Spirit's Awakening: The Path of Lightning and Water

Chapter 221: Repeated Destruction of Outposts

The Leviathan constellation formed and loomed ominously in the sky above Lassim’s head as he raised his halberd, its serpentine form riding the giant tsunami wave and breaking free of its chains. The celestial figure’s realistic scales shimmered with an eerie azure light, casting an otherworldly glow of warning over the landscape below.

Lassim hovered just above the treetops, his halberd gripped firmly in his hands as he charged his divine mana into the weapon. The air around him crackled with energy, the intense buildup of power vibrating through the night air, despite Lassim’s best attempts to conceal it until the last second.

From their positions around the outpost, Kaelin, Lara, and Aerin watched in a mix of anticipation and doubt. They had seen Lassim’s confidence, but they still struggled to believe that one attack would be enough to obliterate an entire fortified outpost.

Even the power he radiated still seemed barely to be into the Spirit Ascension stage, but they didn’t know just how much he was condensing his spiritual pressure to not leak anything more than that.

The skepticism was evident in their expressions, each of them bracing and readying themselves for what they assumed would be a protracted battle.

Lassim’s eyes narrowed as he felt the energy within his halberd reach its peak. The runes along the polearm blazed with a brilliant azure light, matching the intensity of the constellation above.

He had no intention of holding back or testing or measuring himself at all this time; he would fully showcase the power he had gained through his advancement to the Spirit Ascension stage. He knew time would be of the essence once they took out the first outpost and needed to head to the second one.

With a final breath, Lassim shot downwards as he unleashed the [Hydroburst].

Lassim’s [Hydroburst] struck the barrier with devastating force.

The collision unleashed a violent explosion of electrified water, the plasma burning with an intensity that could rival the sun itself.

*CRACK*

The flimsy barrier shattered like glass under the assault, its fragments scattering into the wind before being vaporized by the following energy surge.

The torrent of super-electrified, plasmafied water shot forth from his halberd like a released dam, hurtling toward the entire outpost with unstoppable momentum. The force of the attack was nothing short of cataclysmic, a blast of energy that tore through the air with a deafening roar. The trees below bent and splintered from the sheer pressure wave that accompanied the attack.

The outpost’s defenders reacted quickly, sensing the impending doom. Cultivators and their thoughts could move at speeds quicker than nanoseconds at the Spirit Ascension stage and entire exchanges could happen in a single second.

They reacted, trying to get the barrier up as it flared to life with a shield of golden energy infused with day-elemental power, attempting to repel the attack. But the defense was too late.

Kaelin, Lara, and Aerin watched in stunned silence as the entire outpost was engulfed in the explosion.

The sheer scale of the destruction was beyond anything they had ever witnessed in their entire lives up to this point. Kaelin was nearing 1000 years old with Lara and Aerin considered quite young for being at their levels while still in the late 900s. They’d cultivated for quite a long time, but were considered some of the more talented disciples in the sect for their stage and age.

However, age and time cultivating mattered not in the face of this level of sheer power being wielded.

The wooden walls and stone structures disintegrated, reduced to nothing more than rubble. The ground trembled under the force of the blast, and a concussive shockwave rippled outwards, shaking the trees and knocking them back slightly despite being well out of the range of the explosion.

As the energy finally dissipated, a heavy and eerie silence fell over the forest. No bugs or birds made any sounds or movements.

The outpost was gone—obliterated in an instant. All that remained was a smoldering crater, the once bustling forward position now reduced to ash and scattered, crushed debris.

The smell of burnt wood, metal, and char boiled flesh filled the air, mixing with the ozone from what could be mistaken for an intense lightning strike.

Kaelin was the first to recover from the shock, his eyes wide as he scanned the devastation. "What… in the nine hells of the abyss…?" he muttered, barely able to comprehend what he had just witnessed.

Lara’s expression was one of disbelief, her calm demeanor up to this point faltering as she took in the scene. "How… How is this possible?" she whispered, her voice shaky.

Aerin had no brain power to spend on a sarcastic comment, quip, or boast as he was momentarily speechless. His sharp eyes darted around the crater, trying to process the sheer scale of the destruction. "This… This can’t be possible… Can it?," he finally managed to say, his tone awed. "This is… something else."

The team quickly moved in to survey the aftermath, but there was little to find. The blast had been so intense that there was almost nothing left.

They found the charred remnants of what had once been bodies, now nothing more than fragments or mushy squashed limbs scattered across the devastated landscape.

As the group cautiously flew inwards and approached the edge of the crater, a slight movement caught Kaelin’s eye.

He quickly signaled to the others, and they all stopped, their senses on high alert.

Just outside the blast radius, a lone figure lay sprawled on the ground, partially shielded by a large rock that looked to have absorbed most of the concussive force and supercharged water.

The man, an Endless Sun Sect disciple, was unconscious, but the trembling was his body seizing, possibly from the concussion he most likely received. His bloody and battered body was more bruised than crushed but miraculously was still intact.

Kaelin didn’t hesitate. They were on a mission. He moved quickly with some unfamiliar movement technique to Lassim’s eyes and silently drew one of his Kris as he approached the unconscious man.

