Chapter 241 â New Powers
DING!
[Applying the x10,000 effect.]
And so, it began.
The affinities.
[You have obtained the affinities: Void (Half-Ascension rank), Space (Half-Ascension rank), Light (Half-Ascension rank), Order (Half-Ascension rank), Justice (Half-Ascension rank), Shadow (Half-Ascension rank), Invisible (Half-Ascension rank).]
CRACKâ!
The space around Noah shattered as the overwhelming surge of power erupted. Countless visions flickered in and out of existence, as if the affinities themselves were bleeding into realityâmanifesting their presence, asserting their will.
In one breath, the world turned into unfathomable darkness.
In the next, it flooded with blinding divine light, as if Justice itself had taken root.
Then it became pure Void. Then Order. Then Invisible.
And on and on.
But through it all, Noah didnât even blink.
His gaze remained fixed, calm, focusedâhis entire being attuned to the new forces blooming within him. The moment he obtained them, he felt itâsomething was missing. But now wasnât the time to think about that.
He turned his attention back to the system.
The physiquesâ
[You have obtained the physique: Epitaph of the Unseen Emperor.]
[You have obtained the physique: The Prime Arbiter.]
[You have obtained the physique: Tenebris Monarch.]
[You have obtained the physique: Voidheart Sovereign.]
CRACKâ!
His body crackedâhis bones, his skin, his very structure writhing with unfamiliar forcesâforces so vast they defied logic.
Noah remained expressionless.
He remained seated, cross-legged.
Still focused entirely on the panel before him.
The bloodlinesâ
[You have obtained the bloodline: The Eonian Tribunal.]
[You have obtained the bloodline: Nightborne Covenant.]
[You have obtained the bloodline: The Nihilblood Kin.]
And finally...
The Titles.
[You have obtained all the titles at x10,000 from all five women.]
Then without pause,
[Brace yourself. The transformation begins.]
Instantly, a pain unlike anything before exploded inside Noah.
Unfathomable.
His vision blurred, his consciousness shaken. His body twisted and contorted as new forces ripped through him. One moment, he looked like the Void itselfâendless and silent. The next, he was divine light incarnate, with a sigil of scales burning on his forehead. Then came shadowâan abyss so dense it devoured the light itself.
One by one, and layer by layer, Noah felt his entire being reshape, evolve, ascend. He didnât scream. He didnât groan.
He clenched his jaw and endured.
The transformation dragged onâminute after excruciating minuteâbefore it finally ceased.
Noah lay on the ground, breathing shallowly.
His body now held,alongside the Elysiari bloodline, three new bloodlines of such depth and strangeness they seemed to protest their own coexistence.
The Elysiari bloodline, in particular, throbbed in agitation.
Noah gave a weak smile.
"Just wait until I finish... and youâll eat to your heartâs content," he whispered.
As if understanding him, the agitation stilled immediately.
He chuckled faintly, then focused again.
There was something bothering him. Something subtle, but unmistakable.
The affinities.
"Whatâs Half-Ascension rank?" he asked aloud, "And why do I feel itâs... not complete?"
[The Ascension Rank is the stage that comes after Transformation Rank.]
[At Transformation Rank, you embody the affinityâyou become it. But at Ascension Rank, you go beyond that.]
[You take the affinity and transcend itâunlocking a unique, personal evolution.]
[For example, if you reach Transformation with Fire, you become Fire. But at Ascension, that Fire may evolve into something like Soulfireâa flame that burns only the soul.]
[It is not a talent. It is not a skill. It is an affinity that has broken past its limitations and birthed a higher, unique version of itself.]
[So for your affinities to reach the Ascension rank, you have to choose each of them their evolution path.]
Noah listened closely.
His eyes slowly lit with realization.
Still, he asked for confirmation, "And if you create a brand-new affinity... will it be available for others to use?"
[Only if you allow it. As a World Dominator, you can erase or add affinities to the world you control.]
[And if you allow others to use your new affinityâyou will benefit. Their insights will flow back to you, strengthening you.]
[This also applies when you create laws and bind them to your worldâor, later, the entire universe.]
[And yes, Ascension-rank affinities can help you forge your Law. They can be the very foundation.]
[And at Law Creator Rank, you no longer wield affinities... you wield Laws.]
[If you do not transform your affinities into laws, then you will lose them.]
Noah fell silent.
His eyes closed briefly, his thoughts swirling.
"This is getting complicated," he murmured inwardly.
But it wasnât. Not really.
At Ascension, he would create his own version of an affinityâsay, Soulfireâand then eventually evolve it into the Law of Soulfire.
That was the path forward.
Clean.
Straight.
The only problem?
Noah had too many affinities.
"This is hell," he thought, already tired just imagining the task ahead.
But that didnât mean he would surrender to it.
No. If the issue was having too many affinities,
Then he would create one affinity that encompassed all of them.
He had the Aeon Vein for that. But it was no longer enough.
He needed to evolve it. Sharpen it. Transcend it.
Just the thought made his mood improve.
He stood again, then sat cross-legged with renewed focus.
"First, letâs copy the talents," he said to himself. "Then fuse all the bloodlines into mine. Then all the physiques into my Prime Physique."
"And after that... create one unique affinity to house all the rest."
He paused for a moment.
"And then..."
"Iâll make life-saving talents, barriers, artifacts, and anything else I can think ofâfor my wives and my close ones."
He had learned his lesson with Sari.
He wouldnât repeat the same mistake.
Butâ
"I donât think thatâs enough..."
"Should I create a new type of beingâone that holds a fragment of my powerâand assign them to their shadows to guard them?"
"No... Still not enough."
"...Maybe I could make their souls undying. And their bodies untouchableâunless Iâm the one touching them..."
Noah frowned, thinking deeper.
"...But I donât think I have that kind of power yet."
"Fuck it."
He continued brainstorming for two whole hours, determined to ensure their safety.
After that, when he had collected a satisfying list of ideas and solutions, Noah finally began.
"Copy all the talents from these fiveâunless I already have them."
He activated Copycat.
And soâ
"Soulfade, Celestial Vein Sight, Child of Nihilism, Throne of Shadows, Judgment of Light..."
He muttered the new talents, one after another.
All of them pulsed inside him, radiant and immense.
All of them,
Paragon Rank.
âEnd of Chapter 241â