Michael's entire body tensed, his [Absolute Unity Defense] immediately thickening to the expected atomic explosion that was about to go off.
And these were Artifices from five 5th stage Maugnetics. Suffice it to say, the explosion would be enough to level the entire Elven forest completely. Even with his prismatic shield, he wouldn't come out of this unscathed.
The Mini Drones immediately buzzed as they moved to form a solid wall in front of Michael.
But it was too late.
The hooded figures emanated a cool, blue glow before everything was engulfed in a blinding light.
Michael braced himself tightly into a curl.
Then, a thunderous tremor rumbled through the entire room… and nothing else.
The expected destructive tempest that would have blown everything asunder was nonexistent. Instead, a deafening silence permeated the room.
Michael opened his eyes and saw a giant sphere of pure energy where the hooded figures were supposed to be. It looked like a miniature sun, with flares and flaming spirals storming around on its surface.
And right next to it was a dark haired woman with her right hand extended and her left hand grasping a pink teddy bear.
It was none other than Katarina Petrovich.
But there was something distinctly different about her.
Her hair was flowing outwards uncontrollably, as if they were tendrils that were searching for her prey.
A circlet made of pure diamond sat squarely on her forehead, its center containing a gem-shaped ruby that glowed red with immense and fervid power.
Protecting her torso was a cuirass made out of layered, lamellar crystals that were stitched together by nonexistent string. On her arms were a single, solid piece of diamond vambrace that seemed to have come out from her skin itself. And on her waist were pteruges made out of long, crystals acting as a skirt that went slightly above her knees. And on her feet were a pair of solleret that perfectly fit the rest of her armor: diamond-like and incredibly sturdy.
And under the ionizing red light of the fire around them, her entire armor set reflected a prismatic shine similar to that of a disco ball.
Michael dazedly stared at her countenance, amazed and intimidated at the same time. Her spartan mein conflated with the alluring, grand opulent diamonds of her armor, creating a perfect mix that made her seem like an otherworldly warrior of the gods!
He held his breath, not because of her dazzling appearance, but because of the intense Aubility Power that was oozing out of her.
It was fervid, almost to the point of being suffocating. He didn't even want to look at her using his Drone Vision because he knew that her Aubility Power would only manifest as an intense light that would literally blind him in both eyes.
And even when her power wasn't directed at him, he could feel a tangible pressure emanating from her that was as fundamental as gravity or physics itself.
The urge to bow down and show her obeisance was incredibly strong. It felt like the most natural thing he should do, like an instinct that was born into him as a human being. And as far as he could tell, this pressure was passive. It was a natural effect from being in such close proximity to Katarina herself.
And that was because of what she wore.
That diamond armor… that was a Diva. That was her Diva, manifested in the real world.
It was no longer a disembodied image floating above her head. It now had a corporeal form that had melded into her body, into her very core.
She and her Diva were one and the same. They had unified.
This was the real Nascent Spirit realm.
…
…
…
Katarina extended her hand, controlling the explosion and maintaining it as if it was in the palm of her hands.
She began to close her fist, and the miniature sun began to grow smaller, becoming more condensed through the pressure in her hands.
In the Nascent Spirit realm, her Aubility Powers were no longer abstract. They were real. They manifested as physical strength, with Aubility Power flowing through her body instead of out. It allowed a simple closing of her fist to contain, suppress, and quell an atomic explosion that would have levelled a huge chunk of New Sparta itself.
And with a bit more pressure, the explosion became smaller and smaller, its light going from an intense red to a more pallid white.
Katarina definitively closed her hand and the miniature sun imploded upon itself and became nothing more than a simple blip that dissipated in a few moments.
Then, there was silence.
The incessant fire that had been swallowing the whole room were starting to recoil, retreating back from whence they came.
And as they did, the burned and charred wood began to regain their color.
The insidious fire began vomiting everything they tore asunder, completely upending the chaos and disaster that the arsonists had created.
Michael watched his surroundings begin to recover. Charred wood began to regain its moisture and color. The soot on the floor and ceilings began to recede. And the serene, stately ambiance of the Acacia tree began to recover.
It wasn't like his [Reverse block]. Time wasn't flowing backwards to turn everything back the way they were before.
It was as if nature, or the insidious fire itself, was rectifying its erroneous mistake. It didn't have a guilty conscience. It was more like a troublesome kid having been forced to do community service after being caught by the cops!
"....Nascent Spirit…," he muttered, completely shell shocked.
After having defeated five 5th stage Maugnetics with barely any effort, he began to have thoughts of grandeur.
But seeing and experiencing this with his own eyes was a wake up call.
He was still at the bottom of the totem pole when it came to the real stuff. His foot was barely even in the door.
It was clear now that the distance between him and Katarina wasn't just a few stages of cultivation. It was more akin to the space between galaxies instead.