Somani’s POV:
‘…Cello?’
Still no response. I had waited for Cello to finish splitting his soul for a long time now.
Worry started to creep into my heart, but disgust quickly drowned it.
Worry for him? Pfft.
Although I had made a contract with Cello and was probably going to spend decades with him, I still despised him.
What if he becomes worse than the Empire?
I squashed the thought. Cello’s prospects and potential were immense, but becoming a calamity bigger than the Empire? Impossible.
Even if he somehow manages to do so, I’ll end his existence.
I had one of the seven eternal classes, unheard of Mana control, and the will to walk forward—nothing was going to stop me.
As I sat there, the walls that had been faintly illuminating the room with all-encompassing white light started to brighten, and brighten.
I had to cover my eyes, but then…
Hummm
The walls suddenly turned red. A faint, constant hum could be heard.
I shot up and instantly formed a white Mana bolt with my new skill, [Primus Manipulation].
The middle section of the wall opposite me slid open, revealing a red corridor.
“Prisoner #96047, please proceed forward,” a female, emotionless voice spoke.
…What?
I disagreed with the voice. Moving into a new place, where I was perfectly fine here… that seemed like a bad idea.
But the female announcer insisted.
Ahhhh!
A jolt moved through me before returning to the ground.
I fell onto my hands, heaving for breath.
“Combatant #96047, proceed forward.”
I took a long breath in, then entered the corridor. I had no other option.
At this moment, as I walked through the red tunnel, I wished that Cello was still awake. He always seemed to have a solution.
No! I can do this on my own!
At the end of the corridor, I took a left, then a right, then…
It was a maze, but I finally reached what I thought might be the final destination.
Woah!
A huge hall, one that could fit a hundred of the cubical rooms I had been in, greeted me. It, too, was a cube with red shining walls, and at the end… a corridor, but this one was way larger than mine.
I heard it before I saw it.
Grrrr…
A Siziki.
The creature didn’t ogle at the hall; It rushed me immediately.
I released the bolt.
Boov!
The creature evaded to the side, getting its tough hide scorched, but nothing more.
Oh, no…
The green blob was too fast, and before I could react, it impacted against my chest.
I frantically shoved the glob off me, but its stickiness impeded me, and then it started to eat at my naked flesh.
I screamed internally, and to add to my misery, the Siziki hit me, sending me flying towards a wall.
My vision swam, as darkness tried to pull me into its cold embrace.
…argh
Thankfully, My injured brain quickly healed.
I should’ve chosen a protective skil—
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The Siziki’s head crushed me against the wall before it retracted back into its neck. The creature really knew how to press its advantage.
This… can’t go on!
I stood up on wobbly feet, as my crushed breastbones healed while sending dizzying pain waves.
I was in great pain, but more so, I was enraged.
Enraged by failing my promise, from Cello, and this stupid creature.
I formed another Mana bomb, but before condensing it… It turned orange?
I didn’t have time to question myself. I condensed the bomb as much as I could, then…
“Die!”
Sweeesh!
The ball expanded on impact into a huge firball that engulfed the Siziki before… a heat wave and a deafening sound hit me.
Skill granted, [Condensed Fireball].
[Condensed Fireball]: …
I fell to my knee; the explosion had been too close, too loud and unexpected.
Reaching for my whistling ears… blood, but no matter the injury, as long as I had Mana, [Immortal] didn’t care.
Was that fire-attributed Mana?
Unfortunately, as the explosion settled, I saw that the Siziki was still advancing, albeit at a slower pace. Its hide was scorched, turning black while a burned smell filled the air.
I tried to get up, but the creature reached me first and started tearing at me with its claws.
Somhow, as the hot blood gushed, my pain felt muted.
I tried to resist, but the monster’s arms were the size of my thighs and easily overpowered me.
Is that my stomach?
The creature held a snake-like pink thing in its mouth as it glared at me with glee.
I knew that only one option was left: a suicidal release, but then an idea.
