The Martial Master - 72 The Overseer

*…*

*SHIIINGGGG-G-GGGG!!*

…

…

*SHIINNGGG…!!”

“What?!”

*RUMBLE!*

“The world..!!”

Within the view of the stupified elders and the trembling commander, an absolute sound chimed into their ears. Then, like a disconcerting realisation, they found that the world in front of them had darkened…

*GRRRRRRR*

Yet, within a single minute moment, a single blink, that darkness became a void-like nothingness! They found that, for miles, no, tens of miles, an empty nothingness encompassed their view!

“Second..!!”

An aggrieved cry resounded as the head-elder suddenly leapt back with a face full of fright! The commander was the only being capable of seeing this sudden retreat, and without even thinking, he followed suit!

*THUD*

Then, as if it were responding to their outcry, a quiet bang blasted outwards… However, this blast of billowing sound seemed to ignore the physical limits of the world!

Instead, as if it were light itself, it instantly passed through the world and onto all life within it!

This thud was akin to a worldwide broadcast, something that you cannot ignore! It is unable to be stopped, and it travels at a speed beyond sound!

This noise, a glorious racket! It was one that ringed in the heads of the elders closest to its source, ringing like chiming bells that were echoing in their hearts!

“Run..!!”

Fear beyond terror suddenly encompassed the entire realm as the elders and anyone in a thousand-mile proximity shook. A collection of paper-white faces brightened, then in a retreat in the dozens, the elders all collectively attempted to escape!

They didn’t know why they felt so terrified, so utterly incapable of fighting back, but this feeling was the truest they could possibly experience!

*PSST*

Nevertheless, within the vision of the widening eyes of the elders and even the commander a couple miles back, a distraught and terrifying shockwave formed within this nothingness.

Even though it was within this emptiness where even light seemed to be suppressed, its gleam shined right into everyone’s eyes…

It was pitch black, no, a golden black…

The instant it formed, the world froze and the heaven’s bled. The void-like area trembled and everyone felt their blood boil.

“A second realm shockwave…”

A terror-stricken voice muttered, and with an even more wild aura, the head elder disregarded anyone around him and accelerated to his topmost speed!

*SHIINGG*

That shockwave didn’t even seem to conform to reality as it instantly doubled in size! From a mile wide, it went to two!

“An exponential destruction…”

The commander’s eyes widened as he gazed at the shockwave seething in a disastrous atmosphere. It’s black tinged gold made his skin crawl, and as everything beneath it got revoked and returned to its most primal powers, he gulped.

“This is from a single speck?! The rumours were underestimating the power of the second!!”

His voice roared as his figure warped. He seemed to haze out of existence, and in a massive leap of speed, he appeared a couple of miles away. This was coincidentally where the head-elder was, and the elders who were weaker were only a couple of miles in front.

Still…

“I feel dizzy…”

Those elders seemed to be slowing down… A strange force was permeating the air, one that made thinking, moving and even using techniques difficult. It only grew, but this was not the growth of simple stature.

It was an exponential growth…

“It’s expanding again..!!”

One of the elder’s eyes widened even further as he was trying to escape!

*SHIINGG*

And from 2 miles, it, in an instantaneous bellow, encompassed 4 miles of the world in all directions!

A massive quantity of the world instantly vaporised, where the shockwave had actually encircled that empty nothingness and had finally reached an intact length of the land.

These elders trembled and quaked with terror as they attempted to fly faster. But, that force that permeated the air had actually doubled in strength!

“N-No!”

One of the elders cried out. The figure was of a petite girl, who with a pale face, had an aura of utter despair. She never would’ve thought that today of all days would be her ending grace, for she has lived for hundreds of years!

The longer you live, the less you want to die! That is a plague of cultivators, and when death befalls, feelings of indignation and unbridled horror would sweep them out of their usual illusive countenance!

Why does she have to die? She has lived a life of luxury as if she were the heavens herself, gazing down onto the many who could only be in awe of her beauty and power!

Yet, within a literal moment, that all falls before her in a cataclysmic shockwave beyond any common ground! Who said she would want to die for this sect? Who said that such a grand power would revoke any form of resistance?!

*SHIINNGGG*

Though, within her unwilling eyes, as she flew only a couple hundred meters more with the immense force weighing down on her, that same sundering chime thrashed her soul!

“THIS DOESN’T MAKE SENSE!!”

Her eyes turned bloodshot as she watched that shockwave that had paused twitch. This twitch seemed to play all too long in her eyes, and in the next moment, only blackness…

A blackness tinged with gold blasted her vision…

“GA-”

She couldn’t even cry as she felt her entire body break down into a cloud of dust. This dust soon turned into a faint sprinkle of sparkles, and within this sparkle, a tiny soul attempted to escape.

But this soul was way to undeveloped in the first place to survive without a body. Even then, that wouldn’t matter as a power beyond wrapped around it and burnt it alive like it were an insignificant splint.

