Chapter 4622: Resume

The two girls slept for several hours before finally waking up. As soon as they did, they began gobbling down food and Godly Crystals nonstop, determined to replenish the energy they had lost during the fusion experiments. Since they were only trying to recover, Rean provided them with ordinary Godly Beast Crystals, which had become very easy for the twins’ group to acquire.

Only after they had eaten their fill and recovered a considerable amount of energy did Luxa and Lunelle finally turn their attention back to Rean and Roan.

*Rawr!*

’Rean, how was that? How was that?!’

Rean nodded, looking satisfied with the results. "Yes, it worked very well. I can become really strong for a short moment."

Lunelle turned toward Roan as well, her curiosity evident in her voice through Godly Sense. ’What about our attempt?’

Roan nodded too. "The same as Rean’s. It seems that when you two merge with us, we gain access to a shared energy pool."

He had another question, though. After considering the girls’ reactions, he couldn’t help wondering about something. "Still, the way you’re asking these questions makes me think you don’t remember everything that happens while you’re merged with us. Am I right?"

Lunelle lowered her head slightly, as though trying to organize her thoughts. ’It’s... strange. It’s like I’m half awake and half asleep. Everything within me becomes yours to use, but I can still tell what’s happening. Even in that state, I’m willingly allowing you to do so. I can also cancel the fusion immediately if I want to.’

Luxa quickly agreed with her. ’Yes, it’s the same for me! I can see everything Rean sees. So, Rean, if you try anything weird, I’ll immediately back out! Don’t forget that!’

"Hahaha!" Rean laughed before gently stroking her head. "Don’t worry. You know me. I want to become strong enough to stand on my own. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, I won’t ask you to do something like that. Besides, it must be pretty scary, right?"

Luxa tilted her head in confusion. ’Scary?’

Lunelle understood what Rean was getting at. ’He’s talking about how completely exhausted we become after the fusion ends. We can barely stay awake, let alone defend ourselves. It must be frightening to realize how vulnerable we are once we separate.’

’Oh!!!’ Luxa nodded vigorously, her enthusiasm returning almost immediately. ’It’s certainly annoying, but I’m not scared! Rean would never dare to let anything happen to this amazing Eternal Day Fox, right, Rean?’

"But of course!" Rean readily agreed, nodding along with her.

However, his expression soon turned serious. "Or so I wanted to say. Luxa, if the time comes when we need your power again, it will probably be a life-and-Roan sit— Ahem... a life-and-death situation. Depending on the circumstances, I might not be able to do anything by the time our fusion ends."

Roan didn’t even bother to retort the joke.

Rean lifted Luxa gently by the arms so that he could look directly at her. "So, if you ever think it’s too risky to allow us to do this, don’t feel pressured into merging with me. Your life is your own, and you should always prioritize your own safety."

Luxa clearly wasn’t pleased with that suggestion. ’I know you! You always go the extra mile when it’s someone important to you. Sister Orb also told me about the many times you and Roan put your lives on the line just because of that. You never ran away from those situations. So I won’t run away either!’

Rean could only offer a bitter smile. "Well... Roan always says I’m an idiot, after all. In this particular case, I think I have to agree with him."

"Hmph!" Roan snorted. "In this particular case?"

"Shut up!" Rean immediately retorted.

Despite the bickering, Roan soon turned his attention to Lunelle. "However, when it comes to protecting someone or something important to us, I suppose I’m just as much of an idiot as Rean. After all, I keep allowing him to do these ridiculous things, and I participate in them myself."

Sister Orb’s voice immediately echoed in the room.

[What is this I’m seeing?! Could this be...]

[Could this be?!]

[BROTHERLY AFFECTION?!!!]

Rean and Roan almost vomited blood simultaneously. "YOUR ASS!"

[I’m an Orb, I don’t have an ass. Tch... and here I was, living the dream...]

Roan ignored Sister Orb’s nonsense and focused on the matter at hand. He still needed to become more accustomed to the transformation, and the same applied to Rean. Their first experiments had already revealed several limitations, particularly the enormous energy consumption and the exhaustion the girls suffered afterward. They couldn’t afford to ignore those problems.