I decided to go with the suicidal release if this didn’t work, as an explosion this close might destroy my core, and with no core, no Mana, and with no Mana, no regeneration.
Cello’s Mana film might save me, but… too risky.
Instead of releasing the Mana into the air and forming a bomb, I shoved it into my arm muscles.
I felt great strength in my arm, but then as I moved it… my muscle snapped.
Ahhhh!
That one hurt more than the goring.
But it quickly healed, and I redid my attempt.
It tore, but the inertia pushed my punch and impacted it against the thing’s torso.
My arm crumbled on impact with the tough hide, making the bone stick out.
I didn’t know if to be disgusted or astonished as my arm mended, then flesh and skin covered it.
Thankfully of unthankfully, the Siziki was still tearing into my insides, so I tried again, although this time I formed a Mana gauntlet around my arm to protect it. I also focused on how the Mana moved through my muscle.
I aimed for the head, and…
Poof! Pop
The creature’s eye exploded from the hit as I shoved it to the side, releasing its hold on me.
The creature was too tough to be dazed from this hit, but a follow-up small fireball dissuaded it from further action.
In a second, my stomach was mended, and I stood up with my fists raised in front of me. My arms were covered with simple white Mana gauntlets, pauldrons, and vambraces.
Ready for round two?
Grrr!
The creature sent its head shooting at me. I reinforced the entirety of my body with Mana; the Mana wreaked havoc in my innards, but my regeneration kept me standing.
I met its attack with one of my own.
Poof!
I slid on the ground, pushed back by the attack, but not overwhelmed.
The creature glared at me with its remaining eye before retracting its head.
Not so tough, huh?
I jumped to the side as a green glob got shot from the retreating head.
Now that there was some distance between us, I threw a fireball and immediately followed with another one, then another.
Boov! Boov! Boov!
I wanted to throw a fourth one, but my Mana was running lo—
The beast cut the smoke in half as it furiously barreled towards me.
I reinforced my body and braced for impact.
Although I had my body reinforced and strengthened myself with Mana, my weight was the same, so the creature easily lifted me off the ground with its teeth buried into my flesh, then ran towards a wall, intending to pin me down and tear at my fleash again.
I punched, waited a moment for regeneration, then punched, pumping the top of the creature’s head, but it didn’t seem to mind.
What the heck is its hide made of?!
As the wall grew closer, I observed how the Mana moved in my muscles… it was aimless, infusing into every part.
Hm…
From Cello’s memories, I knew that muscles were made of thin, long lines that contracted to create motion, so I shaped my Mana into the same shape, then when the muscle contracted, I contracted the Mana strings…
Poof!
The punch was way stronger than the previous ones, but it still wasn’t enough.
I optimised it with every new punch, trying whatever came to mind and sticking to those that worked. I added more strings, made them join at both ends, and timed their contraction more closely to my muscles.
I punched, but this time aiming at the teeth.
Crk!
Skill granted, [Mana Infusion]
Mana Ifusion: Internally or externally, Mana can be used everywhere. Through infusing your muscles, you strengthened them and unlocked this skill. Infusion has myriad uses, from making your skin more resilient and sword sharper, to turning a piece of paper indestructible.
Would you like to acquire the skill, [Mana Infusion]?
I was in a tough spot, literally, so I skimmed through the skill’s description and then accepted it.
Yes!
Instincts flooded my brain, but before I could put them to use…
Argh!
The Siziki rammed me into the wall, then started pounding my head against it.
I would’ve lost consciousness if I hadn’t reinforced my head with [Mana Infusion]. The skill not only increased my head’s resilience but also seemed to refresh my brain and boost its processing power.
I infused Mana into my arm, but didn’t have to create a gauntlet around it; I elbowed its teeth…
Crk!
The cracked teeth broke, then, with another punch, the creature released me.
I rolled, then jumped to my feet and started pounding the thing’s head.
I aimed for its other eye, blinding it, but being this close, the green spit covered me.
Although I knew I’d heal, fear still struck me; This was painful.
I frantically shoved the liquid off me, but the creature threw another one.
