Chapter 1313: The Terror Of The White Flame

The moment the gigantic palm fully manifested, the tremendous auras released by my sphere and Lyrate’s sword simply vanished. The turbulent pressure that had been shaking the void disappeared without warning, and the countless sounds produced by our gathering power fell into absolute nothingness.

It was as though the entire region had been stripped of every vibration, every tremor, and every trace of energy that might have disturbed its stillness.

I could hear my own heartbeat.

Then even that seemed unbearably loud, until the silence deepened so profoundly that I felt as though I could hear the individual cells of my body splitting apart under the pressure.

Every hair on my arms stood on end.

My instincts screamed at me to retreat, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. I had faced Demi-Gods, devoured their Origin Essence, and spent years expanding my Divine Core until even an Origin Expanse had struggled to contain my presence. I had gathered forty-nine Origins and brought every one of them to ninety-percent resonance, convinced that I was approaching the boundary of what was possible before Godhood.

None of that mattered in front of this palm.

My gaze drifted toward its centre, and my breath caught in my throat.

Everything else was multicoloured, with the ninety-nine Origins woven together into a brilliant structure of immense complexity, but at the exact centre of the palm rested a tiny white spark, no larger than an eye. It burned without flickering, a silent white flame surrounded by the shifting radiance of the other Origins, and its presence felt utterly alien to everything I had ever comprehended.

The spark didn’t release an aura, nor did it radiate any discernible energy, yet I felt more threatened by that tiny point of white than by the entire gigantic palm surrounding it.

The multicoloured light seemed to bend around the spark, and for the briefest moment, I had the chilling impression that the ninety-nine Origins were not the source of this power at all, but merely the means through which it was being brought into existence.

I couldn’t look away.

My future self stood behind the enormous hand, watching me with a faint smile, while that silent white flame burned at its centre.

"What is that white glow?" I asked, unable to tear my eyes away from the tiny spark burning at the centre of the gigantic palm.

My future self glanced at it before looking back at me. "That is the future form of our path. I am giving you a glimpse of it right now. Now defend against it."

With that, he pushed the gigantic palm forward.

It moved through the void without producing the slightest sound, yet the pressure accompanying it was enough to make the surrounding space tremble. The multicoloured radiance covering its surface flickered continuously around that tiny white spark, and with every inch it advanced, I could feel the danger growing heavier.

"Our attack isn’t strong enough to stop that," Lyrate said quietly, her crimson eyes fixed on the approaching palm.

"I know."

My mind raced through every possibility, but there was no room left for hesitation. If I held anything back, neither of us would survive the collision. I exhaled slowly before releasing the last remnants of Soul Force from my Divine Core, forcing everything I had left into the spinning sphere above my palm.

The sphere immediately began rotating faster.

Its countless Origins resonated violently with one another, causing the surrounding void to twist beneath their combined pressure. At the same time, I summoned my Black Hole, and its enormous form emerged above me, silently rotating as an immense gravitational force began spreading through the dead zone.

I knew the palm was too powerful to destroy directly. My only chance was to devour the Origins contained within it and weaken the attack before it reached us.

"Go."

Lyrate understood immediately.

With a wave of her hand, the gigantic sword hovering above us shot forward like a streak of multicoloured lightning, meeting the advancing palm head-on.

BOOM!

The collision shook the entire dead zone.

The sword resisted.

For several seconds, the forty-nine stacked Origins within it pushed against the gigantic palm, its multicoloured radiance flaring brighter as Lyrate poured everything she had into maintaining its structure. The palm slowed, and its brilliant surface dimmed slightly beneath the resistance.

Then cracks appeared across the sword.

Lyrate’s expression changed.

"Billion—"

The gigantic sword exploded.

A violent backlash erupted through our connection, and Lyrate’s body was thrown backward as blood spilled from the corner of her mouth. I immediately turned toward her, but there was no time to check her condition.

The palm was still coming.

I thrust my hand forward.

The spinning sphere vanished.

A moment later, it reappeared directly before the gigantic palm and slammed into its centre.

BOOM!

The impact sent a tremendous shockwave through the dead zone as the sphere began rotating furiously against the palm, attempting to tear apart the countless Origins contained within it. Multicoloured light erupted from the point of impact, and for the first time, visible cracks spread across the surface of the gigantic hand.

The palm dimmed.

But it did not stop.

My eyes narrowed as I increased the power of the Black Hole.

The enormous vortex above me began spinning faster, its gravitational force locking onto the Origins contained within the palm. One after another, the familiar Origins began being dragged toward it. Space, Fire, Lightning, Void and several others were pulled away from the attack, disappearing into the darkness of the vortex.

The forty-nine Origins I had comprehended were devoured particularly quickly because I could recognize their structure and exploit their resonance.

Yet even as the palm lost layer after layer of power, it continued moving forward.

It was already almost upon us.

I gritted my teeth.

There was nothing left to calculate.

I had to block it physically.

"Lyrate, get behind me."

She looked at me in surprise, but before she could respond, I activated one of my traits.

Colossus Frame.

Golden light erupted from my body.

My muscles expanded, my bones grew, and my entire body began increasing in size until I transformed into a gigantic figure that towered over the surrounding void. In only a few moments, I had grown even larger than the approaching palm.

I summoned my staff, and the weapon expanded alongside my body until its enormous form fit naturally within my hand.

Then I stepped forward.

Lyrate stared at my back.

"Billion!"

I tightened my grip around the staff.

"Stay behind me."

The gigantic palm reached us.

I roared and swung the staff with every ounce of strength remaining within my body.

BOOM!