Mimou
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Chapter 140: Hidden Force
🕑 Added 2024-11-27 00:44:57 +0000 UTC« Chapter-139 | Index | Chapter-141 »
Kara, her breathing heavy and her face pale, observed the incoming torrent of blood spears with indifference. Her once auburn hair turned white, strand by strand, as the energy she had poured into her sword drained her dry.
'Now, it's do or die,' she thought, her grip tightening on the hilt. With a slow, almost gentle motion, she swung the sword, activating [Sword Intent: Time]. The movement seemed slow, almost anticlimactic.
An arc of light detached from the blade, glowing faintly, as though fragile and insignifiant. Yet, as the energy left her sword, the battlefield froze.
Time itself seemed to halt, the blood spears suspended mid-air. The light began to spread, growing in intensity, blinding everyone who was witnessing the battle.
The energy, however, did not stop its movement, navigating through space with precision, like a sentient force on a mission. As it moved, it obliterated everything in its path, dissolving all blood spears threatening Kara and disintegrating them effortlessly.
Each impact created a vacuum, and the entire arena shattered as the last drop of blood was reduced to nothingness.
After the first exchange, Kara's energy immediately surged toward Zodd. The powerful energy collided with his barrier, shattering it instantly. Unable to see his impending death, Zodd stood frozen as the arc of energy engulfed him, his massive frame vanishing from the arena. The battlefield, once chaotic and alive with energy, fell silent. The terrain where Zodd had stood was now a deep, empty void.
Kara, still gripping her sword, staggered, her body feeling like an empty, broken shell. Her white hair swayed gently as she exhaled, her eyes fixed on the void before her. She let out a weak breath, her sword falling on the ground as her knees gave way.
'I did it...' she thought, exhausted.
Attempting to walk toward the stands, Kara couldn’t focus on the notifications flashing before her eyes. As Kara’s unconscious body began to collapse, the barrier surrounding the battlefield faded. The instant her [Soul Link] reconnected with Sora, he was already moving. In a blur of speed, he appeared at her side, catching her just before she hit the ground.
In the same instant, he disappeared with her, vanishing behind the veil covering the area where the humans were seated. The remaining competitors barely had time to process what had happened.
Holding her gently, Sora's expression softened in a way that seemed entirely out of character. His usual composure gave place to a rare tenderness as he lowered her carefully onto a bench.
Sora adjusted her posture to ensure she was comfortable, his gaze lingering on her pale, fragile form. He brushed a strand of her now-white hair from her face, a faint smile playing on his lips despite the worry in his eyes. Summoning an additional veil to ensure their privacy, he began helping her recover.
The tower would always heal injuries between battles, but these self-inflicted injuries, born from pushing abilities beyond their limits, fell outside the tower’s scope of necessary healing.
Using life force he refined to supply her weak body, he felt her cells absorbing the energy like a sponge, and sighed in relief.
'Her ultimate moves are extremely badass but consume unhealthy amounts of energy and life force.' He thought, worry obvious on his face.
Nourishing her body with mana, life force, mental power, and everything else she was lacking, Sora carefully guided the energies through her, ensuring they flowed into the areas that needed them most. He watched as her pale face gradually regained its colors.
Her once-aged appearance began to revert rapidly. The wrinkles faded, her hair returned to its natural auburn color strand by strand, and the exhaustion etched into her face was disappearing. Noticed her eyes twitching, Sora was happy to feel her regaining consciousness.
Blinking a few times, she opened her eyes, her gaze locking onto Sora’s. A wave of emotion passed between them as she offered him a loving smile, one filled with gratitude and warmth that words couldn’t capture.
“It is nice to see you,” she whispered softly...
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Unaware of how much emotion he was showing, Sora’s tenderness did not go unnoticed. The other humans who caught sight of the scene exchanged knowing glances.
Emily chuckled softly and said, "Aww, I’m so jealous. I wish I had someone who looked at me like that."
Morgan laughed at her words, and said, "Who would risk looking at you that way? With your attitude, anyone would be too afraid to approach you."
She frowned at his words, but ignored him. Proud of her rookie’s victory, she couldn’t help but boast. “That’s my girl. Didn’t I tell you guys? I actually trained Kara and Ralph!” she declared shamelessly, her tone brimming with satisfaction.
Salim, meanwhile, looked stunned, struggling to process the power Kara had displayed. His gaze lingered on her as he muttered to himself, “With that kind of power—and just a few extra levels—won’t she become the strongest player in the world? Who can survive an attack like that?”
