In A Fantasy World I Can Absorbs Abilities

Once, it might have radiated brilliant light.

But now, it was hopelessly corrupted—a grotesque mass of darkness twisted by fear, anger, and desperation.

"No…!"

Gwang-hwi's soul, trapped in Michael's grip, desperately struggled. The pain of being torn apart was unbearable, and the corrupted soul let out a horrifying scream.

Michael furrowed his brow. Tremendous waves of magical energy radiated from his fingertips as the twisted, tainted soul squirmed like a captured beast. Sparks flashed violently, and the residual darkness sliced across Michael's arms and shoulders, causing faint smoke to rise from his skin.

"Don't bother resisting!"

Michael scoffed and tightened his grasp. Gwang-hwi's soul was akin to a dark abyss, seething with black, icy desires. At its deepest core lay the essence of his existence.

The corrupted soul continued to fight desperately, twisting and splitting, trying to conceal its core. A shimmering black aura surged from within. The black energy expelled from Arabella's body whirled above Michael's head, forming a dark cyclone. Amidst the black cloud, a faint but dazzling glow—pure white and golden—emerged, exuding sacred energy.

As the golden aura expanded in waves, emitting sharp noises, Alfred shouted urgently:

"Be careful! That light…!"

Michael's expression hardened. It was the concentrated energy of thousands, even tens of thousands, of prayers, hopes, and unwavering beliefs in Gwang-hwi. Unleashing his hidden power, Gwang-hwi tried to pierce Michael's mind like a sharpened blade.

Fire exploded in Michael's head, echoing countless human prayers and desires—intense enough to rattle his skull and constrict his heart.

'Yes! He can't withstand it!'

Gwang-hwi felt certain of his victory. There was no way a mere human could endure the wishes heard only by gods. Indeed, Michael's face contorted with pain, struggling against overwhelming anguish.

'As expected. A mere human can't overcome such fervent desires... Wait—?'

Yet Gwang-hwi's relief quickly turned into despair. The corners of Michael's mouth, previously twisted in agony, slowly rose into a confident smile.

"People's earnest desires… I'm already used to them."

Michael calmly raised his other hand and placed it over his heart. From deep within flowed the sincere wishes of his territory's residents, the heartfelt gratitude of Lania's people, and the aspirations of the entire continent.

Gwang-hwi's soul turned pale, screaming in disbelief:

"How… How could a mere human possess such divinity?!"

Michael extended his hand further into Gwang-hwi's core. From deep within surged a dark, viscous energy, as if opening a rift to hell itself. But the resistance was brief; the divine energy in Michael's other hand enveloped Gwang-hwi's core, like the sun overwhelming storm clouds.

Gwang-hwi thrashed again, sharp rays of black flames erupting violently, scorching Michael's fingertips black. Yet, Michael remained completely unfazed.

"You'll vanish now."

Gwang-hwi's soul unleashed a burst of black energy powerful enough to tear reality apart. The surrounding space distorted, wind whirled violently, and the cave floor cracked as Arabella's body trembled violently—a desperate, final struggle.

Bloody tears streamed from Arabella's eyes, creating a tragically beautiful sight. But Michael, unmoved, pressed deeper into the core of Gwang-hwi's soul.

Two colossal forces collided explosively. The battle between resistance and conquest shook the surroundings, cracking the cave floor and evaporating the cold air instantly.

"Stop!"

Gwang-hwi desperately shouted, attempting to move, but the binding runes only tightened their grip. Ignoring him entirely, Michael pushed deeper. A crimson glow erupted from his fingertips, steadily absorbing the divine power leaking from Arabella's body.

Arabella's body shivered faintly. The sealing rune on her palm grew brighter. As the absorbed power increased, the force restraining Gwang-hwi also intensified.

"Stop it! You insignificant human—!"

Michael maintained his expressionless face, steadily reaching further until finally…

Alfred's rune burst into a brilliant flash of light.

On Arabella's hand, Alfred's previously flickering rune violently surged, glowing like molten metal and twisting slightly, allowing no gaps for escape. At that moment, the seal completely closed around Gwang-hwi's trapped body.

Gwang-hwi's core—the ancient source of his immense power—began resonating with Michael's presence. Slowly, Gwang-hwi's energy trapped within Arabella began flowing out through Michael's touch.

Boom!

Within the divine body, Gwang-hwi's soul solidified entirely, frozen like a sealed sculpture, unable to resist or escape. At the collision point of darkness and light, crimson sparks erupted violently.

Crack!

Finally, Michael's hand reached Gwang-hwi's core.

A breathless silence fell. Michael slowly lifted his gaze, his pupils now filled with pure white flames—divinity itself. He smiled slightly.

Like ripples spreading through water, waves of light radiated from beneath Arabella's skin, within which Gwang-hwi's presence could clearly be sensed. It was the essence of countless beings' absorbed powers—a power fitting for one who had proclaimed himself the continent's sole deity.

Crackle!

Another blinding flash erupted, and an invisible clash of immense powers resonated throughout the space. An alien vibration pulsed through Arabella's body as Michael's hand began glowing with energy—a manifestation of absorption, the energy of nothingness itself.

The very essence that consumed all clashed violently with Gwang-hwi's power, briefly giving the illusion that the world might collapse.

