I Spread my Genes to Level Up in the Apocalypse

Ray paused mid-movement, standing amusedly in the vast emptiness of the void.

"Who… are… you?" an ancient voice spoke, deep and resonant, pausing deliberately with each word.

"I am Ray," he replied, looking directly at the intense, blinding light. His eyes could pierce through the heat and radiance of the sun to its very centre, where he detected a shadowy figure shifting ever so slightly.

"The planetary being of the Sun… is actually a shadow?"

He mused in his heart, waiting patiently for a response. But there was nothing—only an unsettling, absolute silence.

"Hmm, if you're not going to respond, then goodbye, Mercury." Ray raised his fist.

"Wait…"

Ray sneered, gathering all his strength, then unleashed a powerful punch aimed directly at the planetary being of Mercury, concealed within the planet itself.

Boom!

Everything in Ray's path was completely and utterly annihilated. Just as the tremendous force of his punch was about to collide with the planetary being of Mercury, time itself suddenly seemed to freeze.

A shadowy figure appeared between them, and in an instant, time resumed its flow.

"Hmm?" Ray murmured, glancing at the sun. The shadow he had noticed earlier still lingered in the sun's core, but now, an almost identical figure stood directly in front of Mercury, shielding him from the impact of Ray's blow.

"Why do you attack Mercury, human?" the shadow figure spoke, its voice now flowing like the soft notes of a flute. To anyone from Earth, it might have sounded like mere gibberish, but to Ray, the words were as clear as daylight. This was simple because Celestial beings and higher beings have no language constraint.

"Because I want to," Ray replied, tilting his head as he observed Mercury cowering behind the shadow's form.

"I'm quite curious. You were so damn calm when I killed or captured your other children, but for this Mercury, you show such love? It seems you have a favorite child here," Ray remarked with a smirk.

As he spoke, he casually waved his hand, and Mother Earth instantly appeared by his side.

"You…" She was about to snap, but her gaze quickly shifted to the shadowy figure before her. Her voice faltered, and she fell silent, momentarily overwhelmed.

Ray chuckled, shaking his head. "Go on, meet your father."

Ignoring Ray's words, Mother Earth stepped forward, her eyes brimming with tears as she knelt, her voice trembling. "Greetings, Father."

"Hmm." The shadowy figure gave a slight nod, his focus remaining fixed on Ray. "I have turned a blind eye to your hostility toward my children, but you dare to threaten Mercury? Do you truly believe you are invincible?"

"Yeah."

Ray spoke calmly, his gaze steady and fearless as he looked straight ahead.

"You…" The shadowy figure lunged forward at terrifying speed, reaching Ray almost instantly.

"I'm faster, bitch." Ray sneered and punched.

Sizzle!

A searing heat pulsed under his skin as Ray's entire hand ignited, charring to nearly black. Yet, as he swung, a rift tore open in space, and his fist shot right through it, striking the shadowy figure that was several hundred kilometres away.

Boom!

"Nooo…"

The shadowy figure let out a piercing scream as he was obliterated, his existence erased by the force of Ray's scorched fist.

Ray casually retracted his fist, glancing at it as a soft green light began to shine, slowly mending his scorched skin.

"Father… is he really dead?" Mother Earth whispered from beside him, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"No, he isn't dead," Ray replied, shaking his head. He examined his hand with a scowl. "Something is blocking my healing."

Neither his natural regeneration nor any of his skills seemed to work on his hand, as if it had turned into a completely lifeless object. He could still control it, but if the decay continued, his entire arm would soon be rendered useless.

"Hmm?" Ray's gaze shifted to the planetary being of Mercury, who cowered in terror, and then back to the sun.

"This… is… your… warning… human," a deep voice reverberated through the void once more.

"I don't take warnings." Ray smirked and shot forward, hurtling toward the sun once again.

"Wait, Ray, are you really that crazy? Are you actually going to fight Father?" Mother Earth cried out, her eyes still red from her earlier tears.

"Worried about me?" He turned back, eyeing her with an amused expression.

"Who's worried about you?" she shot back instantly, her voice sharp.

"Then?" Ray tilted his head, clearly entertained.

"I… I…" For a moment, she stumbled, unsure of what to say.

Without warning, Ray pulled her into his arms. "You know, I never noticed it before, but you look really cute." He planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Don't worry—I'll be fine."

And with that, his figure blurred, vanishing completely.

Mother Earth touched her cheek, a faint blush colouring her face as she watched him disappear into the distance.

"This bastard," she muttered, gritting her teeth.

Ray had already reappeared, hovering right in front of the blazing sun.

