Legacy of the Void Fleet

Together, they plunged toward William like divine executioners.

This time—his shield failed.

The triple assault shattered the white barrier, and with a deafening shockwave, the beasts struck him head-on. The explosion of red lightning and divine fire obliterated everything within a wide radius. Even the earth beneath William cracked and disintegrated, leaving behind a crater wreathed in dust and storm fire.

A stunned silence spread among the thousands watching.

Only Kallus remained calm, his gaze steady.

As the dust slowly settled, carried away by the raging mana storm surrounding the battlefield, the figure of William became visible once more.

He was in perfect shape, his body unmarred, his breathing steady. His eyes remained closed, focus unbroken, as his cultivation technique continued to cycle in flawless rhythm.

It was clear—he was unaffected.

But that didn’t mean he was untouchable. No, not even close.

For—

His upper garments had been completely destroyed—blasted into ash by the sheer force of the tribulation. Yet his body remained untouched. Perfectly white, with well-defined muscles etched like marble, he sat there unscathed, as if the destructive power hadn’t even grazed him.

But if one were to look closely—briefly, yet carefully—they would notice something extraordinary. A microscopic net of golden-blue thunder danced across his skin, forming an artificial, translucent layer that shimmered faintly with divine energy.

This artificial thunder skin was no ordinary defense. It was a unique trait—an exclusive manifestation of William’s Thunder God Physique. Formed instinctively in the face of destruction, it had shielded his body from the full brunt of the tribulation’s wrath, absorbing and redirecting the force like a divine armor born of lightning itself.

But the thunder tribulation had not ended—it had only just begun.

As the swirling dust around William slowly settled, the ominous clouds above began to rumble once more—louder, deeper, more intense than before. The sky churned like a beast in rage, and once again, red lightning gathered in the heart of the darkness.

Yet this time, the shape it took was different.

Instead of forming divine dragon beasts like before, the thunder coalesced into a sword—a towering construct of crimson lightning, its edges impossibly sharp despite being made of pure energy. It radiated a pressure so oppressive, so violent, that every member of the Void Fleet watching from afar felt it deep in their bones. Fear crept into their hearts, and an instinctual dread took hold—this strike was not meant to test, but to destroy.

With a single, earth-shaking rumble, the Thunder Sword descended toward William like a divine executioner’s blade.

And yet—he did not move.

The sword struck.

Then came the fifth tribulation—this time not one, but two thunder spears tore through the clouds, crackling with chaotic fury and divine wrath. They followed the sword, descending in tandem, aiming to pierce, to devastate.

But when the blinding light faded, and the sky calmed for a moment, William was still there—standing tall.

Untouched.

The advanced layer of Thunder Skin, born of his unique Thunder God Physique, had endured once again. Though the divine power behind each strike grew stronger, more violent, they still fell short of breaking through his unnatural defense.

He had faced the wrath of the heavens—and remained unshaken.

And yet, the heavens grew unhinged—furious, enraged by William’s continued defiance.

He had endured every strike. Every divine bolt of heavenly lightning had been repelled. But now, the sky above churned with a wrath beyond mortal comprehension.

The clouds deepened—becoming an endless abyss of black and crimson. The thunder roared louder, shaking the very sky, while the earth trembled beneath the Void Fleet’s feet. It wasn’t just a tribulation anymore—it was divine fury given form.

Then, the lightning gathered once more.

But this time, it did not form a beast, a sword, or a spear.

No—what emerged was a warrior.

A being of pure red lightning, clad in ancient armor, wielding a massive shield in one hand and a broad sword in the other. The figure stood tall within the storm—a Heavenly Thunder Knight, formed of divine wrath and retribution.

With a roar that cracked the skies, the knight hurled his shield downward—an immense slab of divine force aimed directly at William.

As the shield fell, it grew in size—expanding until it was over a hundred meters across, a descending mountain of celestial punishment meant to crush everything beneath it.

William, still seated in meditation, felt the attack long before it arrived. His divine sense flared even as his body remained still, focused on cycling his cultivation. He was nearing the edge—about to shatter the bottleneck that stood between him and the next realm.

