Actually, what is he doing?
That's what kept buzzing in Moku's mind.
Really...
He shouldn't have sacrificed his arms and legs to save Nevare. It was true that Nevare's death would put some of his plans on hold. However, it is only delayed, not failed.
He could find another woman who could continue what Nevare was doing. Moku believes he can find another human female who is far more determined, beautiful, or brave than Nevare. But in fact, he moved without thinking and that almost cost him his life.
Because of that, he even lost the Arachnid Bee Sting Karambit, the only weapon that can injure the platinum tier danger arachnid bee's hard shell.
Moku searched for regret in his heart, but strangely he found none.
If the situation is repeated then he will still do the same thing. Not because he wanted to do it but because he had to.
He felt that if he let Nevare get killed then Moku would feel a deeper regret than dying old and crippled like in his previous life. Moku didn't understand why he could feel that way but he knew that he must have felt that way.
The platinum tier danger arachnid bee clawed at his chest again. Blood dripped onto the ground but quickly the wound closed and healed. With only one arm left, there's no way Moku can keep up with the platinum tier danger arachnid bee's speed.
Therefore he used his own body as a shield. He only parries attacks that can kill him instantly, while attacks that only injure him, Moku allows the asura's body resistance and regeneration ability to deal with it.
Moku didn't know how long he had been on the verge of life and death. His body was torn apart and healed again and again. His originally sharp mind began to dull and Moku's body moved like a robot with automatic commands.
The dragon prana within his body was depleting to the point where it was dangerous to his health. The scattered carcasses of the arachnid bees have become Moku's meal to restore his dragon prana. Even so, the dragon prana he used to defend and heal his body was more than what he could eat.
His vision started to blur but his instincts still found where the enemy was. Moku hasn't lost yet, not before everyone is saved. He never wanted to be a hero who gave his life to the world.
However...
He knows...
The world is not all living things in it but the world is someone who lives in it.
His blurry vision and dazed mind began to find the answer.
Sometime he asked... why he wants to became strong?
What reason did he push his mortal body to reach the limits of human capabilities. What thing made him grind his teeth even though his body was covered in wounds and his bones were shattered just to get a little bit stronger.
Strength is just a goal.
What is the motivation behind it all?
Moku finds it...
He wanted to be strong because he felt empty.
Throughout his life Moku felt an emptiness inside him. An emptiness that makes him confused and looking for ways to fill it. As a result, he forgets his real goals and fills the void with unattainable dreams.
Moku wants to be the strongest. But what is the meaning of the strongest?
It is impossible for Mortal to define what is all-powerful!
Mortal is just an empty platform that can be stacked with rocks to create towers that reach the sky. But is the sky the limit of all?
Of course not...
Above the sky there will be infinite space that extends beyond measure. Such is the dream of someone who wants to become the strongest.
Without limit....
Endlessly....
Chasing an empty dream that will never end.
Moku realized that he didn't want this to end. Making the feeling of emptiness inside him become pseudo by continuing to run towards a goal that can never be seen. That way at least he will continue to look forward, forgetting the emptiness that continues to accompany him from behind.
But as fast as he ran, he missed all the sights he passed. Leaving all the enjoyment of the process that should accompany the endless trajectory.
Moku should have kept running...
Become a robot that keeps moving with worn-out joints. Until finally the robot is rusted and destroyed.
Until... he didn't end up going that way. He turned his head and found a new beautiful thing that he had been missing.
Love.
Nevare was not the most beautiful woman he had ever met.
She's not the sexiest woman he's ever fucked.
Nor was she the smartest woman he had ever spoken to.
Not the most interesting of those who have accompanied his life.
Not all that.
She is just a woman who came at the right time and the right place. He came right when Moku found a new path to become stronger and he was there when Moku found a new life to live.
Simple.
Without drama or scary events that make them attracted to each other like a romance story.
That's why she is the most special.
He loves her...
And that's it.
