Absolute Cheater

As the raid ended, Valeris came to him.

"That was… unreal."

"Still," Asher said as he resealed his powers, "he didn't force me to use my full power."

Valeris raised an eyebrow, brushing starlight-ash from her shoulder, her body still trembling from the aftershock of their fused strike.

"You're telling me that wasn't your full strength?" she said, half-laughing, half-exhausted.

Asher exhaled slowly, the aura around him condensing back into silence. The marks of the eight seals—celestial bindings etched along his spine and chest in ancient script—dimmed and vanished beneath his skin.

"No. That was… seventy percent. Maybe seventy-five, after I burned through the fifth seal."

Valeris stared at him for a long moment. "You're insane."

He smiled faintly. "Maybe. But so was the Emperor—thinking his era could outlast mine."

She walked closer and rested her hand against his chest, feeling the barely-leashed storm beneath.

"How many seals do you have?"

Asher looked toward the fading remnants of the shattered battlefield—once a plane of divine law, now just a drifting echo in the void.

"Eight," he said quietly. "Each one holds back a part of my power. I kept them sealed so I could learn to fight properly. If someone at my level—or even higher—comes for me, and all I've ever relied on is raw force, I'll lose. I need to master every piece of myself before I let it all loose."

Valeris tilted her head. "And if you broke them all?"

Silence stretched.

Asher didn't answer immediately. He stared into the space where the Emperor had stood, his eyes distant.

"If I ever break the last seal…" His voice dropped, quiet and final. "No one at my level would even be able to stand in front of me. Though... if the multiverse is as wide as they say, maybe there are others like me out there. Or even stronger."

Valeris was quiet, then gently took his hand.

"Well," she said with a soft smile, "I wonder if I can reach your level, then."

The void around them shimmered—as the world began to reform. The dungeon, and the realm that had hosted this battle, reconstructed slowly, shaped by the residual force of their clash. They turned to the battlefield, where the echoes of their war still lingered.

From the army they'd faced—the Eight Generals and Four Kings—twelve cores remained. Each pulsing with power, left behind by the fallen elite.

Valeris looked at them and nodded. "We can use these. Their essence is strong. If we absorb and refine the cores, we could advance our ranks significantly."

Asher smiled. "Then let's not waste time."

He sat down cross-legged at the center of the scorched battlefield, where the very fabric of reality still shimmered from their battle. Around him, fragments of broken law floated like ashes on the wind, slowly dissolving into streams of raw essence.

Valeris stood watch beside him, her blade sheathed, her gaze scanning the torn horizon.

"The dungeon will take at least a week to reform," she said. "That Emperor's death—and your unleashed power—shattered its core matrix. Nothing else can enter or leave until it stabilizes."

Asher nodded. "Good. That means we won't be disturbed. Let the others wait."

He placed his hand on one of the twelve remaining cores—the essence of a fallen King. The moment his fingers touched it, the energy surged toward him, resisting at first, as if the soul within refused to yield.

But Asher's will was absolute.

"Submit," he whispered.

The core cracked, then dissolved into smoke and light, entering him in slow, spiraling tendrils.

Soulfire ignited in his veins.

Power. Memory. Technique.

He began to sort through the stolen inheritance—dissecting every movement, every habit, every drop of refined energy the King had cultivated over centuries.

Valeris joined him moments later, choosing a core of her own.

The silence was broken only by the low hum of refining energy, and the subtle distortion of time as the dungeon remained sealed in stasis.

Between them, twelve cores glowed—each one a stepping stone for their rise in power.

Hours passed in silence as the last strands of power were absorbed. Then, almost at the same moment, Asher and Valeris opened their eyes.

Asher stretched his fingers, flexing them slowly. A faint shimmer of chaos and void curled off his skin like mist.

"I guess…" he said, glancing at his palm, "it wasn't enough to break through to the next rank after all."

Valeris stirred beside him, brushing strands of hair from her face. "You're right. Still on the peak of Saint King." She exhaled softly, though her tone held no frustration—only clarity. "But close. I can feel the cusp."

Asher stood, gazing into the shattered remains of the dungeon. "Next rank… Void."

