CHAPTER 182: CHAPTER 182: THE WRATH OF DIVINE POWER

The inside of the temple blazed with incandescent light.Jax, seated at the center of the altar, wrapped his body in a cocoon of golden energy that pulsed like a living heart.The air trembled; the columns shook; the very walls bent with each surge.

Around him, reality itself seemed to twist — like the chrysalis of a butterfly waiting to spread its wings.

Inside the cocoon, the God of Dreams writhed.His body was fighting itself. Veins bulged, muscles spasmed, and his breathing grew ragged.The divine power he had absorbed from the God of Death was not merging with him... it was invading him.

It was a celestial parasite — a holy fire trying to purge the flesh it did not belong to.Before, there had been balance: divinity flowing alongside mana, dancing in harmony.But now... now the excess was tearing him apart from within.

Jax gritted his teeth, his voice mixing with the roar of the power that surrounded him."Damn it...!" he hissed, his skin cracking like living porcelain. "I can’t... contain it!"

The cocoon of light sealed completely, isolating him from the world.From outside, only a violently trembling sphere of light hovered above the altar.Inside, Jax felt as though his own body was rejecting him. The divine power was an invader — and he was losing the war.

His mind, desperate for an escape, remembered something.The Celestial.If anyone could help him stabilize what was happening, it was him...But the problem was reaching him.

He would have to climb the tower again, up to the 10th floor.And to gain entry, he first needed to participate in the GRB — and win it.Only then would he have the right to stand before the Celestial.But right now, his power was so great that his body was being destroyed and rebuilt again and again, in a cycle of agony beyond his wildest imagination.

He closed his eyes, forcing his consciousness through the dreamscape."Manaia..." he whispered, his voice echoing through dreams and stars. "I need to know when the next GRB will be."

Silence followed.Then, Manaia’s soft, trembling voice echoed in his mind:"Jax...? Is that you? By the heavens! What’s happening to you? We’ve all been so worried! Seraphina told us you’re tearing reality apart around you!"

Although Manaia still hadn’t fully accepted Seraphina, she knew this wasn’t the time to argue — and silently thanked her for warning them.

Jax’s voice had vanished weeks ago.For him, only minutes had passed, but for them, it had been weeks of silence.No one could reach him; the divine link that connected them was unresponsive.They were completely cut off from Jax, and panic spread among them all.

Luckily, his power still flowed into his followers, keeping his new kingdom stable.Otherwise, the emperors might have seized the chance to strike him down while he was at his weakest — and destroy him once and for all.

"There’s no time," Jax interrupted, his breathing uneven. "Answer me. When is the next GRB?"

"In two weeks," Manaia replied, her voice trembling. "But why? What’s happening to you?"

Jax clenched his fists, staring at the golden fractures running along his arms."My body... is collapsing. The power I absorbed doesn’t belong to this plane. It’s consuming me from the inside. That damned avatar of the God of Death held too much divine essence... and now I’m being overloaded. My body is tearing itself apart."

Manaia went silent for a few seconds before speaking again, her voice unsteady."What about the last GRB? Don’t you remember?"

Jax closed his eyes, struggling through the fog of memory.She continued:"After it ended... after Lira died, we were terrified. No one dared to enter again. We sent some of your new followers, but none returned. They all died. The last expedition was two months ago — they were annihilated too. So we decided to wait until the next cycle... next year."

The God of Dreams fell silent. His breathing was heavy."Then..." he said at last, his voice low and grim, "I’ll go this time. Myself."

"No!" Manaia shouted. "You can’t! That’s suicide! What will we do if something happens to you? We won’t survive without you!"

"I don’t have a choice," Jax replied, his voice rumbling like distant thunder. "If I can’t find a way to balance this power... I’ll die."

"Then let us go with you," she pleaded. "If we’re all with you, you’ll have a better chance. We’ll help you get whatever you need — even if it means dying for you!"

Manaia’s determination echoed the will of all his women.They would all sacrifice themselves without hesitation — Jax knew that too well.That was why he had contacted only Manaia. He didn’t want to worry them all.

Jax didn’t care about dying.He didn’t care about putting himself in danger again and again just to survive.But he could never allow harm to come to his women.He could not bear losing them as he lost Lira that day.Since then, not a single day had passed without regret — without dreaming of protecting her, of having her by his side once more.

Her laughter, her warmth, her playful charm — even that little perked-up backside that used to brighten his days with every sway of her hips...

That feeling of loss was something he refused to endure again.He had to endure this alone.

"I’m sorry," he said firmly. "But it’s final. I’ll go alone. I won’t risk you — no matter what."

Hearing the unshakable tone in his voice, Manaia fell silent.She said nothing more — only accepting his decision in silence.

The cocoon of light grew brighter, more violent.Inside, Jax’s skin began to burn with golden fire.

"Faith..." he murmured with a hollow laugh. "There’s so much faith flowing into my body... it’s burning me alive... like wood in a bonfire. Forgive me for not taking you with me. I’ll protect you — even if it costs me my life."

From afar, Manaia could only hear his labored breathing —and then the connection went dead.

Inside the temple, the light exploded in silence.The cocoon sealed shut, leaving Jax suspended between mortality and divinity —trapped in a war against his own power.