You were right, Eva, the space is locked down and I can’t teleport away. I need to somehow get out of this restricted region to teleport away, but I don’t think it will be that easy...
Ash thought as he felt everyone around him gradually preparing themselves for battle.
The curiosity and fascination that had filled many of their eyes earlier were still present, but beneath them now was unmistakable battle intent. Whatever thoughts they might have had before, they had already made their decision.
{I just analyzed the ranks of the enemy. There are 4 Celestial Rank beings that are closest to you. Behind them, there are around 93 God Rank beings and around 2346 Demi-God Rank beings, along with approximately 9648 Saints. Below that, I didn’t count because of the lack of time, so I left them out. But they must be in hundreds of thousands.}
I see, but Eva.....can you tell what my estimated power level is...?
A brief silence followed before Eva answered.
{It’s hard to estimate exactly how powerful you are because you have overcome too many barriers that normally differentiate others from you. First, you don’t have to worry about your energy running out because of the Infinite Energy you possess, and you can literally fight for days because of how absurd your stamina is.}
{And recently, you assimilated the Crimson Heavenly Lightning. If you use it, you will only have to worry about the God Rank beings and the Celestials, because everyone below that rank will not even survive even a simple touch from the Crimson Lightning.}
{I also can’t accurately judge how much power the Immortal Seal will provide you, but according to my estimation, if you use the combined energy of Will Power, Void Energy and physical strength currently being produced by your heart, you can bridge the gap between Demi-God and God Rank beings.}
I expected something like that, but still.....Jeez. I can’t win against those Celestials no matter what, huh!!!
His gaze briefly swept over the four figures surrounding him from all corners. He could tell even without using his Eye of Omniscience that they existed on an entirely different level from everyone else present.
Leave it then, Is there any way I can win?
{There is none, currently.}
The answer was immediate, and Ash wasn’t particularly surprised to hear it. If a simple solution existed, Eva would have already told him long ago.
If there is no way, trying making one, use the time difference between the outside and my Soul Space and try finding a way out. Analyze every possibility and every path available to us. I will also think something....
A faint smile appeared on his face as he looked at the countless enemies surrounding him.
I will buy you as much time as possible.
{On it.}
His gaze slowly moved across all the people surrounding him before he continued, "So tell me... what are you all waiting for? Come at me, you stupid fishes."
-BZZZZZZZZZ!!!!
The moment those words left his mouth, violent crimson lightning suddenly burst out from his body in droves.
The seawater around him trembled and evaporated as countless arcs of Crimson Heavenly Lightning erupted from beneath his skin before wrapping themselves around his figure. The lightning flowed endlessly across his body, moving from one part of him to another in chaotic patterns.
His entire figure was soon clad in crimson lightning.
Bolts of destructive energy continuously coursed across his arms, chest, back, and legs, illuminating the surrounding waters with a scarlet glow.
His long ocean-blue hair began to drift more wildly as crimson sparks danced between the strands, creating a striking contrast between the deep blue and blood-red colors.
At the same time, streams of crimson lightning began flashing through his ocean-blue pupils, filling them with a terrifying glow as countless tiny arcs moved through his gaze.
The moment he blinked, it felt as though lightning itself had taken residence within his eyes, causing his already imposing gaze to become even more intimidating.
The crimson lightning continued racing across his body without pause, appearing and disappearing beneath his skin, crawling along his neck, face, arms, and fingers while releasing an aura of destruction that was impossible to ignore.
The surrounding Ocean Species instinctively retreated some distance backward, fearful of the Crimson Heavenly Lightning, creating a rather strange scene where hundreds of thousands of weaker beasts suddenly began pulling away from him despite their overwhelming numbers.
They were all fearful, and why wouldn’t they be?
Many of them had personally witnessed the Crimson Heavenly Lightning tribulation earlier.
They had seen that terrifying power descend from the heavens with enough force to threaten their very existence, and some had even believed that nothing could possibly survive such a catastrophe.
Yet now that same power belonged to the very enemy standing before them.
The power that had once sought to destroy him was now flowing through his body.
It was only natural for fear to take root in their hearts.
"Oh my my, is this what the Universal System meant by The Absolute Anomaly? You really are something else, huh!!?"
Sera spoke as she lightly covered her lips with one hand, though the smile in her eyes was impossible to hide as she observed the crimson lightning dancing around his body.
Unlike many of the others, there was very little fear on her face. Instead, she seemed genuinely fascinated by what she was witnessing.
