Chapter 73: Spell


    ?


    Winston had a dream. A vision of the past.


    There, he saw a man. The man had his back turned to him, disying his enormous body of which each muscle was perfectly aligned and trained. He had long and wild hair and wore nothing on the upper part of his body.


    He seemed to be someone from a time so far gone that wars were as frequent as a bar fight.


    In the vision, the man fought.


    He fought and fought and fought and then fought some more. More and more and more until rivers turned to blood at his feet and the carcasses of his enemies amassed below him to form an insurmountable hill.


    His skill, his power; everything was refined. He had witnessed every attack that he could, he had thought of a counter to every move that he could. Yet, there he sat.


    When his eyes finally met Winston''s at the end, Winston saw regret inside them. Regret and a deep sadness.


    At the end, the man sealed himself inside of a crystal; something that the next generation woulde to call- The Essence of Bravery.


    Harboring the memories and power of a man thought to have reached the pinnacle of Bravery, it truly was a great power.


    However, just as the vision was about to end, the man spoke to him.


    "You..." his voice was hoarse, as if he was not used to speaking.


    "You''re not... the one... that inherited my power..." He squeezed out.


    Winston raised an eyebrow.


    "Are you more than just a memory?"


    The man looked down at his fist, "I... am merely a projection..."


    He looked back at him.


    "What... have you... done?"


    Winston didn''t disy any change in his expression and continued on nonchntly.


    "I stole it. The Essence of Bravery from the previous wielder."


    "How... is that... possible?"


    "You don''t need to know." He continued. "Simply surrender yourself. You won''t be with me long anyway."


    They stared at each other for a moment.


    Without warning, the man''s body began to turn into streams of light.


    "Whatever... if you stole me from... The other man... you have... every right to use... this power." As he uttered his final words, his figurepletely merged into light.


    Knowledge, information, experiences; flooded into Winston''s mind.


    This is... Winston narrowed his eyes as he saw everything that the man had experienced


    through his life. Just from the assimtion, Winston had gained all of the man''s knowledge on fighting.


    However, something peculiar urred.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Thump!


    Hooo!


    A heat rose from his core. Winston ced a hand at his chest as he felt a strange... change happening to his body.


    Nay, it went beyond that. It was more fundamental. More primal, even.


    Winston''s eyes widened as he realized the source of the heat.


    His second gift. Instinctual Fighter.


    Now this is a pleasant surprise.


    He smiled.


    Stealing was a power that operated on information.


    The more information he has on the opponent, the better the chances of the Theft gets.


    Of course, if the gap between strength is too big, the theft would fail anyway, even if he understood something to the very core.


    Luckily, however, in case of Kavan, the Spectral Threads were perfect for the job.


    Taking the time to gain information and then steal his greatest strength in one fell swoop.


    "Let''s start from the top, shall we?" Winston grinned at the Corps Commander who stared him with an expression of dumbfoundedness.


    "What the?" He muttered unconsciously.


    Then, he stared at his fist that burned with a blue light.


    Of course, the other downside to theft couldn''t be forgotten.


    If the ability to the target he wishes to steal was already in use, it would not cancel the ability. Such a thing was eliminated at the level of an angel, but it proved to be an inconvenience for


    now.


    Because-


    Boooom!


    "What the hell have you done?!" Kavan screamed at the top of lungs. The air in the area heated up and rippled as the shinsu all around them turned into mes and explosions.


    "Guess." Of course, Winston, as always, was well suited to be a beyonder from the Red Priest pathway.


    And that was when Kavan fully lost it.


    Thousands of explosions happened, all in the span of a single second.


    Winston blizted across the entire battlefield, leaving after images as he leapt in and out of the spirit world.


    This heat.... Winston smirked as he blinked through yet another attack from Kavan.


    His senses drowned out the ensuing chaos, leaving only a stillness that was hard to replicate.


