Chapter 15 – Indomitable Will, Silver Retribution
Lei Feng's eyes widened.
Time… slowed.
The world around him blurred—muted sounds, dimmed colors, distorted motion. His heart pounded like war drums, each beat louder than the last. In that stretched heartbeat, reality fractured—and the past bled through.
Memories crashed in like tidal waves.
— A filthy bathroom stall. Cold porcelain against his face. Hands forcing him down. Laughter echoing. The stench.
"Drink up, freak," someone jeered, before flushing.
— A classroom filled with whispers. He sat alone in the back, head down.
"Weird kid."
"Always mumbling to himself."
"Total loser. Waste of space."
— Cold nights under broken bridges. Empty stomach. Shoes worn to threads.
People passing. Avoiding eye contact.
One glance. One expression. Disgust.
— The train station. Screams. Chaos.
The flash of a muzzle.
CRACK!
Searing pain ripped through his chest. He staggered back, warmth flooding his shirt.
His legs buckled. The world tilted.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
And then—
Silence.
Weightless.
Numb.
He floated in the void. Thoughtless. Drifting.
Until…
---
Ding!
A soft chime, pure and mechanical. Yet it shook the heavens within him.
> [You have awakened the OmniClass God System.]
His eyes snapped open. Not on Earth. Not in that cold void.
Another world.
Reincarnation.
A second chance.
A spark of thought. A whisper of will. Then a scream from the depths of his soul:
Damn it… DAMN IT!
I don't want to die. Not here. Not now.
My journey's just beginning!
---
DING!
> "Indomitable Will activated."
---
━━『 Indomitable Will 』━━━
Description: When facing overwhelming odds, the Host's mental and physical resilience drastically increase.
Effect: The lower the Host's chances of survival, the stronger the Host becomes.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
---
Power surged—wild, furious, alive.
Electricity arced through his veins. Muscles tensed, no longer sluggish. Every nerve burned with defiance.
The scent of blood. The dust in the air. The hatred in Gao Wei's eyes.
He felt it all. Clearly. Sharply.
His skin tingled. His breath grew calm. Focused.
His instincts roared: Move!
In a blur, Lei Feng twisted from Gao Wei's grip. The movement was natural—flawless, fueled by something beyond himself.
---
BOOM!
Gao Wei's fist collided with the wall he'd just escaped from.
Stone cracked like glass under a hammer. Dust erupted. Pebbles rained.
Lei Feng stumbled back, chest heaving.
"Hah… hah…"
He stared at his trembling hands, adrenaline making them twitch.
"Indomitable Will…" he whispered.
"The first ability I awakened in this world…"
His fingers curled into fists. This time… they felt solid. Strong.
He looked up—eyes burning with a newfound fire.
This was no longer the outcast of Earth.
This was the beginning of something terrifying.
And glorious. A fire lit in his chest.
Gao Wei stumbled back, eyes wide. "I… missed?!"
Ling Yun gasped. "That's impossible!"
Ling Hao's gaze narrowed. "Even I can't break free from Brother Gao's grip… what's going on?"
"No. No!!" Gao Wei snarled. He forced a shaky laugh. "It's dumb luck! That's all! A fluke! A Level One can't dodge my fist!"
But inside, fear crept in.
---
"This ends now!" he roared. "All of you—attack him! Kill him!!"
---
The trio lunged.
Lei Feng braced his stance. Breath steady. Eyes sharp.
The alley fell into tense silence.
Then—
---
CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.
---
Slow. Deliberate. Coming from the shadows at the alley's edge.
The trio froze.
A figure stepped out.
Silver hair shimmered in the moonlight. Flowing white robes. A sleek sword at his hip, sheathed in a silver-lined scabbard. His face was sharp, handsome. His gaze—cold, calculating.
The air grew heavier.
Lei Feng's eyes widened.
---
"Zhan Xi'an?!"
---
The Silver Moon Prodigy.
The trio went pale.
"That's… Zhan Xi'an!!"
Zhan Xi'an smiled faintly, silver eyes calm. He stepped to Lei Feng and gently tapped his shoulder.
---
"I was right about you," he said. "That fire in your eyes—it's rare. Keep it burning."
---
Then, his gaze turned to the trio. Smile fading. Cold. Merciless.
---
"You wanted a fight…"
Shing.
His sword slid free.
"…then fight me."
---
His smile curved slightly.
But to them, it felt like death had smiled.
The air turned heavy.
Tension crackled like dry leaves beneath a looming storm. Ling Hao, Ling Yun, and Gao Wei stood rooted in place, eyes locked onto Zhan Xi'an—the Silver Moon Prodigy himself. His silver-white robes fluttered lightly in the night breeze, and his unsheathed blade hummed at his side. It wasn't raised, yet it demanded reverence all the same.
None of them dared move.
Ling Hao was the first to break the silence. He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Zhan Xi'an, right? This… this is all a misunderstanding, you see. We were just, uh, disciplining a brat. No hard feelings, yeah?"
Gao Wei nodded rapidly, forcing a strained smile.
"Right, right. Just a little friendly sparring. Happens all the time among Awakeners, doesn't it?"
Zhan Xi'an's eyes narrowed, the corners of his mouth twitching.
"You call this friendly sparring?" he asked softly. "Did you show my brother any mercy?"
That word.
