Formless Ascension: My Affinity Is Limitless

”Next! The profound sage — Quiet Daoist!”

A familiar bald-headed monk wearing a simple Daoist robe glanced at the invisible cameras once, then moved his face away silently, completely unbothered by the global broadcast.

Handler Roy’s enthusiasm faltered for a brief fraction of a second at the monk’s total apathy, but he recovered instantly.

His eyes went slightly unfocused, as though he were reading information off a System panel only he could see.

”Next! We have a previous Special Forces Commando, a man of many skills — Antoine Blanc!”

Antoine Blanc smiled brightly and raised a hand to wave at the screens. He looked fluid and completely relaxed with his actions, taking the handler by surprise. The information and initial impression Roy had of Antoine Blanc seemed quite different from the smooth way the Frenchman was acting now.

A weird, sharp glint crossed the handler’s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it came as he moved on.

”Next! We have Black Sun, cold as ice! Unmoved by anything! A man who lives freely and uninhibitedly!”

Black Sun Mateo attempted to do the exact same thing Antoine Blanc had done: smile and wave. But unlike Antoine, whose expression came off as natural and charming, Mateo looked like he was being held at gunpoint and forced to put on a public smile for a family photo.

His stiff expression made Handler Roy’s eyes twitch slightly, though he quickly brushed it off and moved immediately to the next figure.

”Alright!! Next! I want you all to give it up for the mighty bear of Prussia!! The Tsar in the flesh!! King Alexei!”

Alexei didn’t wait for the spotlight to settle. He violently tore off his shirt in an instant, flexing his mighty muscles and his massive build for the entire world to see.

He basked in the spotlight like a gladiator, causing Handler Roy’s eyes to gleam brightly at the display. The cat man let Alexei bask in the attention for a generous period before reluctantly switching to the next person, though his eyes lit up again as he noticed who was next.

Without dulling the momentum King Alexei had built, he whizzed forward immediately.

”Next! A literal self-embodiment of all that is without flaw, without blemish! The embodiment of what all humans strive to be! The embodiment of power humans strive to reach... Perfection!!!!”

A man clad in pure white, with a pristine white mask covering his face, without the slightest blemish, stood right at the edge of the invisible platform. The wind fluttered against his coat, cutting a solitary, majestic figure among all the others hovering in the air.

The moment the spotlight fell upon him, despite how gaudy and overbearing Handler Roy’s introduction had been, everyone watching across the world couldn’t help but gasp in shocked surprise at what his figure made them feel.

If anything could be called ”perfect,” it was this man: the right body proportions, the perfect stance, the right amount of imposing presence. Everything about him was just... right. And that realization was uncanny, yet deeply also deeply enthralling to every eyes looking at him all around the world.

Uhtred, who was watching from the top of the tall building where he stood, frowned slightly. Even he felt slightly captivated by Perfection’s presence. This was the first time he was seeing the man in person.

...Or is he even a man? Uhtred thought, his eyes narrowing sharply. How can I even be sure?

He had heard reports back on the main continent from people who claimed to have met with Perfection, but he had never heard anyone describe his appearance in this level of detail. Had those people actually met with him? If they had, how had they not mentioned a presence this overwhelming before?

”Esoteric type...” Uhtred muttered under his breath, his jaw tightening. ”He’s definitely an Esoteric-type for sure.”

Uhtred was now very, very interested. The Esoteric aspects of magic still eluded him, mostly because he had no guide or framework to help him understand that conceptual, non-scientific branch of power. But without a doubt, he was certain Perfection was an Esoteric type.

The man’s class and attunement clearly allowed him to manipulate some sort of esoteric magic. There was no other way to explain a presence that befuddled even Uhtred’s Level 47 Nascent Realm senses, especially considering that currently, Perfection was ten levels below him at Level 37.

Next, the Handler moved to Diya, announcing her dramatically as the ”Queen of Death.”

At this point, however, Uhtred was no longer particularly listening.

This is it... he thought internally, his gaze moving away from Perfection and drifting upward.

...The Tower.

He had gotten details about this Tower from the Andronian inheritance shard he and Zara had claimed as their reward for winning the second trial back in Australia. Its use in giving details about otherworlders didn’t end in the Trial of Ages.

That was one of the main reasons he hadn’t bothered to push for Zone 3 back then. It wasn’t the only factor, but it was a major one. Ever since claiming that shard, he had wanted to prepare for this Tower.

For now, the exact contents of the Andronian Shard remained a closely guarded secret. But as he stared straight up at the gargantuan, cosmic-scale tower cutting across the night sky, a fierce, eager gleam filled his eyes. This Tower was going to be his stage to shine...

For now, the exact contents of the Andronian Shard remained a closely guarded secret. But as he stared straight up at the gargantuan, cosmic-scale tower cutting across the night sky, a fierce, eager gleam filled his eyes. This Tower was going to be his stage to shine.

While Uhtred was mentally priming himself, he suddenly heard Handler Roy mention his name, and a spotlight with no visible source slammed down directly onto him. The Handler had already introduced Diya and Zara, and now Uhtred was the last ascender needed to complete the group of ten.

In an instant, his face was projected onto every screen across the planet.

For a brief moment of hesitation, Uhtred wanted to default to his usual state, where he would simply give a faint smile or remain stoic. He was not a public performer, and he had never cared for grand spectacles.

But he steeled his mind.

Brace yourself, Uhtred... The performance has already begun!

In that split second of heavy silence, while everyone was wondering what he would do, a slow, dangerous smirk spread across his face.

He stared straight into the invisible cameras. He couldn’t see them, but he could sense them with absolute clarity. His cold, sharp eyes bored into every human watching him from every corner of the planet.

All of a sudden, a deep, heavy aura began to emanate from his body. He released the full might of his Level 47 presence, causing the ground beneath his feet to begin to tremble violently.

Everyone in his immediate surrounding — the seven ascenders hovering in the air, and even Zara and Diya close to him — felt the full weight of his essence emanation bear down on them. The ascenders of Capitol of the Elite far below let out loud cheers, their blood boiling as they watched their leader announce himself domineeringly.

All around the world, even without being able to feel his deep aura themselves, everyone watching could see the effects of it.

Then, slowly, he raised his hand and pointed a single finger straight at the invisible cameras broadcasting his face to the world.

...And without even seeing what he did, the feed to every territory cut off abruptly, the invisible cameras destroyed in an instant.

Handler Roy let out a loud, gleeful laughter:

”Hahaha!!! It seems I hit the jackpot with this planet!!”