Chapter 319: Merged

Ned carefully sensed the mana residing inside his body. The more he focused, the more he felt sluggish as though time itself was slowing. Warmth sensation enveloping his skin.

He relaxed, and the moment he freed himself of any thoughts, his Core violently shook as if he knew what Ned is about to do.

Ned guided the mana down to his feet, at the tip of his extremities, back to his Core.

His thought then went inside the Core. There, the golden crystal-like orb swayed as it hovered in the darkness.

Inside the dark space, a crack appeared followed by a white light. This same light blinded Ned as soon as he looked up. Pure white light making its way to the Golden Core. Another crack appeared, this time it was under Ned's feet. Then cracks after cracks made the darkness crept away from the sources of light.

These lights then transformed into a liquid form and slithered toward the golden Core.

Ned shook his head. The pain was tingling not just to his head but to his entire body. Ned knelt as the pain passed through his knees back to his chest. Blood then started to leak from his nose and ears. Crimson rendered the white of his eyes.

For every inch the white glob of his mana crawl toward the golden Core, where the pain increasing.

[That is enough, Ned.]

"N-no..." Blood leaked through the gap of his teeth as he gritted them. "I am barely starting."

Ned forced his mana toward the Core and he's got no strength left to give-up. Not now that he knew how magic works. He was transformed before, what's another to deal with?

Blood dropped away from his nose like heavy rainfall, along this gush of blood was his vision blurring. Ned punched the ground. Luckily grasses hindered the strength he has against the ground, his knuckles turned red but not wounded. Ned punched the same print of his hands. And punched again. All these to relieve the pain he was experiencing.

The golden Core kept on shaking like it was being shackled of chains wanting to break free. The glob of white crept under the Core then one by one, the white in liquid form, made a tower that was trying to reach the Core.

All these happened before Ned as he knelt, both inside and outside his thought, with blood leaving every hole of his body.

Ned was too late to regret what he has done. He never thought that the rules of the world were risky for him to follow.

As Ned battles to neutralize the Core and his mana, ICE was analyzing what was happening inside Ned's body.

ICE figures out that the Core has changed: making it golden than transparent, was due to the accumulation of the Cores Ned had Devour, allowing the Prime Evolution to evolve. She figures that if Ned could fuse his mana to the black energy that the Core was emitting, Ned could have the chance to control the Core and eventually, get rid of it out of his body. She even figured that Mark of the Knight was doing a great deal on enhancing Ned's body. But what she cannot figure out was the unknown energy residing inside the Core, or was it even energy? It was as though the Core has a life of its own. Making her system unable to comprehend and unable to get rid of it as it was also enhancing Ned's body to a certain degree. Reading it as a support instead of endangerment to Ned.

As the glob of white light reached the golden Core, the two mana (Ned's pure mana and the Core's black mana) wildly swirled midair. The more the two mana swirl that tried to mix each other, the more cracks appear and at the same time the darkness inside the space was trying to fix the cracks.

Ned's shoulders shuddered. Unable to hold, he threw himself on the ground as he was devoid of energy.

Then, as though the golden Core has given up, the white glob of light has made its way inside the Core. Ridding it of any dark energy the golden Core was giving off. It was also at this moment that Ned's body turned pale. Sweat condensed over his forehead. Breath steaming of life.

Sweat left Ned's forehead as he rolled to get a view of the dark looming clouds.

"This..." He muttered under his breath. "Is unacceptable."

Under his display was the representation of his body's status.

His energy was dangling at 10%. While his mana, his mana that was supposed to be under a thousand mark, has stagnated to zero.

"How..."

As the only one that could answer him, ICE responded: [The merging went successful. There should not be an issue.]

"Then..." Ned rolled to stand. "I shouldn't be even awake by now. I have literally zero mana at my disposal. I should be in a Mana Burnt state."

[Indeed. You should be.]

And as Ned pondered with ICE the result of merging of the two mana, he suddenly felt a rush of energy coursing his body. Ned's display flickered blank that went on for a couple of seconds until going back to the normal-blue with his bars visible over the top left corner.

