From The Ashes - 024

Chapter 024 – Supreme

[2012]

Looking into the single eye of the King of Asgard, a wrathful spirit boiling in my blood, I fought hard to stop myself from attacking the Allfather.

Breathing heavily, I felt incredible exhaustion well up in my mind while I tried to resist the vengeful and destructive desires that gave me the strength to stand after what had just happened.

The mythical instincts of my phoenix form demanded that I make the old man bleed and suffer for his attempt to make me kneel before him.

I also understood clearly what had just happened as I felt the invisible force of my will pressuring my surroundings in a way that Marco had never been able to do but was all too familiar with.

I had awakened the Colour of the King.

Relying on my rational mind and the willpower that I had cultivated in my first life, as well as Marco's added mental strength, I still managed to retain my clarity despite the haze of rage in my mind.

Every fiber of my being thirsted for violence, urging me to awaken the cosmic ingot in my chest as well as the fire of my bloodline to lay waste to this land of gods to teach the Allfather an unforgettable lesson, but I knew very well that doing so would be without any benefit.

Odin wasn't as weak as Thor, whom I could most likely kill with relative ease at this point in time. The old king drew his power directly from this land, so fighting him would be like fighting all of Asgard.

Even Hela couldn't use Asgard's power like Odin could, and yet she was still practically unkillable. The only conclusion this brought was that the Allfather was even harder to defeat, which made sense since he was able to keep her sealed while still retaining most of his strength.

On the other hand, I had an immortal blazing body and the Space Stone, which might be able to help me destroy Asgard, if I was really willing to risk it all, even if the chance for that was rather small.

Still, in both cases, winning or losing, I would either gain nothing or make a powerful enemy.

I naturally wasn't delusional enough to think that I could fight the Allfather in a death battle and simultaneously empty the treasure vault, so this wasn't a fight that seemed particularly desirable.

I came to Asgard for the promise of a reward in exchange for my help. Starting a massacre seemed like a very counter-intuitive move in consideration of that.

And while I didn't mind dying, I had hardly stepped on the path of this second chance and had not yet lived to the fullest.

My lack of fear when it came to death still made it very difficult to restrain my wrath and battle intent though but after a few long moments of struggle, I turned away from the old king with annoyance.

I didn't care for his 'acknowledgment' nor was my anger so easily appeased. I most certainly planned to make the Allfather pay for his attack, but I also understood that there was a time and place for vengeance, a time to settle this debt, and it wasn't now.

Leaving the broken hall, I relied on the gentle stream of cosmic energy coming from the small ingot hidden in the right side of my chest to regain my strength with every step that I took, the overwhelming dominating intent slowly withdrawing back into my mind.

My emotions a bit more under control now, my rather sluggish thoughts turned to the newest and arguably most powerful form of Haki that I had just awakened.

I was sure that Marco hadn't possessed the potential for it since he had lived in the world of One Piece for decades and fought innumerable battles. If he had possessed the Spirit of the Supreme Ruler, he would have awakened it after clashing with other users of this particular type of Haki repeatedly.

Not to mention that Whitebeard would have noticed it since he had naturally been a master of Haki himself.

This only left one conclusion, which was that I had possessed the potential for Conqueror's Haki myself and gained access to this Haki through Marco's power that had been gifted to me. And through the pressure that I had been under when facing Odin's assault, I had awakened this potential.

I naturally understood what it meant to be able to use this kind of Haki, as it wasn't one that could be learned with time like the other two forms. It was a quality one had to be born with.

Looking down at my hands, I felt a bit lost for a moment.

I wasn't sure what to do with this revelation. Should I be happy that I had gained a power that only one in several million was born with normally? Should I feel proud and special for having been born with this talent?

None of that was the case.

What use was it that I had been born with the Colour of the King? Hadn't I still lost everyone and everything that I loved? What use was potential in a world that wouldn't ever allow this potential to bloom and grow?

This talent, that only awakened after I had been brought to this world and had been reborn in the flames of a phoenix, a part of me couldn't help but wish that I didn't possess it in the first place.

