Blazing red. Murky darkness.
Werther lay buried in a mass of pure white ice crystals.
His body heat had melted a wide swath of ice, creating a small pocket in the nearly sealed space around him.
His fingers twitched twice, and Werther slowly woke.
"What is this?"
Werther tried to sit up and look around, but searing pain shot through every part of his body.
Crack, crack.
Ice began breaking above Werther's head.
He looked up with difficulty. A sharp claw made of diamond reached into the ice cave where he lay.
The King of the Sky had dug straight through Ice Island, creating a large air hole. Otherwise, Werther would already have suffocated.
He had survived, and the enhancement had succeeded.
It was good news, but Werther could not bring himself to feel happy.
The violent energy that had strengthened his Armament Haki had badly damaged his body.
Through his Observation Haki, Werther sensed just how terrible his condition was.
Many of his internal organs were burned, and much of his body was charred.
Werther looked as though he had spent a long time soaking in magma.
Despite the severity of his injuries, he was not too worried. This was why he had chosen to strengthen his Armament Haki first.
Raising it to level nineteen had already put him through hell. He could imagine what level twenty would do.
Werther had absorbed 7,560,000 Life Force from inside Zunesha. Strengthening his Armament Haki had used two million, leaving him with more than five million.
Though Werther was awake, his mind was still foggy.
He forced himself to focus and used the Black Ring to check his condition.
``` Thunder Core (11)
(This ability's level can be enhanced with Life Force.)
[Swordsmanship (20)]
Awakened
(A technical skill; cannot be enhanced with