    The explosions, Kavan''s yelling, Maschenny Jahad preparing to intervene upon seeing Kavan''s strange state; it was all drowned into a sea of stillness and calm.


    I''ve never felt something like this... Winston thought. It feels... pleasant.


    He sensed Kavan appearing above him, armed with the zing blue me and ready to pummel him into a bloody mess.


    "I don''t know how you did that. But I need it back."


    Bam!


    Shaaaaaaaa!


    Fwoooo~


    The shinsu in the air turned turbulent as their figures were once again epassed by a


    white cloud of shinsu.


    However, when the cloud cleared, there appeared a weird sight.


    Winston had met Kavan''s fist with his own.


    Not only blocking the attack, but matching it with his own power.


    All around Winston was a thin film of blue fire. The Diffusion Boundary, modified for the


    essence of bravery.


    "I can get used to this." Winston''s eyes held a strange light to them, as if capable to seeing


    through all attacks.


    Kavan gnashed his teeth and so began the sh.


    Hundreds of blows rained on Winston who matched then with almost equal strength and


    ferocity.


    However, drops of blood poured out from his hands as he did so.


    Even the new power isn''t enough to match his physical ability? What type of a monstrous physique does he have? Winston grinned as the essence covered his still organic arm, strengthening them beyond what any of his reinforcement techniques would allow for.


    "What is that spell?!" Kavan question again through the attacks.


    "I''ll tell you just this once." Resisting the urge to say ''Guess'' once more, as he felt that phrase


    was being used a lot in the fight, Winston finally decided to give Kavan a hint.


    His hands moved like an afterimage as he blinked right in front of Kavan. Then, he clenched


    his fist, hard!


    [Essence of Bravery- Modified Skill- Hundred Hands of Sky!]


    Hundreds of blows, all thrown before Kavan could even react.


    Bam!


    Bam!


    Bam!


    All of them connected.


    Boom!


    Kavan''s body was thrown like an arrow leaving a bow. With a terrifying speed, he smashed


    right into the sea down below.


    "I stole the essence of bravery from you." Winston broke out with a toothy grin.


    "It''s pretty handy, I''ll tell you."


    Before long, Kavan stepped back out of the water, his figure appearing unharmed.


    He''s one durable man... Winston mused.


    Kavan''s eyes were now bloodshot. He red at him with such a hateful gaze that the devil


    itself might shy away at seeing his infernal eyes that spelled out nothing but his desire to


    inflict harm.


    "...You are dangerous to be left alone." He said, taking a stance. "I will eliminate you right


    here. Before you can be a nuisance in the face of Jahad."


    "Heh. Why don''t you try?!"


    Aisand and Tommy continued to watch the chaos unfold with a strange expression.


    This had... certainly exceeded their expectations.


    "Heh. What did I tell you, Aisan? The youngsters these days are terrifying."


    Aisand narrowed his eyes.


    "Well, Irregrs are." He continued. "Not sure about everyone else."


    Aisand turned to Tommy.


    "This will have a lot of after effects."


    Tommy raised a brow.


    "borate."


    Aisand turned back to the stream where Winston and Kavan were engaged in a duel.


    "Essence of Bravery- Lethal Move!" Kavan yelled, throwing his hand back.


    "Hurricane Shaker- Bacsh Bomber!"


    Seeing the attack Winston attacked with the same one! It had been copied the moment he had


    used it!


    Boom!


    Winston blinked again, appearing right behind Kavan.


    "Shinsu Skill- Incinerating World!" He yelled.


    mes. mes of the brightest red and orange appeared, transforming into a gigantic


    tornado that engulfed everything in between. The ensuing heat was so strong that the warships standing in the distance had their metal melt from such a distance!


    "Aargh! The ship is melting!"


    "What the hell?" "The Tower is made up of people that hate change. Every single person that has the power to shake


    the tower has chosen to stay inert."


    "Idiots." Maschenny Jahad clicked her tongue as a spear made out of pure electricity appeared


    in her hand.


