Chapter 140 : Saving Arianna 6: El's Defiance 2
El's aura surged, exploding outward in a dazzling display of untamed power. The air around him shimmered, heavy with the weight of his ascension as cracks snaked across the ground, lightning-like fissures that radiated from his feet. His eyes, burning with a fierce, unyielding light, bore into Adams with a look that could pierce through mountains.
The very atmosphere bent under the force of his fury, the once stately Hall of Eternity now trembling as though it could barely contain the storm brewing within him. Check back at m-v le-mpyr for more
His breaths came in ragged bursts, but there was no mistaking the fire in his gaze—a fire that refused to be extinguished.
"I wasn't always like this," El began, his voice deep and guttural, filled with a strange mix of bitterness and pride. He took a step forward, each movement deliberate, his muscles rippling beneath his skin like tightly coiled springs on the verge of snapping. "I was nothing… a speck in the vastness of existence, just like everyone else. But I had something—ambition.
A burning desire to rise above, to claw my way to the top, no matter what it cost."
As he spoke, the shadows seemed to deepen around him, his aura growing heavier, more oppressive. The other Overlords, even those who had stood by his side, began to shrink back, unable to withstand the sheer intensity of his presence. Sweat beaded on Garin's forehead as he tightened his stance, his massive body trembling beneath the force of El's power.
Hela, normally calm and detached, had retreated fully into the shadows, her ethereal form flickering with uncertainty.
"But when I finally reached the top…" El continued, his voice lowering to a dangerous growl, "I realized it meant nothing. The summit I stood on wasn't the pinnacle. It was only a hill at the foot of a much larger mountain."
His lips curled into a snarl, teeth gritted as if the very memory of it sickened him. His fists tightened, veins bulging along his forearms as he recalled the moment that shattered his illusions.
"There were others. Beings who could snuff me out with nothing but a flick of their wrist," he said, his voice shaking with a mixture of anger and disbelief. "For all my power, all my effort—I was still nothing to them. They were… untouchable. The gods of gods. And I swore to myself in that moment—I'd find a way.
I'd reach that realm, and I'd stand above all of them."
El took another step forward, his aura expanding violently, rippling like a hurricane ready to consume everything in its path. His eyes, burning with the intensity of a thousand suns, locked onto Adams with raw defiance.
"I began preparing," El said, his voice gaining strength. "I studied every form of power, every hidden technique, every forbidden art. I searched the farthest corners of the multiverse, looking for the key that would let me ascend to their world and challenge them. And then… I heard of you."
Adams remained motionless, his cold, calculating gaze locked onto El. He didn't speak, didn't react. He simply watched, like a predator waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
El clenched his jaw, the muscles in his neck tightening. "The One Above All, the being destined to surpass everything that came before. The one who would render everything I had worked for meaningless." His aura crackled with electricity, the air around him warping under the pressure. "I knew I had to act. I had to claim that power for myself before it could fully manifest.
That's when I began crafting my plan."
His lips twisted into a bitter smile, his voice laced with venom. "But then… there was another anomaly. The one with true immortality. She was the final piece—the one who showed me that time was short, that I had to move quickly. She was… perfect."
El's eyes flickered with something darker, something desperate, as if the memory of her still haunted him. His movements grew more erratic, the once controlled flow of his aura now a wild storm threatening to consume everything. His fists trembled as he lifted them to the sky, his body shaking under the weight of the power he was trying to harness.
"And now," he snarled, voice raw with intensity, "now that I'm so close… now that I'm on the verge of taking everything that should have been mine… I won't let you—or anyone—stand in my way!"
His voice reverberated through the hall, the sheer force of his declaration causing the walls to tremble and crack. His aura exploded outward again, sending shockwaves through the room. The Overlords around him staggered, their expressions a mix of awe and terror, unable to fully comprehend the magnitude of his transformation.
El's eyes, now glowing with an almost unnatural light, bored into Adams. His chest heaved with every breath, his body trembling with the overwhelming force coursing through him. His face was a twisted mask of rage, determination, and desperation, all fighting for dominance. There was a fire in him that refused to be extinguished, a drive that went beyond survival—it was obsession.
Adams, however, remained impassive. His eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of amusement playing at the edges of his lips. He took a single step forward, the movement subtle but enough to make the ground beneath him tremble, as though reality itself was acknowledging his presence.
"I see," Adams said, his voice cold and detached, like a god surveying a lesser creature. "You've come a long way… but your ambition blinds you. You're still reaching for something you cannot grasp."
El roared in defiance, his body radiating with unrestrained energy. His fists crackled with power as he prepared to launch himself forward once more, to throw everything he had at the one standing before him.
"I WILL be the One Above All!" El bellowed, his voice shaking the very foundations of the hall.
And with that, he surged forward, his aura erupting like a star gone supernova, his eyes burning with the sheer force of his will.
Adams watched, his gaze unchanging, as El closed the distance between them.
Then, in a movement too fast to track, Adams raised his hand.
And time itself seemed to stop.