003 stared at Guise. In seconds, he devised dozens of ways to kill him instantly.
But he held back; this might affect Lord Aurora's plan.
Larter was the core of this mission; there could be no errors.
And now, Larter declared he wanted a life-or-death battle with Guise.
Guise wanted to become king; he possessed all of the Broken King's body except the hands and heart. His strength reached 4th Step.
Larter, in contrast, had only the Broken King's hands and heart; his overall strength hadn't even reached 3rd Step.
The power gap was immense.
But Larter accepted the challenge, the tension palpable.
Guise held a black longblade in each hand; Larter wielded the Heaven-defying Sword. They clashed instantly!
Larter was a lyrical poet, his style like a sword dance. Guise was an assassin, skilled in shadow illusion.
Illusion was a lower-level energy manipulation than magic; its effects were varied but not powerful.
In their first exchange, Larter was overwhelmed!
"Seems your skills haven't improved much over the years!"
Clang! Clang!
The sound of clashing metal echoed. Larter retreated, his sword parrying, then spun to attack. But Guise instantly shimmered behind him, both blades striking at his head!
"Leave the swordplay to warriors!"
Larter's eyes flickered. "I'm the one talking. Shut up."
Boom!
An invisible wave of light exploded, silencing Guise.
Silence magic?
Before Guise could react, Larter suddenly spun, kicking Guise away!
Boom!
Guise crashed into a stone pillar, opening his mouth but emitting no sound.
Larter twirled his sword. "Had enough cursing? Now it's my turn!"
...
Regardless, 003 wouldn't let that Guise fellow win.
It would be best if Larter could win alone, but his willingness to fight was somewhat exciting.
Though his raw power was inferior, he had many tricks up his sleeve. He knew illusions and some magic.
His primary magical focus was entirely spirit-type, leaning towards disrupting minds, charming opponents, and causing illusions.
He also possessed some practical skills, including thievery and lockpicking.
His fighting style might be roguish, but it was effective. However, his opponent wasn't a pushover.
Thus, what Larter had retrieved from the Atura Treasury earlier would prove crucial.
Even so, 003 could easily handle Larter, like an old woman wiping her nose, squeezing him in his hand.
Could a normal, unremarkable native of this world truly pose a threat to a 6th Step being?
Though 003 expressed doubt, he didn't deny the possibility.
If Lord Aurora said it could be done, then it would be.
But how? 003 truly couldn't imagine.
...
Elsewhere, Earth.
Principal Starry looked at the asphalt road beneath his feet and the passing vehicles, bewildered.
Where was this place?
Seeing the lightly dressed pedestrians, he reached out to stop one, but his hand passed right through them.
Like spirits.
At that moment, a five-clawed white dragon opened its eyes in the sky.
Queen Bee, The Vermin, and Shino also noticed a new arrival in the Reason World.
"A new friend has arrived~"
"Shall we welcome it?"
"Looks quite unfamiliar."
"It's different from us; it smells strange."
Several terrifying entities noticed Principal Starry, sending a chill down his spine.
And the first to find him was clearly Queen Bee.
"What's the first thing a newcomer does here? I think I need to inform our new friend."
"Newcomers must challenge us old-timers to prove their strength, right?"
Ye Long watched from the sky, remaining silent as Queen Bee spoke.
Proving strength? It was clearly an excuse to bully the newcomer.
The last newcomer, Hydra, was also the first one Queen Bee targeted.
But Chino had spoken up. As the strongest big brother among the 4th Step, and with his brother also at 4th Step, hardly anyone dared to object.
Chino's status was undeniable.
Even if Queen Bee disliked Chino, she would at most curse him verbally; she wouldn't act physically.
But Principal Starry was different.
First, no one here knew him. He had no backing. You might get away with it outside, but here in Reason World? You'd better ask these local bullies first.
Before Principal Starry could react, Queen Bee began her game.
In terms of power, only two things were enjoyable:
Defeating a powerful enemy, or bullying the weak.
Queen Bee preferred the latter, Shino the former. The Vermin enjoyed both. Ye Long had no interest in either.
As he would say, these people were idle.
But it was undeniable truth; what else were they to do? They weren't like Chino, who Mei might send to conquer another world.
