As the dark clouds covered the skies of the ocean, thousands of Ocean Races along with various powerhouses, most of them from the ocean itself and a few from distant regions, instinctively retreated a few more miles back, their movements cautious yet decisive as they created more distance between themselves and the center of the phenomenon, not daring to remain too close.
Heavenly Tribulation was something nobody wanted to interfere with, unless that person was willing to attract someone else’s tribulation onto themselves, and with even greater force, a risk that even the boldest among them understood too well.
Thus, they retreated further, maintaining what they believed to be a safe distance, though even then, none of them felt truly at ease as they kept their eyes fixed on the sky.
Meanwhile, the being who was behind all these overwhelming happenings was finally regaining his bearings.
After the formation of the first petal and the appearance of a single lotus petal on his glabella, Ash’s eyelids trembled slightly as he slowly opened his eyes, and from within those eyes, golden beams of light shot outward before gradually fading, leaving behind a calm yet deep gaze.
Huh!?? What’s this...?
That was the first thought that surfaced in his mind as he opened his eyes and witnessed the scenery around him, and with his omnidirectional vision, he perceived everything in a complete 360 degree view, taking in every detail without needing to move, as if the world itself had unfolded before him.
He was floating in mid air, his body bathed in a golden white beam of light that covered every inch of him, and behind him stood the projection of an enormous golden tree, something he could instinctively connect to his Soul Tree, while those twin dragons moved across the sky, their presence overwhelming as they seemed to be watching him with a fixed intensity that left him momentarily confused, as if he had become the center of everything.
But before he could even process further or ask Eva about what was happening, she was already faster than him in this regard, having observed everything around him, she transferred all those memories directly into his mind without a single word, allowing him to understand without needing an explanation.
In fact, it was not just the outside that had undergone changes, even within Ash’s soul space, similar transformations had taken place, mirroring the phenomenon in a more profound and internal manner, as if both worlds were responding to the same trigger.
With the sudden influx of memories, Ash’s gaze turned vacant for three seconds, his mind rapidly processing everything, before his eyes returned to normal, and within that short span, he understood everything that had occurred around him during the formation of the Immortal Seal.
Crazy!! Using Runes really did cause such a widespread phenomenon....
Multiple thoughts crossed his mind as he processed everything at once, and when he noticed the crowd of thousands surrounding him, he felt a quiet sense of relief that he had altered his appearance beforehand, knowing that revealing himself now would only complicate things further.
He was also aware that there were at least millions, if not more, watching him through the live stream that was spreading across the Universal System, something he could not ignore even if he wanted to, as the attention gathered here had already exceeded normal limits.
Ash, Eva and Eric shared a connection, allowing Eric to communicate with Eva without any limitation of distance, and through that link, Eric had already conveyed everything that was happening on the outside, his own shock evident, though he still managed to pass on the information clearly without missing anything important.
However, Ash did not dwell on any of those things for long, because his instincts were sending him a clear warning, the same kind of signal he had felt just before he began forming his Immortal Seal, a feeling that now carried even more weight.
Ash slowly lifted his gaze and looked toward the dark clouds above, where faint purple streaks of lightning could be seen flashing from time to time, their presence carrying a heavy and undeniable threat that could not be ignored.
The danger I felt was from the Lightning Tribulation...???
Ash’s expression remained calm and unchanged, because even though there was danger, danger existed everywhere in this unknown realm, and it was not something he could avoid forever, especially not at this stage.
Without facing danger, one could never become someone who was feared by danger itself.
To become a star that shines brighter than anyone, one had to burn more fiercely than anyone else, enduring what others could not.
And that was a universal truth.
No... more like, the danger that I am feeling is from everything around me, even these people could become the danger at any moment, but right now the Tribulation is the main priority....
That thought settled in his mind as he looked around once more, his gaze briefly passing over the countless figures before returning to the sky.
And thus, to understand what could cause this danger, Ash used one of the abilities of the Rune, deciding to see ahead rather than guess in such a situation.
**
Rune: Rune of Time
Description: Time can move in countless ways, with no single being able to predict everything with complete accuracy among the uncountable number of possibilities that exist within the River of Time, each moment branching into paths that may or may not come to pass.
-Arcane Foresight : The ability shows the user the most probable possibilities that could occur in the future, allowing him to glimpse outcomes before they unfold, though not without limits or uncertainty.
**
Indeed, just like how his Eye of Omniscience received a boost after he comprehended the Rune of Truth to 1%, all the abilities of the other Runes that he possessed had also undergone a subtle enhancement, though the extent of those changes was something that would be talked about some time later.
The previous ability allowed Ash to see the future that had the highest chance of occurring, a single dominant path among countless possibilities, but he himself was an Absolute Anomaly, a Forsaken One....and with his existence influencing everything around him, no future could remain certain and nothing could truly be considered fixed.
From that perspective, the previous ability lost much of its value, because a single projected future could easily collapse under his own actions or even his mere presence.
But this new ability was different.
It allowed him to observe as many possibilities as he could focus on, not limiting him to a single path but instead showing multiple outcomes that could unfold, each one shaped by different variables. Even if the chances of it happening was less than 0.0001%.
The only limitation was how much mana he could supply to sustain it for longer durations.
And I have theoretically limitless mana, lets see how the future will play out....
Ash had not used this ability until now, partly because he never truly felt the need to rely on it, as his instincts had never warned him of any real danger, and partly because it simply had not come to mind at the right moment.
Having a perfect memory did not mean remembering everything at all times, it only meant that when a particular thought surfaced, every detail related to it would follow instantly without effort.
And with the multitude of abilities he possessed, overlooking some of them was only natural, especially when there was no immediate need to use them.
Just like now.
Without entertaining any further thoughts, Ash activated the ability, and in the very next instant, his vision was overwhelmed by countless possibilities of the future, unfolding one after another as if time itself had opened before him.
But even then, the decision to look into the future at such a critical moment was not a good one, because no one knew when those terrifying purple lightning streaks, carrying an ancient and overwhelming presence comparable to that of the Twin Dragons, would strike him without any warning.
Call it fate, luck, or just one possibility among countless others, but the lightning did not fall for the next ten seconds, those moments passing in tense silence as the clouds above continued to rumble faintly, and exactly at the tenth second, Ash opened his eyes.
-RUMBLE!!!!!!!
-RUMBLE!!!!!!!
The dark clouds churned violently as the sound rolled across the sky, followed by a sharp crack that tore through the air.
-CRACKKK!!!!!!!
A streak of purple lightning gathered within the clouds, twisting and compressing as if something alive was being forced into shape, before it suddenly shot downward with terrifying speed, locking onto Ash as if it had found its target long ago.
-BOOOOM!!!!!!!
Ash’s eyes sharpened the moment it descended, his body remaining in the same position, but the golden light around him grew denser, responding instinctively as his aura flared outward, steady and controlled.
The lightning fell straight onto him.
For a split second, everything turned blinding.
The impact echoed across the ocean as a massive shockwave spread outward, pushing back the waters and forcing the already retreating figures even further away.
-ROAR!!!!!!!
****
A/N: I know the pace is really slow recently, but I have to prepare for my exams that I have next month, along with tests that I have next week. I hope you guys will understand!! Thank you.