Idle Mage: Humanity's Strongest Backer-Chapter 349 Despair And Outcome
Ashton stood there, watching as the Holy Spirit disappeared into thin air. He knew that it was not the end of their encounter. The Holy Spirit had made its intentions clear - it was here to restore balance to the cosmos, and Ashton could not let that happen. He knew that he had to confront the Holy Spirit head-on.
The terms it used might sound pleasant, but since it came from a Celestial, then there is no doubt that its plans would cause harm to the citizens of Elstar, and Ashton couldn't just let that happen. Not now when he's this close to the completion of his mission.
With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and focused his mind. He could feel the magical energy coursing through his veins, and he summoned all his power, ready for the battle ahead.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a vast, featureless plain. In the distance, he could see the Holy Spirit, its form glowing with a bright, unearthly light.
Ashton took a step forward, and the Holy Spirit turned to face him. "You cannot stop what is to come," it said calmly. "The Celestial God's will must be done."
Ashton gritted his teeth, his hands crackling with magical energy. "I will not stand by and let you destroy everything we have worked for," he said. "I will fight you with everything I have."
The Holy Spirit raised its hands, and a blast of energy shot toward Ashton. He threw up a shield, but the force of the blast knocked him backward, sending him tumbling through the air.
Ashton quickly regained his composure, and he launched a counterattack. He sent a barrage of magical missiles toward the Holy Spirit, but it dodged them effortlessly, moving with supernatural speed.
The two opponents circled each other, each waiting for the other to make a move. Finally, the Holy Spirit made its move, charging toward Ashton with blinding speed.
Ashton summoned all his power, and a wall of fire erupted in front of him, blocking the Holy Spirit's path. The two forces clashed, and for a moment it seemed that Ashton would be overwhelmed.
But just as Ashton was about to be engulfed with the divine flare, the scenery suddenly switched to something else.
To the Holy Spirit's surprise, it found itself standing once again on the undamaged plain with Ashton standing tall and proud in front. A mocking smile could be seen on Ashton's face which sent shivers on the Holy Spirit's body.
"And here I thought you were some hot shit..." Ashton shook his head, looking somewhat disappointed and all. "As it turns out, you're just another hot garbage, much like the Demon God. And you dare call yourself a part of the Holy Trinity? How embarrassing."
The Holy Spirit twitched in a mixture of anger and trepidation. This scene was all too familiar to it. After all, the Holy Spirit watched the confrontation between the Demon God and Ashton.
Memories of that one-sided battle were still fresh in its mind. After all, it hasn't been long since it happened. Yet here it was again, only this time, it was the Holy Spirit itself who was trapped in it.
Ashton could see the fear in the Holy Spirit's eyes. It was the same fear he saw in the Demon God before he drained its divinity. He knew that the Holy Spirit was just as vulnerable as the Demon God was at that moment.
But then, something unexpected happened. The Holy Spirit began to laugh. It laughed so hard that its entire body shook with mirth.
"What's so funny?" Ashton demanded.
The Holy Spirit composed itself and said, "You think you've won, don't you? You think that by trapping me in this endless loop of time, you've defeated me. But you're wrong. I am the Holy Spirit, and I cannot be defeated so easily."
Ashton narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"You've trapped me in time, yes," the Holy Spirit said, "but you forget that time is meaningless to me. I exist outside of time and space. I am eternal."
"Are you now?" Ashton sneered. "Well then, O' Eternal Being, are you sure that you are trapped in an Endless Loop of Time? Hmm?"
The Holy Spirit trembled upon those words. It looked at the playful expression on Ashton's face and couldn't help but feel a sense of despair rising from its chest.
"If you really think that you would do better than the Demon God well...be my guest then." Ashton scoffed and suddenly appeared mere inches away from the Holy Spirit's face.
He looked down at the Entity with nothing but pure disdain and said:
"Go on. Break the loop, O' Eternal Being. Show this one how vast and expansive your power truly is. Such a thing should be a simple act for a being such as you, is it not?" Ashton uttered, his voice laced with thick sarcasm.
Incensed, the Holy Spirit suddenly lashed out and blew up Ashton. The latter didn't even make any effort to defend himself. He just allowed himself to explode from the divine flare.
But as was feared by the Holy Spirit...the Archfey was still alive.
He manifested behind the Holy Spirit like a ghost, saying:
"My, my. How feisty. But oh? Would look at that, I'm still here. I thought you broke the Endless Loop already, O' Eternal Being?" Ashton mocked viciously.
Despair blossomed in the Holy Spirit's chest. Out of sheer fear and trepidation, it tried its best to warp reality, turn back the flow of time, it even advance it, all to no avail.
Nothing worked against the loop. Be it killing Ashton or committing suicide helped. The Holy Spirit always found itself returning to the starting point of it all, feeling a strange sense of Deja Vu every time it happened.
The Holy Spirit faced Ashton's endless mocking and looks of disdain. It has never experienced anything like it so it doesn't know how to handle it. The fury it felt was too consuming, causing the Holy Spirit's mind to be filled with nothing but desperation.
Opening his eyes to the real world, Ashton knowingly smiled as he saw the Holy Spirit standing there with a hollow look in its eyes.
"That got me nervous for a second there, not gonna lie." He whispered to himself.
The Endless Dream. It's one of his most powerful spells. He created it with Dream Laws in mind, utilizing the sheer absurdity of the law. The spell imprisons his target in their own world of creation. They will be trapped there for as long as Ashton deemed necessary.
Only outside influence could break them out of this, even then it would take a lot of effort to wake them up. Those who are well versed in the art of Dreams also have a chance of breaking free from this, but only if their expertise transcends Ashton's very own. If not, then they could only suffer in there.
What makes this spell extremely terrifying is that, he could trap anybody through mere gaze. Eye contact wasn't needed at all. So long as his target was within his sights, they will be pulled into a dream. This was the only pre-requisite needed.
"You could've just waited inside the Demon God's body for a more advantageous timing but you just had to be impatient and come out. Your chances would've been higher if you waited, but you didn't. Now, you'll suffer from that." Ashton muttered as he stared at the unmoving entity in front of him.
Ashton's thoughts whirred, thinking about what he should do with the Holy Spirit. After deliberating for a while, he finally got an idea and started chanting a spell.
'By doing this, the timeline should more or less follow the expected outcome.' Ashton mused to himself as he continued.
Ashton continued to work tirelessly, using his magic to mold the Holy Spirit's purpose to his liking. The process was long and complicated, but he persevered, knowing the importance of this moment. He could feel the Holy Spirit's immense power pulsing within the endless dream, waiting to be harnessed.
Hours turned into days as Ashton continued to work, slowly shifting the Holy Spirit's allegiance towards the preservation of the world. He felt the entity resisting at times, but he never gave up. He knew that the success of his mission depended on this.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Ashton emerged from the endless dream, his work complete. The Holy Spirit was no longer an enemy, but an ally in the fight against evil. Its power would now be harnessed for good, and Ashton knew that he had taken a huge step towards achieving his ultimate goal.
"Once you wake up, you will be an ally to this world. You will nurture it for as long as you can. You will start a lineage of Spirits which will eventually become crucial pieces for the future."
He stood up, exhausted but satisfied. Looking towards the horizon, he could see the world of Elstar in all its beauty, free from the clutches of the Netherworld. The sun was setting, casting a golden light over the land. Ashton smiled, knowing that his work was far from over, but feeling a sense of pride for what he had accomplished.
