Chapter 277: Ch 277: Personal Power- Part 2

Shuu felt determined to break through the barrier holding himself back. It was a decision that felt sudden but was a cumulative result of Shuu’s suffering and his desire to gain power until now.

’Are you sure about this? You might start regretting this soon. But that time, it will be too late to do anything about it.’

The voice reminded Shuu, and he smiled a bitter smile.

"I know that there is a chance I will regret it. But still-! It would be worse if I did not even try."

Shuu felt like he was explaining this all to himself and trying to reassure his own heart that he was doing the right thing.

The voice inside his mind went quiet for a minute, and Shuu waited for it to say something. And then, it finally started to speak again.

’If this is the path you have chosen, then do not hesitate. Your power shall accompany you once more. But if it goes out of control this time, the only option would be death.’

The voice reminded Shuu, and he felt a chuckle escaping his throat at that threat.

"Somehow, I have a feeling that Kaiden would not agree with that result."

But Kaiden was not here right now, and Shuu was about to finally feel his first taste of power.

Goddess Astoria’s presence around the space increased within a second. She had sensed the shift in Shuu’s power as well, and she wanted to crush him before he awakened.

As someone who knew Shuu well and had him under her control, she knew that the second Shuu gained power, he would break out of her hold. So she needed to crush him before that happened.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to piss me off? Don’t you dare awaken without my permission or knowledge, or I will make sure you are buried in this space for good."

The goddess had started to panic now. This was a good sign for Shuu.

Actually, he could not even tell why he felt so pleased. But he felt satisfied hearing the goddess speak like this.

"If you want to try and hold me hostage in your space, then go ahead and try. But I am no longer going to be bound by your words or actions."

Shuu assured the goddess before he let his power break free from the seal that was holding it back.

Energy filled his whole body in an instant, and he felt awake. Not only did his body feel lighter, but he also felt like he could take on the goddess in a fight.

The space around him pulsed with anger. That was how he knew that the goddess had lost her temper and decided to ’deal’ with him.

"Ugh, I gave you a chance to come back to my side and reclaim your home. But you had to be stubborn and refuse me. Now, I will show you just what you have to lose in your attempt to pursue your ’flawed’ idea of freedom."

Small gates began to open all around the space, and monsters started to pour out of the gates. Shuu could tell that these monsters were decently powerful.

He could have opened his own gate to return to Kaiden and let these monsters run rampant, but he did not do that. He owed the people of this world far too much to allow that.

A staff made up of pure mana appeared in Shuu’s hands, and he felt his body changing due to his unsealed powers.

Memories of fights he had in the past began to fill his mind, and his body moved on its own when he tried to attack.

The monsters looked distracted by his sudden presence, and they looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of him. But he was too fast for them, and they were defeated within seconds.

Shuu could feel the goddess’s frustration as she realized that none of her actions were having any effect on him.

"Darn it-! How dare you try and be cheeky with me? Do you think you are safe just because I cannot manifest in that space? You are just on borrowed time currently. Don’t you dare forget that fact."

The goddess raged, and Shuu used this opportunity to throw his weapon toward her face. It startled her enough to make her flinch, and she took an unconscious step back...

Not that she had anywhere to go. The weapon hit an invisible barrier before it disintegrated into particles of light around the space.

"You-! How dare you try and kill me. I am going to kill you. Forget about space stability and whatnot-! I am going to come across and-"

The space around Shuu started to crash. He could feel a massive force of pure mana trying to force its way inside the space.

He quickly coated himself with mana to form a barrier, but the force coming toward him still felt massive.

’I need more power to be able to defend myself. I need to draw out more of my power.’

Shuu could feel his blood boiling with anticipation, and his own output increased. The dungeon around them had started to break apart, but both sides looked unbothered by this change.

"You have challenged my authority. It is one thing I cannot forgive. So, Shuu, I will take your head for this unforgivable sin-"

The goddess yelled as she sent her powerful attack toward Shuu. He used all his power and concentration to block the pure mana with his own shield. Their powers crashed, and Shuu was instantly knocked back.

He had suffered an injury, which meant that the goddess had suffered an injury as well. So now was the right time...

"Huh-! Where am I? This does not look like the same dungeon as before. Did I...end up in another space after being blown away by that blast of power?"

Shuu asked, but he did not lower his guard. After all, life was unpredictable, and one needed to be careful.