Chapter 217. The Storm's Edge
The realization struck Noah with the force of a physical blow. Beyond the mastery of Void Energy and the ability to command the skittering nightmares of the dark, Malzahar had bestowed upon him his most enigmatic gift: the eyes of a Prophet.
The vision he had just experienced—the twin rifts of energy colliding in a violent dance—hadn't been a mere hallucination. It was a fragment of a moment yet to come, a localized prophecy of him testing his new powers within the hollows of the Abyss.
"So, this is why the world trembled at his words," Noah mused, a spark of genuine awe lighting his eyes. To see the strike before it was swung, to know the path before the first step—it was the ultimate edge in a world of monsters and gods.
He closed his eyes again, pushing his consciousness forward, testing the limits of this new "sight." He reached out into the immediate flow of time. A new image coalesced in his mind: the violet mists coalescing into chittering, insectoid forms—the Void Swarm. The creatures manifested, then darted haphazardly through the air, tumbling over one another in a chaotic frenzy of hunger and confusion.
"The future has shifted?" Noah whispered, his brow furrowing as he opened his eyes.
The previous vision of the colliding rifts was gone, replaced by the manifesting swarm. A slow, knowing smile spread across his face as the logic of the gift revealed itself.
"I see... I am not a mere spectator to fate. By seeing the future, I gain the power to break it."
He had intentionally changed his mind. In the first vision, he had subconsciously planned to test the Call of the Void. But by deciding to test the Void Swarm instead, he had successfully steered the timeline onto a new rail. It was a terrifyingly powerful concept. It reminded him vividly of the Time Stone, that emerald artifact wielded by the Sorcerer Supreme. He recalled how Doctor Strange had sat atop the ruins of Titan, his head twitching through millions of agonizing futures to find the one narrow path where they defeated Thanos.
"I may not have the infinite reach of the Time Stone," Noah admitted, his thoughts turning to the Ancient One, "but this is a start. If I ever get my hands on that green gem, my prophecies wouldn't just be glimpses—they would be absolute."
He shook his head, clearing the ambitious thoughts. He already possessed two of the Infinity Stones; hunting a third while the Sorcerer Supreme was still at the height of her power would be a fool's errand. The Ancient One was not a foe to be trifled with, and for now, his current arsenal was more than sufficient.
He turned his attention back to the nine hovering orbs of light and the bonus chest that floated patiently in the air.
"I wonder... can I see what's inside these before I touch them?"
Noah squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating all his will on the glowing spheres. He tried to pierce the veil of the system's RNG, seeking a vision of the items hidden within. But he met only a cold, impenetrable wall of static.
"Ah, of course. Some things are even beyond a Prophet's reach," he chuckled, feeling a slight sting of disappointment. It seemed his foresight was blocked by the system's own fundamental laws—much like Malzahar's own blindness toward his ultimate fate within the heart of the Void. "The house always keeps its secrets."
With a shrug, he decided to do it the old-fashioned way. He swept his hand through the air, his fingers brushing against the nine orbs in rapid succession. The blue light shattered, revealing a cascade of items that drifted into his view.
**[Health Potion x6] [Stealth Ward] [Stealth Ward] [Mana Potion x6] [Random Skin Shard x1]
[Random Skin Shard x1] [Stormrazor] [Teemo's Mushroom] [Ruby Crystal]**
His eyes skipped over the consumables and crystals, locking onto a single, radiant icon.
"Stormrazor?"
His heart skipped a beat. Another completed legendary item.
As Noah touched the icon, the light didn't just fade; it exploded into a shower of sparks and crackling electricity. From the brilliance emerged an exquisite katana. Its blade was a work of art, forged from a steel that seemed to hold the blue-white essence of a lightning bolt. It hummed with a low, predatory vibration that made the hair on Noah's arms stand on end.
He gripped the hilt, feeling the sudden, violent surge of wind pressure swirling around the guard. He drew the blade just a few inches from its scabbard, and the sound was like a clap of thunder. With a casual, effortless flick of his wrist, he unleashed a horizontal slash.
Whoosh!
A razor-thin crescent of wind and lightning tore through the Abyss, cleaving the thick violet fog for hundreds of yards before dissipating.
"Incredible," Noah whispered, looking at the edge. He hadn't used any of his own mana or internal energy; that strike was the pure, unadulterated power of the Stormrazor. The blade was a conduit for the tempest, perfectly augmenting his existing wind-style techniques.
He recalled the debates of his past life—how many players insisted this was Yasuo's blade simply because of its aesthetic and wind-based properties. But Noah knew better. He had the memories of the Unforgiven within him, and Yasuo's sword was the "Unsheathed Blade," a weapon of different lineage. The system hadn't granted Yasuo a legendary weapon because the man himself was the weapon.
But now, Noah had both.
He stowed the Stormrazor back into the spatial folds of his inventory. His collection was becoming formidable: the Statikk Shiv for chain-lightning devastation, the Muramana for its endless, soul-burning bite, and now the Stormrazor for precision and gale-force impact. He briefly entertained the thought of fighting with all three at once—perhaps mimicking the three-sword style of a certain green-haired swordsman—but the idea of holding a blade in his teeth felt a bit too ridiculous for his taste.
He glanced at the remaining items. Teemo's mushroom sat there, looking deceptively cute with its purple spots, but Noah knew it was a localized chemical disaster waiting to happen. He left it untouched, deciding it would be much safer to let his lab technicians handle it later.
"Now for the chest," Noah said, his eyes gleaming with the thrill of the gamble. "Let's see if this 'Abyss luck' holds out for one more round."
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