Chapter 25 Superpowered Beings VS Fallen Witchers 3
Let's talk a little about the past, about how I became a superhuman.
Before becoming a superpowered person, I often did things that seemed unconventional. But perhaps I'm judging others by myself, I think what I did wasn't actually as unconventional as others said. Most people probably did similar things to some extent, but they just rarely shared them with those around them.
That is to place a pen, eraser, or other light object within reach in front of you, then concentrate on staring at it, imagining that your mental thoughts can invade physical reality and affect it, causing it to move.
It doesn't need to be a violent movement, just a little bit, something visible to the naked eye. As long as you are single-minded and put all your mental energy into it, it's not unreasonable to expect even a small miracle in the end.
Of course, I didn't actually believe in this sophistry; it was more out of interest. From as far back as I can remember, I've been fascinated by concepts like magic and superpowers. Those stories would occasionally concoct a set of mystical elements, telling readers how to cultivate themselves to glimpse the path to immortality. It was only natural that I would want to imitate them after reading them. Of course, back then I couldn't actually go deep into the mountains to find suitable "spiritual veins" and "cave dwellings," but meditating in bed with my palms facing upwards was something I could easily do.
Even though I was still in elementary school when I first started doing that, I knew very well that no matter how long I persisted, it wouldn't really help me connect with the "spiritual energy of heaven and earth." I just wanted to get as close as possible to the world of fantasy stories. When I imitated the characters in the stories and meditated, I felt as if I had become a part of that fantasy world.
The last time I tried it was in my third year of junior high school, when I came across this idea in a miscellaneous book. It is said that in ancient times, monks would prepare an extinguished candle in a quiet room, then stare intently at the wick, imagining their gaze igniting it.
This practice isn't about actually believing you can light a candle with your eyes, but rather about using it to clear your mind of distractions, facilitating entry into the profound and mysterious state of meditation. After reading about it, I found it quite reasonable and longed to try it. Although monks' meditation itself doesn't display any supernatural powers, it is still a kind of mystical experience, and I'm very curious about it.
For a while after that, I would carry a candle with me every day and take it out to stare at the wick in my spare time, imagining the scene of the wick burning.
Unexpectedly, over time, although I did not successfully enter the mysterious state of meditation, I unexpectedly triggered other absurd phenomena.
It was an ordinary school day. After the teacher announced the end of class, he left with his materials, and the classroom became noisy with the break time. No classmates came to talk to me. As usual, I took out a candle and continued to pass the time by staring at it.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes… about five or six minutes passed, and I still hadn’t entered the so-called meditative state. This was expected. I continued to empty my mind, gazing at the candle wick as usual.
But this time, it was unlike any other.
Under my gaze,
The candle wick suddenly ignited.
-
The demon burst into flames out of thin air.
It was as if my entire body had transformed into a giant matchstick, which generated heat through friction with the air as it hurtled toward me at high speed, and then burst into flames.
A scorching heatwave swept across the area with overwhelming force, causing roadside trees and bushes to bend and collapse. I myself was caught in the heatwave, but I wasn't burned at all. I simply took two steps back and turned my body to avoid the demon's path. The demon, on the other hand, crashed into a nearby charging station in a very pathetic manner, like a runaway car.
It involuntarily let out a sharp, frantic scream, in so much pain that it couldn't even stand up. It could only roll around on the ground in a panic, trying to extinguish the flames on its body.
At the same time, the shadows around me began to stir, and a dozen shadowy blades simultaneously launched swift and deadly thrusts at me from all directions.
But before they could even touch my body, I erupted in flames. These shadowy blades, upon encountering my flames, crumbled as quickly as cotton being burned, unable to cross this blazing defensive barrier.
The demon did more than that at the crucial moment; some of its shadows did not attack me, but instead quickly surged towards itself.
It is said that in some firefighting operations, sand is used instead of water. The principle is the same as water: by covering the burning material, oxygen is cut off, preventing combustion. Presumably, these shadows serve a similar purpose, like a cocoon completely covering the tormented demon.
However, before the flames could be extinguished, the shadow was already ablaze. Instead of putting out the fire, it became fuel for the demon's suffering.
"Zhuang Cheng—" It seemed to have been cast into a scorching hell, and a voice filled with negative emotions emanated from that hell, "—Zhuang Cheng ahhh!!!"
As it roared, its body suddenly sprang up from the ground and attacked me in the blink of an eye.
But I didn't blink; my gaze remained fixed on it.
Its speed and strength are truly astounding. In my normal form, I wouldn't even have time to move a finger before it tears my body apart. However, my attacks don't require me to move my fingers. If it thinks I have to go through the process of "first condensing a fireball around me, then personally launching it" like a fire-wielding user in some fighting game, then it's seriously underestimating me.
