Chapter 3730: Three Steps (Part 1) The Crone exhaled heavily and shapeshifted back into the Mother, looking at Ripha as if Solus had snatched first place at the school’s science fair from her Horsemen without even trying. "I’m sorry, you’ve lost me." Menadion wanted to gloat, but it was hard to do it when she had no idea what she was supposed to gloat about. "In what way did Epphy surpass your Horsemen? "She’s weaker than them, her tower doesn’t work away from a mana geyser, and she’s a lousy fighter." "Of course she is." The Mother snorted. "Epphy has gotten her human body back for how long? Three years? My Horsemen had millennia to master their skills, whereas Epphy has no memory of the twenty-eight years she lived with you. "We’re talking about the fusion, dumbass, don’t you remember?" "I do, but whatever your point is, it’s still unclear." Silverwing kept the liquor coming since Baba Yaga seemed to need it. "There are three main steps a Horseman must achieve to reach perfection. Manifestation, Fusion, and Assimilation." The Mother nodded a thank you and emptied her glass in one gulp. "What phase has Epphy reached?" Menadion asked. "All of them, or I wouldn’t be so bitter." Baba Yaga replied with a glare. "Can I continue without being interrupted for five minutes, please?" Silverwing and Menadion raised their hands in apology and mimed the gesture of sewing their lips. "Thank you." The Mother grunted. "Manifestation is what only Dawn has achieved so far, and it took her millennia! Her crystal is still bonded to Acala, but their connection is so deep that she can build a body for herself. "Not a construct, a hologram, or shapeshifting Acala’s flesh. A real body that’s no different from a living being. Ripha used the Manifestation process to allow the tower’s host to provide the life force and mana necessary to rebuild Epphy’s body, no matter how damaged it was." Menadion’s eyes widened in understanding, and she nodded for Baba Yaga to continue. "The second stage, Fusion, requires the Horseman and their host to merge into a single body. Again, it’s not about shapeshifting. According to my original design, the host had to be an undead. "This way, the fusion would grant the Horseman extra mass and the ability to gain even more by expending the life force stored in the blood core. It would allow the Horseman to fight on par with Divine Beasts and remove all the major flaws of my undead since the resulting fusion would have a second, healthy core." This time, it was Silverwing who gaped. Not only because she had witnessed Lith and Solus fuse, but also because she had gained a better understanding of the Horsemen’s potential. ’Gods-dammit! Ripha may have humiliated Yaga, but they both run circles around me. I’m nowhere near achieving anything so extraordinary. Even though I have achieved the white core, it doesn’t change the fact I’m the least accomplished mage at the table.’ Despite Silverwing’s best efforts, her humiliation was evident on her face. Menadion and the Mother pretended not to notice, but it was still a balm for Baba Yaga’s wounded pride. "Lastly, comes the Assimilation." The Mother continued her explanation without missing a beat. "The next and last step after achieving the Fusion between the Horseman and their host is for the steed and equipment to do the same. "I’ve kept my Horsemen’s mage towers simple because there was no need for powerful enchantments. I planned to infuse everything they needed in their Davross equipment and make it reach its full potential only after achieving the Assimilation step. "That’s why whenever one of my Horsemen brought a new host home, I altered their equipment with Creation Magic. The enchantments had to be tailored to amplify the current host’s talents and cover for their flaws. "Once all three steps have been taken, the sky is the limit." Baba Yaga raised her hands in a solemn gesture. "The final result grants even a bright violet cored host a power above any white core. It makes their equipment peerless. "It allows the Horseman to beat people like you, Lochra, easily. If the host reaches the white, a Horseman with Assimilation can stand their ground even against a Guardian!" "Great Mother almighty!" Menadion thought back on the fusion between Lith and Solus in the Fringe. At how the tower had become one with their armor and weapons, bringing the battle form of the tower beyond what Menadion had ever believed possible. "Epphy has reached Assimilation with Lith years ago. Whenever she fuses with Lith, the tower follows!" "Yeah." The Mother’s voice oozed with so much sarcasm that the rest of Mogar was left wanting. "Thanks for the recap." "Congratulations, Ripha." Silverwing stood up, shaking her friend’s hand before pulling her in an embrace. "Congratulations, Yaga." Then, she did the same to the Mother. "Know that I’m envious of you as you are of Ripha." "Thanks, child." The Mother caressed Silverwing’s hair. "At the risk of sounding the stupidest genius in the room, I have to ask." Menadion said once everyone returned to their seat. "How does Epphy achieving Assimilation with Lith give you absolute trust in him?" "I’m sorry, Ripha, but you do sound stupid." The Mother replied with no trace of malice or spite in her voice. "Think about it for a moment. Why do you think my Horseman never reached the first step, Manifestation? "Because they always enslaved and crushed their host under their heel, like Lochra thinks Lith has done to Epphy. Yet if that were possible, they wouldn’t have been stuck at square zero this whole time." "Are you telling me that..." Silverwing gasped, unable to complete the sentence. "Yes." The Mother nodded. "Manifestation requires perfect harmony. Not understanding or reluctant cooperation, but willing and total agreement. The life force of the host must be offered, it can’t be extorted. "On top of that, the trust between Horseman and host must run so deep that the host doesn’t resist the process even on the subconscious level. Fusion goes way past that and requires a communion of mind, heart, and body. "The Horseman and their host must want the same thing, think the same way, and fight with the same determination. Only then can two different beings overcome their differences and become one." The Mother left her words to linger in the air until her friends snapped out of their daze. "Assimilation is the reverse of Manifestation. While for Manifestation the host provides his mana and life force willingly, to achieve Assimilation, the Horseman must offer everything they have. Their crystal, their equipment, and their steed. "I want to be clear, neither side gives or takes anything. It’s not about trading one thing for another but about sharing. About giving yourself to the other because you want to, even if you risk being robbed blind. "That’s why Lith had my full trust since I witnessed his fusion with Epphy. None of it, from Epphy regaining her human body to becoming one with Lith, would have been possible if he didn’t care for her so much to offer everything he has to her. "At the same time, Epphy has also given her whole self to him. No slave collar or artifact can force you to do that.