CHAPTER 100: SPIRIT DIVE

"Orihime!!" Johan and Olivia immediately rushed toward her falling body, catching her in their arms before her face could hit the ground.

Her eyes looked duller and more emotionless than usual, as if nothing serious had happened.

Sebastian instantly used a [Maximum Output: Gravitational Push] toward the Daimon about to charge Johan and Olivia, launching him like a cannonball through eight or nine walls before he finally stopped, recovering from the impact.

Normally, it should be impossible to stop without breaking at least a hundred walls from a [Maximum Output: Gravitational Push] from Sebastian. But the Daimon had used some technique to manipulate the air into a tangible, jelly-like—still invisible—substance, which he spread with his arms to slow the force.

Johan gently rubbed Orihime’s neck, pushing his Aether deep into her bones to check her condition.

His face grew uglier the longer he observed. The sword that stabbed her had been extremely venomous. That was likely the reason she looked like a dead fish—the neurotoxin had instantly paralyzed her and was now rapidly spreading.

But this was just a clone. It wouldn’t harm the real Orihime, right?

No. Once the clone died, the memory of the poison’s spread would also reach Orihime’s brain. And even if there was no physical toxin, the trauma her brain experienced would carry over.

This could potentially lead to brain damage—or even death—if Orihime didn’t compose herself immediately. It reminded Johan of a famous experiment he had read about in his previous life—where a prisoner was stabbed with a needle and told he was poisoned. He died from poison, even though there had been none.

Orihime’s brain won’t know the difference if I let this spread any further...

Without hesitation, Johan tore Orihime’s dress from the lower parts and, with both hands, pressed a black soft cloth onto the wound.

The cloth glowed, becoming greener and greener. Johan’s hands burned, but he didn’t stop—soaking the venom into the cloth, then throwing it away. He tore another strip from her long dress, absorbed more, and repeated this over five times.

Finally, he sighed, pulling out a golden blob of slime from the inner pocket of his coat and letting it melt over Orihime’s body, gently merging with her skin’s layer.

’The [Divine Protection]

, even though mostly broken from the sword stab, still managed to prevent major organ failure...’ He smiled at Olivia, who was trying her best to keep Orihime conscious—fanatically talking to her, telling her stories and jokes—reassuring her that everything would be fine.

If she lost consciousness now, she would likely stay unconscious for five to ten days—effectively making her dead weight in a high-risk zone like the Fear of Asura.

Half her pale white legs were exposed, which Johan immediately restored to full length using [Perfect Clone], just like before.

He looked up with a trembling gaze.

Sebastian was desperately sparring with the Daimon. He had lost his left arm, half of his face, and Johan could tell from a distance that his body had more than ten broken bones. Meanwhile, the Daimon still looked invincible—unharmed—and only seemed to be growing stronger from Orihime and Olivia’s negative emotions.

Johan hurriedly removed the black fabric surrounding the hole in Orihime’s waist, wet and twitching, crimson blood soaking both his and Olivia’s clothes.

"[Grimjo: Regeneration]," Johan muttered, touching the wound gently—and instantly, it stitched itself together in under a second, startling Olivia with the speed.

[Grimjo: Regeneration] was a technique Johan had discovered during his hundred years of isolation in that trial. It wasn’t a healing spell in the traditional sense. Rather, it was a Time-affinity spell that rewound time on matter—turning an apple seed into a fresh apple, for instance.

That’s why it was so fast—and with Johan’s high affinity for time, it was also simple to use.

Olivia’s dull eyes suddenly gained light again, widening as if she had just awoken from a nightmare.

Her eyes immediately met Johan’s and Olivia’s, both watching her with worry. She smiled warmly.

Seeing Orihime’s nervous system functioning again, Johan wasted no time. He leaped toward Sebastian.

"Olivia, stay beside Orihime and protect her. The spell hasn’t deactivated since you stayed conscious and your Aether core is unharmed... I have a plan."

He was still midair, floating with his massive wings—catching both girls’ attention.

"I’ll bring the Daimon closer into the spell zone. Then, read my thoughts and understand what to do..."

With that, he instantly vanished from his original spot, parrying an attack aimed at Sebastian’s throat.

Before the Daimon could react, Johan aimed his palm at him and released something sticky that enveloped the Daimon’s entire body—making his movements sluggish.

That was all the time Johan needed.

Immediately, his other hand touched the back of Sebastian’s head. "[Grimjo: Regeneration]."

Sebastian’s physical body instantly returned to its condition from before the battle—causing him to exhale in gratitude.

But his exhaustion hadn’t disappeared. Even though his stats were fully restored due to [Chaos Heir], that didn’t relieve the mental strain of endless combat.

’I still have some Holy Aura of Melodis left in my body... Even though it’s constantly decreasing, I wonder what’s going on with him... But it should be enough to use [Spirit Dive] at least once—while leaving some to keep me sane...’ Johan thought with a grim face.

This was a gamble. He could very well exhaust all the Holy Aura with one use.

But he needed to activate [Eternal Flames]—now—to end this monstrosity.

He could exit it after one use and power it with his massive Aether reserves.

This too was a risk. It could fuel the Daimon’s negative emotions further, making him even more invincible.

But from what Johan understood of humans and animals—they often gave up quickly when faced with unbeatable odds.

Like a chicken locked in a cage for a month, watching its companions butchered one by one—it doesn’t hate anymore. Maybe it cries. But then... it accepts.

Manabeasts were similar.

So it would be a match between Johan’s Aether reserves... and the Daimon’s will.

With that thought, Johan slowly flicked his finger—causing the melted Aether on the Daimon’s body to tremble violently.

"[Spirit Dive: Eternal Flames]"