"Heh." Claire chuckled. A sad look flashed in her eyes as she excused herself. "I am beat, talk later." She went to her room for the rest of the day. 'Why do I feel so funky?'
"Everything ok?" Max asked. Claire was usually down for whatever. "Did I forget an anniversary or a promise?"
*Woosh!* A gust of wind formed. It was Gaia with a ver determined gaze. Some of them were use to her appearing as of late. As if wanting to make sure they were all fine with Max not there.
"Who is the lady?" Corben asked stunned. He felt a warm feeling. As if he was currently held by his own mother. Which was weird since he did not like her much. "She is really pretty Wayne."
"Gaia, the very spirit of the Earth. It is nice to meet you John Corben. I look forward to who you become now." Gaia moved to Max with a sense of purpose. "I have something to discuss with you. After you finish with Helena of course."
"Helena is here!?" Selina asked shocked. She was not aware due to everything going on. She looked around not seeing her though. "Why didn't she come out? She asleep Max?"
"In a critical state of her cultivation." Max said dryly. "Check your phone for any missed messages. I will be back in a bit." Max went back to the medical room. Gaia following behind.
"So the spirit of the earth just drops by..." Felicity just stood there processing everything. "..neat. Next, you are gonna say Royalty and Martians just drop by." As if the Universe want to mess with her, that is exactly what happened.
*Woosh!* A man flew in from the balcony. It was Teth Adam.
*Phase!* A man appeared from the back wall with a young teen kind of. Both were green-skinned. The Martian Manhunter and Ms.Martian.
"Holyshit!" Felicity almost squealed. "No freaking way. Actual like Aliens!"
"Yeah.. defintely the most exciting day of my life." Corben mumbled.
"Wait till you fight against evil demons and cultists." John chuckled. "Hehe, then you are definitely part of the club."
"Crap! I missed a call from Helena!" Selina just finished the voicemail. The gunshots and the panting was more than enough to make her worry. "I can't believe it."
"Easy honey." Her mother Maria grabbed to comfort her. "Helena will be fine. Trust in that. You can not be everywhere at once. No one can. Even Max."
"But she is my friend, and I couldn't answer a stupid phone call when she needed me!" Selina said upset. Her mind was thinking the worse possible outcome. ot her fault entirely as she was feeling the different energies from when Helena was in the room earlier. Her guard went down when she listened to the voicemail. 'I screwed up! I crewed up!'
*Whack!* Mercy plucked her in the forehead. Knocking the unguarded Selina out cold.
"She was spiraling. Best to take her to her room." Mercy said cooly. "'She has been dealing with a lot lately."
Maria did just that. Staying with her for the rest of the day. The others moving about busying themselves.
"Well.. guess no party today." Felicity said simply.
"Nah we are having a party!" Harleen said excitedly. "We have even more reason to do so. Best way to lift spirits. Come on "brainy," you should be able to figure out that is what people need sometimes." Brainy was the nickname she gave Felicity.
Teth-Adam, Martian Manhunter, and Ms.Martian just helped about. They could speak with Max later really. It was not like the Earth was in danger or anything.
.
Helena's surgery-
.
As Max removed the more difficult bullets, he had to focus as Helena had taken this, of all times to breakthrough. He smelt the atmosphere had changed. Tinged with blood and not from her wounds.
The thing about Body Cultivation breakthroughs, they were very bloody. Sense blood powered everything for them in a way. Or going the scientific route, Platelets help the blood to clot. Clotting stops the blood from flowing out of the body when a vein or artery is broken. Red blood cells carry oxygen.
Which had energy from the soul. White blood cells ward off infection. Or make them immune to things in case of a body cultivator. As in Blood Doors to break open. And Blood Cultivators the remnants of other Body Cultivators that already failed to make it.
"Dammit Helena, why couldn't you wait till after your surgery?" Max had to remove the bullets while Helena kept punching out and kicking. "Such a difficult one you are, I swear!"
Making a lot of the wounds worse. If he attacked any of the manifestations two things would happen.
One, the difficulties would increase since Max is also a Body Cultivator. Two, self-doubt, and the doors might close on her. The next time she attempted to breakthrough, the doors would be at the level pass the current one. A smack in the face for faltering.
The body cultivators that manifested were basically a form of blood warriors. But the purest in every form of the word. Formed from previous Body cultivators from a single drop in death.
*Booom!* An explosion of air pressure went out as Helena closed her fist. In the air, several blood warriors were crushed by a hand manifestation. Her attainment in the field of the fist was extremely high.
So high she could manipulate forces of natural order to fight with. It would just leave her exhausted at the current level.
*Splat!* Blood splattered out. Glowing with energy.
The blood broke down and entered Helena's body. The richness was completely devoured by her own blood. Transforming it to a golden color. A drop of Helena's blood could revive a regular person if she so wished.
"That is why you love me though." Helena grinned as the table she was own moved around thanks to Max as he moved over to remove the bullets from her stomach when he bumped into it. Not enough to cause a problem though. Half dissolved by her stomach acid, making it difficult with the moving. "Not like I could really wait till later and make it through."