But he knew—his Thunder Skin alone wouldn’t stop this.

With a low grunt, a sphere of condensed lightning formed above his head. It crackled violently, expanding with terrifying speed until it reached nearly sixty meters in diameter.

Then—with a second, sharper breath—William compressed the lightning sphere into a sharp, glowing spear, radiant with divine power.

And with a gesture born of sheer will, he launched it.

The lightning spear shot upward like a comet, meeting the colossal shield in the air.

They collided.

In less than a second, the impact generated a thunderous shockwave that tore through the mana storms, shattered sound barriers, and sent ripples of energy across the surrounding land. The shockwave alone was powerful enough to flatten mountains in the distance.

At first, the two divine weapons seemed evenly matched—straining against each other, refusing to break.

Then—a crack.

From the exact point of impact, fractures began to spider across the knight’s shield, spreading rapidly like lightning itself. A heartbeat later, the shield shattered—exploding into countless glowing fragments that rained from the sky like celestial shrapnel, each piece detonating upon impact and devastating the terrain below.

But the spear didn’t stop.

Having destroyed its target, it continued upward—toward the Thunder Knight.

Reacting instantly, the knight roared again and raised his sword high. With divine speed, he slashed down, releasing an arc of energy to intercept the incoming lightning spear.

They clashed in midair.

They clashed in midair.

The resulting explosion tore through the skies, blinding the heavens in a sea of red and white. Energy cascaded outward, unraveling both divine constructs at once. The sword strike and the lightning spear obliterated each other, vanishing in a storm of thunder and divine force.

The sky trembled. The land burned.

But the Thunder Knight was not finished.

With a deafening war cry, he descended into a flurry of divine fury, slashing his colossal sword a hundred times in rapid succession—each strike aimed directly at William below. The sky was torn apart with every swing, arcs of red lightning cutting through the heavens like rifts in reality.

Then, with a twist of his wrist, the Thunder Knight’s blade morphed into a spear, crackling with divine energy. Without hesitation, he hurled it like a javelin, sending it hurtling toward William with enough force to split mountains and shatter the sky.

Meanwhile, from below, William slowly opened his eyes.

Though the previous wave of attacks had shaken the heavens and obscured the battlefield, he remained seated in midair—unmoving, unshaken, still surrounded by a golden sphere of circulating mana. His brow furrowed for a brief moment—not from pain, but from intense concentration—as he sensed the Thunder Knight’s continuing assault.

Then—he moved.

With a single thought, the golden mana surrounding him erupted and reshaped into a thousand arrows of pure, condensed yellow lightning, each one razor-sharp and glowing with celestial energy. With a silent command, he launched them upward, meeting the incoming wave of thunder swords head-on.

The sky lit up.

A storm of golden arrows collided with a rain of crimson blades. The air exploded with shockwaves as both attacks tore each other apart mid-air. Most of the Thunder Knight’s sword strikes were neutralized—but not all. A few slipped through, streaking toward William like falling stars.

And still—he did not flinch.

With calm precision, William raised a hand. A translucent golden shield formed instantly around him, followed by a formation—elegant in design, radiant in power, and layered with geometric complexity. Unlike his previous attacks, this formation pulsed with a strange distortion, as though space itself bent around its edges.

From its center, another lightning spear formed—this one even more focused, sharper, and deadlier than before. It carried not just divine energy, but the very essence of destruction.

He launched it.

The spear of destruction soared upward, following behind the wave of arrows. While the arrows eliminated most of the sword strikes, a few of the crimson blades slipped past, raining toward William—but as if guided by fate, they narrowly missed, veering off course just as the golden spear struck true.

The two spears collided.

One forged by divine wrath.The other born of defiance and sheer will.

The sky shuddered as they clashed. For a moment, they seemed locked in balance—until William’s spear surged forward, overpowering its counterpart and punching through.

Before the Thunder Knight could react, the Destruction Spear pierced through his chest.

A split second later—it detonated.