The compression and infusion process was there to give one’s will a particular nature, to define what it would become, and now came the main step, the fourth step, where one needed to shape that continuously moving nebula, which had just found its balance, into a petal like form that could act as a foundation.
Lotus petal was one of the most basic, easiest and the most stable forms one could shape their Immortal Seals into. Especially for the geniuses who were confident that they could form all the Nine Immortal Seals and give birth to the Nine Petal Lotus Immortal Seal.
Its true power was shown only when all the nine petals were present, because only then did the structure become complete and stable in its highest form.
And for those who were not confident in forming a Nine Order Immortal Seal, they chose a much more stable shape for their seal, something that could remain stable even with just a First Order Immortal Seal and would not collapse under imbalance.
Ash, without a doubt, chose the Lotus form.
It feels....quite amazing.....
Ash thought as he felt that he could move that nebula like form of Will with just his thoughts, and the response was immediate, as if that moving mass of Will was an extension of himself. It was like a puddle of slimy water that you could turn and shape however you liked without even touching it.
After all, it was his own Will, just given a different shape, thus moving it was very easy for him, but the reason he felt that it was amazing was because previously, although he could move his Will Power, the way he was doing it now was much more smooth and fluent, without any resistance or delay.
But he could not stop here, he had to move forward.
He started to mold that runic nebula Will into the shape of a petal and began compressing it once more, because now he had to turn the liquid into solid.
From gas to liquid and liquid to solid, the Will went through these phases, and going through these phases makes a person’s Will became more refined and smoother to operate, gaining both stability and density with each step.
But at that moment, Ash felt another obstruction, his will was resisting being compressed once more.
Which was a normal reaction, but along with that resistance, that terrifying pain returned once more, causing his body to shudder to the core but Ash did not lose focus and continued to put pressure on his Will.
As time passed, his Will once again started to cluster together under the continous pressure.
But this time, the process was much slower than earlier because of the density of his Will, but the pain was also less than before. Maybe because, he had already gone through it one time, he felt more at ease.
huuufffff...its okay, this much pain is much more bearable....although....I guess this step would be the longest step looking at how slow the will is being compressed....
But after that thought, Ash’s mind became solely focused as he entered the Flow state once more, which had been broken earlier after the infusion process, and his consciousness began to move in a steady rhythm, ignoring everything else.
Alas, unbeknownst to him, something else was happening with him at the center in the outside world too.
At first, it was faint.
Thin strands of golden light seeped out from his glabella that looked like threads, each one carrying fragments of ancient runic symbols that shimmered with an almost living brilliance, as if those symbols were gently shifting within the light itself and responding to something deeper.
They did not disperse randomly, instead they moved with a strange purpose, rising upward and curving outward as if guided by an unseen force that directed their path with quiet precision.
Slowly, those strands multiplied.
What began as a few scattered trails turned into dozens, then hundreds, then thousands, and after one point, even counting them became impossible as more strands continued to emerge without pause.
As each of them arched gracefully through the air, they left behind glowing inscriptions that pulsed with power, the symbols flickering and shifting, forming patterns too complex to comprehend at a glance, like fragments of a language that existed beyond normal understanding.
The space around him began to distort under their presence.
The golden strands expanded outward in a dome like formation, bending and looping in intricate paths, crossing over one another while maintaining a perfect, almost sacred symmetry that did not break even as their number increased, as if everything was following a fixed order that could not be seen.
It resembled a blooming structure, like a massive lotus made entirely of light and runes, each arc rising and falling in a continuous, flowing motion that felt both controlled and alive.
The ground beneath subtly reacted, dust and particles lifting as if drawn toward the energy radiating from Ash, while the air itself seemed saturated with a presence that felt ancient and overwhelming, pressing gently yet constantly against everything around.
The Concealment Runes that he had placed all over the island came alive as the space distorted all around the island and everything happening inside vanished from sight.
If one looked from outside, they would see nothing but a simple island and this time even the ancient energy that was leaking was also concealed, this energy was not like the invisible waves that were continuously escaping Ash body, that somehow bypassed the Concealment Runes placed by Ash.
The vast web of golden runic strands that had filled the sky suddenly contracted, shrinking to nearly one fourth of their original size in a single, abrupt motion, as if something had forcefully compressed them from all directions at once.
The elegant arcs that once spread outward now tightened inward, their glow intensifying to an unbearable brilliance as the density of power within them surged to a terrifying level, making the entire structure feel like it was being forced into a much smaller space without losing its form.
And in that instant, something shattered.
A sharp, cracking ripple spread across the island as the Concealment Runes Ash had carefully placed beforehand collapsed one after another, their structures breaking apart like fragile glass under overwhelming pressure, unable to withstand the force that was now being released.
Whether it was the sheer magnitude of energy that exceeded their limits, or the fact that the hierarchy of the Rune of Harmony far surpassed that of Concealment, making it impossible to suppress such a phenomenon, the result was the same.
They failed.
The moment that barrier broke, the suppressed energy lost all restraint.
-RUMBLE!!!!!
-BOOOOOMMMM!!!!!!!!!!
A deafening boom tore through the island as a pillar of golden white light erupted straight into the sky, tearing through the air like a divine spear attacking the sky itself, carrying with it a force that felt impossible to resist.
