In a daze, Starlight could vaguely hear the voices of Moen and Po Kong coming from far away, but he could not respond—or rather, he simply had no time to respond.
At this moment, his consciousness was being bombarded by a massive stream of information, as if he were trapped in an inescapable storm.
This was the entirety of the experience from Taros, the Ancient God of Darkness; it was not something that could be compared to the volume of a mere single spell.
If learning Spatial Displacement had felt like a giant wave constantly washing over his mind, then now, it felt as if the entire ocean were pressing down on his head, threatening to completely drown his consciousness.
Just then, Noah’s voice suddenly rang out in his mind: “Little Star... Taros is nothing more than a memory now. Do not resist; try to understand it. These things have long since been a part of you.”
“Noah...? You’re awake?” Starlight was momentarily stunned, then responded with joy.
“Yes, fortunately I woke up just in time,” Noah replied firmly. “Any later, and you would have been crushed into a mindless husk by this memory stream. Now, relax and work with me to confront these memories.”
With Noah’s assistance, Starlight’s panicked heart calmed considerably. He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax.
He no longer resisted the images flooding into his mind but instead tried to feel them, to understand them.
Gradually, those chaotic images began to grow clear.
He saw the figure of Taros, a war from the primordial era, and countless living beings struggling and resisting within the endless darkness.
However, in the face of that deepest blackness, all of it turned into futility.
That black power was the terminator of all things, the antithesis of all existence.
It was the ultimate darkness that swallowed all light, the incarnation of the deepest void in the entire universe.
Its power was not one of violent destruction, but of cold consumption. Like a black hole, it ruthlessly absorbed everything, returning prosperity to nothingness and life to silence.
Its existence transcended time and space, like an invisible maw silently devouring all matter, energy, and existence itself.
Whether it was the brilliant stars or the blazing light, anything that touched its domain would be instantly pulled into the infinite void and turned into eternal darkness.
The power and knowledge contained within those images were also slowly merging into Starlight’s consciousness. He could feel himself becoming one with this power.
“Shadow of Annihilation.”
As the images scrolled past, an unfamiliar term suddenly appeared in Starlight’s mind.
“Shadow of Annihilation... Is this the essence of Taros’s power?” Starlight murmured softly, a hint of realization flashing in his eyes.
“Exactly. This is the core power of the Ancient God of Darkness. It is not simple destruction, but an ultimate law that returns everything to nothingness. It is also one of the types of Ultimate Power you have been searching for,” Noah’s voice rang out again, carrying a hint of praise and affirmation.
“This is... the dark attribute’s Ultimate Power?” Starlight hadn't expected to encounter this power under such circumstances, let alone obtain the key to its threshold.
In this way, the goal Noah had set for him had finally seen its first piece of the puzzle completed.
Although this sudden surprise left Starlight feeling somewhat dazed, he soon noticed something was wrong.
He discovered that as the power of the Shadow of Annihilation was gradually analyzed, his aura was rising uncontrollably.
Back at the Spiritual Arts Academy, Eventador and Noah had already assessed his strength.
According to the current standards of the continent, Starlight’s strength was at the Archmage level, not particularly far from reaching the Saint Rank.
Regarding how to break through to the Saint Rank, Eventador had mentioned many times that it required either years of accumulation or a specific catalyst.
Now, under the influence of the Shadow of Annihilation, Starlight’s power had suddenly reached that final threshold, and he was liable to break through that shackle at any moment.
“Transcending the mundane to reach the Saint Rank”—if this phrase were applied to anyone else, it would be considered a monumental stroke of luck and opportunity, something nearly impossible to seek out.
But for Starlight, this was not the result he wanted.
The goal Noah had set for him was not to break through under these circumstances, but to wait until he had gathered all the Ultimate Powers of the Radiant Elemental Body.
Furthermore, once he crossed that threshold now, the secret technique Carlos used on him to suppress his fate would likely lose its effect.
No one knew if the curse that no Radiant Elemental Body could escape would appear in the next second and erase him from the world.
Now, Starlight only felt his power expanding uncontrollably. He tried to do something to stop it, but it had no effect at all.
“Noah... my power is going out of control! I feel like I’m about to break through to the Saint Rank!” Starlight shouted anxiously in his heart, his tone tinged with panic.
“Calm down, Little Star! You must suppress this power! You absolutely cannot let it break through to the Saint Rank! Otherwise, everything Carlos did will go to waste!” Noah’s voice rang out immediately.
“That’s easy for you to say! I can’t control it!!” Starlight grit his teeth, trying his best to manage his aura.
He could clearly feel the mana in his body like a violent torrent, frantically battering against that invisible barrier.
A normal person would have simply let the power shatter the Saint Rank barrier, but in Starlight’s case, he had to do the opposite and even try to strengthen that barrier himself.
Every impact caused him a surge of intense pain, as if his body were being torn apart.
Fortunately, he was currently in the pool filled with spiritual medicine. Every time his body was injured, it was quickly repaired by the power of the water, which kept him from losing consciousness.
But this couldn't go on forever. Even if his body could withstand such terrifying impacts, his spirit would eventually collapse under this excruciating, torturous pain.
“Ugh... Aaaah!!! I can’t... I can’t hold it anymore...!” Under the intense pain, Starlight couldn't help but roar out loud.
His pained cries caused Moen and the others by the pool to become tense to the extreme. However, because of Yserazor’s warning, they didn't dare to act recklessly and could only stand by anxiously, watching Starlight endure the immense agony.
After enduring several minutes of excruciating pain, Starlight’s body had swollen slightly due to the unreleased power, and cracks were gradually appearing on the invisible barrier of the Saint Rank.
“Is this it...? Is this fate? No... I still have things I haven't finished!” Starlight howled, his handsome face twisting with effort.
No one noticed that the black flame mark on his wrist had gradually begun to dissipate.
Once the entire Elemental Mark was digested, if he still hadn't broken through to the Saint Rank, his body would likely be completely blown apart by the power of the Shadow of Annihilation.
“What is this boy trying to do? Why is he rejecting the path to the Saint Rank?!” At this moment, Yserazor finally realized Starlight’s current predicament and spoke in surprise.
Even with his vast experience, he had never seen such a creature—one who would forcibly suppress their own rise in strength.
“Will he really not explode like this? No... this kid isn't a fool; he must have his reasons for doing this... Forget it, I’ll give you a hand!”
Yserazor pondered silently for a moment. Although he hadn't figured out exactly what was going on, he decided to help Starlight in his own way.
His fingers moved quickly, tracing several strokes in the air, and Dragon Tongue symbols immediately appeared on Starlight’s skin.
A film formed of spatial power centered on the Dragon Tongue symbols, firmly binding Starlight’s body.
The terrifying power that was about to burst Starlight’s body was gradually suppressed under Yserazor’s intervention. This forcibly pulled Starlight’s body back from the brink of explosion.
However, while Yserazor could help Starlight suppress the collapse of his physical body, he could not suppress that invisible barrier within him.
If the barrier leading to the Saint Rank could be materialized, it would now be covered in spiderweb-like cracks, having reached the critical point of breakthrough.
Rate on N.U.
