Supreme Magus

Chapter 3020 Price of Power (Part 2)

3020 Price of Power (Part 2)

Orion sighed, taking a moment to collect himself before taking off his clothes.

”Iʼll keep us all connected with a mind link. Iʼll use it only in case of emergency and I expect everyone to do the same. Avoid screaming and begging in my head, please. I need to focus.” Vastor stripped as well, followed by Abthot, Nandi, and Zoreth.

They only kept the Maw on.

”What are you doing?” Orion didnʼt know where to look.

”Five pods for five people, genius.” Vastor replied. ”Enchanted armor would get in the way of the neural interface. I canʼt risk the slightest delay in the system.”

ʼDamn, the rumors about Vastorʼs staff were true.ʼ Orion nodded and walked inside the open gene tank.

When the glass door closed, a violet liquid flowed inside and kept pouring even after reaching Orionʼs neck. At that point, what looked like an oxygen mask came down from the ceiling and attached itself to his face.

ʼDonʼt worry and breathe normally.ʼ Vastor said via the mind link. ʼThis will take a long while so get yourself comfortable. Give me a sign when youʼve gotten used to the pod.ʼ

Floating in the nutrient potion was indeed a weird experience just like seeing Mogar in shades of violet. Yet the warm liquid relaxed Orion and being able to see Vastor and the members of his team eased Orionʼs worries.

As he gave Vastor a thumbs up, Nandi cranked the density of world energy inside Orionʼs tank to eleven.

ʼStop fighting your core and Awaken.ʼ Vastor said.

Orion nodded and followed the breathing technique Vastor had taught him. The tank seemed to turn from a life support system into a torture device. His blood burned through his veins like magma while the impurities became a swarm of angry razors that tore his body apart from the inside in the attempt to escape.

Abthotʼs vines moved from her pod to Orionʼs, seeping under his skin and spreading throughout his flesh, blood, and bones. The sensation of his body being invaded would have been terrifying under normal circumstances but the pain was too intense for Orion to care.

Zoreth provided the abundant vitality of her troll side, Abthot infused nutrients and life force on a cellular level better than Quyllaʼs Injection spell, while Nandi adjusted the pressure of the world energy based on Vastorʼs instructions.

As for the Professor, he used his breathing technique, Beyonderʼs Eye, and his Decay eye, to study the changes in Orionʼs body and life force in real time. He spotted the mana flowʼs breaking points and moved the impurities there.

All the vital organs were constantly protected. The impurities adjusted their shape and density to fight the destructive waves of violet mana like well-trained soldiers under the orders of a veteran general.

Orionʼs body bloated and exploded, but only in non-vital areas that Zoreth healed and Abthot replenished with nutrients.

None of that would have been enough if not for Nandi generating a world energy pressure above that of a mana geyser and Cyare imbuing Orion with Mana Body. The earth element-based bloodline ability made flesh and bones sturdier and resistant to their own mana.

It turned Orionʼs entire body into a quasi-impurity that hindered the Awakening process, allowing him to survive. Nelia infused her allies with Life Maelstrom, giving the lionʼs share to Abthot.

The ogre-Eldritch hybrid kept half of it to herself and infused the rest along with the nutrients inside Orionʼs cells when they regenerated. This way she empowered his body without affecting his core, increasing his physical resistance beyond human limits.

Bytra followed the events from the control panel of the Madness, making sure that the energy flow didnʼt overload any of the pods and that everyone received the nourishment they needed.

The procedure was going to last hours, if not days, and they needed their strength.

Orionʼs Awakening was unique and Vastor had no mage tower. Orion knew that somehow Lith had helped Quylla to Awaken, but he couldnʼt ask her anything without exposing his intentions.

Vastor had planned for the impurities to slowly drip out of Orionʼs body as it rebuilt itself stronger and its mana conductivity improved. The problem was that he had no experience with violet cores and played it safe.

He followed the transformation of Orionʼs body with Beyonderʼs Eye, nudging the changes in the life force here and there while letting the impurities out only when their presence made further advancement impossible.

The tar-like substance seeped instead of flooding out of Orionʼs orifices and pores, making the process as painful as a normal Awakening but making it last much longer than a few minutes.

ʼWhatever happens, donʼt lose consciousness.ʼ Vastor warned him. ʼWhenever you feel too weak, just tell me and Iʼll restore your vitality. Just remember that the more I do it, the less effective it will become.ʼ

Orion screamed, nodded, and kept screaming.

His bones broke, his skin fell off, and his blood seemed to be on fire.

The slow Awakening process hindered his breathing technique and sapped his strength. Invigoration didnʼt work due to all the barriers stopping the mana flow while the constant opening and healing of his wounds took a toll on his mind.

Awakening was supposed to be empowering but for Orion, it was a slow and excruciating torture.

Seconds seemed to last minutes, minutes days, and hours years. The process couldnʼt be stopped and soon Orion found himself wishing that someone, anyone messed up.

ʼAt least, this would be over. At least, the pain would stop.ʼ His tears were lost in the violet liquid.

No god answered his prayers and the Eldritches made no mistake.

Cyare and Hushar took turns with the arrays and the Mana Body while Eycos and Nelia alternated using Life Maelstrom so that their mana organs were never full.

ʼCirculate your mana!ʼ Vastor incited his friend from time to time. ʼThe more auxiliary cores you form, the lesser the strain on your body will become.ʼ

It was easy to say but hard to do in the searing ocean of agony that drowned Orion. He needed sheer willpower just to stay conscious, he clenched his teeth so hard and for so long that they kept chipping and regenerating.

Every piece of his body down to his hair hurt all the time. Circulating mana under those conditions wasnʼt hard, it was impossible. Normal Awakened would not experience pain, their bodies free of impurities upon reaching the bright blue.

The point of the violet was to reach the expertise and focus to form auxiliary cores, not to battle death. It was only hours later, when Orionʼs body refinement had reached the equivalent of the blue, that he could start forming the auxiliary cores.

By that point, he had almost got numb to the pain and with most of the impurities gone, it was bearable. At least for him. Without the Masterʼs careful planning and the prolonged suffering, what Orion now considered acceptable suffering would have driven a normal man insane.

Nandi slowly decreased the pressure of world energy as Orionʼs body improved and so did Cyare and Hushar with Mana Body.

Abthot tendrils stitched Orionʼs flesh together, Zoreth enhanced his metabolism to regeneration levels, and Vastor moved the impurities to force the mana flow to follow path of the least resistance.