Road to Recovery (Part 3)

"You know the problem?" Kiri said.

"Yeah, Yakumo is suffering an ailment called Aura Stagnation." I said. "And a bad one at that."

"Aura Stagnation...ah, that's when Lady Yakumo was hit by Oumetsu's aura attacks and it took a terrible toll on her once we reached Dystoark." Kiba said, remembering.

"Did you know that she's in a coma for over a century and did not suffer Aura Erosion once?" I said. "I mean, she could've died long ago once Erosion kicked in, but it never happened."

Every oni in the cave turned blue.

"So, you're saying that Lady Yakumo could've died within that time?" Kiri said with dread in his eyes.

"Yeah, once she goes in that state, her condition can only get worse. To be honest, it confused me too. It takes days, if not weeks to go from Stagnation to the Erosion phase." I shrugged my shoulders. "Yet Erosion never happened for over a hundred years."

"Can you heal her?" Metsuka said.

"Yeah. Kiba, prepare the healing spells." I said. Kiba nodded and looked at the other onis and they nodded as well.

I placed my hand over her abdomen and the system notify me.

[Caution. You are about to absorb stagnant aura. Consequences may occur.]

As I placed my hand, red aura began emanating from Yakumo's body. Large amounts of it. However, instead of it being in a bright red color, it was hazy, foggy, and dim.

"That's a lot of stagnant aura inside her. It's a miracle she didn't die from all of that aura. It must be that curved horn she got." I thought.

*Cough!*

Yakumo began coughing blood from her mouth, causing my system to react.

[Warning. The condition of Yakumo is deteriorating.]

"Heal!" Kiri yelled, as he puts his hands forward to Yakumo.

*Shiing!*

A pale green light glows forth and turns Yakumo's pained expression into a relieved one. But I can't stop now.

"What is your plan, young Kain?" Friis asked.

"I am redirecting the stagnant aura to one spot so that Kiri and the onis can keep her injuries in check." I replied. "After that, I will absorb it."

"But seeing that the aura is deeply rooted after all these years and moving them could cause injuries. So, it will take some time." I added.

I planned to move all of the stagnant aura to her stomach to minimize the damage and absorb it all.

*Pssht!* *Spurt!*

Veins began bulging from her body, rupturing as the foreign aura is being ingrained in her body, in her bloodstream. Forcibly moving it could bring consequences as causing permanent injury or death. However, Yakumo's regeneration and the healing spells offset the damage.

However, I better avoid damaging her vital organs, especially her spine.

"More bleeding from her chest cavity!"

"I stopped the bleeding from her arms and legs."

"We still have enough herbal paste for her wounds."

*Beep!*

[Notice. No stagnant aura detected from arms and legs.]

The system informs me of that the aura has been removed in her arms and legs, now to work our way down. Starting with her brain.

I slowly began transferring the stagnant aura from her brain. The brain is very delicate and if it's damaged, it can permanently affect her mentally or at worst, kill her. I better make sure it doesn't get damaged in any way.

"Now, I need complete concentration. Her brain and other organs might be damaged if I slip up once." I said.

[Thought Acceleration activated.]

I activated Thought Acceleration to allow myself to think and make decisions much more quickly, making time around me feel much slower.

I carefully watch as the aura travel down from her brain and to the heart and lungs. Few minutes in and the message came up in my head.

[Heart and lungs are no longer contaminated.]

Now for the organs at the lower torso area that includes the stomach, kidneys, and liver. The aura soon slowly moves through her internal organs along with her blood vessels.

But easily enough, I managed to gather all of the aura in one place. The hard part is where to extract it without causing too much damage.

[All contaminated aura gathered in one place. Extraction possible.]

[Thought Acceleration deactivated.]

"Alright, I gathered all of the stagnant aura in one place, now here's the hard part." I said.

"The hard part?" Kiri said, tilting his head. "Then, what should we do?"

"I want everyone to hold her down. Hold her arms, legs, shoulders, and head." I said. "Metsuka, Gourai, Friis, Aria, you too."

Friis placed his spear aside and immediately jumped on the stone platform and placed his green calloused hands on Yakumo's cold pale face.

Friis looked at Gourai, Metsuka, and Aria with resolve in his eyes.

"Young Kain has helped us and saved our people. We should help him too." Friis said. The rest went to Yakumo.

Kiri jumped on the stone platform to hold her legs. The other five went to hold her legs and arms.

Metsuka and Gourai placed their hands on Yakumo's shoulders where Aria placed her hands on Yakumo's hips.

"Alright, hold on to her and hold on tight. She may be focused on magic and haven't been moving for over 100 years, but she's an oni regardless." Kiri said. He then turned to me. "We're ready."

I nodded and place my ten fingers on the stagnant mass of aura and my fingers began emitting dark purple aura.

