Novel23 Chapter 167: Nawh’s Intervention
Chapter 167: Nawh’s Intervention
"Interesting."
His voice, enhanced with mana, echoed across the Seventh Floor.
"To think that a mortal capable of touching the principles of the First Style would appear within a universe such as this..."
His gaze briefly shifted toward Miya.
"Still, that does not mean or equate to anything. Every universe possesses its own peculiarities. There simply happens to be more of them here."
The Storm Tyrant’s eyes remained calm.
"There are universes where every living being is born with swordsmanship etched into their souls."
"There are universes where children wield flames capable of burning mountains."
"There are universes where the concept of death itself barely exists."
"And there are universes that produce monsters capable of rivaling gods from the moment they are born."
His voice carried neither pride nor jealousy as though he was merely stating a fact.
"A talented swordswoman appearing here is not remarkable. An anomalous mortal appearing here is not remarkable. Even the gathering of former Guardians around a single world is not remarkable."
"Given enough universes, every possibility eventually appears."
The lightning around him crackled.
"What matters is not talent, not potential, and not even how unique one appears to be."
His gaze turned toward Adam.
"What matters is whether that uniqueness can survive!"
"Countless anomalies have climbed the Tower, countless geniuses have proclaimed themselves destined for the summit, and countless chosen ones have been showered with fortune, blessings, and faith!"
A hint of mockery entered his voice.
"And countless of them died!"
The storm rumbled.
"They died believing they were special or that their circumstances made them different."
Zephiron slowly raised a hand.
"The Tower of Yxthar does not care for talent. It disregards destiny, and does not hold any feelings towards anomalies.
"It only cares whether you can continue climbing."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"So tell me... Of what value is a swordswoman who can touch the First Style?"
"Of what value is an anomaly capable of defying common sense?"
"Of what value is a universe filled with peculiarities...."
"If all of them perish before reaching the summit?"
The world itself seemed to have become hostile.
Adam’s crimson wings beat heavily as he changed direction.
A normal Stream Hunter would have already died.
Even Adam’s blood barriers were being shattered faster than he could create them.
Boom!
A crimson shield exploded apart.
Boom!
A second one followed.
Adam’s expression remained calm, but his thoughts were constantly forming plans.
The problem was becoming obvious...
Although Adam was surviving Zephiron’s attacks, he could not fight back at all!
Every attack he launched was either destroyed before reaching its target or effortlessly brushed aside.
Meanwhile, the Storm Tyrant continued to pressure him from above, forcing Adam to focus entirely on survival.
Then, a torrent of [Divinity] descended from the sky.
Golden streams of divine power tore through the clouds and rushed toward Adam from every direction.
Due to his barely acceptable flying speed and lack of powerful defensive abilities, Adam could only rely on other skills.
[Temporary Copy is successful!]
[Temporarily Copied: Body of Samsara!]
[Reducing Body of Samsara to its E-tier version...]
[Body of Samsara has been reduced to Stubborn Vitality.]
[Temporary Copy] : Stubborn Vitality
[Stubborn Vitality] : Once per day, upon receiving damage that would reduce your HP to 0, you instead survive with 1 HP. This effect does not provide damage immunity or subsequent healing. Additional lethal hits within the same day will kill you normally.
Adam copied the skill without hesitation.
A moment later, the torrent of [Divinity] struck.
Boom!
His blood barriers shattered instantly.
[Divinity] was not simply an attack made from mana, it was a higher form of power.
A force born from faith, authority, and existence itself.
It carried the power of countless believers and the will of a being standing above ordinary life.
Against weaker Stream Hunters, even a trace amount could destroy both body and mind!
The divine torrent tore through Adam’s defenses as though they did not exist.
A large portion of his torso was blown apart and one of his crimson wings nearly disintegrated.
Blood scattered across the sky as cracks spread throughout his flesh.
His health plummeted instantly!
Due to the fact that most of Adam’s growth had focused on mana-related attributes rather than defensive ones, his durability was far from exceptional.
Against an attack released by a partially unsealed existence like Zephiron, surviving at all was already a miracle.
Of course, Adam was not worried about dying...
Back on the First Floor, his role had always been that of a support tank.
But it was not due to the fact that he possessed incredible defenses... But because his regeneration and self-healing capabilities were absurd!
The skill copied from the [Aberrant of Flesh] was merely a safety measure in case he misjudged the destructive power of [Divinity]!
Blood immediately began flowing back toward his wounds.
The destroyed flesh rapidly regenerated, the formations of broken bones reformed once again.
Within seconds, the massive hole in his body had already shrunk by more than half.
