Turning Chapter 900

Chapter 900

Yuder clasped a medium in his hand. As a tingling sensation pricked his fingertips, a concentrated power within him began to overflow, elevating to an extreme level.

"Please hold this, Commander. I trust you already know what must be done."

"I understand."

Though Yuder alone could absorb the power of the medium, when another Awakener held it, their power amplified significantly. This had already been proven during Emperor Keilusa's time when Kishiar had benefited from it.

Like before, both Yuder and Kishiar needed to combine their powers, necessitating a medium for Kishiar as well.

Yuder placed his left hand over Kishiar's, who was firmly gripping the medium, and with his right hand, he picked up a new medium. Kishiar whispered in a low voice, "Connect."

Whoosh…

The air around Kishiar shifted dramatically, signaling the reactivation of their connection after a long hiatus.

A tingling sensation surged inside Yuder's eyes, and indescribable feelings flooded through their touching skin. Without resisting, Yuder allowed these sensations to seize something within him and pull it forcefully. He shivered slightly, feeling everything inside him intertwine smoothly with the intruder.

It felt akin to the times when Kishiar would embrace him.

How strange and mystical it was to recognize the owner of the power through sensation alone, even without a physical form? It was as if Kishiar, or rather, the very essence of his being, was etched invisibly within him...

"Hmm..."

Yuder swallowed the dizzying sensation, closing and then reopening his eyes. The completed connection unfolded before his gaze.

Between him and the reclining Kishiar, golden threads fluttered like fish swimming through water. This was their beautiful, unseen 'connection'—visible only to them.

This was not surprising. He had seen a similar scene during Emperor Keilusa's time.

However, what was troubling was the sheer number of threads this time; what seemed like just a few strands before now appeared to be dozens.

'...What is this?'

Despite his typically impaired sense of beauty, even Yuder was momentarily captivated by this fantastical sight.

"Can you see it?" Yuder muttered, gazing at the countless threads, to which Kishiar replied, "It has increased. Something has..."

"If even you, Commander, can see it, then it's not an illusion."

Yuder longed to examine it further, but realizing it wasn't urgent, he took a deep breath and lowered his head.

What remained was the absorption and release of the power within the medium.

Recalling past experiences, Yuder tightly gripped the medium, wishing to absorb the power within. Soon, his bare palms, free from any gloves, began to tingle. The dormant power inside the dark red medium responded with a flash of light.

A sensation akin to intense heat absorbed through the skin began to rise. Drawing in the pure power from the medium was an indescribable feeling. If Yuder's innate power was like a light mist, then the pure power from the medium was heavy like flowing water. Though both were essentially water, the density they possessed was fundamentally different.

It felt as if Yuder's entire body was being crushed under heavy pressure, sometimes expanding uncontrollably, leaving him gasping for breath.

The power spreading from his absorbed palm deep into his body was hot and cold, repeatedly shifting between stinging and chilling sensations.

'But... it's certainly more bearable than before.'

When he had first attempted this for Emperor Keilusa, not only was his physical condition poor, but handling the power of the medium was also challenging. Compared to his initial attempts, where he couldn’t even dare to control the power that seeped into his body, feeling as if he was being consumed by flames, his current state was significantly improved.

Now, the shock of absorbing the power was not just less; he could even discern the detailed nature of the sensations.

Moreover, even after fully absorbing the power contained in a single medium, he felt he could handle a bit more.

Yuder hesitated for a moment, pondering whether it was better to absorb the power one by one as he went along, or to absorb as much as he could at once and then proceed. He dropped one spent medium and picked up a new one.

Whoosh...

The power of the second medium began to be absorbed. After integrating it into his body, Yuder discarded it and picked up a third. When the absorption of the third was halfway done, his hand, trembling beyond his control, caught his eye.

'Reaching my limit...'

Looking down, his hand was mottled with dark red veins. He couldn’t tell how far they had spread, but instinctively, he felt he shouldn’t go any further. The sensation of his skin prickling and burning made his nerves acutely sensitive.

'This is as far as I go...'

Observing him, Kishiar asked in a low, subdued voice, "Can you handle any more? Are you alright?"

