Chapter 171
120 years after the genocide of the Air Nomads. Spirit Realm. Valley of Two Worlds. Roku-Van-Yo-Yuki.
"This energy is so irritating!" growled Pavor, the Spirit of Fear. He hadn't expected to receive a hefty dose of life energy from me. "He can't keep living, or humans will grow stronger again!" Clearly, in his long life, he'd endured his fair share of beatings from cultivator practitioners.
*"You can always retreat, but testing your true limits against real—and cunning—enemies? That's another story..."* While he rambled on, I planned my next move. We had three ancient, cunning spirits here, roaming this world since the time of Van Shi Tong. But I was confident in my power: five sources, each honed to an ancient level, were a formidable asset. And life energy couldn't be overlooked—in our quick exchange, it was clear Pavor's gaseous form was far more sensitive to it.
*"Next month, troops are due to arrive, so I need to drive these powerful spirits away no matter what."* Our world desperately needs life energy crystals—their extraction will significantly impact humanity's overall strength.
*"If Agni were here, we'd handle this without much trouble."* His flames are something else. Ryuujin Jakka's fire, from a character I know in the "Bleach" universe, pales in comparison. One of Agni's unique abilities lets him devour enemy energy and stray particles in the air, growing stronger and hotter. Against Pavor's two allies—an ancient ice spirit and a strange mix of metal and stone—his flames would be the most effective.
My body began absorbing two energies simultaneously, pushing distractions aside. My eyes scanned for visible weaknesses. In the next second, my body transformed into lightning, appearing right in front of the unusually talkative Pavor. A millisecond later, a thick beam of life energy shot from my chest. Green mist seemed to devour his body, and his loud screams indicated it caused intense pain.
A massive, unnamed earth spirit materialized beside me. His enormous, clearly heavy metallic fist was poised to strike when... I used an ability I'd gained from mastering the ancient level of earth element. His fist was flung backward like a feather, slamming into his own body.
*"A profitable energy expenditure!"* I smirked inwardly, feeling surrounding earth particles flow into my source. Gravity manipulation—gravikinesis—was my unique ability. Of course, there's still much to learn, but its potential is breathtaking. It ignores the protective aura surrounding every spirit. If an object exists, it can be pulled or pushed. That's how, after repelling his fist, I absorbed nearby earth energy particles.
I'd love to learn to create spacetime distortions like black holes, but that's unlikely anytime soon. For now, the techniques I've mastered are enough, greatly expanding my arsenal. The most used include: telekinesis, levitation, object compression, weight manipulation, anti-gravity/zero gravity, and a gravitational barrier. Not all are second nature yet, but I'm working hard to integrate them into my fighting style. I'm doing this in reality now—Van Shi Tong's setup no longer serves me. I've outgrown it. After all, his formation can't convey even half the true power of an ancient spirit, something I hadn't noticed before due to my relative weakness as a mere superior.