Chapter 1228: Fighting The Calamity: The Door, The Past, And The Truth Ii
She couldn’t think straight.
What she didn’t know was that the atmosphere here was slowly affecting her. Her will, as a wisp of a God-rank being’s will, wasn’t enough to fully counter it.
Argh!!
Saya held her head and felt intense pain.
Ohm!!
At this moment, malice flooded her entire being.
The dark apparitions turned toward her and surged forward. Their bodies flashed through the air as they radiated horrifying energy.
Kiiierkkh!!
Karrrrhk!!
Saya gritted her teeth and swung the vajra sword with all of her might.
An energy blade erupted, destroying hundreds of dark apparitions.
This wasn’t enough.
There were tens of millions dark apparitions here, and some of them even had auras rivaling those of the Eighth and Ninth Shackle Realms. There were even a few that were equal to the Tenth Shackle Realm.
Numerous spears made of blood slammed into the army of dark apparitions. The collision sent an intense shockwave into the air, and countless energy sparks flew everywhere. The air trembled, and the stench of blood spread out.
Boom!!
"I will kill all of you!!"
Saya’s voice rang out.
She already knew that she couldn’t bring out Souta’s full potential. If she could use at least the Cosmic Sign, then she would be able to do much more against these dark apparitions.
Unfortunately for her, it wasn’t possible.
That was why no one tried to possess the body of another user and use this power. If it were this easy to obtain such power, many beings would secretly plot against the Zodiacs or the Deadly Sins to possess their bodies and gain their power.
That was why, when Souta revealed that he possessed the Thirteenth Sign, no other beings thought of possessing his body to gain the Cosmic Power.
It was because it was impossible.
The Cosmic Power wouldn’t respond to them at all.
There was a high chance that the Cosmic Power would even reject them, damaging their will to a huge extent.
That was why their first thought was to capture the possessor of such power not to possess the body, but to restrain him. Or to kill the user so that the power wouldn’t be used for the time being, until the next user emerged.
As for the other information, perhaps only those who possessed the same power were aware of it.
The Cosmic Sign was terrifyingly powerful.
If Saya could wield it, she could obliterate every dark apparition present.
Swoosh!
She pushed forward, charging straight into the midst of millions of dark apparitions.
Boom!!
Hundreds of thousands of them were blown away in an instant.
Saya floated in the air. She raised her sword, placing her other hand at the pommel of the hilt.
"If I can’t use Souta’s power, then I’ll use my own! I’ll show you vile creatures that you can never obtain what you desire!!"
As she spoke, she removed the small sphere embedded at the end of the handle and placed it into her mouth.
Boom—!!
In the next instant, a tremendous force erupted from his body.
The entire space seemed on the verge of collapse as a massive pillar of energy surged toward the ceiling. Countless dark apparitions were swept away by the overwhelming power.
Bang!!
In Nature Zone City, Prince Angus and the others froze, their bodies reacting before their minds could catch up.
From the direction of the royal capital, a colossal pillar of energy tore through the sky, punching through the clouds as if they were nothing.
"This is...?"
"What in the world is that?!"
A suffocating pressure washed over them. The energy was so vast, so alien, that it made their blood run cold. They had never felt anything even remotely close to it in their lives. Even from another city, its presence crushed down on their senses like an invisible weight.
Their own power felt laughably small before that monstrous force.
Fear crept into their hearts as they wondered what kind of hell was unfolding in the royal capital.
Across the ravaged land, monsters, humans, and demis who had survived the first wave of the calamity all stared at the towering pillar of energy. Blood soaked the ground beneath their feet. Screams echoed, then faded into silence. Every breath they took felt borrowed.
They weren’t fighting for victory.
They were fighting for one more sunrise.
No one wanted to die.
Yet death was everywhere. Twisted bodies, shattered armor, lifeless eyes staring into nothingness. Some collapsed, their spirits broken. Others screamed as they charged forward, knowing full well they might not survive the next moment.
Still, they fought.
Because stopping meant death.
Fight.
Fight.
Fight until there was nothing left.
...
The scenery around Souta changed.
