Rise Of The Infinite Sovereign-Chapter 343: Aching Disappointment

Click!

With a loud click, the artifact was set in place and the energies receded to reveal the artifacts framework.

A cube.

Rotating to reveal colours Black, Blue and Gold, with glowing runes tatted all over.

It carried a magnificence of significance.

Even as of the moment, Zydrax couldn’t exactly define what he’d created.

Out in the open, the framework contrasted the Mana Cube in front of it, Zydrax measured it to be one third its size.

Zydrax pulled it towards him slowly, his fingers noticeably quivering as he got hold of the energy cube.

Unlike its solid appearance, it was far too fragile in such a state.

Made of pure energies, even Zydrax didn’t touch it in fear of something going wrong.

He let it stay afloat in front of his face as he inspected it while his hands lay two inches away from its sides.

Thirty minutes went by, nothing happened, no abstract reaction or anything of the sort.

All signs indicated the framework was running smoothly.

It was time for the final act.

This part gave Zydrax a dilemma.

Mana in its plain state was null-attributed, just like Skyfall.

Meaning it was applicable to everything.

It’s for this reason that knights could use it to strengthen muscles, yet mages could also use it to direct elemental attacks and conjure magic circles and whilst also, trees absorb it to make their barks stronger and seas become clearer.

This null attribute state is why the mana cube was much more valuable than the ice source.

The completion of the artifact was dependent on its use.

Zydrax would place the framework within the mana cube and synthesize it, thereby amplifying its effects and pushing it into its final form.

Therein lay the problem.

The artifact was ultimately built to solve Ezra’s heart problem.

Conclusive action required the artifact be placed within Ezra’s heart.

Of course, this was the plan right from the start.

But at this critical juncture, the sequence of events couldn’t matter more.

Should he synthesize the artifact and then place it in Ezra’s heart? Or should he place the framework in the heart first and then join in the mana cube to finalize the artifact? Or should he place the mana cube in the heart and then place the framework to synthesize?

Just three options, but each could yield astonishingly different results.

Zydrax took a deep breath, tapping his head.

Three minutes later, he made his decision.

Pulling the Mana Cube close, he inputs the framework right into the middle.

Immediately, a reaction is produced as the synthesis automatically begins.

At this crucial juncture, Zydrax made a decisive move.

He forced the synthesis to a pause, forcefully holding back the process with his left hand.

Unlike the framework, the mana cube wasn’t made of pure energy.

As such, it couldn’t directly phase through his body, he had to pass through his throat.

As with his right, he shrinks the Mana Cube, reducing its size to that of diamond hanging earrings, making it adequate to pass through his throat without a hitch.

Moreover, he had to act fast, halting the synthesis for too long could lead to unforeseen complications.

Bending his head and opening his mouth wide, he drops it in.

The cube goes down his throat without a hitch, guided by Zydrax, it races to the heart.

As a Mythic rank, Ezra’s body was full of mana, very pure mana.

This prompted the mana cube to resume its synthesis while on the move.

With the cube synthesizing, things seem to head in a bad direction.

Thankfully, the cube reached the heart soon after.

The organ was covered in darkness, courtesy of the negative mana Zydrax used to keep it functional.

Racing towards it, the cube sucks in the negative mana and plunges into Ezra’s comparatively volatile element core right after.

Immediately, the cube sucks in the element core as well, enlarging to the core’s former size, just enough not to cause the heart any problems.

Keep in mind, through all this, the mana cube was synthesizing ceaselessly.

The framework wasn’t done synthesizing before the element core was added in.

This made for an interesting phenomenon.

A complete overhaul of the Mana Cube.

It morphed constantly, changing colours as well thanks to the element core.

On the other hand, Zydrax swapped places with Ezra, receding back into Ezra’s mind the moment the cube entered the element core.

Ezra didn’t even have the time to get acclimatized with his body as pain coursed through his veins.

Rather the usual bleeding, or elimination of impurities, it felt like lightning was torching his brain as he shook.

But Ezra now had far better endurance.

He felt the mana within him change drastically as a foreign essence spread through his veins.

The pain increased every few minutes as if a notch was being raised.

Each time, Ezra felt the mana within him changing, morphing into something else entirely, something new as it sought to host the three types within him.

