Winston had a dream. A vision of the past.
There, he saw a man. The man had his back turned to him, displaying 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 would come 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 display any change in his expression and continued on nonchalantly.
"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 figure completely 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 assimilation, Winston had gained all of the man's knowledge on fighting.
However, something peculiar occurred.
Thump!
Hooo!
A heat rose from his core. Winston placed 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 Kallavan, 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?!" Kallavan screamed at the top of lungs. The air in the area heated up and rippled as the shinsu all around them turned into flames and explosions.
"Guess." Of course, Winston, as always, was well suited to be a beyonder from the Red Priest pathway.
And that was when Kallavan 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 Kallavan.
His senses drowned out the ensuing chaos, leaving only a stillness that was hard to replicate. The explosions, Kallavan's yelling, Maschenny Jahad preparing to intervene upon seeing Kallavan'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 Kallavan appearing above him, armed with the blazing blue flame 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 encompassed by a white cloud of shinsu.
However, when the cloud cleared, there appeared a weird sight.
Winston had met Kallavan'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.
Kallavan gnashed his teeth and so began the clash.
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?!" Kallavan 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 Kallavan a hint.
His hands moved like an afterimage as he blinked right in front of Kallavan. Then, he clenched his fist, hard!
[Essence of Bravery- Modified Skill- Hundred Hands of Sky!]
Hundreds of blows, all thrown before Kallavan could even react.
Bam!
Bam!
Bam!
All of them connected.
Boom!
Kallavan'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, Kallavan stepped back out of the water, his figure appearing unharmed.
He's one durable man... Winston mused.
Kallavan's eyes were now bloodshot. He glared 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 become 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, Irregulars are." He continued. "Not sure about everyone else."
Aisand turned to Tommy.
"This will have a lot of after effects."
Tommy raised a brow.
"Elaborate."
Aisand turned back to the stream where Winston and Kallavan were engaged in a duel.
"Essence of Bravery- Lethal Move!" Kallavan yelled, throwing his hand back.
"Hurricane Shaker- Backlash 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 Kallavan.
"Shinsu Skill- Incinerating World!" He yelled.
Flames. Flames 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, Kallavan 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 clash as they readied their attacks.
Dozens of baangs moved around in the air, mostly Winston's preparing to intercept Kallavan. Each of them had been modified by the essence of bravery too!
Just then, a vision overlapped his senses.
He saw himself, right as he clashed with Kallavan. 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 it comes with age? People resist change. Not because they fear it, but because they have grown too accustomed to the monotony of their life."
"Maschenny Style-" Winston said, appearing behind Kallavan.
Kallavan 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 Kallavan'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 words landed, 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 irregular openly challenges the Jahad's forces and even comes 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 uncontrollably as did his body movements. But there was no one that watched him, as if he had become 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 irregular 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.
Alas, it was all too late...
Kallavan stood there with a small hole on the right side of his chest. Strangely enough, the hole did not bleed, but it was glowing.
Kallavan 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."
"Irregulars. Regulars. Family Heads and Kings. All of them will become inconsequential. The times deem it so."
"What times? What's so good above these times in particular?"
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."
Kallavan 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 flashed in Kallavan'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.
Kallavan 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 Kallavan 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 irregular 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.
Kallavan, 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.
Kallavan, if he could, would widen his eyes.
There were two Winston's all along!
"That guy you were fighting. It was a marionette, 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 marionette and operate as he would normally! Giving his powers to marionettes would be possible only at the demigod stage, but here, he had managed to accomplish it without trouble!
And so, the plan was successful.
The rankers and Maschenny noticed the two irregulars, but alas, it was all too late.
Winston kept the needle at Kallavan's back and spoke softly.
"Ignition."
Shinsu instantly exploded from the needle!
Kallavan, 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 black 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 flash 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, Kallavan disappeared into the separate space created by the spell.
The marionette 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 Uncontrollable 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 my laptop 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 becomes an angel but that's that.
Tell me how the chapter turned out.
And as always, throw some stones.
Cheers~