I Can Assimilate Everything

High above the shattered Cenotaph Wild Lands, the air was tense enough to slice apart a Dharma King.

The words Achilles had spoken moments ago still echoed like a challenge, but the presence before him now made even the air itself feel dense and wrong.

The figure of shadow had not moved. Not truly. But now, its form became just a little more clear.

It was shaped like a man. A tall one, regal in posture. Dashing, even, with a strong jawline and defined cheekbones. But his entire body was composed of pure, flowing darkness.

Shadows coiled around him like smoke, his hair a crown of midnight tendrils that moved without wind. His face, while handsome, held no warmth. Just a void that swallowed light.

The being did not look at Achilles. Not yet.

Instead, he slowly turned his head, gaze sweeping across the entire battlefield. The few hundred of Ancient Ones across the skies and lands, who were still on edge and ready to attack.

Then, the voice echoed.

"All Ancient Ones gathered here," he said, his tone calm but heavy, a dreadful melody soaked in majesty. "Retreat."

There was no hesitation. No second guesses. Not even a single question.

The moment the command passed through the air, the Neuronova Stage Ancient Ones began to pull back. The Phoenixes, the Elves, the Dragons, the Panthera Lions. All began to retreat.

Even the ones who hadn't bowed before this figure- a silent declaration of defiance to his influence- still obeyed. Their forces began to fall back with them. Within moments, the skies were clearing, the battlefield beginning to empty.

In less than half a minute, only four beings remained in the dozens of miles nearby.

Achilles.

Selamira, her head bowed in human form.

The golden-furred Monkey King in the distance.

And the figure of darkness that hovered with calm menace.

It was only now that the shadowy man turned back toward Achilles.

"You absorb anything around you as fuel to grow," he said, his tone laced with a kind of sinister curiosity. "I have watched and learned. So, I have removed the fuel."

His face- still dashing, still unholy- formed a slow, terrible smile.

"But I must admit," he continued, stroking his chin, "I did not account for your presence. Among all the things I planned for, a creature that limitlessly devours to evolve itself was not one of them."

…!

Achilles didn't speak right away.

He kept his gaze cold and calm.

But he tried.

He invoked his Destiny Perception. That intuition that had become sharper with his growth. With it, he had sensed dozens of things before they happened.

But now? Nothing.

He could sense no destiny around this figure. No cause. No effect. There was nothing that tied this being to the flow of Planar Destiny. Not a single strand.

And that alone made it terrifying.

But worse?

He wasn't certain if this being had truly exceeded the Astral Core Ascension Realm or not. He couldn't be sure. But the fact that it had managed to pierce his body even after all his enhancements- that said enough.

He looked down.

His left side was still bleeding. Still regenerating.

His body should have healed it already. His Lineage should have purged it by now. But the damage had gone deeper. Bone, nerves, blood vessels- they were only now beginning to reform.

It had truly been aimed for his heart.

He clenched his fists and turned his gaze forward again. Selamira remained kneeling by the shadowy man's side, her posture reverent. Achilles felt a quiet coldness bloom in his chest.

"If you brought your true body here," he said slowly, his voice steady, "just like I did, we could end this now."

A golden spring of pure Primordial Energy erupted around him.

It surged outward, washing over his wound. Cleansing it. Healing it. Within seconds, muscle knit together and skin sealed. His shoulder flexed once as he breathed in.

"You've influenced many, if not all, of the Ancient Nine Supreme Forces," he said, his voice rising. "What is your goal?"

The figure laughed.

A low, regal chuckle that felt like cold knives against the back of one's neck.

He turned his head, placing a hand gently on Selamira's head. He stroked her hair, then caressed her cheek, as if she were a beloved pet.

"Purpose?" he asked. "My purpose lies with this Plane. I was made for it. I was born for it. I am its protector. Its gardener. And now that someone is rising who would unravel years of delicate planning…"

His eyes flashed.

"I must prune."

HUUM!

He smiled again.

"Giving you more fuel to grow is the opposite of pruning. So for now, I will let you play King. Let you rule over your little floating islands. Build your Kingdom."

He leaned forward slightly.

"But one day, I will come back. And when I do…"

He trailed off.

"I will remove any opposition that remains. And I must confess…"

His eyes sparkled with something truly vile.

"I do enjoy the taste of certain things."

Achilles' eyes narrowed.

"I have a taste," the shadow said, his voice low, rich. "For humans with vibrant green hair."

The light in Achilles' gaze darkened.

"Especially fair ones. With exquisite forms. Green eyes like luminous oceans. A spark of fire in their spirit. And if they happened to awaken a Phoenix Lineage…"

He tapped his chin.

"Ah, yes. I think I'm describing someone real. What was her name again?"

Silence.

Then…

"Ah, I go it! Rose Adrian. That was it. Sweet, radiant Rose Adrian."

He waved one hand dismissively.

"I doubt she matters to you. Just speaking my thoughts on what thing fits my taste more than anything. But yes, she fits all my tastes. I think I shall have her when I come to your little continent."

The moment he finished…

BOOM!

The sky lit ablaze.

Stellar purple-gold flames erupted.

White nirvanic phoenix fire joined them.

The air ignited with power as the radiant sun behind Achilles began to spin faster and faster, heat pouring out in growing waves.

His expression- once calm, once regal- became sharp. Full of fury!

The clouds churned. The skies screamed. Gravity shifted around him!

HUUM!

The Monkey King flinched, his golden hair standing on end, tail flicking with nervous tension as he watched from afar.

Achilles had not just been threatened.

He had been threatened through Rose.

And the one thing he could never forgive had just been done!

The shadowy figure remained still. Smiling.

But the air around Achilles no longer belonged to the same world as of this moment, a type of cold and contained hatred against someone he never felt before began to form!