"She has a point." Gaia added in. Her eyes watching everything as she stood in place. A barrier around her making sure her presence didn't change anything. She was fond of Helena a lot. As much as she cared for Mercy and Claire. 'Only the future will tell if she can go the distance like others before her.'
The blood warriors attacked ferociously. Helena was attacked with abandon. Fuel by a determination to improve. Especially after her recent altercation.
*Schlick!* A spear cut through Helena's leg. Pinning her in place. Max couldn't move the bed any more with out that causing a problem. Unless Helena removed the spear from her leg. She did one better though.
"Haaaaa!" She pushed her blood and muscles. Snapping the spear in two places. Her hands now bloody from breaking the treasure level items. The sentient spirit that was inside tried to flee. "Oh no you don't!" Helena always struck back viciously.
With a grab at the air, the spirit was destroyed brutally. The residual energy that remained for the spirit itself, she sent towards Max.
Which Max would give her something of the equivalent rank for her later. Helena was very calculating when doing certain tasks.
"Grrrrooo!" A blood warrior that was a giant mountain of a man attacked. Which was true in several aspects of his description. A sentient mountain that gained human form is dangerous. "Collapsing World!" The voice reverberating in the air.
*Ripple!* The fabric of space folded then inverted. Looking much like a drop of water in a lake. But the lake was sending the drop outward instead.
Max couldn't defend himself. So he took the blow. Which he was glad that his body was very durable itself.
"Aaahhhhh!" Helena screamed in agony as her bones cracked all along her body. She finally looked at Max who continued to remove bullets from her body. 'He hasnt stop, so neither can I!' Circling the new golden blood, she recovered more.
*Scratch!* Helena's hands moved in front of her. She literally forced her cultivation to the limit. At the micro-level, her cells were strained beyond the limit. The blood warriors were cut into ribbons by an invisible knife. All the blood poured into her and was already spent.
*Bam! Bam! Bam!* She kicked out three times with her good leg. Destroying the Blood doors and those he tried to leave out of it. But something happens she was not expecting.
"Arrrrroooo!" The blood mountain cultivator bellowed "stealing" her chance to breakthrough in a way. It was a rare occurrence if the cultivator that was trying to do a breakthrough was to good. The Heavens all turned jealous in a way. But would never close all doors. Deafening this tribulation would give Helena more than she could dream of. "Worthy...you.. are.."
"Oh for boots in the cold!" Max cursed. He sped up removing the bullets in her upper chest cavity. Helen experienced fear at the worst of times. She flinched and moved abruptly. Causing a bullet to push pass her major heart valve it was lodged in. 'If I didn't know better, I would think our Breakthroughs were getting cursed or something.'
"No.. no. no!" Helena channeled her panic. Something she was good at in a pinch. Where she gets the will from, Max had know idea. She bit her thumbs and marked the back of her neck. She was putting her life on the line to do this. "Sorry if I fail Max!" It was not just a simple gesture.
The activation of an Oath to severe her own lifeline if she failed.
*Swirl!* The blood in her body pulled to the forefront. A bloody fist congealed then turned into an arrow. It fired at the mountain cultivator shattering it in a split second. The door behind it, however, stood sturdy. As if defiant from the otherside of it.
"It is not over Helena!" Max yelled at her. "Keep fighting! You have three minutes! Keep going!" Max moved faster removing the bullets. No longer caring about the actual damage to her body.
The breaks actually forced the blood from her marrow out that freshly formed.
Woozy, dazed, and drowsy, Helena actually stood up from the table. Max had to use mental energy to lock onto the bullets. Her body listening only to her will itself. The will to not die was strong. But her will to succeed was more than that.
*Chck!* The blood door opened audibly. Max froze in place at the manifestation that stepped out. For it was someone he knew very personally. It was a son of his. One from his 3rd life. A failure that Max hated more than cared for. The boy was arrogant and listened to know one.
Thinking he knew best about everything that dealt with body cultivation.
"Father!" The blood warrior had enough of himself inside to recognize Max. His very soul called out to his father. The sight of failing in front of him, was the spirit's biggest regret back then. But seeing Helena and how young she was, brought about his ire. "I will crush her!"
Max said nothing to it. Only out of the smallest trace of sympathy for the boy's mother for right now.
"Hah!" Helena gave a shout and punched out. The right side of her body disintegrated mostly. Leaving part of her bones and veins. Her very flesh sacrificed to fight. Another punch went out as her other arm vanished entirely. "Fight.."
*Bam!* The first blow tore apart the armor the blood warrior wore. He didn't flinch. *Bam!* The second blow sent him into the blood door, cracking it and freeing some of the power inside. He still didn't flinch.
That power went to Helena. Going to the strongest blood in the room. Especially with Max and Gaia suppressing themselves.
"Pathetic girl." The blood warrior said with a little disdain. Still holding his arrogance. His palm lifted up then flipped over. The space around Helena moved with it. Pushing against her so hard she couldn't move for a few moments. "Still standing." His foot went out pushing her low.
The things were getting to a bad point. But Helena was not done yet.