Principal Starry was thrown into the sky by Queen Bee, who then swiftly appeared above him and kicked him back towards the ground!
Boom!
"Can't even fight back? Just be a punching bag then."
Queen Bee instantly closed in, but this time, Principal Starry reached out and grabbed Queen Bee's kicking calf!
A layer of gauze surged from Principal Starry's body, his muscles bulging. "I don't know what's going on, but if you want to fight, this old man knows a bit of physical magic!"
This woman before him had a cavity split open in her chest, four wings on her back, four eyes, and a mouth that split to the base of her ears, giving her a bizarre appearance.
She wasn't like the Ancient Gods with their clear, distinct traits, nor was she a type of human.
She was like those… invading plunderers!
Could this be the world of those plunderers?
Why didn't they kill me? Instead, they brought me to their world. Why?
Before Principal Starry could ponder further, Queen Bee's mouth split wider. "Now that's more like it! Let's see how much strength those few pounds of flesh on you have!"
Boom!
Queen Bee exerted force, and the ground beneath Principal Starry cracked!
"This woman has immense strength!"
Principal Starry felt his arm might break. Clearly, the opponent was a Legend-level powerhouse with a formidable physical body!
Unlike the True Ancestor's all-around abilities, or Chino's spirit-type, she didn't possess specific rule-based powers.
She was purely physically strong!
Just as Principal Starry thought this, the bee's body split in two and attacked!
Thud!
Two Queen Bees punched simultaneously, driving Principal Starry back!
"Doppelganger?"
Principal Starry mused. A colossal centipede-like creature suddenly crawled onto a tall building.
"Enough is enough! Stop bullying the newcomer; let me have a turn!"
...
Principal Starry was battered and bewildered, facing a series of relentless attacks.
Fortunately, he had brought his Spectral Gauze; otherwise, his body would have been torn to shreds by these 4th Step monsters.
Stripped to the waist, revealing his formidable muscles, Principal Starry wiped blood from his mouth. These monsters seemed like local Ancient Gods.
However, they weren't at the Ancient God level; they felt more like Legend-level.
Yet, they differed from human Legendary powerhouses; their life force and physical bodies were terrifyingly strong!
The most immediate observation was their lack of weaknesses.
Unlike humans, even Legendary powerhouses died if their heads were severed.
Principal Starry took a deep breath. A child ran towards him, passing directly through his body.
"And this strange world… it's like multiple overlapping spaces. They're in the same position, even overlapping, yet separate…"
This was a spatial state he'd never witnessed.
And this spatial state seemed to have a threshold.
Once a life form reached this threshold, it would detach from this space.
But where would it go after detaching? To the human world he'd glimpsed?
No, probably not.
This space likely existed within a higher-dimensional space.
This world seemed to segment life forms of different tiers into distinct dimensions. The weakest resided in the outer layer, with higher dimensions pushing inward.
Thus, the deepest layer should be the world of the Ancient Gods.
From Principal Starry's perspective, this method of segmenting life by tier was truly balanced.
Neither strength nor weakness would lead to imbalance, nor would it generate excessive internal friction.
"But it's not meant to last forever. Contradictions will eventually arise, and internal friction will occur."
"Therefore… this world's decision is to externalize these contradictions, sending these powerhouses to invade other worlds…"
"Regardless of whether this is correct, at least… the humans of this world don't have to endure the internal suffering we do."
But one thing remained constant: killers must always be killed.
Invaders, while infringing upon others' worlds, would one day be invaded themselves.
However, these matters were temporarily irrelevant to Principal Starry.
His immediate concern was survival!
Those 4th Step beings were a united front; only Principal Starry was an outsider, lacking connections or background.
Didn't that mean he was ripe for bullying?
"Life will be long from now on."
Queen Bee's face split, revealing a long row of pearly white teeth.
A drop of cold sweat trickled down Principal Starry's forehead. He attempted to sense the energy of this world, then his face contorted in disbelief.
"This world's energy… is it truly this thin?"
Something was wrong…
If the energy level was this low, how could Ancient Gods exist?
Even producing a Legend was difficult!
Strange. Everything was strange.
