Fairy Tail: Collapsing Stars - Chapter 223: Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus

Facing extinction, humanity seeks salvation in the Astral Verge, a dangerous dimension accessed via portals that threatened to wipe out the entire planet.Few years later, aspiring recruit Daniel Vance enters the Verge for his final assessment, hoping to Awaken a Talent and secure his future. While others gain common abilities, Daniel secretly Awakens the mythical SSS-Grade Talent: [Soul Assimilation]. This allows him to absorb essence, enhancing gear, gaining stats and EXP from slain creatures, and crucially, absorbing attributes and skills from fallen Awakened.Witnessing the swift death of the arrogant Jaxon Rex, Daniel makes a grim choice: he assimilates Jaxon, gaining his first skill, [Kinetic Pulse]. This sets his path: scavenging the aftermath of others’ battles. He enhances gear and, after achieving his first kill on an injured beast, waits patiently to assimilate two more fallen recruits, acquiring [Quick Step] and the invaluable passive [Aura Sense].Starting as average, Daniel rapidly gains power in secret, enhanced gear, multiple skills, and boosted stats , far exceeding his peers while remaining outwardly unremarkable. He navigates the lethal Verge alone, using its inherent dangers to fuel his growth, wrestling with the moral cost of his unique, overwhelming power.

Fifty years ago, the oxygen in the atmosphere changed, giving rise to a new form of air known as Spiritual Qi. Humans, plants, and animals alike suddenly awakened latent mutant genes and began evolving, gaining Superpowered Talents and Classes. Life took a new turn, and humanity had to adapt.Everything seemed to be going well until, fifty years later, a 16-year-old boy named Klaus awakened a terrifying Talent and Class. His awakening marked the beginning of a new era in human evolution.Unbeknownst to everyone, Klaus, who was shunned by society and dropped out of school to work for a better life for himself and his mother, was actually the last of the Nine Paragons—a being so powerful that even the heavens feared him.Watch as Klaus climbs the ladder of strength, pursuing absolute power with a single purpose: to protect and make his mother happy.

The future unfolded on a magnificent scale into the Interstellar Age. Humanity finally solved the space warp technology, but when humanity transported themselves into the other end, they discovered that place neither had a past nor future, nor was there any land under the starry skies……