Chapter 900

Yuder held one of the mediums in his hand. A tingling sensation spread through his fingertips, and the power within his body surged, heightened to its peak by intense concentration.

“Please hold this, Commander. I trust you already know what to do.”

“I do.”

Only Yuder could fully absorb the power of the medium, but other Awakeners could still amplify their strength simply by holding one. Kishiar had already experienced that benefit when Emperor Keillusa was being treated.

This time would be the same. They needed to join their strength, so Kishiar required a medium too.

Once he confirmed that Kishiar was holding it properly, Yuder placed his left hand over Kishiar’s and picked up a new medium with his right. Kishiar whispered softly.

“Let’s connect.”

— Hoo...

The air shifted dramatically around Kishiar’s body. It was the moment the connection between the two of them reawakened after so long.

A prickling sensation flared deep in Yuder’s eyes, and as soon as their skin met, waves of unfamiliar sensations began to pour in.

Yuder didn't resist. As he accepted the flow, something inside him was seized and pulled by that surging current. In an instant, he felt his entire being intertwine with the invader, their energies blending seamlessly. He flinched slightly, a reflexive shudder running through his shoulders.

It felt almost like when Kishiar embraced ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ him.

There was no physical form, yet the sensation alone made it undeniably clear who the source of the power was. How strange and mysterious—to recognize someone’s presence purely through feeling?

It was as if the very existence of Kishiar la Orr had been inscribed invisibly within him.

“...Hh...”

Yuder swallowed the dizzying sensation, briefly closing and reopening his eyes. A new world spread out before him as the connection completed.

Between the reclining Kishiar and himself, golden threads danced like fish swimming through water. It was the unknown, beautiful “connection” that only the two of them could see.

That part wasn’t surprising—he had seen the same when treating Emperor Keillusa.

But back then, the threads had seemed numerous only because they were long. In reality, there had only been a few. Now, however, there were easily dozens. Maybe more.

‘...What is this?’

It was breathtakingly beautiful. Even Yuder—who’d often been accused of lacking a sense for aesthetics—was momentarily entranced by the spectacle before him.

“...Can you see them too?”

As Yuder muttered while watching the countless threads, Kishiar answered,

“They’ve multiplied. Something has...”

“If you can see them as well, then I’m not imagining this.”

He wanted to examine it more closely, but that could wait. Yuder took a deep breath and lowered his gaze.

What remained now was to absorb and release the power within the medium.

Recalling the previous time, he tightened his grip around the stone in his hand, wishing to absorb the force within. His bare palm began to tingle. The once-dormant energy inside the deep crimson stone flared in response.

A heat like fire surged into his skin, spreading upward.

Absorbing the raw, unfiltered energy from the medium was difficult to describe. Yuder’s natural energy was like mist—light and subtle. The power from the Red Stone was more like heavy flowing water. Though mist and water were of the same essence, their density felt utterly different.

It was like being crushed under heavy pressure—only to suddenly swell from within, leaving him breathless. The force that spread from his palm to his core alternated between hot and cold, prickling and chilling, again and again.

‘Still... it’s definitely more manageable than before.’

When he’d tried this for Emperor Keillusa, his body hadn’t been in great condition to begin with. The act of handling the medium’s power had been overwhelming. At first, he couldn’t even imagine controlling it. It had felt like his body was burning alive.

But now, he not only endured the shock of absorption—he could even analyze it. And strangely enough, despite having already absorbed all the energy from one medium, he felt like he could still take in more.

Should he continue one by one, or absorb everything at once before proceeding?

Yuder hesitated, then dropped the now-inert medium and picked up a second.

— Hoo...

The second medium’s power began to enter his body. After absorbing that, he discarded it and reached for a third. But as he was halfway through absorbing the third, his hand started to tremble involuntarily.

‘Is this... my limit?’

