Chapter 13: The Ultimate Ability Awakens

It had arrived.

Just as in his previous life, the storm and the black smoke merged, becoming one. It was like a black tempest born of nature itself.

“Brother Zhang Luan… what do we do?”

Nan Fenghua stared blankly at the terrifying black smoke storm. In her understanding, such a dreadful entity was utterly unconquerable.

“What do we do? Chill out, of course. Why panic? It’s just a storm.”

Zhang Luan’s face radiated an unknown confidence. Logically, even with the absurd power of the Stars Ablaze, he shouldn’t be able to fight freely within this storm. The most sensible course of action would be to avoid its edge and leave.

Yet, Zhang Luan thought otherwise. He gripped his longbow, his face alight with exhilaration.

In his past life, when confronted by the old man’s storm, he could only cower from afar, watching helplessly as players were wantonly slaughtered.

But now, as one reborn, if he still felt fear before a mere elder of a cult, then what was the point of his continued existence?

“It’s time. Ultimate Ability.”

Indeed, he had staked everything on his Ultimate Ability. Under normal circumstances, the time it would take for his Ultimate Ability to awaken another power was unknown.

Waiting was not an option.

So, he resorted to a second method: battling an opponent far beyond his current strength. He would use the pressure of impending death to push his subjective desire for power to its peak, thereby forcing his Ultimate Ability to continuously break through and awaken under such immense duress.

Terrified, Nan Fenghua clutched Zhang Luan’s wrist, pulling the Spicy Hotpot of the God of Cookery onto her head.

The sight was somewhat comical, yet it was the best way to give herself a sense of security.

As the black-ash storm enveloped them, scorching black ash relentlessly pelted Zhang Luan.

Nan Fenghua, however, was spared thanks to the pot. All the black ash seemed to avoid her, unable to touch her. After all, it was a legendary item, bound to possess some extraordinary properties. In a way, Nan Fenghua had accidentally protected herself.

Even without such an item, as the Saintess of Akamana, she would have been saved by her deity if she sustained a fatal injury. There was truly nothing to fear.

Observing Zhang Luan’s actions from the center of the storm, Elder Mohong watched as he stood there, completely undefended, taking the brunt of the ash. A triumphant smile spread across his wrinkled face.

“Excellent, excellent. To die so obediently beneath my black-ash storm, you haven’t lived in vain, hahahahaha.”

He laughed raucously, completely oblivious to the strange light slowly emerging beneath Zhang Luan’s skin. Mysterious runes were carving out a sanctuary for him and Nan Fenghua in the space around them.

Zhang Luan opened his eyes, a faint blue light shimmering brightly before softly fading. He had succeeded.

[Spatial Creation]: Creates a spatial layer at a designated location, isolating everything outside of it. Analyzes spatial energy and coordinates. Can be used for effects such as Banishment, Flash, and Distortion. Other spatial abilities can be self-conceived and created. Attaches a single fixed-point projection effect to all items covered by Spatial Creation. Upon projection, it triggers a spatiotemporal ripple, which can either deal true damage or increase the speed of all units within the range by 20%.

This was his newly awakened ability, Spatial Creation—in simpler terms, the power to manipulate space.

Zhang Luan flipped his left hand, and a distorted spatial orb trembled in his palm. Through this orb, he seemed to see shattered mirrors intricately woven together. The sensation was peculiar, yet looking at it for too long made him uneasy.

“What is that? It’s so pretty… but it also feels so dangerous.”

Nan Fenghua, standing nearby, gazed curiously at the orb in Zhang Luan’s hand, hesitating to touch it. However, her instincts warned her that something so beautiful would surely bring trouble if she made contact.

“Smart of you for once. It is indeed dangerous, but not for me. Hey, hold onto my pot. Once I deal with him, I’ll take you home.”

“Home… home!”

Nan Fenghua’s face instantly flushed crimson. Her mind conjured images of herself bringing Zhang Luan back to the temple, marrying him, and even what they might do that night…

‘Ugh~’

The pain on her face jolted Nan Fenghua awake. Zhang Luan was pinching her cheek, a hint of exasperation in his eyes.

“Are you an idiot? Why are you spacing out at a time like this?”

“S-sorry!” (＞人＜；)

“Hold on tight to me.”

At the storm’s core, Elder Mohong finally sensed something amiss. With the power of the black-ash storm, the boy and the saintess should have long been incinerated to cinders.

Yet, they appeared completely unharmed, as if the surrounding elements were not terrifying black ash but a refreshing breeze. This realization only deepened his fury.

“Damn it! I’ve lived for centuries! How could I possibly fail to kill two mere brats?! This is impossible! Yes, my output must be too weak! More, more, more!!!”

Elder Mohong’s flesh swelled, his mutated body bursting through his clothes. His grey-green skin was clearly no longer human.

He was a monster.

The black-ash storm grew hotter and fiercer, its rotational speed reaching astonishing levels. Yet, Zhang Luan stood calmly in place, and even the adorable burden beside him, Nan Fenghua, remained completely unscathed.

He stood there with an air of composure, as if mocking Elder Mohong’s weakness. The more he did so, the more frenzied Elder Mohong’s rage became.

If he were in his normal state, he would have already prepared for escape, but in his mutated, altered flesh form, he was consumed by pure, unadulterated fury.

“Blast it! I refuse to accept this!!”

More black ash surged from his body, even blood bursting from overexerted vessels. The black ash condensed into strange arms, reaching out rapidly towards Zhang Luan.

Since a simple combination of black ash and storm couldn’t suppress the boy, he would personally seize them. With his swift arm ability, he was certain to immobilize them.

But he seemed to have forgotten one thing.

As the black ash flames surged across the sky, Zhang Luan swept his hand, and a wall of Stars Ablaze instantly repelled all the black-ash arms. The arms ignited immediately, and the flames began to extend back towards Elder Mohong.

His pupils contracted. He severed his connection with those arms again, but it was a step too late.

The fire, fueled by the wind, was already burning on his mutated body.

But this time, Stars Ablaze was not the protagonist; Spatial Creation was. He raised his arm, aiming at Elder Mohong, who was still trying to deal with the flames on his body. Space continuously analyzed and reassembled in Zhang Luan’s eyes, eventually forming an absolutely precise path.

The longbow was drawn to its fullest, but this time, what was shot forth was not an arrow, but a genuine longsword. Spatial Creation adhered to it, coordinates were set, Stars Ablaze served as fuel, and spatiotemporal fluctuations were ready. With a spiral arrow, spatiotemporal ripples, and a blade imbued with power, Zhang Luan himself didn’t know how much damage this strike would inflict.

‘Should I give this move a name? Perhaps…’

[Stars Ripple Spiral Holy Blade]?

‘How chuunibyou~’

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