As Vitaliara absorbed the vitality of the forest, the once radiant glow of Tiax—the Nyxalith symbolizing life—began to fade. The energy that once emanated from the creature started to dim, its vibrant scales losing their luster. The once-glorious light within Tiax flickered as it slowly gave up its life force, willingly offering it for Vitaliara’s recovery.
The flowers and plants around the lakeside, which had blossomed under Tiax’s influence, began to wither slightly as their energy was drawn into Vitaliara. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Lucavion, meanwhile, focused intensely on his own task. He could feel the surge of death energy flooding his body, pouring into his core with overwhelming force. His [Flame of Equinox] mana technique activated, beginning to circulate the dense death energy throughout his body.
As it did, the flame within him burned brighter, but the sheer volume of death energy was far greater than the life energy Vitaliara was taking in.
It didn’t take long before Lucavion felt the first chilling effects. His core, now filled to the brim with death energy, began to freeze. The cold spread rapidly, moving through his meridians like an unstoppable wave. His breath became shallow as frost crept along his veins, threatening to lock his very mana pathways.
His limbs grew numb, and it felt as though his body was being encased in ice from the inside out.
Despite the intense pain and the freezing sensation coursing through his body, Lucavion gritted his teeth, refusing to let the imbalance stop him. The cold was suffocating, the pain searing, but he knew he had no choice. If he faltered now, everything they had worked for would be for nothing.
“Not yet,” he muttered through clenched teeth, his voice barely a whisper.
With every ounce of willpower he possessed, Lucavion forced himself to continue. He pushed his mana through his frozen meridians, circulating the [Flame of Equinox] technique, even as the cold threatened to shatter him from the inside. His core trembled under the pressure, but he held firm, enduring the freezing pain as he continued absorbing the death energy.
His Flame of Equinox burned hotter and brighter, trying to balance the overwhelming cold, but it was a slow and agonizing process.
Yet, Lucavion didn’t stop. He couldn’t. He had to endure, to continue pushing forward no matter the cost.
On the other side, Vitaliara felt something off. Though she was absorbing the life energy, it wasn’t resonating with her in the way she expected. The flow felt disrupted, and she knew that if things continued as they were, a significant portion of the energy would go to waste.
Her eyes shifted to Lucavion. He was enduring immense pain as he absorbed the death energy, his body clearly struggling to handle the imbalance. It was then that an idea struck her. Vitaliara understood that their connection as familiar and master went deeper than mere combat synergy—there was something greater between them, a harmony they hadn’t fully tapped into yet.
Without hesitation, she made a decision.
Focusing her energy, Vitaliara linked her life energy circulation with Lucavion’s. She allowed the life energy to flow into his meridians, circulating around his body alongside the death energy he was absorbing. As the life energy moved through him, it cooled slightly from the death energy’s chilling effects. The process allowed the life energy to stabilize, flowing more harmoniously between them.
Lucavion felt the sudden shift. The icy grip of the death energy still burned through his core, but there was now a warmth countering it, cooling and tempering the deathly chill. He recognized the sensation—it was Vitaliara’s energy, linked to his, balancing the forces within him.
The intense pain he had been experiencing began to ease as the two energies, life and death, found a fragile harmony inside him.
Vitaliara, in turn, felt the life energy resonate more clearly within her now that it had passed through Lucavion. The process had become smoother, more efficient, as the coldness from the death energy refined the life energy she absorbed. Together, they had unknowingly created a perfect cycle, their energies balancing each other out.
[This is better,] Vitaliara murmured softly, her voice resonating in Lucavion’s mind. [We’ll make it work together.]
Lucavion nodded, his focus renewed, the overwhelming pain now manageable. “Let’s keep going,” he whispered.
With the warmth of Vitaliara’s life energy now circulating through his meridians, Lucavion’s focus sharpened. The once overwhelming cold of the death energy became manageable, the balance of life and death within him creating a chaotic yet harmonious flow. His [Flame of Equinox] surged with new intensity, the fire within his core blazing as it fed on the energy that filled him.
