The girls separated smoothly as everyone focused, the playful intimacy of moments ago replaced by the sharp edge of survival.
Weapons and artifacts materialized in their hands. Raven stood bare handed as silent blood-mirage energy hummed around her, Summer had shadow-veiled daggers that drank the light, Katherine held crystalline sound-forks that could shatter talents with a single note.
Seth drew a heavy broadsword etched with defensive runes, Connor a sleek rapier that sang with restrained power. Mana-regeneration pendants glowed faintly at their throats, ready to drink the realm's ambient energy.
"This barrier is on par with Galactic Factions…" Seth muttered, eyes wide as he watched groups of Sixth and Seventh Calamity cultivators hammer at the dome with forbidden arrays, only for the crystal surface to reflect their attacks back in blinding rainbows.
"Which should be impossible for an unclaimed world," Raven said in a low voice, black hair whipping in the wind, bloody eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Ash just smiled knowingly. He didn't know the full story, but his assumptions whispered the truth: Astralis wasn't unclaimed at all. He kept that to himself for now and moved toward the barrier, wings half-spread.
"I'm going to break the barrier," he said casually over his shoulder. "Things are bound to get more chaotic."
His voice brushed the three women's minds alone, warm and teasing. "Be safe… and just scream if you're in trouble~"
The three women blushed before it was quickly wiped away. Then they actually processed his words.
"W-what do you mean you're going to break the barrier?" Summer asked out.
"He's completely lost his marbles." Connor said with a scoff.
"Dude, those barriers need at the least a mythic ranked array or power.... Not just that we're merely in the Calamity rank..." Seth said.
Katherine or Raven didn't speak out, but their eyes narrowed. They also knew that breaking such a barrier would take more than one Calamity ranked cultivator. Even the Sixth Calamity cultivators were having trouble.
The three blushed crimson for a heartbeat before battle focus wiped it away. Then the words actually registered.
"W-what do you mean you're going to break the barrier?" Summer stammered.
"He's completely lost his marbles," Connor scoffed, gripping his rapier tighter.
"Dude, those barriers need at least Mythic-ranked arrays or power…" Seth said, voice low with disbelief. "Not just that—we're merely Calamity rank…"
Katherine and Raven stayed silent, but their eyes narrowed sharply. They knew the truth: even Sixth Calamity cultivators below were struggling, their combined assaults barely scratching the dome.
Ash didn't answer.
He simply kept walking toward the shimmering crystal wall, wings spreading wide, rose-pink veins glowing like living circuits.
The millions of cultivators around them didn't even notice yet.
But the realm itself seemed to hold its breath.
As Ash approached the shimmering crystal barrier alone, wings half-spread, the millions of cultivators around the valley began to notice.
A Fourth Calamity Abyssal Fox laughed first, nine tails flicking in disdain. "A Third Calamity pup thinks he can do what we can't? Go home before you embarrass yourself."
A Solar Fox nearby snorted flames of gold. "Look at the pretty wings. Does he think the barrier will open for a parade?"
A Sixth Calamity Nocturne vampire in crimson robes folded his arms, voice dripping scorn. "Another fool rushing to die."
Even an Eighth Calamity elder from the Iron-fang Clan turned his gaze downward, aura pressing like a mountain.
"Whom do you think you are, boy?" his voice boomed across kilometers.
"Know your place before I teach it to you."
Hundreds of eyes locked on Ash.... scoffs, chuckles, muttered insults rippling through the crowd like waves.
From a distance, Raven and the group watched with growing worry. Seth's hand tightened on his sword. Connor muttered something about "idiot bravado." The women exchanged glances of concern flickering behind their calm.
Ash heard every word.
His grin widened.
He turned slowly, facing every last cultivator who had spoken.
Then his aura exploded.
Third Calamity power unleashed fully.... yet so dense, so refined, it pressed down like a Seventh Calamity standing among them.
The air screamed. The ground cracked in perfect circles around his feet.
"Who am I?" he asked, tilting his head with lazy amusement.
Then he unleashed his Law after Law.
|Law of Time|
|Law of Gravity|
|Law of Blood|
|Law of Ash|
|Law of Paradox|
HUMMMMMM!!!!!
Reality obeyed.
Gravity multiplied hundreds of times as cultivators dropped to their knees, bones creaking, wings crumpling.
Time slowed to molasses as attacks froze mid-cast, expressions locked in shock.
Blood in every single body and spilled across the ground froze solid with veins turning to crimson ice.
Ashes rose from corpses, from dust, from nothing, swirling into silent storms.
Paradox warped everything... gravity pulling upward for some, time flowing backward for others, blood boiling yet frozen.
Ash stretched one hand outward.
A sword of pure white metal veined with rose-pink light materialized in his grip.
He drew ambient mana like breathing, with threads pouring into the blade from the realm itself.
Then he swung down in one casual arc.
BOOOOOOM!!!!!
The Mythic barrier shattered like fragile glass. Cracks raced across its surface in a perfect web, before exploding into harmless motes of light that drifted away like snow.
Silence fell.
Ash stood with hands behind his back, wings folded, expression calm.
"I am Ash Originat, Leader of the Originat Clan… Nice to meet you."
He shrugged and stepped into the valley.
The moment his back turned, all hell broke loose.
A brave Fifth Calamity Noctis vampire with silver hair whipping, eyes burning with wounded pride saw the opening and lunged with blade of condensed shadow screaming toward Ash's unguarded spine.
While the rest of the cultivators surged forth like a tidal wave of greed with millions pouring through the shattered barrier, auras clashing in explosions of light and shadow as they fought over the glowing Eternal Starlight Lotuses and other priceless herbs, Raven, Summer, and Katherine stood frozen, eyes wide with horror.
"ASH!!!!" the three screamed in perfect unison, voices cracking as they saw the shadow-blade screaming toward his unguarded back.
The vampire poured everything into his strike, channeling a Calamity-ranked talent infused with his Law of Blood at 75 % comprehension.
|Crimson Void Lance (Calamity)|
A spear of condensed blood-shadow formed in his hand it was black-red and silent. It shot forward like a comet, warping space around it, aimed straight for Ash's heart.
Ash wasn't surprised in the least.
He used the Law of Space.
Reality folded.
He vanished from the lance's path and reappeared directly behind the vampire... he was close enough to feel the man's frantic heartbeat.
The Noctis vampire's eyes widened in terror as he realized his target was gone.
Ash scoffed, voice low and cold.
"Just a moth flying to the flames of death."
His sword ignited mid-swing with rose-pink flames roaring to life along the white blade, infused with his Law of Fire at 100 %.
SHK!!!
THUD!
The slash was perfect clean, silent and merciless. The vampire's head spun away into the grass, body crumpling like a discarded puppet, blood-shadow lance dissolving into harmless mist.
Ash turned calmly to Raven and the two women rushing toward him, faces pale with worry.
His mouth moved, voice sounding directly in their ears. It was warm, reassuring, and laced with teasing amusement.
"Focus… I'm fine."
They skidded to a halt, blinking, then nodded with relief flooding their features before battle-focus snapped back in.
The three vampires spread out, weapons drawn, diving into the chaos to claim their share.
Ash then ascended... he hovered above it all, wings half-spread, blood-drop eyes scanning the valley with quiet satisfaction.
The feast had truly begun.