The name alone carried weight.

The Void Rank. Where cultivators transcended physical form. Where the limitations of flesh gave way to something else. At that level, one could see mana without using any special senses. Touch it, bend it, without needing formations or focus. The void-borne could feel spatial pressure from across dimensions, wield momentum like matter.

It was a threshold few passed.

Beyond Void came Soul Rank—where body and soul fused, becoming one inseparable force. At that point, one's presence alone could corrode weaker wills, and each breath could anchor fate.

And beyond that—Domain Rank.

Where cultivators mastered not only themselves, but the world around them. They didn't move through the world—they shaped it. Their presence extended like sovereign fields, altering laws within their vicinity.

Then finally, came the World Rank—the peak of this galaxy's cultivation system. Rulers of worlds. Gods in all but name.

Asher's gaze narrowed.

"After that," he said, "there are many whispers. Some call it the True Path, some the Cosmic Throne… but whatever it is, it's not just about this galaxy."

Valeris nodded, her tone low and resolute. "We're aiming for the Galaxy's Peak… and then beyond. Universal Peak."

"Yeah… but one step at a time," Asher said with a laugh as they stood up together.

"Let's head to the next one," he added, and Valeris nodded.

They began to leave the dungeon, stepping over the remnants of shattered cores and scorched stone.

"I wonder if there are any more in Tier X dungeons nearby," she asked, brushing her hair behind her ear.

Asher glanced at her and nodded. "There should be. And what's more," he added with a small grin, "most of the threats up to Saint King rank tend to dwell in Tier X dungeons. Beyond that, the real nightmares wait."

"Nightmares like Void-ranked monsters," she said, half-serious.

He nodded. "Exactly. After Saint King, the ranks go: Void, Soul, Domain… and then World."

Valeris absorbed the words, her expression sharpening with focus.

"So we're still in the middle of the storm."

Asher's eyes gleamed as he looked toward the distant stars. "Yeah. But we're starting to learn how to fly through it."

"But I bet even a Void rank can't defeat you," she said, amused as they walked.

Asher smirked. "Not just Void rank. I can probably take on early Soul rank as well."

Valeris raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in her eyes. "Confident, aren't we?"

"I've earned it," Asher replied with a casual shrug, the wind swirling around him as if agreeing. "Besides, strength means nothing if you're always holding back. If I can't challenge those above me now, how will I ever stand at the top?"

She gave a soft laugh, brushing her fingers along the edge of her sword's hilt. "And yet here you are, sealed, restraining yourself harder than a monk on a vow of silence."

"I'm training," he said pointedly. "Learning how to fight without relying on raw power alone. Anyone can crush their enemies with brute force. I want to dismantle them properly."

Valeris nodded, her voice softer now. "I get it. You're not just chasing strength—you're mastering it."

He glanced sideways at her, a rare flicker of warmth in his expression. "Exactly."

They stopped at a cliff edge, the shattered remains of the dungeon behind them. Below, the world stretched—new regions untouched, new challenges waiting.

"So," Valeris said, her gaze fixed on the horizon, "what now? Another dungeon?"

Asher nodded. "Yeah. Let's keep going. The next few will probably be Void-tier or close to it. Perfect for sharpening our blades."

Valeris cracked her knuckles. "And if someone stronger shows up?"

Asher smiled, his eyes gleaming. "Then I'll unseal another layer."

Valeris tilted her head, eyes sparkling with that mischievous light she often wore when teasing him. "Hmm… but the Emperor was at Void Rank, and he still forced you to use 80% of your power. I don't think we're ready to take on even the lowest grade of a Soul Rank boss just yet."

Asher paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "That's true," he admitted, voice low and rumbling. "Still… don't forget—each step in rank now is like the difference between heaven and earth. But I've always fought beyond my level. Even when I was just starting, I was tearing down those two whole realms ahead of me. Late and great, doesn't matter. If they bleed, I can break them."

His tone was almost lazy, but the steel behind it made the void around them subtly tremble.

Valeris smirked and stepped closer, eyes gleaming with admiration and affection. "Of course you can, my king," she purred, her voice warm and wicked at once.