It was finally time to eat whatever was left from Weils. He would Devour it and then send all the mana to his internal formation and to his core to take them over their limit. Once that happened and he continued to absorb more and more, it would leak and spread across his body.
Done correctly, it could be infused to his being, make every part of his body mana conductive due to its matter being, in many ways, crystallized mana. That is to condense the mana into his body. Thus the name Condensation stage. Just enough to make body capable of taking mana in by this manner would be enough to consider being reached Condensation stage.
Ability to store mana in his body would grow far beyond what physical limits otherwise would allow. Mana use could be direct and fast. The internal formation being only balancing and regulating structure and also maintain the mana refining parts. It would be like what bones are for body of flesh. Supporting structure.
Done incorrectly, body would literally crystallize. No longer usable, flexible, but solid mana crystal. Perhaps your organs would crystallize and cease functioning, their flesh obviously being shredded apart and dying as the growing crystal structure causes havoc.
Control would need to be maintained until the process was complete. That is having your entire body filled with that condensed mana. After that one would only need to gather more and more mana, fill that new room full enough to advance. It was very simple unlike Formation stage where you had to arrange your internal formation. Condensation stage was just to gathering mana and stuffing it inside yourself. Once certain point was reached, there would be enough mana to support your existence, concept of 'you' and have so called 'mana body' and become a True Magus.
That was how humans did it.
Kaden expected beasts had roughly the same method. His core was full. It could no longer absorb more mana to grow. Its crystaline structure was perfected. The mana types Kaden required were ordered within its structure. No more could fit in.
This was roughly what internal formation was. Kaden expected that once he tried to stuff in more mana, it would start to leak out in similar way. Beasts likely used the same method of having mana leak out from the core to reach similar result as condensing the mana.
"My two sides are also tied together", Kaden thought to himself. "The paths of advancement seem to converge. Human and beast ways are no longer different. I believe this may be easier than the last time. Yet, I believed I knew enough previously and almost died. I can only hope the similarity will spare me from such troubles this time. Advancing to Condensation stage is known to be the stage where actual fatalities start to occur."
It was time to begin.
Kaden took out Weils's leg he had been storing. It was still full of mana. Very little of the mana in it would be gone having been stored in his bag. It was, after all, mana infused flesh, basically mana crystal in form of flesh and separated from rest of the world in the spatial bag. It was pure mana refined by Weils so it could be consumed immediately.
Kaden felt some desire to eat it directly, but he wanted to consume it more efficiently with Devour. He could eat just as good meat once he evolved and killed his opponent. So ignoring his desires he started to Devour the leg.
Perhaps before, the amount of mana entering him from it would have required a lot of control. Now Kaden felt it was relatively easy. He was in near perfect condition. Yet, the mana had no place to go to. It no longer fit inside. Even his core didn't seem to be able to consume it.
Instead he watched it just first float about in his body, trying to find some place to stay. Eventually more and more of this free mana was floating about in his body and in large enough quantity that it started to crystallize.
Kaden observed this process carefully. He made sure to spread this free mana evenly everywhere. If uneven, it was more likely to crystallize rather than become part of his body. Being aware of this, he sped up the rate of Devouring. The leg should be enough to tip him over the limit and advance, but he was still mindful of the process.
That part was actually easy. Just get enough mana to refine his flesh for Condensation stage. Harder part was to solidify that balance.
Despite the concerns, everything seemed to progress without a hitch. Kaden could sense his body to slowly fill up with a layer of free mana that could not fit anywhere else. Once that was done, Kaden started to press it into his flesh with equal force.
Thats where the problems started.
It simply did not seem to happen. Some of it did go in, but then leaked out, not staying in and becoming one with him. Trying to do so by force started to break the balance and Kaden had to work hard to correct it before it started to cause damage.
"Why isn't it doing anything", Kaden pondered. "What am I missing this time. For humans this should be enough, but I'm not quite human. It must be that my core is causing the difference once again. I must determine it quickly! I cannot keep this state forever."
The mana was already in his body. He might be able to eject some of it, but too much of it would remain. Even if he were able to eject all, he would die once the time stop ended.
"What is advancing", Kaden finally thought. "To ascend to higher level of existence. For humans to reach Condensation stage means higher body. Could this be it? I only reached the level required for humans. My core isn't ready to ascend to its equivalent of higher level? How would I achieve this?"
