Chapter 237: A Figure of Drums

The unguided white fragments entered the aorta and circulated in her body. If they weren't stuck, they would probably arrive later, actuated by the formless force pulling the white fragments from the spinal cord.

She was unable to generate much force through her Will. Being a Warrior, the strength of her Will was inferior to an Esper. But still, Warriors were taught methods of their own to tide through the issue. The first was to make use of the insane pumping force present in the heart.

When the blood was pumped in the left ventricle, her Will redirected the white fragments, using the momentum of the pressurised flow to collide into the Heart Crystal. After that, she rearranged the layer of white fragments over the Heart Crystal in such a way that they would be better compressed under the blood pressure.

As more and more white fragments were compressed on the Heart Crystal, the sheer pressure cracked it from the inside. As the cracks continued to form, the layer of white fragments continued to stack.

Soon, the Heart Crystal crumbled. Dalna Doppler became serious, focusing most of her Will on the broken Heart Crystal. The white fragments collided into it, their essences partially seeping into it under the pressure.

After being compressed by a layer of white fragments, a certain Heart Crystal fragment became unstable, heating up under the pressure before exploding. The explosion was negated by the surrounding pressure, unable to cause much of a ripple.

But, the force of the explosion travelled to nearby Heart Crystal fragments, tilting the faint balance they maintained towards instability and causing them to blow up. Dalna Doppler segregated them, trying to preserve as much as possible.

While she was occupied with the Heart Crystal fragments, more and more white fragments continued to arrive. She had to direct them all towards her Heart crystal.

Even if the white fragments return after making a round through her body, if her breakthrough ended before that, then her body would simply treat them as wastage and expel them. That would further decrease her Sync Rate.

The pumping action of her heart continued to become stronger and stronger. Only with a higher pressure would she be able to greater compress the white fragments over the Heart Crystal fragments. This further raised the demand for her Will, also stretching her focus thin.

Dalna Doppler persisted, unwilling to suffer a loss. She tried to salvage everything possible, using the limits of her abilities. Soon, her efforts paid fruit. A Heart Crystal fragment successfully fused with the white fragments, becoming a condensed structure.

The condensed structure settled in the centre of where her Heart Crystal one existed, emitting a formless suction force. In response to it, all the other Heart Crystal fragments congregated around, fusing with the white fragments. The process became less dangerous, also decreasing the burden on Dalna Doppler.

She continued with the efforts, her thoughts grim, seeing the strength of her Will begin to decrease. The Will of her Wisdom Parasite directly collapsed. After all, it had been birthed from a young Wisdom Parasite, one that had been alive for less than a year. So, it couldn't last long.

The pressure on her increased once again. Dalna Doppler almost let go of a batch of white fragments. It seemed endless, continuing to arrive at a constant flow.

Dalna Doppler lost track of time; it felt like she had been persisting in the process for too long.

Her Will had become sluggish, the effect it could exhibit paling in comparison to what she possessed at the start. Suddenly, she was forced into a first-person perspective, feeling her Will get sucked into the fused Heart Crystal fragments.

She didn't resist, watching her perspective collide into the bundle of gelatinous crystals. At the next moment, her perspective had become one with them.

She noticed the Heart Crystal fragments plastered around the surface, still unable to fuse with the white fragments surrounding them.

She willed the white fragments, watching in surprise at the increased efficiency. Before, she had to actuate forces in many directions to pressurise the white fragments upon the Heart Crystal fragments.

Now, all she had to do was to pull everything at her. It was like gravity. As everything slammed and stacked upon the bundle of mass she had taken the perspective off, the pressure continued to build up.

Some Heart Crystal fragments became unstable, on the verge of exploding. But, the pressure continued to build up. It was threatening; if the pressure continued to increase, then the moment the internal pressure exceeded it, a massive explosion would ensue.

But, Dalna Doppler wasn't scared. After a certain quantity of pressure had been achieved, the Heart Crystal fragment's instability was forcefully suppressed, causing it to fuse with the white fragments. The same continued to occur everywhere.

