Harry moved through the ritual site, his mind racing as he examined every inch of the space. His eyes scanned the complex runes and symbols that surrounded the ritual, trying to find any hint, any clue that could help him disrupt the ceremony. But despite his intense focus, he found nothing; just more intricate markings and the pulsing energy of the altar, its power growing steadily.
Behind him, the old man's voice broke through the silence, calm and unwavering. "Give it up," he said, his tone almost pitying. "Once the ceremony begins, there is no stopping it. Your efforts are doomed to fail."
Harry didn't react to the old man's taunts. He had heard worse. His focus remained sharp, eyes flicking across the room as he tried to find any weak point in the ritual's setup. Finally, something caught his eye.
In the center of the ritual stood a massive pool, filled with a dark, bloody energy. It was the source, the beating heart of the ritual. Harry's mind sharpened as he realized that the pool was the key to the ceremony's success. If the energy could be disrupted, if its flow could be interrupted, the entire ritual would collapse.
His thoughts quickly solidified. 'The energy pool…' Harry's lips curled into a faint smile, and he muttered to himself, "Although the conditions are crude, I can still try." He wasn't giving up. Not yet.
He turned away from the old man, his movements deliberate. Harry reached into his bag and pulled out a large assortment of materials; charcoal, incense, and several vials of strange, glowing liquids. He quickly set to work, arranging them carefully on the stone floor. His hands moved with practiced precision, carving runes into the air with the charcoal, engraving them with steady confidence.
"Is this a ritual?" The old man's voice was filled with confusion. "What does he want to do?"
Harry didn't respond, but he could sense the old man's growing uncertainty. The old man was watching him closely, trying to understand his intentions, but Harry knew exactly what he was doing. He had performed these rituals countless times, memorizing the movements and symbols, perfecting them with each use. It was second nature to him by now.
The runes he carved weren't just symbols; they were a gateway. A channel to redirect the flow of life energy.
As Harry worked, his mind was focused. This was more than just a standard life ritual, it was a carefully crafted disruption, an attempt to seize the very power that was fueling the ceremony and turn it against itself. The materials he had gathered, gathered with purpose; were the key to making it happen.
The ritual was nearly complete. One end of the formation faced Harry, while the other pointed directly at the dark pool of energy. His pulse quickened as he surveyed the setup.
"It's just right," Harry murmured to himself, his voice quiet but full of conviction. "I can finally test my theory."
With a steady breath, Harry reached down and sliced his arm open, a clean, controlled cut. His blood began to flow, pooling onto the ground, the dark crimson liquid dripping into the formation he had drawn. He could feel the energy in the air shift as the ritual began to take effect. The glow from the runes brightened, and sparks of power began to crackle in the space around him.
The old man's eyes widened in realization. "No…" he whispered, his voice trailing off in horror. "Could he want to—"
Before the old man could finish his thought, the energy in the room began to shift dramatically. The flow of power that had been steadily moving toward the pool was suddenly cut off, intercepted by Harry's ritual. The massive pool of energy began to ripple and change, its contents swirling and shifting as part of the flow unexpectedly veered toward Harry.
Boom!
A massive burst of energy erupted from the pool, and Harry felt the surge of life force coursing through him. It was overwhelming, more energy than he had ever encountered in all his years of practice. His body trembled under the sheer force of it, the life energy threatening to tear him apart as it rushed through his veins.
Harry gritted his teeth, fighting to control the energy. His body, honed by years of rigorous training, was strong enough to handle the immense influx of power. But even with his strength, this was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It was as if the very essence of life itself was being funneled into him, reshaping him from the inside out.
The ritual was taking hold, but not in the way the old man had planned.
As the energy continued to flow into Harry, he felt something stirring deep within his body. A seed of life, dormant for so long, began to grow. It expanded rapidly, fueling his transformation. His body stretched and shifted, his muscles growing more defined, his senses sharpening.
'This is it…' Harry thought as the sensation intensified. 'I'm on the brink.'
Boom!
Another surge of energy pulsed through him, and he felt his strength multiply. The seed of life within him exploded, its growth now reaching its peak. His body was transforming, evolving, breaking through the limits that had once held him back.
The old man's voice echoed from behind him, filled with disbelief and fury. "What have you done?" he cried out. "You… You were never supposed to…"
But Harry didn't hear him. He was no longer just a man. The surge of energy was too great, too powerful. In an instant, his body transcended its previous limits. His muscles rippled with newfound strength, his senses heightened to an almost supernatural degree.
