Chapter 16 - 16

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Hello everyone, I would like to thank you all again for your support of this work! 

We have less than 150,000 views, but we are already close to the top of the monthly rankings, showing your amazing support! 

Thank you so much. 

I'd also like to say that I'm surprised by the number of people criticizing my choice of powers and the protagonist's personality in the first few chapters. 

Enjoy your reading. 

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"This is the second time this has happened," Mark thought to himself as he noticed that issues related to karma or matters of judgment were failing him. He could only attribute this to his karma still likely being positive. 

From what Mark could tell, negative karma accumulates much faster than positive karma. If you committed a bad action, making someone else's day worse, they would likely retaliate, causing another bad action. 

It's like the man who, after being struck by a branch, littered out of spite—a simple reaction that almost every human being does constantly. 

However, this is different for positive karma. If you do something good for a bad person, at most, they'll feel good, but they won't change or reciprocate that attitude. 

"My positive karma must be a surprise to anyone, I imagine," Mark thought, and he was right. In Morgana's eyes, as she probed his heart, all she could see was a white light intertwined with extremely fine threads of regret. 

She mistakenly believed he was concealing his heart from her, something only Aspects were capable of. Additionally, a very familiar divine power of fire emanated from Mark. It was different from her flames or her sister's but seemed to share a similar origin. 

Even so, she was confused. Why would an Aspect have the blessing of Janna, the Guardian? Morgana knew the legend of Janna and was aware that she only blessed those who desired to do good. 

"Besides, an Aspect wouldn't subject themselves to receiving another divine being's blessing," she thought, but this only led to more doubts. In the end, she decided to test Mark first and talk later. 

Years of practical experience had shown her that a battle reveals people's true nature far better than any conversation. 

"Here I go!" Mark declared as he activated his Sharingan, but immediately felt a chill. In his vision, an enormous aura of dark magical energy was constantly emanating from Morgana, making her resemble an erupting volcano. However, in the next instant, an explosion sounded beneath Mark's feet, propelling him forward at high speed toward her.

Red flames erupted from his fists, and without hesitation, he struck Morgana's chest with all his strength. "I hope she doesn't hold a grudge for this." Mark thought as his fist connected. 

There was an explosion of fire upon impact, sending debris and dust flying everywhere. But at that moment, Mark broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes widening. 

"You'll have to try harder, mortal!" Morgana's words reverberated as the dust cloud cleared, revealing her completely unharmed. 

The next instant, a ray of dark energy struck Mark, sending him flying and crashing into one of the shelter's walls, raising another dust cloud. But moments later, an explosion erupted from where he landed. Mark began circling Morgana, firing bursts of flames and wind from his hands. 

It was all in vain. Morgana didn't even bother to defend herself, and his attacks failed to penetrate her defenses. "Isn't she supposed to be a mage? Why is her defense so high?" Mark wondered to himself. 

Little did he know the paladins who attacked him earlier had asked the same question. 

*Whoosh!* 

Mark dodged a ray of dark magic, spinning in the air and launching a ball of wind to unbalance Morgana. But the winds dissipated before even reaching her. 

The magical field surrounding Morgana nullified weak spells on its own. "What do I do now?" Mark pondered, and in the next instant, Morgana lightly tapped the ground, sending a wave of dark power in all directions. 

*BAM!* 

Mark was hit again and sent flying. Gritting his teeth, he stood up and resumed fighting. 

Red and dark lights flashed in the cave, accompanied by constant gusts of wind and dust flows from the entrance. For the first time since arriving in this world, Mark felt powerless. 

None of his attacks could reach Morgana, and even if they did, they wouldn't harm her body. Bit by bit, Morgana's attacks grew stronger, forcing Mark into a defensive stance. 

His eyes gleamed, and his Sharingan spun continuously as he tried to read the flow of Morgana's magic. Soon, under the strain, a third tomoe appeared in his Sharingan. Even so, Mark could barely anticipate her attacks and defend himself. 

