Against the Gods: Dark Justice

Nine years later.

Akainu sat cross-legged, naked, beneath a towering waterfall. His eyes remained closed, his body surrounded by a red energy field that outlined his frame. Instead of the water crashing down upon him, the tremendous force was unable to make contact. The energy diverted the water, creating a protective barrier around him and forcing the torrent to flow aside.

Gradually, the red energy began to expand outward, pushing the cascading water horizontally as it fanned away from him. The expanding force climbed upward, blocking the waterfall entirely at its source, while also compressing the lake below into a concave shape.

This extraordinary display of power continued for several minutes before the red energy retreated, condensing back into a tight outline around Akainu's body. The waterfall resumed its natural flow, pouring freely over him once again. The lake's surface returned to its calm, undisturbed state.

"Phew." Akainu exhaled, opening his eyes. His gaze revealed pitch-black eyes with irises and pupils that seemed to hold an abyss of endless void.

'My control over profound energy is even better now.' He thought, his expression stoic.

For nine long years, Akainu had secluded himself in the depths of a remote forest, dedicating every waking moment to relentless training. He focused on mastering the abilities he had obtained from the starter pack, refining them day by day.

His cultivation journey had begun with the most basic entry-level manual provided by the system. It taught him how to sense the profound energy in the world around him. With the system's guidance, he learned to absorb this energy into his **dantian**, channeling it throughout his body.

Once he grasped the process, it came naturally to him. The system's assistance made channeling energy effortless, but that was just the beginning.

Within the human body, there are fifty-four profound entry points, gateways that enhance one's combat potential and overall cultivation effectiveness. Akainu had unlocked all fifty-four with ease, a feat that maximized his profound energy capacity and amplified the power of his techniques. Even the simplest profound arts became devastatingly destructive in his hands.

Unlocking all entries also allowed him to surpass cultivation bottlenecks effortlessly, granting him an unparalleled advantage in ascending to higher realms. Additionally, his body was also strengthened in the process, granting him superior speed, resilience, and durability, making him a near-perfect warrior in both energy control and physical capability.

Now for what Akainu has greatly achieved was able to figure out and create something in which has set him on another level. 

With the help of the system, Akainu was able to create two storage-type pearls in his dantian. One carries positive profound energy, while the other carries negative profound energy, derived from the Reverse Profound Technique he received in the starter pack, a technique that enables him to heal from any injury he sustains.

These two pearls form the foundation of a revolutionary cultivation system that sets Akainu apart from the rest. 

By allowing the positive and negative profound energies to clash within his dantian, Akainu creates a perpetual cycle of energy that enables him to endlessly replenish his profound energy, granting him limitless stamina during battles, and even the Reverse Profound Technique further augments this system, using positive energy to rapidly heal any injuries he sustains, ensuring that he remains at peak condition throughout a fight.

Though Akainu's mastery over the pearls wasn't immediate. Initially, he struggled to maintain balance between the energies. Overuse of one energy could disrupt the loop, leading to instability or a temporary loss of energy flow.

To fully harness this system, he underwent rigorous cultivation and battles with small profound beasts in the forests to refine his control. The pearls also have a capacity limit, requiring Akainu to gradually expand them as his strength grows.

In addition to his profound cultivation, Akainu trained his soul using the abilities granted by the Soul Fruit. By absorbing the souls of elementary profound beasts, he strengthened his own soul without enduring the excruciating pain such a process typically involved. The Soul Fruit not only made this possible but also allowed him to manipulate and attack others' souls directly, a power far beyond the reach of even the most powerful cultivators.

Among his many abilities, Akainu focused primarily on mastering the powers of the Lava Fruit, Diamond Fruit, and Shock Fruit, honing them into forces of nature. Alongside these, he cultivated his mastery of Observation, Armament, and Conqueror's Haki, making himself nearly invincible in combat.

And lastly the navy six styles. With the help of his system, which acts like an advanced nano machine capable of simulating and perfecting techniques, Akainu managed to enhance the Navy Six Styles to an entirely new level, making them a hundred times more potent than their original form. 

Each technique was optimized to perfectly synergize with his profound energy and physical cultivation, turning basic moves into divine forms. 

"System, show me my stats." Akainu muttered as he sat cross-legged under the raging waterfall, his expression calm.

[Stats:] 

[Abilities: Lava Fruit, Hot Fruit, Fire Fruit, Soul Fruit, Diamond Fruit, Shock Fruit. Observation, Armament, Conqueror's Haki.] 

[Techniques: Reverse Profound Technique. Navy Six Styles.] 

[Cultivation Level: Earth Profound Realm.]

He stared at the displayed cultivation level, his gaze lingering for a moment before shifting toward the calm surface of the lake ahead.

His cultivation level wasn't particularly high, even though he had opened all his profound entries. His breakthroughs were limited, as he hadn't focused on ascending to higher realms.

But it didn't matter. His combat effectiveness was unaffected by his cultivation realm. Even gods had to avoid his edge.

Akainu rose to his feet. His bare frame stood tall and imposing, his muscles well-developed and perfectly structured. His mature, handsome face, coupled with shoulder-length hair, gave him an air of authority. At 200 cm, his towering height was far from ordinary for someone only fifteen years old.

The frail six-year-old he had been nine years ago was long gone.

He began walking across the water, each step steady as though the lake's surface were solid ground. Reaching the landscape, he stepped onto the shore.

Clothes materialized over his bare body. An all-black traditional martial arts outfit paired with black boots. On his right hand, a red ring appeared on his middle finger.

This was a storage ring with infinite capacity. While the system storage served the same purpose, Akainu preferred the ring, as it was something he had created himself. By fully synthesizing the system's storage, he had fashioned this ring, a remarkable artifact with limitless space.

In an instant, Akainu vanished.

When he reappeared, he was standing at the edge of a cliff. Before him stood three graves, each marking the resting place of his sister, father, and mother.

"Sorry for not being able to visit you. I was busy." Akainu muttered, his eyes fixed on the graves. The wind blew softly, ruffling his long hair.

"I miss you guys." He said after a moment of silence, lowering his head as his expression grew heavy with sadness.

Droplets fell to the ground, tears streaming from his eyes.

His fists clenched tightly, his teeth grinding together as the tears continued to fall, dripping onto the earth below.

How could he not cry? They were his family, his only source of happiness since coming into this world. And now, they were gone, taken from him. He knew he couldn't change the past. What had happened was irreversible, the truth unavoidable, and it hurts.

But he also knew that dwelling on the past would accomplish nothing. It would only keep him stagnant. He would continue to move forward, yet he would always miss them, their presence, their warmth.

"Father, Mother, forgive your son for what he's about to do." Akainu said, his voice low as he dropped to his knees and bowed deeply before the graves. From this moment onward, the path he had chosen would paint the world in blood. His hands would bear the weight of countless lives, and he had sworn, sworn to cleanse the filth of this world.

He did not regret what he would do to them, but he was sorry for what he himself would become.

If no one else would act, then he would.

With unyielding conviction, with absolute justice, he would bring hell to all evil.

"Now, watch over me." Akainu said, rising to his feet. He wiped his tears away, and the sorrow in his eyes was replaced by an icy resolve. "Mother, Father, and Sister, watch over me as I change this world."

He stood still for a few moments, the wind brushing past him as if offering silent support. Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.

Minutes passed as he exited the forest.

"Scum of the world, be prepared." Akainu muttered, his voice cold and firm. "Justice is coming."

His eyes gleamed with an intense, unrelenting coldness as the air around him began to tremble. The void itself seemed on the verge of collapse, as though the world could feel the storm he was about to unleash.