Ex-Rank Awakening: My Attacks Make Me Stronger - Chapter 342

Chapter 342: EX 342. Fade To Black
Leon wasn’t letting the energy disperse. He was commanding it to stay.

Leon’s brow furrowed in deep concentration, eyes glowing faintly with blue and violet light. “Please,” he said calmly, voice echoing faintly through their mental link.

“Try not to say anything for now. I’ll need my full focus for this.”

Originus fell silent at once, his pride momentarily forgotten.

What Leon was attempting defied logic, it defied the very rules the world was built upon. To restrain three separate cores without them combusting or seeking a new host required precision at the level of gods.

The air around Leon vibrated, shimmering as if struggling to contain what his mind alone was holding steady.

Every second he maintained it, he was rewriting how energy behaved, bending reality by sheer force of will.

And Originus, for all his millennia of wisdom, could only watch in awe.

****

After making sure the energy was stable, Leon released a shard of the Void Blade and drew a precise incision across Elizabeth’s abdomen.

It was a small cut, barely deep enough to break the skin, but before even a drop of blood could escape, he directed the condensed energy forward, forcing it through the opening.

He intended to repeat the same method he had used in the past to form her cores, starting from the abdomen, then the thorax, and finally the crown of her head.

The incision was necessary; it was the only way to guide the energy directly into the abdominal core without disrupting the others.

The moment the energy entered, Elizabeth’s body convulsed violently, her back arching as raw essence surged through her veins.

Leon didn’t falter. He clenched his jaw and continued channeling the stream through the incision, forcing every unstable pulse under his control.

Finally, the flow stabilized. The last of the energy fused with Elizabeth’s body, and her trembling ceased.

The suffocating pressure Leon had felt earlier, the energy’s instinctive resistance as it searched for a host, faded away completely. It had accepted her.

But the process was far from over. Now came the hardest part, manually guiding the infused core energy through each of her core regions, aligning them one by one. Leon exhaled slowly, sweat beading on his forehead as his focus sharpened to a razor’s edge.

No mistakes, he reminded himself.

And with that, he began.

****

As Leon worked to recreate Elizabeth’s cores, the three rulers met in their own circle, speaking through the polished orbs as they always did. Francis’ voice echoed first:

“All preparations are set for the tournament.” Alexander and Elaine each inclined their heads at the beast chief’s report.

With the dragons no longer able to aid them—for obvious reasons—the tournament was crucial; it would be their fastest way to replenish and refine the ranks.

The rulers had spared no expense on the prizes, hoping to lure out powerful hermits and line warriors.

Elaine, the elf queen, blindfold still wrapped around her eyes asked,

“And Dragon Mountains? What are we to do with it?”

Francis couldn’t help but agree with the question. Alexander’s brow creased in confusion. “I thought the answer would be obvious,” he said. The other two turned their gaze to the human emperor.

“I was in favor of handing the territory over to Leon,” Alexander continued, “since he was the one who defeated the Dragon Lord.”

Silence fell over the chamber. Elaine’s blindfold did not hide the small nod she gave.

“Fair point,” she conceded. Francis’ reply was terse and certain:

“I agree as well.”

“Since the obvious is settled,” Alexander said, easing the tension, “let’s discuss the plan to breach the Hallow. Genevieve has finished the spell to pierce the barrier — what we need now is a battle plan.”

****

Back in the chambers, Leon had already formed the cores within Elizabeth’s abdomen and chest regions.

This time, the process was far different from before. The energy he was working with now was denser, fiercer and far greater than what he had used during her first creation.

But Leon himself was no longer the same man he once was. Now an S-rank of the Divine Stage, his control over natural energies had transcended mortal precision.

He was more than capable of channeling such volatile core energy.

Now came the final step, creating the last core at the crown of her head.

Leon steadied his breathing, his expression a mask of focus as he extended his divine senses. Originus, the primordial dragon spirit within him, remained silent throughout the process, his usual commentary replaced by a wordless, watchful tension.

The energy in Leon’s palms flared to life, threads of radiant energy weaving through the air before descending into Elizabeth’s crown.

The process was slow and deliberate, each movement measured, each pulse synchronized with her faint life force.

It felt like an eternity.

Finally, the last core took form. Leon’s divine gaze pierced through the surface of Elizabeth’s body, beholding all three cores,.the abdomen, the chest, and now the crown beginning to align. When their resonance reached perfect harmony, their light grew intense, flooding the chamber in blinding brilliance.

Leon exhaled softly, a hint of relief breaking through his composure.

“It worked…” he muttered.

But his words had barely left his lips before the light began to fade. The glow dimmed rapidly, the synchronization faltering. Elizabeth’s body convulsed violently on the bed, her limbs jerking uncontrollably.

Leon’s eyes widened.

“No!” He thrust his hands forward, trying to stabilize the cores, but it did nothing—the reaction only worsened. Her pulse fluctuated wildly; her life force was tearing itself apart.

“I have to align my energy with hers,” he realized. It was the only way.

“Boy,” Originus’s deep voice rumbled, breaking his long silence, “doing that might kill you.”

Leon didn’t hesitate.

“Then I’ll take the risk.”

He tapped into his Origin Core, divine energy roaring to life within him, its brilliance spilling into the room like a storm contained in human form. He connected it to Elizabeth’s three newly-forged cores, forcing his own energy to flow into hers, aligning their rhythms.

For a single heartbeat, the room trembled with divine resonance.

Then everything went black.