"Are you still going to ignore me, Sun?" Ray asked, his voice echoing through the void.

"Yes…" came the reply, deep and ancient.

"..."

Ray was momentarily speechless. With a smirk, he raised his hand, and in the empty expanse of space, countless swords made of pure electromagnetic energy began to form, shimmering with a fierce intensity.

"I guess I'll have to make you notice me, huh?"

He brought his hand down, and the swarm of swords descended, raining down on the sun and engulfing it in an overwhelming storm of energy.

"Human… you… are… going… too… far…"

Just before the swords struck the surface, they froze in place, then burst into flames, disintegrating into nothingness.

Ray's gaze remained fixed on the sun's core, where the shadowy figure stood, completely still. His eyes glinted with excitement as he watched the shadow figure suddenly open his own eyes.

A deep void formed within the blazing mass of magma, and from it, the shadowy figure slowly emerged, hovering in front of Ray.

The Sun took the form of a shadowy, human-like figure, surrounded by intense, blazing fire. Stripes and bands, like ethereal clothes, wrapped around his form made entirely of nuclear reaction.

"Let's… fight… human… who… has… grown… far… too… audacious…"

Ray held back from attacking right away, a flicker of curiosity crossing his face. "Tell me something, Sun. How do you know about us humans?"

He'd always assumed the Sun had been dormant for millions of years, yet it spoke of humans with clear awareness. From such a colossal perspective, humanity should appear as tiny, insignificant beings unworthy of notice.

"Your… species… of… humans… is… fascinating…" The Sun pointed a fiery finger at Ray. "You… Humans… were… not… formed… by… natural… processes…"

Ray's eyes narrowed. "Then how?"

"Enough… talk…"

Without warning, the Sun's planetary being moved at a blinding speed, closing the distance between them in an instant.

"Let's fight then." Ray's eyes blazed with fury as he threw a punch with his scorched arm.

In an instant, both of them shifted into the fourth dimension, a realm where the beings of the third dimension could neither see nor sense.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ray's fists collided with the air, each strike sending shockwaves through the space-time fabric of the fourth dimension, distorting reality with every blow.

The Sun, however, wasn't far behind. It matched Ray's punches with its own, the force sending Ray back slightly. Though Ray's power initially overpowered the Sun, he felt his strength diminishing with each strike. Both of his arms, already scorched, began to burn even more, the damage steadily accumulating.

"Fuck," Ray growled through gritted teeth. At that moment, his body started to glow with a brilliant white light.

"Holy Body!"

An armour of radiant energy materialised around him, enveloping his form in an impenetrable shell of divine power. Without hesitation, Ray extended his hand, and a trident made entirely of pure white energy appeared surrounding his body.

The Sun didn't give Ray a moment to breathe. It attacked with a terrifying wave of heat, the temperature rising to unimaginable extremes. Every hair on Ray's body began to burn and wither away, and his clothes, already reduced to ash, left his chiselled physique fully exposed.

Slowly, his skin started to burn off, revealing his muscle structure, as if his very flesh was being erased by the heat. The intense pain surged through him, but Ray did not flinch. He fought on, his trident clashing against the Sun's blistering fist. The impact shattered the fabric of the dimension itself, causing everything to crack and collapse around them.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Another round of fierce combat erupted, head-to-head, their strikes echoing through the void. Despite his scorched body—only a skeletal framework of muscle and bone left—Ray refused to retreat. Instead, a wild excitement surged through him, the more he fought the more fiercer he got.

"Haha!"

Ray's maddened laughter rang out, reverberating through the collapsing dimension. The sheer intensity of his strikes sent shockwaves that rattled even the Sun.

The Sun, stunned by Ray's resilience, found itself reeling with every blow. Despite its immense power, the planetary being could not avoid taking damage. Each time Ray punched, it felt as though a truck, a dump truck had collided with it—brutal.

The Sun grew increasingly injured, and a thought surfaced in its mind—something that hadn't occurred to it since its birth.

"I don't want to die."

Then, the Sun turned around, preparing to leave.

"Where the fuck are you going?" Ray sneered, tightening his grip on the Sun. His arms gradually constricted, and even his white armour began to burn from the pressure.

"Leave… me… human…" The Sun roared in fury, its shadowy form erupting into brightness. "I… will… show… you… my… true… power…"

"Fusion… and… Fission…"

Bang!

An explosion of heat instantly obliterated everything in its path. The intensity of the heat was beyond Ray's comprehension, catching him completely off-guard as he took it head-on.

The Sun slipped away from the fourth dimension, retreating back to the centre of the sun, where it resumed its resting state.

Ray was left in a completely unrecognisable state, with only his bones remaining.