At this moment, a person in a black robe approached.
Like the others, he wasn't in this world.
But upon seeing Principal Starry, he deliberately altered his path, circling around him.
Huh?
Principal Starry reached out towards the person, but the black-robed figure quickened his pace, phasing away.
The black-robed person was none other than Reinhard.
Reinhard's face was expressionless, his mind preoccupied. "Is this person crazy? Standing in the middle of the road, not afraid of being hit by a car?"
Wait a minute…
Hit by a car?
Reinhard suddenly turned back. He saw the passing vehicles go right through Principal Starry.
This person…
was in Reason World?
Boom!
The centipede-like monster suddenly descended from the sky, landing behind Reinhard!
"You… saw him?"
Reinhard, phone in hand, dialed a number. "I'll be there this afternoon. Make sure no one sees you."
"Okay."
Reinhard turned and left. Seeing this, The Vermin's two large eyes narrowed, and he swung his scythe-like blades!
Reinhard didn't dodge. Just as the massive scythe neared him, a voice said,
"Brother, there's a result."
Hearing this, The Vermin suddenly froze, his colossal scythe hovering an inch from Reinhard's neck.
Reinhard showed no reaction, neither dodging nor speaking.
"…Mistake?"
"Right, he's not a White Walker."
The Vermin swayed, rapidly crawling up a nearby skyscraper.
Beneath his mask, however, Reinhard was drenched in sweat. Damn it, why were these guys so suspicious?
With a flick of his wrist, an invisible thread shot out, and Reinhard vanished.
"I have become a 'monster' as predicted, but the rapid progression of the era meant I missed the golden age of evolution. That is the greatest tragedy."
"That's why I need to push forward exponentially."
"Even abandoning my human form is fine."
As long as I can survive, what does it matter if I'm no longer human, even if I become a monster like Chino?
At night, the city lights shone brightly.
Reinhard reached the top of a skyscraper. The colossal dragon occupied the sky, looking down on everything.
Unfortunately, those below were oblivious to this sight.
But that wasn't truly sad; they were fortunate.
The pitiable ones were those like Reinhard, who could see these things yet were powerless against them.
A cold wind blew; the weather grew colder.
Another winter.
Kitsune and the Chaos Insurgency were locked in fierce battle, Serpent's Hand was observing in secret, and Black Queen's whereabouts were unknown.
"Tonight's night sky is clearer than usual."
With that, Reinhard leapt from the building.
Wind howled past. Reinhard landed. Before him stood a young man.
"Master, you've arrived?"
Reinhard reached into his coat pocket, producing a small golden orb.
"Unless something unexpected happens, this will be the last time we meet, kid."
"Are you leaving, Master?"
Reinhard placed the golden orb in Yang Lin's hand.
"Yes."
"Keep this; don't let anyone see it, don't use it, and never eat it. Unless, one day, you figure out what it's for."
"Don't search for it deliberately, don't investigate it. If you truly reach that height, you will know naturally."
"If you never learn its purpose, find a place to bury it and never touch it again."
"Ignorance is bliss. If you seek the full truth, this item can be a thread for you to follow."
"Remember?"
Yang Lin nodded.
"I remember. Where… are you going?"
Where to?
Reinhard shook his head. His figure flickered, disappearing, leaving only invisible threads drifting in the air.
"Shadow and light, when will they be?"
"Yin and Yang together, what will become?"
...
Far outside the world of Earth.
Han Verte watched the two individuals impassively, his right hand continuously snapping his fingers silently.
His snaps were rhythmic, like a dance.
And this was related to sword dancing.
Sword dancing was essentially a performance set to music. Though beautiful, it relied more on feints than killing blows.
Whenever Guise attempted to attack Larter, Han Verte would sharply snap his fingers.
Each time he snapped, Guise's attack would halt, his twin blades as if tangled on rocks!
Guise quickly noticed the issue but couldn't identify the cause.
He suspected Larter might have a powerful artifact or a magical effect.
Han Verte's latest evolution brought further advancements in his abilities and physical enhancement.
His physical strength was roughly on par with the Frost King's 4th Step, ranking among the lowest in that tier.
