Chapter 33 (1/2)

Chapter 33 – Etaqua (Fin)

'I can see.'

What Igneel and Etaqua had illuminated was the inside of my mind, allowing me to sense my 'self' more clearly. Thanks to that…I could unlock the door into a new world.

'Inner world.'

The inner world. Upon reaching the ultimate level in what mages commonly practiced, meditation and inner visualization, you would then become able to materialize the inner world, which was considered to be within the realm of mystery

There were extremely few capable of materializing the inner world even among magicians, and that included my past self as well. It was an imaginary and false world, but it held a real influence.

Originally it should have been impossible for me, because while the materialization of an inner world was similar to a lucid dream, it demanded an even greater amount of concentration and the mobilization of magic power.

Since the time I had returned to the past, I hadn't been able to concentrate easily. There were too many matters to consider and I had to decide on a course for the future.

'…I can do this.'

The light from Igneel and Etaqua illuminated my mind. Thanks to them, I could replicate and display the inside of the demon lord's body without missing a detail in the inner world. In the midst of it, they also connected with my mind and appeared nearby.

Kuuu.

s.h.i.+?

Igneel stared at me absentmindedly as usual, while Etaqua appeared full of curiosity as he tried moving his body but to no avail. It was only natural that he couldn't move. There was nothing that could move within this s.p.a.ce without my permission.

I was surprised myself, however. I never expected that they could even enter 'my s.p.a.ce' — or to be specific, the domain of my mind!

'At this rate there'll be no end to the surprises.'

It was about time I got used to it. These two were an unlimited source of unpredictability. It was apparent that my common sense wasn't nearly enough to fathom the two.

“Don't move.”

I restricted the movements of Igneel and Etaqua, and the two tilted their heads in confusion as they observed my actions.

'This is the interior of a demon lord's body.'

I zoomed in on it.

I could now see everything within the body; the flow of blood, movement of organs, even the most minute of vibrations. I was largely no different from a human's body. I was quite surprised on that point. As such, I first studied the influences magic power had on the body.

'The fine movements of magic power is dynamic in action.'

It was a perfect circulation. The mana flowing between the middle energy center and upper energy center possessed a glue-like consistency, and it moved in a helical form so as it retain its bonds. I almost overlooked it because it was so small. The countless streams of magic power in helical forms were intertwined tens, hundreds of thousands of times. At first glance they appeared to be a single stream, but that wasn't it.

My doubts only further increased. So many streams of magic power intertwined should have resulted in a loss of control. Were they that well organized?

'Reverse tracing of magic power.'

There were hints of magic power remaining in the demon lord's lower energy center. This clearly proved that magic power had once pa.s.sed through the lower energy center as well. The lower energy center must have closed as the body developed and began to use only the middle and upper energy centers.

I was thrilled! I could only discover this point with difficulty after entering the inner world. I may even find out the method to this change if I were to follow the remnants of magic power.

Time continued to flow, but I paid no heed to it. Igneel and Etaqua yawned. While they were licking each other to stave off the tedium, I was able to discover another trace.

'So flowing upwards wasn't the answer!'

Lower, middle, upper. Everyone been mistaken all this time. We had all a.s.sumed that a pa.s.sageway for the energy could have been drilled through; by forcibly driving magic power from the lower belly toward the heart, and from the heart toward the brain.

We were wrong. The pa.s.sageway had always been open. Or to be correct…that pa.s.sageway was made to close naturally as we aged.

'So this means the middle and upper energy center can only be opened by awakening at a very young age?'

But that wasn't possible. The lifespan of a baby would become extremely short if it were to be awakened. The age at which magic power could be handled was acknowledged to be 15 at the minimum. Awaken before that, and the body wouldn't be able to handle the stress, and would rapidly age.

In the end, my discovery lead to another question; how this closed 'door' should be opened.

Kuu?

s.h.i.+!

It was then.

Igneel and Etaqua began to move. To think that I couldn't even control them with my words, was this proof of how closely our souls were intertwined?

They flapped their small wings and the two simultaneously shone a beam of light. The golden and white light s.h.i.+ning from their wings were pointing to a single spot within the demon lord's body.

'That's a lethal point…'

The crown of the head, known as the Hundred Convergences point. It was a vital part; A strong impact would send the brain shaking and could be fatal.

I carefully examined that place, and before long my pupils began to tremble uncontrollably.

'Ah…!'

It was a small enlightenment. I vaguely realized why Igneel and Etaqua illuminated that spot for me.

'The beginning. So this was where it began!'

It didn't rise from below, but descended from above. In the body of the demon lord, unlike a human's body, that part alone had a very small opening. If this part could be drilled through…the middle and upper energy centers would naturally open, and the redundant lower energy center should slowly close off. Simply put, the lower energy center is a temporary storage place for magic power.

A slight s.h.i.+ver ran down my spine. If I hadn't entered the inner word, and didn't have the a.s.sistance of Igneel and Etaqua, I never would have noticed that barely visible tiny hole.

'The body of a demon race would go through that process as naturally as breathing. Humans were different, so merely drilling a hole wouldn't suffice. We would have to forcibly intertwine and connect the streams of magic power.'

Numerous human experimentations had been carried out in the past. If drilling a small hole in the Hundred Convergence point was everything, then the method to opening the middle and upper energy centers would already have been widespread. But only by intertwining and linking the streams of magic power, thereby establis.h.i.+ng a system of circulation, would it function properly.

I was observing it in real-time. Feeling it.

That's why I could be certain.

'I can do it.'

Finally, finally…

Finally, I found the way to overcome my limits.