Kai Reed remained silent for a few moments, his eyes fixed on Ash as the crimson lightning continued flowing across his figure.
"The Universal System was not wrong."
His voice was calm, but there was no trace of doubt within it.
"In fact, after seeing all of this, I believe many of us have been underestimating him. A Transcendent should not possess this level of power, nor should he have survived the Crimson Heavenly Lightning. Yet not only did he survive, he is now even using that same power. That alone should be enough to remind everyone here that treating him as an ordinary being would be foolish."
His gaze briefly swept across the surrounding forces before returning to Ash.
"If we fail to deal with him today and allow him to continue growing, there is no guarantee that anyone will be capable of stopping him in the future. Regardless of our opinions, the fact remains that he is dangerous."
Kai Reed, Celestial of the Ocean Races Alliance, then looked toward the countless Ocean Species gathered throughout the sea.
"Everyone below God Rank will remain on standby. Do not interfere unless absolutely necessary. If battle breaks out, your presence will contribute very little while dramatically increasing casualties, and I have no intention of sacrificing lives for no reason."
His command quickly spread through the surrounding forces as his voice was heard by everyone present.
Perseus listened quietly before releasing a faint sigh.
"Honestly, it is a shame."
His eyes rested on Ash for a brief moment.
"A Transcendent capable of surviving the Crimson Heavenly Lightning, assimilating its power, and causing the Rivers of Destiny and Universal Fortune to manifest is something that should have been celebrated by the world. Under different circumstances, your existence alone could have inspired an entire generation."
A trace of pity appeared in his expression.
"Yet things have reached this point instead. Sometimes I cannot help but feel that fate can be remarkably unfair."
Ash chuckled softly after hearing that.
"Unfair?"
He slowly shook his head with a smile.
"The world was never fair to begin with. People just like pretending it is whenever circumstances happen to favor them. There are no truly good people and no truly bad people. There are only people who survive and people who don’t, and I happen to be a survivor."
His gaze slowly moved across the gathered Celestials.
"And speaking of unfairness, let’s not pretend that your precious Universal System is innocent. It looked at something it couldn’t understand, something that didn’t fit neatly into its expectations, and immediately labeled it an anomaly."
A faint hint of mockery appeared his voice.
"Apparently existing outside its understanding is enough to become the enemy of the whole Realm. Quite impressive logic, don’t you think?"
Everyone’s expressions became slightly complicated after hearing that.
Sera was the first to laugh.
"I have to admit, when you put it that way, it does sound a little unreasonable."
Meanwhile, throughout the entire conversation, another individual had remained unusually quiet.
Kane Wilson.
The Vampire Prince.
Unlike the others, his attention had never truly been focused on the conversation itself, his focus was only one one thing.
The scent.
The intoxicating scent coming out in droves from Ash’s body. Which seemed to have become even more sweet and pure, it was utterly illogical to think someone like Ash could even exist.
Every drop of blood within Ash seemed to carry a temptation unlike anything Kane had ever experienced before. It was rich, powerful, pure, and overwhelmingly attractive to his instincts as a vampire.
It was driving him insane.
The longer he remained still, the stronger the temptation became.
The restraint he had maintained until now was rapidly approaching its limit.
And finally, something snapped in next few micro seconds.
A terrifying blood-red aura exploded from Kane’s body as his eyes locked onto Ash with naked hunger.
"HE IS MINE!"
The roar echoed throughout the ocean.
Before anyone could react, Kane’s figure vanished from his original position, leaving behind a violent shockwave in the surrounding water.
"None of you interfere."
The words had barely left his mouth before he appeared directly in front of Ash.
Oh, this stupid Blood Bag. Shouldn’t the minions fight me first? Why is the main boss coming for me...?
The thought flashed through Ash’s mind the moment Kane appeared before him.
Ash was not able to think any more than this single strand of thought, as the attack struck him.
Kane’s clawed hand tore through the surrounding ocean with overwhelming force, reaching Ash almost instantly.
-BOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!-
A terrifying explosion erupted beneath the sea as the attack connected.
The surrounding ocean collapsed inward for a brief moment before a massive shockwave exploded outward in every direction, violently stirring the surrounding waters and forcing countless Ocean Species to retreat even farther away.
Crimson lightning and blood-red energy exploded throughout the impact zone, filling the surrounding ocean with chaotic destructive power as enormous currents swept across the battlefield.
****