*BAM!* 

Mark was hit again, spitting out a bit of saliva. While Morgana's attacks weren't severely wounding him, it felt like taking a strong punch to the face repeatedly. 

His mind worked tirelessly as he thought of ways to retaliate. With a gust of wind, he propelled himself to the side, dodging another wave of dark energy. 

"You know what? Since I'm going to lose, I might as well try this!" Mark gritted his teeth and resolved to push his limits. Flames erupted from his lungs as he activated his demon lung, positioning his arm as if it were a sword. 

He didn't know if it would work, but at that moment, anything was better than doing nothing. Flames burned in his hands as he charged at Morgana, who sent another dark energy ray his way. 

"Sun Breathing, First Form!" Mark whispered in his mind, releasing a surge of flames and air from his respiratory system. His muscles swelled, and his speed increased instantly. 

ENBU! 

His flame-covered arm advanced, forming a fiery dragon above him. Spinning mid-air, Mark struck the wave of dark energy coming his way. 

The sound of a dragon's roar echoed as Mark's arm sliced cleanly through the dark energy, sending a surge of euphoria through him. "I did it!" he thought, and at that moment, Morgana's eyes widened in surprise. Without hesitation, she unleashed stronger waves of energy, each more powerful than the last. 

Mark advanced with a smile, his breathing steady. "Second Form!" he whispered in his mind, delivering two strikes in the air, sending fiery blades that clashed with the waves of energy, neutralizing them. 

Blow after blow, step by step, Mark steadily closed the distance between himself and Morgana, even as her attacks intensified, nearly engulfing the entire cave. 

Explosions rang out, dust rose, and energy waves rippled, but Mark pushed forward step by step until he was less than ten meters from Morgana. Determined to give it his all, he prepared for a final strike. 

"Sun Breathing, Eleventh Form!" Mark shouted in his mind, gritting his teeth as his veins swelled. His flames flared with unmatched intensity, the heat melting the stones beneath his feet. 

"Dance of the Solar Dragon!" At that moment, he charged, a massive celestial flame dragon emerging from his body, consuming and tearing through Morgana's attacks as he advanced. 

"Impressive," Morgana thought as she watched Mark rapidly approach, his sword-like hand aimed at her abdomen. She couldn't help but smile. "Even in this situation, he's still holding back for my sake, isn't he?" 

Her power erupted fully this time. 

CRACK! 

Runed chains broke through the ground, binding Mark and the flame dragon, halting their momentum. "Not bad, boy," Morgana said with a laugh, stepping closer to Mark, who stubbornly tried to move forward despite the chains holding him. 

He struggled for a few seconds before finally giving up, causing the dragon to dissipate. But before she could commend him, Morgana saw him clasp his hands together, gritting his teeth and using the limited movement he had left. 

At that moment, she felt a sense of danger and instinctively tried to stop him—but it was too late. 

Mark's palms came together as he took a deep breath. 

"Domain Expansion!" he roared, and Morgana saw a flash before her, feeling the space around her shift. 

In the next instant, she found herself in another world, engulfed in flames above an infinite white lake. In the sky, a massive red sun, adorned with temporal symbols like hourglasses and numbers, shone brightly. White feathers fell from the heavens, and Morgana casually caught one in her hand, noticing it was absorbing the heat from her body. 

"You used your own power and soul to create a unique space. That is… impressive," Morgana quickly discerned the domain's essence and spoke to Mark, who was kneeling on the ground, breathing heavily and pale but still smiling. 

Unleashing the domain had completely drained his energy, leaving him only 15 seconds to maintain it while standing still. Even so, he smiled from ear to ear. 

"I finally did it," he thought to himself. The next moment, the domain dissipated, and everything returned to normal. 

With a dull thud, Mark's exhausted body collapsed to the ground. 

"This child is... interesting," Morgana said, smiling as she approached him. Like a mother picking up her baby, she gently lifted him and carried him back into the shelter.

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