Epic Of Caterpillar

Chapter 2853 - 2854: Myriad Forms And Connections

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”A-Aahhh...!”

The Overseer, her body half-destroyed, clung to life. Her hands shook violently as she desperately tried to conjure Cosmic Runes and summon a healing artifact.

But before she could finish, Abyss loomed over her. The Shoggothʼs gigantic maws blocked her vision as her form regenerated, and then she began to devour the Overseer whole.

”No! No! Wait! WAAAAIT!”

Torn apart in agony, the Overseer perished as the aberrant Shoggoth consumed yet another of her kind, growing far stronger than the Outer Gods had ever intended for their creations.

”Weʼre done here. Letʼs go help Khaos now!” Chaos declared. Abyss and Kosmos nodded, following him to shatter the chains.

Meanwhile, relentless tremors shook the universe as Kireina and the Rogue Overseer Boss clashed with ever-greater fury.

The Scarlet Rogue, Felrak, was a formidable Overseer warrior who had journeyed across countless universes in his relatively young life for one of his species.

He had vanquished many enemies. His rapid growth, fueled by an aggressive nature and innate talent, meant he had rarely faced true hardship.

Even against stronger opponents, he often matched their power until both sides agreed to a truce. Or, when accompanied by enough rogues, he overwhelmed foes through sheer numbers.

When confronting beings beyond his realm, such as Constellations, he wisely avoided battle altogether.

Yet against Kireina, he believed victory was possible. The only question was how.

She seemed close to his power level, perhaps even weaker. Still, her movements, techniques, and the way she wielded her twin swords defied comprehension.

Felrak had always mocked the crude, pathetic skills mortals developed. He had never considered them worth studying, never imagined they could enhance his own strength.

Until now.

”This is absurd!”

He had already shifted into his Scarlet Galaxy Lion Beast Form, a transformation earned by absorbing the mighty Scarlet Galaxy Lion Beast King—a Primordial ruler of a universe inhabited solely by savage beasts.

This form amplified his power more than a hundredfold. He became virtually invincible against anything short of a Constellation, and even against lesser Constellations, he could endure long enough to escape.

But Kireina was not merely matching him. She was humiliating him.

Every strike was swift, precise, and merciless. Her techniques remained unpredictable, and he felt himself rapidly losing ground.

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

”How are you this strong?!” he roared. ”You lack the Cosmic Essence to even qualify as a World Devourer! Yet this power you wield... what is it?!”

”You do love asking questions.”

Kireina appeared ”weak” on the surface. Her Heart Avatar held far less accumulated essence and raw power than his own; at best, she matched a Supreme Goddess.

And yet she stood against a being of his caliber. How?

The answer was simple.

Efficiency.

Her recent enlightenment—gained upon awakening as a member of the Heart Tribe and manifesting her true form—had unlocked profound new abilities.

Kireina wielded every fragment of power with extraordinary precision, drawing additional strength from the world and universe around her.

Her strikes lacked the force to shatter planets; they could, at most, cleave continents.

Yet each one sent waves of searing pain through Felrak.

Every drop of Heart Essence and Cosmic Energy she expended carried a hundred times its normal impact, perhaps more.

Each Heart Avatar was essentially an extension of her soul—an attack delivered with her very essence. They functioned like soul fragments, though not quite.

Kireina herself was still exploring the depths and limits of Heart Essence Avatars and the true meaning of cultivating the Heart Path.

Most crucial, however, was the connection between her Heart Path and her Defiance Trait. That trait had blossomed, evolving beyond mere partial manipulation of Fate.

It had become a weaponized force, capable of dividing her enemyʼs power while weakening their resolve.

This was Kireinaʼs Manifestation.

Each of her attacks drained Felrakʼs energy and the cosmic energy of the universe around her. As a result, every blow struck harder than the one before.

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

”A-Aahhh! This is impossible...! What...! What is this?!”

Felrak struggled desperately. His Trait began to awaken. Among all the Overseers present, he alone had claimed one by absorbing the lion beast.

His Trait was...

”BERSERK!”

His power surged once more, multiplying over ten thousand times. It explosively consumed his lifeforce and the cosmic energy surrounding him, setting entire galaxies ablaze.

CRAAASH!

He charged Kireina with feral fury, slamming into her body with all his strength. Giant crimson fists erupted from his aura, pounding her relentlessly. His swords slashed deep into her flesh while he even rammed her with his forehead.

”DIEEEEE!”

He raged like a maddened beast, his burning body capable of shattering galaxies with raw anger alone. This was the Universal-Level Trait, Berserk, granting power far beyond oneʼs Realm.

However.

”Not bad,” Kireina said calmly, ”but you never trained that Trait. Itʼs wasted on you.”

”...?!”

To his horror, Kireinaʼs Heart Avatar remained unscathed. Her aura shifted to a deep azure as flowing water surged around her. At times, that water shimmered with rainbow hues, radiating divinity and spiritual might reminiscent of an Ocean Beast God.

This was the essence of Aquamarine, fully absorbed and imprinted into her body through her Heart Method.

She was not even summoning Aquamarineʼs direct aid. There simply had not been time.

Yet her power had evolved alongside her growth.

The System and all her creations had fused into her very existence, into her Heart.

Her Stats, Skills, and Abilities had melted into her being, further refined through her Ascension.

By deeply understanding the powers of those she had formed Connections with, she could now channel their strength and transform the nature and elemental essence of her Manifestation.

”I think I finally understand my Heart Path Manifestation,” she whispered. ”Myriad Forms and Connections.”

As long as her heart remained steadfast, as long as she believed in her path and in those she had changed, helped, or loved, Kireina could wield their power within herself.

Thus, Myriad Forms and Connections was born.

”YOUUUUUU!”

Felrak lost all reason and lunged at her with everything he had, slashing wildly with his sharp claws. Kireina dodged his frenzied strikes with fluid grace, then drove her kick into his chin. His jaw dislocated with a sickening crack.

Her hands, now enveloped in the Demonic Claws of Demise—an extension of her Unique Martial Arts—ripped through his throat in a single, merciless motion. Flesh and bone gave way as she tore his neck apart and severed his head completely.

”G-Gaaahhh?! Impo... ssible...!”

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