Formless Ascension: My Affinity Is Limitless

Both Black Sun’s and Jolene Okafor’s parties waited patiently as the last jet opened up.

A young, black-haired man stepped out coolly. He paused at the head of the stairs, taking in the view of the Archipelago. However, in his eyes, one could see a trace of reminiscence and remembrance, as if he was relishing being here again, rather than being taken aback by the splendour for the first time.

He stood there for several seconds, his eyes moving from the surroundings, to the amphitheatre where the Summit was to be held, and then finally to the various factions already present. He stared at each of them one-by-one.

There was no pressure leaking from him. No oppressive aura that locked people’s bodies in tension like when King Alexei had arrived earlier. Everyone could still breathe normally. They could still move if they wanted to. Yet the weight was there all the same, undeniably felt by everyone.

It was clear to every single person here just how vastly more powerful he was than any of them. It was like standing under the open sky and suddenly realizing just how far above you the clouds really were.

Donovan Sr.’s hands tightened at his sides as he took in the young man. Albert swallowed hard. Sophie had a very surprised look on her face, though for another reason. It was as though she couldn’t believe someone as powerful as him was only slightly older than she was.

Not just that. Uhtred looked like a normal, chill guy. The contrast between his normal look and the presence he gave off was drastic, jarring not only her, but also other powerhouses. Even those with better information networks, who already knew Uhtred’s age range, were still shocked.

It was one thing to know the number one ranker from reports and the global leaderboard, and it was another thing entirely to see him and feel the depth of his Level 36 power in person.

Everyone could only watch silently as his eyes passed over every faction. From the Yakuza Inagawa-kai, to the Free Ascenders’ Guild, to Golden Finger Chen, Stormcaller, the hooded Shadow Brokerage representatives — his gaze lingered on them for a beat longer.

He looked to the World Government officials and agents, who were observing him with clear tension. They tried to hide it, but it was very clear to someone like him. Then, very briefly, his eyes stopped on the La Familia La Suprema, particularly Don Luciano Vanezzi, the head of the Vanezzi family himself.

The man looked every bit like the mafia head he was. Despite the power gap, he held Uhtred’s gaze unflinchingly.

A ghost of a smirk played on Uhtred’s lips for a second before his attention moved to the last person:

King Alexei.

The giant man was still smiling. The competitive edge in that smile had only grown stronger. He looked straight at Uhtred and did not blink. There was an understanding there too; grim, sharp, and fully aware of the gap. Yet the excitement had not faded. If anything, it burned brighter.

Uhtred finished his slow sweep of the terrace. He had looked at every group present. Every leader. Every force that had come to this Summit. It was only then that he finally descended the stairs.

Behind him, Zara stepped out of the large jet, her aura also reined in, but also heavy. She had moved up to the peak of Level 34 over the past month.

Diya appeared next, now a Level 26 powerhouse. Her presence was not as heavy as the two anomalies — Uhtred and Zara — but she drew intrigued gazes nonetheless.

Dennis stepped out behind her. A Level 20 ascender, powerful in his own right, but the weakest of the core crew present. Minh Quan had not traveled with them. Uhtred had assigned him to the territory yet again, and the old Vietnamese soldier had obliged without hesitation, eager to redeem himself.

After the crew stepped off the plane, several unknown, and much, much weaker individuals stepped out too. These people looked at most, Level 12 to Level 15. They had no dangerous auras around them, making several factions wonder exactly who they were.

Regardless of their low strength, everyone knew they had to be important for Uhtred to bring them along.

”Everyone, I apologize for the slight delay,” Jolene Okafor started the moment Uhtred and his crew were fully off the jet. The time for the Summit had only counted down about five seconds ago, which meant she was exactly spot-on with her arrival, but that didn’t stop her from apologizing like she was late.

”As you can see,” she gestured to the planes behind her. ”My good friend, Uhtred and I had some products to test. Thankfully, they’re fully functional — In fact, more than functional, they’re spectacular! Earth’s first, fully locally made jets of the integration era! Co-developed w—”

”Alright, alright. I think that’s enough.”

Before Jolene Okafor could begin to launch into a speech, Uhtred stopped her sharply with a slightly exasperated expression on his face.

The Singaporean-Nigerian woman blushed slightly, realizing she had lost herself to her natural tendencies yet again.

Uhtred shook his head, then faced the crowd of world powers, taking over the address.

”I welcome you all to the first Global World Summit. Although there are several parties I wished to be present, who aren’t, I thank all of you present for coming,” he delivered his speech with a calm, collected air.

”Your presence here has already guaranteed you a leg-up over those who are not here. Several matters will be discussed. Several interesting things will be revealed. And most importantly...” he paused. ”The turmoil of power across the world... the needless deaths of innocents, will end by the conclusion of this Summit.”

Murmurs erupted immediately. That was a bold statement to make. It was loaded with layers of deeper meanings. The World Government obviously didn’t like what he said, or what any of his meaning implied at all.

”That is a bold statement, Uhtred,” the grey-haired general from before spoke up. ”For what you said to be possible, it would mean everyone here surrenders their illegal power to the World Government, as they naturally should.”

Disgruntled murmurs erupted immediately.

”As you can see from their response,” the general gestured at the factions clearly disagreeing with his statement. ”That is not going to happen today. So, how do you plan to go about your ’grand declaration?’”

Uhtred said nothing for several seconds, allowing the murmurs to continue. The World Government General was clearly good with his words. He obviously knew Uhtred meant that he would make everyone come to an agreeable resolution over the turmoils of power. But the General spun the words’ meaning differently, inserting the World Government into the narrative as though that was what Uhtred had meant.

Uhtred cracked a smile.

”Glorious Eagle Vance,” he called out the General by his name, silencing all ongoing murmurs. ”You seem to be mistaking something...”

He began to walk toward the World Government and their entire entourage.

”Hehe! Things are getting interesting!” King Alexei guffawed where he stood watching, his presence flaring up in readiness for any battle that might occur.

”Your petty word plays and political talking... I don’t care about any of it,” Uhtred’s voice was low, but everyone could still hear him very clearly.

Government agents began to scramble into position, fear and tension on their faces as they moved to put as many bodies between him and their core officials.

”I still have some use for you people. But if you think your old world power still gives you the right to stand there and try to be smart with me...”

He paused.

”...then I don’t mind removing you entirely.”