Chapter 36: Terrifying Tribulation! [Bonus]
Chapter 36: Terrifying Tribulation! [Bonus]
[Here is a bonus Chapter as promised for reaching out first power stone goal! Get to Voting and gifting for more bonus Chapters!]
Creed burst out of his hotel lobby so fast that the door nearly swung off its hinges.
His breath was erratic, his grip on his spear tight with urgency, and his eyes darted toward the sky, where the clouds were rolling in like an unstoppable tide of doom.
"Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!" he shouted, barely suppressing the sheer panic in his voice. "NOW of all times?!"
The heavens above weren’t just rumbling—they were roaring.
The sky, which had been relatively calm just moments ago, now churned with dark, seething clouds, flashing intermittently with the blinding light of impending destruction.
And the worst part?
This wasn’t even for a major breakthrough—it was just for Lilith to reach Stage 1!
Creed’s heart pounded as his feet carried him forward in a desperate sprint. He weaved through the bustling street, nearly crashing into a stunned pedestrian.
"MOVE!" he barked, not even slowing down.
His mind was racing. This was BAD. Really bad!
Most people didn’t even have to deal with tribulations until much later in their cultivation journey. But not Lilith.
It was common knowledge that the weaker a talent, the harsher the price.
That was one of the two major benefits of possessing a high-grade talent. The first was obvious—a natural increase in power.
Those with higher talent would grow stronger, faster, and more efficiently than others, as if the heavens themselves favored them.
But the second benefit? That was what made them truly terrifying.
A higher limit.
Every awakened had a life limit—an invisible ceiling on how much their body, mind, and soul could naturally withstand before they needed to overcome a tribulation to move forward.
For example:
Someone with an F-grade talent wouldn’t even be able to reach Stage 2 Bronze Awakening before their body hit a wall, forcing them to face a tribulation or be forever stuck at their current level.
But someone with an S-grade talent? They could soar through the stages unhindered, only facing tribulations at the later stages of Silver Level or even Gold!
And now? Lilith was facing her first one. He didn’t even expect this. Her strength was too tremendous for her stage.
She was definitely a summon of above mythical grade which meant she shouldn’t even be facing a tribulation now!
Yet, there was nothing he could do.
This was a life-and-death gamble.
If she passed? Her strength would explode, her potential soaring to new heights.
If she failed?
She would die. Permanently.
And judging by the terrifying black thunderclouds gathering above, the heavens had no intention of making this easy.
No time to waste! ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Creed gritted his teeth, his grip on his spear tightening as he flagged down a shuttle with frantic urgency.
The small shuttle slowed to a stop, and the driver—a middle-aged man with a bored expression—barely had time to open the door before Creed practically leaped inside.
"Straight to the gate! Now!" Creed snapped.
The driver blinked. "That’ll be—"
"I DON’T CARE, JUST GO!"
The driver, seeing the crackling storm forming above, wisely chose not to argue.
The moment the doors sealed shut, the shuttle lurched forward at full speed, weaving through traffic with barely any regard for speed limits.
Creed leaned back in his seat, legs bouncing impatiently, his thoughts spiraling.
’I can’t afford to face the tribulation in the Bastion. If I do, I’ll be fined so hard I’ll never recover!’
Unlike wild wastelands, cities had strict rules about destructive breakthroughs.
The moment someone started wrecking buildings with their lightning, flames, or heaven-knows-what, the government would slap them with a fine so heavy their grandchildren would still be paying it off!
Which meant—he needed to get out of here. FAST.
The shuttle shot through the city like a bullet, weaving past stunned pedestrians and vehicles as the driver clearly realized this was above his pay grade and was just following orders at this point.
Six minutes later, the shuttle skidded to a halt near the Bastion’s main exit gates.
Creed practically launched himself out of the vehicle after paying, bolting toward the gate like his life depended on it.
"HEY! Stop right there!"
Two heavily armored guards stepped in front of him, hands raised.
Creed skidded to a halt, his mind spinning as he registered their presence—then immediately cursed.
’OH, COME ON! Not now!’
One of the guards narrowed his eyes, arms crossed. "State your business."
Creed felt like screaming. Did these guys not see the DOOM CLOUDS above them?!
"Listen! I need to get out NOW! My summon’s tribulation is happening, and if I don’t get her outside the city, I’m going to owe the Bastion more money than I’ll ever make in my lifetime!"
The guards exchanged skeptical glances.
Creed’s eye twitched.
"I’m SERIOUS! Just LOOK UP!"
The two men finally lifted their gazes to the sky.
And froze.
A thick, swirling vortex of black storm clouds loomed ominously overhead, crackling with arcs of violet lightning.
The air pressure dropped noticeably, making it harder to breathe.
The guards visibly gulped.
"...Tch. Just go." One of them grumbled, waving him forward. "And don’t bring that mess back in here."
Creed didn’t need to be told twice.
The second he was outside the city gates, he picked a direction and sprinted.
His legs pounded against the dirt, wind whipping against his face as he raced against the countdown ticking in his mind.
And then—
With a deep breath, he summoned her.
A dark rift tore open beside him, and a voluptuous figure emerged, her violet eyes flashing in the dim light.