Clémence, who had overheard Salim's comment, interjected, “It shouldn't be that simple. Countless abilities exist, each with their own drawbacks. Just look at her state—such a power clearly comes at a huge cost. But it does feel like those two cheaters have found ways to recover even from that.”
Morgan laughed heartily at Clémence’s words. “These two! They keep surprising me. I thought Ralph was the strongest monster in the Tower, but maybe that girl will surpass him soon enough? She just used a skill that destroyed a player whose body was already at the top limit of this world…”
Pedro glanced toward Sora and Kara, his expression softening as he heaved a sigh of relief. “Maybe there’s hope for mankind after all... And to think it’s coming from two baby chicks who barely know anything about the world. It almost makes us feel useless. We’ve been preparing for this Ascension for three years, solidifying our foundations… That Rachel girl was also extremely promising. Did we really have to give up on her?”
Clémence tilted her head toward him, her tone sharp. “Remember Morgan's words. He may be a greedy bastard who loves stealing talents from guilds across the world, but you know he’s not a liar. And it won’t be hard to check his information once we’re outside.”
Turning to the other players, Clémence spoke firmly. “What I’m about to say might seem obvious to some of you, but this is mostly for you, Salim and Emily. What happens in the tower must stay in the tower. Never mention the relationships between players of various races, alliances—temporary or otherwise—to anyone."
Salim looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"
Clémence explained, her tone serious. "Extremists exist everywhere, and some groups actively hunt players who have interacted with or befriended members of other races. This is one of the main reasons why most players don’t publicize what happens inside the tower. Being seen as someone who’s friendly toward other races—or who refuses to demonize them—is considered an unforgivable sin in some places. So be cautious when you’re outside."
She continued, "the second group you need to worry about are the hungry wolves in the New World Kingdom preying on talented players. And players with innate abilities of insane potential, like Kara, are hunted like dogs. Ralph Eden can probably defend himself, but if word gets out, too early, about his girlfriend’s power, I’m not sure even he could protect her from the top powers. They have resources beyond imagination.”
Emily and Salim exchanged glances. Both had always taken care to hide their innate abilities, knowing the risks of exposure. Despite her being known as the 'Blood Witch', no one really knew what Emily's innate skill was. And Salim was even more cautious, with most people believing he didn't have an innate skill, and his followers being unable to reveal such information...
But Clémence’s warning hit harder than they expected. They realized that while they had no idea what Sora’s innate ability was, Kara’s power—if revealed and used to the limit—could indeed disrupt the balance of the world, making her a target.
Salim nodded, understanding the weight of her words. After a pause, he spoke. “Since we’re warning each other about dangers, I have something to add. Morgan, I don’t know if I should trust you with this, but maybe it’s worth the risk. Something strange happened last year in Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco. Hundreds of talented players disappeared over the course of just a few days—without leaving a single trace.”
Morgan, who was about to ask a question, was interrupted by Salim. "Let me finish first. These players didn’t die. We investigated and found they had simply disappeared—vanished without a trace. A few weeks ago, they all reappeared. But they weren’t the same. Every single one had jumped from below level 50 to level 140 or higher."
He paused, before continuing. "When people reconnected with them, none of these players could mention anything about their absence or their current situation. You might wonder why I’m telling you this story. It’s simple—I’m almost certain that someone in your guild abducted these players and built a powerful force for themselves."
Morgan, clearly taken aback, didn’t respond immediately. When he finally spoke, his tone was cautious. "Who could pull off something like that without me even hearing whispers of it? I’m not saying you’re lying, but hundreds of players at level 140 plus ? That can’t go unnoticed. It’s impossible."
Salim’s voice was steady, his confidence unwavering. "There’s someone who can do it. And who did it. Her name is Hannah Stone."
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Comments
mimou
I've never watched the matrix ... And focus on your lectures now haha. Thanks for the support
Maximilian Lehner
Read ya story in one go - university lectures didn’t matter xD - the matrix shenanigans are appearing 🫡💪
mimou
It's edited ! Thank you
Natox Biohazard
Other characters besides Kara are referring to Sora as Sora instead of Ralph
mimou
Time to solve some mysteries !!
Doki
Wow back on track. I was feeling a bit disconnected after the story but now. Wooo wee mommy. Nice bringing some freshness to the tournament arc. ...it sucks there are caps to their power. I am assuming the next update happens at lvl 200 or 300.
mimou
Holy molly, I messed up with the title. You might have received a notification with a strange title haha.