Without a word, he slit the man’s throat, ensuring there would be no survivors to report what had happened here. Blood pooled beneath the body, seeping into the scorched earth as the disciple’s life ebbed away.

Lassim watched the entire scenario from his blow to the execution with a stoic expression, though a flicker of unease passed through him as he briefly let his thoughts wander.

He didn’t relish the idea of killing a bunch of strangers and fellow humans so ruthlessly, but he knew it was a necessity in any war. He had agreed to participate for the benefits and needed to advance more quickly, and the Endless Sun Sect had chosen this path. In the brutal calculus of battle, there could be no mercy.

Still, the ease with which he had ended so many lives left a sour taste in his mouth. These were people who, under different circumstances, might have been allies or friends in the fight against the Abyss. But for the time being right now, they were enemies, and their deaths were inevitable in the struggle between sects.

What was just worse is that it happened again… He could feel his shark-like scale skin and halberd begin to absorb the chaotic energy of dispersed cultivations and the dead that existed in the aftermath of his attack.

He felt it travel through his mana veins and eventually lead directly to his inner heart world where the chaotic mana energy transformed into more gaseous clouds that floated and joined the rest in the sky above the tiny platform of land.

He felt himself get stronger. He felt like he was now almost 1/3rd of the way through the first level of Spirit Ascension after just two slaughters. He winced at what the curse had really gifted him; an easy but sinful way to more power if he abused it.

With the last potential threat neutralized, Kaelin, Lara, and Aerin flew over to Lassim’s side, their earlier skepticism replaced by something much closer to awe and slight fear.

"That was…," Lara began, her voice trailing off as she searched for the right words.

"Incredible," Kaelin finished for her with shock and admiration. "I’ve never seen anything like that. You weren’t kidding when you said it would be over in a second."

Aerin, still processing what he had witnessed, shook his head in disbelief. "Hey about that earlier thing I said about being the brains… Sorry. You can claim to be whatever you want and take my title. With strength like that, no wonder you’re the leader. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. You’re not just strong—you’re terrifyingly strong."

Lassim gave them a small, somewhat weary smile. "I told you it would be quick. Aerin, don’t worry. I’d actually appreciate the guidance for battle strategies. I’m only 15 after all, and I image you all have centuries on me at the least."

Continuing, he added, "The Spirit Ascension stage brought a significant increase in power, and my latest self-created technique is highly focused on a single high-impact strike. I defeated Kaito with it back at the Spirit Transformation stage… It’s just… more intense now."

Lara looked at him with a mix of curiosity and concern. "But that constellation of yours Lassim… it was so lifelike, so… real. I’ve never seen anything like it. And it looked like… the actual Leviathan."

Lassim sighed, running a hand through his hair to move it off his forehead, "Yeah, that’s a bit of a story. Let’s just say I didn’t exactly choose to use the exact Leviathan’s likeness. I had a slightly altered version while not really knowing what beast I was using.

Then I used it as the basis for my advancement to Spirit Ascension, and now… well, I’ve got a ’gift’ from her and a promise I have to keep."

Aerin’s eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, you actually used the image of a Demi-God for your constellation and are still alive? Isn’t that one of those huge taboos that you’re not ever supposed to do? Something about inviting their wrath or whatever?"

Lassim chuckled bitterly. "Yeah, I wish someone had told me that before I advanced. But it’s done now. I’m stuck with this ’gift’ from the Leviathan herself. She made some changes to it to make it more like her actual likeness and made some other changes to my power, but I have to repay the debt by helping free her from her chains someday."

The three disciples stared at him, their expressions a mix of shock, confusion, and a newfound respect.

They had clearly underestimated him, not just in terms of power but also the sheer weight of the burdens he carried. He was still a stranger, but they definitely wanted to get closer to him as it’s much easier to weather any storm next to a tall and strong tree.

Lassim’s strength was no longer something they could dismiss as mere luck or happenstance. He was a force to be reckoned with, one that even a still living demi-god had taken an interest in.

"Damn," Kaelin finally said, his voice low. "That’s… heavy. I had no idea something like that was even possible."

Lara nodded slowly. "It explains a lot, though. Now we know why they picked you. It’s just strange you also didn’t go to the God’s Trial."

Aerin shook his head. "Well, he’s still initiate rank so there must be more to it, but we can talk about that later. We’ve still got a mission to complete, and the longer we stand around here, the more likely the Endless Sun Sect will catch wind of what we’re doing… even if our ’almighty’ leader annihilates everyone in one attack."

Lassim nodded. "You’re right. Let’s keep moving."

The group quickly reoriented themselves, checking the map Aerin had prepared for the most efficient route.

With their understanding of Lassim’s power now founded in the reality of what he was actually capable of, they moved out with a more confident sense of purpose.

They repeated their strategy twice more, hitting the next two outposts with the same devastating effectiveness.

Lassim’s [Hydroburst] proved unstoppable, and each time, the team watched in awe as he leveled the outposts in a single strike.

However, their luck ran out at the third location on their route.