The Cyber Ascension Arc 4 | Volume 4 | Chapter 35— "The Insanity of Mindset"
The world blurred and twisted around him. In a blink, time itself bent to Future Jin Yuan's will. The red glow of his dimly lit room faded into the cold haze of history. Wind tore across scorched battlefields, carrying screams, the clash of steel, and the stench of blood. He had arrived in the year 650—a pivotal moment when the war between Hell and the Three Heavens had reshaped existence itself.
The Heavens, once proud and untouchable, now knelt under the iron grip of Hell's tyranny. Fires raged across the skies, illuminating a landscape of carnage and despair. Future Jin Yuan's eyes, cold and unyielding, scanned the chaos. Nothing escaped him—not the formation of armies, not the strategy of generals, not the terrified expressions of soldiers doomed to die. He was not here to participate… not yet. He was here to observe, calculate, and seize what no one else could touch.
A figure drew his attention immediately—a man radiating a golden-orange aura so bright it seared through the darkness of the battlefield. The Phoenix energy burned like a miniature sun within him. Future Jin Yuan's lips curled into a cold smile. That power… that sphere… would be his.
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The Mask of Hell
Silently, he moved like a shadow among the chaos. His eyes narrowed as he approached a group of Hell soldiers. With precise, ruthless efficiency, he eliminated one, taking his armor and weapon. No sound escaped his lips, no hesitation. To the soldiers around him, he was one of them. A soldier of Hell, indistinguishable from the rest, yet far more lethal.
Every step brought him closer to his target—the man with Phoenix energy. Future Jin Yuan's heart, unnervingly calm, beat with an almost imperceptible rhythm of anticipation. He was not a participant in the war. He was the predator in a field of prey.
Finally, he was close enough. He raised his giant katana, the blade shimmering faintly with the merged aura of Fate Sphere and his own energy, pressing it against the man's neck with surgical precision.
Future Jin Yuan:
"Give me that Phoenix power… and explain what it is."
The man froze, confusion written across his face. The Phoenix Sphere was ancient knowledge, known to few, and yet here was this stranger, seemingly unafraid, demanding what centuries had guarded.
Man:
"Okay… I'll give you the Phoenix Sphere."
Future Jin Yuan's eyes narrowed further. The name confirmed it. Phoenix Sphere.
Future Jin Yuan (thinking):
"So this is what it's called… and the energy it holds… is unlike anything I've encountered. I can feel its potential even without activation."
Man:
"It was named by the ancient King of the Three Heavens… the same being who fathered Hell itself. Some say he created the power himself, others claim he was born with it. No one truly knows."
Future Jin Yuan:
"His name… his year… any incidents, any wars… tell me. Everything."
The man shook his head.
Man:
"Most of his history is lost… hidden. Only fragments remain, whispers in forgotten halls and sacred texts."
Future Jin Yuan narrowed his eyes. Every fragment would be mine. Every secret, mine to manipulate.
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Claiming the Phoenix Sphere
The man reached into his chest, producing a small orb that glowed with an intense white light. Vibrations of raw energy radiated from it, washing over the battlefield like a tidal wave in miniature. Future Jin Yuan extended his hand, fingers brushing the sphere, and felt the pulse of immeasurable power connect to his very soul.
Future Jin Yuan:
"So… now what should I do with this?"
Man:
"Press it to your chest. Let it attach to your heart and soul."
With meticulous care, he pressed the Phoenix Sphere against his chest. For a moment, nothing happened. No transformation. No sudden increase in power. Only the faint warmth of energy flowing beneath his skin.
Future Jin Yuan (thinking):
"Patience… even power this ancient requires time, understanding… and cunning. I will not rush it."
Future Jin Yuan:
"How does one activate it? Surely… someone in Heaven must know."
Man:
"No. None of us have ever activated the Phoenix Sphere. It is beyond comprehension."
A faint smirk curled at the corner of his lips. Exactly as it should be.
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The Path to Knowledge
Future Jin Yuan stepped back, surveying the chaos of war again. Soldiers clashed, and the aura of the Phoenix man burned like a beacon, untouched by the surrounding carnage. His mind raced, calculating every variable.
Future Jin Yuan:
"There must be a record… a clue to the King, the founder of the Phoenix Sphere. Where, who, what? I must know, or I cannot control this."
The man hesitated, then spoke.
Man:
"There… there is a place. The Empire of Zongueos, the First Heaven. They hold a book—secrets of the King. But… getting there is impossible. The Queen Victoria guards it, and her army… impenetrable."
Future Jin Yuan's eyes gleamed. Danger, obstacles, and impossibility… all fuel to his strategy.
Future Jin Yuan (thinking):
"Queen Victoria… the empire… every layer of history… every hidden passage… all can be manipulated. Every impossibility bends beneath me. I am not bound by fear, by time, by morality. This… is the chessboard, and I… am the hand that moves the pieces."
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Calculating Every Move
He retreated to a vantage point, hidden among the smoldering remnants of Hell's army, and observed the battlefield. Men fought desperately, unaware of the predator in their midst.
Future Jin Yuan's mind raced in patterns, connecting the past with the future. If he could obtain the Phoenix Sphere now, then manipulate the empire centuries later, then control the Queen… the timeline itself would bend to his will.
Future Jin Yuan (thinking):
"I am not a soldier. I am not a hero. I am not even a villain in their eyes yet. I am inevitability. I am the chaos that guarantees order… and freedom."
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Memories of the Present
For a brief moment, his mind drifted. Emily. Nashino. Yuzurei. Musukoni. Shinoki. Shioinkin. His friends—his anchor.
He remembered the warmth of Emily sleeping beside him, trusting, innocent. A silent tear threatened again, but he wiped it away without hesitation. Emotion could not weaken his resolve. The war of history, the conquest of time, and the manipulation of power required a mind unshakable.
"All must be sacrificed," he whispered to himself. "Even me… if necessary."
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The First Strike
Future Jin Yuan moved with predatory grace, stepping into the battlefield once more. His eyes locked on the Phoenix man, analyzing every muscle, every breathing pattern, every subtle fluctuation of aura. He had the weapon, the mind, and now the strategy.
Future Jin Yuan:
"I will take the Phoenix Sphere. I will bend its power. And I will use it to rewrite every law of this universe."
The man's aura flared instinctively, sensing danger. Future Jin Yuan's katana gleamed under the hellfire, the edge reflecting the chaos and the weight of centuries.
Future Jin Yuan (thinking):
"One moment, one choice… and the world will never be the same. One strike, one mind… and even the impossible bends to me."
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The Calm Before the Storm
The battlefield roared with the clash of swords and the cries of the fallen. Hell's army pressed forward. Heavens' soldiers struck back. Yet above all this, Future Jin Yuan stood calm. Silent. Calculating.
He had a goal. A timeline to manipulate. The Phoenix Sphere in hand. And centuries of history to bend.
"It begins now," he whispered, the wind carrying his words across the war-torn skies. "And nothing… nothing will stop me."
The snow and blood of history swirled around him. Fire and light collided. And in that chaos, a single figure, untouched by fear, unyielding in will, plotted the manipulation of an entire universe.