"So, which concepts have you comprehended?" Aezaleon asked curiously, his voice laced with genuine interest.

"Hmm." Aphryne hummed softly. Her mind focused inward while her gaze went entirely unfocused. In a few seconds, her consciousness returned to reality.

"The mantis gave me the inferior concept of—[Greenlight Precision Cut]—but because of my Concept Capacity of 15 Inferior and 7 Superior Concepts as a Pureblood Natural Core Calamity—I obviously couldn’t comprehend it. Therefore, I immediately worked up a method to assimilate it into my Superior concept of [Microscopic Darkwind Erosion]—and now it has morphed into the Superior concept of—[Blackwind Dissection]."

Aezaleon nodded in understanding, remembering this other key framework of [Concept Capacity]. What it represented was exactly what one would guess: it was the maximum number of concepts any individual could learn. Going above this strict limit would immediately trigger the Power Paradox—a foundational truth that led to their instant structural destruction.

Additionally, there was also the [Simultaneous Usage] framework. It governed how many concepts one was able to activate at the exact same moment. Going above this threshold would obviously put a massive burden on the individual’s form and soul because of the immense backlash from the world in the form of resistance. This would lead to severe self-harm, and at certain extreme points, even death was possible.

"While the scorpion gave me the inferior concept of—[Thermal Venopierce]. I was close to comprehending another inferior concept from the scorpion, but in the end, I failed," she added dejectedly, her shoulders slumping slightly.

"You have seven more calamities to go; surely you will succeed the next time, correct?" Aezaleon smiled warmly, gently stroking her head to offer comfort. His touch was like a gentle breeze soothing a sun-baked stone. "Though I am still curious about the types or even how many concepts you have left. You did mention that many of your inferior concepts were merged during your evolution."

She nodded with a soft, affectionate purr. Feeling determined again, she promptly satisfied his curiosity before they continued.

———

Aphryne: Inferior concepts — Simplified Descriptions!

1. Corruption Blight (Fester + Infection) — [A concept that spreads harmful corruption inside a target, making wounds, weakness, and internal damage grow worse over time.]

2. Energy Corrosion (Energy Drain + Energy Degradation) — [A concept that drains energy while also weakening its quality, making abilities less effective and exhausting the target faster.]

3. Paralysis — [A concept that slows or blocks movement by disrupting muscles, nerves, or energy flow, making it harder for the target to act.]

4. Crimson Enfeeblement (Strength Bleed + Blood Erosion) — [A blood-based weakening concept that slowly reduces physical strength, stamina, endurance, and overall body performance.]

5. Material-Spiritual Core Expansion — [A growth concept that helps expand and strengthen the Material and Spiritual Cores, increasing energy capacity and cultivation speed.]

6. Murkstream Winds — [A wind concept that controls dark, unclear air currents for concealment, disruption, and battlefield interference.]

7. Grave Currents Erosion — [A concept that uses slow but constant wind erosion to wear down defenses, structures, and targets over time.]

8. Duskwinds Penetration — [A wind concept focused on piercing through gaps, weak points, armor, and defenses with concentrated airflow force.]

9. Hollow Gale — [A concept that creates unstable hollow winds that disrupt movement, balance, pressure, and nearby surroundings.]

10. Nightwhirls Sharpness — [A wind concept that makes spinning air currents sharp like blades, allowing them to cut and slice targets.]

11. Heightened Perception — [A concept that improves the senses, awareness, reactions, and ability to notice movements or danger.]

12. Reinforcement — [A concept that strengthens the body or objects, increasing toughness, durability, and resistance to damage.]

13. Burst Acceleration — [A concept that greatly boosts speed and movement for short moments, helping with quick attacks, dodges, and fast reactions.]

14. Vital Surge — [A support concept that boosts vitality, stamina, recovery, endurance, and natural healing.]

15. Thermal Venopierce — [A piercing attack concept that combines concentrated heat and force to strike deeply and cause internal burning damage.]

... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ...

Superior Concepts — Brief Descriptions

1. Darkwind Solidification — [A concept that condenses dark wind into solid forms, allowing it to be used as shields, weapons, barriers, platforms, or other stable constructs.]

2. Agony (Suffering + Torment) — [A concept that controls pain across both body and soul, causing intense physical suffering and spiritual torment that weakens focus, willpower, and combat ability.]

