Chapter 250 – Limits

There are two main aspects of a person's being. 

The first was the most important. The soul. The soul contained the most fundamental aspects of a person's being. Their personality, their consciousness, their memories, their feelings and desires, and their wisdom. These things drive all intelligent beings. 

The soul exists almost as an intangible mass of energy. It cannot be touched or interacted with by anything material. It resides in a higher dimension, the 4th dimension. 

The second aspect of a person's being is their body. There are two types of bodies. The first is the physical body. The physical body is usually a mass of flesh and blood, and it is connected to the soul. It could be thought of as a material puppet, driven by the soul but also basic instinct that comes from the brain. Most intelligent beings only have a physical body. This body usually decays faster than the soul, and it's also usually incredibly weak. 

Finally, there is the spiritual body. The spiritual body is a mass of energy, most often comprised of mana. Unlike a physical body, a spiritual body is similarly intangible. At least, it's supposed to be. Most people who create spiritual bodies are unable to create an entirely intangible one, thus they only enhance their physical body with energetic traits, becoming a semi-spiritual body. These bodies are still susceptible to material damage. 

Fully spiritual bodies are not though. An entirely spiritual body is one that has thrown away its material shackles. It is no longer bound by flesh that decays over time. Likewise, it cannot be affected by anything material. Such attacks would simply pass through it. The only thing that can interact with a spiritual body is mana, or other higher dimensional materials and energies. 

Dream is one such person who created a purely spiritual body. Although he still has a mortal shell, that shell does not inhibit or affect him in any way. It can be brought out or put away at will. Even if it were destroyed, it wouldn't affect him at all. 

Like him, Melody also has a purely spiritual body. She was able to create one because of Dream who guided her. However, in terms of the different kinds of bodies, Dream still wondered about species and the role it played. 

Melody was now an Asura, while Dream was something called a Metacosmic Psyke. These were their species. Over time, Dream had done a bit of studying and came to understand why there were still such things as species when people had formed spiritual bodies. 

Species were the categories by which the defining features of a particular person were sorted. For example, as an Asura, Melody had the defining feature of a third eye, as well as an aggressive disposition and strong body. Her entire body was aimed toward pure combat ability. Such was an Asura. As for Dream, he was a man of the mind, and he modeled himself after his defining aspects of wonder and discovery. Thus, he had created his own species. 

Even as a spiritual body, some humanoid characteristics were retained. Dream still had the bodily figure of a human, and Melody was almost exactly the same as her human self besides the third eye. The spiritual body reflected the inner image of a person, and most people weren't capable of detaching from their human selves, thus they maintained the aspects of their mortal body when building a spiritual body. 

The reason this was possible was because of mana. Mana was basically another type of material, so it could reflect material characteristics. Like the totem space Melody was currently fighting in, mana could appear as dirt and monsters. 

When Dream entered into the totem space and buffed the giant angel Melody was fighting, he was doing so for a reason. He wanted her to grow, and there were only a few ways to do that. 

The spiritual body was directly connected to the soul. If one wanted to grow in power, they had to strengthen their soul. By extension, they had to strengthen and stress their spiritual body. Dream had increased the power of the giant angel to just above Melody's full power. In doing this, he would force her to actively grow while fighting, otherwise she wouldn't be able to surpass the power of the giant angel, ultimately dying. 

During this process of growth, Melody would have her spiritual body destroyed, this destruction taking the form of wounds. Her own blood would flow, and her energy would deplete. Surpassing the sheer energy of the giant angel would require her to not only reach her limit, but surpass it. Dream knew that there was one main way to surpass one's limit. 

That one way was to beckon the power that stood behind the soul. Dream had long understood that each soul was connected to a source of power that never drained. This was why it was possible to regenerate energy. The power or energy that a soul utilized was limited, and it wasn't dependent on mana. It was its own energy. So, where did this energy come from? There was something above the soul that provided energy. Not only that, but this power enabled the soul to grow in strength. 

