[The effects of ’Limit Breaker’ are responding to the endless determination and will to break the limits placed upon the skills.]
[Effects of ’Limit Breaker’ applied.]
[Limit of the skill ’Synthesis’ has been breached.]
...
...
[Synthesis] x [Assimilation] = [Evolution]
Evangeline froze for a microsecond as the limits of the skills were breached just like that.
I don’t want to agree, but Ash really does have the ability to make the impossible become possible...
Although all the tasks were currently being performed by her, at the end of the day, she was also a part of his existence now, and because of that, she understood better than anyone how absurd Ash could be whenever he became determined to accomplish something that should have been impossible.
Without wasting another moment, Eva immediately began analyzing the newly created ability.
{Analyzing ability: Evolution.}
{Analysis in progress...}
**
[Evolution] — An absolute growth ability that governs the evolution of all things while still retaining the fundamental properties of Synthesis and Assimilation.
**
Seeing such a short description of the ability left Eva slightly speechless, but that itself only made the ability appear even more precious in her eyes.
The shorter the description is, the more powerful abilities tend to be; after all, a shorter description usually means the ability cannot be fully analyzed...
But even then, it still didn’t solve any of the current problems standing before them.
Fifteen seconds had already passed.
The barrier would be completed in no time.
Should I use Evolution to evolve all the skills that have just been synthesized...?
The idea appeared in her mind, but she immediately dismissed it.
No, it still won’t result in anything.
The problem was that she couldn’t experiment freely until she found a suitable result. Everything she was doing relied upon simulated experiments created from the data gathered from various abilities, and no matter how advanced those simulations were, predictions would always remain predictions.
As she continued thinking about what to do next, a familiar voice suddenly reached her.
"That’s a pretty neat ability I can see there, Eva. You actually fused Synthesis and Assimilation to create something even crazier. Well done."
Eva immediately recognized the voice.
{Just focus on your fight. Leave everything here to me. I will find a way out in no time.}
She replied almost instantly. Although her voice was trembling slightly because of the pressure she was currently under, the resolve hidden within those words remained as firm as ever.
"I know you can, but you know, because of that [Akashic Mind] skill you just created, I can literally talk with you even while fighting, and my cognitive capabilities have received quite a significant boost as well."
For a brief moment, Eva paused before responding.
{.....That’s good news.}
"Indeed it is. Well, I know where you’re stuck. I have a solution too. Do you want to hear it?"
Eva looked up in shock as she hurriedly asked,
{What is it?}
"I was thinking about a way out of all this mess, so I also went through all my abilities, skills, and traits. And I finally saw something that could actually be of some help to me. The Trait that has been dormant for a very long time, [Codex of Creation]. A Trait that has been with me the longest, the very first thing that I ever possessed in this world."
His words immediately drew Eva’s full attention because, among everything Ash possessed today, the Codex of Creation was perhaps the one thing they had both unconsciously stopped paying attention to.
It wasn’t because it was weak, nor because it had lost its value, but because Ash’s growth had become so absurd over the years that the Trait had gradually faded into the background of his existence.
"After I sacrificed its core abilities to become what I am right now, it has been practically useless to me, and I think I finally understand why."
Eva remained silent and listened carefully.
The Codex of Creation had once been the foundation of everything.
Many of the opportunities that shaped Ash’s early growth had originated from it, and for a very long time, it had remained one of the most important parts of his existence. Yet as Ash continued evolving, breaking limits, and obtaining powers that should never have existed together, the Codex slowly became less noticeable until it eventually reached its current state.
"I believe that the [Codex of Creation] has failed to adapt to me. I have become an Absolute Anomaly, and as a result, I am disconnected from most of the natural governing laws of reality. I believe my Trait can’t grow because it can’t even decide whether or not I have grown. It can’t measure my existence."
As those words entered her mind, Eva felt countless thoughts collide with one another.
At first glance, the idea sounded ridiculous.
Yet the more she thought about it, the more reasonable it became.
After all, the Codex was fundamentally a growth-oriented Trait. It observed its owner, adapted to its owner’s growth, and then provided abilities that were most needed by the user according to the situation. That process worked perfectly for ordinary existences.
Ash, however, was anything but ordinary.
If even the Universal System struggled to properly define what Ash had become, then perhaps the Codex of Creation was suffering from exactly the same problem.
It simply couldn’t understand him anymore.
And if it couldn’t understand him, then it couldn’t accurately evaluate his growth.
