THE BLACK CULTIVATOR

FIFTEEN, I'M TIRED

Chris cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders.

"Fifteen? Plus added judgement? f**k it, let’s be done with this. I don tire for this place (I'm tired of this place). I miss the fresh air of the outside world."

He marched forward, and the massive gates swung open with a deafening groan. Chris stepped inside.

The hall was twice the size of the previous one, filled with floating platforms and pillars arranged in a complex arena. Fifteen guardians walked out of a void portal and surrounded him in a perfect circle. Each one was a masterpiece of destructive beauty — armored warriors formed from condensed void energy, wielding powerful weapons and radiating power at the perfect stage of Core Formation.

"Hello... You all looking majestic," Chris said with a soft smile and a wink. *Especially the one wey get sharp body (Especially the one with the fine body).* His gaze lingered on a female guardian clad in sleek void armor to his right.

"Welcome to the last stage of the first of the three," the Sword Saint spoke, her voice powerful and resonant. "For you to have reached here means you succeeded in defeating the Twelve Flames."

"Yeah... yeah, I did," Chris replied, standing still as his eyes studied the guardians around him. "It was hard, but I carried all of them go give their creator (I took all of them to their creator)."

"Only two in history have succeeded in defeating us, mortal," the Spear Master’s voice boomed, shaking ancient dust from the foundations. His eyes were serious, bloodlust spilling into the air. "Will you be the third? Or will you fall like the others?"

"I don’t know," Chris said, his eyes glowing faintly as Core Qi slowly poured out of his body. Cracks spread across the ground beneath his feet and stretched toward the guardians. "But we go find out soon (But we'll find out soon), won’t we?"

"He reminds me of that other brat — the black-haired bastard. The only one who ever overpowered us in less than five minutes," the Fist Emperor spoke, glaring at the Naija youth.

"That was thousands of years ago," another guardian added, clenching his jaw. "It was the era of total chaos — only the strong survived."

"It’s annoying that we’re used as test subjects to help these mortals advance," the Sword Saint whispered, her grip tightening around her sword. "We die and return, only to continue this nightmare."

"Uhmmm. Make una no vex oh (Please don't be angry)," Chris cut in, fingers twitching, "but na fight I come fight (but I came here to fight). I didn’t come here to listen to your past life or any sad stories."

"You will be dead soon, mortal. Don’t concern yourself with our grief and pain," the Fist Emperor responded.

"I don’t remember concerning myself with the stories of weaklings!" Chris fired back.

"For someone so weak and about to die soon, you talk too much," the hammer-wielding guardian said, stepping forward. The earth shook violently beneath his feet.

"Heh... Hahahaha!" Chris laughed. "What can a bunch of fifteen bitter, crying, lazy bastards do to me?"

The hall fell into total silence — the kind that made everyone’s heartbeat audible, including Chris’s.

Beesh!

They attacked as one, in a burst of lightning speed. The tiles shattered. Craters formed where they once stood as they advanced like a comet of different colors.

Chris chuckled like a madman as they closed in. He joined both palms and fingers together and unleashed a flame-infused Core Shockwave, forcing the first wave back.

But the Spear Master, Sword Saint, and Fist Emperor broke through the attack swiftly. The Spear Master thrust with pinpoint accuracy, piercing Chris’s shoulder just as his Void Step activated.

Chris grunted. Blood drenched his robe and dripped from his fingertips.

*He’s incredibly fast,* the Naija youth thought, eyes turning serious as he created distance.

[25x Recovery Engaged]

[Undying Courage Online]

Void energy from the spear’s tip sank deep into the wound, but the flesh was already beginning to repair.

"You won’t heal so easily, mortal!" the Sword Saint roared, following up with a whirlwind of slashes that carved deep lines across Chris’s chest and arms.

The Naija youth barely blocked with both arms crossed, his bones creaking under the pressure.

*These three attacking alone are already forcing my hands. The rest are just watching. The longer I hold back, the more I’ll struggle.*

Shuuuu!

In a burst of overwhelming speed, Chris closed the distance on the Spear Master. Burning fire froze mid-air. Moving platforms slowed. He dodged a lethal spear thrust, grabbed the spear’s tip with his bare hand — flesh sizzling, blood spraying — and with a primal roar, snapped it in two.

"Impossible!" The Spear Master’s eyes widened as he staggered back.

"Not for me!" Chris responded. He drove his fist through the guardian’s heavy armor, fingers wrapping around the core in his chest, and crushed it.

The Spear Master’s eyes darkened. He dropped to his knees as dark blood spilled from the hole in his chest.

*Fighting challengers for thousands of years has become sad. I wish to one day be freed from this suffering.*

His body hit the ground with a loud thud.

"One down," Chris muttered. He shook his hand, flinging off the dark blood from his palm and fingertips.

The Fist Emperor moved forward, fingers clenched tightly.

"Naija Heritage: Shield of Shege (Shield of Trouble)!"

A majestic brown palm manifested like a powerful shield.

BAM!

The Fist Emperor shattered the shield and landed a devastating blow to Chris’s ribs. The air exploded from his lungs, blood sprayed from his mouth, and his eyes rolled back. Multiple bones cracked as the impact hurled him into a rocky pillar.

Boom!

Veins bulged on his forehead, arms, and neck. He pushed himself up as the dust settled, breathing hard like a wounded animal.

He smiled, eyes locked on the approaching guardians.

[25x Recovery Still In Motion]

[Healing Broken Ribs And Restoring Lost Blood]

*Now we are getting somewhere. Make I show una how we dey fight for Naija (Let me show you how we fight in Nigeria).*

He rose to his feet, knuckles cracking.

[Adrenaline & Willpower Surge: 40% >>>>]

[Rhythmic Combat Intuition Engaged]

[No Pain, No Gain Activated]