Beyond the Bloodline-Chapter 203: Struggle

"When one gets to the Peak Power in the Universe, two things can happen.

They either gain Sub-Cosmic Superiority and surpass it, or they remain there until their lifespans run out and they die.

The case of the latter would apply to Robert Westley, just as it did to his father and grandfather. But in his great grandfather’s case, it was the former that applied."

Stretching her arms, Angela got up from her seat and continued.

"I just don’t want that old man to come yapping in my ears, that’s all."

Just as she said this, she glanced in the ten-year-old Jamie’s direction once more and to her shock, Jamie was looking back at her.

"...wait, why’s he looking here?"

The Masked man noticed Jamie’s gaze in their general direction and asked, a moment before the young boy looked elsewhere with a confused expression on his face.

"He knows someone is watching him but since we’re in a different spatial dimension, he cannot figure out where the gaze is coming from."

Angela spoke with a laugh, shaking her head as she left the table, not before tapping the masked man’s shoulder and advising him.

"I can’t say I completely understand you, but what I do completely understand is that you would fail. The Zanerth Universe is not one you can easily deal with."

Glancing momentarily at Jamie, she continued.

"Maybe the birth of ridiculous beings like that is the Universe’s way of preparing to stop you.

Anyway, try to find another compromise. Wiping everything out isn’t gonna work."

After saying her piece, Angela ruffled the man’s hair before walking away, leaving behind her old associate.

Little did she know, her words of advice would spur the man who would become the future Destruction Supreme, Master of the Extinction Legion, to start plotting to eliminate Jamie, whom he now saw as a significant threat. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

◇　◇　◇

"How do you like my little tale? Admittedly, I’m not the best storyteller, but I’m sure I spun that one pretty well, didn’t I?"

Shale spoke as he watched Jamie restraining the effects of the Anti-Hybrid factors trying to spread across his body.

"You once severed your wrist just and regrew a new one just to prove a point to someone. Littering the floor with your body part."

Shale continued his talk as he walked around Jamie, occasionally checking his watch to see how long had passed as he spoke.

"The Extinction Legion already kept tabs on you, so when you severed that wrist of yours, we retrieved it during the chaos of the fight that ensued afterwards.

In that wrist containing your blood and energy and genetic data, the Extinction Legion gained the materials it needed to create and test out the effectiveness of the power given to me."

"..."

Jamie frowned when he heard this. He couldn’t remember exactly which event Shale spoke about, given that he liked using his immortality to unnerve his opponents.

But he did understand that it was this bad habit of his that gave Shale’s Boss the necessary genetic data and race factors needed to create this Barrier that Limited him, as well as create Shale who stood before him.

Jamie’s Hybrid powers had evolved from both continuous use and his increase in Existence Realm, so when he became a Transcendent, severed body parts of his dissolved into blood mist if they were separated from him for too long. But the event Shale spoke about probably happened when Jamie’s powers hadn’t evolved.

However, thinking about this now wasn’t going to help his situation. Instead, he focused on the idea that crossed his mind when he heard Shale talk about a severed wrist.

When dealing with a particularly potent poison some months ago, Jamie had severed his hand and regrown a new one unaffected by the toxin.

Now that his heart was affected by Shale’s Anti-Hybrid powers—

Jamie’s hands clutching his chest suddenly dug in deep, his fingers moving to grab his own heart and rip it out of his body.

However, before they could make contact, Shale suddenly dashed forward and seized his arm in a firm grip, sporting a grin as he spoke.

"I was waiting for you to do that."

Shale said, yanking Jamie’s hand away from his chest and then delivering a powerful kick, sending Jamie sprawling onto the ground.

**BEEP!

At that moment, Shale’s watch beeped, and the Anti-Hybrid Soldier infused energy into his sword, thrusting it towards Jamie’s head.

Jamie, having regained a bit of body control due to his efforts in using ether to resist the Anti-Hybrid factors, kicked Shale in the shin and disrupted his balance, causing the man’s strike to miss.

Scrambling to his feet, Jamie conjured a blade of fire law energy and swung it towards Shale’s neck, but despite being off-balance, Shale managed to conjure a cosmic energy shield, blocking the strike and rebounding Jamie’s sword.

Jamie backed away, his movements stiff as the Anti-Hybrid factors began to spread once more through his bloodstream like poison. He attempted to rip out his heart again, but Shale fired a pressurized beam of water that pierced the back of his wrist, destroying the joint.

Just as he expected, the wound did not heal immediately. Jamie quickly used ether to cast a spell, barely making it in time to raise his sword and block Shale’s overhead slash.

’Cut, Slash, Carve!’

Jamie mentally commanded, but Shale was faster than the sluggish masses of spatial power. With a swift kick, Shale swept Jamie off his feet, then spun around and delivered another kick, sending Jamie flying through the air.