Knowing that I had been born 'special' and yet having still been powerless when confronted with her death, wasn't this a rather cruel twist of fate?

Once again anger welled up in my heart, this time though it wasn't directed at the Allfather but at fate itself, and it was a hundred, a thousand times worse.

Wrath so dark and twisted that it felt inhuman set my blood ablaze as it emerged from the deepest part of my soul, roaring in defiance of the vexed fate that I had been given.

I felt absolutely unwilling and incapable of containing this rage as the space around me fluctuated violently, the blue flames that erupted from my figure turning darker and darker as they were subconsciously infused with my Conqueror's Haki until they turned nearly black.

Activating the Space Stone with my last bit of rationality, I left Asgard behind as I let the cosmic ingot bring me to a place without any life.

I didn't even glance at my surroundings after arriving a moment later on an unfamiliar planet as I just let go of the raging power that I carried inside me, turning into the origin of a disaster that could overturn whole worlds.

“AARRGGH!!”, I roared in helpless wrath and sorrow, using every ounce of strength that I had left, the cry of the earth and fear of the sky echoing in my ears as space and reality seemed to shatter all around me.

I roared until my vision darkened and my hearing lost any sensitivity, weakness the only sensation that I could feel. Darkness encroaching upon my mind, I fainted.

…

Watching the half-mortal leave while he restored the hall and helped those affected by the conquering intent of the Soul of Will, the Allfather suppressed the sigh that threatened to escape his lips.

He was sure that his actions on this day had incurred the wrath of Noah, and he had no doubt that there would be a price to pay to compensate the half-mortal and not a light one at that.

As one of the rare wielders amongst the already rare wielders of 'Soul of Will', one who could be called a 'Supreme', Odin had no delusions that the half-mortal wouldn't just accept being attacked and not retaliate.

He could still feel the traces left the oppressive and dominating intent that had tried to break his mental defenses, its sheer intensity causing him to feel a bit shocked even now.

Naturally, it hadn't managed to invade his mind and pressure him since his own power was far too great for that. But that didn't mean that he couldn't recognize the strength and incredible potential behind this power.

He had lived a long life and had seen things that most being in the Universe couldn't even imagine but even he had only ever heard of the 'Supremes', he had never actually met one of them himself.

Now that he had, Odin started to understand why they were called the 'Supreme'.

Recalling the other names that they had been called in the different stories and legends, he also started to believe that it really was them who had hunted down the ancient magical rulers that had once brought fear to large parts of the Universe and had ended their tyranny, which was recorded as the first emergence of the 'Supreme' and had earned them a unique title that uncountable brave warriors had tried to earn by following their example.

Odin himself had once seen the skeleton of a pure-blooded one of those magical creatures during the time of his father's rule, which had already made him feel a deep-seated terror even though the creature had been dead for millennia.

At that time, Odin hadn't believed that anyone could face a member of this primordial race alone but today he had seen what an immature 'Supreme' could do, and he could only imagine what Noah would be capable of once he mastered this power.

When that time came even he, the Allfather, would probably have to bow his head before the 'Dragon Slayer'.

Sensing his son's shaky approach, anger and indignation on his face, Odin was about to explain himself to his heir, to make Thor understand what kind of warrior he had invited to Asgard, when the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up, an almost demonic wave of oppressive anger assaulting his mind.

Using his magical sight almost on instinct alone, a sense of great danger caused him to turn his gaze back to the half-mortal, and Asgard's King was truly frightened when he 'saw' the almost black fire around the 'Supreme' who stood in an area of shattering space.

And just as he thought that Noah was preparing to unleash a wave of destruction onto Asgard in his indignant fury, his Odinforce already pouring forth in an attempt to prevent the death of as many of his subjects as possible, the half-mortal vanished in a cloud of dark smoke.

His heart trembling, it took a few moments for the Allfather to regain his composure as he reined in his power, traces of deep worry and concern burrowing blooming in his mind.

Lacking any kind of profound understanding of the 'Supreme', Odin realized that he might have acted too rashly as he felt the traces of the truly terrible power that Noah had almost unleashed, a sense of regret blooming in his mind.