This was because their 4th Step focused primarily on enhancing abilities, not the physical body.
Han Verte's abilities had always been straightforward: invisibility and light refraction were simple and easy to understand.
His abilities after evolving with the Watcher potion were similar.
He didn't gain new abilities, but acquired new properties based on his existing light refraction ability.
His original ability worked like this: when a reflective surface refracted light onto a person, Han Verte could enter the reflected image and attack them, causing damage to their physical form.
After evolving, Han Verte no longer needed a physical reflective surface.
Anywhere his eyes could see was equivalent to being reflected by a mirror, bringing it within his reach.
To illustrate simply: as long as Han Verte could see it, he could attack it.
If Han Verte could see the moon, he could touch the moon. A simple principle.
He still retained the ability to enter reflective surfaces, and he also had invisibility.
His abilities were always preserved.
As a key point of this evolution, wherever his eyes could see, he could attack. The attack range was virtually infinite.
The ability he displayed before Larter was merely speed.
Why speed? Because during his refraction process, Han Verte moved at near light speed.
He would instantly enter a reflective surface at light speed, and emerge at light speed. The human eye couldn't even track this change.
Han Verte snapped his fingers not because the ability required it, but because he was following Larter's sword-dancing rhythm.
The idea was to create unexpected "accidents" that seemed completely natural and unrelated to Han Verte. He was merely a spectator, an observer.
Larter seized the opportunity, his sword flashing to sever Guise's calf!
"You… don't have a heart, do you?"
Guise tried to dodge, but an invisible force suddenly pinned him down!
He felt as if an invisible hand was pressing himself into the ground!
At that moment, Larter's sword pierced his chest!
Slash! Slash!
Guise coughed up a gush of blood, the sword embedded in his body.
"Cough… This is wrong. My power is clearly superior…"
"Even if you attacked together, it's impossible… I'm a Legend!"
Slash! Slash!
Pulling out the sword, Larter's eyes were fierce. He delivered a decisive blow, severing Guise's head!
"A sword dance, for your funeral."
Han Verte applauded. "Beautiful. As expected of Larter."
Larter only managed a weak smile at Han Verte's praise.
Guise wasn't that weak. Larter knew winning wouldn't be this simple.
Larter's only chance was to exploit Guise's weakness through the power of the Broken King's heart and hands, using trickery.
His heart was on him; Guise's heart was undoubtedly the key.
Using trickery and surprise was Larter's strategy, but Guise possessed the rest of the Broken King's body and was a renowned assassin.
Larter had been hunted by him before, and the feeling Guise gave him then was completely different.
So, who helped him?
Was it Crimson Lady?
Or… this friend of extraordinary origin?
Seeing Larter's forced smile, Han Verte patted his shoulder. "Don't think too much. Your great revenge is taken; you should be happier."
He should be happier.
Larter slapped his cheek. Regardless, even if these individuals intervened, it was out of kindness.
Though Larter wanted to avenge his grandmother and sister himself, he shouldn't dwell on it too much.
After all…
"Seven years have passed."
Larter touched Guise's body. This time, the Broken King's remains were complete.
Under some unknown influence, Guise's body disintegrated!
Black flesh surged from him, writhing as if alive, burrowing into Larter's body!
Larter gritted his teeth as the black flesh devoured his own flesh, bones, and organs, replacing them!
When the flesh had fully integrated, only Guise's hands and skull remained on the ground.
The Crimson Lady covered her nose, wincing.
Zane looked on, confused. "What's wrong?"
"Forgive me, I'm rather sensitive to smells, especially those of impurity," the Crimson Lady replied.
Han Verte paid no mind to the others; his focus was solely on Larter.
Larter was completely transformed.
A layer of black, hard substance covered him like armor; his entire body, even his head, had been replaced by the Broken King's flesh.
Four horns sprouted from his head, two on each side of his forehead, and an eye grew in the center.
His entire body was inky black, his hair turned white.
During the integration process, Larter recalled Cito's prophecy amidst the pain.
"How do you feel?"
"Do you want to rest a day, get used to your new power?"
Larter shook his head. "No. I want to finish this."
"Shall we depart then?"
"Yes. Let's go."
