Chapter 70: Brink of Death
"ARGHH!!" Desire's mouth involuntarily screamed as he spasmed on the ground.
It wasn't a pretty sight, but Desire didn't have the time to mind that.
After all, what was going on inside his body was something he didn't expect at all.
However, even though Desire already let go of the Mana Manifestation, his Core was still burning.
'W-what the fuck!'
Desire cursed as he watched it all happen. Of course, he was affected by this more severely inside than outside.
That was why he felt like he was going crazy by how hot it felt.
Even though it was just his consciousness, Desire felt like he was being ripped apart by one hundred different giant hands.
That was how bad it felt like having your Core being set on fire.
'Waterrrr!!!'
Desire said as he directed his mana in his mana circuits towards the Core.
He didn't know if it would be possible to use magic inside him, but Desire didn't give a fuck about it now.
His life was literally on fire right now; why should he care about those things?
'Water Magic!' Desire said in his mind as he activated the simplest magic water he has.
And when he saw the wave of mana come in like a hungry beast to his Core, his eyes went wide.
After all, it didn't transform into water or something like that.
Desire sure didn't know if just No-Attribute Mana could cancel out the fire that was burning his Core.
It was then.
As Desire kept focusing on himself, an unexpected pain came from outside him.
It was obvious what was the source, but Desire didn't expect that he would feel a different type of pain.
"ARGHHH!!" Desire's body was convulsing on the ground right now.
His hands that were stuck on the floor before was now scratching his neck as if it had a mind of its own!
And because of that, scratches and lines of blood could be seen here and there in his body.
However, that was not all that was happening to his body right now.
Because of him convulsing around and rolling on the ground, he bumped several rocks on the way, and his head was bleeding!
And because of his sudden movements that were caused by the fire on his Core, Desire's body was unable to keep up.
His dry and rough skin that hasn't been properly hydrated for a long time broke.
Desire's body had cracks all over them, and his face wasn't safe either.
It was as if Desire was made of glass, and he was dropped to the ground and broke.
That was how Desire looked like right now.
And all that pain and torture was transmitted to Desire's mind in one go.
'Ah...'
If Desire had a face right now, his face would look like an absolute horror.
His eyes would be popping out of his sockets, and his cheeks would be caved in.
His hair would probably fall off due to the intense stress that he was feeling right now.
Of course, blood would also flow out of every hole that he has on his body.
That was how bad Desire was feeling right now.
However, for better or for worse, his concentration on controlling his mana was still there.
He didn't let loose just because of what happened to him.
That was why even without controlling it himself, his instincts just kicked in.
After all, he was more comfortable here inside his body than when he was outside.
He did live here for almost a year! It would be crazy if it didn't felt like home to Desire.
That was why even though he was just looking at the space dazedly, his non-existent hands moved.
They moved to control the wave of mana that was coming in from his mana circuits.
Ironically, the reason why the situation became like this was because of his mana circuits.
The Burning Air, which had the mana of fire in them, used the Mana Manifestation and the Mana Circuits as the way inside Desire.
And right now, the one part that helped in saving Desire's ass was also the reason why he was in this situation.
And so, the wave of mana that was stored in his mana circuits and the mana that he used for Mana Manifestation all came rushing down on his Core!
It was the start of the battle between the No-Attribute mana and Fire-Attribute mana.
However, what happened was something Desire, even in his right mind, wouldn't expect.
After all, after his mana clashed with the Fire-Attribute mana, nothing happened.
It would be normal if one of them disappeared inside Desire, but they didn't.
That was why it was weird, and Desire's instincts thought it was weird, too, as it controlled the mana around.
However, Desire's Core was still burning. No matter how much the No-Attribute mana swam around the Core, it wouldn't stop the fire at all.
Desire's instincts kept on controlling his mana, and the battle between mana continued.
However, Desire's body couldn't handle it any longer.
After all, if one just looked at his body condition, one would think that he was on the brink of death.
That was how bad his condition was right now.
And his time limit regarding the Monster taking over his vessel shouldn't even be on his mind.
After all, Desire was literally about to die!
However, the kid himself isn't even aware anymore of what was happening.
He didn't know what was happening outside and inside of his body.
He was conscious and unconscious at the same time.
It was a weird thing to be awake and not awake at the same time, but this was normal for Desire, who had the Heavenly Demon Trait.
However, if Desire didn't do anything to save his ass now, things would definitely escalate in a bad way.
The only thing keeping his life right now was his tenacious instincts and muscle memory.
One could be sure that he would die anytime now.
'Ah...'
Only thoughts of nonsense filled Desire's mind as one of his feet stepped into his coffin.