The Almighty Ring

Jiang Fei’s current combat power, from being excited by means of fear and wrath, was still 300,000 behind Alexis’. From a certain point of view, they were almost the same but 300,000 was such a large number that calling it neck and neck would not make sense. However, at the very least, Jiang Fei would be able to last longer than when he was only 60,000.

“0541, his domain ability is supposed to be unlimited, no? Think of other ways to excite him more!” Isabella said.

“I understand your logic but I am out of means to further excite the captain!”

0541 gave up. The people he cared most of were the girls around him and his family back on Earth. 0541 had already made images based on their demise. That was the most he could do for Jiang Fei. Anything else would have to be from Jiang Fei himself.

“I don’t think this is a feasible way,” said Nina.

“What do you mean?” Sylphy asked.

“Look at Jiang Fei now and tell me what you see,” Nina said, pointing at him. He was fuming with rage and was driven mad by wrath. The current state of Jiang Fei was similar to someone drunk on power. The current Jiang Fei was unconscious yet he was still far from being on the same level as his enemy.

“But if we do not do this, we cannot push him to his best,” Ariel pointed out.

“True. That is why I think we should train him before the enemy arrives. He needs to learn how to control his powers instead of relying on external stimuli. I do not believe that relying on anger in exchange for power, sacrificing one’s mind, is viable in the long run. Not to mention, it is dangerous. He needs to believe in himself, to hope and to will for power in order to unlock the domain ability’s full potential.”

“I agree with the Saint of the Light,” said Hua Mulan. Even though everyone had told her to change her way of addressing Nina, Hua Mulan had not gotten used to it.

“Alright, 0541, please let him go. We’ll discuss his training after he had had his rest,” Isabella said. After today’s trail, they knew that Jiang Fei had the potential to defeat Alexis. The problem, however, lay with the method to train him.

0541 quickly stopped all the mental images projected into Jiang Fei’s mind, and calmed him down using both psychic therapy and chemical medication.

When Jiang Fei came to, he dropped to his knees and his breathing was ragged.

“What the hell did you do that for?!” Jiang Fei roared before realizing what had happened and why 0541 did what he did. Even so, those images that he had seen were too horrifying to be forgotten. But it worked for him. It was clearer than ever to Jiang Fei the consequences of his failure. If he could not become strong, and Alexis not stopped, everything that 0541 showed him, albeit fictional, would come to be true. With that thought in mind, Jiang Fei affirmed himself and when he activated his domain ability, his combat power rose up to 500,000.

“Your attempts to save everyone had never failed to amuse me,” said Han Tianyu. It wasn’t clear when he arrived but based on his tone and word choice, everyone knew that the Spectre was here.

“Mr. Velon, do you think I can stop Alexis from destroying Earth?” Jiang Fei immediately shot to his feet and asked.

“Hard to say,” Velon shrugged.

“As you are now, you wouldn’t last a minute. But if you could truly master your power, forget Alexis, even Saufrey would bend the knee,” he added.

“Saufrey? Is he…” Jiang Fei stammered.

“In time, only if you can defeat Alexis will the two of you cross paths,” Velon replied vaguely.

“I understand,” Jiang Fei said. Even though Velon didn’t explain, Jiang Fei knew that Saufrey was someone much stronger than Alexis.

The next few days, Jiang Fei trained to increase his willpower. Still, without true threat, he could never truly bring out his powers. Even though he trained and trained, he could not fully master the domain ability, which was aptly named Omnisurge, to push himself above 1,000,000, much less 4,000,000.

Time was running out and the dawn of Alexis’ arrival was drawing close. He was incredibly nervous but he was never able to reach combat power of his goal. If Alexis entered the Solar System, and Jiang Fei was still unable to push himself beyond 4,000,000, there would be trouble.

Jiang Fei never wanted to wait until someone he loved died in front of him and used that to become strong. What would it be for him even if he managed to defeat Alexis then? Someone died and there was no way he could bring them back.

The more nervous he was, the more insensitive he became to time. Days passed as if they were hours and Jiang Fei could feel the arrival of Alexis coming. Still, he had only managed to reach combat level of 1,000,000. Such strength would only allow him to defeat small fries like Balsris but never high officers like Alexis. He would be swatted like a fly!

During one of his training sessions, while Jiang Fei was trying to figure out his willpower, 0541 sounded the alarm. At that moment, even without 0541’s report, Jiang Fei’s heart sank. It was the day of reckoning.

“Captain, I have detected a vast number of Valsalry Wayfinders coming into the Solar System!”

0541’s report signaled the start of the second wave.

“Sigh… It’s time,” Jiang Fei said with a heavy heart. Even though he was a nervous wreck before, after 0541’s announcement of the arrival of the enemy, Jiang Fei found the courage to stand.

“0541, arrange a small ship for me. Take the helm of Braveheart and stay close to the Sun’s orbit. In case I lose the fight and all hope is lost, you must flee the Solar System,” Jiang Fei ordered decisively. He was never the kind to sacrifice himself for the greater good but when entrusted the responsibility to do so, albeit unwilling, he was never one to desert his duties.

“Aye… Captain,” 0541 replied. Of everyone then, 0541 was probably the only sentient being that could calculate every possible outcome. He knew Jiang Fei was unable to muster enough willpower to summon enough combat power from Omnisurge. The probability of defeating Alexis was incredibly low, so much so that 0541 did not bother to provide an alternative. To protect Jiang Fei’s legacy, leaving the Solar System was the optimal option.

“I’m coming with you!” Isabella hurried over to Jiang Fei’s side and clutched his arm tightly.

“Me too!”

“I’m with you, forever.”

“I shall defend you with my life!”

“It shall be an honor to be with you till the end.”

“Let nothing come between us.”

…

Everyone joined the call to arms, making sure they’re with Jiang Fei, even though death was almost certain.