A sharp, searing pain tore through his mind. He groaned softly and narrowed his eyes, only to realize that the surroundings had completely changed. The air felt different. It was lighter, unfamiliar yet it carried a strange sense of weight that pressed against his consciousness.
"Where... am I?"
Fragments of memory surged forward. He remembered losing consciousness after his evolution, his thoughts swallowed by darkness. Now, images from his past life flooded his mind in rapid succession. Faces, voices, moments long buried, all of them resurfaced with terrifying clarity. Unlike before, these memories were no longer hazy or distorted. They were vivid. Real. He could remember far more than he ever had.
"Grandfather told me many things..." Souta muttered, his brow furrowing. "Some of it still doesn’t make sense... but now, I can see more clearly what he truly is."
He lifted his gaze.
Towering trees stretched endlessly into the sky, their emerald canopies filtering sunlight into gentle rays. An enormous river flowed beside him, its waters gleaming like liquid crystal as it surged forward with quiet power. The air was crisp and refreshing, saturated with life, and the forest itself seemed to breathe.
Souta remained silent, carefully observing his surroundings.
Then his vision shifted.
Not far from the forest’s edge stood a vast city. Its stone walls rose high, enclosing countless structures within. People gathered there. They had similar physiques and features. They reminded him of the barbarians he had seen before: red hair, crimson eyes, and powerful builds. Yet there were clear differences. These people were not as massive, and from their heads curved a distinct pair of horns.
Voices echoed faintly through the air.
"Our girl is the pride of our family."
"She’s the top scorer of the academy."
"She will become someone truly great in the future."
The words stirred something within Souta, drawing his attention like an unseen hand. His gaze shifted again, locking onto a courtyard deep within the city. He focused, as if his will alone allowed him to observe the scene unfolding there.
His heart tightened.
"This isn’t Earth..." Souta murmured. Confusion crept into his expression. "Is this still my memory?"
The answer unsettled him.
The people living in this city were unmistakably demi.
Souta shifted his gaze toward the people gathered in the courtyard.
They stood in a loose circle, their expressions bright and animated, surrounding a young woman whose smile shone with unrestrained pride. Sunlight bathed her figure, making her seem like the center of the world, the very reason the celebration existed.
"My daughter, Saya, is the pride of our family!" a middle-aged man declared loudly. He stood beside her with his chest raised, his voice brimming with unmistakable pride.
The young woman, Saya, smiled even wider and spoke with calm confidence. "Don’t worry. I will lead our family to become one of the greatest families of our race."
"Saya...?" Souta raised an eyebrow, the name striking him with unexpected force.
His form drifted downward, as if gravity itself acknowledged his curiosity. He floated closer, observing the gathering in detail.
It was a family celebration.
Every person present belonged to the Tur’Lhan Family, members of the Vajra Race. Their gathering was not without reason. Saya had become the top scorer of the Vajra Academy, an achievement that carried immense weight within their race.
"Vajra Race... and Saya..." Souta murmured, confusion tightening in his chest. "This is her memory, but how am I seeing it?"
He continued to observe in silence.
The city surrounding them was Vajra City.
It was vast beyond imagination, stretching for tens of kilometers in every direction. Towering structures and wide avenues filled the landscape, housing more than thirty million inhabitants. Every single one belonging to the same race. On the surface, the city appeared peaceful, even orderly, yet Souta could feel it: an undercurrent of overwhelming power coiled beneath that calm exterior.
From the conversations drifting through the Tur’Lhan estate, he learned the truth.
Twenty-three God-rank beings stood guard over Vajra City.
They were existence at the pinnacle of the world, ancient protectors who had safeguarded their race for thousands of years. Their presence alone was enough to deter those who had ill intent against their race.
Compared to them, Saya’s family was influential, but not supreme.
Her grandfather was a formidable demigod, and both of her parents had reached the Eight Shackle Realm. Within Vajra City, such strength granted them authority and respect, yet they still fell short of the true ruling families, those blessed with God-rank protectors.
Souta remained where he was, watching from the outer residence of the Tur’Lhan Family. Even knowing this was only a memory, he did not dare approach the city’s central district. Some instincts, he realized, transcended reality itself.