Serum

Over the next two weeks, the only thing Dirk did was condense the mana within his mana hearts. And with the liquid mana in the room, this was made extremely easy for him. 

It was both a gradual and quick process to strengthen his mana hearts. However, Dirk quickly encountered a roadblock. He had forgotten, but he couldn't control dark mana. Eldritch Primordial still didn't let him. 

So this meant Dirk had to do battle. After spending time condensing his other mana hearts, Dirk attempted to cast his awareness into his soul. When he did this, he felt the dragon tattoo on his chest activate, and he was brought into the Mana Dimension. 

Dirk viewed the ocean of mana around him. Looking down, he could still see Eldritch lingering there, its eyes on his soul. He never left. 

Suddenly, Dirk smiled, approaching the edge of his domain. Eldritch narrowed its eyes. 

Bringing up his hands, the elements began to swirl around Dirk. 

"I'm ready for another meal, squid!"

Looks like eternal pain isn't enough to make you learn. I should curse you instead!

Suddenly, Eldritch shot out thousands of tentacles, each of them loaded with horrible power. Before the tentacles could curse Dirk's soul though, the tattoo lit up, and the Dark Dragon appeared around his soul. 

{See me, you ugly squid! And accept your fate! Your Source Mana shall no longer be only yours to wield!}

With a roar, the tentacles were wiped out. Taking that chance, Dirk moved forward, intruding upon Eldritch's domain. 

And with the power of his soul and the ocean of elements around him, Dirk captured more territory. He burned his energy and usurped the dark mana. Along the way, Eldritch constantly attacked, but the Dark Dragon defended Dirk's soul. 

Like this, Dirk's initially 150 meter deep territory deepened. First it was 5 meters, then 10. Dirk fought to go deeper, closer to Eldritch. 

But Eldritch put up a tough fight. Dirk had to burn tons of his energy when he received the slightest attack in order to keep his soul from being cursed. Not even Dirk's soul, the strongest soul in the world, could keep up with the energy expenditure. 

And after a few hours of battle, Dirk retreated. The Dark Dragon stood at the edge of his domain, protecting his progress from Eldritch. 

170 meters. 

He had only deepened another 20 meters. Not only did the difficulty rise as he got deeper, but Eldritch was putting up a far greater resistance. If not for the Dark Dragon, Dirk wouldn't go anywhere, merely being lured in by Eldritch and consumed when he got too deep. 

And it truly drained him to the core. When his consciousness returned to the real world, he directly passed out. Next thing he knew, he had woken up on the bed in the training room. Pandora sat beside his body. 

"Oh, you're awake. You slept for 8 hours. Care to explain?"

She looked at him with a curious gaze. He sighed as he massaged his throbbing head. 

"You know Eldritch Primordial?"

"The God of Darkness, and the enemy of the Dark Dragon Primordial."

"Yea. Well, that squid wants my soul, and he forever banished me from controlling the dark element. So if I want to increase the strength of my dark attribute, I need to fight Eldritch for possession over the dark element."

"...How do you do that?"

Pandora was about to mention how absurd that idea was, fighting a god for possession over an element. But Dirk was serious, so she could only ask for specifics. 

"When the Dark Dragon emerged. You heard him talk about Eldritch being near my soul. He also said something about Source Mana. Well, the Dark Dragon is helping me fight Eldritch. In the Mana Dimension, I trespass into the domain of that ugly god and take it, making it my own. The deeper I go, the more dark mana I have control over."

"Oh... I see! That's actually amazing! So that's what the dragon meant... Dirk, do you know what Source Mana is?"

She suddenly asked with gleaming eyes. Dirk obviously shook his head. 

"Source Mana is the source of all mana. People wonder, where does the endless mana in the atmosphere come from? No matter how many years pass or how much mana is consumed by the world's mages, it doesn't run out. The reason is due to Source Mana. Basically, Source Mana endlessly generates standard mana. This means that standard mana is unlimited. But Source Mana is not unlimited. There is a finite amount, and it is the most precious substance in the world. At the same time though, Source Mana cannot be consumed, and it is never destroyed. 

"Anyway, the Dark Dragon wants you to take the Source Mana of Eldritch Primordial. In that way, you are fighting for control over the element itself. It's the only way for you to control the dark element since the god of the dark element doesn't wish for you to use it. While I'm not sure why the Dark Dragon wants you to gain such power, I don't believe it matters. You need to work on this..."

Pandora went deep into thought, and Dirk was a bit baffled. He didn't realize he was fighting for possession over such an important resource. 

Yet, now he knew the reason why he could endlessly regenerate his pool of dark mana. When it came to his other elements, he had to intake mana from the atmosphere with his Mana Lungs and regenerate his pool. But he couldn't do that with the dark element. Instead, it was the Source Mana he owned that generated it for him. 

