Grimoire of Cultivation

Chapter 76: Desperation

Falling through the portal, Darius tumbled into the All-room. He sprang to his feet and dashed toward the farm door. Bursting into the Beast-Farm, he was hit by the searing heat and a hazy red sky.

He vanished in an instant, reappearing beside Haku's cocoon. "I made it," he panted, scanning the cracking cocoon. Startled, he flinched as Neko materialized on his shoulder.

Holding his paw in front of his face, Neko's thoughts came out in a pant, 'Too hot! Big brother scared!' His lightning surged protectively around him, attempting to deflect the intense heat. 'Neko help!' He pointed eagerly to the purple ring encircling Haku.

"Tell me what happened," Darius urged, his voice tight as he tried to look inside the cocoon, only to be met with an opaque barrier. Turning away, he grimaced, rubbing his eyes as if scorched by the heat.

'Master hurt?'

Darius's voice rose sharply, "Tell me what happened!"

Startled by the intensity of Darius's shout, Neko quickly recounted, 'Neko sleep, felt warm! Found Big Brother, too hot, Neko! Neko watch, boom! Neko help!' He gestured towards the purple ring, 'Help, help and help, Neko did.' Exhausted, he slumped onto Darius's shoulder.

Shaking his head at his own harsh tone, Darius softened his voice, "Thank you, Neko. You've done well. Rest now—I'll take over helping Haku. And...I'm sorry for not being here sooner."

Neko's mood lifted with the gratitude in Darius's words. Sniffing affectionately at Darius's ear, he chirped, "Neko watch!" Then, with renewed energy, he darted to the field's edge, scampering from leaf to leaf to extinguish any remaining fires.

Darius turned his attention back to Haku, his expression tightening as his clothes clung to his skin, drenched in sweat. 'The fire mana surrounding him is... scared, almost as if it's in agony. It feels like the mana is struggling, resisting the Celestial Beast Soul Mantra.'

Extending his hand towards the cocoon, Darius concentrated deeply, sensing the chaotic energies swirling just beneath the surface. The intense heat scorched his skin, causing it to blister and nearly char, but he retracted his hand just before any serious damage could expose his crystal skeleton. 'The fire mana is pulling away from him, yet there’s a devouring force emanating from within the cocoon itself.'

Sitting on the ground, Darius applied a vial of silver liquid to his scorched hand while his gaze remained locked on the cocoon. He began to channel his lightning mana into his triple burner meridian, spurring his thoughts to race at remarkable speeds. His skeleton flickered with a sparking blue light as his concentration deepened.

'Haku is starving. The fire mana is inexplicably repelling him, and he's teetering on the brink of his breakthrough. If this persists, he might at best fail to reach his full potential—or at worst, the breakthrough might collapse entirely.' His resolve hardening, Darius swiftly stood and called out, "Neko!"

Materializing on Darius's shoulder with a crackle of lightning, Neko vibrated with energy, "Neko!"

"Haku needs us. Can you expand the barrier you made earlier? Make it encompass the whole field?" Darius reached into his pouch, pulling out a glowing purple chaotic crystal.

Neko's eyes widened, his fur standing on end as he sensed the overwhelming mana. 'New heart! New, New, New!"

Darius tossed the crystal toward the forest edge, his voice firm, "Use this if necessary, but it's yours. I need you to construct a barrier that encircles the entire field. Make it strong, Neko!"

Vanishing suddenly, Darius left Neko momentarily hanging in midair. 'Neko!' The creature's gaze locked on the crystal as he fell, hitting the ground, he took off like a shot, circling the entire field at breakneck speed.

Darius burst into the All-room from the farm door, skidding to a halt as he made a beeline for the crystal room. He flung the door open and his eyes quickly scanned the amassed piles of beast crystals.

Darius dashed forward, hastily grabbing a flaming red crystal, the Mana-Core from the humanoid Manticore. Racing back to the field, he nodded in approval at the sight of the solidified purple ring surrounding the area.

He quickly spotted Neko lying exhausted on the ground beside the lightning chaotic crystal, his sides heaving.

Materializing beside him, Darius knelt and gently stroked Neko’s fur. “Thank you. Go into the Codex and rest; wait for my call.”

