Activating [Destructive Manies Infusion], I watched as the Mannies tube immediately formed—no need for the circular motion.
Zooming in, I saw how each half of the tube was purer than my skill-less creation, being made of 1/5—one Angular to every five Destroyers, or vice versa.
I infused the Manies into a random cell.
The cell became a patchwork of normal biological matter and Manies, but…
When the infusion stopped, the cell died, bursting into scattered matter.
This can be both good and bad.
Good because it’d allow a huge power pump while using less energy. Bad as the intensity would leave everything infused in tatters.
That isn’t a problem for Somani, but for most things…
I began creating the protein disks.
With renewed vigour, anticipation, and mostly the new sensing skill, I managed to create enough disks to fill the neuron-sourced tube in a day.
Wheew…
Controlling the slime-man’s body, I started moving it inside the Aqua; it was a way to relieve stress. Throughout all this time, I hadn’t stopped training my manipulation of slime matter as the project’s end was nearing, and to pull what I had planned off… I needed good control.
After a while, I gathered my courage and started by aligning the Mana particles before filling the tube with the disks.
Using [Mana Manipulation], I got the Mana particles to about 10% of the distance needed. Then I used [Destructive Manies Infusion] combined with [Rudis Subtilis Biomancy] to push.
20%
30%
40%
50%
Reaching 60%, I hit a new record. Not a single disk had broken, showcasing the skill’s impressive empowerment.
I continued pushing.
65%
The first disk broke.
I infused more Manies into the tube, as much as the skill’d allow.
Angular-Destroyer tubes shot out, turning the neuron tube more Mana than biomaterial.
I stopped the infusion at 70% destruction, surprised to find out that the skill allowed me as much infusion as I desired, and afraid that the structure would collapse from being entirely made of Manies.
I should’ve done more experiments on regular cells before undertaking this endeavour.
It didn’t matter now.
The particles shook, increasing their volume.
I watched as the released energy took the contours of its enclosure. Some energy even managed to escape through minuscule gaps from my imperfect cutting.
Still, the energies refused to touch, keeping the sanctity of the distance between themselves.
70%
The second disk broke.
I debated whether to infuse more Mana, but decided against it for the time being.
75%
Two, three, seven, twelve.
I decided to go all out.
I wanted to shut my vision, afraid that the Manies and Mana would repel each other.
The tube and the disks turned entirely into Manies, and…
80%
Nothing happened.
No, something did happen.
Instead of Mana energy leaks, now… it looked as if some of the Mana particles’ energy was being absorbed into the Manies.
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I left pondering on this anomaly for another time. Instead, I focused on joining the particles; moving them was increasingly difficult.
At 85%, it felt like I was pushing two mountains together using only [Mana Manipulation] and biomancy.
Hummmmmmmmmm
I started to hear this faint hum, while the slimy matter surrounding the experiment began to shake.
I persevered, but no matter how much strength I had, the particles wouldn’t budge beyong 90%.
It felt like I was aiming to join the skies with the earth using the tips of a child’s fingers.
This… It’s ridiculous!
I just couldn’t put so much force on such a small surface.
…bigger.
I held the particles at 90%, a strenuous endeavour, while I kept infusing the tube and disks. I gave them 5BP.
Another 5BP went to another task, finding a protein hammer.
I quickly scurried through the cells.
Unfortunately, holding the particles this close was demanding, and although I had 5BP and an iron will, I wasn’t limitless.
The percentage started to drop, but I didn’t stop my search.
85%
This is too wide to fit.
80%
Too thin. It’ll defeat the whole purpose.
75%
…
50%
This’ll work!
I hadn’t found a hammer, per se. It was a two-piece tool.
The hammering part was a V-shaped protein, while the hammered part was a spiralling protein group.
My will, the stamina for manipulation and mancy skills, was almost spent, but…
For the ALL!
Placing the spiralling protein atop the disk, I infused it and the ‘V’ to complete Manie formations before I got to hammering.
The ‘V’ hammer rose before impacting noisily on the spiral.
5% was gained just like that.
It rose and fell and rose and fell until I returned to 90%, and with all my might—
Come… on!
—I surpassed it.
91%
But then…
The hammer hit, and for the first time, no percentage was gained.
I increased the tempo.
The distance crossed with each hit was so minuscule it was barely noticeable, and with the particles never stopping their repulsion… it felt like a tug-of-war.
Hit, hold, repeat.
It was agonisingly difficult and slow.
After what felt like eternity, I reached 99%.
I was hitting the spiral dozens of times a moment, while my mind felt about to pop from the exhausting task of preserving my progress.
I… can… do this!
The particles disagreed. No matter how much I put into it, how much I increased the speed and strength of the hammer hits, the particles just refused.
They refused to cross the final march, but, seeing the minuscule distance between them… I ignited with will!
I’ll escape!
The hammer hammered so fast it turned into a blur.
The Manies shone so bright, they felt like the stars above.
The Mana’s energy was so compressed, it looked like perfectly cut jade.
The shine intensified to the point that it felt like I was looking at the sun.
Then…
The distance was no more.
