Chapter 485: Chapter 485: VS Solstice [2] Chapter 485 – VS Solstice [2] Noah watched the attack raining down on him, showing the illustration of a gargantuan golden lion, a power of pride oozing out of it like water from a holed bucket. The lion stretched its mouth wide open, showing sharp golden canines that sank deep into reality — it moaned in pain, then shattered — and roared with all its throat. A wave of godly power erupted and slammed onto Noah almost instantly, burning everything to a crisp in its path. At the same time, Solstice appeared behind Noah, his body untouched by his own power, holding inside his hand a giant golden bow. When he pulled the translucent string, the illusion of a centaur appeared behind him, mirroring perfectly his action. Next, an arrow appeared on its own from the bow, made of condensed soul energy of a crimson-black color. Space melted, and a putrid stench soaked the battlefield. At that time, the cloud of power veiling Noah was wafted away, showing the Prince in all his glory with no wounds staining his body. He snapped his head to the side, watching the jaw of the Lion, Sin of Pride, an inch from gnawing at his jugular. Noah ducked down, the jaw of the Lion snapping on air with a loud crack, then shifted sideways, balling his fist and punching the Lion directly into its gut. Before the impact, he used his atom manipulation, changing the components of his bones, muscles, and skin to those of equal to thousands of cluster of exploding stars. When the strike landed, half of the Lion was obliterated into nothingness, the rest spraying the air in cascades of splintered flesh. Its core became broken. The Lion wailed, but Noah didn’t have time to enjoy the sound of it. The back of his neck was tingling, his hairs standing on edge like the spines of a porcupine. He turned his head behind just to see Solstice unleashing the arrow, letting out a loud scream as space was torn apart by the power of the arrow. "Freeze." Noah ordered calmly, and time halted just when the tip of the arrow touched his forehead. His blood trickled down, the poison seeping inside his body, and Noah laughed. The time freeze would only be on for no more than one second, but it was more than enough for him. With the feeling of being wounded by the power just now, Noah transmuted his right hand to match the power of the arrow. His body neutralized the poison in the process. Then he grasped the arrow, spinning upon himself again and again and again until time resumed its natural course. He threw it back at Solstice, enhancing the power of the arrow multiple folds. Meanwhile, Solstice’s eyes were filled with dread, realizing he had been frozen for one whole second. Before his mind regained its senses, the arrow went past his head. It exploded instantly, causing shrieks of pain and anger to erupt from the throat of the Lion still alive and from Solstice himself. The impact caused a shockwave of power to slam onto Noah, and he used it as a way to propel himself backward, taking his distance. He cracked his neck, his forehead already healed, watching the cloud of white and purple that rose skyward. "Hm," Noah murmured. "Still standing?" He tilted his head. The power he had used should have been enough to at least cripple Solstice for a long while. However, as the dust of withered soul cleared, Solstice stood there, his head already healed while a giant-like crimson fish with eyes all over its body swirled around him. "Reversal," the Soul Ruler said, and the dying power of the Lion caused by Noah destroying half of its core became immediately more powerful. Due to that, the Lion healed rapidly, snarling and growling at Noah with spite and hatred. Seeing that, Noah grasped why the Soul Ruler was still not dead. "Reversal, huh." Noah mused, smiling. "That’s an interesting power." He took his stance, this time summoning the power of Singularity while wrapping time compression around himself. It was not the end. He added inside it the innate ability of Laka, the Bloodline Sage. The divine beast had the skill of Bloodline Fog — a fog used to suppress the very bloodline of whoever was inside. But Noah didn’t need to suppress the bloodline of Solstice. Clearly, whatever power the Soul Ruler was using was not related to bloodline. Instead, he located deep inside his soul the sigil corresponding to the skill Bloodline Fog. Then, with tremendous ease — in the midst of the battle, while Solstice was bolting toward him, a black-white scale above him with the face of a veiled woman, his mouth open in an attempt to use a skill — Noah transmuted the very nature of the skill. With his atom manipulation that went beyond understanding, and the use of Probability and Singularity to force fate into giving birth to an abomination of a skill, Noah managed to obtain something just as Solstice’s voice rang out. "Reversal." Instantly, all the powers wrapping around Noah went from more to less, from powerful to weak. But it was too late. Noah had already finished what he wished to create. And soon enough, Solstice realized it, as crimson-gold fog erupted from the mouth and eyes of Noah, enveloping him in a thick embrace. He bellowed, thrashing inside the fog. It was all useless. If bloodline held no sway over anyone inside the Spirit World, it was not the case for the soul. One might forget about such a little detail about the Spirit World, but everything—from people, to constructs, to time and space—was made of soul essence. The shadows of Shadow, the Twelve Zodiac Signs of Solstice and his Reversal power, even the Love of Love and the Light of Light were under the same rule. So what would happen when someone got the power to weaken—suppress—the very concept of soul essence inside one being? The answer to that question was unfolding in real time in front of Noah. He watched with quiet eyes Solstice kneeling on one knee in front of him. He was sweating buckets. His power was broken, making the Lion and Libra disappear into molten light, leaving behind a screech of worry for their master. They seemed to hold their own feelings, Noah noticed, finding it even more interesting. But then he shook his head, dispersing those distractions, focusing once more on the Soul Ruler. His state was almost pitiful to see. His numerous eyes were wide open, rotten with confusion and fear. Clearly, the Soul Ruler had never suffered something like this. Especially with the fact that Noah’s suppression was absolute if his soul was stronger than his opponent. And there was hardly anything stronger than the soul of the Son of Reality. "Well," Noah breathed, smiling faintly, "you lasted, honestly, longer than I thought." "How... how do you have this power?" Solstice asked, his voice raspy and strained. "Principality and Origin Will are the only ones supposed to have this power." His eyes glared at Noah. "How?" "Oh?" Noah exclaimed, cocking his head. "Is that why you cannot go against a Principality?" And yet, the Merchant—or even his allies—managed to kill one such being. Noah shook his head once more, ducked his head down, watching a pool of shadows filling beneath his feet. Ester’s voice echoed soon after. "I found the Lake and the broken half Tower," she said. "Are they what you needed, husband?" Noah smiled, looking at the drained-colored face of Solstice. "Aye, darling. As always, good job," he said. "But I saw something else, husband," Ester continued. "In the depth of the Lake, beside the flowers, I saw a hidden door. A realm, most probably." "How?" Solstice’s cracked voice slithered out. "HOW DID YOU—!" "Silence." Noah ordered, increasing his soul suppression on the Soul Ruler, causing his face to crash down onto the ground. However, even then, Solstice didn’t stop squirming, wishing to speak and probably curse. Ester didn’t bother with him, finishing her report. "Behind the realm, husband, there is a lotus and a girl — a young girl no older than six — growing out of the lotus." She paused. Solstice bellowed in anger and dread. "And the girl is feeding from the lotus, while the lotus feeds itself from the lake and the billions of souls trapped inside that realm." —End of Chapter 485—