THE BLACK CULTIVATOR

SON OF THE ASH

The air felt suffocating, thick with smoke, blood, and ozone. Chris’s vision remained blurry at the edges, his body screaming in protest with every breath.

The ground trembled violently as both colossal dragons advanced slowly, their massive forms casting long, oppressive shadows over the ruined landscape.

"You guys think I'm just going to let you kill me, right? God is on my side, niggas! Naija boy no dey die like fly!" Chris roared defiantly. (You guys think I'm just going to let you kill me, right? God is on my side, niggas! A Naija boy does not die like a fly!)

He slapped his palm hard against his chest. With a deafening roar that shook the air, he charged forward, his dark Core aura flaring high like a golden-black inferno.

Both dragons moved at once. The ground screamed as all three powers collided violently at the center of the battlefield.

The fight turned into a whirlwind of absolute chaos. They battled across every terrain imaginable — from the scorched ground littered with rubble, soaring high into the smoke-filled sky, smashing through half-destroyed towers, then plummeting back down in explosive impacts that cratered the earth.

Streaks of light and darkness painted the sky as their auras clashed in a deadly dance.

Chris summoned **Shield of Shege** with nothing but a focused glare. A translucent, glowing palm of condensed Core energy materialized just in time to block the Storm Dragon’s searing fire breath.

The impact sent sparks and flames exploding outward, scorching the already blackened earth even further.

With his right hand, he reached into the floating system screen and drew out his katana, gripping the hilt firmly. His eyes locked onto the Flame Dragon circling behind him.

"Blade Art: One Blade, Ten Thousand Cries, One s***h!"

The Naija youth blurred forward. The air around him froze as razor-sharp ice spears and massive crystalline pillars erupted violently from the broken ground.

The Flame Dragon countered with a roaring torrent of fire, but Chris’s blade technique sliced through the inferno like paper. The empowered s***h severed one of the dragon’s massive wings in a gruesome spray of black blood.

**Thud!**

The Flame Dragon crashed heavily onto the battlefield, shaking the ground and sending rubble flying in all directions. It roared in agony, mouth gaping wide as vast amounts of Core Qi gathered inside its maw.

Using **Void Step**, Chris instantly closed the distance, appearing beneath the beast’s exposed neck.

"Blade Art: One Blade, Ten Thousand Cries, One s***h!"

**Bam!**

The dragon’s severed head slammed into the dirt, black blood flooding across the cracked earth like a dark river.

The Storm Dragon shattered the **Shield of Shege** and charged straight at Chris, firing a dark flame at the Naija youth. Chris dodged desperately, running across the scorching earth and using broken debris as makeshift shields to evade the dragon’s relentless breath.

"SHEPE!"

The sonic attack struck the dragon, forcing it to crash down. Still, it rose again with terrifying resilience.

"Naija Heritage: Pressure of Tinubu!"

The dragon kept moving forward slowly, its massive legs digging deep trenches into the hot soil. The overwhelming spiritual pressure pinned it to the earth.

[Destroyer Of Life Deactivated.]

[Back-Up Qi Reserves Diminishing rapidly.]

*f**k!*

Its red eyes locked onto Chris. It opened its mouth, gathering a massive amount of Core Qi at terrifying speed.

[Warning: Void Storm Dragon Has Entered Critical Berserk Mode.]

[Notice: Run!]

The Naija youth dashed forward, blade drawn. But the storm dragon swallowed its overwhelming Core Qi. Its body expanded several times over in a grotesque surge of power.

*Oh, God!*

**BOOOOM!**

The entire realm shook violently. The explosion swallowed nearly 4km of the continent. Though only a portion, the destruction was catastrophic. Everywhere was steaming hot like lava. No buildings remained standing. Everything had been reduced to dust, ash, and death.

The **Shield of Shege** faded like broken glass. Chris collapsed onto the scorching earth. Half his body was severely burnt, his breathing weak and ragged. His intestines were visible through the gaping wound, and his vision had gone almost completely dark. For a moment, there was only the roar of silence after the blast and the smell of the earth itself — burned down to its bones.

*Son of the soil,* he thought, buried in its ashes.

[25x Recovery Maxed Out.]

[Absorbing Every Dead Beast Core To Restore Vitality And Blood.]

[Beast Cores Absorbing 5 >>> 15 >>> 40 >>> 100.]

[Time Until Host Fully Recovers: 24 Hours.]

[Host Has Entered Critical Exhaustion Stage.]

[Alert!]

[Death Approaches.]

[Recommended Action: Run!]

Thunder boomed through the dust-covered sky. Lightning flashed temporarily, illuminating the devastation.

Then, like merciful droplets, the rain began to fall. Chris felt the slight relief of heat leaving his body. As the rain poured down heavily, his breathing shallow and labored, he opened his mouth to catch a few drops.

Barely able to see through the downpour, his last sight was the blurred silhouette of a mysterious figure standing over him before everything went black.