Even though I hardly used half of my power to release that intimidation pulse, it was enough to break both of their adrenaline-fueled concentration and stop them from fighting instantly.
Using my intimidation at full blast without these borrowed stats would most likely just scare them, an instant knockout with this much ease would not have been possible.
Even my doubles, who weren't the focus of the attack and were 100 kilometers away, were greatly affected by the increase in my aura.
If not for our instantaneous memory sharing, I would have had to forcefully deactivate all three of them standing by if I left my new mana control active for too long.
While Maria and Raven both fall into the crater, covered in divine residue and countless near-fatal wounds, I deactivate my power-stealing perk and completely conceal my aura behind my purple barrier, swooping down to catch them both.
My body doubles air-step over now that the absurd auras have faded away, delivering about an hour's worth of plundered materials from the artificial mountains in the form of dozens of bright pink, dense mana crystals created with my crystal creation skill.
I accept them and share hibernation with both Maria and Raven, feeding the skill hundreds of quadrillions of MP each to activate the highest setting, emergency mode, to speed up the process.
It may delay the progress on the labyrinth's growth by a few hours, but at this point, it isn't a massive priority. I won't be making it to 200 floors in the next 36 hours, even if I use my main body to help plunder and speed things up.
A white flash of light surrounds each of them, and the divine energy poisoning, along with the hundreds of injuries all over their bodies, begins healing before my eyes.
"I think that went well..." I whisper to myself as my doubles return to their tasks, and I float in midair, lost in thought for a few seconds.
They've definitely become better fighters. I'm curious to hear what they'll say once they wake up.
Whatever it may be, I'm far more confident in their fighting abilities now, and I'm even considering giving Raven the option to become a General.
I mentally open my interface to review the details again and even look at Maria's settings. It appears these general slots are permanent positions that cannot be taken away unless the link of loyalty is forcefully severed by both sides.
If there are really only going to be five slots available to wield this power, I'll need to think carefully and strategically about the remaining four and not pick them too quickly.
With this on my mind, I pull a transport crystal from my storage and crush it with telekinesis, transporting the three of us back beneath the Crimson City.
–
The yellow divine threads down here are circulating much slower than before, but with the insulated true core-imbued shielding on the walls, all the threads stay inside, making the air far denser with energy.
I rest Maria and Raven against a wall as they continue to glow bright white in a state of suspended animation, and my eyes turn to Abby first.
Her core is even closer to breaking through than it was this morning, and my presence, along with an unknown entity in the room, breaks her concentration slightly. I feel a pull on my telepathy channel as it opens.
"Who is that? And what happened to Maria? I can't sense either of their presences."
I reply, "That is Raven. The True Core from the Southern Volcanic Region I mentioned earlier that was helping me learn more about central headquarters. I've protected both of their auras behind my divine barrier, as the residue and pressure they give off may be harmful to you here. We had a sparring session out in the desert to test the yellow core's power. I look forward to doing the same for yours."
There's a slight pause, and I feel a ripple of emotion from Abby, similar to what I sensed from Maria before their battle. But she quickly suppresses it and responds.
"Good. At this rate, I should awaken by morning. I just need a bit more time."
She consumes another yellow fragment, and her body surges with yellow threads as she continues.
"A few hours ago, Ember stopped circulating the room, so we've been relying on the pure power of the fragments you left behind. Our absorption rate is the same; we just need to consume more since the residue remains stagnant."
I look around the room, and my eyes fall on the isolation pod next.
Peering inside, the sight I see is far more extreme than expected.
An incredibly dense yellow core is being compressed as we speak. Golden and silver threads cover the inside of Ember's body, containing every single yellow thread within, creating an extremely controlled and calculated process that doesn't affect the outside world with his aura at all.
If my perception wasn't so sharp, it would seem like nothing but an unawakened sat inside that silver pod, similar to the capabilities of my purple barrier.
I reply to Abby once I understand what's happening, not daring to contact Ember or push my aura near him, not wanting to disrupt the delicate compression process taking place.
"Let me help with your energy cycling problem. Just focus on healing and absorbing threads."
Next, I activate the True Core perk I stole from Sebastian and feel for all the stagnant yellow threads in the room.
Without letting any mana seep from my body, I attempt to move this stagnant yellow energy in circles around the room to simulate what Ember was doing before.
The entire room shakes slightly when I activate this power, and the threads begin to dance and wiggle as I form mental links with each of them individually. I sit down and close my eyes to pour my full concentration into this task.
At first, it's quite hard to move this energy without using mana as its base, as even the True Core's ability is paired with superior mana manipulation.
If I were to inject even a few thousand MP into the air, this would be simple. But I want the divine energy circulating into my teammates' cores to remain as pure as it is in the yellow fragments. Secondly, I want to train this unique ability while I have the perfect place to do so.
Minutes pass, and the dancing threads begin rotating around the room extremely slowly, making just one revolution in all the time I've been at it.
However, there's momentum now, and the second revolution only takes a full minute.
After another 15 minutes, I start to sweat, and the mental strain from pushing each individual thread with precision begins to build up.
I avoid hitting Ember's isolation pod, as well as the two women in hibernation.
However, now my understanding of the ability grows even higher, and a single revolution takes less than 20 seconds.
I have to strategically let go of the threads that collide with Abby, Lydia, and Fisher. If I hold on too long, I'll accidentally tear divine energy from their cores that could have been absorbed.
A smile grows on my face as the minutes pass and my precision improves.
Once a single revolution around the room takes less than 5 seconds, I start shaping the threads' flight paths much differently.
There's no one sitting in the center of the room, so I move the threads to the outer flight path, concentrating the energy more densely where we're sitting.
A few minutes later, once I'm more comfortable, the revolution time lasts less than a second.
Abby increases the strength of the bright green and yellow restoration circle on the floor, as far more threads are now circulating through everyone's bodies.
I could go faster, as my comprehension of the technique is improving rapidly, and I even recall the time when I was compressing my True Core, with cycles of energy coursing through me at magnitudes of hundreds or even thousands per second. However, the mental and physical limits of everyone in the room are a bit lower than my own.
I can tell Abby could handle more, but Fisher and Lydia are nearing their max.
I make one last adjustment, compacting the threads' density a little more by combining the portion near the ceiling with the threads circling the floor.
Before my eyes, their thread-gathering speed enhances a few times over without them needing to consume more fragments, just using the leftover residue in the room.
We sit here for another hour as I continue cycling the energy, and my progress with the True Core's ability grows even more.
I manage to control portions of the threads to weave around Fisher and Lydia each cycle, allowing Abby to absorb more without pushing anyone too hard or holding anyone back.
Each revolution delivers the maximum number of threads everyone can handle. In just two hours from the time I returned, I witness Abby's yellow core fully saturate, and all signs of orange threads in her body disappear.
A pulse of energy surges through the room as a result, and her eyes open wide, glowing yellow, while her green eyes and hair shine brightly beneath.
She speaks aloud.
"That was faster than I expected."
She grins but keeps the restoration circle active, as the threads circulating the room are still in motion.
I open my eyes and smile back.
"Congrats. You're a yellow core now. I have another powerful stat buff I want to share with you. Let's see how far you can push that second ranked-up buff of yours, the [Form of the Immortal Healer], now that you can wield this much divine energy. I wonder if I can still land a hit on you."
While I reply, the white glow around Maria and Raven begins to fade as their hibernation process comes to an end. At the same time, there's a click from the isolation pod at the back of the room, and the silver door slowly opens.
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Author's Note:
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