Chapter 216: Overwhelming Intent

Howard spent fifteen minutes with his eyes closed in front of the gigantic Ancient One's body.

It gave off a feeling that couldn't be described from a distance. It was like it's last desire was for whatever it was fighting to be slaughtered.

It had four long bone arms that still seemed to have traces of its Ki. However, this ki felt extremely old, and mysterious. Most of the time, when Howard used his Emperor's Ki, he almost instantly figured out how to use another beings Ki. Yet, this being, its Ki almost seemed to be from a different universe. No matter how hard he tried to focus, he simply couldn't figure it out!

"It must have been the strongest being in its time," Howard contemplated with its eyes closed. "Though it died, it seemed to have died with pride. I wonder if what it was fighting ended up getting killed at the last moments of their battle. However, if the being it was fighting was so strong, shouldn't it's corpse also be around?"

Howard opened his eyes and decided to jump up to the top of the mountain holding the ancient one. He was scared to touch a single one of its bones, but it felt like somewhere nearby, if it was fighting an enemy, he should be able to find it.

He took a few steps forward, though, and then instantly felt a tremendous pressure pushing him down. Was this also this beings intent? He-he could hardly take a step a second!

'How terrifying? It-it's intent from over a million years ago is trying to keep me from advancing? How much a monster was this thing!"

Howard took ten steps and then twenty steps and then one hundred steps as his black hair blew back in the wind. His black shirt, and jeans, which he'd just gotten fixed, started to tear apart while he walked forward.

He sighed and took a deep breath. In the distance, he finally noticed the presence of another being. How come he didn't notice it before.

"Stop!" A loud voice screamed, surprising Howard. "If you go one more step, I��ll slaughter you!" The deep voice resonated in Howard's body and instantly caused him to fall to the ground. "You must not see his remains! If you do, his evil will overwhelm you?"

"Who? Who are you?" Howard trembled, looking around him and seeing nothing but the sand stirring in the wind. "How-how are you talking to me? How am I hearing your voice?"

"I am the intent of that monster you see behind you. However, never before, has anyone been able to walk a foot passed the center of this mountain. I don't know how you got passed my mirage, but if you keep advancing, you'll die!"

"You-you are his intent? What do you mean?" Howard said, shaking off his fear. "You-you sound like you're right next to me, but everywhere at the same time. Can you explain yourself a little more?"

"Hmph, I haven't need to explain myself for over a million years, yet you think, you, a young child, can get me to explain myself? Back when I was around, you humans didn't even exist yet! However, sure, 'll be nice to you. An intent is something like a domain that can take over an entire world! Back in my day, we thought we'd be strong enough to stop anything, but we were wrong! Not until that bastard shwoed up from a higher realm! I had no choice but to sacrifice himself?"

'Could he have been like the Great Last Lord?' Howard said, shaking his head. "But how can that be? The Great Last Lord would get killed in a second of this thing were still around.'

'Unless, of course, if it's true, every 1000 years that go by it goes up a rank. If that's the case, if 10,000 years went by, would it be strong enough to kill this thing? 100,000 years?'

"You are thinking? You must be wondering why I won't let you go further. Well, some secrets are better left never uncovered! Perhaps if you were as strong as one of my children, I wouldn't be so afraid, but even at birth they would've been able to rip you to shreds?"

"So strong?" Howard said, stepping back a few steps as an extremely terrifying wind pushed him forward. "How? How could they be so strong, haha! Those stronger than me right now are less than probably 10,000. Why would your children have been so strong?"

"I-I feel like I've done enough explaining. However, my name is Gaskron," The voice started to fade away before it seemed to turn into a whisper. 

Gaskron was indeed the intent of the skeleton behind Howard. It had memories from millions of years ago that Howard could only dream of.

Back millions of years ago, the Furnace had just been created. The core of the earth had sprouted it after passing by a special area in space full of Ki, and that led to a seed that soon turned into this magical place.

This meant two things. One, that because the Furnace was so knew, it's Ki was much more plentiful, and two, any beings that were around during that time were also much stronger. Gaskron had been one of the ten strongest beings, so of course his children would also be strong, but even compared to him there was those even stronger! One of those beings just so happened to be hiding a few kilometers from where Howard was standing, and though it was a corpse, there was no way he'd let Howard approach.

"There-there is an extremely pure area of Ki that would make the Jarkalon Abyss you humans are so proud of these days look like dirt. I-I sealed a corpse inside of it, but that's all I can tell you! Like I said, come back when you're strong enough to at least rival one of my sons! Just so you know, my weakest son, Hakrzonepod, had the strength to shatter this entire mountain range with a single fist! Until then, you must never come back."

"This entire mountain range?" Howard shook his head. He couldn't imagine anything that strong. "That-that must mean he's at least in the G rank. No, could he be higher than that?"

"My children were indeed roughly at the G rank." Gaksron said, "But only for a few days. Ugh, if you ever get there, though, I think you just might survive the overwhelming feeling that corpse possesses. However, until that day, never return and let me sleep!"

Boom!

A large burst of wind shot Howard off the mountain and down onto the ground below. Flipping in the air, he landed on one foot barely before the terrifying intent went away. He couldn't believe it. Had Waxel really never encountered that being? What did he mean went through his mirrage?

"I have one more thing to ask! Let me study your Ki for 10 more minutes," Howard screamed, grinding his fist into a ball. "10 more minutes, please, and then I'll leave!"

"You-you have an hour," The voice of the intent trailed off. "However, after that, I'll crush even your dreams if you return to early. Do you understand?"