Chapter 45: Chapter 45- Power
Chapter 45- Power
"AH!!! AAAAAAAH!!!" The fire immediately started eating Kaiser’s flesh as he cried in immense pain and tried to stop the fire. He felt it burning and eating his flesh. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?! STOP! WHY IS THE FIRE BURNING ME?!!!"
’Stop! Stop!!!’ He yelled in his head as he tried to cast his essence. However, he was shocked to realize that the fire wasn’t listening to him. Any Nar clan member would never be burned by this fire because they were blessed by the Divine Fire itself, so it would never hurt them.
Yet, for some reason, the fire refused to listen to him. His own divine fire was burning him and refusing to stop.
Zen, himself, was shocked to see that. Stepping back, he watched Kaiser roll around and cry in pain as he fought the fire. His flesh melted visibly, and his cries filled the entire chamber, sending shivers down anyone’s spine. It was a sight no normal person could handle. However, Zen’s eyes never wavered as he watched the man burn by his own fire.
After several moments of immense pain and struggle, his body stopped moving, and he lay there, smoke rising from his body as it was left in a black, charred state. His features were gone, and his skin had completely melted off, with some parts of his body turning hollow.
"..." Zen closed his nose to stop the burnt smell from invading his senses. "How ironic... The very thing you worship and work for killed you. Rot in hell, bastard."
[You have killed a Veteran Hunter.]
[You have gained +1500 Soul Points.]
[You have ranked up.]
Instantly, upon his death, Zen received several notifications as a ridiculous rush of strength invaded his body. It was a surge of power he had never experienced before in his life. Zen fell to the ground, his body experiencing something existential.
It was as if every bone, every cell, every muscle, and every single organ were transforming rapidly. He stared up, his heart racing. The sheer feeling of euphoria threatened to make him lose consciousness.
However, Zen clenched his teeth as he waited for the effect to slowly wane down. However, for several minutes, Zen felt as if he was evolving. All his injuries and pain vanished in a split second, and all that was left was immense power that made him feel like he was ready to bend the world to his will.
Eventually, the transformation stopped as he finally exhaled. Then, Zen slowly stood up and looked at himself in disbelief. His aura had increased by almost 10x. His physical power was on a completely different level.
"This ridiculous... I have actually killed someone who is so many levels ahead of me... This rune is some sort of joke..." Zen muttered as he clenched his fist and then unclenched it. "I’m already three ranks up... in several days. This is pure insanity. How is this even possible?"
The growth Zen had undergone in this short period of time had completely shocked him. Not even in his wildest dreams did he expect himself to grow so much. He had given himself several years to reach the level he wanted to reach and yet... He had done what would take people months in a week.
’This can’t be a coincidence. The Tower Of Athilium, and now this battle... It can’t all be a mere coincidence.’ He thought to himself. ’And then this rune...’
Zen opened his system again as he checked the rune again.
[Name: The Rune Of Reality.]
[Type: Creation]
[Level: ???]
[Evolution Requirement: ???]
[Description: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. For every power in this world, there is a counter. Your reality bends to your will while others watch in despair. This rune allows you to manipulate momentum to your will.]
"Momentum manipulation? Isn’t that a bit too far? It didn’t even specify what kind of momentum, so I can safely assume that it’s talking about all momentum. That truly could break the world if it becomes strong enough... I could already kill someone so much stronger than me because I could reverse their ability and send it back to them." He muttered. ’I’m sure it has its limits for now... But even then... This is still utterly ridiculous to even exist, let alone be used.’
Zen could only smile nervously at the idea of this ability being cultivated and strengthened. It will grow with him, and when it reaches a certain level, he is terrified to even imagine what it could do.
"But... Speaking of that... I actually took their rune. What the hell am I supposed to say to them?" He muttered. "Ugh, it doesn’t matter. I need to get back to Cipha immediately."
With that in mind, Zen looked behind him and then ran out of the chamber. The battle outside was still going, and he could sense it. He just hoped in his mind that Cipha would be ok.
***
"Hah... Hah... Hah..." Cipha leaned on her sword as she breathed heavily. Her heart was racing loudly in her chest, and her eyes were barely seeing ahead. She was completely and utterly exhausted. All around her, fire burned the forest wildly while the battle continued.
She watched the Wood Folks as they clashed with the Hunters. Several had fallen to the ground while the Hunters only had two fall for them. For the past few minutes, Cipha rampaged through the fire spawns. She was able to kill all of them with the help of the chief... But, it was not without its price.
Burn marks were visible on Cipha’s body. They were all deep enough to penetrate the skin. She swallowed the pain.
’This is not good... We can’t... We can’t keep going like this. They’re far too strong.’
"Die, Heavensoul girl!!"
As she tried to catch her breath, a Hunter attacked her violently. Using the rest of her power, she clashed with him as sparks flew everywhere around her.
"Hahahaha, you sure are tenacious for a little girl!" The man smiled wickedly as he pressed her back while Cipha fought to remain on her feet. Her teeth clenched tightly.
"Has anyone ever told you that your mouth smells horrible?" Cipha said before she suddenly let go of her sword and ducked down, sliding under him before kicking his leg. The man lost balance and fell before Cipha suddenly gripped her sword and stabbed his chest in one swift motion.
The blade sank into his chest and killed him on the spot. It all happened in a split second, before he could even realize.
"And your skills are equally horrible." She said as she pulled her sword out. As she looked up, she saw two hunters lock onto her as their eyes turned furious.
"..." Cipha felt as if her body was going to give up at any second. But, the fight was far from over. ’I need to remain on my feet until Zen comes out.’
It was brutally hard. But Cipha knew that Zen was going to come up with a solution.
"Get her!!"
"You fucking bitch! I will kill you!!!"
Before she could even finish that thought, the two attacked her at the same time. With a weakened body, Cipha lifted her sword and tried to take a solid stance.
’I won’t fall. Not now!’