Neko, gathering his remaining strength, cuddled up to the chaotic crystal, his small voice tinged with concern, ‘Big brother? Neko.’

Darius offered a reassuring smile, focusing on the Immortal Beast Codex. “He’ll be alright, now go and rest.” With that, Neko and the crystal dissolved into a swirl of purple light, retreating into the Immortal Treasure.

Glancing between Haku's straining cocoon and the hatchery in the distance, Darius disappeared, reappearing at the edge of the hatchery pool. His eyes widened in alarm. "Shit!" He saw the Swamp-Roach faltering, its movements uncoordinated as it struggled to remain upright in the heated water.

Without hesitation, he drew the Swamp-Roach into the Codex. Her form dissolved into a murky blue light, whisked safely into the treasure.

With a focused thought, Darius extended his perception into the Codex, peering through the gaseous domain that housed the Swamp-Roach. He found her lazily circling in her stagnant pool, surrounded by an assortment of rotted remains. 'Not much longer, and you would have been in serious trouble.'

Withdrawing his mental gaze, Darius exhaled deeply, steadying himself. "Hang in there, little brother, just a bit longer."

Moving next to the dome of flames, now webbed with cracks and leaking mana, Darius gathered his resolve. With his water mana swirling around him, he shut his eyes briefly before they snapped open, a determined grimace etching his face.

Channeling mana into his voice, he gripped the flaming mana-core tightly. "HAKU! EAT THIS!" Darius roared, driving his gauntleted fist into the cocoon. The barrier buckled and split with a cataclysmic boom, creating a searing hole as a maelstrom of fire erupted around him.

Searing heat scorched his skin and muscles, even through the protection of the gauntlet. Amid the inferno, he reached for Haku's mouth, finding the enormous beast convulsing, snapping its jaws wildly.

"HAKU!" Reeling from the agony, Darius's senses blurred, the diminishing feeling in his arm told him the flesh was gone, no longer capable of registering pain.

Relief suddenly washed over him as he felt the Mana-Core pulled from his grasp. With all his strength, Darius leaped back. Flames roared from the breach his arm had occupied, chasing him ferociously. As he landed outside Neko's barrier, the encroaching flames smashed against its walls, breaking apart against the purple ring.

Glancing at his arm with a grimace, Darius urged the Primordial Artifact to revert to its original shape. Clenching his teeth, he observed the black metal dissolve and slide down his arm, exposing his crystal skeleton adorned with remnants of carbonized flesh.

Turning his gaze to Haku's cocoon, he noted the hole had sealed, and the light within now pulsed with a steady, radiant glow. Reaching into his pouch, he retrieved another vial of silver liquid and began to pour it over his shoulder. "These healing elixirs won't suffice."

As his scorched flesh knitted slowly around the exposed bones of his shoulder, he activated his Arcane Gaze, his eyes intently focused on Haku. "This is now your battle to conquer. Cultivation is a solitary journey. I can't be sure if my interference helped, but losing you is not an option."

Standing firm, the newly healed skin taut against the crystal lattice of his arm, Darius repeatedly clenched his jaw, his aura erupting and erratic.

----

Within the cocoon, Haku's body shriveled, his once robust, dark-blue flames now flickered weakly, gasping for fuel. Encased in a roaring inferno, the flames betrayed him; their intense blaze provided no warmth, only an empty coldness.

Haku thrashed within the narrowing space, his jaws snapping at the suffocating cold as if trying to tear away the invisible shackles. Each gasp, each convulsion a desperate battle against the inevitable. 'I can't... breathe!' his thoughts raced in panic. 'Not like this... please, no!' His body shuddered under the weight of impending failure, the reality of his crumbling form sinking in with each desperate twist and turn.

"HAKU! EAT THIS!" Darius's voice boomed, sharp and clear.

An explosion followed, then a surge of immense heat enveloped his senses. Desperate for salvation, Haku clawed towards the life-giving warmth, his fangs finally finding and clenching onto the source.

'I have to remain awake,' with a last-ditch effort drawn from the depths of his exhausted reserves, Haku gulped down the offering. 'Recite the Mantra!' An excruciating burn scorched his throat and seared through to his stomach as the mana-core settled within.

