Chapter 13: Aspect
Chapter 13: Aspect
As Ren struggled to keep up with Oliver's rapid movements, the weight of his greatsword dragging him down in the close-quarters fight, something inside him stirred.
His body, strained and pushed to its limits, seemed to respond to a deeper, almost primal pull.
Despite the overwhelming odds, there was a sense that this struggle wasn't the end—it was just the beginning.
A feeling that he was on the brink of something far more powerful than just his own strength.
The Life Codex inside him, the mysterious force that had awakened his potential, pulsed like a heartbeat deep within his chest.
This Codex, embedded in his very DNA, had begun to change him in ways he couldn't fully understand yet.
Life Codexes weren't merely relics or magical artifacts—they were living, breathing parts of their users.
Passed down through bloodlines, these Codexes had shaped the course of human history.
They granted their users passive enhancements, amplifying physical attributes like strength, agility, and stamina, and honing their natural talents in ways that set them apart from the rest.
A Life Codex could transform a person into a master of their craft, whether it was in combat, healing, or even more obscure skills.
But the true power of a Codex lay in its Active abilities—Aspects.
These skills were manifestations of the Codex's energy, drawing upon the deep well of power stored within its user.
Each Codex granted the user Aspects, an ability that could change the course of a battle, enhance a skill, or even alter the very fabric of reality itself.
These Aspects ranged from elemental manipulation to heightened senses, from time manipulation to impenetrable defense.
They were the weapons of the gods, and their users were revered as nearly invincible.
Ren's first Aspect, the one that had resonated with him so strongly, was Aura Zone.
It was a technique that could neutralize the aura of anyone within its vicinity, creating a space where opponents' abilities would be rendered useless.
The warrior from his dreams had used this power with terrifying precision, and now, Ren felt it stirring within him—waiting for the right moment to emerge.
He could feel it in his bones, the potential just there.
Just as Ren's body began to give out under the relentless pressure, something within him ignited.
A deep, primal instinct surged from the core of his being, driving him to push past his limits. For a brief moment, his senses sharpened, and his connection to the Life Codex flared.
Without fully understanding what was happening, Ren's voice, cold and unwavering, escaped his lips: "Aura Zone."
In that instant, a sphere of one meter in diameter appeared around him, a sharp, almost tangible presence.
The very air seemed to thicken as the Aura Zone activated, its oppressive power immediately distorting the space around it.
The effect was immediate.
As soon as the zone expanded, Oliver, who had been moving with effortless speed just moments before, suddenly felt the weight of his own aura vanish.
His strength, his agility—everything he had been relying on—disappeared.
The aura that usually surged through his body, propelling his every movement, was now nothing more than a hollow, distant presence.
The room, once vibrant with the swirling energy of both warriors, seemed to recoil from the sphere.
It was as though the very air itself feared the existence of the Aura Zone.
The aura within the chamber seemed to pull away, avoiding the sphere like the plague. It was a forbidden space, one that even the aura-filled air couldn't penetrate.
Oliver, now trapped inside the zone, felt a wave of debilitating fatigue hit him like a hammer.
The strength that had fueled his speed, the precision he relied on, evaporated in an instant. His body grew heavy, his movements sluggish.
He staggered, desperately trying to move, but it was as though the very essence of his power had been drained. His breathing became shallow, and his limbs felt weak.
At that exact moment, Ren, still within his own Aura, felt an overwhelming clarity.
His senses exploded with heightened perception, and he saw everything in slow motion.
Without thinking, he swung his greatsword with everything he had, the heavy blade slicing through the air in a massive arc.
It moved as if guided by the will of something beyond him.
The greatsword, coated in Ren's own aura, seemed to hum with power as it descended toward Oliver.
There was no hesitation, no mercy. It was a strike fueled by pure instinct, the culmination of everything Ren had been through in that brief, but intense moment.
The blade came down with a force that would have cleaved through stone, aimed right at Oliver's face.
Time seemed to slow for Ren, as the weight of his action, and the newfound power of his Aura Zone, overtook him.
His aura flowed freely, unimpeded within the zone, while Oliver was helpless against its suffocating effects.
In the viewing room, Selena stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock as she watched the unfolding scene on the screen.
She had seen many battles in her time, so she knew that people had their own trump cards…but this?
The moment Ren's Aura Zone activated, the entire room seemed to recoil from the sphere.
Oliver had been inside the zone, and with his aura completely drained, his body had been struck with a wave of debilitating fatigue.
The arrow of energy he'd been riding on had vanished, and despite his training, he couldn't keep up.
The greatsword had descended like a storm, and though Oliver hadn't been killed, the sheer force of the attack combined with the sudden drain on his aura had knocked him out cold. His body went limp, collapsing to the floor.
Ren, on the other hand, had exhausted every ounce of his own aura in that single moment. The fight had drained him completely.
His body, battered and pushed to its limits, gave out as well, and he collapsed next to Oliver, unconscious from the overwhelming strain.
Selena's mouth went dry. "What type of overpowered ability is that?" she muttered under her breath, struggling to process what had just happened.
Kai, who had been observing with quiet interest, finally spoke up.
"That's the power of a Life Codex. The fact that his first aspect is this strong… It's rare. Usually, when someone unlocks their first aspect, it's powerful—but not to this degree."
Selena turned to Kai in disbelief. "But even for a Life Codex user, this is absurd! Aspects tend to give a significant boost to the user's ability, but to create something this drastic? To take away someone's aura entirely in a single move—this isn't supposed to happen."
Kai nodded slowly, his golden gears still shimmering in his eyes.
"Exactly. His Aura Zone isn't just a simple ability to enhance his combat or defense—it's a suppression field. For the first aspect to be this strong, it means his Life Codex is inherently powerful. This kid is going to be a real problem for anyone who underestimates him."
Selena crossed her arms, still processing the situation.
"This wasn't just a little burst of power… he completely shut down Oliver in an instant. Even if Oliver wasn't completely outclassed in this fight, he would've still struggled to overcome that kind of power."
...
As Ren's body lay unconscious, his mind once again slipped into the world of dreams. But this time, it wasn't the same nightmare he had experienced before.
No, this time, the vision stretched onward, continuing the story that had haunted him in his slumber.
He found himself watching, as he had many times before, the battle between the warrior with the long sword and his defeated opponent.
But this time, the end wasn't as it had been.
The warrior with the long sword didn't pause at the enemy's defeat. No, this time, he went further.
With a swift and brutal motion, the long sword cleaved the body of his opponent in half, cutting through flesh and bone without hesitation.
Ren's heart raced in the dream as the grotesque, unrelenting power of the strike filled the air with a chilling finality.
But it didn't stop there.
...
Authors Note:
Hope you guys will enjoy this novel.
If you wish to read more chapter, it will be on my p#treon
p#treon.com/Fat_Cultivator