Thus, the main way to gain power was by beckoning this exterior source of strength. By breaking a person down, their soul would grasp for energy from its very depths. When that happened, through a concept that Dream didn't understand, the exterior source of strength would lend more power, thus increasing the total amount of energy one soul could wield. 

Other than that, there were two secondary ways to increase power. The first was leveling up, and the second was by leveling up skills. This increased a person's strength because the System made it so. By killing and comprehending, one could rise in power. It could be said that the System was a stairway to heaven filled with bloodshed. Dream didn't believe in this path, instead choosing to walk a road of pure study and comprehension. But this path was the way of the universe. It could be said that the Asuras embodied the most prevalent way of rising to power. They excelled in killing, and killing was the easiest way to rise in power. 

While Dream walked a very different path, his sister didn't, thus he had to help her as best he could. This was why he was giving her the challenge he did. If she could pass, then she would step forward in power. And not just by having killed, but by surpassing her limits through the art of killing. If her road was killing and combat, then Dream would push her to the furthest extremes of that road. This was the only way to let her reach the pinnacle of what she could be. 

After Dream disappeared from the totem space, Melody stood opposite to the giant angel. Her face was now serious. Before, she knew she could probably win. But now, she was effectively destined to lose. If she remained as strong as she was in this moment, then she would be killed by this angel. She knew what she had to do, but it wouldn't be easy. 

Still, she raised her sword. The angel flourished its 8 arms, all 8 weapons aiming toward her. The angel radiated an indomitable aura of slaughter. 

But Melody's aura was only a bit lesser. She was an Asura, and a powerful one at that. Her third eye seemed to see through all things, and any normal asura would have to bow toward her power. Only death would bring her down. 

Soon, Melody and the angel dashed toward each other, their speeds reaching their furthest extremes. They appeared before each other like ghosts. Melody pierced forth with her sword. Against this angel, she was putting forth her entire power. 

There was no way Dream would misjudge her power. He could see through her entire being. If he created something that was a bit more powerful than her, then the angel was exactly that. This angel could and would kill her! This would be one of the biggest battles of Melody's entire life!

Her sword sailed forth, all her power concentrated on the tip. Before it could pierce into the angel's body though, the angel brought down its own weapons. A spear and axe both thrust and chopped at her. If these blows landed, it would wound her. But Melody didn't stop. 

*Boom!*

Power erupted, and Melody's sword planted itself in the angel's abdomen. The power behind the sword exploded, tearing its body apart and wreaking havoc. 

At the same time though, the angel's two weapons cut into her. The large spear created a hole in her shoulder, while the axe chopped halfway into her leg. Melody grimaced as her blood spilled, and she retracted her sword. With a step, she disappeared, reappearing 200 feet away. 

After creating distance, Melody continued to gaze at the angel. The wounds on her body regenerated within seconds, sealing the hole in her shoulder and repairing her leg. However, just because the wounds were no longer visible didn't mean she hadn't expended lots of energy. 

Like Dream, Melody understood that energy was finite. Her attack cost energy, and repairing her body cost energy. This energy was lost once spent, and only by waiting would she recover some energy. There were no fancy tricks she could play. Everything came down to her total energy pool. And the angel's was higher than hers. 

Every second she waited, she would gain a bit of energy back, but the angel would too. In the end, she would fall first. To survive this, she had to make sure that when she reached her limit, the angel wasn't strong enough to instantly finish her off. With time, she would come back, and hopefully, she would attain a higher energy level than the angel, thus allowing her to defeat it. 

With this plan, Melody raised her sword again. The surroundings were silent as the two clashed once more. Explosions were released, creating large blood waves. Melody continued to inflict wounds on the angel, but in return, she received wounds that were a tiny bit worse. She exchanged blows, turning the battle into one of attrition. 

Meanwhile, all the spectators watched with gleaming eyes. They understood that this angel was stronger than usual, but nobody really cared too much. They didn't believe that their totem space could be so easily tampered with by someone. 

