Lightning Dragon Art: Dragon's Roar!
Lightning shot out of his fist, transforming into ferocious eastern dragons with shimmering scales of pure electricity.
The dragons surged forward.
Their piercing roars merged with the thunderclaps as they coiled around the writhing mass of maggots.
Their long, serpentine bodies twisted, forming a barrier that trapped the creatures and stopped them from reaching Neo.
Angel's voice roared.
'Move out of the way!'
Its voice shook the skies.
'Do you think I won't kill you just because you are the Sacred Treasure of this world?!'
Alarms blared in Angel's mind as it sensed the growing power coiling around Neo, swirling like a tempest on the verge of eruption.
That power—it had to be stopped.
That power mustn't be awakened by mortals.
In response to Angel's roar, Zeus' corpse taunted it further, beckoning with a bloodied hand.
If the corpse had a head, it would've definitely been smirking.
Dozens of massive stone pillars burst from the ground with a deafening crack.
Endless torrent of writhing maggots spewed out from the mouths on the pillars.
They squirmed in a frenzied tide toward Neo.
Zeus' corpse dashed forward with alarming speed.
His movements were both graceful and brutal—kicking, punching, summoning lightning bolts and dragons to shield Neo from the onslaught.
Every strike echoed like the thuderclaps, shattering the ground further beneath their feet.
Neo, however, was oblivious.
Sitting amidst the chaos, he remained still.
His body was faintly illuminated by the white whisps surrounding him.
His brow furrowed in as his concentration skyrocketed.
He was too focused on comprehending the Intent to notice the battle taking place around him.
His body had only moved when it instinctively sensed bloodlust.
But as it realized someone was protecting him, his grip on the sword loosened, and he returned fully to meditation.
Neo's entire focus rested on removing thoughts from his Intent.
He had always created Intent with thoughts—desires, convictions, beliefs.
But now, he couldn't understand how Intent was supposed to exist without them.
It was beyond him, like trying to grasp the wind with bare hands.
'World Energy is the world's consciousness.'
Zeus' words echoed in his mind.
Neo recalled his own understanding of Intent:
Will created Willpower.
Willpower created Intent.
World Energy is the world's consciousness.
'What is consciousness?'
Neo's thoughts churned.
He was on the verge of a breakthrough.
'Is consciousness Will?'
Neo tried to simulate his Will.
His brows creased as his concentration skyrocketed.
Simulating his Will wasn't easy, even for him.
Normally, he would use his Willpower.
Trying to use Will instead of Willpower was like eating vegetables raw.
It felt unusual, bitter, and unrefined.
As he simulated his Will, he observed it carefully.
Sure enough, Will was very similar to Intent.
However, it did not contain emotions, thoughts, or other external inputs.
'While using Willpower, I simulated my Will with my thoughts. It ended up fusing my thoughts and Will, creating Intent.'
Neo understanding of Intent and Will was increasing at an unbelievable speed.
Neo observed his Will again.
While it was uncontaminated, it was... weak.
It didn't feel anything even remotely similar to the mythical, all-powerful World Energy he had heard of.
He was certain 'this' was World Energy.
But it was clearly not.
"So the only problem is that it is weak, right?"
What did you do if the spices in the food were weak?
You added more of them!
He simulated his Will and began to overlap his Will over Will.
The mental strain was immense, like a hammer pressing against his skull.
But it was nothing Neo couldn't endure.
If there was one thing Neo had confidence in being the best at, it was his mental strength.
His Will surged as it manifested from the depths of Neo's mental fortitude.
Wisps of white energy began to materialize around Neo, drifting like strands of mist rising from the floor.
The air felt thicker, filled with power.
The Angel noticed it.
The maggots had overwhelmed Zeus' corpse, writhing in a disgusting mass.
They were now rushing toward Neo like a grotesque tidal wave.
Only a few more seconds and the Angel could take care of Neo-
He opened his eyes calmly.
His gaze was piercing as he took in the chaotic scene—the squirming maggots, the colossal pillars, and the Angel frozen in silent dread.
His eyes shifted towards Zeus' corpse, buried underneath the writhing mass of monstrous maggots.
The battlefield was a grotesque wasteland.
The stench of decay was heavy in the air, and the ground was slick with foul odour.
'It doesn't matter even if you've awakened World Energy.'
'A newly awakened Ascender is barely anything.'
'This time I'll finish you for good before you learn how to use those powers!'
Neo ignored the Angel's shouts echoing across the carnage.
He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
The blade rested within its sheathe.
Wisps of white energy floated around the scabbard.
"Divine Swordsmanship Eighth Stance—"
A giant maggot lunged towards him.
Its cavernous maw was wide enough to swallow him whole.
Its flesh squelched as it moved, dripping acidic bile onto the shattered earth.
Instead of dodging or attacking, Neo completed his incantation.
"Kami no Shinpan (God's Divine Judgment)."
Neo never drew his sword.
The moment his words were spoken, an overwhelming amount of energy exploded outward from his body, distorting the air with blinding white light.
The giant maggot stopped mid-lunge.
The maggot attacking Neo, the sea of writhing maggots crushing Zeus' corpse, and the thousand-eyed pillars looming in the distance, all were cleanly sliced into two.
White flames ignited at the bisection of their bodies, consuming them from the point of the cut.
It was as if an impossibly long blade had cleaved the entire battlefield in a single, flawless stroke and at a speed invisible to naked eye.
The maggots writhed on the ground.
Their severed halves convulsed, unable to heal.
The pillars let out a piercing shriek as their upper halves collapsed, and vanished into ashen fragments.
Eighth Stance: Kami no Shinpan.
The technique erased the 'action' of slicing.