"Yeah, we still know too few runes to decipher a whole pattern and on top of that, I think that even if we know the modern equivalent of some power words, either we alter the entire set or we leave it as it is.

"We have no idea how ancient and modern runes interact, but if I had to take a guess, I"d bet that they go boom." Solus said.

After a quick experiment that proved her right, Lith decided to study the three rune patterns he knew by engraving them on three different blades. Much to their surprise, all the sets worked as amplifiers, but each one had a different function.

The first set would enhance Lith"s energy signature so that the mana flow from the crystals embedded into the blade offered a bit less resistance to the Forgemastering process.

The second set amplified the strength of the pseudo core while the third set dispersed the excess energy so that the cheap metal could withstand the energy that the enchantment released and reduced the stress that the boosted pseudo core would experience.

The three sets combined allowed the magical item not only to avoid mana overload, but also to replenish its energy reserve faster than normal. The runes absorbed the surrounding world energy and aided the mana crystals to empower the pseudo core.

"Fascinating! Now I understand how Thrud could use such powerful artifacts freely. The runes act as a lesser Invigoration, shortening the recharge time of both mana crystals and power cores." Lith said.

"Yeah, too bad that we know only bottom tier sets of runes and we don"t have a copy of Phloria"s sword to detonate…" Solus was cut short when Lith suddenly doubled over in pain.

"Not now, dammit!" He said while a familiar burning sensation rose from his mana core and moved towards his throat. Lith knew that his breakthrough was close and that the more mana he employed, the sooner it would happen.

What he had failed to take into account was that, while he was inside his tower, part of the energy from the underground mana geyser flowed through his mana core, further speeding up the process.

Soon his whole body started to undergo the refining process that allowed an Awakened one to get rid of the impurities hindering both their mana flow and life force, allowing them to obtain a physique strong enough to handle a new and more powerful mana core.

This time, however, things were different. At first, Lith puked a huge amount of tar-like substance that had reached his core. After that, the deep blue core became brighter and started to pulse like a star.

"By my maker! Now I understand what impurities are for and why Tista needs helps every time she makes a breakthrough. Impurities are a double-edged sword that both protects and damages the body.

"On one hand, they hinder a person"s development and enhance the signs of aging, but on the other hand, they are a natural inhibitor of the mana flow. Without them, normal people would die the moment their bodies are not strong enough to bear the power of their own cores." Solus thought.

"Impurities move toward the core because the closer they get, the more effective they are and once the core gets rid of them, the body is forced to evolve or die.

"Removing Tista"s impurities while she grew up made her develop a body that doesn"t need to break as much as a normal person"s would to be refined. At the same time, however, because she has too few impurities the process is more violent and quick compared to Lith"s.

"To help her to survive her next breakthrough, we need to force her body to produce more impurities, whereas Phloria"s case is the opposite. We must remove part of her impurities and force her body to rearrange itself enough to not get broken beyond repair when she Awakens."

Lith"s now blue mana core sent one pulse of energy after the other, like a beating heart. Each wave hammered at the impurities present in the rest of his body, forcing them out.

First, his hair and nails fell entirely. Then his muscles were ripped and his bones broken so that the impurities hidden even in the innermost layers of his body were laid bare and expelled.

His body kept breaking and reforming non-stop as if a rough surgeon was working together with a merciful healer to excise the black ma.s.ses infesting every fiber of Lith"s being.

Thanks to the fight with the Odi and having a much denser body, this part was relatively easy and less painful than his last breakthrough. Alas, his inner organs proved to be more difficult clients.

Even shutting down one of them at a time was a near-death experience that put Lith"s endurance to the test. The only silver lining was that each time one of his organs was reformed, it would greatly improve the amount of mana and life force that flowed through his body, making the recovery of the other organs faster.

"It"s really amazing." Solus said. "Now each one of your organs, your skin included, is an extension of your mana core. We could even rename them mana organs since now everything you do is actual magic."

"Yeah, but if my brain has already gone into the dryer, why do I still feel like c.r.a.p instead of just tired as usual?" Lith asked. His skin, nails, and hair had already finished regenerating, so the body refining was supposed to be over.

The answer came in the form of a new series of spasms, that caused him to shapes.h.i.+ft uncontrollably back and forth from his human to his hybrid form.

"This doesn"t make sense!" He thought. "This form is mostly made of energy, it doesn"t even run on blood, what kind of impurities can it have?"

Lith"s seven eyes, even those that were still closed shut, shed black tears while his scales fell off as if he was a molting bird, revealing a fiery red skin lying underneath his hardened sh.e.l.l.

Yet unlike the human impurities that would just leave Lith"s body, all the so-called defective parts gathered up on the side of his head and at the end of his spine before bursting into flames.

Where before there was nothing, small curved horns and a short tail appeared. New, thicker scales replaced the old ones while three rays of pure elemental energy erupted from Lith"s opened eyes, flus.h.i.+ng out more and more impurities.

Lith"s hybrid form was born from an already evolved body which possessed a powerful core, so it was perfect. What it lacked was the ability to channel the full power generated by the constant battle between his Emperor Beast and Abomination life forces.

Lith"s hybrid body was too small and weak to withstand the full scope of such powerful conflicting energies. Lith"s human body would break just to be reshaped into a more suitable host for his core, whereas his hybrid form was forced to grow so that it could unlock its true potential.

Emerald flames suddenly burst out Lith"s every pore, but instead of hurting him, they nurtured his scaled body, making it grow bigger and taller until it almost stood 3 meters (9"10") tall, before reverting to his normal height.

Once everything was over, even though Lith had just spent three full days resting, he was on the verge of starving, incapable to move a muscle.