The battle of wills raged for hours.
Neither side could gain a decisive advantage. The dragon's consciousness was immensely powerful, but it was incomplete and could do nothing against an soul that's already fewrelsss and corrupted.
Time passed and faded into obscurity and Levi seems to have turned numb at this moment.
Eventually, gradually, the dragon's pressure began to weaken. Not because it was giving up, but because the extraction process was consuming more and more of the heart's physical structure. As the heart shrank, the residual consciousness had less material to anchor itself to. It was being starved of its foundation.
The attacks became periodical, then occasional then it became rare.
Finally, it stopped entirely as the dragon's consciousness faded.
The last thing Levi sensed from it was a feeling of resentment, before everything went silent.
Levi who was soaked in sweat and blood dripping from his orifices heaved a sigh of relief. He was thoroughly exhausted.
