Usually, a mage has to train for a long time, learn spells, or better understand this world and magic to come close to breaking the Barrier. But, deadly situations have always been one of the best ways to become stronger, no matter the time or even the world.

One could gain strength and reach heights one never dreamed of before by overcoming oneself. When a mage approached the breakthrough of his Barrier, he had to spend quite a lot of time breaking every link in the chain around his Warp.

However, when the Jade Serpent made his final attack, which was to kill Evan, he broke through his first Barrier. Evan had never heard of such a thing before, no mage should have broken through the Barrier so abruptly without prior preparation. But Evan didn’t have time to think about it.

As he broke through the Barrier, a Splash occurred. A large amount of gray energy with a purple hue came out of his body. Thanks to the ordeal he had passed in the Devil’s Horn, Evan now knew that this energy represented his power – chaos.

Whooosh.

Evan bounced sharply to the side, past the Jade Serpent’s jaws. Even though he had just broken through his first Barrier, it did not add to Evan’s strength. He could fight for no more than a couple more minutes and only make a few more attacks.

<My power is chaos, but… I don’t know how to control it, but I have to try.> Evan thought and waved his hand toward the Jade Serpent.

That energy was the only weapon Evan had left. He had mana, but he didn’t have enough power to focus on casting any spell. Moreover, he doubted that the spells he could use now would do any harm to the Jade Serpent.

Evan tried to control the energy, but he failed. It just kept spreading out from his body.

While Evan was trying to figure out what he needed to do to control that energy, the Jade Serpent attacked again. His tail transformed into a whiplash-like motion and struck Evan with all its might. He flew back a few meters, tearing out a mouthful of blood.

“Damn, my power is unbelievably strong, but it’s just impossible to control it,” Evan muttered, looking at the gray energy emanating from his body.

The Jade Serpent slowly approached him with a menacing hiss.

<Wait a minute. Chaos cannot be controlled or is incredibly difficult. However, I don’t have to own it, for I am its source. I need to give it more power. Chaos needs to be given freedom.> Evan thought to himself.

He remembered himself during the ordeal. He had been in Rid’s character then and hadn’t realized it was him. But, the most important thing was not who he had turned into, but how the world had changed.

<That world most likely consisted entirely of chaos energy, and though it was constantly changing, it was one unified whole. To control chaos, I must not have dominion over it. I must become a cog in this crazy world on which the course of events will depend.>

Evan realized that there was no point in controlling this power by force. Moreover, there was no point at all. This power belonged to him as it was. He just had to understand his role. Evan decided that the only true option would be to become part of this power, just like in the fictional world.

The Jade Serpent attacked again, but Evan had no intention of dodging. He stood still and seemed very focused on some process. The next moment Evan relaxed, and ten times more chaos energy came out of his body than before. It wasn’t like a wave but like a real tsunami that swallowed up everything around him.

The serpent was frightened and retreated abruptly. Evan did things time after time that Jade Serpent couldn’t understand or predict.

With each passing second, the energy grew larger and larger, slowly spreading through the Glass Forest, or rather, through the destroyed flames of the area.

Evan looked at the Jade Beast and smilingly said, “Looks like I won. You were a great opponent.”

Evan waved his hand, and a sea of chaos energy headed toward the Jade Serpent. Evan didn’t know what would happen to the beast, but that’s what he was going to find out.

The Jade Serpent tried to run away from this energy, but it was impossible. It engulfed him, giving him no chance to escape.

Gradually the chaotic energy turned into a massive tornado. It was so big that the colossal size of the rock next to it seemed like a small pebble. 

Evan was surprised when his body got so much energy, but it only pleased him. This power was something even he did not understand.

Gradually the vortex increased in size and gained speed. Then the gray began to change to purple.

“Now,” Evan muttered and clenched his palm into a fist.

The vortex narrowed and swooped down on the Jade Serpent like a falling comet. The chaos energy engulfed the serpent and spread throughout the entire Glass Forest. The area then began to change beyond recognition.

The whole area trembled, and many crystals of different colors appeared from under the ground. Then the embers turned into horrible dark arms as if they were alive. The lava puddles left behind by the waves of fire turned into small geysers exploding with lava.

Numerous ashes turned into massive, forty meter tall trees with glowing blue leaves and gray bark. There was a roar of thunder in the sky, and columns of lightning fell to the ground, making the crystals glow brightly.

On that day, the area of the Glass Forest was halved. The destroyed part was transformed into a new area that would soon be inscribed on all kingdom maps.

But, the most significant change happened to the Jade Serpent. It didn’t die but instead became much stronger. Evan could feel the creature’s aura become many times powerful.

Its white scales had changed their color to black. The serpent’s gaze became more dangerous and majestic. Its eyes became as blue as the ocean. The head of the Jade Serpent had several growths on it, which made its head look like a dragon’s head.

The Jade Serpent headed towards Evan, but it did not attack him.. The beast accepted its defeat in this fight.