"…Stubborn bastard."

A bead of sweat ran down Michael's forehead. Despite being reduced to mere soul fragments and broken at the core, Gwang-hwi remained formidable. His strength, transcending myths and legends, was difficult even for Michael, who had absorbed countless powers and divine energies, to handle.

Yet Michael refused to give up.

Right now, he was swallowing fire itself.

Light and darkness collided at a single point.

In Michael's palm, a focal point of absorption formed, drawing in surrounding energy like a black hole.

Gwang-hwi's soul was dragged out, shrieking desperately.

"Aaaaaagh! Stop…! How dare you…!"

Gwang-hwi's anguished will resonated within Michael's mind—a scream, an eruption of rage, and his final shred of pride. Black tendrils clawed desperately at Michael's hand, hundreds of sparks slicing across his skin, racing up his forearm and shoulder.

Yet Michael endured. His skin split, muscles tore, and bone became visible, yet his resolve never wavered.

'Just a little more… Just a little longer.'

His red eyes burned intensely. Deep within Michael's chest, in the abyss of his soul, a ripple began. A subtle vibration quickly expanded, splitting space and pulling at the very fabric of reality.

Then—

Boom!

An echo surged forth.

An invisible wave swept across the continent, transcending boundaries between sky and earth, water and fire, light and darkness. This was not merely an outburst of energy; it was profound enough to shake existence itself. For an instant, the entire continent held its breath.

Far in the northern snowfields, Tiamat, the Ice Dragon who had endured eternity, slowly raised her head. Her icy gaze flickered slightly through the blizzard.

"...What is this ripple?"

Her frozen breath paused momentarily.

Deep within the tropical southern jungle, Zaha, the great turtle guarding a mountain fortress, looked to the sky, lightning reflected in his eyes.

"The world is... trembling."

His sharp scales rose one by one, veins along his spine pulsating in reaction.

Beneath the Pamir Empire, within an endless black lake, an immense shape awoke. Resembling an elephant, the figure smiled gently.

'Is it him? Good. He's avenging me as well.'

He closed his eyes once more, satisfied. No longer was it necessary for him to intervene in the world.

At the pinnacle of the Magic Tower, hundreds of floors above, the crystal orb of the Archmage Caldrea suddenly shattered. Magic circles around him exploded, and the stars briefly trembled in the heavens.

Opening his eyes in shock, Caldrea whispered:

"The laws of this world are changing. What is happening?"

Throughout the continent, hidden masters halted their training. Having begun training in the new method Michael had taught, they glanced toward the sky briefly, then resumed with smiles of satisfaction.

After long centuries, the world's stagnant energies had finally begun moving again.

'Training will get easier now.'

At the royal palace, Siegmund paused momentarily from his attempt to curry favor with Elizabeth and her father, Dominic. A slight smile touched his lips.

'They said he disappeared during the Holy Kingdom's suppression... Is that what happened?'

Siegmund shook off the thought and resumed his courtship. Elizabeth, locking eyes with her father Dominic, struggled to hide her trembling hands as she lifted her teacup.

She knew exactly what these vibrations signified.

Inwardly, she prayed fervently:

'Please... let my brother be safe.'

Monsters across the land reacted the most acutely. Marquis Kensington struggled to calm a young mutated griffin, cautiously looking around. Though everyone from other kingdoms had departed, knights from Xerch and Lania, including Kensington himself, remained guarding the harbor, awaiting Michael's return.

Duke Capone exchanged reassuring glances with Rodrick.

'A precious lifeline at this late stage in life... Please let him be safe.'

The citizens of the Holy Kingdom trembled in panic. Fires had risen suddenly around the capital, and the Holy Knights had long since marched away. Yet no news of victory came.

As they shivered in fear, praying desperately, a knight appeared before them—Antonio.

Gritting his teeth, he stared at the distant sea, feeling the tremors.

'My God, where have you gone?'

Ramses, chief of the Sphinx tribe, rose abruptly from his seat.

'Someone has touched divinity. The balance of power… is shifting. Is it the boy at Nefertari's side?'

Leonardo, applying final brushstrokes to a masterpiece destined to become legendary, jumped up suddenly, his face filled with joy.

"My lord! Finally…!"

The core of existence was ripped apart, revealing a dazzling, pure-white essence—a flawless crystallization of absolute, uncontaminated energy, the fundamental essence that composed the world.

"It's done…!"

Michael's voice trembled softly.

As he clenched his fist, the last remnants of Gwang-hwi's soul screamed.

"Aaaaaaagh!"

Arabella's body shook delicately, tension sharp as frost filling the air.

Crack!

The core shattered into fragments, shards of light bursting forth like a storm. Michael and Alfred's hair whipped violently, red symbols surfaced upon Arabella's skin, and sparks and darkness collided, radiating intense brilliance.

With eyes closed, Michael embraced all this chaos. The pure magic energy, the essence forming Gwang-hwi's core, flowed into him.

The final fragment screamed desperately, absorbed completely into Michael.

In his red eyes, two patterns overlapped: one his own, the other Gwang-hwi's. The opposing forces began merging violently inside him.

Amidst unbearable pain, Michael smiled faintly.

'It's finally over.'