Chapter 189

Five hundred million souls—sacrificed in a single breath!

At that scale, the resulting power was more than enough to completely obliterate Kronoya!

And now—

that immense force—

was compressed into a single point at the spear’s tip!

This was the sixth killing technique Kanzaki Rei had conceived—

Extreme.

The destructive might of leveling a city—

focused into killing a single person.

Akagi roared, "Come!"

Kumironi frowned. "You people..."

Do they have to go this insane every time they fight?

Invincible Flow—Tenth Form: Godslayer Infinity!Godslayer Infinity—Godless Strike!

He raised his blade and reversed the slash!

Where the edge passed—

space itself collapsed!

BOOM!

The spear tip collided with the heavy, unsharpened greatsword!

A terrifying force erupted outward!

BANG!RUMBLE!

The entire arena shook violently!

But the tremor halted in an instant—

then surged again—

From the point of impact—

a ripple expanded outward!

Rei’s body burst into a cloud of blood—

yet in the very next instant—

reformed completely!

Rei did not yield.

Gripping his spear—

he refused to take even a single step back.

Akagi’s counterattack—

had reflected Rei’s own power back at him!

That strike had been capable of annihilating Kronoya—

Did Akagi’s blow possess comparable destructive force?!

A Level 6 Warrior...

was truly monstrous.

"Akagi!"

"This—"

Source—Reflection of the Past!

SHING SHING SHING SHING!

Four mirrors flashed into existence!

From four directions—

phantasmal projections of the Ring-Star Spear lunged toward Akagi!

Frost spread across his feet—

ice began to climb his body!

"—is my answer!"

At the spear’s tip—

soul-light compressed to a singularity!

BOOM!

The True Soul Detonation of 500 million souls exploded!

The battlefield convulsed—

At its center—

a massive vortex spiraled violently!

And then—

the four spears struck in succession!

What seemed like an all-out finishing blow—

was merely the beginning of an even more ferocious assault!

This child’s strength...

Even without relying on Sunken Continent monsters—

was terrifying.

Akagi felt pain ripple through his flesh.

That explosion—

had actually injured his body.

He had thought that was Rei’s final move—

yet four more followed immediately.

Surprise after surprise.

They had hunted so many Sunken Continent monsters together—

yet Rei still had hidden cards?

How much are you hiding, brother?

Just how serious do you want me to get?

A grin split across Akagi’s face.

BOOM!

A surging aura erupted from him!

"Enough!"

SHING!

A green barrier separated the two!

WHOOSH!

Emerald wind exploded outward!

The green gale wrapped around the four incoming spears—

sealing them into an enclosed space!

BOOM!BOOM BOOM BOOM—!

Rei sensed it clearly—

his four spear projections detonated inside a strange pocket dimension—

without affecting the outside world at all.

Kumironi stepped forward.

Blue ripples spread from her—

instantly calming both of them.

"The promotion is complete."

Her tone carried concern.

If they kept going—

there was no telling how many souls Rei would sacrifice next.

What if he escalated to billions?

Just imagining it gave her a headache.

And Akagi—

what was he even doing?

He was supposed to take a few hits—

not escalate into a full battle.

Even releasing killing intent?

He’d lost it.

Kumironi had already realized—

Rei might usually be calm, polite, even cautious to the point of seeming cowardly—

But once he started fighting—

he was a hidden battle maniac.

"That’s it?" Akagi rolled his shoulder."I kind of wanted to keep going."

Kumironi ignored him and turned to Rei.

"Little Rei, present proof of your combat experience."

Rei nodded.

Now that he had calmed down—

he remembered his purpose:

Advancing to a Level 4 Warrior—

not deciding life or death.

Besides—

Akagi might’ve been holding back—or cheating.

Rei had no interest in continuing.

Winning would come at a cost.

Losing would be meaningless.

And from what he’d gauged—

even going all out—

he might not be able to deal a lethal blow to Akagi.

