Draven's eyes remained wide open.
Blood covered his face.
It streamed from the corners of his eyes, ran down his cheeks, and dripped from his forehead onto the stone beneath him.
His vision blurred repeatedly.
The pain coursing through his body was almost overwhelming.
Yet—
he forced himself to remain still.
His breathing came out rough and uneven.
Slowly—
he closed his eyes.
Then—
his awareness turned inward.
Through the pain...
he focused on the **Folding Mesh** within his body.
Layer after layer of mana continued moving through it.
Folding.
Compressing.
Folding again.
Draven's focus gradually sharpened.
*...There.*
He could feel it.
The immense amount of Abyssal mana he had accumulated.
It was all there.
Waiting.
His fingers slowly tightened against the ground.
*...This should be enough.*
The Folding Mesh continued its endless cycle.
The enormous amount of Abyssal mana he had gathered was constantly being folded and compressed within his body.
But it was still scattered.
Unrefined.
Unstable.
*...I need to gather it.*
Draven's breathing gradually slowed.
Then—
he began guiding the compressed mana toward a single point within his body.
The moment he did—
**THUMP.**
His entire body convulsed.
Blood immediately spilled from his mouth.
His fingers dug into the stone beneath him.
*...Ghh...*
The pain was far worse than before.
It felt as though every strand of mana inside his body was being forcibly dragged toward the same point.
His veins bulged beneath his skin.
More blood leaked from his nose and ears.
Yet—
Draven didn't stop.
*...Keep going.*
The Folding Mesh continued working.
Mana that had previously been circulating throughout his body began converging.
Slowly.
Then faster.
A dense mass of Abyssal mana began forming within him.
It was nothing like the mana cores he had consumed.
A mana core was solid.
Contained.
Complete.
This was different.
He was creating something entirely new from nothing but the mana he had accumulated.
Something that would belong entirely to him.
Draven's consciousness remained completely locked onto the forming mass.
*...Compress.*
The mass shrank.
*...Again.*
It compressed further.
The pressure inside his body increased violently.
**BOOM!**
A pulse of mana erupted from Draven.
The stone beneath his hands cracked.
Aldric's eyes immediately narrowed.
"...Alright?"
He took several steps backward.
Dark mana gathered instinctively around his body as he stared carefully at Draven.
"...So he's actually doing it."
Draven didn't hear him.
His entire consciousness remained focused inward.
The mass of mana continued compressing.
Smaller.
Denser.
Heavier.
Every moment, the pressure grew more intense.
Draven's muscles trembled.
Blood continued dripping from his face.
Yet he remained completely motionless.
*...More.*
He pushed the mana together.
*...Compress.*
The mass became even smaller.
*...Again.*
The pressure continued building.
His organs strained beneath the immense concentration of mana.
His veins felt as though they were being filled with molten metal.
Draven's breathing became increasingly shallow.
Then—
the mass suddenly reached a point where it could no longer be compressed normally.
Everything stopped.
Draven's breathing stopped with it.
For a single moment—
there was absolute silence.
No movement.
No sound.
Not even the faint shifting of dust.
Then—
**THUMP.**
A deep pulse echoed from within Draven's body.
Another followed.
**THUMP.**
Draven's eyes snapped open.
The blood covering his face did nothing to hide the change in his crimson eyes.
His gaze sharpened.
*...That's it.*
A faint pressure spread from somewhere deep within him.
The enormous amount of mana he had gathered was no longer simply folding.
It had begun to settle.
It was condensing into something stable.
Something that had never existed within his body before.
The pressure suddenly intensified.
**BOOM!**
A wave of crushing force erupted from Draven.
It swept through the chamber.
The surrounding stone groaned.
Dust lifted from the ground.
Loose fragments of rock rose into the air before being thrown outward.
Aldric, who had been standing nearby, immediately felt the pressure bearing down on him.
His expression changed.
*...What the hell?*
He narrowed his crimson eyes at Draven.
*...What kind of pressure is this supposed to be?*
The force wasn't simply overwhelming.
There was something different about it.
Something dense.
Something deep.
It felt as though the mana surrounding Draven had gained its own center.
Its own gravity.
Aldric stared at him.
*...If you're going to do it, then do it.*
*...Why all the flashy effects?*
He was about to say something—
when something caught his attention.
Aldric slowly turned his head.
His expression immediately changed.
"...What the hell is up with them?"
Across the ruined chamber—
every Rift Breaker had stopped moving.
Completely still.
Their enormous bodies stood frozen amid the ruins.
Every single one of them—
was staring in the same direction.
Toward Draven.
Aldric's eyes narrowed.
*...Seriously?*
He looked from the creatures to Draven.
*...What's with this?*
None of the Rift Breakers attacked.
None of them roared.
They simply stared.
Their crimson eyes remained fixed on the vampire sitting in the center of the chamber.
Aldric's expression slowly became more serious.
*...Are they staring because of him?*
His thoughts suddenly stopped.
One of the Rift Breakers moved.
**THUD.**
A single massive foot stepped forward.
Aldric's expression hardened.
Then—
another creature moved.
**THUD.**
Then another.
**THUD.**
One after another—
the Rift Breakers began advancing.
Their enormous footsteps echoed throughout the ruins.
**THUD.**
**THUD.**
**THUD.**
The sound grew louder.
Closer.
Aldric stared at them.
"...No."
His eyes widened slightly.
"...Really?"
Another Rift Breaker stepped forward.
**THUD!**
Then another.
**THUD!**
The creatures were slowly converging on Draven.
Aldric's grip tightened.
"...Now what the hell?"
His gaze snapped toward Draven.
The vampire remained on the ground.
He hadn't moved.
His eyes remained open.
The dense pressure surrounding his body continued spreading through the chamber.
Whatever he was doing—
he was still in the middle of it.
Aldric clicked his tongue.
"...I told you, brat."
His voice became serious.
"...This wasn't a good idea."
The Rift Breakers continued approaching.
Their massive bodies blocked out what little light remained within the ruined chamber.
Aldric glanced back at them.
Then—
he slowly shifted his stance.
Dark mana gathered around his body.
His eyes narrowed.
"...You'd better get on your feet."
Another enormous foot slammed into the ground.
**THUD!**
Aldric's crimson eyes hardened.
"...Because this isn't looking too good."