…
The group continued south, passing through the mountain city to reach Iron City.
Along the way, they encountered several sandworms. Larter's battle with a sandworm showed Han Verte his current strength.
Only upper 4th Step? Even with the entirety of the Broken King's flesh?
Han Verte wasn't the only one puzzled; the others shared his confusion.
The Frost King posed his question to Mei.
"Lord Aurora, if the Broken King's flesh is the key, why not have 008 absorb Larter's flesh and complete your plan instead?"
"What's so special about this Larter?"
...
Iron City, a city of dwarves.
From the outside, its walls weren't straight but curved, like a hemisphere inverted on the ground.
It backed up to a large volcano; beneath this volcano lay the world's largest forge.
Larter and the others entered the city. As soon as they did, they noticed something was amiss.
"What is this?"
They looked up. Many buildings had been razed.
In some empty spaces, strange structures were being built.
Han Verte was familiar with this; it was a factory.
Larter watched people mixing sand with a gray powder. He had no idea what it was.
He stepped forward, approaching a dwarf. "What is this?"
The dwarf turned. Seeing Larter, he made a strange expression. "You… are human?"
"Never mind what I am. What are you mixing?"
The dwarf wiped sweat from his forehead. "This powder is made by grinding stone after repeatedly heating it at high temperatures. When mixed with fine sand, it's incredibly sturdy for building."
"We call this powder lime. We just recently invented this."
"We have that person to thank."
That person?
"Does that person have white hair?"
The dwarf was startled. "Ah, so you know him?"
Larter clenched his fist. "More than know him. We traveled together for a time. Where is he now?"
"He's at…"
Before the dwarf finished, countless dwarf soldiers surrounded them!
Just then, Arthur appeared.
Spinning his dagger, he slowly approached. "Testing your cold knowledge. Do you know how to say 'gentle breeze pulls vine' in… um…?"
"Ah, wait. You might not understand me. Could someone translate?"
The dwarves: What if we don't understand either?
Han Verte averted his gaze, remaining silent, but Arthur still noticed him.
"You look familiar."
As Arthur spoke, 009 arrived with Jena.
"Bringing him to deal with me—that wasn't a task from my confidante, was it?"
Han Verte didn't answer. Larter raised his weapon. "Release Jena, white-haired one."
Before 009 could speak, Jena suddenly interjected, "Larter, perhaps you should go. I'm… actually doing quite well here."
"Huh?" x3
Larter, Zane, and the Crimson Lady stared in surprise.
This wasn't right.
How was the script so different from what they expected?
009 smiled faintly. "I merely invited her to translate; I didn't kidnap her. In some ways, I have far more conscience than those businessmen on Earth."
"Those who work for me only need to work 6 hours a day, and I pay them double the normal wage."
009 had killed the dwarf king, confiscated Labie's wealth and the dwarf king's treasury, and used it to pay the dwarves wages.
The dwarves had no complaints.
The dwarf king, nicknamed Golden Tooth the Lame, was notoriously stingy. The dwarves had no affection for him.
Originally, that money wouldn't have reached them. 009 distributing Golden Tooth's money to them—wasn't that a form of Robin Hood-like justice?
"So, you're… not leaving?"
Jena glanced at the people beside Larter. "If my presence leads to bloodshed and casualties between you, I would rather choose a bloodless solution."
"Larter, I know you must have put in a lot of effort. You look so tanned."
Larter's mouth twitched. "Could it be that this isn't tanning?"
009 looked at Han Verte. "As I said, the sword in his hand shouldn't be pointed at me."
Han Verte finally spoke. "You should release the girl. Otherwise, he won't proceed to the next step."
009 shrugged. "It's difficult for me too. Originally, there wasn't just this one elf in the world."
"I heard the elves were in the west, and planned to invite a few more translators, but then bad news came from the west—the elves were gone."
"So what can I do?"
As they spoke, the Crimson Lady suddenly covered her nose.
"Impurity… such a dense stench, erupting from underground. Something is coming!"
As they were discussing, the ground beneath their feet suddenly trembled!
Crack!
With a loud bang, the earth split open, and countless inky-black, colossal tentacles burst forth!
"What is this?!"
