Heavenly Opposers

Finally, Azrail tapped into World Spirit Energy. He decided to tread the path of a World Spirit Master, understanding that this energy dealt with grasping and wielding realities. With his [Record And Analyze] skill, he had quickly broken down the core concepts from the ancient texts on World Spirit energy.

He channeled the calm blue energy in the room, feeling his small connection to the World Spirit Realm deepen. He manifested a Tier zero worldly control, an orb of white light that floated effortlessly. He then willed it to distort the space around him, a partial activation of the "Distort Worldly Control" technique he had gained. His figure shimmered, blurring at the edges, becoming untrackable by lower-class inscriptions. This intricate process, normally taking a lifetime to master, flowed from him with unnatural ease, thanks to the devoured soul of a dedicated World Spirit Master and his [Mind Split] skill for parallel processing.

'My strength keeps getting stronger without me doing anything much due to the changes that keep happening in my body, my skills too following the same evolutionary path,' Azrail reflected.

As Azrail refined his individual powers, he began the delicate process of harmonization. He used his World Spirit Energy as a conductor's baton, channeling it to weave a tapestry with his Qi, soul energy, and mental control. The combination produced a beautiful, swirling color, a visual representation of his combined might. He practiced orchestrating them into a combined force, unleashing attacks that merged raw power with precise manipulation. He even considered delving into the darker aspects of soul energy, learning to manipulate the fears and anxieties of his enemies, creating a "symphony of horrors" within their minds for psychological warfare.

A sudden shift in the energy field prompted Azrail to pause. Raven, his shadow, manifested from the deepest layers of his own shadow, her bipedal, cloaked form appearing silently. Ravenna, his second shadow, identical yet subtly different with white lines on her black dress, appeared beside her. Both were extensions of his will, dangerous mini-monsters who mimicked many of his abilities and affinities, including death, fire, space, and time. Raven, the more experienced of the two, stood with full vigilance, ready to defend, while Ravenna, still learning, gazed out with daze-filled eyes but unwavering loyalty.

"Let's test the harmony, Raven," Azrail commanded, a light smile playing on his lips.

Raven nodded, her dark, seductive voice responding, "It will be my honor, Master".

The Realm Scrapper's safety protocols immediately engaged, forming ethereal barriers around them. Azrail vanished into the shadows, a skill he had mastered to near-perfection. Raven, however, was equally adept, her senses honed to detect him. The room became a canvas of shifting darkness and light, shadows darting and weaving as Azrail tested her limits. He re-emerged, his sword swirling in intricate patterns, launching a barrage of slashes that Raven gracefully evaded, using her shadow manipulation to create illusions and counter.

The clash intensified. Azrail unleashed a celestial burst of Qi that engulfed the room. Raven, loyal and fierce, met it head-on, her shadows absorbing and nullifying the cosmic burst, creating shockwaves throughout the chamber.

Azrail then utilized Astrid, the purple flame, blasting it forth at full force. His body became fully covered in purple flames, forming a beautiful, regal cloak. The darkness that Raven had called forth to pressure him began to burn and sizzle under Astrid's potency, its cries audible only to Azrail's unique connection. He split the darkness with a single, devastating sword cut, returning the room to its original state.

'She's a blessed monster, constantly improving. And she only uses 10% of her power. With guidance, she will be an unstoppable force,' Azrail reflected, observing Raven's panting form as she recovered.

Hours melted into days within the Realm Scrapper, a timeless space where Azrail meticulously trained. He cycled through the complexities of his powers, constantly striving for a seamless integration. His Path of Unknown, the ability to create his own evolutionary trajectory, was a silent promise, a destiny he was crafting with every perfected technique, every harmonized energy. He was evolving into a being never seen before, potentially capable of reaching realms of power blocked to all creation, affecting reality as a whole.

He recalled the words of the cosmos, imprinted deeply in his mind: "Host has gained the right to walk his own path! For the first time in history Host shall be the first of his kind!". His racial evaluation listed as "First Concept" and "Forbidden". His drive was not just for power, but for absolute domination. He understood that the greater the power, the higher the cost of wielding it, but his determination was unshakable.

