Boom—
Thunder roared, dissolving the snowflakes in the air and causing the dim sky to suddenly brighten.
The concept of authority might sound fantastical, but this world, after all, lacks enough flavors, and in the end, it all boils down to energy.
Each clash of authority is a counteraction of energy. These shadows may be immune to ordinary firearms, but each electric arc is an extension of Ryan destruction energy.
Compared to Ryan, who is like a god, this pseudo-Herrscher seems utterly insignificant. The tiny thunder strikes, like raindrops falling, shatter each shadow to pieces, with no possibility of evasion.
"Based on the clues I've captured, his ability requires an anchor, something like a person, beast, or object. And after staying here for so long, he has surely turned everything into his own limbs."
Ryan did not come recklessly; he had dealt with this before and secretly sighed. Fortunately, this guy is not a true Herrscher. If he had a Herrscher core, there would certainly be no flaws in his power, and it would be much harder to deal with.
He looked down at the land, seeing the shadows disintegrate and more shadows continually surge forth. This clearly indicates an extremely high energy utilization rate. If the essence isn't understood, everything will be futile.
This forest, this ruined mountain...
It should all be destroyed.
Storm!
There was no sound in the world, only a distinct distortion in the center of the mountains, as if the air were being compressed to its extreme. The speed of the shadows increased, clearly aware of the threat.
Ryan didn't even look, slowly raising his right hand, sending another type of authority into this strange airflow, striving to maintain the energy balance.
Theoretically, this is impossible, but having two authorities, Ryan could still manage it within his capabilities. He focused his attention, merging wind and thunder, just like sticking two pieces of paper together.
Then, he made them both expand.
Composite authority—
Ryan opened his eyes, clenching his fists.
Hurricane thunderstorm!
Like a chain reaction, the compressed airflow suddenly expanded, raging with thunder, and the intense light made Ryan close his eyes. Even hundreds of meters high, he felt a shockwave hit him.
The energy roared, a maddened roar, and Ryan clearly saw a purple-white energy ring sweeping outward. This was not just a shockwave; the electric arcs wrapped in the airflow disintegrated anything they touched into atoms.
Boom!!!
The deafening sound stunned the people, over ten kilometers away in Snow Prison Town. In an instant, all the glass shattered into pieces. A giant mushroom cloud rose from the ground, roaring and destroying everything it touched.
The snowstorm was reversed, and the snow pines were uprooted, turning into wood chips in the air. The nearby ice lake cracked completely, like a mirror shattered by a punch.
"If I use a large-scale covering attack, how would you respond?"
Ryan ascended another hundred meters, the corner of his mouth slightly curling up, looking down at the destroyed land.
The dust was directly blown away, and except for a hundred-meter-deep pit, everything else was like an erased slate. There were no mountains, no pines, and within several kilometers, only pure 'nothingness' remained.
And a black giant egg was at the edge of this blank space, almost forced to the lakeside.
Ryan saw the white-haired boy again, saw the horror and fear on his face, and for a moment, even considered pulling him to the human side.
He still retained some humanity, knowing fear, so there was a possibility of compromise. However, this thought lasted only a moment.
As long as Elysia is alive, he will eventually become a true Herrscher. At that time, he would flower from the center and destroy you all.
"Your ability is interesting, but you are too hesitant. Now that I've figured out the nature of your ability, there is indeed a flaw, not too big, not too small." Ryan put his left hand in his pocket and stepped down the invisible steps formed by the airflow from the sky.
Adam remained composed. Due to his ability to control others, he had learned many things from hundreds of memories, but it was obvious that he hadn't yet summarized or organized them.
But the 'person' before him was different. Not only was he a formal 'Herrscher', but he also possessed two authorities.
He was better at infiltration and assistance, and now that he was forced to reveal himself, he had no chance at all. A moment later, he suppressed the remaining fear with lingering hatred.
"Do you just like humans so much? Protecting those who should be destroyed?"
"I'm sorry about your situation," Ryan shook his head. He usually didn't waste words when killing, but it was the first time he had encountered a pseudo-Herrscher with remnants of humanity, so he spoke a bit more.
"This world is full of cruelty and darkness. I've seen all of it, including that 'paradise' nonsense."
"But equally, I've also seen many shining points of humanity: those warriors who bravely went to their deaths, those who endured suffering but still sought to live, those girls constantly seeking beauty."
"I've never seen any of those things!" Adam roared, his face twisting in rage.
"Yes, that's why I regret it. But after all, I'm not you. In this cruel apocalypse, amidst the bizarre lights of good and evil, I must remember—"
Ryan paused, bending over in the air like a cheetah.
"Being in the darkness, roaring for the light!"
Bang!
No need for explanation, only the explosive sound of air. The compressed airflow behind him exploded, forming thrust, and combined with the electromagnetic rail ejection.
Ryan had reached his ultimate speed!