With a casual motion—

Rei tossed out ten Sunken Continent monster corpses.

Soft light rose—

drawing their essence upward.

The bodies dissolved into particles.

This time—

Rei didn’t feel much regret.

There were always more monsters to farm.

But the scholars watching—

felt their hearts bleed.

Such valuable research material—

used as mere proof—

and then destroyed.

As the light ascended—

Rei noticed—

the Filth Worms had completely vanished.

So—

their existence in the real world was time-limited.

Even during his prolonged promotion—

they couldn’t remain indefinitely.

Rei’s perception shifted—

toward a corner.

In Izz’s hand—

a few faint Filth Worms were trapped.

Inside a miniature Origin spell—

like a glass sphere.

They collided repeatedly with the barrier—

unable to escape.

Izz stared at them, deep in thought.

This Origin spell—

shared the same source as the Filth Nest?

Strange.

Even stranger—

that others could theoretically learn it.

Though—

ordinary mages couldn’t.

Izz had even captured rogue mages—

forcing them to try learning it.

All failed.

Clearly—

not something just anyone could grasp.

And that "Filth Origin Nest" Rei had mentioned—

what exactly was it?

He had deciphered it from some book—

Yet when Izz read the same book—

he found nothing unusual.

Apparently—

only after solving the hidden puzzle—

did its true content reveal itself.

Which matched exactly what Rei had described.

At this point—

Izz was the one who might need to learn from Rei.

Meanwhile—

the trapped Filth Worms weakened—

their forms fading—

until they evaporated into nothing.

Izz frowned.

"They dissipate naturally?"

"So they can’t survive long in the real world?"

If so—

"Does that mean... if you run fast enough, you can avoid them?" Akagi asked, now standing beside him.

All the scholars turned.

Akagi blinked. "What? Why are you all staring at me?"

...

Run fast enough?

That was actually a brilliant idea.

Rei had thought of it too.

If the promotion ritual could be made mobile—

like a flying vessel—

Then as long as it moved fast enough—

the Filth Worms wouldn’t be able to catch up.

Given enough exposure—

they would naturally dissipate.

Izz nodded.

"Correct. More precisely—once we know this, our research direction can shift."

"We need to ensure the worms can’t reach the subject during the ritual."

"Speed is one method—but not the only one."

"Another approach... would be reducing their survival time in reality."

Yuna stepped forward, her voice soft but clear.

"If we understand why they can’t survive here—"

"we might identify the factor that kills them."

"And replicate it."

The discussion grew lively.

A healthy academic atmosphere.

Rei, however, didn’t join.

Instead—

he focused inward.

Level 4 Warrior.

His physical strength—

had surged dramatically.

The upper limit—

expanded massively.

Warrior advancement didn’t increase spirit—

only the body.

Pure.

Raw.

Power.

Warriors were simple.

Strength. Endurance. Combat.

Nothing else.

His new proficiencies—

two of them:

Warrior Proficiency—Peak State (Exclusive): When uninjured, greatly increased strength, defense, and rapid stamina recovery.

Warrior Proficiency—Rapid Regeneration (Exclusive): Recover from all injuries at extreme speed; the more severe the injury, the faster the recovery.

Perfect for him.

As long as he was injured—

he healed rapidly.

As long as he was uninjured—

his stats surged.

Given his regeneration—

remaining at peak condition was almost guaranteed.

Then—

his talent.

Comprehension (Extraordinary) → God-Tier: Awakening of Intent

Each month, gain two temporary Combat Intentions aligned with the month, and permanently apply one Lunar Intent to a chosen combat technique (stackable).

This Month’s Combat Intentions: Severing Thought, Unawareness

Lunar Intent: Forgetting

Rei absorbed the knowledge instantly.

Severing Thought—causes enemies to forget how to use skills mid-combat.

Unawareness—makes his actions nearly impossible to perceive.