His hand was marbled with dark crimson veins. He couldn’t see how far they had spread, but his instincts screamed that he couldn’t continue. His skin prickled like it was on fire, every nerve sharpened with alarm.

‘This is as far as I go...’

From the side, Kishiar spoke in a low, calm voice.

“You’ve reached your limit. Are you all right?”

“...Yes. Just one more moment.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Yuder exhaled deeply, finishing the absorption of the third medium. He clenched and released his trembling hand before discarding the spent stone.

It thudded against the carpet beneath the bed.

Then Yuder placed his hand on Kishiar’s abdomen. Drawing in a long breath, his focused gaze scanned the four forces, the vessel at the center, and the red power encasing it.

No change yet.

‘I will begin infusion now.’

Meeting Kishiar’s eyes, Yuder conveyed the message silently. Kishiar gave a slight nod in response.

Yuder lowered his gaze and began releasing the absorbed power. Pain surged back, and the golden light in his eyes glowed so brightly they seemed to burn.

His skin flushed hot. His entire body twisted, his stomach tightening.

Like flowing water, the power slowly moved toward its target at Yuder’s command. It was significantly faster than before. And just as the energy reached his fingertips, Kishiar’s own power surged forth—snaring it like a net with perfect timing.

“Hh...”

Inside and out, above and below.

The two of them, joined in will and body, moved the power as one.

Even having done this before, it was never easy. The energy Yuder had absorbed was heavy, and sweat clung to his body from the effort.

But he didn’t even realize he was sweating. His concentration was absolute. When the stream of power flowing from his hand finally began to enter Kishiar’s body, Yuder gasped, unable to hold his breath any longer.

‘It worked.’

Kishiar furrowed his brow, gripping the medium tightly. For someone who rarely showed pain, even that was telling—proof that what was happening now was dangerously intense.

‘I was right to absorb everything first and get it over with.’

From here on, it was a race to transfer the energy before it overwhelmed him. Yuder held on tightly, barely containing the surging force.

Like water trickling from high to low, the flow into Kishiar continued steadily. Through their link, Kishiar would also be seeing what Yuder saw.

Even without time to wipe away the sweat gathering on his brow, Kishiar focused, assisting the process. The hand holding the medium turned pale with strain, but his expression didn’t change. His endurance was astonishing.

The only way Yuder could ease that pain was to finish the process as quickly as possible.

In a haze where time and space seemed to fade away, Yuder poured every ounce of his strength into the task.

Even with all his speed, transferring the energy from three full mediums took time. But as the power flowed, the red energy gathering inside Kishiar’s body became visible—settling slowly, visibly.

Yuder brought his fingertips to the surface of that collected energy. The Red Stone’s power responded to his will, following his lead.

Moving power inside another’s body was difficult even for Yuder—and it caused even more pain for Kishiar.

“...Mmm.”

A faint groan escaped Kishiar’s tightly shut lips. Yuder looked up instantly and saw bulging veins along Kishiar’s neck and jaw.

“......”

The golden threads surrounding them shivered and flashed in response to Yuder’s alarm. Frowning, he bit his lip—only for Kishiar to lightly tap Yuder’s hand with his own.

It’s fine. Keep going.

Even unspoken, the words sank into Yuder through their connection. Along with them came Kishiar’s worry, incredible patience, strong purpose—and deep affection.

Yuder closed his eyes, then opened them again. As sweat dripped from his lashes, his vision cleared.

‘Understood.’

He nodded faintly and returned his gaze downward.

The red energy guided by his touch finally reached Kishiar’s vessel.

The original force that had barely encased the vessel mixed with the newly added energy and instantly tangled together.

Kishiar’s grip on the medium tightened so hard it seemed to crack. It was made from extremely durable material—yet a sharp crack echoed faintly, as if it might actually break.

Yuder didn’t blink, watching with tense, unrelenting focus.

And then—

“...Hah.”

Moments later, Kishiar’s power and the newly infused Red Stone energy merged completely.

Success.