HPDBC Chapter 85: Stage Three - Balance
Chapter 85: Stage Three - Balance
An intense bloodlust filled Asura's body. When he entered the north forest, the Stage Two monsters flocked to him like meals on wheels. He slaughtered them easily, reaching the breaking point of his cultivation.
'What should I do... Every other time, I had the help of Xue'er or Xavida!'
He could feel the pain building within his body. The more he devoured, the more the Anima swirled around his organs like a hammer, squeezing and pulling at them.
[Do you want to break through? Or wait until the situation is right?]
To reach the Third Stage was nothing, but for his cultivation to reach the Third Layer, he needed an element to bind to one of his organs to form a connection to it.
The first layer caused his twin hearts to absorb his dragon fire and devil's ice. In contrast, the second made Xavida's lightning and wind elements collect in his brain.
'I haven't read the second cycle's part of the book yet, but will more elements be bound to me... Or is it only these four that I will specialise in?'
[Don't worry; the monoliths will not allow you to become incomplete]
Helia's warm, comforting voice helped Asura to recover from his conflicts. He trusted her words and stopped resisting the pain. His eyes looked at the fish that was half eaten. After finishing it, he began dashing towards a cave he had found earlier.
***
The cave was dark, damp and smelt like salty fish, but that didn't matter; with several of his protection charms and a few rocks and bushes to hide the entrance, Asura stumbled to the depths, finding some dry wood and rocks using his fire magic to create a fire for light and warmth.
He felt breaking through, similar to extreme indigestion. All his muscles and organs felt saturated with Anima, and even now, it continued to increase beyond his limits.
'Is this normal...?
'Helia, is this supposed to hurt this much...?'
Asura screamed, clenching his jaw and fists, allowing the Anima to gather into his lungs, causing him to cough up blood and spasms to shake his entire body, feeling his body burning with heat and the dirty mess and blood from the battles he removed his clothes, only small black scales covering his sides, hips and pubis, however, buck naked other than that.
Bang
Blood exploded from his nose as the Anima continued to force its way through, filling his lungs as tears formed in his eyes while grunting weakly, feeling like every organ was being compressed. He felt isolated when she didn't respond, as his mind floated away from his body.
Like a ship being battered by the currents.
His focus became solid, feeling the world's energy flooding into his body, refining, reforming, and rebirthing his existence according to the Phoenix race.
She enjoyed the warmth of his seed and continued kissing Asura even as her void element merged with his body, resulting in a unique bond between them where their hearts and souls seemed intertwined.
"Finished... Finally. Don't worry... This princess will protect you."
Helia dressed, looking down at his sweaty and naked body, using her magic to cover him with leaves and branches to keep him warm.
Her cheeks still flushed red while a thick white goo covered her stomach and crotch, dripping to the floor while Asura slept unknowingly, his unnamed element completely integrated within his body.
****
Two hours later, Asura awakened. His body felt amazingly nimble. While the pain from before vanished, the Anima in his body felt like it danced from one organ to the next, weaving through his bones and flesh different from the past.
Asura snapped his finger, and flames burst out. Without a chant or focused mind, he cast Absolute Fire!
However, he felt a strange feeling of relief. The type he only gained from a night alone with Xavida or Xue'er... The scent in the cave was rather nostalgic, too... "I didn't have a wet dream, right... I can remember soft feathers and a beautiful face with golden eyes..."
[Forget it. You were just dreaming!]
"..."
Asura clenched his fists, feeling the Anima gathering, creating dark flames or black ice without trouble. Even the purple lightning formed at the tip of his finger when desired. He used his strength to lift a rock larger than his body, surprised at the improvement in his physical strength.
"Third Layer... Stage Three warrior."
Asura put on a black robe, then rushed out of the cave; excited to test his new power, noticing a beautiful black feather on the floor, picked it up while smiling strangely, sniffing it to find Helia's feminine smell, a faint smile coming to his lips as he whispered to the feather. "Thank you."
[This bastard sniffing my crotch plumes! I will beat him up when he returns!]
However, he instantly noticed the additional element when moving faster; a slight afterimage formed of pure darkness, identical to Lucretia... "The Darkness element?" Once again, he stroked the black feather, still warm from protecting her most precious place, before storing it inside his robes in a pocket beside his heart.
"Thank you, Helia. I will repay you tenfold."
[When you realise what those feathers are, you will repay me a millionfold!]
At first, he planned to get close to the princess to gain her earth element. However, that would mean holding back and remaining at Stage Two, and for this assessment, this weird, dark element was far more useful to him.
As his monoliths neared the third stage, he would achieve perfect balance.