Chapter Thirteen: The Forbidden Power Unleashed
The street was silent.
Not because the battle ended—
but because everyone was too terrified to move.
Black-gold energy roared off Aiden like a living flame.
Every breath he exhaled distorted the air, bending light, warping space.
This wasn't a transformation.
This was a breaking of limits.
A forbidden ritual waking something inside him that was never meant to wake.
The Celestial Hunters—elite executioners of the Dominion—
took a collective step back.
Their leader gritted his teeth.
"Blood Ascent… a mortal should not have access to such a rite.
You are committing a celestial sin."
Aiden didn't answer.
He simply raised his hand—
and the world shivered.
Dara whispered behind him, voice shaking, still clutching Maya:
"B-Bro is giving main-boss energy… someone nerf him…"
The leader tried to regain composure.
"HUNTERS! FORM THE CELESTIAL WALL!"
The remaining Hunters slammed their weapons into the ground, projecting a massive barrier of radiant light that formed a solid dome around Aiden.
A prison of pure celestial energy.
Aiden looked up at the shimmering dome.
His voice was deeper now—echoing, distorted, like two people speaking at once:
"You think this can hold me?"
The leader's helmet reflected Aiden's black-gold eyes.
"No.
But it can limit you."
He swung his hand downward—
"ATTACK!"
Four Hunters lunged at once, each unleashing divine martial techniques powerful enough to erase a city block.
Spear of Lunar Piercing.
Halo Guillotine.
Divine Pulse.
Starbreaker Crescent.
Aiden didn't dodge.
Didn't block.
He just walked forward.
The attacks slammed into him—
B O O O O O M — !!
Light engulfed the dome.
The street shook.
Windows shattered.
Cars lifted from the ground.
Dara covered Maya's glowing body with his own.
"BROOO WE'RE GONNA DIE—!!"
When the explosion cleared—
The Hunters froze.
Aiden was still standing.
Smoke rising from his shoulders.
Eyes burning like collapsing stars.
"...Was that supposed to hurt?"
One Hunter panicked, voice cracking:
"Impossible—this level of resilience—!"
Aiden moved.
He didn't sprint.
He simply appeared in front of the nearest Hunter—
CRACK—!!
One punch.
Armor shattered.
The Hunter flew backward like a ragdoll, crashing through three abandoned vehicles.
The leader hissed:
"Impossible…
He fights like a Higher Celestial—but he's human…"
Aiden turned his head slightly.
"I'm not interested in labels."
He stepped forward.
"I'm protecting Maya.
I don't need to be human to do that."
The leader clenched his spear so tightly the metal warped.
"Then die as a monster!"
He lunged, faster than before—
his spear coated in blinding starfire.
Aiden raised his arm to block—
Just as the System screamed in his mind:
[WARNING]
[BLOOD ASCENT OVERLOAD — 78%]
[HOST SOUL STRUCTURE DESTABILIZING]
Aiden flinched—
Just a fraction.
But enough.
The spear grazed his side—
tearing a line of blood and black-gold sparks.
Aiden staggered back, clutching his ribs.
His heartbeat was becoming irregular.
His breath uneven.
The System flashed again:
[WARNING: BLOOD ASCENT MAY KILL HOST IF CONTINUED]
Aiden wiped blood from his mouth.
"Too late…"
His eyes darkened.
"…I already chose."
The leader tightened his grip.
"Then I will end you mercifully."
He thrust—
Aiden caught the spear—
Black lightning wrapped around his arm—
And he snapped it in half.
The leader froze.
W-What—"
Aiden grabbed him by the chestplate—
Lifted him off the ground—
And slammed him into the pavement so hard the concrete cratered.
The street shook violently.
The leader coughed blood inside his helmet.
"Y-You… have no idea what that power will do to you…"
Aiden's expression remained unchanged.
"I'm done listening."
He drew back his fist.
But—
A sudden pulse of energy exploded behind him.
Pure white.
Gentle.
Warm.
Aiden froze mid-strike.
"…Maya?"
He turned.
Dara was holding her—
But she was no longer unconscious.
Her eyes were open.
Glowing silver-white like galaxies.
Her feet slowly lifted off the ground.
Her body was surrounded by floating rings of celestial starlight.
The Hunters—what was left of them—immediately dropped to their knees.
"T-The Star-Vessel…
She's awakening…!"
Aiden's heart pounded.
"Maya?"
She looked at him with eyes that were both hers—
and not hers.
"...Big brother."
Her voice echoed with layered tones—
as if someone else spoke along with her.
Aiden stepped forward—
but his legs shook.
Blood Ascent was devouring him from the inside.
Maya saw his condition.
Her expression—normally soft—
shifted into something ancient and terrifying.
She raised her hand.
A silver sigil appeared in the air.
Aiden felt an invisible force clamp onto his chest—
not painful, but… pulling.
"Maya—what are you—?"
Her voice echoed like starlight:
"RETURN."
Aiden collapsed to one knee.
Black-gold energy tore from his body—
violently, unwillingly—
ripping itself free in streams of dark fire.
Maya's hand glowed brighter.
The System screamed:
[BLOOD ASCENT — FORCEFULLY CANCELLED]
[SOUL DAMAGE MINIMIZED]
[HOST STABILIZING]
Aiden gasped, slumping forward, exhausted beyond measure.
The black aura evaporated completely.
The leader, still struggling on the ground, stared in disbelief.
"S-She can suppress a Blood-Ascent's backlash…
Even the Dominion can't…!"
Maya slowly descended back to the ground, her aura dimming.
Her voice returned to normal.
"Big brother… you're okay now."
Aiden crawled to her and wrapped her in his arms, shaking.
"Maya… don't ever do that again…"
She hugged him tightly.
"I won't…
if you don't scare me like that again."
The surviving Hunters stood shakily.
The leader removed his cracked helmet.
His celestial eyes burned with frustration and dread.
"This isn't over…"
A giant ripple split the sky—
a new celestial gate opening.
The leader stepped back toward it.
"The Dominion will not stop.
The First Star's Vessel must be claimed."
He pointed at Aiden.
"And you…
Blood-Ascent bearer…
you will become a priority threat."
The gate swallowed them—
And the sky sealed shut.
Silence fell.
Aiden held Maya close.
Dara collapsed onto the ground, breathing hard.
Then Dara lifted a trembling hand.
"Bro… next time… can we fight normal zombies…?
Like… the slow ones… please?"
Aiden let out a shaky breath.
No—
Things were only going to get worse.