The last Asura

Shunya stared at the black miasma wrapped around his Mana core.

It was weird, creepy—and for some reason, Shunya felt an unrelenting hatred toward it.

He wanted to move closer to inspect his core, but he sensed it instinctively—if he approached any nearer, he would die. In his mindscape.

And he didn't want to know what might happen if he died here.

"What is that thing? Is it a chain… no."

Shunya observed it more closely and noticed—it looked more like a snake than a chain.

He was surprised by the conclusion he came to.

"Is it a curse?"

He noticed the corrosive sensation emanating from it… from this thing.

He didn't know where such a curse might have come from. Was it from his time as a slave, when he was used as a party buff for his master's children?

"No... it feels far more ancient!"

Shunya was stumped. He had no idea what was happening inside his body. This phenomenon was far beyond anything he had imagined.

It was incomprehensible. He didn't even know how to begin understanding it.

He began circling the core at a safe distance, keeping his eyes locked on the gooey, snake-like curse.

"It's definitely a curse... in the form of a snake," Shunya muttered, noticing the snake's open mouth.

"What is it devouring?"

He tried to integrate his will into his senses to probe deeper, but—

"Argh!"

Indescribable pain seared into his soul.

Outside the mindscape, Shunya coughed up thick, dark, stinking blood.

Back inside his mind, his consciousness trembled with pain—but he endured it.

The snake and the core remained unchanged.

Unwilling to give up, Shunya tried again. The pain doubled. This time, the dark fluid poured from his mouth, ears, and even his tear ducts.

But amidst the soul-crushing agony, Shunya noticed something.

The corrosiveness… began to lessen.

His mind became clearer. Purified.

This time, Shunya fused not only his Willpower and senses, but also his instincts—uniting them into one.

This torturous process went on for three days.

Three days of unending hell, where his soul teetered on the verge of being torn apart.

---

Meanwhile, outside the cave, things had changed drastically.

A pressure began to radiate from within, forming an invisible aura so intense that no monster dared to come close.

The pressure cracked tree trunks and blew them apart. Loose rocks crumbled, and giant boulders collapsed, sealing the cave's entrance.

Inside, a goo-like black substance had solidified, forming a small hill that encased Shunya completely.

Within that hill—complete stillness.

Shunya remained in deep meditation, unmoving.

But inside his mind, it was a very different story.

He was covered in blood and wounds. Yet on his face—was a victorious smile.

At first, it seemed his mind and soul would be completely destroyed.

But now, he had finally achieved what he wanted.

He could feel the presence of Mana all around him—and manipulate it within his body.

He looked at the open mouth of the snake, and saw how the once-twisted mindscape had become purified.

He realized—this bloody curse snake had been devouring his Mana.

Now, he could feel its Mana presence distinctly—embedded deeply, even into his DNA.

Shunya narrowed his eyes in anger and resolve.

"How dare you eat my Mana!"

But he didn't attack it.

He had something else in mind.

He pressed his palms together in front of his chest and closed his eyes.

He concentrated on the Mana stream entering the miasmic snake and began siphoning a small portion away.

Then, using his will, he guided that Mana away from the core—accumulating it at a single point, away from the snake and the core.

Slowly, the Mana began to condense, forming something that started to resemble a glowing star.

As the process continued, the Mana stream flowing into the snake grew thinner.

The snake stirred—but did not investigate.

Whether it was unaware, indifferent, or simply arrogant, Shunya didn't know.

But he didn't stop.

"I need to break that flow and connect it to my new, temporary core," he muttered.

An idea sparked in his mind.

He flew toward the glowing point—the forming Temporary Mana Core—and stood in front of it.

Then, he began punching it.

Hiss!

His knuckles burned, but he ignored the pain.

Boom!

Hiss!

Boom!

He kept hitting it—fists and kicks echoing through his mindscape.

Occasionally, black energy would flash around his limbs—coating his fists and feet.

He kept going, what felt like forever, until finally—

The Temporary Mana Core began to rotate.

Encouraged, Shunya increased the intensity of his strikes.

The core didn't just rotate—it began to revolve around his true Mana core.

Although Asura Majins were known for their endless stamina, this test pushed Shunya beyond even his own limits.

He gasped for breath, his fists and legs bleeding—but he didn't care.

He needed to know if it worked.

And it had.

The Temporary Mana Core, now rotating and revolving, began to attract the Mana stream that had been flowing into the snake.

In mere minutes, the stream feeding the curse stopped—redirected entirely into the new core.

Another wave of soul-piercing pain hit him—but this time, Shunya's tolerance had grown.

The miasma snake, now deprived of Mana, twisted in fury and began searching.

Then—it noticed him.

Blood-covered, glaring with defiance.

Their eyes locked.

The snake glared back, trying to intimidate him.

Shunya didn't flinch.

The snake grew in size, towering over him.

Still, Shunya's expression remained unchanged.

He glared right back, challenging it.

Finally, the snake seemed annoyed. It had expected him to cower—but he didn't.

With a hiss of fury, it lunged at him.

A monstrous abyss gaped open—its mouth a black void.

Shunya snarled and shouted:

"You dare eat away my Mana and my life?!"

And like a missile, he lunged toward the snake.

"I will pull out every drop of what's mine—from your guts!!"

Poof.

Shunya flew straight into the abyss of the snake's gaping mouth.