Return of the Fallen Volume 7 Chapter 8
Chaos.
Absolute chaos.
The moment Kazuki’s core absorbed the energy from the magical beast cores, at that apex, a wild fluctuation was activated. Within fractions of a second, Kazuki’s Mage core was in a completely unstable state. The energy could no longer be contained and erupted in a mass explosion. Waves of power rushed out of him in an erupting pulse that spread through his body and threatened to shred him to pieces with its volatility.
Kazuki could feel his bones grinding against one another and his muscles tense up and coil as if they would rip at any moment. His nerves were on the verge of splitting and burning up into fine ash and his blood heated near the point of boiling. Just as he thought his body would burst into a thousand pieces of meaty chunks, a fraction of a second passed and the power within his core reversed.
The explosion flipped inward, inverting, becoming an implosion. All of that pressure, all of that pain, as if it never existed in the first place, dispersed as the chaotic energy in his body reversed backward from the source.
Kazuki had no time to keep the ourodyess power in check and with a forceful push, he crushed the miniature black hole with his aura, shutting it off in one fell swoop. His attention turned to the implosion and he rushed his aura forth to try and help contain his energy and prevent it from exploding once more but he was already too late.
Once again a fraction of a second had passed and the inversion turned outward and raced out of the Mage core, sending another pulse of purified condensed energy shooting through his body, this time it was stronger than before and he felt his body start to tear apart. Bones cracked, several muscles began to tear and organs were squeezed like putty.
Kazuki tasted metal in his mouth followed by a burst of blood spilling from his mouth.
(I have to concentrate. This power is too forceful. I need to control it before it destroys me from the inside out!)
The moment Kazuki thought this, the magical energy once more reversed and pulled inward as if a million people were tugging on it like a rope.
Kazuki knew what came next and immediately spread his aura around his Mage core. In an instant, several layers of aura enveloped his Mage core, creating barrier after barrier.
As he did this, Danny yelled out at him.
“NO! YOU MUST USE YOUR WILL AND CONTROL OF MAGIC! YOUR AURA WILL ONLY HOLD IT BACK FOR A MOMENT! DON’T CONTAIN IT, CONTROL YOUR MAGIC INSTEAD!”
Danny’s voice came a moment too late and once again the energy breached the Mage core and came rushing out like a tidal wave.
This time the resulting explosion was at its fiercest. An untamed storm came crushingly out of his Mage core and tore into his body.
His bones could not take it and dozens of them broke at once. His muscles and tendons like a rubber band being stretched past its limit snapped in loud pops. Nerves fried and burst like mini explosions inside his body and his blood flowed backward. Mouthfuls of said blood with tiny pieces of internal organs were coughed out in a flurry and every orifice’s bled with black blood. His hair fell out and the surface of his skin peeled and burst with blisters.
A small amount of the magic escaped out of his body and crashed into the surrounding cave.
*BANG!*
All at once, the entire cave shattered from such pure, overwhelming energy. The entire top of the mountain was blown away, revealing Kazuki’s battered body to the outside world.
To go through such agony in an instant, this type of pain nearly drove Kazuki to madness. As he felt his life begin to dim, several faces flashed in his mind.
He saw everyone he ever cared for, everyone he loved. He also thought about those he hated. Those he wished he could tear apart limb from limb. A mix of emotions re-lit the flame within him and Kazuki’s soul felt as if it were on fire. This desperation to survive, this undying struggle to never relent brought Kazuki’s mind racing back. He activated all of his ki at once and focused it solely on regenerating his brain and heart. At the same time, he placed layer after layer of aura around these two parts to protect them from any random magic flowing around him or out of him. At the same time, his eyes slammed shut and he was inside his soul world.
As soon as he arrived he could feel the energy flowing in reverse.
Kazuki had known exactly what to do before Danny told him but in the instant that the energy from his Mage core exploded outward, his mind soul, and body were struck with that unimaginable pain that he both lost focus as well as reasoning for a split second. However the moment Danny brought it up, he remembered exactly what to do. He had seen it from Glacious’s memories and he knew what needed to be done.
Just as the energy had once more folded into his Mage core, Kazuki was already near it. Placing a hand over it, he recalled the feelings he had just a moment ago. The love, the hatred, the fear of death, the fight to survive and never concede, to never fall fail himself. Kazuki poured all of these thoughts, all of his beliefs, everything he had into his Mage core and roared with a command as if it were directly from the gods themselves.
“SUBMITTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!*
As he roared this single word, it carried with it the power of his soul and the soul world itself. The soul world itself shook as if it were on the verge of collapse and the clouds in the sky swirled and formed tornados. His memories, Glacious’s, Garn’s, Danny’s, and Abura’s all began to rage about and tear at the sky. Every memory he had ever witnessed, every experience he’d ever gone through, and every emotion he’d ever felt, all at once, they fell from the sky like daggers in the night and all of them poured directly into his Mage core.
The energy that was on the verge of exploding outward once more, like the eye of a storm all of a sudden went silent. The energy within the Mage core rotated and slammed about within the Mage core and the Mage core itself expanded. Once, twice, three, times more. By the time it became about ten times as big, the raging power within could not cause as much damage and the energy began to calm.
Kazuki could still feel a bit of resistance and he acted as if he would crush the Mage core before calling out one final time.
“SUBMIT TO ME!”
The energy within gave one final smash against the inside of his Mage core but like a mouse to a cat, it went completely still in the presence of a predator. The Mage core expanded no further and the energy within repaired all of the cracks and fissures on the surface until his core looked pristine and new.
The soul world as well went completely still and the tornados reverted back to peaceful clouds floating by with a bright blue sky.
Kazuki stood there silent for a moment, a dazed expression on his face.
*ROARRRRRRRRRRR!*
Before he had time to bask in this afterglow, several loud roars broke out in the distance. Inside Kazuki’s soul world, several whale beasts flew in the sky.
(That’s right, I did just absorb several 2nd tier magical beast cores. Each one not only holds a decent amount of pure energy but also fragments of beast souls.)
Kazuki wasn’t even thinking about it at the time and just used the 2nd tier magical beast cores because he needed just a bit more energy to push him over the edge. He didn’t intend to bring these soul fragments inside his soul world but he must have accidentally done so when he pulled in all of their power.
There were 12 whale beasts flying in the sky. Kazuki was just about to go and destroy them when Danny walked over.
“Let me, it gets boring sometimes watching you all the time.”
Kazuki didn’t really care either way and gladly stepped aside.
Danny walked forward and as he did he held out a hand. A branch on Kazuki’s soul tree snapped off and flew directly into Danny’s hand. Kazuki was slightly impressed.
(When did he learn to do that?)
Danny held the branch in his hand and stared at it curiously for a brief second.
(Hmm, the branch feels a little heavier now.)
Danny glanced at the soul tree and took in its growth. It had become much taller than before and Danny could feel more power within the branch he held.
A small smile formed on his face.
The whale beast arrived above them all and each one opened their large wide mouths all at once. Bright orbs of light gathered in front of their open mouths and they were just about to attack. Danny shook his head.
(Far too slow.)
“Second form, Shapeless Cloud!”
The moment Danny said this, his hand blurred, and the branch at his side seemed to vanish for a split second before it once again returned to his side. At the same time in the air, the orbs that were just about to fire suddenly froze. Hundreds of ranches seemed to rain down from every angle and pierce the 12 whale beasts at once. They all took on the form of large porcupines in an instant.
All at once the orbs of light faded and dimmed and the whales burst into particles of light, dissipating into the aether.
Tossing the branch behind him, it flew to the soul tree and fused back with it.
Danny shook his head in disappointment.
“Too weak.”
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