Hikel was correct in his assumption that the power Jim harnessed came from the crystals. What Jim was attempting was a feat that perhaps only the greatest of minds, such as Richard, Vincent, and Logan, could achieve. However, none of them possessed the same level of madness or obsession that drove Jim relentlessly towards his goals. With Jim's original body dead, his current body was nothing more than a clone. As a result, his original power and abilities had been lost. In order to maintain his body's functionality, he required nest crystals. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺 These enigmatic crystals had little to no research conducted on them. Intrigued by their mystery, Jim was able to obtain a number of them, thanks in large part to the Marpo Cruise. The cruise ship was renowned throughout the universe, frequented by those who possessed vast amounts of crystals and wealth. It served as a sanctuary for individuals seeking to hide from enemies, escape their home planets, or simply embark on a journey across the cosmos. Initially, the cruise ship was a creation born from the collaboration between Jim and Jack. Its primary purpose was to help them survive and establish their own lives. The success of the cruise ships was merely a byproduct of their endeavors, but there was an underlying problem that demanded a solution. His partners - Pine, the Dalki; his fellow clone who aided him in his prison escape; Malik, who possessed unique abilities; and, of course, Jack - all had limited lifespans. If the nest crystals could help him, then perhaps they could also be used to extend the lives of his fellow partners. After all, nest crystals held the power to create life. They gave birth to formidable beasts that could evolve into demon-tier creatures, living for tens of thousands of years. Additionally, they played a crucial role in producing the human blood that vampires had feasted on for centuries. So why couldn't they be used to extend the lives of his partners? In the past, Jim had harnessed the power of the nest crystals in conjunction with his equivalent exchange ability. This enabled him to accomplish extraordinary feats that would typically necessitate an immense exchange by merely utilizing the energy stored within the crystal. Although the crystal did not provide an endless single-use output, it appeared to hold a boundless energy supply, continuously replenishing the energy from an unknown source. Deprived of his unique ability, Jim was compelled to delve deeper into the potential uses and power of the crystals. His research proved fruitful, and he made significant progress, unfettered by the constraints of vampire society and the fear of retribution for his radical methods. The Dalki became the first of many subjects for Jim's experiments. Following the end of the war with Graham, a small group of Dalki had surrendered during the hostilities. They coexisted with humans and vampires until their deaths. However, the story did not end there, as research into the Dalki and nest crystals persisted. After considerable effort, Jim achieved success. Theoretically, the dragon responsible for creating the Dalki must have originated from a beast crystal. Humans were also capable of being cloned, so why couldn't Jim continue to create the Dalki, substituting the dragon's energy with that of nest crystals? Although the process was time-consuming, Jim ultimately succeeded. Nevertheless, the Dalki remained flawed; they possessed a brief lifespan and were incapable of reproducing. Despite these setbacks, Jim managed to amass an army for himself. After employing the crystals to extend the lives of his teammates and the newly created Dalki, they established the Marpo cruise business. His obsession with nest crystals never ended there, though. The major problem had always been acquiring a large number of them. Once again, the byproduct of the Marpo Cruise was the fact that he could obtain a significant quantity. With so many races traveling through the Marpo Cruise, there would also be others in the universe who possessed nest crystals, studying their properties or finding other uses for them. Jim would take these nest crystals by force or use the massive wealth he had gained to acquire them. At times, if there were rumors about nest crystals on planets, they would send out teams of powerful Dalki, who were almost unmatched, to obtain them. This was how Jim was able to amass a large supply and take his research a step further. Embedding the crystals into his body as before, Jim was learning how to harness their energy for himself. It was a different type of research he wasn't used to, because he had to experiment with his own body rather than machinery. However, in a sense, he could now find a way to use the crystals to empower his body to do things it could never do before. He wasn't particularly skilled at it, his techniques in drawing out energy were horrendous, and he wasn't a natural. Yet, what did it matter? Even if he could only draw out a small amount of energy from the nest crystal to make his body stronger, he would simply use more crystals to achieve the desired effect, and that was precisely what he had done. Jim lifted his foot off Magnus, who still had a sour expression on his face as if he had tasted something awful. But Jim didn't care; he knew now that this leader would fall in line. Returning to his previous spot, he picked up his coat from the floor and draped it back over himself. The smile on his face showed that he was now in a somewhat better mood. "I assume there are no longer any problems. If so, why is everyone standing around? Move out!" Jim shouted, prompting the others to spring into action. Magnus, while traveling through the city, couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. The humiliation he had revived reminded him of a past. A past that he wasn't proud of and where he had failed. Failed at controlling the vampires. What was worse was the fact that Jim had used his words against him. He was there during the war Magnus had created, and he had the same thing to those that were against him. 'I wanted to kill him right there and then. I would have, so why did you stop me?' 'Because we need him to cause more death in this world,' the voice responded. 'Through his goals, he will be trying to rise and face them. Remember, in the first place, it is because of us that he is even aware of the Celestials existing.' 'As long as he believes they can give him what he wants, then he will continue to push. He will meet his end, whether it's by our hand or not. We must focus on our own task.' Magnus gritted his teeth as he decided it was the right thing to do. 'As you wish, Immortui.' **** For updates for MVS and future works please remember to follow me on my social media below. Instgram: Jksmanga P.a.t.r.e.o.n jksmanga Discrod: discord.gg/jksmanga When news of MVS, MWS or any other series comes out, you will be able to see it there first, and you can reach out to me. If I'm not too busy, I reply back.