But, she faced one more problem. As the Heart Crystal fragments continued to absorb the white fragments, even though it fused and became relatively smaller, the overall size of the fused structure continued to rise. Since it was positioned right below the aortic valve, it began to block the blood flow.

The aorta experienced strain due to the pressure building up within it. The pressure was the equivalent of force applied per unit area. The force, in this case, originated from the heart muscles in its left ventricle. The area in question was the area of the aortic valve.

Due to the Heart Crystal beginning to cover the aortic valve, it reduced its valve area. When the area decreased, considering the force remained constant, it led to an increase in pressure. When the blood entered with such pressure, it damaged the aorta. The pressure decreased after travelling a little into the aorta, due to the unfilled area.

But, the entrance of the aorta still experienced massive strain. And, as the Heart Crystal continued to grow in size, the situation continued to worsen.

Seeing the negative development, Dalna Doppler began to pull at the white fragments with everything she had. She wished to fuse them as soon as possible, unwilling to see the white fragments pile up and block the aortic valve.

Also, such a stacking didn't have enough toughness. The moment the blood pressure increased to a certain level, it would just destroy the blockade and enter the aorta, carrying with it the broken fragments. This would increase her losses, making her suffer a drastic loss in Sync Rate.

The situation looked dangerous. Thankfully, after resting, the Wisdom Parasite's Will returned. It only had half the strength as before but, it still proved helpful. Thanks to a mysterious connection, they could think in sync.

The Wisdom Parasite's Will began to push the white fragments towards the bottom.

As she continued to pull the white fragments, she watched them pile on the underside of her Heart Crystal. It reduced her risks. For the time being, there wasn't the risk of her aortic valve getting blocked.

As the process continued, another mystical change erupted from the fused Heart Crystal fragments. They began to pull at one another, similar to the effects of gravity but limited to their fused selves. They began to compress themselves further, their overall size shrunk.

The concentration of the incoming white fragments also began to decrease. It meant that most of the white fragments had arrived. Soon, thanks to all the advantages working in her favour, she noticed the remainder of the white fragments successfully fuse.

Her Will no longer lacked any strength. There were still some unfused fragments, but it was a small amount.

A mystical effect originated from the fused Heart Crystal fragments, enveloping her Will. Dalna Doppler noticed the synchronisation she shared with the Will of her Wisdom Parasite shatter. Before it shattered, she sensed faint killing intent.

The killing intent wasn't scary. It seemed to have been an instinctual reaction as the Will of the Wisdom Parasite hadn't been developed enough to exhibit one on its own.

It was in the same room. But, unlike before, it looked translucent, with most places becoming transparent. Due to a source of light, she could witness them. White and blue lights congregated, condensing into a sphere, slightly elongated. It slowly morphed into a hazy figure.

It was Dalna Doppler. Her body seemed to be made of mist. Her shape wasn't defined; it seemed capable of dispersing under a gentle breeze. Once she gained consciousness, she inspected her body, watching numerous drums on her limbs.

The drums were of all shapes and sizes, with some shaped into a funnel, some as cylinders, cones, etc. There were three strings around her chest, ones that coiled until her mouth. Fragments of knowledge, experiences, memories, etc. formed the essence of her body.

They had taken shapes based on their essences. Dalna Doppler noticed a thin serpent form before her. It was translucent, like a streak of smoke. Mirage-like objects of drums covered its body, hazy, paling in comparison to hers. There also existed a single string that outlined it from head to tail.

Dalna Doppler gazed below, watching her body in the real world. A thin extended from her heart in the real world and connected to a spherical marble within her chest—positioned in the place of her heart.

She also noticed a similar marble in the head of the serpent before her. A thin thread extended from it and connected to somewhere near her heart in the real world.

'So, this is the mystical Mental Realm. How fascinating!' As she marvelled at the change, she noticed faint figures appear in the far end of her vision.

Upon noticing the presence of the two newcomers, they flew towards them.

'The Cogent Phrenics have already sensed my arrival.'

'I have to hurry.' Dalna Doppler didn't wish to waste her time. She took a step forward and threw a punch towards the serpent. It wasn't a wise decision to delay her stay.