Commanding Lupina in that state was really nerve wrecking.
I could somewhat pinpoint her location as we talk thanks to my sensitive ears, but sometimes there was a Calamity Object that barely made any sound before introducing themselves.
Hopefully, we won't be dealing with that right now.
"A minute has passed, yet the shadow is still stirring."
Maybe it won't do anything much. Now that I think about it?
My eyes were too adjusted to the darkness at this point, but my anxiety still prevented me from blinking a single time.
"... This thing is finished, let's go, Lupina-"
Before I knew, my eyes shifted from the swirling shadow inside the near-death carcass of the Wild Brute to the sharp abyssal tentacle that impaled Lupina's body from below, sprouting into numerous branches on her chest as it wrecked her insides like there was no tomorrow.
Verina's body was laid on the ground, untouched.
Seeing her still-living Health section, Verina was possibly thrown by Lupina the moment she sensed an attack approaching her.
But my eyes went back to Lupina, who I believed was already beyond saving unless a miracle did happen.
"Ahaha… sorry, Narcissus…"
The tendril snaked in a reversed manner, completely detaching itself from Lupina's messed body. At the same time it exited this plane of existence, the swirling shadow on the Wild Brute's carcass died, alongside the movement of the Wild Hunt's stray.
Unsurprisingly, the remains of that Wild Hunt's stray dispersed into dust that was carried to the faraway land. Sadly, it was the same case with its armor, cudgel, and the Bloodthirst Sword I hold.
My Wraithgrip was still intact however, so I guess that was my reward.
And then there was Lupina, coughing blood, limping, barely gasping for air as her lung and heart was no longer perfectly intact.
Yet her life was still extended, possibly by her enhancement and the effect of the Potion of Healing from before. After all, the percentage of that item in her equipment had already reached zero.
"... Verina, are you still conscious?"
Verina nodded.
She couldn't move nor muster a voice.
"Verina, do you remember about that chemistry lesson we had back then?"
There was a slight gesture on her jaw.
As calm as I could, I approached Verina and picked her upper body to stay upright.
"I also talked about flesh, bodily cells, and even the degradation of the brain as an extra."
I guided Verina to hold her musket and aimed it toward Lupina's head.
I plastered the excess blood that was bleeding from my left hand to Verina's hand for her to access as a lifeline.
Then, I picked up the broadsword that was left by the Wild Hunt's stray.
Well, that broadsword was ours to begin with, so I was only just taking it back.
"I want you to craft a freeze-preservation spell, as polished and as fast as you could. When you're ready, you're going to time your activation right after I beheaded her."
Mustering every inch of energy, Verina nodded and shifted her poker-face gaze toward her own dying friend.
She had enough Consciousness to craft that spell. And ultimately, finish the task I gave here perfectly.
As for Lupina, she was still struggling. All those wounds and blood loss only gave her insurmountable pain, while still preserving her own Consciousness.
That pain won't be there any longer.
"Give me a cue when you're ready, Verina."
After decapitation, a human mind is believed to remain conscious for only a few seconds, generally around 3 to 10 seconds.
During this brief period, there may be some residual brain activity, but it was highly unlikely that the individual was fully conscious or aware.
This estimate was based on historical anecdotes, observations of animal experiments, and limited scientific understanding of how the brain functions after a sudden and traumatic injury like decapitation.
The brain can still have some electrical activity for a short period, but due to the rapid loss of blood pressure and oxygen, any semblance of consciousness fades quickly. The exact experience would vary depending on numerous factors, but consciousness beyond a few seconds is highly unlikely.
But in Lupina's case, there was still a few droplet of Theotech blood lingering on her brain, possibly acting like an emergency patch to prevent degradation and loss of function to whatever organ it was attached.
After a short while, Verina gave her cue, as she lightly pressed her trigger to prepare for the right timing.
"One, two, three."
Lupina's head was decapitated.
And it was immediately preserved in a special matter of ice that Verina had already concocted based on the information I gave her back then.
"... Looks like it is a success."
[Health Status]
[Overall Health: 10%, Pain: 0%]
—Vitals—
[Consciousness: 0%]
[Movement: 0%]
[Manipulation: 0%]
[Hearing: 0%]
[Sight: 0%]
[Breathing: 0%]
[Blood Filtration: 0%]
[Blood Pumping: 0%]
[Metabolism: 0%]
[Lifeline: 0%]
[Sanity: 0%]
—Injuries—
[Neck: Severed (complete decapitation - 100% disruption)]
—Conditions—
[Cryopreserved State: This individual's brain has been vitrified to prevent cellular damage and potential future revival, halting all biological functions]
—Enhancements—
[Rapid Regeneration (halted): Minor wounds heal in half the usual time]
—
[{Biography} {Inventory} <{Health}> {Needs} {Social} {Log} {Info}]
—
Freezing and thawing a human brain without causing tissue degradation was an extremely complex process that required highly specialized techniques.
The primary challenge was to avoid ice crystal formation, which can cause mechanical damage to the delicate structures of the brain, leading to tissue degradation.
As such, vitrification was the preferred method for cryopreserving brain tissue. This process involves cooling the brain to a glass-like state without forming ice crystals.
For bits of knowledge, this is how it works.
Firstly, the brain must first be perfused with a cryoprotectant solution. Cryoprotectants, such as dimethyl sulfoxide and ethylene glycol, replace water in the cells to prevent ice formation.
However, with ohrtending, Verina could just imitate the effect without preparing the catalyst for the cause. After all, ohrtending in itself was bringing miracles into this world.
Secondly, the brain is then slowly cooled to a very low temperature, usually below -130°C or -202°F, the point at which the solution vitrifies. This requires a controlled cooling rate to avoid ice formation.
Again, something that could be trivialized with ohrtending.
Once vitrified, the brain needed to be stored in a container filled with liquid nitrogen, which keeps it at temperatures below -196°C or -320.8°F.
But Verina's spell combined this effect with the vitrification. All we needed to do after this was to find a good wooden box to carry Lupina's head like a backpack, and we were good to go.
Not to mention, cryoprotectants themselves can be toxic to cells at high concentrations, so their introduction and removal must be carefully controlled to minimize damage.
Thankfully, we didn't need to deal with this because of the nature of ohrtending.
"You did a good job, Verina." I exhaled with a smile. "This way, we can revive her somewhere in the future, with either a Theotech, or whatever the hell that exists in this maddening world."
Just as I was about to retrieve Verina into my back, the sign of dawn began to pour its color from the other side of the horizon.
The night of madness was over.
The harrowing and suffering was over.
"Today's Ordeal is over."
For now.