I ran as I tried to dislodge the slime, but the monster’s aim was too good, and a third spit splashed next to me, sending droplets at my feet.
It’s blind… how?
The fourth shot was smaller, but still hit my arm.
Is it… smelling me?
I was reaching my limits, Mana—will wise. The pain, the struggle… It was hard, too hard.
As I ran around, trying to dodge the creature’s spit, I looked at my arm. The spit had eaten away at the skin and flesh, leaving only bones with some meat stuck on.
What is life?
The situation was so surreal that this random thought crossed my mind.
I mean, I have regenerated probably every cell of my being, so… am I even the same person?
I adjusted my course and headed back towards the beast.
Maybe… maybe a person is his soul…
My bony arm regenerated, but I put it in front of me, so it started to decay again; it was protecting me from the incoming spit attacks.
What is the soul?
When I reached the creature, it was bare bone again.
Cello has split his soul, but he remained one…
I removed the hand bones and a big forarm one, leaving a long, thin bone with a sticky liquid.
Or is he still one?
I reinforced it, then moved the reinforcement Mana’s tip outside the bone’s parameters and shaped it into a spear head.
So many questions, but no answers.
As I shoved the bone into the creature’s eyes and saw it exit from the other side… I felt calm and focused. It was like the world was at the tip of my finger, like I could do anything.
I felt amazing.
You have killed Siziki, Lv. 89
Primus Magus has reached Lv. 28
Primus Magus has reached Lv. 29
Primus Magus has reached Lv. 30
***
Keenda’s POV:
I was kneeling in the middle of an enormous black room. Next to me was Pomus, two Royal Guards, a Royal Investigator, a Royal Researcher, and in front of us… Ra’ara.
She looked… weird, just like all Noblesse, but I didn’t dare think of that too deeply. She had transparent skin that showed blue, and only blue, arteries—the blue-blooded. Every muscle twitch, heart pump, and tendon could be seen. It was so bizarre.
Ra’ara was giving us her back as she glanced at a huge screen that showed…
I had been in this room before. It usually had thousands of screens with hundreds of employees observing them. This was the Interior Ministry’s Science Division, Cervita branch. It also acted as a prison for the most dangerous creatures.
“To think that a tierless human can achieve this much power… Fascinating,” Ra’ara muttered her first words since the start of the fight between the Primus and the Siziki.
“Toread, didn’t you tell me that the Primus had a biomancy focus?” Ba’ara asked the Royal Investigator.
“Yes, your Highness. That’s what Investigator Shraider has shared, and I believe he’s right. Although we can’t verify through divination, because, as you know, seeing the stats of an eternal class holder is impossible.”
“Indeed. What do you think, Rahoon?” This time, Ra’ara asked the Royal Researcher.
“It’s as you’ve said, your Highness, fascinating. This level of Mana control, and not just any Mana, Supreme Mana, is almost unprecedented. And learning how to use infusion midfight… incredible, just incredible.”
Ra’ara nodded before turning to face us with her big eyes. They had no irises, only black surrounded by white, like two deep, calm lakes.
“Toread and Rahoon, I want you two to gather as much information about the Primus as possible; his skills, titles, and everything else. Keenda and Pomus, I believe you’re the highest-ranked Royal Guards currently stationed at Cervita, so I want you to guard this facility and protect the Primus.”
“Your orders shall be fulfilled, your Highness!” The four of us shouted at the same time.
Ra’ara smiled with her black, pointy teeth, sending chills down my spine. I hadn’t felt this fear in decades… Noblesse were terrifying.
“Excellent. Succeed, and I shall personally ask the Emperor to grant you another hundred years of lifespan. I’m expecting my older brother, Denial, to reach Cervita soon, so don’t fail and give me good results.”
“As you wish, your Highness!”
I didn’t know whether to be happy at the promise of an extended lifespan, or terrified at the mention of Denial, the Minister of Interior, The Second Born, and Emporer’s Left Hand.
…Let’s hope this assignment is quickly finished and without trouble.