Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!

The moment everyone in the Shatterstar mech saw Ethan's appearance, a wave of relief swept through everyone. His earlier state had been terrifying enough, the mech's systems had estimated only a fifteen percent chance of recovery, a number that had chilled them to the bone. Then, before they could even process it, he did something that startled them even more: Ethan vaulted into the air and landed squarely atop the Gate of Ascension.

"Transform... Ancient Demigod!" he roared.

A shockwave rolled outward.

High above, his form erupted into a blinding metamorphosis. On the thousand-meter-high structure, Ethan's body reshaped into a colossal, armored bird with a rotund, almost regal bulk. Deep blue plates of starlit armor encased him, his body expanding until he matched the gate's towering height—and even stood half a head taller than the Shatterstar mech itself.

"Forbidden: Starfall Barrage... Tear this rotten, artificial world apart... Die!"

It wasn't the first time Ethan had used Starfall Barrage. The last had been upon his arrival at the Sea of Death, during the sandworm onslaught—but back then, he'd only used his standard owl form. Now, rage drove him. Since his rebirth, he had never taken such a beating. On the outside, he looked intact, but inside he was wrecked: bones fractured nearly to dust, spine splintered along its length, the starlight from his Force Resonance all but extinguished, and his organs twisted from their rightful places.

The only thing holding him together was the small, unassuming sapling deep within him, its faint green light acting like a replacement spine, keeping him upright. The star cluster at his core—countless seeds spinning in a storm—fed the Tree of Life nonstop, barely keeping him alive. In that state, Ethan didn't hesitate. He summoned the full Ancient Demigod version of his owl form, and unleashed the Forbidden skill.

This time, the Starfall Barrage's formation speed was ferocious. In seconds, a vast hexagonal array filled the sky, stretching as if to cover the entire realm.

A deep crack split the air. Something vast pushed through the gray, sunless sky, trying to force its bulk into this world. Before it could breach entirely, a surge of unknown energy burst into existence and struck one of the forming meteors, shattering it into drifting dust. The sky grew darker still. From high above, the crushing pressure that had been building now began to descend, sensing danger. It recognized Ethan as a threat—one that had to be destroyed to preserve what remained of this crumbling Spirit Realm.

At the same time, Shatterstar's mech arms shoved the wooden slab into the Gate of Ascension beneath Ethan's feet. A thought, and the gate vanished, reappearing on the lake island within Ethan's Mindscape. But when the box entered his Soul Space, it didn't fall—it floated weightlessly, hanging in the air like it had always belonged there.

"Go save the boss!"

Blackie saw the gate vanish and understood the danger above. Even inside Shatterstar, they could feel the oppressive force descending.

[Beep… Star Shield activating… Energy supply at fifteen percent… Remaining reserves: 3.5 percent… Preparing for ascent…]

Shatterstar shifted forward, then shot upward, raising its left arm. A translucent shield formed, as broad as its massive frame, completely covering Ethan from above. The mech maneuvered until it floated directly over him. This time, KH3106 didn't hold back. After expending energy to push the box, it had just nineteen percent left—and now it dumped fifteen percent of that into powering the Star Shield.

The collision came less than a thousand meters above Ethan. The impact drove Shatterstar's giant body down several hundred meters in a single blow.

[Warning… Descent speed critical… Recommend diverting more power to thrusters!]

"Thrusters to full! Allocate the last three percent—use everything!" KH3106's eyes closed in the cockpit, though his mind and nerves were fused to Shatterstar's systems. Command after command fired through the neural link. The scans on Ethan didn't lie—externally, he looked fine, but internally he was hanging by a thread. If this pressure reached him, he'd be finished.

From below, Ethan saw the mech straining to shield him. Thrusters along Shatterstar's body ignited, spewing red fire into the air, fighting to keep it from collapsing. Even then, it barely held. Ethan swore under his breath.

'Damn it. Aren't there any bigger stars nearby?'

Every meteor that approached was obliterated by the same strange energy before it could get close, dissolving into dust. With no choice, Ethan poured more of his soul power into the Forbidden skill, increasing its gravitational pull to drag more celestial debris toward the realm.

Inside the cockpit, Julian and the others could do nothing but watch and listen to Shatterstar's mechanical voice rattling off data.

[Energy transfer complete… Power system efficiency: forty-eight percent… Estimated hold time: thirty seconds… Countdown begins: 29… 28… 27…]

"I've done all I can!" KH3106's voice came over the comms. "Whether we survive… that's up to fate!"

"Damn fate!" Blackie's voice cracked. "It's not fate—it's this world's will trying to kill the boss! Let me out! If I die, I die before him!"

He tore free of Julian's grip, slamming his boots into the cockpit wall again and again. The strange material didn't dent; it only sent small ripples through the liquid cocoon around KH3106. Blood ran down Blackie's legs, but he kept kicking. This time, Julian didn't try to stop him—he couldn't explain why Blackie was acting like this, but no one else had lost control the way he had.

Far away, on the mountaintop in Hurricane City, the leaders of the four factions stared at the projection in confusion.

"What's going on? The sanctum's view has been blacked out for a day. What happened inside?" The once-beautiful landscape had been replaced by endless darkness, as if the world itself had been swallowed.

"Must be the Windspirit Faction's doing," someone muttered. "Probably hiding something."

That theory spread among the watching crowds in Clearspring and Forgotten City. The Windspirit Faction had guarded the sanctum entrance for countless generations; surely they had ways to block prying eyes. But even the Saint-ranked ancestor of the faction frowned. He'd interrogated his subordinates repeatedly, and all swore they knew nothing.

Then, a shout from the crowd: "Look! What's that?"

On the screen, meteors were appearing—thousands of them—streaming in from all directions toward a single point, then vanishing as though swallowed by an invisible maw.

"Holy hell… I know what that is! This isn't a blackout—this is beyond the stars!" one man cried.

Gasps followed. In this world, "Beyond the Stars" meant the void outside their planet, a place only legendary Voidbreakers could survive.

"No, that's impossible—"

"Why not? Do you see anyone there? No people, no creatures. It's definitely space!"

"Ha! If I get to see beyond the stars before I die, I've got no regrets."

Excitement rippled through the onlookers. But then the sky above them darkened further. In the Sea of Death, noon was normally the hottest point of the day. Now, the temperature began to drop.

And far above, the real battle raged.