Volume One, Chapter 41: The Wind Element

Besides, he truly did need a group of underlings to do his bidding. Count Olock was, without a doubt, an excellent candidate.

“Alright…” Olock’s voice trembled as he finally relented.

When he lifted his head, his gaze met the corrupting alteration of Kirisaki. In that instant, he felt as though a worm had burrowed into his mind. It crawled wantonly, infiltrating every nerve, an all-consuming sensation as if death itself had arrived and suffocated him. He froze in place, terror-struck, and wailed, “Don’t… don’t kill me!”

“Don’t worry, nothing will happen to you,” Kirisaki replied coolly. “However, this power will remain deep within your consciousness. You should understand the consequences.”

With a heavy thud, Olock collapsed onto the floor. His head convulsed violently, and his entire body shook irregularly, resembling a patient in the throes of an epileptic fit.

A long time passed before he managed to struggle to his feet. Kirisaki’s figure had already vanished.

He swallowed hard, his gaze falling on the four ice statues in the room. These four men had been bodyguards he’d hired for a substantial sum, yet they hadn’t even had the chance to resist before Tregear froze them to death. Such power was truly beyond his imagination.

Just then, the phone on the table rang, its shrill tone snapping him out of his daze. He hurried to answer, a rare flush of color brightening his face.

“Hello…”

“Olock, the Seven Star Sword has been injured. They’re heading your way. Get ready.”

“The Seven Star Sword has been injured?!” Olock’s eyes widened. The Seven Star Sword was a symbol of the Galactic Government, far stronger than the members of the Space Defense Force from the Land of Light. If someone could wound them, wouldn’t that opponent be even more formidable?

Wait…

Olock suddenly thought of Kirisaki from earlier. He opened his mouth to ask, but held back and simply nodded. “Understood. I’ll make the necessary arrangements.”

Meanwhile, Tregear had arrived at the last planet containing an elemental force.

The Planet of Wind, Gilmore.

Compared to Kebor, Nuok, and Nuonapi, this planet was nothing short of paradise. It boasted vast, lush grasslands, an even balance between land and sea, and abundant mineral resources.

From a cosmic perspective, the surface area of Gilmore far surpassed that of the other three planets—by a significant margin.

Tregear advanced slowly. As soon as he entered the atmosphere, a gentle breeze brushed against him. Ordinarily, the upper atmosphere would be buffeted by fierce currents, especially at high altitudes. Yet all he felt was a soothing warmth, with not a hint of tearing wind or biting chill.

He understood—this was the power of the wind element.

Wind could be as gentle as a warming caress or as sharp as a blade, able to cut through anything. Everyone knew that ice could freeze a person, but a frigid wind could do the same.

Tregear closed his eyes, carefully sensing the precise location of the wind element. After a long while, he opened them, a glint of surprise flickering within.

The wind element was not on this planet.

Having already merged with three elements, he was now acutely sensitive to the fluctuations of elemental power. But on Gilmore, he could not find the familiar resonance. Instead, he sensed a faint ripple far out in the depths of space.

“Could it be that the wind element has been taken away?” Tregear murmured, immediately changing direction and flying toward a distant, indistinct planet.

As he drew closer, the shape of the world became clearer. It seemed to be a small asteroid, not a planet in the conventional sense. Normally, such asteroids drifted aimlessly or plunged into a planet like meteors, thus ending their existence.

But this asteroid was different—it glowed.

Yes, it radiated light and heat like a star.

If Tregear had not possessed such a vast reservoir of knowledge, he might never have recognized it as an asteroid. This kind was known as a “Doomsday Planet.” That is, it stood at the very brink of destruction. In a few months, or perhaps just days, it would explode and vanish from the universe.

From Tregear’s experience, the explosion of this asteroid would undoubtedly engulf the entire Golden Galaxy. A star was not far away, and at such proximity, a chain reaction was inevitable. By then, the Golden Galaxy would likely become nothing but history.

But—what did that matter to him?

Tregear laughed, a red light suddenly flickering in his eyes.

Otodacrys Ray!

Twin beams of crimson destruction shot forth, piercing straight through the asteroid. With a deafening boom, the asteroid shattered into pieces. At its core, a visible mass of energy compressed wildly.

In ten seconds, this energy would expand, then sweep across the entire Golden Galaxy.

At that moment, a cosmic being appeared before Tregear, clutching a lustrous, emerald-green orb.

“The Wind Elemental Core!”

Tregear’s eyes shone with excitement. He appeared at the being’s side in an instant, seized him by the throat, and crushed him to particles in a single motion, leaving nothing but dust.

The unfortunate alien didn’t even have time to speak before meeting a tragic end.

With the wind element core in hand, Tregear let out a low, delighted laugh. “Now, only light and darkness remain! Hahahahahaha!”

As his laughter echoed, the energy within the asteroid finally compressed to its limit and then erupted with a sudden, violent blast.

As the shockwave surged toward him, Tregear instinctively opened a spatial portal, preparing to leave. But in the next second, he thought of Olock.

If the Golden Galaxy exploded, that fool would surely perish as well.

No, he had to stop the energy from spreading further.

Tregear’s gaze sharpened. Stretching out both hands, he unleashed his immense power, weaving a net of energy to ensnare the raging force of the asteroid.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

The energy, obstructed, detonated in a series of relentless explosions. Yet, no matter how fierce its power, it was ultimately limited. Compared to Tregear, who could already destroy the universe, it was utterly insignificant.

Gradually, the energy diminished, and finally faded away.

Tregear nodded slightly in satisfaction before stepping into his own dimensional space to begin fusing the wind element.

This process would be a long one.

In the days to come, he would merge all four fundamental elements with the chaotic force, elevating his power to an unprecedented level.

When that day arrived, nothing in the universe would be able to stop him.