'I am not a hero, nor a villain. I am Azrail. My path is to make the people I care about happy, to see them shine, to keep them safe. And for that, I would be a hero if I have to or a villain if I have to, but I will never ever turn my back on people that are already mine, and that is my path'. This core conviction was the anchor in his tumultuous journey, the light within his twisted darkness. His family—Yurou, Lysandra, Valencia, Xuanyin, and his mother's family—were his greatest treasures, the reason he sought to stand at the apex of the cosmos.

"All-Seer, terminate Omega Protocol. Log all training data. Prepare for next phase: Mental Fortification and Soul Sculpting," Azrail commanded, his eyes, now a mixture of profound purple and abyssal black, opening to the vibrant stillness of the chamber.

[Affirmative, Master. Logging complete. Processing data…] All-Seer chimed.

Azrail rose, the faint scent of ozone and burnt shadows lingering around him. He was a monster in the making, a living embodiment of impossibility. And in the silence of the Realm Scrapper, a cosmic force was steadily, meticulously, being born.

His Omega Protocol training, focused on honing his physical and Qi cultivation with the Omega Asura's Wrath technique, had reached a temporary peak. He had deliberately capped his progress in the Body Refinement Realm, making it seem normal for his age and avoiding unwanted attention that might arise from his extraordinary speed. While his body might not seem much now, he knew its future explosive might would be something else, perfectly developed due to the exercise routine he created. He now felt the raw power of the Omega Asura's Wrath technique, which had been stripping away impurities and imperfections, making him 'perfect' and extraordinary in every possible way. His meridians, strengthened and steady, had greedily filled his body, aligning perfectly with the path of the technique.

The brief pause allowed Azrail to center himself, his thoughts swirling with the myriad of paths stretching before him. He had completed the initial phase of integrating his two awakened flames, the purple flame and the black flame of Death and Destruction. The purple flame, representing nobility, power, and spirituality, made him feel like a king, demanding respect and causing other flames to bow to his rule. The black flame, the epitome of death and destruction, stirred a rebellious desire within him, craving to unleash despair. While both influenced his thoughts, he was learning to control them, especially with the purple flame assisting him in coping with the black flame's darker urges. This initial integration was crucial for his larger plan: a Symphony of energies, where his disparate powers would coalesce into a combined, unstoppable force.

His current focus, as commanded, was Mental Fortification and Soul Sculpting. These were not merely separate endeavors but interlocking pieces of his grand design. His soul, the ultimate information hub of any being, held his talents, powers, and gifts. And his mind, a realm of reality where his imagination reigned as a God, was a weapon that could shape worlds.

"All-Seer, initiate Mental Fortification routines. Prioritize Mind Palace construction and integration of Dreamscaping techniques," Azrail instructed, a subtle shift in his aura as his mental energy began to stir.

[Affirmative, Master. Activating mental realm protocols. Importing data from acquired souls…] All-Seer's voice, now with a hint of its usual snark, echoed in his mind.

Azrail delved into his mental realm, a space that was once "barely average" but was rapidly expanding with his increasing mental powers. He needed to refine this domain. His innate skill, [Mind Split], a key factor in his survival of intense cultivation methods, was already active, allowing him to fight dual battles with his body and mind simultaneously. This skill was not merely for endurance but also for precision, enabling him to break down complex information quickly.

His past experiences, particularly swallowing the soul of a powerful mental cultivator, had gifted him with dangerous techniques like Dreamscaping and Mental Echoes. Dreamscaping allowed him to manipulate the dream world, gather information, and protect his mental environment from others, while Mental Echoes enabled him to create false trails and programmable mental traps. These were not just theoretical tools; he intended to weave them into the fabric of his faction's operations.

The goal of Mental Fortification was multi-layered. First, it was about self-preservation. He needed to strengthen his own mental defenses to prevent his mind from being twisted, especially given the sheer number of powerful souls and legacies he was absorbing and the inherent influence of his awakened flames. The cube that once controlled him had blinded him, masking his sharpness and abilities, and even though he'd shattered those shackles, he wouldn't allow his mind to be susceptible again.

He began the arduous task of constructing Mind Palaces, intricate structures within his mental realm that would serve as secure repositories for his vast knowledge and strategic plans. He envisioned sprawling mental landscapes, each palace dedicated to a specific domain: one for his knowledge of the future from the Heavenly Opposers book, another for the countless cultivation techniques and abilities he'd gained, and perhaps even one for managing his growing harem and the intricacies of his love life—a thought that brought a wry, self-deprecating smile to his face, acknowledging that his personal life was indeed "a headache".