A few moments later, he was nearly back to full condition.
Far below, several Stream Hunters stared in disbelief.
The sight of Adam being almost torn apart had been horrifying... Watching him regenerate just as quickly was somehow even more terrifying.
As Adam continued dodging the relentless attacks raining down from the sky, a sudden notification appeared within his mind.
[Nawh has donated 8 Soul Cores]
[Nawh] : Do you require my help?
It came from one of his minor sponsors.
[Nawh].
"I do."
Adam answered without hesitation.
Out of all the viewers who had gathered around his stream, Nawh was one of the few he had gradually come to trust.
Throughout his second life, the sponsor had repeatedly offered support without asking for anything unreasonable in return.
If Adam remembered correctly, Nawh intended to use [Intervention].
All sponsors possessed the right to interfere with reality through Intervention.
However, the extent of that interference depended on several factors.
One, the percentage of existence they possessed over a Stream Hunter mattered.
And two, their own strength as a [Viewer] mattered as well.
The greater the intervention, the greater the cost.
After using Intervention, a sponsor would often enter a weakened state for a period of time.
The more power they used, the longer and more severe the weakness became.
And in a universe where danger lurked everywhere, weakness was rarely forgiven...
Hence, very few sponsors willingly spent [Intervention] unless the situation was truly dire.
The fact that Nawh was willing to use it here, risking his own condition for Adam’s sake, filled Adam with genuine gratitude.
Just then... A strange sensation slowly spread throughout his body.
It felt as though an invisible thread had connected his existence to another being far beyond the boundaries of his universe.
The connection was faint but it was something he undoubtedly sensed.
A moment later, a voice spoke inside his mind.
"I can only cheer you on after this."
The voice was calm and unclear, like someone speaking from behind countless layers of fog.
Adam’s eyes widened slightly.
’...Was that?—’
Before he could finish the thought, several notifications appeared.
[Nawh is using his Intervention Rights]
[Nawh currently holds 9% of your existence]
[Nawh is currently one of your Minor Sponsors]
[Intervention has been granted]
Adam immediately understood what was happening.
If he remembered correctly, Nawh held authority over "Shadows."
His representation of shadows was that of "secrets" and becoming "unknowable."
As though verifying his thoughts, the world itself suddenly began to reflect that interpretation.
The shadows beneath the trees, rocks, and people suddenly began to move.
Even the faint shadows hidden beneath blades of grass began stretching across the islands all began "moving."
Countless shadows converged toward Adam from every direction.
They wrapped around his body and covered his wings as they desperately clung to his existence.
Rather than concealing his appearance, they concealed something far more important.
His presence, his identity, and his very existence.
For a brief moment, Adam felt as though the world itself had forgotten he was there.
The countless bolts of lightning flying through the sky suddenly lost their target.
Several attacks veered off course while others exploded harmlessly in empty air.
Some simply stopped moving altogether, as though uncertain where they were supposed to go.
The chaotic storm surrounding the battlefield became noticeably unstable.
Far above, Zephiron paused, confusion appeared on the Storm Tyrant’s face.
His attacks had been aimed at Adam...
Yet suddenly—
Who was Adam?
The thought slipped from his mind for a fraction of a second.
But for a being like Zephiron, even a single moment of confusion was abnormal.
The Storm Tyrant immediately stabilized his thoughts.
[Divinity] surged through his mind as he forcefully cleared away the influence affecting him.
His eyes narrowed as then he spread his senses across the entire Seventh Floor.
Mana flooded through the sky as his perception swept across every island...
Yet he still could not find Adam.
It was as though the mortal he had been targeting moments ago had simply vanished from reality.
Far below, the Stream Hunters looked around in confusion.
Adam was still there, yet somehow he wasn’t.
Even their eyes instinctively slid away from him.
Their minds struggled to focus on his presence as the concealment of existence itself took effect on him.
Zephiron slowly raised his head.
His gaze pierced through the clouds and toward the unseen world beyond.
Toward the countless Viewers watching from outside the universe.
His expression darkened.
"Using Intervention so soon?"
"Truly, this mortal upon whom you place your hopes is nothing more than a pampered child..."
His eyes swept across the heavens.
"The generosity of others does not make one special."
Lightning crackled violently around his body.
The Storm Tyrant’s gaze turned cold.
"Tell me, boy."
His voice boomed across the battlefield.
"When all of that disappears... When no one remains to save or help you..."
"Will you still be worthy of the faith they’ve placed in you?"
The storm intensified.
And somewhere within the countless shadows concealing his existence, Adam silently watched the Tyrant searching for him.