"Alright, Lunelle, Luxa. We’ll spend the next two weeks training with this fusion. For our own good, as well as yours, Rean and I need to learn how to control this power more effectively. Let’s start by merging here, then have the two of you cancel it before your energy runs too low."

"Oh!" Rean immediately understood the idea and nodded. "If we only remain merged for a second or two before separating, they won’t become completely exhausted right away. Is that what you’re thinking?"

Roan nodded. "Exactly. There are several other things I want to test, too, so let’s get to work."

*Rawr!*

’Okay!’

*Caw.*

’Understood.’

—

Over the following days, Rean and Roan occasionally left their residence to test Luxa and Lunelle’s abilities against real Godly Creatures. Unfortunately, their outings weren’t particularly exciting, as they only encountered Godly Beasts at best. Still, even weaker opponents were useful for practicing their new forms without risking too much.

Another important discovery was that, while merged, the twins gained the girls’ complete immunity to Godly Pressure. That was certainly a useful benefit, although it wasn’t nearly as impressive as it might once have been.

After all, Roan had already developed pills to deal with Godly Pressure, and their Yin Yang Sanctuary could wipe out Godly Pressure on top of weakening the enemies they encountered. Furthermore, following their experiences in Woster, the twins’ group had already achieved approximately 70% natural immunity to Godly Pressure.

Even so, the added immunity was worth keeping in mind, especially if they ever encountered an opponent whose Godly Pressure exceeded what they could comfortably withstand. Every advantage mattered when fighting enemies stronger than themselves.

Apart from that discovery, the twins gradually became more accustomed to the transformation. They learned to coordinate their movements better, control the additional extension of their limbs and abilities they gained, and manage the limited energy available during the fusion.

Naturally, every breakthrough would require them to repeat part of that training. Their own strength would increase, but so would the power they could potentially draw from Luxa and Lunelle, meaning they would need to find the right balance all over again.

Just like that, the two-week break passed in the blink of an eye. Eventually, the twins’ group gathered once more at their residence, ready to resume their cultivation.

"Hmm?" Rean glanced at Kentucky, a smile gradually spreading across his face. "Someone seems to be in a pretty great mood. Could it be that you finally..."

Kentucky immediately turned his head away. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

’So easy...’ Anyone who saw Kentucky’s reaction could guess what had happened. It seemed that he and Kachia had finally taken their relationship to the next level.

Rean patted Kentucky’s feathered chest reassuringly. "Don’t worry. I won’t tell Arcis about it."

Kentucky turned his head even farther away, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the accusation. "I still don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Enough of that," Roan interrupted before Rean could continue teasing Kentucky. "Let’s resume our cultivation. Unless something unexpected happens, we’ll continue until we’ve consumed all but two of our Godly Horror Crystals."

"But two?" Celis asked, momentarily confused. Then he quickly understood what Roan meant. "Oh! Right... yeah. We need to keep at least one or two in reserve for emergencies."

Roan nodded. "Exactly. We can’t afford to consume every last crystal and leave ourselves without anything useful if an unexpected situation arises."

Celis considered that for a moment before raising another concern. "But if we do that, I’m pretty sure we won’t reach the Late Stage of the Zone God Realm."

"We aren’t even certain we’d reach it by consuming all of them," Roan countered. "Let’s handle it this way. Celis, calculate our cultivation progress as we go. If you determine that using the final two crystals would be enough to push us into the Late Stage, then we’ll use them. After all, a breakthrough would give us a considerable increase in strength. If it isn’t possible, we’ll keep the two crystals in reserve."

Celis considered the proposal and eventually accepted it. "Very well. I’ll keep track of our progress and let you know when we get close enough to make that decision."

With that settled, the twins’ group returned to cultivation. Whether they would reach the Late Stage of the Zone God Realm before exhausting their supply remained uncertain, but at least they already knew what they would do next.