Renan was enduring an immense amount of pain, something he never thought was possible. After all, after Namari’s training, he had believed there was nothing in existence that could surpass that agony. But now, experiencing this firsthand, he realized how horribly mistaken he was.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
Renan screamed at the top of his lungs, his throat already torn apart, yet his cries continued—not from the pain of being sliced in half, but from the sheer torment of his energies wreaking havoc inside him.
’I need to do something,’ Renan thought, barely managing to string together coherent thoughts through the unbearable agony.
His form kept flickering uncontrollably between fox and dragon, shifting back and forth in rapid succession. Neither energy was willing to concede, both fighting ruthlessly for dominance over his body.
As Renan writhed in torment, desperately trying to find a way to survive, the shadow dwarf stood there, watching him in complete silence. There was no sign of emotion, no look of satisfaction, no triumph—just an empty face devoid of anything emotion. And then, as if he had seen enough, the shadow dwarf began moving again, his steps slow but deliberate, heading toward Renan’s upper half.
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*TAK*
*TAK*
The sound of the shadow dwarf’s footsteps echoed ominously through the hall.
Even in his overwhelming agony, Renan caught sight of the approaching figure. His hazy, pain-filled eyes focused on the dwarf, who was now only a few steps away—undoubtedly moving in to finish him off.
’NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO,’ Renan repeated in his mind, his thoughts screaming.
’No, I can’t die. Not yet. I still have too many things left to do in this world… and in my previous one. I still haven’t even seen my parents again. Mino would be waiting for me… wondering where I went. I can’t die. I won’t die,’ Renan told himself, his will to live burning stronger than ever.
*BOOM*
A sudden explosion of power erupted from Renan, sending out a violent shockwave. A fierce torrent of wind blasted through the hall, shaking the very foundations of the dungeon. The surrounding mana responded in kind, turning chaotic as if mirroring Renan’s own turmoil.
The shadow dwarf, despite standing at the eighth stage, was forcefully pushed back, barely managing to keep his footing. It shouldn’t have been possible. Someone of his strength should have been unaffected by such a release of mana. And yet, it was happening.
And,
Renan, who was still lying on the ground, suddenly lifted both hands, positioning them over his chest as if trying to contain something.
He gritted his teeth, his face contorted with fury as he roared,
"HOW DARE YOU!"
His voice boomed across the hall, shaking the very walls.
"YOU ARE MY ENERGY, MY MANA. YOU EXIST TO OBEY ME, YET YOU DEFY ME?!" Renan yelled again, his rage crackling through every syllable.
*BOOM*
A deep, resounding noise echoed from his chest—more specifically, from his heart.
"Ugh," Renan grunted, his teeth grinding together as his face twisted further in strain.
’This isn’t enough. I need more mana,’ he thought, desperately trying to suppress the rampaging energies inside him.
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
The loud reverberations continued, each one coming from within his body, shaking him to his core.
And then—
Renan did something reckless.
He shattered his own mana circles.
Yes, Renan forcefully broke the very foundation of his power, something no sane Dragon would ever attempt. Why? Because he had no other choice. There was no way he could suppress these energies in his current state. His strength simply wasn’t enough. So, in a desperate bid to overpower them, he destroyed his mana circles, unleashing the raw, stored mana within.
It was a gamble—one that would cripple him. But at this point, what other option did he have?
And as for the shadow dwarf?
Oh well, once Renan succeeded in subduing his energies, he’d just use whatever mana remained to retrieve the scroll and finish this fight once and for all.
*BOOM*
Another deafening eruption resounded, but this time, it wasn’t from his heart—he had already destroyed all his mana circles. Instead, the sound came from his hands, where he was desperately trying to keep the two warring energies in check.
’Yes…!’ Renan exhaled sharply, a small, triumphant smile slowly creeping onto his face.
He had done it.
He had finally managed to suppress both energies.
But,
A grim realization dawned on him.
’I can’t keep this up forever,’ he thought, dread creeping into his mind. The sheer amount of mana it took to suppress the energies had already drained him beyond belief. Maintaining this balance for even an hour would be impossible.
His eyes flickered toward the shadow dwarf, who was still struggling against the mana waves crashing through the hall. He was barely able to hold his ground.
"Good," Renan muttered under his breath, feeling the smallest bit of relief. At the very least, he didn’t have to worry about the shadow dwarf interfering—at least not for now.
’Now, what do I do with this?’ he thought, his mind racing.
’I need to return these energies to how they were before, back to their original balance. But how? Back then, they simply coexisted without any interference. That was definitely because of Kaishi’s, wasn’t it? But I can’t do that. It is impossible for me, I need to do something else.’
His thoughts grew more frantic.
’Maybe… I should merge them instead? If they become one, they won’t clash anymore. But how the hell do I even merge two opposing energies?’
Doubt gnawed at him.
’They’re already this chaotic while separated. If I try to merge them, won’t the chaos just get worse?’
’No,’ he suddenly thought, ’maybe I can merge them using something as a medium. Something that can act as a bridge between them, stabilizing the process.’
But what?
What could possibly serve as a medium strong enough to withstand these two forces?
And then, as if the answer had always been there, waiting for him to realize it—
A single thought surfaced in his mind.
"My Dragon Heart," Renan whispered.