Looking at the mana bar, Ned's assumption was put to a halt when the bar was half full. It was also at that moment that he felt his mana swirling inside his chest, ready to burst, ready to be unleashed.

As he stood, Ned felt his body went back to normal with the warming sensation kicking back in. Ned wiped the blood, or what was left of it, off his nose. He closed his eyes and with a thought, the memorized details of the spell Oblix Peruro came into view inside his mind.

Seconds passed, Ned opened his eyes, and with another thought, he conjured Oblix Peruro.

"A tenth of my mana." Ned calmly stood. Uncaring of the noises coming from the front of the house where guests bickers of what they needed. Uncaring of the rustles of the grass beneath his foot. Or the horses neighing outside the inn along with other people's footsteps. His senses emerge over the top. And this was what he needed: the focus, the keen senses, the determination. He stood calmly, focusing all his thoughts towards the Core. The Core stopped shaking the moment the white light of mana reached it.

As he focused, Ned sensed that his mana, now stored inside the Core, was still pure as it always be, but something more. Something that he couldn't get a hold of, something that waits. Ned tapped the mana inside the Core and as soon as he does, they followed Ned of whatever his commands will be.

"Oblix Peruro." The moment Ned gave the cue, the mana slowly seeped off his Core, out of his chest, and travels through his entire body.

A moment of silence was given to Ned before the mana was materialized and transformed to a bright crimson red flame that wraps his body. The flames danced as if filled with intelligence as it was avoiding contact on Ned's skin, but also close enough that Ned's body was wrapped by it in a form of flaming armor.

Ned raised a hand, smooth blazing magic danced over it.

The moment that Ned felt the amazement overwhelming him. The magic-created flame oozed off his hands as though excited as well. The moment he calms, the flames calmed down as well.

"Emotions..." Ned said with flame bending to give way for his breath.

Another moment of silence and amazement drizzled Ned. But not long after he was taken aback by the Core shaking violently. Ned gritted his teeth as the flame was trying to leave his body.

"Fuck—"

Ned's body shook followed by the flames leaving his body. What comes next was a burst of white light that was slowly turning black.

Ned looked inside his Core: it was golden, but oozing of both white light and dark light.

Realizing that the black light was leaving unintended, Ned focused to control but failed to do so as the black light left his Core and eventually transformed into a black flame.

Unable to control, Ned gritted his teeth as he gripped the Silk Road over his chest. He bent to kneel, but the force coming along the black flame was too much that it left Ned standing in a daze.

Seconds passed, unbeknownst to Ned, ICE was forced to activate Overclock.

Like a gear grinding on top speed. Ned's body was heated more than usual. White light swiveled inside the golden Core and burst out of it. Just like the blacklight, the white light leaked off Ned's body until the two were half to half wrapping his body.

Ned smirked. Feeling the control the moment Overclock was activated, he let it prolong for a much longer time. Uncaring for what it could have done to his body.

An oozing of steam, and a burst of both the white and black flame wrapping his body, Ned let the Overclock overturn the current situation.

Having the Overclock let his mind at ease. He stayed focused, seconds passed, the white light turned flaming red until it slowly devours the black light.

As though feeling defeated, the black light sipped back inside Ned's body, and back to his Core.

Having successfully controlled his mana, Ned let out a sigh and a smile.

According to the description of the skill Oblix Peruro, Ned was halfway done conjuring the spell. It was supposed to be a spell that wraps his body like armor. But the one that Ned conjured was a thin flame of armor.

Canceling the Overclock let Ned almost stumble on his feet but managed to get a hold of himself.

His focus swept to his mana rapidly decreasing as the spell was constantly activated. Ned took a long breath under the fiery armor. He then let out this same breath along with the flame around his body bursting. The thin armor of flame turned blazing hot as it swirled around Ned.

This same flame lets Ned control it at will as long as he has the mana. With a thought, the flame expanded, giving Ned a thick armor.

"With this," Ned said under his breath. His silver hair fluttered along with the flame extended until his neck. "I can defend myself from attacks aimed at my blind spots."