Before anyone could react, those black tentacles lashed out at the group!
Larter reacted instantly, charging forward, his sword severing the tentacles before him!
Splash!
Black blood spurted out, feeling just like Larter's Broken King flesh!
"Mother Planet is moving?"
Han Verte frowned. Was this the plan?
Yes, Mother Planet planned to move!
At this moment, the entire planet's landmass began to crack!
Countless inky-black, massive tentacles surged from beneath the ground, some even bearing colossal eyes!
Without a word, they struck down upon anything they saw—local life forms and outsiders alike!
Mother Planet didn't intend to deal with outsiders; she intended to cleanse the planet of all life!
Some dwarves couldn't react in time and were crushed to a pulp by the tentacles!
Then, mouths filled with fangs grew on the tentacles, devouring the flesh and blood of these beings!
009 watched his newly built factory crumble and instantly flew into a rage.
"You dare destroy my factory!"
"Arthur!"
Arthur, wielding his twin blades, slashed wildly, severing all the tentacles before him, then plunged a blade into the ground!
Crack!
The earth split again, but his attack range was limited. He couldn't pierce the ground, let alone reach Mother Planet!
They were facing minor issues, but Chino's group was in for a big one!
The land beneath the ocean split, and from within emerged inky-black Ancient Gods!
Yes, Ancient Gods!
Those Ancient Gods previously devoured by Mother Planet were now crawling out, their bodies entirely black!
"It seems our actions have completely enraged Mother Planet."
"But I believe this is all within my god's expectations. Vespa, take Siren and Hydra into the void space."
Hydra was startled. "Wait, you're not planning to fight these monsters alone, are you?"
"I am the monster," Chino said, spreading his wings. His massive body soared into the sky!
He was the only 5th Step present. These Ancient Gods targeted him, charging at him instantly!
But truth be told, Chino wasn't absolutely confident he could handle so many Ancient Gods at once!
Because these Ancient Gods were mindless; they were merely puppets controlled by Mother Planet!
Chino's spirit attacks were useless against them, unless he could directly attack Mother Planet's spirit!
But that was impossible. Mother Planet's spirit power was 6th Step level. Chino's spirit power against Mother Planet's was like an egg against a rock!
The Angel's situation was considerably better, but her energy wasn't infinite!
These 5th Step Ancient Gods might appear to be 5th Step, but their bodies were reconstructed from 6th Step Mother Planet's flesh; they were essentially unkillable!
"How far has 003's side progressed? Can they speed up the process!"
...
The ground was ravaged.
The fissures tore open the world, the oceans, life—everything was rapidly consumed by the cracks.
The world's true nature…
"Larter, what are you doing just standing there? Run!"
Zane's voice called from behind, but Larter remained rooted to the spot.
"Run where?"
Zane stopped.
Yes, where to run?
Even the mighty, solid walls of Iron City were torn apart by the immense power of the world. The entire world was shattering; where could be safe?
A massive fissure spread to Larter's feet, and deep underground, lava churned.
The prophecy had come true.
Larter's expression became numb as he gazed at the chasm before him.
"They're all waiting for me to save the world… they're all… waiting…"
"Why?"
Why didn't they go themselves?
"What power do I have to save this ravaged world? What right do I have to save the world?"
Larter knew he didn't possess that ability.
But everyone expected it!
"You're the savior!"
"That's what they all said!"
They?
They were just forcing someone onto the stage!
They were just forcing someone to jump out and save them!
An unprecedented sense of despair surged from the depths of his heart. The Heaven-defying Sword fell from Larter's hand.
A voice called to him, urging him to abandon resistance and embrace the abyss.
"Come now, little one, return to my embrace."
"There is no need to fear; death is nothing to be afraid of. It is the path every life must take, the end of every journey."
"Do not be afraid; death is warm, peaceful. My child, you will never be this tired again."
Mother Planet was whispering, like a mother comforting her child.
Nothing to fear, just death. Face it calmly, return to your mother's embrace. It is a supreme happiness.
Larter numbly stepped towards the chasm before him. He was about to fall in, but Jena and Zane rushed forward, grabbing his left and right hands!