'Abhissa āgāraṁha, atthāya saya pashu bhāvā. Nakṣatrā samāgacchanti sayaṃ chittaṁ, acalā ati sanātana. Pratiśvāsa yuddham kṛtvā bhakṣaya, balavān svatantra bhavāmi.' Repeating the Mantra, Haku entered a trance, his mind lost in the profound scriptures.

THA-DUM.

A large pulse of fire mana surged through Haku, and instantly, his emaciated form began to fill. The slack, shallow fur tightened against his growing muscles, gradually returning him to his normal robust build.

THA-DUM.

At the second pulse, Haku’s flickering blue flames reignited. Starting as small embers, the flames swiftly grew, enveloping him in their comforting warmth and restoring his majestic appearance.

THA-DUM.

The third pulse sent the blue flames crawling from his neck along his spine, flowing like a river of fire down to his tail. Each star on his body glowed against the dancing flames, setting his dark fur alight with a celestial display.

THA-DUM.

With the fourth pulse, a sickening crack echoed as Haku's body began to bulk up significantly. Each muscle swelled, straining against his skin, as his frame enlarged beyond its original size. The stars on his fur blazed fiercely, encircled by blue flames that pulsed rhythmically with life. Pain coursed through him, sharp and relentless, as he focused on repeating the mantra. Every word felt like fire, searing through his being, yet he persisted, his resolve unbroken.

THA-DUM.

The fifth pulse initiated a profound and unforseen transformation within Haku. The chaotic mana from the consumed Mana-core raged and burned, breaking down the core, it's particles gathering in a new concentrated sphere. In Haku's chest, a small, cloudy grey core began to materialize.

The grey mists within the core danced and twisted, gradually forming into a more solid, defined shape. This new core pulsed with a life of its own, becoming the epicenter of Haku's growing power.

THA-DUM.

Mana lines radiated out from the new core at the sixth pulse, tracing intricate patterns along Haku's meridians. These pathways glowed with an intense blue light, igniting his inner structure like a network of glowing rivers.

Each meridian pulsed with energy, growing more resilient and potent with every beat. The lines thickened, their channels widening to accommodate the increased flow of magical energy, reinforcing Haku's entire being and enhancing his capacity to channel mana.

THA-DUM.

The seventh pulse brought an excruciating reinforcement to Haku's skeleton. His bones absorbed the fire mana, cracking and expanding with agonizing force. The pain was almost too much to bear, searing through him like hot knives. His body trembled, his mantra almost faltering as he fought to endure.

Each bone in his body began to scream, the fractures healing and expanding continuously as a blue glow developed inside them. The relentless process of breaking, expanding, and healing repeated until it seemed as if molten blue lava flowed within.

The end of the transformation seeped into his marrow, transforming it into a flowing blue substance that burned with raw fire mana.

THA-DUM.

During the eighth pulse, Haku's organs briefly caught flame, each sizzling and crisping under the intense heat. His muscles strained, his teeth grinding under the immense pressure. However, as the flames receded, they left behind organs that glowed with vitality, stronger and more robust than before.

THA-DUM.

----

So far, Darius counted eight beats from Haku's cocoon, each drum radiating immense waves of mana. "He should be advancing now." At the ninth beat, the loudest of all, it seemed as though time itself paused. The air grew heavy before a colossal beam of blue flames erupted from the stattering cocoon.

The beam collided with Neko's lightning barrier, causing it to flare violently under the intense energy. Darius, sensing the impending collapse, dashed forward. With his one remaining arm, he injected his lightning mana into Neko's array, his skeletal arm hanging limp at his side as his lightning tattoo on his forehead blazed.

Haku's enormous body stretched out from the engulfing blue flames, his mouth reaching skyward. As the flames subsided, he emerged in his full form, now towering five meters tall at the shoulder. His head thrown back, Haku unleashed a deafening roar that shattered through the beast-farm.

Darius watched in awe, as large, curling rams' horns sprouted from Haku's brow, glowing with a mesmerizing blend of black and blue molten lava that churned within them. The transformation complete, Haku breathed out a torrent of steam that blanketed the area, his presence exuding a sovereigns might. Haku's eyes glowed brightly, reflecting the fierce battle he had endured, and overcome.