-------------
Moku found the answer and it opened the wall that limited his mind.
Why did he limit his strength? Why did he limit his imagination?
Why should he bother thinking about something he shouldn't think about? Like his and Nevare's love, he shouldn't be making excuses for how he felt. Since when did he limit himself to a single concept of comprehension?
Didn't he join in on Bulan's crazy experiments because he understood that power didn't just come from something he could see and detect? Then why now did he have to limit his strength in the new world where the magic really existed?
I don't have legs? Fine...
Then my torso will become the legs!
Every cell in Moku's body reacts, divides, merges, and transforms into another form. His two severed legs joined together as the remaining dragon prana pushed them apart and then lengthened, forming a long tail that started from his stomach.
I only have one hand? Fine...
I don't need that hand anymore!
Moku's one remaining arm fused with his chest, different cells merged and even the shape of his bones changed. His chest expanded and thinned, causing his internal organs to slide backwards from their proper places.
I don't have a weapon? Fine...
I will bite my enemy apart!
Moku's face changed, his two sharp tusks got smaller but the canines of his upper teeth grew longer and sharper. His red eyes became smaller and smaller, his white eye membrane turned yellow.
Moku's body grew into a creature that could no longer be defined as an asura or an orc.
The pinnacle of evolution of the astral body. That statement was not meant to mean a being that had reached the limit of its evolution in the astral realm but to define if that being had exceeded what could be defined from the astral body.
If so why would an orc only be shaped like an orc or close to a human body when he reached the peak of his evolution? Does that mean the human body is a form of perfection?
But unfortunately not...
Human bodies themselves have limits. Maybe they can be said to be the most efficient creatures to be able to adapt to their surroundings. However, when viewed from another side, the human body can be said to be a jack of all trades but the king of none.
The only reason why during the second evolution Moku made his body like a human was because of the influence of Moku's subconscious itself. After all, he has lived for decades in his human body, so it is only natural that he thinks his evolution will be closer to that of a human body.
But after finding the answer to his confusion, Moku understands that he has limited his imagination and powers with his human mind.
But Moku is not to be blamed for this. He was the first being to evolve into an asura in this world. He has no guide on how to use his powers and he doesn't know what to do with them.
By breaking and destroying the limitations of his imagination. Moku finds a new way to get stronger.
[Asura First Form: Jormungand]!!!
"SHHAAAAA!!!!!!" a loud hiss sounded from an ancient mythical creature that suddenly appeared from where Moku was making the platinum tier danger arachnid bee startled.
Before his enemy could escape the shock the ancient mythical creature coiled around his body swiftly. Platinum Tier Danger Arachnid Bee senses danger from this ancient mythical creature and tries to escape its entanglement.
But he was too late...
With his very strong abdominal muscles, Jormungand tightly wrapped around the platinum tier danger arachnid bee, making the exoskeleton on his body crackle. The platinum tier danger arachnid bee tried hard to use its sting and claws to tear Jormungand's body but the wounds on the creature's body quickly closed.
Paying no attention to his enemy's efforts to escape from the entanglement, Jormungand opened his mouth wide and bared his sharp fangs. Like a giant sharp blade, Jormungand's fangs dug into the platinum tier danger arachnid's body making a high shriek as the fangs and exoskeleton collided.
*NGIIIIIIITTTTTTT!!!!!
Even with the hard defense of the platinum tier danger arachnid bee's exoskeleton, Jormungand's fangs managed to penetrate his body and dug deep into his flesh. Green blood splashed onto the arena where the two giant creatures were fighting.
"SKREEEEEEKKKK!!!!!!"
With the last cry of the platinum tier danger arachnid bee, he breathed his last. Simultaneously, the hive-mind control was released and all the arachnid bees suddenly froze as if they had just lost their minds.
Jormungand released his coils and fell with a thump to the ground. His large body slowly constricted turning back into an asura with decapitated limbs.
That battle end.
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