Chương 119: CHAPTER 117: SUTURE OF THE CORE

The crimson alert runes pulsed frantically across Rudra's internal vision, painting a horrifying map of the upper capital in shades of dying black and corrupted scarlet. Deep beneath the surface, inside the reinforced sub-basement laboratory of the Royal Academy, Shin did not allow his physical expression to shift by even a single fraction of a millimeter. He stood atop the central observation podium, his dark coat resting straight against his frame.

Slowly raising his left hand, he adjusted the high collar of his shirt, shielding the tiny, translucent chibi system sprite that continued to hover in pure panic near his jawline. Below him, the twenty disciples remained entirely immersed in their assigned tasks. Trays of preserved biological specimens lay neatly arranged across the polished obsidian tables.

The students bent low over the black stone slabs, their breath steady and measured, manipulating their silver dissecting tools under the pale glow of suspended luminescent crystals. They were entirely oblivious to the apocalyptic necrotic eruption unfolding miles away behind the white marble ramparts of the imperial citadel. Shin did not rush out of the room. He understood the brutal reality of the situation far better than anyone in this world.

Out in the field, an unprepared healer was nothing more than an additional corpse to be buried. If these twenty students could not master the next fundamental tier of micro-mana core stabilization right now, their newfound diagnostic precision would crumble into useless panic the moment they stepped into a high-tier biological disaster zone.

"Clear the central benches," Shin instructed, his voice cutting through the hum of micro-mana filaments with quiet, absolute authority.

"Instruments down." The twenty students ceased their movements instantly. Without a single wasted motion, noble heirs and commoner scholars placed their silver tweezers, probe needles, and specimen trays onto the side racks in flawless unison. The discipline drilled into them overnight had already taken root, transforming their chaotic habits into the clean, coordinated reflexes of a true surgical unit.

Shin stepped down from the elevated platform, his boots tapping softly against the cold flagstones as he approached the primary examination table. From a sealed, insulated glass preservation tank filled with nutrient-rich preservation fluid, Shin withdrew a glowing, damaged artificial core specimen. It was an intricate, crystalline mana matrix interwoven with delicate synthetic nerve fibers—an engineered biological organ designed to mimic the fragile energetic core of a human soul-vessel.

The specimen was in a state of catastrophic internal failure. Its delicate crystalline facets were fractured in several places, and the glowing inner lifelines were actively tearing apart, discharging erratic, spitting sparks of unstable blue mana across the glass tray.

"What you see before you is a complete Grade-Four core collapse," Shin stated, laying the fractured specimen flat upon the black obsidian slab.

"When dark necrotic venom, high-tier curses, or severe physical impacts shatter the internal core pathways, the standard imperial healer floods the entire wound with radiant light. That crude method forces the torn tissues to fuse through raw, uncontrolled heat. The inevitable outcome is thick, fibrous internal scar tissue that permanently blocks mana flow and cripples the patient for the rest of their life." If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Valerius, Cassian, Lady Lyra, and Elia pressed forward around the perimeter of the table, their eyes locked onto the failing organ. The remaining sixteen students formed a tight, focused semi-circle, holding their collective breath.

"Watch closely," Shin commanded.

"I will demonstrate the suture of the core only once." Shin raised his right hand, hovering his fingers mere inches above the violently spasming core. He did not reach for a steel needle, silver forceps, or physical silk suture thread. Instead, a thread of pale, radiant mana materialized from the tip of his right index finger. It tapered down with impossible finesse until it was thinner than a single strand of spider silk—invisible to the untrained eye, yet burning with absolute, concentrated purity.

The thread generated neither excessive heat nor destructive kinetic vibration; it was pure, refined biological intent shaped into an energetic lifeline. With breathtaking speed and supernatural grace, Shin's fingers began to weave across the fractured matrix. ZIP. The micro-mana thread pierced the microscopic margins of the torn energetic lifelines with sub-millimeter precision. Shin did not drag or force the damaged cellular walls together.

With delicate, calculated loops, he guided the torn energetic pathways back into their natural geometric alignment, allowing the biological tissue to seat itself along the original lattice lines. Every microscopic knot was tied with flawless tension balance. The fine mana filaments did not constrict the delicate channels; they integrated directly into the matrix, sealing the catastrophic ruptures and restoring energetic flow without leaving behind a single trace of scar tissue.

Within less than sixty seconds, the violent, erratic sparks died away completely. The artificial core steadied its rhythm, pulsing with a deep, clear azure radiance that cast a serene, unbroken glow across the obsidian table. The twenty disciples stood frozen in breathless awe.

"Microscopic tension balance," Elia whispered, her voice trembling slightly as she leaned down, her eyes tracing the completely seamless repair under her diagnostic sight.

"There isn't a single point of energetic friction or scar tissue left. The mana channels are flowing as if they were never severed."

"You have thirty minutes to memorize the structural schematics and replicate the suture pathways," Shin said calmly, wiping his fingers with a clean linen cloth.

"Retrieve your rations and eat now. You will need every drop of glucose in your bloodstream for what is coming next." The students broke from the central table and moved quickly toward the side reference desks, pulling out their food satchels while keeping their eyes glued to the detailed anatomical diagrams pinned across the stone walls. CRUNCH. Valerius and Cassian tore apart thick slices of rustic sourdough bread slathered with cold, freshly churned salted butter.

They chewed rapidly, their eyes darting between the bread in their hands and the intricate cross-sectional core sketches laid out across the desks. The rich, savory creaminess of the cold butter and the dense, crusty sourdough delivered a much-needed rush of energy to their exhausted bodies, refueling their drained mana reserves after an entire night of grueling micro-drills.

Beside them, Lady Lyra, Elia, and the commoner prodigies shared identical portions, eating with one hand while tracing the complex loop patterns on the parchment with the other. Inside his mind, Rudra watched the twenty young disciples consume their calories and study the technique with desperate, razor-sharp focus. Seekh lo, kyunki bahar jo aane wala hai wo kisi kitab me nahi likha. (Learn it well, because what is coming outside is written in no textbook.) For several minutes, the underground research hall was filled only with the quiet, determined energy of twenty brilliant minds pushing their intellectual limits. Then, the world shattered. BOOM! A colossal, ground-splitting shockwave slammed violently into the subterranean foundations of the Royal Academy. The massive obsidian dissection tables jumped inches off the stone floor, sending iron trays clattering and glass preservation jars smashing against the flagstones.

The students stumbled, grabbing the edges of the heavy wooden study desks to prevent themselves from falling as fine stone dust and mortar rained down from the vaulted ceiling. High above the subterranean levels, the morning sky over the capital tore open with the terrifying, deafening sound of shattering crystal.

The ancient, golden divine protection barriers enclosing the Royal Palace fractured into billions of blinding shards, raining down over the inner city as a massive, suffocating cloud of pitch-black necrotic miasma erupted into the sky.