Still continuing with his understanding that human and beast magic cultivation was not that different and they coverged in their methods as power level rise. Humans refined their body to be able to contain mana. This was same for beasts, but it was done by the means of core rather than internal formation.
"How can I make my core contain more mana", Kaden determined the likely problem. "While my body is filled with mana equally, the presence of unprepared core will disrupt the balance. I must bring it to the same level."
The thing with his core was that its structure for its current stage was at perfection. It could not advance any further. Even if he was to forcibly stuff in more mana and prevent it from leaking out, it would likely explode.
"Or maybe not", Kaden thought as he got a sudden idea. "Higher level beasts have higher level cores. They are bigger. My current core probably cannot hold anymore... for its current size. What if I were to increase its size with, say, higher level mana!"
This made sense. The higher level one was, the higher level mana one would be able to manipulate.
"Its lower level is complete", Kaden continued that thought. "I need to start building higher level. I should be able to control some higher mana to start a next layer. With what?" A moment of thought and the answer became clear. "Phoenixes are mostly attuned to fire, wind ... and life. That life is higher level mana!"
Life mana is everywhere where there was life or even was possible to have life. Even Kaden's own body had higher than usual amount of it due to his phoenix side and it made him extremely tough and difficult to kill, heal fast and so on. The problem was that, while Kaden knew it was there he could not directly use it.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
"No, that is wrong! This is the step!" Kaden muttered quietly. "One does not simply gather mana and ascend. I must take this step myself. I am at the limit and I must discover my way to higher level. I should be able to directly sense it and manipulate it! I must!"
While keeping his the mana inside his body in as perfect order as possible, Kaden started to look past it. The best possible source to detect life mana would be from his own body. There were layers of all sorts of mana in ones own body. Water, for example, was quite abundant, but all that made up a body would have one or more concepts tied to it, these could have even deeper concepts, higher mana.
Yet, what was life? Where would he look for it? Would he have to look for some phlisophical idea of life? Maybe how it worked and all its complexities? That wouldn't be possible. Yet, other people, even beasts that used life mana were able to advance. Priests could use it to heal, even much lower, but that was often tied to blessed mana from worshipping gods.
It had to be something simpler. To reach it, to touch it, one perhaps only needed some overall idea, but if one wanted to get deeper, those complexities would have to be understood.
"If this is the case, some overall view what life is to me should be enough", Kaden decided. "Likely everyone's first view of life mana will be different facet of it. It makes me stronger, heal faster, greater endurance. I will concentrate these ideas as I search for life and its concept."
Kaden had to split his concentration as he began searching his body for the mana that was there, but he had not seen it directly before. He could easily see the lower tier mana he had been familiar for a long time. He knew he needed to look deeper.
At first there was nothing to be found, but then he concentrated further. He was in fact losing control of the mana he was keeping inside his body, but around at that time, he saw something within rest of the mana inside his body. To Kaden's senses it had this golden, slightly fiery color. He was certain this was life mana and he grabbed at it!
He quickly restored the mana in his body to his control as he held onto that little bit of life mana. Now that he could see it and was holding it, he could use it to find more of it with some effort. Bit by bit, Kaden started to find the mana everywhere he looked.
Now being able to just barely see and control it, he dragged it towards his core. It still did not go in, just like rest of the mana, but that was not even Kaden's intent. Instead he wrapped the core in layer of life mana. This would give it a place where higher mana could grow.
Suddenly Kaden felt something become different. The mana he was holding in his body no longer required as much control, but it still did not become part of him properly. Yet, it stayed in his flesh for longer time. Something still required to be done.
As the life mana surrounded the core, it seemed to start doing so by itself.
"It acts naturally this way", Kaden determined. "This is the correct way. Core and my body are in balance once more, but something is missing. Likely life mana around my core isn't still done."
Kaden was right with his assumption. His body with its higher mana now pressed against the core, which in turn pushed out its presure against his body. The life mana started to get thicker and thicker until it was completely in equilibrium.
Then Kaden discovered something familiar. A bubble of mana surrounding the core that was again unusually inactive.
"Last time I disrupted this state it triggered my evolution to High Beast stage", Kaden remembered. Then he frowned. "This could be bad. A human would have advanced to Condensation stage by now, but I'm not human. My body must advance with the core to the level of Lower Cari, but my body must advance to Condensation stage too. This must happen at the same time."