The beam was vast and radiant, a pure column of blazing light that seemed to connect the island to the heavens, its core burning with an intense white gold brilliance while fiery golden currents swirled around it in chaotic patterns that refused to settle.
The runic brilliance that spiraled out of Ash glabella did not collapse.
It remained intact, compressed and rotating, feeding that beam endlessly as if the light itself was being poured out of it without limit.
The ocean below reacted instantly.
-WHOOOOSH!!!
Waves rose and crashed in chaotic patterns, no longer following the earlier rhythmic pulses of energy, but instead breaking apart into disorder, colliding against each other as if the natural balance had been disrupted and could not restore itself immediately.
The disturbance did not spread endlessly, it remained concentrated around the island, but within that space it was absolute chaos, the water churning under the pressure that now pressed down from above.
The air grew heavy.
The overwhelming power that accompanied the initial release did not last long, fading almost as quickly as it had appeared, but in its place remained something far more oppressive, a constant pressure that lingered without end, pressing down on everything within its reach as the beam continued to rise without pause.
And at the center of it all, Ash’s body slowly lifted from the ground.
His body seated in lotus position left the ground as the golden white light engulfed him completely, wrapping around him as if it had chosen him, pulling him upward into the heart of the beam.
His figure floated there, suspended within that brilliant pillar that could be seen even from the End of the seemingly endless Oceans.
But that was not the end, it was just the start, as the vast web of golden runic strands escaping from Ash’s glabella suddenly contracted by one fourth once more, and now that web was half of its previous size, yet the density within it had increased to an even more terrifying level.
The brilliance and light escaping it covered Ash’s body, bathing him completely in golden light, making his figure almost unrecognizable as his entire body was engulfed in such intense radiance that even his outline became hard to distinguish.
-RUMBLE!!!!!
The surroundings shuddered once more as small cracks started to spread across the whole island, the ground trembling under the pressure that continued to rise, and slowly, with that golden beam as the center, an unknown darkness started to spread throughout the island, at first moving slowly before increasing its speed with each passing second.
The darkness soon covered the whole island, turning it into pitch black, swallowing every detail into itself, but it did not stop there, as that darkness continued to spread throughout the ocean, moving outward in all directions.
Turning a large portion of the ocean into black before it finally stopped, but for all those watching, it felt that it could still go and continue devouring the sea without stop, but was forcibly stopped by some unknown command.
And then, behind Ash’s body and that brilliantly shining beam of light, a projection even more enormous than the beam of light engulfing Ash itself started to appear.
The projection was golden, with its outlines forming at an insane speed, thin lines sketching themselves into existence as if drawn by an invisible hand, each stroke precise and flawless, and before long, an enormous tree that looked like a sketch made in the sky from golden lines appeared behind Ash.
The tree was enormous, not just in height but in presence, its trunk rising like a pillar that held the sky itself, its base hidden within the endless darkness below, while its branches stretched outward in every direction, spreading like a vast network that covered the heavens.
Each branch divided into countless smaller branches, and those into even finer ones, forming a structure so detailed that it felt infinite the longer one looked at it.
Its bark was not solid in the usual sense, it was made of countless interwoven golden symbols, each one glowing faintly, flowing into one another like streams of light, forming patterns that constantly shifted yet never broke their harmony, as if every part of it was alive and responding to something unseen.
The leaves were countless, each one shaped perfectly, glowing softly like small fragments of light, yet no two leaves felt exactly the same, some brighter, some dimmer, all of them gently swaying even though there was no wind, as if they moved to a rhythm that only the tree understood.
And beneath it, the darkness that had spread across the ocean did not feel empty, like a deep abyss that swallowed all light, making the golden tree above stand out even more, as if it was the only source of existence within that place.
At the center of it all, the pillar of golden white light continued to rise, piercing through everything, connecting the dark sea below and the golden tree above, acting like a bridge between two extremes.
Ash’s body floated within that beam, seated in lotus position, completely still, as the light wrapped around him, holding him in place as if he was the core of everything that was happening.
From his glabella, the runic strands continued to emerge, now far more condensed, spiraling upward and outward, feeding into the structure around him, their movement smooth and continuous, as if they were the threads weaving this entire scene together.
The tree behind him, the dark sea below, the beam that held him, and the endless runes flowing from him, all of it existed in perfect balance, none overpowering the other, yet each one amplifying the presence of the rest, creating a sight that felt both overwhelming and impossibly calm at the same time.
If one looked at it from afar, it would seem as if a world had manifested within the world itself, a silent domain where light and darkness coexisted in harmony.
The projection of the tree was enormous, enormous enough to make even those vast oceans feel small, and its size made it impossible for anyone to ignore it no matter how far they were.
What’s more, it looked mind-blowingly beautiful, with golden leaves and golden bark forming an intricate sketch of the entire tree, every branch, every leaf perfectly defined, making it impossible to look away as it stood there in silent majesty.
If Ash was awake, he would definitely be shocked, because this was basically the manifestation of his own Soul Space, the dark sea and the Soul Tree, everything was just the same, only the way it was being shown to the outside world was different.
But that was not the end, as that web of runic symbols shrunk once again.....
-RUMBLE!!!!!
***