There was barely any time to react. The white ring in the air just began to form, and the ground had already exploded with a mud wave. Then the lake's surface was sliced open, creating a straight wave.
Adam watched as the black shadows from his body formed a shield in front of him, and then felt his body uncontrollably fly backward.
Ice water splashed up, the lake split into two. Ryan looked at the black shield blocking his fist, and he more or less understood.
Disperse and then recombine, the final anchor is himself. No wonder he hadn't fled before; it was as if he had been fixed here.
This clearly increased the strength, but whether in energy, authority, or experience, he wasn't enough.
Storm leg.
Ryan suddenly stopped. As two black blades passed over his head, his right leg whipped like a whip against the shield, producing an explosive sound at the moment of contact.
Boom!
The impact sent Adam flying several hundred meters, skipping across the water before slamming hard into the ground.
Behind him, the black shadows formed eight hands that pressed into the ground to reduce the inertia. When he raised his head, he blankly saw the lake surface being 'lifted.'
Liquid manipulation, tsunami.
Without hesitation, the giant wave rushed toward him. Adam dared not remain on the ground; the tsunami would soon become a meat grinder, just like in the underground.
The black shadows formed wings, lifting him into the air. Then, he saw a blinding light flashing before him.
The lightning gun was here.
Whoosh—Boom!!
The remaining electric arcs formed a track in the air, and a mountain peak several hundred meters away suddenly exploded into a mushroom cloud. The mountaintop collapsed entirely.
The shield made from black shadows had thinned by more than half. Adam felt that he could not replenish his energy fast enough. Struggling to rise, his head was ringing.
What now?
At close range, he could rely on his ability's flexible changes to cause damage, but the enemy was not even close. With his level of destruction energy and ability characteristics, he couldn't even touch Ryan from a distance.
Ryan didn't give him the chance to think of a countermeasure. The wave of attacks followed one after another.
Lightning strike.
Lightning fell from the sky, hitting Adam's head and removing his raised wings.
He fell, halfway down, and then saw the water surging up from the ground, like a fountain, wrapping him in the middle. The terrifying water pressure forced him to quickly turn into a ball.
Compression.
Ryan watched the black ball and thought to himself, "Both offense and defense, indeed, not bad. Even this water pressure at two thousand meters deep in the ocean couldn't crush him. But now he has lost his mobility, like a target in the air."
"You should go reincarnate. At least it's not too late now."
His eyes locked on him. Purple electric arcs formed a track, then shot the suspended body away.
Purple lightning flashed!
The water ball in the air exploded, then turned into a vast white mist. It was the rapid speed at which Ryan passed by, turning it into water vapor. The speed made the attack feel instantaneous.
Adam didn't dodge, couldn't even change. The lightning struck straight in front of him, crashing into his shoulder.
With this speed, the force was concentrated on his shoulder—
Extreme strength. Iron mountain strike!
Thud—Boom!!
As the white ring in the sky blossomed, the ground exploded into a mushroom cloud mixed with broken wood. In the center of the snow forest, a distinct hollow appeared, and the sky's dust was pierced through.
Second acceleration.
Still as fast, not giving him any chance to catch his breath, Ryan rushed to the ground and saw the shadow in the center of the circular pit.
The black shadows were thin and flickering like flames. In the center, the boy curled up, blood staining his white hair. Using only instinct, he raised his right hand to gather the remaining energy.
Whoosh—
A thin and long black blade slashed down, stopping just above his head.
Ryan raised his left hand as if holding an invisible shield, letting the blade stop above his head. Leaning forward, he thrust his right hand forward like a knife, stabbing deeply into the boy's thin chest. The blood splattered, staining his body.
"Any last words?"
Everything froze. There was no more sound. Adam slowly lowered his head, staring at the killing machine.
Decisive, efficient, without hesitation. Crushing all schemes with strength, precisely the nemesis of his ability.
His life force was rapidly dissipating. He opened his mouth, but the remaining humanity inside him made him unsure of what to say. He followed his instincts, filled with hatred.
"Humanity... will be exterminated."
Ryan expression didn't change, but he could feel the despair and intense hatred. His experience had inevitably led him down this path. At least, compared to those corpses, he still had the strength for revenge.
"I understand you."
Ryan gave a slight nod, without any mockery. His hand, which had pierced the boy's body, tightened into a fist.
With the mournful cry of a thousand birds, lightning roared, erasing his entire body. Looking at the gradually vanishing dazed head, Ryan left one final sentence.
"I killed you because of our positions, but those sins, I'll erase for you and send them to their deaths soon."
Adam's face showed clear shock and confusion, not understanding why this human guardian would help him.
He disappeared in the lightning, his lips silently moving twice, then completely destroyed.
Ryan stood no more pseudo-Herrscher, only a destroyed forest. He stood still for a moment, then let out a long sigh.
Never thought that one day, the minions of destruction would thank me. This world—
It really is a fucking mess.