Vela understood that this was the case though. After Dream exited the totem space, he reappeared right back next to Vela. She looked at him with shocked eyes. When Melody began her fight not long after, Vela couldn't seem to ask what was on her mind. She knew what he was doing, but as for how, she might not understand even if Dream explained it to her. 

The totem space had existed within the clan for hundreds of years and was created by one of the most powerful clas 6's to appear within the clan. This totem space was one of a kind, and it had been used to evaluate and train asuras for generations. Only a few even knew how the totem worked. Nobody knew how to modify or tamper with the core enchantments. But Dream had just done that, and so easily too. 

"By the way, I noticed you guys using some sort of weird rocks to power the totem space. What is that?"

As Melody continued to fight for her life, Dream leaned over and asked Vela. When analyzing the totem, he had noticed some kind of rock or crystal that was distributing power to the totem. The rock was filled with mana, almost like a mana battery. He knew how it worked, but he had never seem such a thing before. 

Hearing this question though, Vela was shocked even more.

"How can you not know about mana crystals?"

"I come from a very far away place."

"...And yet you can decipher the totem enchantments so easily."

"Enchantments are one thing. Naturally occurring phenomena like those mana crystals are another. So where do they come from?"

"..."

Vela stared at Dream for a second before sighing. 

"Mana crystals are mined from mana crystal veins around the world. It's not entirely understood how the mana crystal veins come to be, but they take a long time to form and there are a finite amount. We own a few mana crystal veins near our territory. Mana crystals are also used as the world's main currency."

"Interesting. You'll have to show me this stuff in the future. Especially those mines. I'd like to take a look."

Dream nodded pleasantly. These naturally occurring mana crystal deposits piqued his interest. They definitely couldn't just pop up out of nowhere. Dream thought it had something to do with the Terra Core that Durack told him about. That Terra Core was definitely the core of the planet, only it was altered by mana to give it special properties. Dream could constantly feel a magical repulsion coming from the core of the planet. This was that Terra Core. 

'Sophia, remind me to head to outer space too. I've noticed that the space here is different from Earth's space.'

[Definitely.]

Sophia concurred. She and Dream already knew that the things that were normal on Earth were not so normal here. Terra Cores, mana crystals, and several other things were not so natural phenomena brought about by the long term presence of mana. Dream eagerly wished to begin research, but for now he had to stay with Melody. 

"Argh!"

*Slice!*

Meanwhile, Melody continued to fight a life or death battle within the totem space. She was incredibly wounded, as was the angel she fought. But she was also noticeably weaker. Although she had skill and combat awareness that surpassed the giant angel, Dream had factored that into her strength as well. She couldn't surpass the angel even using her power most efficiently. Dream really was forcing her to the absolute limit. 

Melody's aura was weak and feeble. She had chopped off 5 of the angel's arms, but that came at a great price. She had barely any energy left. She could feel her soul desperately clawing for every strand of energy it received from the unknown, like a drowning man gasping for air in a turbulent ocean. It was incredibly painful, and she really wanted to give up. 

But she didn't. She continued drawing on an empty tank. Her will remained firm. While fighting, she remembered some of the stories that she heard from Luna. 

Back on Earth, Melody spent a lot of time with Luna. During that time, Luna would tell her stories about her brother from when they were on the other world. She spoke about how Dream would tamper with his own soul. He would drain every last bit of his energy until he passed out for days on end. Even as a low class 2 or 3, he was capable of pushing himself far beyond his limits. Sometimes, it came at the price of harming his soul to do so. There was even a time when Dream had his stats reduced almost 3 tiers, from that of a class 4 to that of a strong class 2. He did that in order to ensure the lives of Luna and Iris, resulting in the soul connection they had ever since then. He had to be their buffer or they would kill each other. Even now this was a problem that hadn't been solved. 