Chasing after the Hybrid, Shale leapt into the air and commanded...in a True Voice!

|Limit Off. |

"?!"

***BOOOMMM!!!!

Shale’s sword pierced down from above, but Jamie rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the strike. The ground where Jamie had been moments before exploded in a shower of debris, the force of Shale’s attack leaving a crater.

"You...you’re a Half Deity!"

Jamie gasped, eyes wide with shock as he realized the true extent of Shale’s power. This revelation was a bolt out of the blue that made his already bad situation even worse.

Shale’s smile widened as he spoke, his voice calm and almost condescending.

|Of course, I am. You’re invincible in the Transcendent Realm, so sending a Transcendent against you would be plain foolishness. I only limited my power to make you evaluate me inaccurately. |

With those words, Shale attacked, his sword now coated in extinction law energy. Jamie, still reeling from the shock, desperately blocked the man’s renewed onslaught, barely keeping up with Shale’s increased speed.

|But now that the Anti-Hybrid Factors have taken root in your heart and neutralized your immortality, there’s no need to hold back anymore! |

Shale declared, running his fingers across his blade, invoking his Authority.

|Authority of Swords: Origin Flash. |

His sword began to glow with an intense, almost blinding light, the energy emanating from it warping the air around them.

|Origin Flash Barrage! |

Shale moved with blinding speed, his sword a blur of light. Each strike came faster than the last, the blade arcing through the air in a series of rapid, fluid motions that left afterimages, creating the illusion of multiple blades attacking simultaneously.

Jamie, caught off guard by the sheer speed and ferocity of the attack, raised his sword just in time to block the first strike. The force of the collision sent a shockwave rippling through the air, but before Jamie could fully recover, Shale’s blade was already descending again.

The Hybrid desperately parried and dodged, his own energy sword struggling to keep up with the onslaught. Sparks flew with each clash, the sound of blades clashing ringing out across the mountaintop.

Shale’s attacks increased in speed and power with each successive strike, and by the 50th strike, the blade was humming with accumulated energy that released shockwaves just by cutting through the air.

He raised the sword high and swung it down with all his might, unleashing the full power of [Origin Flash].

A brilliant arc of energy shot forth from the blade, aimed directly at Jamie, carving a deep trench in the ground as it travelled.

Jamie, with no time to react, threw up a mish-mashed barrier of all his law energies in a desperate attempt to block the attack.

The arc of energy struck the barrier, and for a moment, it seemed to hold, but that didn’t last long as the barrier shattered, and the residual force of the attack slammed into Jamie, sending him skidding backwards, his body battered and bruised.

Breathing heavily, Jamie pushed himself to his feet, his eyes narrowing as he assumed his half-wolf form, just in time for Shale to reach him with another Origin Flash Barrage.

|Authority of Swords: Ring of Piercing Death. |

Following this, Shale used another Authority technique, creating a circular wave of energy blades that expanded outward, aiming to slice Jamie from all sides.

In response, Jamie channelled as much ambient destruction, flame and lightning law energies as he could, adding even gravity power to clash with Shale’s attack, creating a storm of energy that barely held back the barrage.

But despite his efforts, Jamie took serious damage, his body screaming in pain as cuts and burns marred his skin.

|Authority of Extinction. |

Shale switched Authorities and the glow on his blade increased in intensity, thrusting the blade forward and releasing a vortex of power which forced Jamie to use the limited void power he had left.

The two forces collided with a deafening roar, the mountaintop shuddering under the immense power. Everything within the barrier was vaporized, and a mushroom cloud of smoke and lightning rose high into the sky, visible from miles away.

Amidst this, Jamie and Shale fought at hypersonic speeds, their movements almost invisible to the naked eye. The smoke swirled around them, obscuring the battlefield, but their battle continued unabated.

Shale utilized the imperceptible cosmic energy to launch attacks from all angles, sending blades of energy cut through the air and striking Jamie with precision.

’Wait a sec...did he just?’

The Anti-Hybrid Soldier narrowed his eyes when he noticed Jamie move even before an energy blade had fully formed.

He used his Extinction Authority with Cosmic energy again and he noticed Jamie’s pupils darting in the direction of some of the blades, a look of shock crossing his face as realization struck.

’He’s sensing them!?’

This revelation made Shale alter his approach. He parried one of Jamie’s attacks and threw a punch aimed at the Hybrid’s face, blasting him back with a burst of cosmic energy.

Shale pierced his sword into his own palm, drawing it out blood-stained, and declared with a chilling calm.

|My next five strikes would end your existence. Savour your last moments, Westley. |

Power erupted from Shale’s form, sending shockwaves through the ground, causing it to quake and crack under the immense pressure. His eyes glowed with light as his blade transformed into a sleek rapier, enhancing its piercing power.

|Unique Skill: Five Steps of Extinction. |