If it couldn’t evaluate his growth, then naturally it wouldn’t know how to continue growing.
"I have been thinking for a long time about finding a solution to this, but today you brought the solution to me without me doing anything. I thank you for that."
For the first time since the simulations had begun, Eva’s thoughts completely stalled.
The countless calculations running within her consciousness seemed to pause for the briefest moment as she stared at the possibility that had suddenly appeared before her.
A possibility that had been there the entire time.
A possibility so obvious that she couldn’t believe she had overlooked it.
{Wait... don’t tell me.....}
A smile appeared on Ash’s face.
Even while fighting Kane, even while being surrounded by countless enemies and racing against the completion of the barrier, there wasn’t the slightest trace of panic within him.
"Exactly."
The confidence in his voice never wavered.
"Evolve [Codex of Creation]. Evolve it so it can adapt to my current existence. Evolve it so it can help us. Evolve it so it can finally understand what I have become."
As Ash continued speaking, the idea rapidly expanded within Eva’s mind.
The Codex had never been an ordinary Trait.
If anything possessed the potential to provide a solution tailored specifically to Ash’s current circumstances, then it would undoubtedly be the Codex.
"When the [Codex of Creation] grows, it gives an ability that is most needed by the user in their present state, so if we can force it to adapt to my current existence, we may actually find a way out of this."
Hearing that, Eva’s mind immediately began accelerating once again as countless new calculations appeared before her.
The more she analyzed the possibility, the more viable it seemed.
{Why.....didn’t I think of that....?}
For the first time in a long while, genuine frustration appeared in her voice.
She had spent what felt like an eternity analyzing abilities, bloodlines, syntheses, evolutionary pathways, and countless hypothetical combinations, yet she had completely overlooked the one thing that had accompanied Ash since the very beginning of his journey.
The Codex itself.
"Just do it."
Ash’s voice carried the same certainty it always did whenever he believed he had found the correct path forward, and despite the impossible situation surrounding him, not a single trace of hesitation could be found within those words.
"I am waiting."
Eva didn’t waste any more time.
...
...
{Target Selected: [Codex of Creation]}
{Activating Ability: [Evolution]}
{Evolution Process Initiated...}
...
...
The moment Evolution was applied to the Codex of Creation, the entire Soul Space suddenly trembled as a brilliant golden radiance emerged throughout his whole soul, spreading in every direction with astonishing speed until every corner of the vast space was gradually bathed in light, causing Eva to instinctively look around as she watched the phenomenon unfold before her eyes.
The source of the glow was not fixed, as it wasn’t coming from any particular location.
Rather, it seemed as though the Soul Space itself had begun glowing from within.
The golden radiance continued growing stronger as waves of energy spread throughout the Soul Space, causing the countless streams of information flowing through the dimension to shine with the same golden brilliance, while the surrounding space itself seemed to become more vivid and alive with every passing moment.
Then another notification appeared.
{’Codex of Creation’ has begun adapting to Host’s current existence.}
Eva’s eyes shone with an intense glow upon seeing that notification.
It is happening. Ash was correct.....
But the adaptation was producing a reaction far greater than Eva had anticipated.
The golden glow rapidly intensified, even affecting the real world.
Ash suddenly became covered in the same golden radiance as countless strands of light escaped from his body and spread throughout the surrounding waters, illuminating the darkness with a brilliant golden glow that mixed with the Crimson Heavenly Lightning dancing around him.
The sudden phenomenon immediately attracted attention from every direction.
The countless Ocean Species constructing the barrier instinctively turned toward him.
Even Perseus, Kai, and Sera shifted their attention away from the barrier for a moment and looked toward the source of the light with visibly serious expressions.
Meanwhile, Kane’s advancing attack abruptly slowed as the Vampire Prince narrowed his eyes and carefully observed Ash from a distance, his instincts warning him that something unusual was happening.
After everything that had occurred today, none of them were willing to dismiss any strange phenomenon surrounding the Absolute Anomaly.
The blood-red energy surrounding Kane gradually began growing denser as his gaze remained locked onto Ash because, despite everything that had happened so far, he knew better than anyone that he still hadn’t truly fought with everything he possessed.
After all, the objective had always been to capture Ash alive.
If killing him had been permitted, many of his more dangerous abilities would have already been unleashed long ago.
But as he looked at the golden radiance escaping from Ash’s body and felt the increasingly unusual fluctuations surrounding him, a dangerous thought gradually surfaced in his mind.
Should I stop holding back?
****