As dots connected in his head, Pandora got excited. Suddenly, she dove at Dirk, tackling him on the bed. 

*Click!*

As she got comfortable on his chest, she suddenly felt something hard press itself against her body. She snickered at his frowning face. 

"Heh, not the hard object I was expecting."

"Get off."

"Not unless you don't want my help. What if I said I could fight with you to take that squid's domain?"

"..."

"Miss Record, you there?"

After Dirk went silent, she flicked her finger. The next moment, the golden book, the Record of Life, appeared beside them on the bed. 

<I am here.>

The Record spoke. 

"Riddle me this. Upon his departure, the Dark Dragon said that he would call down Sovereign Divine, the god of the light element. Dirk is also fighting Eldritch Primordial, the god of the dark element. The Dark Dragon said I would need to prepare. Both of you want the same things from us, though in the end, I'm not sure what that is. Are you catching my drift?"

<You will be doing as Dirk Strider is. You will fight for the Source Mana of Light, encroaching upon Sovereign Divine's power and making it your own.>

"So I'm right... In that case, I have the perfect plan."

Pandora's body shifted, getting more comfortable on top of Dirk.

"We can fight together against the gods. We have a unique bond between our Pure Souls, created by the serums we once consumed. In that case, when we enter the Mana Dimension as you call it, we can see each other. That means we can fight together. It'll be perfect. I can use my light element against Eldritch Primordial, and you can use your dark element against Sovereign Divine... It's the perfect way to grow stronger with the greatest speed."

"...Maybe."

"Of course, we need to be in close proximity to do so, increasing the strength of our bond to its utmost. Not only does it feel good, but it provides benefits, so I suggest you get used to me sticking around. And the next time I get poked in the gut with a hard object, I hope it's not your gun. At least then I'll know you're happy to see me."

She smiled as Dirk no longer jabbed his pistol into her side. After he grunted in annoyance, he pushed her off him. 

"I'm fine with your plan, but I'm still tired. Once I recover, I'll attack Eldritch again. At that time I'll let you know."

"Mm. Very well."

............

With their plans made, Dirk only had to wait to recover. It took longer than normal, but by the next day, he was ready to go. 

At that time, Pandora got comfortable with him on the bed. Dirk could only bear it before concentrating. Without much suspense, he cast his awareness to his soul, entering the Mana Dimension. 

He stood within his domain. At first, it was only himself that he saw. But after another few moments, Dirk saw a figure flicker into existence. 

It was a dark figure, another soul. The soul was grey, as if composed of fine ash and charcoal. It contrasted greatly with Dirk's golden soul. 

'Grey soul of chaos...'

Dirk remembered the words spoken by the Dark Dragon and the Record. Dirk had a golden soul of order, and Pandora had a grey soul of chaos. It looks like this was its true form. 

"Whoah! Hey, you're so shiny!"

After Pandora had fully entered the Mana Dimension, she looked around. She saw Dirk and the Dark Dragon that guarded him. She approached. 

When she did, her soul made the light element around her flow like a river. Dirk could see it clearly, as if seeing it through her. This was their soul connection at work. 

"...Let's get started."

Dirk didn't think too much before looking down. There floated Eldritch Primordial, as always. Pandora also saw him. 

Another Pure Soul! And one of chaos, yet wielding the light element... I should extend the same offer to you, to become my vessel of ultimate power!

Eldritch's voice pierced into both their souls, grating against their minds. Pandora didn't frown though, only tilting her head at the squid below her. 

"Become your vessel? No, that doesn't sound appealing. I know, why don't you become my vessel!"

You dare insult me with such an offer?!

"Insult you? No, me offering this to you is a compliment! You know, I don't allow just anyone to become my underling. Even you barely qualify to become one of my tools."

Insolent!

With rage, Eldritch launched a series of attacks, all of them being blocked by the Dark Dragon. 

Dirk and Pandora descended. Dirk began fighting for the domain, but Pandora seemed to be thinking about something. 

"Insolent? No, no I'm not unaware of your power. You really do only qualify to be a tool."

Silence, wench! I am Chaos incarnate! To even fathom the thought of using chaos as a tool shows your naivety! You are a disgrace to your Pure Soul of Chaos!

"...Excuse me?"

Pandora suddenly snapped, gritting her teeth. 

"Shut your hole, you stupid squid! How stupid and ignorant do you have to be to not realize that chaos is something to manipulate?! You think being a mindless savage gets you anywhere?! You're nothing but a slave to your power! And that's why you're going to be stripped of everything! You don't deserve to be the god of chaos. No, you deserve to have your power taken and dominated. Chaos will be subdued. And... the perfect man for that job is right here."