All of a sudden, Ezra blanked out, seeing nothing but white as gold light shone through his eyes and mouth.

The light began to dim, receding as Ezra’s head bobbed back down.

Unconscious, Ezra lay crossed with his head laying still while facing downwards.

The abode went silent.

But if one listened closely, one would hear the faint sound of a heartbeat.

—-----------

Meanwhile, on the land above.

Having received permission, the new Grandmasters settled into Quartez.

With the mana flowing unrestricted throughout the whole Kingdom, each Grandmaster marked out a spot for themselves and quickly began cultivating.

Frederick sat a few feet away from Ezra’s abode, but on a pillar risen out of earth he conjured up.

Aiming for Mythic rank, Frederick needed more mana than most.

As such, he purposely placed himself closer to the barrier than the ground.

Near the barrier’s core, the concentration of mana he gained access to was more than other places within.

Then, he could feel himself reaching Mythic rank, prompting him to put even more effort.

Slowly knitting together his mana for over a year, he could feel the opportunity to breakthrough nearing.

Then there was the pressure he felt moments ago from beneath the earth.

Only one person resided there, so the cause of it was obvious.

Ezra was getting stronger again.

He’d pledged his loyalty ago, but he couldn’t say it was pleasant to always be below.

Right now, he felt that Ezra’s pace of increasing strength made him less important.

With the likes of the siblings and all new Grandmasters, he felt he’d become expendable, and he didn’t like it one bit.

So he had to keep up his cultivation and do it diligently.

On the other hand, ever since the new Grandmasters decided to stay, tension in the atmosphere only increased, as each person cultivated so as not to be overtaken by another.

This created a competitive environment to empower and unlock their cultivation potential.

—----------

After an unknown amount of time, Ezra wakes up.

Raising his head, he cracks his neck from side to side, blinking in rapid succession to clear out any dust in his eyes.

Only then did he look around.

Taking a full view of the frozen abode, Ezra moves his body, feeling out of it.

"It’s good to be back" he says.

Leaving Zydrax to control his body wasn’t his style, but with all that had happened, he found that it was the best choice he could’ve made.

Ezra didn’t know nearly as much about dungeons as Zydrax did.

He would’ve advocated that they destroyed them on sight.

Par Zydrax’s words, that would’ve brought down an even greater calamity.

Anyway, all that was by the way.

’Is it fixed?’

Ezra expressed his mana, checking to see if his heart had settled.

Mana moved smoothly.

He conjured up flames.

Not a hitch.

Ice.

Not a hitch.

Blood.

Not a hitch.

Darkness.

Not a hitch.

Ezra pumped his fists in victory, he could begin cultivating again.

But first, he had to thank Zydrax who made it possible.

Just as he wanted to, Zydrax’s voice resounds.

[This isn’t right]

It was in a grave tone.

Ezra was perplexed.

"What do you mean? My heart is working fine"

[If all I intended was to treat your heart, I would’ve gone so far and it wouldn’t have taken this long] he replies.

Silence follows as Ezra grasps Zydrax’s words clearly.

[...Did it fail]

Zydrax speaks in a tone almost weak enough to be a whisper, the disbelief within all too clear.

[I-I predicted that it might not work as I planned ...but for nothing to happen...have I gotten so rusty]

It felt as if Zydrax would cry with how much his voice tinged with aching disappointment.

A project completed after relentless

The culmination of his unending efforts and unwavering determination for over a year.

For all that to end with a half baked product...

Words couldn’t describe how Zydrax was feeling as if at this moment.

[It seems ever since my fall, the universe is bent on showing me new lows]

It sounded like an old man’s melancholy.

*SIGH*

Zydrax sighed deeply, before jolting himself into his normal voice.

[In any case, your heart problem has been fixed. So it’s not a complete failure]

Ezra nodded, he knew of no words capable of consoling Zydrax.

Rather, he felt if he tried, Zydrax would only feel even worse.

[You better start cultivating immediately with how far behind you are. Fredrick will soon breakthrough to Mythic rank as well]

He simply did as was told and began cultivating.

Zydrax uttered not a word after that and Ezra didn’t pry any from him.

Today would be a day to remember.