"...Yes. I'll stop after this one."

Yuder exhaled deeply, finishing the absorption of the third medium. He clenched and then unclenched his trembling hand, discarding the empty shell.

The black stone hit the carpet beneath the bed with a thud, rolling across the floor.

Yuder then placed his hand over Kishiar's abdomen. He took a deep breath, and his intensely focused eyes quickly scanned the four powers, the central vessel, and the red power enveloping it.

So far, there was no change from the initial situation.

'I'll begin the infusion.'

Conveying his intent through a shared glance, Kishiar nodded slightly in understanding.

Yuder looked down, starting to release the absorbed power. The pain he remembered returned, and his eyes, which had turned gold, now shone as if glowing.

His skin felt hot. His hands, his entire body, and his belly churned.

The water-like power, following Yuder's will, slowly began to move outward, targeting a specific point. It was certainly faster than before. Just as it condensed at his fingertips, Kishiar's power, emerging from somewhere, perfectly timed, snatched it up like a net.

"Huh..."

Inside and out, above and below.

The two, sharing a single will, overlapped and transferred the energy as if they were one being. Even with prior experience, it was far from easy. The power he had absorbed to the point of burden gave him an unfamiliar, uncomfortable sensation, and sweat formed all over his body as heat rose.

Despite the sweat streaming down his face, Yuder was frighteningly focused. It was only when the energy released from his hand slowly seeped into Kishiar's body that Yuder finally let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

'It's done.'

Kishiar, furrowing his brow, exerted more force on the hand holding the medium. The fact that even Kishiar, who barely showed signs of distress, was visibly affected suggested the perilous nature of their current endeavor.

'Indeed... it was wise to absorb all at once before starting.'

Now, Yuder's only task was to swiftly push the remaining energy in. Even as the power seemed ready to explode out of his control at any moment, he exerted more force on his hand. The energy, flowing like water from top to bottom, continuously infused into Kishiar, was clearly visible to Yuder's eyes.

And Kishiar, through their connection, must have been seeing what Yuder saw.

Kishiar, too, without a moment to wipe the sweat on his forehead, regulated his breathing while aiding the process. His hand clutching the medium turned white with the exertion of force, but his expression showed no significant change. His endurance was, once again, astonishing.

The only way to alleviate the pain Kishiar was enduring was to swiftly complete this task.

In a trance where time and space seemed to dissolve, Yuder poured all his capabilities into this task.

Transferring all the energy absorbed from the three mediums took considerable time, even in haste. But as most of it was successfully infused, the red power flowing into Kishiar began to visibly accumulate.

Yuder finished infusing the power and placed his fingertips above the gathered energy. The power of the Red Stone responded to his will, slowly being drawn towards his fingertips.

Moving energy within another's body was strenuous for Yuder, and it seemed to inflict even greater pain on Kishiar.

"...Hmm."

A faint groan, mixed with breath, slipped through Kishiar's tightly closed lips. When Yuder swiftly looked up, he saw the veins straining on Kishiar's neck and jaw.

"..."

The golden threads that surrounded them flickered painfully to the eye, trembling as if reacting to Yuder's emotions. Kishiar's hand holding the medium lightly tapped Yuder's, signaling him to continue.

It's okay, keep going.

The unspoken gesture seeped through their 'connection' into Yuder. Along with it, Yuder felt Kishiar's concern, immense patience, and a purpose greater than the pain, as well as deep affection.

Yuder briefly closed and then opened his eyes. The sensation of sweat trickling down and wetting his eyelashes, then dropping off, cleared his vision.

'Understood.'

Yuder nodded faintly and then looked down again.

The red energy, following his guidance, finally reached Kishiar's vessel.

The original power, barely enough to wrap around the vessel, quickly intertwined with the new energy.

For a moment, an overwhelming force surged into Kishiar's hand holding the medium. The stone, made of sturdy material, seemingly impervious to breaking, appeared to crack audibly under the intense pressure.

Yuder, too, watched tensely, unblinking.

And then-.........

"...Haa."

After a moment, Kishiar's energy and the newly infused power of the Red Stone completely merged and harmonized.