"Larter!" x2
Larter's face was expressionless. "I feel mother's call. I am a part of mother's body."
"I want to return to where I belong."
Seeing that they couldn't hold Larter, Han Verte acted!
He pulled Larter back. "Perhaps those people's impositions are indeed a burden, but your life belongs to no one but yourself."
"You don't need to fight for them, but you need to fight for yourself."
"You don't need to prove anything to anyone, you don't need to meet anyone's expectations. Leaving all that behind, is there only death left in your heart?"
"I know you're not a coward. You have your own ideals. Waiting for death is not your nature. Even if the outcome is certain failure, would you be willing to give up without even trying?"
Larter slowly turned back. "…What should I do?"
Han Verte picked up the Heaven-defying Sword. "Do you remember Cito's prophecy? Your final destination isn't here."
Deepest Hell?
"But…"
Larter looked around. There was no escape left. Time was running out. It was too late to go to Deepest Hell now.
"We don't have time."
"Time is like water in a sponge; squeeze and there will be some," Han Verte said, handing the Heaven-defying Sword to him.
"At least, you're still alive, aren't you?"
Larter took the Heaven-defying Sword. "Who are you?"
"If you're worried about that, time might truly run out," Han Verte replied.
"Let's go. I'll accompany you on this last leg of the journey."
"Why?"
"Because protecting you is my mission."
Arthur, still fighting the tentacles, urged impatiently, "Can you two hurry up? I'm fighting all these tentacles alone!"
That said, no one knew how far the so-called Deepest Hell was!
No one had ever truly been there. The current situation meant there was no path left, unless they could fly!
"Roar!!"
Just then, a dragon's roar echoed from beneath Iron City's great volcano!
The earth trembled once more, followed by a volcanic eruption!
Blazing lava shot into the sky. Within the flames, a dark red dragon ripped through the firmament, instantly descending before Larter!
Seeing the Crimson Dragon, the dwarf craftsmen nearby collapsed.
"Legend… Is that legend true?!"
"Tiamat, actually imprisoned beneath the great volcano!"
Tiamat, one of the two legendary Dragon God lineages.
His elder brother was the righteous Dragon God, the white dragon Bahamut, while Tiamat represented the evil Dragon God, dark red in color.
His body and wings were wrapped in searing chains, made of an unknown metal, resistant to fire and rust.
"The Twin Dragon Legend says Tiamat was killed by his elder brother and imprisoned beneath a volcano with chains from Heaven…"
Yes, if it was a legend, it was likely true.
For in this world, there were no legends without basis.
Tiamat was imprisoned beneath this great volcano. Mother Planet's eruption caused the earth to crack, allowing Tiamat to escape those restraining chains!
The first thing he sensed was a descendant with dragon blood!
Tiamat descended, landing before Larter. His breath was hot enough to instantly cook raw flesh.
"Dragon descendant?"
"It seems it's you. Quite disappointing!"
"We waited for tens of thousands of years, only to get a descendant like you? Tens of thousands of years of patience, just for this outcome?!"
Ancient God?
No mistake, the dragon-shaped being before them was a 5th Step, a true Ancient God!
What was even more apparent was Tiamat's immense rage!
His fury was like the fires of Hell. He felt Larter was utterly too weak!
"Well, I'm sorry, but this is all I've got."
Larter looked directly at Tiamat.
Tiamat bared a row of sharp teeth and roared at Larter!
"Damn it!!"
"Since it has come to this, it's too late to say anything else. Come with me, quickly!!"
With that, Tiamat grabbed Larter, threw him onto his back!
"Where are you taking me?"
"To Deepest Hell, back to my territory!"
Tiamat was about to leave, but Jena, Zane, and the others surrounded him.
"We're coming too!"
"You?"
A bunch of rotten fish.
Fine, even insects weren't entirely useless.
"Then don't waste time, get on!"
Tiamat roared. Zane, Jena, and the Crimson Lady scrambled onto his back.
As for Han Verte.
He had disappeared.
Arthur, cleaving through an incoming tentacle, asked, "Are we going?"
009 gritted his teeth. "You go with them!"
"What about you, boss?"
"I'll find a suitable posture to fly back to Earth."