The death energy, now mixed with the life energy Vitaliara provided, formed a dynamic and potent force. It was as if two opposing fires burned within him, each pushing against the other, but rather than clashing, they intertwined in a perfect dance. Lucavion used this immense power to shape his core, guiding the energy into precise, controlled flows.
Inside his core, the [Flame of Equinox] roared to life. The first vortex, already formed, spun steadily, a testament to his strength. The second vortex, which had begun to take shape after he killed Koran and absorbed his energy, swirled violently within him, nearing completion. Now, the immense amount of energy swirling around them provided exactly what he needed to push forward.
He felt the immense power surging through him, more than enough to finalize the third vortex. It was dangerous—the energy was excessive, even more than necessary—but Lucavion knew he had to control it, or risk being overwhelmed.
‘This is it,’ Lucavion thought, his focus unwavering. He carefully guided the death and life energy, directing it into his core to stabilize the formation of the third vortex. The swirling energy began to condense, pulling inward as the chaotic fire of life and death found its center.
The pressure mounted within him, the vortex spinning faster, drawing in the power from both the life and death energies. His body felt like it was on fire, but not in the same painful way as before. This was the refining heat of creation, the forging of something powerful and new.
Lucavion gritted his teeth, pushing the final wave of energy into his core. The third vortex began to form, the chaotic fire stabilizing into a steady, powerful force. His entire being pulsed with energy, the balance between life and death maintained, the power of the [Flame of Equinox] stronger than ever before.
With one final surge, the third vortex solidified, and Lucavion felt the immense pressure within him release, the energy now flowing in perfect harmony throughout his core.
“It’s done,” he whispered, his voice filled with both exhaustion and triumph. The third vortex was complete, and the power of the [Flame of Equinox] had reached a new level.
Now, at that exact moment he had finally reached the 3-star realm in terms of [Flame of Equinox.]
As Lucavion’s power surged, the third vortex now fully stabilized within his core, a new sensation washed over him. The moment he had reached the 3-star realm with his [Flame of Equinox], he instinctively felt the ability to manifest his mana outside his body. The flames of life and death that had swirled within him now extended outward, forming a visible aura around him.
The chaotic fire of life and death energy swirled in harmony, responding to his will.
He could feel the death energy in the air as if it was part of him now, no longer requiring focused meditation to absorb it. The sensation of control over the energy around him was both exhilarating and empowering.
Just as he was contemplating this newfound power, the two Nyxaliths, Tiax and Laxa, began to move. Laxa, the overseer of death, swam gracefully through the water toward Lucavion, while Tiax, the embodiment of life, moved toward Vitaliara.
Lucavion’s eyes narrowed as he watched the Nyxaliths approach. Without warning, the two ancient creatures leaped from the lake, their shimmering forms soaring through the air. In a breathtaking display of light and shadow, Laxa dove directly into Lucavion’s body, while Tiax did the same with Vitaliara.
A powerful jolt surged through Lucavion, his core reverberating with energy as Laxa disintegrated, its essence merging with the [Flame of Equinox]. The death energy within him intensified, yet it remained under his control, harmonized with the life energy that Vitaliara had shared with him. He could feel the ancient power of the Nyxalith now intertwined with his very being.
Vitaliara, standing nearby, experienced the same sensation as Tiax’s life energy flowed into her. Her fur glowed with a renewed vitality, her connection to life energy now stronger than ever before.
Lucavion exhaled slowly, processing the immense power coursing through him. He looked down at his hands, feeling the strength and potential that now resided within him.
“They may stay with us,” Lucavion murmured, his voice quiet but filled with a sense of calm acceptance. “If that’s what they want.”
In a way, those creatures were just showing him their final respects and requested the final thing from them.
Which he gladly complied and returned the favor.
And just like that, Lucavion had achieved his second breakthrough in just two days.
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