    Hauling the spear above her shoulder, she got into position.


    "I''ll do it myself." She smiled. "I''ll pierce his heart in one motion."


    The shinsu around her moved, concentrating more and more inside the spear. She poured


    shinsu worth hundreds of baangs into a single one!


    On the other side, Kavan punched towards Winston, hitting him eight in the chest and


    throwing him back several meters!


    "Your still as strong as before!" Winston said, wiping a small strain of blood off his lips. They charged at each other again, aiming for a sh as they readied their attacks. Dozens of baangs moved around in the air, mostly Winston''s preparing to intercept Kavan.


    Each of them had been modified by the essence of bravery too!


    Just then, a vision ovepped his senses.


    He saw himself, right as he shed with Kavan. Then, a spear came from behind him. He


    tried to leap into the spirit world but a strange tug pulled him down! It was a spell casted by a ranker on the warships! The spear blitzed towards him and stabbed him in the heart! Winston smiled.


    I''ll take that. He extended his hand and leapt into the spirit world before the spear was thrown. Maschenny, as she was pumping shinsu into the spear, felt something missing.


    Her eyes widened as she looked over her shoulder. Her hand grasped nothing but air.


    Destiny''s Robber!


    "Perhaps ites with age? People resist change. Not because they fear it, but because they have grown too ustomed to the monotony of their life."


    "Maschenny Style-" Winston said, appearing behind Kavan.


    Kavan turned instantly, wishing to intercept the move. But then, he stopped. His intent to


    ''attack'' was stolen! Then, the baangs around them exploded into thorns!


    Shaaaaa!


    Blood, the crimson of life seeped out of a small wound on Kavan''s shoulder. There, dozens


    of spines had targeted a single point.


    I finally went through that thick skin of yours. Winston smiled with a maniacal grin, appearing


    like a demon.


    "Deadly lightning." As his wordsnded, so did the spear of lightning.


    "But change is something that has always been a part of the tower. It arises from the strangest areas.


    And here, when an irregr openly challenges the Jahad''s forces and evenes out on top..."


    On the war ship, the ranker that was going to cast the spell of immobilization on Winston stopped.


    "W...ha...t?" He managed to squeeze out, but no one paid him any mind.


    His thoughts slowed down uncontrobly as did his body movements. But there was no one


    that watched him, as if he had be invisible. He thought of attacking himself, but the


    thought was instantly stolen!


    "It is bound to shake the tower."


    "But Jahad isn''t someone to be taken lightly. Simply being an irregr does not equate to being able to


    trigger change." Tommy argued.


    The ranker suddenly got up from his seat, his expression one of stillness.


    The others around him finally noticed his strange state.


    s, it was all toote...


    Kavan stood there with a small hole on the right side of his chest. Strangely enough, the


    hole did not bleed, but it was glowing.


    Kavan began to move again and Winston moved to counter it. But then, a premonition


    stirred in his heart.


    Without waiting, he leapt into the spirit world and appeared a hundred meters away!


    And sure enough, at the stop where he just was, a wave of lightning snapped by.


    Winston narrowed his eyes at the Princess. "What''s this? Were you not supposed to fight me one on one?"


    "Things have changed." Maschenny said, fully stepping into the battlefield with a spear in


    hand.


    "Seeing the blood of the Corps Commander... it''s gotten me in the mood for a battle."


    "Irregrs. Regrs. Family Heads and Kings. All of them will be inconsequential. The times deem it so."


    "What times? What''s so good above these times in particr?"


    Aisand smiled.


    Winston stared at them for a moment before he turned his head.


    "Man. If you spoil the fun like that, I have no choice but to finish the battle."


    Kavan charged at him without a word. Maschenny took a stance to support him.


    Just then, Winston blinked right towards the Corps Commander. Then, keeping a hand on his shoulder, he again, leapt into the spirit world. Hundreds of colours shed in Kavan''s eyes, momentarily disorienting him. But before he could make any sense of where he was, he appeared again in the real world.