Brother.
It struck like a thunderclap.
The trio stiffened. Paled. The word echoed in their minds like a death sentence.
Brother?
He… he called that guy brother?!
Gao Wei's jaw clenched. Sweat broke along his brow and trickled down his temple. His fingers twitched by his side as instincts screamed at him to run.
No way… He wouldn't chase us if we split up and ran. Not in the open, not with so many eyes on him. He has a reputation to uphold... right?
But then—
Zhan Xi'an smiled.
It was not kind.
"Alright," he said coolly, raising one hand as if addressing sparring partners, "let me be fair—I'll let you land the first strike."
He spread his arms slightly, exposing his chest.
But the offer was not reassuring.
Not in the slightest.
The trio didn't move. Not a step.
Ling Yun's throat went dry. "T-this is bad…" he muttered. "Last I heard… this guy was Level 32. That was months ago. Who knows what monster he is now…"
His knuckles whitened as he gripped his sword tighter. His eyes flicked to Gao Hao, desperate.
"What do we do now, Brother Gao?"
Gao Hao didn't reply.
He turned.
And bolted.
"Wha—! Gao Hao?!" Ling Yun exclaimed, eyes wide.
But Gao Hao was already a blur in the distance, his bulky form surprisingly nimble as panic surged through his legs. Without hesitation, Ling Yun and Ling Hao cursed under their breath and chased after him, hearts pounding.
"Cowards," Zhan Xi'an said flatly, his voice carrying like a judge's gavel.
He raised his hand—no weapon, no gesture—just a slight lift.
And the air itself shattered.
The wind screamed. The very atmosphere twisted, condensing into an invisible weight that slammed downward like a celestial mountain.
BOOM!
The trio's legs buckled mid-stride.
Gao Hao's sprint became a stumble. His knees hit the cobbled alley floor with a dull, crunching thud. He gritted his teeth as his limbs refused to move, a soundless scream trapped behind his clenched jaw.
Ling Yun let out a startled cry as he collapsed face-first into the dirt, arms pinned under the force like a beetle flipped on its back.
"A-AARGH! What… what is this?! I can't move!"
Ling Hao's Earth affinity flared instinctively—his feet trying to draw stability from the ground—but it was like trying to brace against a tidal wave with bare hands. The earth trembled beneath him, betraying him. His body slammed into the alley wall, stone cracking behind him, the weight squashing his pride more than his bones.
Lei Feng stood quietly, his back pressed to the wall, eyes wide in amazement.
"This pressure…" he whispered. "He hasn't even drawn his sword…"
It was surreal.
Zhan Xi'an's presence alone had stopped three Level 15 Awakeners cold. Not a single swing. Not even a flick of his wrist.
So this is what it means to be strong… Lei Feng thought, awe mixing with envy. That aura… it must be a Domain Ability. But I don't recognize it…
He dived into Ling Chen's inherited memories, searching through pages of magic class insights and skill records—nothing. Whatever this ability was, it hadn't been made public, so Long Chen naturally did not know of it.
Zhan Xi'an stepped forward, each bootfall echoing with finality.
The trio struggled to move, to speak, even to blink.
"W-wait—!" Ling Yun stammered. "W-we give up! It was just a joke! Let us go and—"
SMACK!
The hilt of Zhan Xi'an's sword crashed into Ling Yun's cheek, sending his head whipping to the side like a ragdoll.
"Let you go?" Zhan Xi'an tilted his head, feigning thought. "Hmm…"
WHACK!
Gao Hao received his reward next—a hilt slap to the forehead that cracked the skin open, blood dribbling between his eyes.
"You want to rob people in my city?" Smack!
"You want to beat my brother?" Smack!
"You want to act arrogant?" Smack! Smack!
He moved between them like a chef dicing vegetables. The sword blade never touched them—only the hilt did the work. Red, swollen bruises bloomed across their faces like grotesque flowers. Eyes puffed. Noses bent. Lips split. At one point, Ling Hao let out a high-pitched squeak when Zhan Xi'an knocked him backward with a flick of his boot.
"Stop! Mercy! M-Mercyyyy!"
Their cries echoed down the alley.
Pfft!
Lei Feng couldn't help it—he laughed.
It started as a snort, then a chuckle, and finally a full-on laugh as he watched his former bullies reduced to tearful punching bags.
But as he clutched his sides, his smile faded.
This wasn't my victory… he thought solemnly. I didn't stop them. I couldn't.
He clenched his fists at his sides.
I need to get stronger. Strong enough to do my own face-slapping.
Zhan Xi'an finished his performance with a lazy yawn. He looked down at the trio, their faces unrecognizable from swelling.
His gaze turned icy.
"Scram."
The single word cut sharper than any blade.
"Y-yes! Right away!"
Like beaten dogs, the trio scrambled up and staggered off, limping and sobbing, blood and dignity trailing behind them.
Zhan Xi'an watched them vanish into the street, then turned back to Lei Feng.
"You did well not to beg," he said quietly. "Hold onto that pride. In this world, it'll be the only thing that keeps your path straight."
Lei Feng nodded slowly, his voice steady.
"Thank you… but next time, I want to be the one who doesn't need saving."
Zhan Xi'an's lips curved into a faint smile...Not mocking—genuine. There was approval in his expression, a quiet respect. "Good," he said simply.