Soon, my aura pierced her white skin.

*Stab!*

"Urrgh!" Yakumo groaned and began gritting her teeth. She clenched her hands tightly as pain began to invade her body.

Everyone began tightly restrain her as she trembles from the pain where Friis began to hold her head down tightly. In my vision, the dark purple aura I have is inside and managed to grab hold of it.

[Thought Acceleration activated.]

The red aura began to slowly enter my dark purple aura as if it was being sucked in by multiple straws.

"Aaaagh!!" Yakumo screamed in pain and began to writhe and thrash in pain. Her face contorts in pain as she is feeling as if molten metal claws are digging into her very flesh.

Friis, who is holding her head was almost flung from his feet, but he still held on.

The onis struggle to restrain her as even Yakumo hasn't been active for so long and yet she still holds this much strength.

[Aura extraction progress: 25%]

I continue the procedure and Yakumo began to thrash around even more. Soon, white aura began emitting from her body. The white aura soon came in contact with my dark purple aura.

In that moment, my aura in her body was being forced out.

[Warning! Aura interference detected! Aura extraction stopped.]

I can see my aura being pushed out, but not the stagnant one. The stagnant aura is not normal at all. If that's the case, it's all the more reason to get rid of it.

[Tyrant Spirit activated.]

With my Tyrant Spirit, my dark purple aura emerged and made contact of the affected area again and rapidly began extracting it.

"AAAaaaagh!!" Yakumo screamed louder in pain, beginning to thrash even more than ever. Everyone began to struggle more to restrain her.

During that time, she began to spit blood from her mouth, staining her face, and causing Friis' grip to slip slowly.

[Warning. Yakumo's vitals are beginning to degrade.]

[Aura Extraction Rate: 50%]

"What's the progress, young Kain?" Friis asked over Yakumo's screaming.

"I'm halfway there! Keep holding her!" I said.

I continued to extract the stagnant aura, but in a faster rate as that I cannot drag it out. But in turn, I brought even more pain towards Yakumo.

"GYAAAAAAAAH!!!" Yakumo shrieks at the top of her lungs, thrashing with much more ferocity. She flails her arms and legs, including her head.

Friis, who is holding her head is barely keeping his feet planted.

"Lady Yakumo, it's alright! It'll be over soon." Metsuka said, in hopes of calming Yakumo down.

"AAAAARGH!! RRRRGH!!!" Yakumo screamed and growled from the excruciating pain, getting enraged.

*Fwoooom!*

The blazing white aura flared out of her body, blinding everyone in the cave.

[Vision compromised. Switching to Aura Vision.]

With aura in my possession, I can sense aura even if my standard vision is useless. However, everyone else is blinded by the white aura.

During the flash of light, Friis feels a burning sensation from his hands, causing him to lose his grip, thus being flung about.

"Aaargh!" Friis exclaimed as he was flung through the air.

*Wham!*

"Aagh!" Aria, who is restraining Yakumo's hips was knocked over by Friis and soon crashes into Kiri's right shoulder. Although Kiri didn't get knocked over, the impact shifted his right arm and lost grip on Yakumo's leg.

On that moment, Yakumo kicked her left leg and twisted her body rapidly.

"RRAAAAGH!!!" Yakumo roared while she spits blood from her mouth and soon Metsuka and Gorai began to lose their grip.

Her aura began to roar louder and soon made it very difficult to restrain her any longer.

[Aura Extraction at 85%]

"Almost there..." I said, concentrating on the shrinking stagnant aura that is now the size of a tennis ball. As Kiri grabbed the leg again, he sensed something dangerous coming.

"Kain, we cannot hold her for long!" Metsuka warned as the aura might burst out, injuring us in the process.

"Just give me more time!" I said, keeping my hand steady as the contamination is almost fully extracted.

[Aura Extraction at 94%]

"RAAAAAAAHH!!!" Yakumo roared and broke free of the restraints and formed a claw of white aura.

[Warning. Potentially fatal attack incoming!]

*Swoosh!*

I dodged her attack and stopped the extraction to avoid any further injuries. Metsuka, Gourai, Kiri, and the other onis lost grip of her due to her strength.

*Swoosh!*

*Crash!*

Yakumo charged at me with her claws coming at my face, but she ended up striking the cave wall

"Everyone get behind me!" I said. Everyone in the cave scrambled behind me and gained distance as Yakumo is now in a state of rage.

Yakumo, now takes her hand out of the stone wall and looks at me in the general direction with her pure white cloth covered in rubble and her own bloodstains. Her white aura is a raging inferno that could engulf everything, reducing to ashes.

"Grrrrgh!" Yakumo growls at me with her eyes burn red along with glowing white pupils.

[Berserker activated.]

[Elemental Armor: Earth activated.]

I better finish this quick before Yakumo destroys herself.