There were many insane stories she told Melody, and it made her realize that while Dream wasn't a fighter, he was no less driven and hardworking. His power came from an unfathomably deep understanding of the universe, but in order to reach that point, he had to break down and build up his soul, forcing his soul and mind to be capable of doing the things he did. Such understandings and powers didn't come from nothing. He had paid his dues not in blood, but with his soul. 

Knowing this, Melody couldn't allow herself to quit or fail. If Dream could do it, then she could too. She was walking her own path, but there were certain truths that remained constant. In the aspect of pushing herself to her limits and surpassing them, she had to follow in her brother's footsteps. 

*Bang!*

An explosion sent waves of blood flying as the angel brought down a large hammer. Melody dodged, but was caught up in the shockwaves. By now, she barely had the energy to release weak attacks. 

The angel wasn't much better, but it still attacked. She constantly had to defend herself. Now, it was a game of survival. How long could she persist? If she lasted long enough and took enough hits, she would eventually force her soul to meet the level of the angel, then surpass it. 

Melody rolled around as the angel thrust out with its spear. She couldn't even pierce its body with her sword. Her soul felt like a dry desert. She barely maintained enough energy to keep herself conscious. Her moving around was a miracle. The entire time, she desperately monitored her energy levels. There was a constant stream of energy coming into her soul, and whenever she gained a drop of it, she used it. Like this, her soul was almost always deprived. 

But this opened it up for improvement. Over time, Melody felt herself drawing more energy. She seemed to sense where this energy came from, as if she found the faucet of water that would quench her soul. It was here that she urged her entire being to draw on more power. This was a reaction that was both instinctual and conscious. Of course her soul desired to regain energy, but when Melody pushed her entire being to do so, there were better results. 

She kept dodging, but more energy also started to trickle in. It was like she was loosening the seal on this source of energy, allowing more to flow in. Gradually, she was allowed to consume more energy, resisting the attacks of the angel. Then, she actually gained more than she used. She began returning attacks, fighting with the angel instead of just surviving. 

Seeing this, Dream smiled. He obviously knew what she was sensing. He had long ago sensed the same thing. He had done research on it, but it didn't amount to much. Whatever this source of energy was, it was too far away to touch upon. It was like the concepts he touched, only this source of energy wouldn't actively pull him toward it. 

Dream watched as Melody slowly turned the tides. As her soul drew upon more energy, she surpassed the energy gain of the angel. With that, it was only a matter of time. 

Dream considered the battle finished. And after 15 more minutes of fighting, it truly was. Everyone watched as Melody chopped off the angels legs. Then, she thrust her sword into its third eye. Its head exploded, turning into fountain of blood that made the ocean of blood around her noticeably rise. 

"She did it!"

"Yes!"

The spectating asuras were cheery as Melody dealt the finished blow. When she was finished, Melody fell to her knees. The blood sea around her rose to two feet in height before the totem space suddenly shut down. The space collapsed, and Melody was left right next to the totem, kneeling as she silently gazed into space in front of her. 

Dream appeared next to her, sensing her soul. Because her soul had been deprived for a long period of time, it had actually been damaged. But this would result in growth. Dream smiled and picked up his sister. She smirked at him before falling unconscious, entering a deep sleep. 

"Two things."

Dream turned to Vela with Melody in his arms.

"One, I've modified the totem. When someone enters it and reaches the giant angel stage, the angel will gain a power level just above the fighter's. The only way to win is to improve, forcing one's soul to surpass its limit and thus surpass the angel. Only, the person has to be strong enough to surpass all the armies beforehand, thus it still qualifies as a talent measurement device."

"...I see."

Vela nodded blankly. She couldn't believe that he really had just modified the totem, but she knew it was the truth. 

"...And the second thing?"

"I need a place to stay. Or, more like she needs a place. Anywhere will do."

"Right. Here, I'll take you to a house."

Nodding, Vela turned and left the evaluation center, many of the spectators watched them leave before breaking out in excited discussion. Melody's name rapidly spread as people shared the news. Some even had mana recording devices that captured her battles, and it wasn't long before these were spread around.