My gaze, my voice, my breath—these everyday things are all the mediums through which I transmit my power.
My flame is my spirit, therefore wherever my spirit can reach, my flame can destroy. Some people use phrases like "If looks could kill..." to describe how strong someone's murderous intent is, but my gaze truly can kill.
Just like it is now.
The demon was ignited once more. This time, I made the flames erupt only on its front. The immense heat wave sent it flying backward, forcing it to continue its desperate struggle within the flames.
"This can't be..." It seemed to only then realize what had happened to it, "He just... he just glanced at me... Ahhh!!"
"It's just manipulating flames, nothing special." I was more interested in the other person's true abilities than their own, which I was already used to. "On the contrary, don't you have any other more novel... more bizarre abilities?"
The demon seemed to have no energy left to reply, preoccupied with manipulating the power of shadow once more, trying to extinguish the flames on its body, but to no avail.
The flames continued to relentlessly dismantle its body, but I could observe that its flesh and tissue were repairing themselves at an abnormally rapid pace. For every portion of flesh that carbonized and broke apart, new flesh regenerated to replace it. Overall, the rate of regeneration couldn't keep up with the rate of destruction; however, at this rate, it would still take some time to burn it to death.
It wouldn't be impossible to burn this demon to a crisp in one go, and the current situation is partly due to my deliberate holding back. Actually, I'm not quite sure what the maximum temperature my flames can reach. The destructive power of my flames doesn't depend on physical temperature, but on the intention I have when using them. As long as I infuse them with a murderous intent, even rocks can be vaporized on the spot; and without that intention, I can envelop a human body without harming it in the slightest.
I had originally intended to kill it. Since my opponent was going to kill me anyway, I couldn't blame anyone else if I killed it. But at the crucial moment of actually delivering the killing blow, I hesitated.
It's not that I value even the lives of my enemies. If the opponent were human, that would be one thing, but since the opponent isn't even humanoid, I wouldn't feel any guilt about burning it. But wouldn't it be a bit of a waste to burn it to death on the spot?
Perhaps I shouldn't kill it, but capture it alive. Then I could find a place to imprison it and interrogate it more about the strange things. Of course, it might also be hiding other bizarre and dangerous trump cards that could kill me. But I think that risk is worth taking.
Speaking of "risks," there's something very important I haven't had time to do yet, so let's do it now.
“Your struggle is useless.” I explained my ability. “As long as it’s within my sight, my flames will not go out. Even if you do find a way to extinguish it, I can reignite it countless times.”
In many battle comics, villains will proactively explain their abilities to the protagonist when they are in a dominant position. Although I also think this is not a wise move, it is one of my obsessions.
If I were to write a bucket list now, one of the items would definitely be "to demonstrate my abilities in front of my opponents while explaining my ability's mechanics." I was quite disappointed that I couldn't find that opportunity while I was in the cave.
Even if this approach later leads me into trouble, I can accept it calmly. The experience in the cave made me realize my true self, and I am now completely convinced that I possess that kind of spiritual power.
It was clear that the demon had no intention of surrendering obediently. Just as I was about to explain further, it suddenly let out a humiliating roar, then sprang up from the ground again and charged.
This time, however, it wasn't trying to get close to me, but rather to get away from me as quickly as possible.
The fleeing figure moved as fast as a zigzagging lightning bolt, disappearing from my sight in the blink of an eye.
Perhaps this is the best strategy it can think of right now. It has realized that I can ignite objects with my gaze, and since neither its shadow nor its main body can reach me, disappearing from my sight as soon as possible is the best course of action; otherwise, it will only continue to be burned by me and suffer a painful death.
However, I never said that being out of my sight would necessarily make one safe.
Running away halfway through an explanation is not a good habit.
I closed my eyes, and images of the place where the demon resided appeared in my mind.
After escaping the residential area, the demon quickly reached the riverbank a kilometer away. Still scorched by my flames, it plunged into the water without hesitation. The contact between the water and the flames immediately released a large amount of white steam.
Even my flames couldn't evaporate an entire river; at least, I've never tried. The demon is trying to extinguish the flames with a large amount of water, but that's futile. My flames can appear out of thin air without oxygen, and naturally, they won't disappear due to a lack of oxygen.
Moreover, running away from me was a mistake; no matter how far it ran, it couldn't escape my gaze. Admittedly, my "fireflies" are no longer by its side, but the reason the "fireflies" could share my vision was because they were my flames, my scattered spirit. And now, the flames burning on the demon's body have become my eyes as well.
Wherever the firelight reaches, that is where my gaze falls.
Once ignited by me, it cannot escape my burning, no matter where it flees. Unless it receives my permission, it is a flame that will never be extinguished.
(End of this chapter)
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