3. Calamitous Darkwind — [A destructive dark wind concept focused on violent large-scale devastation, overwhelming force, and chaotic battlefield destruction through powerful cursed winds.]

4. Graveveil Decay (Lesser Decaying Haze + Lesser Decay) — [A concept that spreads decay through a harmful mist, slowly weakening bodies, structures, energy flow, and defenses over time.]

5. Winds Benediction — [A support concept that uses wind to enhance movement, speed, recovery, defense, sensory awareness, or the overall performance of the user or allies.]

6. Blackwind Dissection (Microscopic Darkwind Erosion + Greenlight Precision Cut) — [A concept that uses countless tiny dark wind cutting forces to slowly and precisely tear apart armor, flesh, defenses, and internal weak points.]

7. Noiselessness — [A concept that suppresses sound and vibration, allowing silent movement, stealth, hidden attacks, and disruption of sound-based detection or communication.]

... ... ... ... ...

[Note: all concepts are active! Not passive].

———

Aezaleon moved purposefully and separated the rank 3 calamities from the two rank fours. He intended to use all five simultaneously this time. Among them, four belonged to the beast type while one was a distinct humanoid calamity.

Mainly, they were the Calamity: Umbryth Gorlux, Calamity: Radiant Cervion, Calamity: Terranox Lithoroll Pangorid, and the Calamity: Aeralis Mistwind Saola Veilorn.

The last one was a slender saola with a smooth, pale hide and long, majestic horns. Its body seemed to be constantly fading into drifting mist, with soft air currents continuously reshaping its ghostly outline. Its element was Mistara—a wind-mist type element focused primarily on veiled wind flow, stealth, evasion, perception control, concealment, and misdirection.

Whereas the Calamity: Dunex Aridwind Strator was the sole humanoid calamity. Its form was that of a tall figure sculpted from a hyper-compressed mass of swirling sand and air. Its distinctive skin shifted shape constantly, with glowing eyes visible through the moving layers of dust currents churning upon its head.

Its element was Sandrix—a wind-sand type element that excelled at attrition, wide area damage, battlefield control, grinding, and erosion.

Aezaleon activated the [Matter Absorption] ability on the five of them at the exact same time, just as he had planned.

The previous mystical process repeated. The translucent energy woven with black-white strands manifested, completely encompassing the dead bodies. It disintegrated them, compressing the created quantum energy particles into five distinctive spheres of power in a mere ten seconds.

As this compression was completed, the five energy balls shot directly into Aphryne’s chest the very next instant. Once more, the violent refinement cycle commenced.

She damaged her own body and healed it, she damaged it again and restored it, and she damaged it once more only to heal it again. Her face of absolute perfection remained entirely expressionless, flat, and cold. Her eyes were shut tightly. Her jaws were clenched. Her fists were clenched, her breathing grew tensed, and her back stiffened straight as a rod.

It was absolute pain, pain, and more pain! Yet Aphryne endured the torment, and she endured it remarkably well. Time marched on. Ten seconds. Thirty seconds. One minute. One minute and thirty seconds. Two minutes. Two minutes and thirty seconds.

At this exact instance, Aphryne opened her eyes. She began falling to her knees, or she would have, but Aezaleon was already there and caught her in his arms immediately.

"It was horrible!" she muttered in a meek, trembling voice. She buried her head deeply into his chest, her arms tightening over his back. She left the entirety of her physical weight on him because she was completely numb and powerless currently. Her whole figure was wet with sweat and her own blood. Yet, in spite of this, she did not smell foul. She retained her same distinctive, pleasant feminine scent, though it had become a bit thick and musky due to the presence of her blood.

This was a physical trait Aezaleon liked very much. It was the natural fragrance of his woman, after all.

"It’s alright," he murmured softly while caressing her purple-red head.

"Refining your core, damaging your body, and healing it simultaneously while enduring the pain and the heavy burden from the overflowing energy is no small feat. Controlling it, keeping it stabilized, all while also focusing on the information, understanding it layer by layer, organizing it from its disorganized state, and comprehending it—the strain must have been huge, too much to bear even for you. I can understand, so just relax for now!" His words were like a protective shield blocking out the lingering trauma of the refinement.

Aphryne merely nodded her head silently against his chest.

During this tender moment, the two sisters wisely did not disturb her.

Soon, five minutes passed in a calm silence in a mere blink of an eye. The four of them, relaxing in each other’s presence, did not even notice the rapid passage of time.