Chapter 156: I Alone Am The Honored One
"Pheww..."
After letting out a short breath, Cillian couldn’t help but groan in pain as he felt the surge of power flowing through him. It came like a powerful force before breaking apart and scattering through every fiber of his being.
"Ugh..."
Letting out a short groan, Cillian focused his mind instead of getting carried away.
This was one of the dangers that came with the Piece, even for someone who was just starting out. People often died or were left in a vegetative state because of their carelessness. After all, this was a common occurrence among those who were just becoming Ruiners.
However, this is where the advantage of having a [Zero] comes in.
Because a proper foundation had been put in place, Cillian didn’t feel ’unfamiliar’ with the power surging within him. In fact, the incorporation of the Piece was relatively bearable and manageable.
But even with that advantage, he still hadn’t let his guard down.
Cillian slowly closed his eyes.
"Control..."
Control the power within.
This time, it had to be perfect, since a single mistake would lead to many more, potentially causing him to lose control. Direct the power through his body perfectly while making sure he didn’t lose too much control in the process.
"A Piece shouldn’t be the one who swayed but something that should be swayed. It is something to be guided, not be the one doing the guiding. The person should be in control and not the person being controlled."
It was a simple lesson he had shamelessly stolen from Aster, but Cillian could feel how effective it was as it put his mind at ease. He was able to think clearly while doing everything perfectly.
Cillian was so focused that he hadn’t even felt himself already levitating into the air.
Right after, Cillian began using another method that would help him remain in control of the surging power inside him.
"Throughout heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one."
Cillian kept muttering the activation sequence under his breath. If he had been in a normal state of mind, he would’ve definitely cringed at himself for being able to say something like that out in the open.
Still, Cillian continued focusing.
After several more seconds, Cillian was able to sense that the initial control of his power was perfectly directed. He was already better at it than he had been the first time, as if it were a natural talent. This made him even more confident in his success while still remaining cautious.
Cillian continued floating in the air.
At the same time, his hair transitioned from black to white before gradually returning to almost complete black, leaving only a few strands of white.
Soon, he could feel the power within him stabilizing. After a few more minutes, he could finally feel himself fully in control.
"Throughout heaven and earth... I alone am the honored one."
Soon, Cillian opened his eyes, only to find himself floating in the room, his body feeling free and relaxed. The position he had been in earlier was gone, with his hands and legs spread wide apart.
"Wha—"
Eventually, Cillian fell down on the floor.
"Ouch..."
Scratching his head, which still hurt slightly, Cillian checked his body for any visible changes that might have appeared, only to realize that there wasn’t any visible mutation in his appearance.
Pieces, after being incorporated into a person’s body, sometimes caused visible mutations. It wasn’t exactly rare, but Cillian had to make sure that it wouldn’t affect him in the future.
No one knew what type of mutations were going to appear, but one could only hope they wouldn’t affect their performance when moving.
’It felt like gambling, heh. But I shouldn’t be worried and hope my luck blesses me. Right?’
Eventually, Cillian looked at his handsome self in the mirror. Still the same dark blue eyes and above-average build, with its outlines clearly visible beneath his clothes. However, there was one change in his hair.
There were strands of white hair mixed in with his black hair. If a person didn’t focus too much on his appearance, they might not notice them. But if someone was paying close attention, they would definitely notice the change.
"Strands of white hair... huh."
Cillian mused inwardly before extending his hand forward and taking a stance as he tried to imitate a character from one of the anime he had watched back on Earth.
"Hollow Purple..."
Staring at himself in the mirror, Cillian’s lips twitched as he lowered his hand, feeling like he was acting crazy.
"All right, let’s see what you contained in my [One] Piece."
Another screen appeared in his peripheral vision, and he clicked on it to check the abilities he had received.
[Name: The Honored One
Description: A sealed ’God’ tried to escape from its prison. For a moment, it achieved what it wanted, only to realize a hard truth. It rampaged and died, only leaving a single thunderbolt, a fragment of its once true power.
Passive Ability: Can vividly feel the same honored one status as him.
Note: The power has just been acquired and couldn’t fully harness its true potential. One had to be in close contact to be able to feel the same status as you.]
’What a prideful... passive.’
Cillian snickered before bringing his gaze down.
[Name: Flash Draw]
Active Ability: Unleashes a single burst of explosive speed on the next movement.
Note: The power has just been acquired and couldn’t fully harness its true potential. It only enhances one action per activation. Consecutive use rapidly drains stamina, and it enters a state of cooldown after activation.]
[Name: Skybreaker
Active Ability: A small bolt of thunder descends from above onto the same point of impact after the initial strike. It has a slight chance to stagger or briefly numb the target.
Note: The ability won’t activate if the attack misses. It requires a successful direct hit to trigger and can only affect a single target.
Note: The power has just been acquired and couldn’t fully harness its true potential. The thunder strike cannot penetrate powerful defenses.
[Note: Viewing other abilities can’t be seen. Advancing the ritual requirement is a must.
Ritual Requirement: The Honored One feels a sense of superiority amongst the lowlifes. Display unquestionable superiority before those beneath you.]
’Another ritual I have to do...’
Once he reached the end of the ability’s description, Cillian couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief that The Honored One also required a ritual. It only meant there were other abilities to look forward to, just like with his Faceless.
That wasn’t all, as he had also found something interesting regarding his newly acquired power.
"Finally, I can use something while directly confronting enemies."
What Cillian lacked was an offensive ability. He couldn’t always rely on desperate plans, such as tricking his opponents into doing his bidding. Rather than waiting until the day he regretted not having an offensive ability, he might as well acquire one beforehand.
In fact, Cillian was planning on studying Sorcery even further to improve his offensive prowess, but it looked like he could continue focusing on building up his current arsenal without worrying about acquiring more spells.
It might change in the future, though.
Cillian smiled.
"Hehe..."
Cillian clenched his fist tightly.
"Good shit."