Great Knight.
In the blink of an eye, Harry had crossed the threshold. His body had undergone a transformation so complete that it was as if he had been reborn.
But this wasn't the end. The energy within him was still growing, still evolving, and Harry could feel it. This was only the beginning.
Boom!
A staggering surge of energy ripped through Harry's body, an overwhelming force that seemed to come from deep within, as though the very essence of life was coursing through his veins. It was a power of unimaginable magnitude, one that Harry had never even dreamed of in his previous experiences.
He had become intimately familiar with the rituals and their intricacies over the years. He knew the mechanics, the flow of energy, every little detail about the sacrifices that fed into the Black Council's dark ambitions. Yet, standing here now, overwhelmed by this unfathomable life force, even Harry couldn't help but pause.
In the past, he had sacrificed countless fighters to fuel his own growth, absorbing enough vitality to steadily improve his strength. But that power, though significant, was nothing compared to what was surging through him now. He had taken in only a fraction of the energy the Black Council had amassed, yet it felt like enough to reshape the world around him.
The Black Council had prepared for this moment for years, drawing on the life force of countless sacrifices, all for the sake of awakening their so-called God of the Blood Moon. This ritual had been the culmination of endless preparation, each drop of blood spilled, each life taken, feeding the power that now surged like a torrent before him. And now, it was all funneled into him.
'Even a small part of this...' Harry thought, his mind racing. 'This power could shatter everything I've known.'
Boom!
His body began to grow, the force of the energy continuing to push him beyond his limits. Every muscle, every cell in his body was alive, boiling with energy. It was as though there were a raging storm inside him, churning, transforming his very form.
With each passing moment, his body expanded, his senses sharpened, and his strength surged. His skin stretched, his bones strengthened, and every fiber of his being hummed with the vitality flooding him. He was evolving, rapidly moving toward a higher state.
The enormous life force that had been funneled into him didn't stop. It didn't slow. It only grew. It felt as if the very fabric of his body was being tested, stretched to its breaking point.
"Not good," Harry muttered to himself, his thoughts clouded with urgency. "If this continues, I..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a sharp "puff" echoed from his chest. Harry looked down in shock as a deep gash suddenly appeared, tearing through his flesh. The skin and muscles around the wound exploded outward, as if the pressure inside him had simply become too much to bear.
'What's happening?' he thought, his mind racing to understand. 'This isn't supposed to happen!'
The energy that had once felt like a gift; a powerful surge, was now turning into poison. Just like too much oxygen can lead to suffocation, the overwhelming vitality flooding his body was pushing him past his limits. The seed of life inside him had already been transformed into its maximum potential. It had reached its limit.
A Great Knight's body could only carry so much vitality, so much life force before it would break down under the strain. And Harry had crossed that line. The energy that had made him stronger was now threatening to tear him apart.
Before he could even react, he felt his body tremble violently. He heard the unmistakable sound of cracks, like bones splintering; echoing through his entire body.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
His flesh erupted in small bursts, like detonations going off inside him. His skin cracked and split, blood and bits of muscle flying in all directions. Harry's body was literally falling apart under the weight of the energy.
Even as he stood there, barely able to hold his form together, a part of him marveled at the sheer violence of the transformation. A part of him couldn't help but be amazed by how much power he had drawn into himself, enough to break even the strongest of bodies.
'It's really kind of bad,' Harry thought dryly, grimacing in pain. The humor in his voice was almost ironic, as he staggered slightly from the pressure. His body felt like it was about to explode, yet somehow, he still stood.
A long sigh escaped his lips. There was no triumph in this moment; no joy. His body, having been strengthened by the ritual, was now literally fighting against the very life force that had been meant to empower him.
Each wave of pain felt sharper, more intense than anything he'd experienced before. The life force, the very thing that had pushed him to become stronger, was now the thing that might destroy him.
But Harry wasn't one to give up so easily. As he fought against the overwhelming pressure, his gaze hardened. He wasn't about to let this ritual and all the pain it caused, define his end. There had to be a way to control it, a way to turn the tide before it consumed him completely.
The old man's voice echoed faintly in the background, but Harry didn't care anymore. He had crossed a threshold, and now it was time to finish what he started.