What were known as essences or energies - other than mana and its derivatives like Aura and Nitros - were usually mutations that had mana entangled within them; spiced mana, as so referred them to as. When Skullius had reforged his mana core back when Sila destroyed it, he had learned the flow of Distorted Gravity by reading how the mana moved with the influence of it.
Many significant essences could be learned this way, and many couldn't, mostly because they were far removed from mana. In any case, the relationship an expert had with any essence was what was called an affinity. The higher the affinity, the better their understanding, control and production of said essence.
Replicus had more than ten affinities with different kinds of essences, but only used a few that were actually relevant.
So of these few were touched by the invisible influence of the External Fragnt of Realised Choices when the different coloured lights issuing from its three heads shone bright. Replicus felt his requests be executed imdiately, but his mind was racing. What were the results going to look like? Was Disruption going to change into sothing much, much different from what he had envisioned previously?
The guidance field, no longer scrambling like before, started on the process to give him an answer.
[Essence of 'Disruption' is being drawn in large volus...]
[Essence of 'Lambent Phosphor' is being drawn in large volus...]
[Essence of 'Spatial Lightning' is being drawn in large volus...]
The Penetrator's body was being used to produce the essences he wished to be refined and rged.
Instant worry settled within Replicus.
He didn't have that much in the way of mana reserves to produce these essences because of the toll that one usage of Disruption on the Bishop's cathedral had taken on him.
It was in circumstances like this that Replicus realised how unusual the Insurgent Magnus class was.
It offered skills that allowed for the production of exclusive elents [Evil Darkness] and [Just Light] in abnormal quantities and low cost. That simply wasn't possible in a short amount of ti with the essences he had learned.
'Actually, I may not need to be worried about that after all...' Replicus thought and even laughed, creeping out the people behind him. If he could have grinned, he would have.
Ah, a solution to the current deficit in mana was there, wasn't it? His thought phantoms had helped him see it!
This solution would also improve his chances of surviving the battle ahead!
Since that was the case...the Penetrator allowed all his reserves of mana from both his cores to be used without restraint.
Large quantities of a grey lightning stord from his body and towered around him while winding and crackling threateningly at the sa ti. The cost for this was easier to bear since he wasn't using it to travel to distant places.
Huge volus of a deep orange energy that had about as erect of a form as a laser beam shot from his fingers. Without having a technique to target, the mana the Penetrator had was sufficient for this feat.
The sa was true for the thick foggy light that was Lambent Phosphor. It oozed out of Replicus like thick clouds, and beca the first to be sucked into the mouths of the External Fragnt!
The other two essences were drawn into the other two mouths, and the Fragnt's green body started to glow with a poison green hue... that inevitably drew unwanted attention.
...!!!
Replicus felt Jerthrax's blue eye settle on the Fragnt, and then on him.
The dragon was far into the skies, but the Penetrator had learned that that wasn't exactly anything to be happy about. Distance seed to be an option many combatants on this side of the world could afford to ignore.
'Dammit!' Replicus cursed.
Yuyui moved him and everyone else again in less than a blink, but he felt the attention of the dragon still, and then its voice.
"YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE A SECOND TI."
Replicus and company shook.
He believed that.
When next Jerthrax pounced, he didn't know if Yuyui could do anything for him and everyone else.
But worse than that, Replicus felt another set of eyes looking at him. They were much less fierce and hell-like. Rather, they were cold, dark and chaotic.
He had been wondering why this particular party had yet to engage with him, but they were doing so now.
The eyes of the Null Devil King settled on the External Fragnt of Realised Choices.
Replicus didn't like that look.
"Don't worry. For the next three minutes, I am no one's to claim," a voice suddenly spoke in his head.
Right.
The Fragnt wasn't just so odd tool to be picked up anymore.
'Good,' Replicus thought.
Right then, the three heads of the singular snake suddenly elongated and ca alive.
They ceased to be fixed sculptings and swam through the air to nail their fangs through Replicus' Hollow Dusk Prison!
The armour did nothing to protect against the Fragnt. The Penetrator felt twelve fangs bite into his bones and inject three streams of cold venom!
No.
It couldn't have been venom, and the guidance field confird it.
[Essence of 'All-Encompassing Transubstantiation' has been received]
[Essence of 'Inexorable Unveilnt' has been received]
[Essence of 'Complete Omnipresent Registry' has been received]
[rging has begun...]
Replicus took a mont to appreciate the new forms of his learned essences.
All-Encompassing Transubstantiation was what used to be Disruption.
Inexorable Unveiler was Lambent Phosphor, and Complete Omnipresent Registry, was Spatial
Lightning.
'Neat...'
Since these weren't skills, Replicus couldn't derive much understanding from them with the guidance field. He would have to take his ti to understand them on his own, but unfortunately that wasn't going to happen.
These new essences existed in their separate forms only for a short ti. They were already starting to get combined.
What was interesting, was that Spatial Lightning, Lambent Phosphor and Disruption still existed separately though. They weren't skills. They were essences Replicus could produce and control. He had produced a lot of each so they could be combined into an additional essence he had access to. The result of this rge would be imbibed into him right now. Replicus expected that he would have a perfect affinity with the resultant concept as well, as a
bonus. Hopefully.
And...
[A Rule-Level concept has been successfully forged!]
[Congratulations! You have received and learned 'Maximum Catalyst'!]
Replicus felt a dull, greedy surge of power deep within his bones.
He laughed joyously.
This was for the best.
He was very low on mana so the newly learned concept couldn't have exploded with vigour as
it had wanted.
'Rule-Level. It's at the sa tier as the Reverse Clusters that sped up and rewound ti...'
Replicus thought.
Eaniss had harnessed the power of those Reversed Clusters, so he knew how powerful their
ability to influence ti was.
'Maxim Catalyst, huh? Sounds dangerous... and useful. I like it.'
"I have committed. I trust what you have earned is satisfactory," the External Fragnt said. "Now, what do you want to enhance last?"
Replicus' hand glowed with weak, purple quality mana as he activated [Sorcery of Essence],
then he responded:
'Hold that thought.'
In the next instance, without taking even a mont to learn what Maxim Catalyst could do,
and without taking a second longer to think about the risk, Replicus finely manipulated his mana... to destroy the shell of his second mana core.
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