Lilith.
The moment she appeared, the storm reacted instantly.
The clouds above churned violently, the rumbling deepening into something far more menacing.
The very atmosphere seemed to tremble, as if it was recognizing a challenger.
Creed gritted his teeth.
This was it.
Pass, and she would become unstoppable.
Fail... and she would be gone forever.
And before Creed could say anything else—
BOOOOOOM!
The first bolt fell from the heavens with an ear-splitting BOOM.
It wasn’t just a lightning strike—it was a divine punishment, a spear of pure, unrelenting destruction hurled down by the wrath of the dimensions.
The air hummed violently, and the very earth trembled beneath the weight of the descending force.
Creed’s eyes widened.
’WHAT IN THE ACTUAL HELL—?!’
The sheer pressure of the bolt bore down on him like a falling mountain.
The clouds above roared in fury, surging with more power than anything he had ever felt in his life.
This wasn’t just a little zap from the heavens—this was a damned extinction event!
He only had one choice.
Creed gritted his teeth, his grip tightening around his spear until his knuckles turned white.
"I HAVE TO BLOCK THIS!"
With every ounce of strength he had, Creed thrust his spear upward, channeling his power into its tip as the unstoppable lightning crashed down upon him.
The moment the bolt collided, the world exploded.
A blinding white light swallowed everything, and the ground detonated beneath his feet.
The sheer force of the impact tore through his defenses, sending an earth-shattering shockwave in all directions.
Then—BOOOOM!
Creed was sent flying like a ragdoll, slamming into the earth so hard that a massive crater formed beneath him.
The ground cracked apart, and a thick cloud of smoke and dust filled the air.
For a long moment, Creed lay at the bottom of the crater, his body smoking.
"Oh, yeah. This is bad."
His entire body screamed in pain.
His muscles felt like they were on fire, his skin was charred in several places, and he could still feel the lightning crawling through his bones, sizzling every nerve in its path.
He coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Lilith, who had been standing behind him, peeked over the edge of the crater, her violet eyes filled with concern.
Creed barely managed to lift his head, his vision slightly blurry.
"Oh, hey. You still alive? That makes one of us."
Lilith narrowed her eyes, clearly unimpressed.
"...Master?"
Creed winced, dragging himself up with sheer willpower. His body protested violently, his ribs screaming in agony.
And then—he turned his gaze to the sky.
His eyes burned with fury.
"Alright, you dimensional asshole! You wanna do this?! FINE! LET’S DO THIS!"
His entire body crackled as he activated Primordial Link.
Instantly, a violent surge of purple lightning erupted around him, coiling around his arms and legs like living serpents.
His power surged in an instant, and his eyes glowed with electric fury.
Just in time—because the second bolt was already coming.
The second lightning bolt was even stronger than the first.
It fell twice as fast, its power so intense that the air itself almost tore apart in its wake.
Creed roared, his spear bursting with power as he slammed it upward to meet the strike head-on.
BOOOOM!
The ground shook violently, and Creed was blasted even deeper into the earth. His muscles tore apart, his skin burst open, and his entire right arm went numb from the sheer impact.
There was no time to recover!
The third bolt came immediately after, giving Creed zero chance to breathe.
Boom!
By the time the fourth bolt struck, he was barely standing.
His clothes were in tatters, his body was burned beyond recognition, and his legs were shaking so badly that he felt like a newborn deer on ice.
The air reeked of scorched flesh.
His own flesh.
’Okay,’ Creed thought, gasping for air. ’Maybe... just MAYBE... I’m not making it out of this alive.’
He reached into his leather pouch lying far away, yanked out his only healing serum, and chugged it like a madman.
The moment the liquid touched his tongue, his torn muscles began knitting back together, his charred skin recovered gradually, and his vision cleared slightly.
It wasn’t much, but it was enough.
Creed turned to Lilith, his expression serious.
"Alright. This is the last one I’m blocking."
Lilith’s eyes moistened slightly, but she nodded.
And then—the FIFTH bolt arrived.
This one wasn’t like the others.
This one carried pure annihilation!
The moment it descended, the sky itself turned white, and the surrounding landscape rippled from the sheer intensity.
Creed’s entire body screamed in protest, but he didn’t back down.
"FINE, YOU OVERGROWN NIGHTLIGHT! TAKE MY THRUST!"
With every last ounce of power he had left, Creed roared and thrust his spear forward, pouring his entire being into this single strike.
The moment spear met lightning, the world exploded.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Creed felt his arms disintegrate on impact.
His entire chest was ripped open, the raw power of the tribulation tearing him apart at the molecular level.
And yet—
HE BLOCKED IT.
The moment the dust cleared, Creed was still standing.
Barely.
His breathing was shallow, his body was in ruins, and his vision was darkening at the edges.
But he was still conscious. He turned to Lilith, his expression unreadable.
"...Your turn."
And then—he slumped over.
He had done his best for her. The rest was up to her now.
As Creed’s body collapsed, the heavens rumbled once more.
The sixth bolt of lightning descended. And this time—it was coming straight for Lilith.
______
Would Lilith survive? Is there a plot twist coming? Any guesses?