Kaden realized he would need to be aware and conscious, able to keep control, while his body mutated as the evolution progressed. The last time had been painful, but he had succeeded. There had been some troubles during it too, but this time his core and internal formation were one and in perfect state. The advancement this time didn't concentrate on his mana channels either, but his entire body. Pain should be higher. Greater mutations. Kaden in fact started to feel some desire to become complete as he realized this part.
"There is no way to avoid this step", Kaden muttered to himself. "It is another step I must take or perish. Yet, once I succeed, I should become even stronger than previously expected!"
There was no need to be afraid. He had always known he was on a difficult path. He trusted his strength.
Then he disrupted the mana bubble around his core. It burst and mana spread forth. Now with with higher mana surrouding it, the lower mana from the core was catalyzed by it. Yet, this time it wasn't just the core sending out mana, but it seemed to trigger Kaden all of the mana within Kaden's body. All of it became extremely active, even the mana that was still free within his body.
Yet, the free mana didn't stay free for long. Kaden's body became ravenous and started to absorb it. As it started doing so, Kaden could feel his body being basically torn apart. No large tears, but numerous small tears. Yet, while no gaping wounds actually existed, flesh momentarily separated from the rest until joining together or absorbing the matter nearby to continue growing. It was his body being mutated inside out, bit by bit.
He noted a greater problem. Not only did his body absorb all the mana inside his body, but it started to pull in mana from outside. If it took too much, the instant he was in, would no longer be an instant. He needed to complete his evolution before it ended. He noted it wasn't much, but it was some. He expected this was due to his body being already in such a good state when he started his advancement.
There was very little he could do. Kaden noted that he couldn't really do anything, but sense his surroudings. Mana was active in the evolution process and his body wouldn't respond as it was evolving. Obviosly it was able to send forth rending pain at all times, but not move.
Kaden could only observe as his body's form started to twist beyond what could be called human. His clothing was being torn apart and whatever armor he was wearing started to bend as his body grew slightly. With the clothes broken, Kaden could feel his skin tear open and started to harden into some scale like structure that then started to grow out. Golden in color. Golden feathers!
His bones snapped and seemed to restructure. Joints severed and reattached. His hands and feet progressed from their existing form further into shape of vicious talons.
Kaden finally screamed in pain as his skull, or more like face, shattered. For a moment he was blind from pain and it was hard to focus his eyes as they changed postion slightly. He also noted that something was growing on his face. By the time his teeth started to reshape and be moved, he realized it was a beak!
"I ... will not ... pass as human ... fine...", Kaden could think through the pain.
That thought didn't last long, as Kaden felt his back twist in pain. Two bumps started to grow and whatever clothing remained started to be torn away as something very large was growing. Even with all the pain, a joy filled Kaden's mind. Wings! His very own wings! He was not a crippled bird anymore!
Growing of extra limbs was extremely painful, but the joy he was feeling helped him endure it. Actual ability to fly was often reserved to those with either machines made to do so or True Magi and above where one could simply choose to ignore things like gravity. Obviously flying beasts like birds were an exception.
Kaden also noted that the free mana that he had in his body was mostly absorbed. His evolution also seemed to be close to completion as the bird like physical traits were nearly complete.
Additionally, he was still alive. The bubble had not broken yet. If it would remain these last moments, he would likely survive.
He was starting to be able to have longer thoughts without the pain interrupting him all the time. Evolution was nearly done.
Kaden was laying on the ground. Completely exhausted. Pain was gone. He could feel no longer any further changes.
"I must have used my own mana too", Kaden realized. "I'm a bit thin, but the neccessary process has been completed. I need to only wait for it to return to normal level wherever that is, but it is for sure far beyond my previous state."
The mana bubble was still there, but it seemed the vortex was much thinner than before and less of the tiny fragments, 'the sand of time' as one could call them, seemed to be present. Some color had also returned. Yet, things were still ... still.
No. That wasn't actually correct. What had been completely still before, Kaden could now see slight movement. The Reverend had moved away from the unusual explosion and now was slightly, almost inperceptibly, continuing that movement.
"Its not still anymore", Kaden quickly noted. He stretched his new wings a bit. Examined his new body that no one could mistake for a human and was instead some quadrupedal bird beast, high enough resemblance to phoenixes that, he could be mistaken as one. How different was he? He had no time to check. "I'll leave self inspection for later. Now I will rest for a moment, while the bubble still remains. Then once it falls or nearly, I will attack."
Now, being as ready as possible, Kaden started to take in mana to get rid of the exhaustion. The little intermission in the battle was nearly over.
Kaden would now return in new, greater, stronger form to finish it.