Pandora raised her head, looking at Dirk who was fighting for the domain. Suddenly, something clicked in her mind. 

"So the dragons want us to dominate our opposites. But why? It's so much more difficult. I could control the dark element much easier than the light. But I don't have the attribute... Why does it have to be us? Miss Record, you're not telling me something, but I don't think it's out of malice. I think it's a trivial detail that won't affect the outcome. You're just hesitant. You're waiting. When Sovereign Divine comes down and we begin to take over the elements, I think you'll make your decision then. You'll place your bets when it's safe. My, so many secrets..."

"Pandora!"

Dirk suddenly shouted, making Pandora snap out of her reverie. 

"Oh! That's right, we're fighting a god. I should help!"

"Please do!"

Dirk shouted as Pandora descended. And with her arrival, the light element lashed out in waves. It purified the darkness, pushing it away. Yet, when it touched Dirk's dark element, it merely washed over it. Something about Dirk's power, something about his soul, made the light element unwilling to stop his power. It liked him, though it was unfortunate that he didn't have the attribute. 

Nonetheless, the light element seemed to cooperate with Dirk, not just because Pandora was working with him, but because it liked his power. On the contrary, Pandora seemed a bit strained trying to control her element. 

"Always such a drag! Hey, did you also have trouble controlling the dark element?"

"Yes, actually."

Dirk affirmed Pandora's thoughts. Both of them had ideas as to why now. Their souls were the opposites of their elements. How could controlling them be easy? Dirk had to dominate the otherwise chaotic darkness, while Pandora had to bend the orderly light element to her chaotic will. Neither wished to bow to incompatible hosts, but because they had pure souls, they could make do with sheer power. 

The two battled for a few hours. It was only a bit longer than before, but they had made much more progress. 

200 meters.

30 more meters had been gained. For only a single battle, this was a fantastic harvest. After getting this far, the two retreated. 

They both returned to the real world, their breaths a bit labored. It truly took immense energy to battle like that. Pandora had to adapt to pure elemental manipulation, though it only took her a mere few minutes to figure it out. 

They looked at each other, Pandora resting atop Dirk's body. He frowned at how nice it felt, pushing her off of him. 

"My reserves grow with every battle. I'm close to liquefying my dark mana heart."

"Maybe a couple more battles will bring you to Tier 4 then. That's fine."

Pandora nodded. At that point though, she rubbed her chin. 

"You're also a body refiner. Your rank?"

"Just became Rank 4."

"Ouch. And your technique?"

Dirk took out his Anima Resonance Destruction Technique. With a glance, her eyes widened before nodding. 

"This is perfect for you, and truly a fantastic technique. I've seen this before in our ancient records. The foundation of all anima techniques. Nobody knows who created it. Anyway, you're currently destroying your muscles, huh? Alright, I'll be sure to grab some anima treasures for you tomorrow. How far along are you? What do your cycles look like?"

"I've divided my muscles into 13 groups, and each group takes about 2 weeks to fully destroy and refine. I've barely destroyed a single muscle group."

"26 weeks? That's quite a while... We should be able to speed that up."

Pandora nodded with certainty in her words.

Dirk titled his head. 

"How?"

"High density anima. When you use higher than normal densities, the body will heal with higher concentrations of anima, leading to better refinement efficiencies during each destruction cycle. How well are you able to use the advanced resonance technique?"

"What's that?"

"..."

Pandora suddenly looked at him as if he were stupid. 

"I really don't know what that is."

"It's the technique in your book! What, have you not read any of the runes in there? It's like the first runic section!"

"...I haven't."

"Ugh! It's like you're trying to sabotage your own growth!"

Pandora opened the book with a huff, pointing to the third runic page. 

"This is the ability. It's the full version of your standard resonance technique and it's meant to handle higher density anima. Without it, you'll have issues controlling the higher densities leading to the anima scattering. But if you master it, it'll turn into an anima resonance skill. Now, along with battling Eldritch, your job is to read these runes."

"Alright, alright."

"No! It's not alright! You should be so much more powerful than you are, and you don't even realize how slow you've been crawling. I get that body refining takes time and adaptation, but your Tier is even lower than your Rank! I know you said that it isn't your fault that you aren't more powerful, but seriously, what the hell happened that you're walking around with the strength of a child?"

"..."

Dirk went a bit silent. Along with his fatigue, his mood quickly turned downcast. Pandora quickly saw this change, along with the bubbling rage that seeped out a little from within him. 

She was a bit shocked. She always knew him as calm and rational, so this pure rage was new. 

"...I was taken, by a man named Asura."