Everything blended into one, even the hammer couldn’t be distinguished, but…
I still pushed.
Seeing nothing but energy, I pushed from above, below, and every side.
ALL!
Suddenly, the energy warped into a sphere before expanding.
In a moment, the sphere grew and ate half the slime, then…
BOOOOOOV!
The explosion was so violent that it evaporated the Aqua Slime before filling the room with volatile energy; it was comparable to the suicidal attack in strength.
For the first time, as my film-encased soul floated inside the destructive energy, I got damaged.
Wha—
My Mana film completely disintegrated, turning into a thick string of Mana particles that flew into the middle of the explosion.
My soul was left defenceless.
Thankfully, the energy did no harm to my soul.
Host!
But I was too late.
The cracks in the cell shield had repaired themselves, while the energy was starting to diminish.
I was stuck, with no host in sight, nor Mana.
Not even the single-cell beings survive.
My soul began to diminish.
I had wasted weeks on this project.
The Mana particles had reached the intended point, but instead of combining into a double particle core… they exploded.
It’s hopeless, isn't it?
Maybe there was something fundamental that I didn’t understand, or maybe only the System could create these cores, granting them to beings so it could communicate and grant skills.
It also could be that the System was jealous of me, so it didn’t want me to create these cores that…
Maybe the System is using these cores to sap the life slowly from humans, and that’s why they died of old age.
I was going mad, and I knew it.
The truth was hard to take in.
I failed.
I failed.
I failed!
I FAILED!
Anger grew in me, and I refused to double my loss.
Controlling whatever remained of the explosion energy, I tried to concentrate it into a single point.
I wanted to create an opening.
I won’t sit and leave this soul to die!
But the remaining Mana energy was too weak, and a few moments later…
It was almost entirely distinguished.
I didn’t give up.
Controlling my soul, I shaped it into a spear, then encased it with the volatile Mana, and rammed myself into the wall.
It refused to open, so I rammed myself again, and again, and again.
The energy was spent, but I rammed, using only my soul.
No damage at all.
I stopped.
There was no point in continuing.
I’ll… it doesn’t matter! I’ll escape, and when I get my freedom…
I surrendered this soul’s fate, promising vengeance, but then…
I noticed something.
It was so minuscule that I hadn’t seen it until the last Mana energy was spent.
On the ground lay a green gem no larger than a bean—a Mana core.
Wha—
I zoomed in.
In its midst, two particles met. Surrounding them were loads upon loads of Manies.
Encompassing them both were Mana particles.
Hm… where did the particles come from?
It was then that I realised something.
The particles… Their mass looked closely similar to my film.
They flew towards the core!
The explosion had taken my particles to feed the newly formed Mana core… incredible.
But why didn’t it take the slime’s Mana particles too? Can it only take mine? How does this even work?
But then…
17
16
15
The System reminded me of the time this soul had to live.
I don’t want to leave this core.
I had worked hard for it.
Hmph!
Gathering my will, I decided to try one last experiment in this soul.
All or nothing!
I pulled Mana out of the core, then, through biomancy, I created a slimeman.
The Mana strings obeyed my commands, intagling and knitting.
12
11
10
Turning red, the strings took a piece of my soul before turning into slimy matter.
Floating the bean-sized core, I injected it into where the slimeman's heart was supposed to be.
Waiting for a moment… nothing happened.
9
8
7
Last time I added a soul to a creation, it exploded.
I wasn’t sure of the reason, but if I were to guess… the creation lacked a Mana core, but not only that.
The first soul I had met was the cat’s. It looked perfectly like its body, just pale white.
6
5
4
Taking control of what remained of my soul, I contoured it into the shape of the slimeman—four limbs, a torso, and to top it all, a faceless head.
3
I took one last precaution.
I infused my soul and the slimeman with Manies.
The reason?
To mark the slime cells as my dominion and create a connection between my soul and all the cells through the Manie halo.
2
I didn’t know if souls could be infused with Manies, but I still did it.
It was a gamble in a seemingly lost cause.
1
The halo ignited, more intense than any normal [Mana Infusion] ever.
It set ablaze my soul and the slimeman, and…
A string of halo connected from my soul and the slimeman.
0
Choosing a cell near the core, I shot at it.
My soul reached the cell, the smallest it had ever been, and only through [Anima Replica]’s control, it had survived and kept the slimeman’s contour.
Entering, I aimed for the cell’s core.
…
No explosion.
No snap.
No System message.
Still, upon seeing my soul stop dissipating and film start regenerating, I knew I had survived.
Taking control of the slimeman with proficient ease, I made it stand up.
I knew someone could be watching, but after going through all that, I didn’t care.
Raising the slimeman’s limb, I created fingers. They were simple digits, but as I opened and flexed them, I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with joy.
No, not only survived. I have succeeded in creating a host!
***
But, as my slime clone was celebrating, something unexpected happened.
Exiting a corridor, Somani entered a hall.
This one, like most, was nothing special, but what made me stop, Somani too, was what stood at the opposite end.
“Long time no see, Your Supremeness.”
Not good.