappointed look on her face. Sighing, he lunged towards her, taking advantage of his reach advantage to throw a piercing strike at her with his staff.

Clenching her fist, she responded in kind, sending forth a explosive straight. As fist and metal collided, Dice found himself being pushed back.

Throwing attack after attack, Dice didn't manage to really affect her. Attempting to feint her, he tried to bait her with a strike to the head, only to strike them through their gut.

It accomplished very little. He got kicked in the chest and was blown through another tree.

"How do you even fix these?"

"I reattach the tree. Dumbass."

Getting up, Dice smiled, sighing at how ridiculous it all was. Cracking his neck, he put on a serious face. 

Placing both hands near each other, he began building up mana and qi.

There was no real reason for it. He decided he was just going to gather up all the energy in his body and throw it at her. Forming a ball of intense energy, he condensed it until it was about an inch in diameter. Condensing it even further, it eventually became a speck. Regardless, this speck was incredibly bright. So bright that it looked like the sun.

"Damn, that attack looks pretty dangerous." Melissa's smile grew.

Charging up his arm with qi and filling his hand with wind, he chucked the tiny drop of light. With a rush of wind and a loud bang, it was sent speeding, creating a thin stream of light crashing towards her.

With a magic circle forming around her, Melissa uttered two words that rang out with immense pressure, "Black hole."

The speck of light exploded in an incredible glow, this explosion would grow and encompass everything around it. Its purpose being to leave nothing but destruction in its wake, but before it could do so. A single speck of darkness appeared. Absorbing everything around it, it bent Dice's vision of everything. Sucking in the light, all until, there was just darkness that he couldn't see through.

Instinctually, Dice fired off a giant torrent of flames to give him a better visual, it briefly lit up the space, all except a small speck of darkness in the middle, before being near instantly absorbed away. Immediately moving back, he found himself a little startled, "What the hell?"

"It's a black hole." Instantly, the ball of darkness disappeared.

"That was a black hole?"

"Yeah, that tiny speck you saw, that was basically the whole thing. The only reason everything else was dark, was because the black hole was absorbing everything within that radius."

"H-How many other people can use this?"

"What you wanna learn?"

"No, that was absolutely terrifying." He could feel that it was the sort of thing that if messed up meant bad things.

"Hmm. That's too bad. Yeah that was maximum magic anyways, so you probably wouldn't have been able to learn it."

"That was maximum magic?"

"Yeah. If June can pull off a domain, why wouldn't I be able to use maximum magic?"

"Wh-Who have you used that move against Melissa! What? Tell me! What the actual hell? What in the world would be able to beat that!"

"I used it against a half-god celestial once. And ideally, nothing. Realistically, another black hole I guess?"

"Is that what all maximum magics are like?"

"No. Typically they're larger. I just scaled it down because I didn't wanna accidentally kill you. But I guess mines is smaller than other's even when I do use it as intended. Though, I guess I could make it bigger."

Sitting and laying back on the ground, he closed his eyes, "I'm just gonna… lay here and rest a bit…"

"Alright I'mma go- fix these trees." Waltzing around, Melissa began reattaching them. One by one.