Transmigrated with my corruption system

Chapter 178: Chapter 178: You can’t run from yourself

Sensing the surprised glints in their eyes, Ulric ignored them as he sank deeper into his thoughts.

With every step his power grew, he had come to find that the fear of those around him grew as well. Not even some of his enemies dared address him like this.

From another person’s perspective, some would call it bravery. Others, foolishness. But Ulric didn’t care much about it. He just found it... a little intriguing. Nothing more, nothing less.

Crouching slightly, the grin on his face widened as he slowly let out a faint breath.

"Tell me, what is your name... little girl?"

At the youth’s words, the grey-robed girl’s eyes narrowed as her fists clenched tightly.

She wanted to retort and say she wasn’t a little girl. The way she looked, they appeared to be almost the same age. If anything, she was willing to bet she was even a little older than the figure before her.

But she swallowed those thoughts as she felt Elira’s gaze settle on her.

Besides, in the realm of Arcadia, age barely mattered when it came to power.

With all those thoughts circling at the back of her mind, she reluctantly opened her mouth, a pout forming across her face.

"My name is... Astra."

Repeating the name beneath his breath, the grin on Ulric’s face softened.

"Interesting name," he muttered.

Before his figure flickered away, appearing before Elira, who was now drawing out a sigh of relief.

With great power often came great pride. Not that the youth didn’t have any, it was just the way he bore it. What others would have considered a grave threat, he only saw as a joke. Or perhaps his power was so great that it held no meaning to him.

Whatever the case, it was rare to find figures like him who hadn’t been corrupted by power.

Or at least, she thought so.

Unaware of the thoughts brewing inside the sprawled figure’s mind, Ulric’s eyes slowly lit up as he pieced the puzzle together.

At first, his intention had been to find the figure who had infiltrated his mind space, figure out how, and eliminate her before she could do it again.

Now that a few of his questions had been answered, he found himself curious about one thing.

"Tell me... what did you see of my future?"

Looking back, he could understand part of her earlier gestures, how her head had suddenly jerked up and her eyes had lit up with a bone-white sheen.

She had seen something. And now he wanted to know what.

"I... can’t..." Elira breathed, forcing the words from her throat as her chest heaved heavily. Every movement seemed to cause her great pain.

Her words were meant to snuff out his curiosity, but they only fueled it.

Sensing his hardened gaze, Elira tried again.

"Not everyone can withstand the burden of their future."

She spoke, trying to dissuade him.

Some things were better left unseen. Something even great powerhouses realized, which was why they refrained from poking at mysterious forces.

Besides, in most cases, perception drove reality. Once one saw their future, it almost always set it in stone, making it unchangeable.

Hearing her words, Ulric only smiled as he cut her off.

"True, but doesn’t that mean you can’t run from yourself?"

If he didn’t see it, or if he did, wouldn’t it change nothing?

"Huh?" Elira breathed, a little stumped by the youth’s train of thought.

Did he think she had never considered this before?

The essence of fate wasn’t as simple as he made it out to be.

***

Just as she opened her mouth to tell him this, she suddenly paused.

The words stuck in her throat as she saw the glint of determination flashing across his eyes.

No matter what she said, he wasn’t going to change his mind, was he?

"Fine," Elira exhaled after finally calming the raging thoughts within her.

Maybe the youth before her was different.

At least everything about him pointed to that.

She just hoped he understood what he was truly asking for.

Raising one arm, she moved to clutch his shoulder.

But she suddenly stopped midway as she sensed his gaze sharpen.

She wanted to smile, but couldn’t.

Even if she wanted to harm him, she didn’t have the power to.

The power of seers was limited strictly to observing.

But she couldn’t blame him. The fear of the unknown was indeed a peculiar thing.

"How about I show you instead?" she offered.

Nodding slowly at her words, Ulric moved to grab her hand.

He doubted she would be able to touch him even if she wanted to.

Not that he had a mystical barrier protecting him, but he could sense there was little energy left inside her body.

The fact that she was still able to speak was already shocking.

As their hands made contact, Ulric watched as her soft dark eyes vanished, replaced by an eerie white color.

But he didn’t have time to stare for long.

His vision suddenly blanked out.

In the next moment, Ulric was no longer atop the large building overlooking the city.

His figure appeared once more in the familiar white room.

Filled with shimmering screens, all tied together by golden threads.

He could once more see the past, the present, and even more...!

The wall that had obstructed him before was gone, shattered into countless fragments.

The shimmering screens displaying his future had become crystal clear.

For a moment, Ulric wanted to break into a fit of maniacal laughter at the realization.

But he couldn’t.

His figure remained locked within a pocket of time, reducing his existence to that of a mere observer.

The visions crashed into him from every direction.

The past. The present. And the future.

Countless possibilities overlapped and intertwined, obscuring his view of the greater picture.

Yet what little he managed to see was already more than enough.

The longer he watched, the more his head nodded in approval.

It was all unfolding exactly as he had envisioned.

His power continued to rise as he ventured across the world, diving headfirst into endless adventures and opportunities.

There were obstacles. Powerful enemies. Near-impossible trials.

But they were all hurdles he found a way to overcome.

Everything progressed smoothly. Perhaps a little too smoothly.

He could even see himself standing atop the realm of Arcadia, wielding power beyond anything he had once believed possible.

The vision suddenly changed as the glowing threads dimmed and the countless screens flickered.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed a darkness beginning to form.

A darkness unlike anything he had ever seen, felt, or imagined.

It was so overwhelming that it almost seemed brighter than light itself.

Yet none of that mattered.

In the next instant, it spread across the realm.

Devouring everything in its path. Cities. Kingdoms. Lives. Hope.

Leaving him utterly alone as it consumed everything he had ever cared for.

And just as anyone might expect, he watched the catastrophe shatter his very being.

The man he once was disappeared.

In his place remained nothing but a weapon of destruction, driven solely by vengeance for a goal forever beyond his reach.

As the full weight of the vision dawned upon him, Ulric violently tore himself free.

He couldn’t take it anymore.

His eyes blazed with a crimson sheen as a portion of his aura exploded outward, crushing everything around him while he muttered repeatedly beneath his breath.

"No... it can’t be... that’s not..."

That wasn’t his future. Or at least not how it was supposed to be.

Instead, it felt like an amalgamation of his worst nightmares.

Wielding great power, yet still unable to protect those he cared for.

Watching helplessly as everything dear to him was taken away.

Only to be left alone in the end.

He only snapped out of his daze a few seconds later when the sound of strained breathing echoed into his ears.

Turning slowly, he could see microfractures racing across the ground from the pressure he had unknowingly unleashed.

At the side, Astra lay collapsed on the ground, a shard of fear engraved deep within her.

She had known the figure before her was powerful.

Just not this powerful. That his unchecked aura alone was more than enough to crush her to death if he wished to.

Seeing the destruction he had caused, Ulric opened his mouth to speak.

Before suddenly freezing. He had so many questions.

When he had asked her to peer into his future, he had done so expecting glimpses of a few hours or days at best.

Not this. He had a feeling not even powerful seers could do what she had.

It simply didn’t make sense.

Yet it felt eerily real. He wanted to refute it.

The future was not born from fate alone. It was forged by countless choices.

A single thought became an action.

An action became a consequence.

A consequence became a path.

And countless paths intertwined to shape what was yet to come.

Such was the nature of the future.

But instead, he only said:

"Y-you’re... dying."