    There he appeared right above the ocean, where the original hill was supposed to be.


    Kavan moved, but then, he stopped with a dumbfounded expression.


    His thoughts had once again been stolen.


    Maschenny charged at then from above, but Winston went ahead to intercept her.


    As Kavan regained his thoughts, he again made way to rejoin the battle. However..


    His body froze midway! As if ice had been embedded into his joints! Reverse Flow Control, coupled with the Freeze spell!


    "The current times are times of change. An irregr entering the tower... I don''t doubt that a war is


    underway. And that war will sweep up the rankers." Aisand stared at the screen. "The current times...."


    Meanwhile, the ranker back on the war ship extended his hand and pointed at the Corps Commander.


    "Immobalize." He muttered listlessly.


    Kavan, who had already been frozen solid was frozen yet again.


    Then, chuckle came from behind him.


    "Well well. What do we have here?" Winston walked out from the spirit world behind him, in


    his hands was a blue needle. Cerulean Tide 2.0!


    "I finally have you right where I want you to be." He smiled.


    Kavan, if he could, would widen his eyes. There were two Winston''s all along! "That guy you were fighting. It was a marite, sorry to say."


    Winston had found a very convenient glitch.


    Since he could make working brains with shinsu, he could also give them a ''soul''. Of course, it


    was not an actual soul, but merely something that had Spirit Body Threads, for Winston to


    latch onto. The procedure after that was simple. He could gift his power to the marite and operate as he would normally! Giving his powers to marites would be possible only at the demigod stage, but here, he had managed to aplish it without trouble!


    And so, the n was sessful.


    The rankers and Maschenny noticed the two irregrs, but s, it was all toote.


    Winston kept the needle at Kavan''s back and spoke softly. "Ignition."


    Shinsu instantly exploded from the needle!


    Kavan, upon whom the effects of the freezing were beginning to wear off, shakily turned


    his head.


    "A.... spell?!" He turned his eyes downwards, where a gigantic ck spell circle was suddenly


    lit up.


    The eyes of every ranker there widened in surprise.


    The entire thing... it had always been a trap.


    "Checkmate."


    "The current times are..."


    A brilliant sh of light enveloped the entire battlefield as the spell activated.


    Spells had very specific rules of follow. First was that the caster had to abide by the rules of


    the spell itself after it had been cast. The second was to have a powerful medium or a Divine entity. And that the rank of the spell was determined by the power of the medium. There were a lot more, but Winston had none to worry about.


    Because now, he spell had already activated. It had very specific conditions. The first was that


    the target had to be on the spell circle. The second was that the target had to be hit directly on


    the back with the item connected to the spell. And the third was that the item had to be an


    ignition weapon.


    And so, his Cerulean Tide had been enchanted with a spell.


    The Spell of Sealing.


    "See ya."


    "W...Winston Heath!!!" With a final yell, Kavan disappeared into the separate space created


    by the spell.


    The marite of his crumbled as he felt the strength return back to him.


    Then, he looked towards the warships and the observer.


    He spread his arms out and spoke with a clear voice.


    "I am the Beacon of Destiny." He said, his eyes meeting the warships.


    "I am the Uncontroble Cosmic Error." His clear voice resonated in the air, ringing in the


    ears of the rankers.


    "I am the Traveller of the Endless Worlds."


    He smiled, and in an over the top way, he brought his arm down and bowed to the audience.


    "And that concludes the performance."


    "The current times.. they are the worst of times... but they are also the best of times..."


    A/N: I wrote this on my mobile because myptop is broken. I apologize for any misspells or if


    the pacing is strange as it is a 3000 word chapter. It''s harder to organize the words when you''re writing on a phone. Not to mention I have a natural trouble writing fight sequences.


    Anyway, there ya go. That''s his honorific name. I might change it when he bes an angel


    but that''s that.


    Tell me how the chapter turned out. And as always, throw some stones.


    Cheers-