*PSST*

The only noise representing her life was a tiny crackle of dim light, and even then this couldn’t escape being devoured shortly after. Her life, but a grain, a little thing…

As all is, and everything will be before a power they cannot face. For you an ant before a tiger and a tiger before an ant. You are a frog, and it is all depending on which well you are within, for whenever you leave a well as a frog, you find yourself in an even wider well…

This well, as well, is within another.

Like an infinite loop of finite power. Cosiness and prosperity are but standing on a thread, and if anyone powerful enough were to will the death of that prosperity, it will die.

Like the girl, each and every elder died in that instant. As an instant is all it takes.

“DAMMIT!!”

The head-elder’s face which was full of aggrieved rage roared, but he couldn’t do anything! What can he do, summon second energy? If only!

“Overseer, save us!!”

His eyes blasted a primal light as he roared in the sky. He had no other option anymore, as he didn’t dare estimate the size this shockwave could potentially take.

It has already encompassed 8 miles of the world, and he was only 2 miles away from it! By his calculations, and dreaded ones at that, it would soon overtake him and destroy 16 miles of the heaven’s section!

As, it is by nature, exponential in growth!

16,32,64,128!

These numbers were horrifying and inconceivable! Though a strange realisation came with it. Explaining why this energy is a forbidden tool of destruction…

*SHIINNGGG*

Nonetheless, nobody replied to his call as that disconcerting sound reverberated right into his soul…

“Oh dear…”

The High-Elder’s eyes narrowed as he looked to the side and found the commander. The commander’s eyes were shining a deathly light, where with a slight turn, that commander looked right back.

“We might as well try…”

A similar thought entered both of their minds…

Yet, just as they were about to attempt their last, a troubled voice penetrated the broken sky.

“Ah, this is bad…”

Then, in a dense sudden tremor, that shockwave that was about to expand once more paused!

“These second-realm shockwaves are really annoying to figure out, but I can’t help feeling so pleased!!”

As his voice rang once more, an old man materlised before the two solemn men. His beard swayed gently in the chaotic winds, and his eyes that were a bright blue narrowed.

“Hahaha, the heavens are really benevolent!”

The head-elder and the commander felt confusion as they looked at the strangely cheerful expression of the old man. They could already guess his identity, but for him to be happy..?

“Now, let us see what beautiful, lustless man I have been gifted!”

“..?”

The two had a strange expression as they watched on. They thought for a second, and no matter how hard they tried to shake it off, this thought wouldn’t leave their minds…

‘He couldn’t be…’

‘…’

‘No. The awe-inspiring Overseer would never have a perverted hobby like that.’

However, they quickly threw the idea out of their heads…

“Come to papa!”

The overseer obviously wasn’t paying attention to the two trembling elders. Instead, his eyes were blazing as he looked at the shaking shockwave being somehow suppressed by his hands!

He waved such hands, and in a terrifying wave of strange power, the entire shockwave got lifted up! It didn’t take long for it to enter the atmosphere, and it displayed a perfectly round sphere of a tinged black!

“Now, go and play pong with our neighbours!”

His eyes lit with a peculiar blue as his hands became hazed. Then, with a sudden and overwhelming push, that massive orb of black and gold got stuck out of the atmosphere!

It was similar to punching a small metal ball and watching it fly off. Though, this ball was a massive 8-mile radius orb! Thus, the huge destructive sphere soon disappeared from the world and from their eyes!

It was as if nothing had even occurred, where the only thing remaining was the massive 8-mile wide chasm that was encompassed in darkness!

“…”

The two froze as their eyes got overwhelmed in awe. To be able to pull off what had just occurred, they didn’t dare guess the required cultivation…

‘Is he a second-realm cultivator?’

The old man didn’t seem to care about their gazes as his eyes narrowed even further. But, strangely enough, his face widened into a smile.

“Hm, one of them seemed to have dissipated… But, the remaining fellow looks just fine to me!”

No longer holding back, the old man grasped the air once more with his hazed hand! No reaction was instigated from this grab, only a faint whooshing sound from within the abyss of black!

“Hehe…”

A malevolent aura seemed to exude faintly out of the old man, causing the two behind him to pale. They took a step back, but as that streaking sound magnified, their eyes widened…

‘No, stop! It is blasphemy to think of such horrendous actions being committed by the almighty overseer!! Stop!’

Their minds raged as that guess kept getting pushed out.

Anyway, the old man soon caused these conflicting thoughts to stutter to a creeping halt.

“Finally, with all the men I have tried, I have found one strong enough to satisfy me!”

‘..!!’

Their eyes widened to a glaring bulge, staring ahead with frozen postures.

*BANG*

*GRAB*

Then, in a whizzing emergence, a golden-haired man in tatters blasted their sight. His eyes were half shut and an aura of absolute exhaustion plagued him.

*Sniff*

“This bloodline…”

The old man’s eyes turned serious for a second as he sniffed the aura around the golden-haired man. Then in a pause of shock, his smile broadened!

“A higher ancient bloodline! I can’t seem to identify it, but even if it is at the bottom this is still incredible!!”