Raiten Taisou

(1)

Once the caster has become a mass of charged particles, he separates positively charges particles from his body and positions them to create a certain extent of an electrical field. The charged particles and electrical field can be changed at will from a latent state to an active one, and vice versa, by the caster, who has taken the lightning magic into himself. When the electrical field becomes active, its powerful electric potential difference draws the negatively charged particles that make up the caster’s body toward the positively charged particles of the field with tremendous force. Thus, the caster can move at high speeds via the electrical discharge (In the story, Chamo says that he travels at 150km per second, because that is the average progression velocity of the advance discharge when lightning strikes. The main lightning strike occurs after the electrical path is opened, so it is even faster. For example, in a simple calculation, to ionize a nitrogen atom, a single electrical particle flying inside a discharge path needs to go at a speed greater than 2,260km/s. Either way, electrical discharge in the atmosphere is controlled by outside conditions such as temperature, pressure, and medium, so we can’t expect an accurate figure).

During this time, the negatively charged particles of the caster’s body collide with various molecules and atoms in the air, bringing with them tremendous kinetic energy. Because this kinetic energy becomes ionization energy, impact ionization occurs repeatedly along the discharge path followed by the caster, creating an enormous amount of charged particles and sending out giant flashes of lightning.

However, due to the repeated impact ionization, almost all of the negatively charged particles that made up the caster’s body combine with the newly generated positively charged particles inside the discharged path. Therefore, the negatively charged particles making up the caster’s body can’t simply continue to move at high speeds in the direction of the positioned positively charged particles. This magic is not as simple as merely moving with the speed of lightning.

It was first proven that lightning is an electrical discharge in the air by an experiment conducted in 1752 by the American statesman B. Franklin (1706-1790), using a kite and an electric condenser. However, before modern times, lightning was considered to be fire in the sky. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) states: "The compressed breath is frequently burnt by weak, small fire. This is what we call lightning. At the origin of this lightning, it appears just as though the breath has taken on color." (Meterologica, 369B) In the age of mythology,too, lightning was fire. Hesiod (eight century BC) states, "From his powerful arms sprang several ieri flox)." (Theogony, 690-693) In that case, to put it in magical terms, "becoming a mass of electrically charged particles" means "turning one’s body into fire.

Based on this, the spell "Thunder in Heaven, Great Vigor" would be magic that recreates the caster’s body of flesh and blood into a body of fire, changing him into a genie (ج ن ي). We can say this because a genie is an entity that has been given a body of fire. For example, in the Qur’ran, it is states, "Which of the blessings of your Lord will you decline? The Lord created man from the dry earth. Just as one creates earthen vessels. And the Lord created the genies from fire." (55:13-15).

Genies are a paranormal life-forms famous in the Middle Eastern folklore, such as the spirit in the lamp in Aladdin. While their bodies are made of burning fire, they never burn out (this is similar to how living things are not injured by their metabolism) from the early stages of the spell, he regenerates by absorbing the charges particles in the discharged path, thus maintaining his body and continuing to exist.

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(2)

With the body turned into a particle mass, the caster can spread a positively charged particle swarm (a group of his own positive particles) away from the main body, and thus able to prepare an electric field of a certain span. The caster can control the swarm – Negi manages this using wind magic – and thus the field itself, arbitrarily switching it from dunamis/potentia to energeia and vice versa. When the field is actualised, the caster’s negatively charged main body (particle mass) will be powerfully drawn towards the positively charged particle swarm, due to the electrical potential difference between them. Essentially, the caster uses an electrostatic discharge as a medium to achieve extremely high agility.

(Note that 150km/s is the average speed of a stepped leader during a lightning strike and the main ‘branch’ occurring within the opened circuit will be many times faster. In any case, the exact speed of discharges depends on local conditions, but it should exceed 2,260km/s.)

During this, the caster’s main body (a high-speed negatively charged particle mass) collides with the molecules and atoms in the air. As the massive amount of kinetic energy becomes ionisation energy and causes repeated impact ionisation (an electron avalanche), this releases a large amount of charged particles, resulting in a burst of electricity (hence, “lightning”).

The negatively charged particles that compose the caster’s main body will for the most part join with the positively charged particles newly generated within the circuit. Thus, the caster cannot simply repeat the high-speed movement to another positive particle swarm. This magic is not as simple as “moving as fast as lightning”.

Benjamin Franklin proved that lightning is electricity in 1752. However, before the modern era, lightning was assumed to be “the fire of the sky”. For example, Aristotle believed that lightning was caused by the burning of ejected exhalations (9b) and Hesiod referred to Zeus’ thunderbolts as “sacred flame” (iere phloz [ιερη φλοξ]). In magical terms, ‘to become a charged particle mass’ is equivalent to ‘becoming fire’.

To put it this way, you can say that ‘Raiten Taisou’ is a spell to change the caster’s body into fire, and mutating yourself into a jinni (eg. the Spirit of the Lamp in the story of Aladdin); jinn, beings made of fire, will never ‘burn out’, similar to how living beings can ‘grow back’ from injuries. Thus, during impact ionisation, even though the caster has lost his initial charged mass, he can absorb the charged particles within the circuit as a replenishment, and maintain his body (and life).

By unleashing the lightning within the caster (Khilipl Astrape) onto an actualised electric field, the caster can create a sudden, extreme electrical potential difference, resulting in a large electrical strike: Perfectus Plasmationis Per Emissionem, “Chihayaburu Ikazuchi”.

‘Chihayaburu’ is ancient Japanese, meaning “mighty, great, vigourous power”. ‘Chihayaburu’ in this case is written as “breaking a thousand rocks” (千磐破). Thus, “Thousand Rocks Breaking Lightning”.

In the case of ‘Raiten Taisou’, until the caster removes the positively charged particles from his main body and to elsewhere in his expanded electric field, he cannot use a circuit for high-speed movement. However, with ‘Duplex Complexio’ and a doubled ‘Mega Dunamene’ (‘Raiten Sousou’), the caster can change particle arrangement during movement, allowing him to create the next circuit while still in mid-movement. As the caster can create new circuits indefinitely, the caster can remain in a high-speed form infinitely – Constant Lightning Form.