Isaac's harvester glowed. The message was obvious: the invasion was happening.

He took the Harvester in hand, to exterminate any remaining doubt. It was strange to think that the students still thought that this object served only to count the extermination points.

They were so wrong.

Well, this was no time to waste on distractions. He flew over the school, looking at the extensive area that made up the various Qi regions.

Where should he go first?

Before anything, he took a quick look at his pupils. Rim and Hector were approaching the Draco, while Sabrina was sprinting to the caves. Dante was... where was Dante?

Determined to risk being discovered, even if only a little, he extended his senses. If he wasn't on that plane, it could only mean one thing.

There.

An inner world that defied any notion of power belonging to a lower world. Surely the work of Zay. The worst was, he recognized that Qi.

That grumpy old man. A smile took over Isaac's face. Even after so long, that wolf had found a way to appear in his life.

The answer to his question was not the only thing that the extension of his senses detected. There were several monsters and cultivators piercing the outer barrier at the moment. It wouldn't take long for everyone to notice. Some Slayers would try to get the cultivators to safety while there was still time. Of course, those who wanted, would live to witness another sunshine.

In a decisive move, Isaac lifted his shoulders. First forward, then back. He felt his muscles move, like gears long since stopped. Gradually, he let Qi flow through the channels. His energy was magma, destruction. A flaming substance that would melt any normal volcano.

He held out his hands. In one swift movement, he leaned into the air and jumped as if a catapult had launched him through the air.

The trees were a blur to Isaac's eyes. He focused on a spot where there were quite a few cultivators and monsters.

In order to conserve his energy, and also perhaps strike a little fear into the hearts of those who dared to attack the sect, he didn't slow down his speed when he found the ground. Like a falling star, Isaac descends from the heavens emanating his red aura.

Dust and rock mixed with the air in a cloud that obscured his vision.

Of course, Isaac had long since passed the stage where he needed his vision to smell insects. Letting his Qi cover his fists, he jumped at the nearest monster. One punch was enough for the monster to find heaven. Or hell, most likely.

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Soon after, he channeled Qi into his hand and dealt blows from a distance, killing a few more monsters that were present. So far, all of them were Class C.

Once his vision was clear again, it was time for the cultivators.

He could hear several words, some of leniency, some of denial. It didn't matter, a lion didn't care what kind of noise the lamb made.

Magma exploded all around him, like a volcano.

They wanted war? well.

The general had arrived.

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The white sword lay pristine through Dante. The feeling was as if, with each second, power was draining from his being, like an hourglass dripping sand.

He knew what to do. At least theoretically. A core was usually formed before the advance into Silver, and required the cultivator to mentally visualize every part of the process.

The difficult thing was that Dante didn't really know what he had done wrong so far. Although he felt his power was sometimes more unstable than before, to his eye, the structure had no serious problems.

Another thing that seriously worried him was Ikarus. Even though they were in an internal world, the possibility that what happened there would have serious effects on his relationship with the ancestral monster was latent.

As the icing on the cake, there was still the rush to go help his friends. Even though time passed more slowly than usual in this world of Qi, there was still no certainty that it would be long enough to help his Sabrina, Hector and Rim.

Isaac would not need any help. That much was obvious.

Dante closed his eyes, all his attention on his Qi. He could feel the energy nearby, though totally wild, uncontrolled.

He mentalized an orb shape, just as his core was before. First, he imagined the outer layer forming the core, with a dense layer of Qi.

However, as soon as he felt his energy obeying his orders and forming an orb, the sword appeared in his mind. Still stuck in his core, progress was slow. Although pure energy, it was physically impossible to control the Qi with that alien energy around.

Since his first attempt proved to be a failure, he focused on the sword this time. The white fire energy danced, as if inviting Dante to a duet.

Applying all his will, he tried to make the white fire obey his commands. When he small felt control over the Qi, he tried to clear his core from impurity.

With all his might, he wished, he commanded the sword to exit his body. However, the blade insisted on clanging to Dante's core like a parasite.

At least one doubt had been exterminated. Dante really could not die normally in this world, at least in the normal idea of dying. Otherwise, his veins would have long been empty of blood.

"Any hints?" Dante asked the wolf, not knowing what to do. All his attempts were frustrated, until then.

The wolf waited calmly, motionless up ahead. "I can interrupt the procedure if you wish, but I warn you that this part is the actual gift you have a chance to win today. More experienced cultivators would kill for a chance to build a perfect core. Many did, in fact."

Just a little, he indulged the idea of stopping right there and going back to the cave.

But if he did, he would not be who he was. Dante was a warrior. A cultivator. He couldn't be selfish. His clan was waiting for him.

"Ask for help, but not from me. You have an excellent teacher in there, don't you think?" said the monster, as it nodded toward the area of Dante's core.

If only it were that easy.

Dante took a deep breath, trying to push away the constant pain. Despite the absence of physical damage, clearly the sword was causing spiritual damage. "You said earlier that I could not contact Ikarus. Since we are here, I can't feel him in my core."

And you listened without even questioning? It's time to wake up, human. When a cultivator unites with a Monster Core, they cease to be two existences and become one. I didn't ask you to open the curtains, I just put another layer on."

Dante wasted no time. The cultivator closed his eyes.

It was time to ask Phoenix for help.