(Meanwhile, within the Time Stilled World, the Ascension Site, Leo’s POV)
As promised, Chaosbringer delivered both the breakthrough site and the Monarch tier potion within forty eight hours of Leo requesting them, as Leo now stood quietly at the center of the cleared plain with the small glass vial resting in his hand, the faintly glowing liquid reflecting off his fingers while a relieved breath escaped from his chest.
*Sigh*
He let the air slip out slowly, as a sense of gratitude washed through him, for he could not even imagine how troublesome his life would have become without Chaosbringer handling tedious matters like this.
Running around for ingredients, negotiating with eccentric potion masters, arranging a secure breakthrough venue and coordinating countless small details were all tasks that Leo neither enjoyed nor had the patience for, as even imagining himself doing any of it made him feel tired.
"Thank you for everything you do for me, old friend."
He muttered, as—
*Whistle*
A cold breeze drifted past his ears, breaking the otherwise perfect silence of the plains around him.
"Transcendent to Monarch," he murmured softly, his gaze lifting toward the ring of mountains encircling the plain, "the final step in a mortal’s journey toward immortality."
He paused and let the truth settle, thinking about how Monarchhood represented the absolute peak of what a mortal could reach as a warrior, for beyond that, the Demi God and God realms no longer belonged to ’mortal’ stages.
"It is what my teachers at Rodova hoped I would become someday..."
He said, his voice calm, though a thread of nostalgia ran beneath it, as he recalled the lecture he had received back in Rodova which explained the difference between a Transcendent and a Monarch Tier warrior—
A Transcendent carried a unified internal system where blood, nerves and mana circuits fused together to create a single life network that allowed power to flow through the body without obstruction.
Yet even at the very limit of the realm, A Transcendent remained bound to the mana stored within their body, unable to influence the ambient mana that drifted freely around them, whereas a Monarch did not share those restrictions.
At the Monarch tier, every cell in one’s body began to mutate, reshaping themselves into structures capable of storing far greater quantities of mana, as the internal reservoir grew so dense that it naturally extended its influence outward into the surrounding air..... as it was this outward spread that formed a subtle link between the Monarch’s inner mana and the ambient mana in the world, allowing Monarch’s to nudge it, pull it and guide it however they pleased within limited range.
"That is why Monarchs can fly," Leo whispered as he watched a faint line of dust roll across the ground, "for they can push against the mana around them and lift themselves as easily as breathing."
He said, as a faint spark of excitement stirred within him at the thought of being able to fly soon.
*Crack*
*Crack*
Cracking his neck softly, Leo began to warm up his body, rolling his shoulders and stretching his arms in slow controlled arcs, as he prepared himself both mentally and physically for what awaited him.
"Alright... let’s do this," he murmured, lowering his gaze to the vial resting in his palm as the soft violet glow painted the contours of his face.
*Shine*
For a moment he simply held it there, allowing himself to feel the quiet weight of everything it symbolized.
"One small bottle, yet priceless beyond measure," he said softly, his thumb gliding over the cool glass as he raised it toward his lips and tilted it slightly, watching the iridescent liquid ripple in the light.
*Pop*
The cork slipped free with a soft sound, releasing with it a faint metallic scent that drifted through the air in a slow wave.
"Copper..." Leo observed quietly as he inhaled again, his eyes narrowing in mild amusement at the familiar smell.
"Hmmm. This is going to hurt..." he muttered, though a resigned smile touched his lips, for he understood that anything capable of forcing a mutation upon every cell in his body was never going to be gentle.
And hence, without giving himself time to reconsider, he touched the vial to his lips and swallowed its contents in one massive swig.
*Gulp*
*Gulp*
The moment the potion slid across his tongue, a sharp metallic tang burst across his mouth, followed by a deep bitterness that tasted like crushed stone, scorched herbs and raw iron pulled fresh from a furnace.
As he felt as though he were drinking condensed lightning.
"Hah..." he exhaled, the lingering bitterness scraping its way down his throat as the final drop settled in his chest.
"Bloody hell...."
He cursed, as although the liquid tasted bad, its taste soon became the least of his worries, as its potent effects gave him bigger problems than bad breath.
*Thrum*
A heavy tremor surged down his spine, as though something ancient had awakened in his veins, beating once like a second heart before erupting outward in a violent rush.
*Fwoom*
Uncontrolled mana roared through him in wild waves, flooding his bloodstream with a heat so intense it felt as though fire itself had been poured into his bones.
His muscles tightened.
His nerves lit up.
His breath hitched as the pressure expanded inside him, pushing against every fiber and every cell with an overwhelming force.
"Oh yeah.... Gets worse with every breakthrough...."
He said, as a low groan slipped past his teeth, not from panic but from the sheer pressure building inside him.
The heat no longer felt like fire alone but like molten metal being poured into every joint, as it kept spreading within him until even the spaces between his cells seemed to stretch and strain.
*Clench*
His jaw tightened as he inhaled through his nose, feeling the strange sensation of his own body shifting in ways it was never meant to without the potion’s intervention.
*Ring*
A faint ringing filled his ears, steady and rhythmic, as though the world itself had begun to pulse in time with his racing heartbeat.
"Good... keep going..." he muttered, as the first true crackle of cellular mutation stirred beneath his skin, signaling that the climb toward the Monarch Tier had finally begun.