As for Forgetting—

Applied to a technique—

it caused enemies to forget it existed.

Even after being struck—

they might not remember it.

If applied to body cultivation—

it enabled automatic, unconscious training.

But at LV: 301—

his body was already in constant operation.

So—

combat technique.

Better for assassination.

And then—

movement technique.

Skyflow—Fourth Form: Forget—Void

Entering the void—

causes enemies to forget who they were fighting.

Rei smirked.

No need to think.

This one.

He fused the Lunar Intent instantly.

Now—

he possessed four Combat Intentions simultaneously.

An absurd state—

anywhere.

Rei stepped forward—

and tapped Akagi’s back.

Akagi turned.

"...When did you get behind me?"

Rei asked, "You didn’t notice?"

Akagi shook his head.

"...Huh."

He looked forward again.

Wait—

who was I just talking to?

Rei appeared at his other side.

"And now?"

Akagi spun around.

"Whoa—!"

...

After repeated testing—

Rei confirmed:

Even a Level 6 Warrior—

was affected.

About 2–3 seconds of memory lapse.

Stronger opponents recovered faster.

Weaker ones—

would forget longer.

So—

this Lunar Intent—

was comparable to God-Tier effects.

Like Absolute Control or Soul Dominion—

even the strongest couldn’t ignore it.

A fragmented God-Tier ability.

Combined with Severing Thought and Unawareness—

he could potentially vanish mid-fight—

leaving enemies unaware combat even occurred.

Shame.

He wasn’t an assassin.

Otherwise—

this would be absurd.

Each month—

a new Intent.

Next month—

likely something tied to life and growth.

Perfect for body cultivation.

March—

Knowledge and Wisdom.

That would be... interesting.

Not very combat-compatible.

Still—

plenty of time.

This talent leaned toward long-term growth.

After 100 years—

1,200 Lunar Intents.

And they could stack.

Imagine—

stacking destruction intents onto one technique.

What would that become?

Warriors didn’t replace techniques like mages replaced spells.

They refined them—

evolved them—

forever.

Rei exhaled slowly.

Two Level 4 classes now.

Back in Rain Town—

he had watched Level 4 mages summon tornadoes—

Level 4 warriors charge into hordes—

and dreamed of that height.

Now—

he stood there himself.

Step by step.

Safe.

Steady.

Rei glanced toward the shadows—

where a familiar figure watched.

Leng Qingying.

He had caught up.

Next—

Level 5.

Catch Luluwe.

Warrior promotion complete.

Next—

Scholar points.

5,000... now 7,500?

That’s a lot.

Rei left the hall.

The scholars’ research—

he’d read the reports later.

They weren’t incompetent.

"Heh~ nice fight."

Qiu pressed herself against him again—

soft, unarmored.

Rei asked, "You’re joining the operation?"

"Of course!"

"I’m getting revenge!"

Good.

Determined.

Then—

Luluwe’s voice echoed in his mind.

"Rei, one of the people you told me to watch is making a move."

"Looks like some kind of evil ritual."

Rei followed her perception.

A disheveled black-haired woman—

kneeling in a ritual circle.

A communication ritual?

"Lord Havi... Qiu is still alive."

"The Life Church may interfere. Should we halt the ruin exploration?"

The ritual ended.

Ruins.

That word again.

The Skin-Stealers had mentioned it too.

Dangerous.

Possibly tied to divine anomalies.

Rei had no interest.

Too risky.

Missing an opportunity wouldn’t kill him—

but taking a risk might.

He turned to Qiu.

"That ruin... are you going?"

"...Yeah."

"The cult’s targeting it."

"Perfect place to ambush them."

Rei sighed internally.

They knew you were coming.

And you’re still going.

A trap waiting to be sprung.

High-risk job.

He’d have quit already.

Soon—

Kumironi and the others exited.

Next step—

wipe out the cult.

The Withered Rose—

would be eradicated.