One month later.
"Kill!" "Eat my giant sword!" "Guillotine!"
A spear, a greatsword, and a massive axe—three colossal weapons over ten meters long—blocked the sun as they swung toward Ren Kurogane.
Ren still held his energy blade. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a wave of sword-qi that sent the three attackers flying with destructive force. The sword-qi continued unabated, soaring into the horizon!
Ge Xiaolun and the other two lay on the ground coughing up blood, but their faces showed little surprise. Over the past month, they had been brutally pulverized by Ren every day; they were used to it. After coughing up some unidentifiable fragments, the three scrambled up and ran toward Qi Lin.
Ren hadn't stopped for a second after repelling the trio. He turned into a blur, charging toward Qi Lin. Qi Lin's expression remained calm as she retreated rapidly. Wei Lan stepped in front of her, iron fists clenched, eyes locked onto Ren's approaching figure, not daring to be careless.
Ren didn't underestimate Wei Lan. His blade flashed, and a sharp sword-qi instantly pierced through her! At that exact moment, Ge Xiaolun's trio charged again, faces fierce as they launched a coordinated strike.
Dong—
The sound of a bell rang out. A golden bell manifested around Ren's body, shielding him firmly. No matter how fierce the external attacks, the golden bell stood tall, without even a ripple on its surface.
"Holy crap? Brother Ren developed a new ability again!" Liu Chuang's face paled. He roared, "Brothers, retreat!"
Rumble!
Rocks rose from the ground, surrounding Ren. Ge Xiaolun and the others used the opportunity to step off the stones and retreat, widening the distance.
Trapped by the earth, Ren didn't panic. The soil blocked his eyes, but it couldn't block his "Mind's Eye." The vibrations caused by their movements were clear in his "sight." A flash of light followed, and the surrounding rocks shattered.
The moment Ren's figure appeared, a bullet tore through the air, striking him instantly.
Dong—
Another dull thud. Qi Lin's bullet was deflected by Ren's Golden Bell Shield. Just as Ren was about to move again, Lian Feng shouted from the rooftop: "Time's up! Today's combat training ends here!"
Hearing her voice, the group didn't lower their guard. They remembered a previous incident where Ren had "skewered" them all the moment they relaxed after a stop-call. Since then, they stayed vigilant until Ren sheathed his weapon. Only then did they sigh in relief and collapse onto the ground, disregarding all etiquette.
"Damn... another day of being covered in wounds." "It's not bad; at least I didn't get skewered today." "Xin-ye dodged fast today; I'm practically scratch-free. Brothers, want to play a few rounds of games tonight?" "Let's do it!"
Ren sat on the ground, thinking only about what to eat for dinner. "Brother Ren, a few rounds tonight?" Ge Xiaolun shouted. "Deal!"
After showering, Ren sat at his computer. The other four "feeder" slots were already filled. "I'm telling you! If you lose your lane, use your Dark Plane System to hack the opponent's internet! Anyone who loses their lane today fights me 1v1 offline tomorrow!" Ren said bossily.
"Don't worry, bro! We know the drill!" Ge Xiaolun's mischievous voice came through. Over the month, he had learned programming and successfully applied his Dark Plane System. Liu Chuang and Zhao Xin had also started using their systems; while not as adept as Xiaolun, lagging an opponent's internet was child's play for them.
As they gamed happily, Lian Feng and Yu Qin on the rooftop were growing tense. Beside them stood a monkey with golden fur, dressed in casual clothes.
"Great Sage, please go easy later. Don't increase our workload..." Lian Feng said helplessly. Over the past month, the two healers had been nearly drained by these super soldiers. Every day they had to repair broken bodies—especially during the first three weeks when these soldiers lived on the brink of death. If the healers had been a second slower, people would have died.
If Sun Wukong didn't hold back tonight, they'd likely have to hook up to the supercomputer for the healing sessions...
"Don't worry, Old Sun knows what he's doing," Sun Wukong said, giving an OK sign with a grin.
Lian Feng and Yu Qin exchanged a look, feeling the Great Sage was just humoring them. Swoosh! A wind blew past. The Victorious Fighting Buddha, now in golden armor with two pheasant feathers on his head, twirled his staff. Suddenly, the staff pointed at Ren's dorm and instantly surged hundreds of meters!
BOOM!
"Crap! Ambush!"
Ren and the girls rushed out of the dust, already clad in Black Armor. Ren's gaze scanned the surroundings and landed on the golden figure in the distance. "Is that... Sun Wukong?!" Ren's voice was full of shock. It's only been a month. Why is he here? Did our training progress too fast, changing the plan?
"That outfit... is someone cosplaying Sun Wukong?" Rui Mengmeng asked. "It's not cosplay. It seems he's the real deal!" Su Xiaoli felt the energy radiating from him, her tone solemn.
The commotion was massive. Ren's entire house had been demolished by the staff. Ge Xiaolun and the others, attracted by the noise, charged over in their Black Armor.
"What's happening?" "Are the aliens attacking?!" "Brothers! Level 1 combat readiness!"
Sun Wukong didn't wait. With a somersault, he appeared before them. Before they could process his appearance, a massive staff filled their vision!
"Holy—!"
With a single swing of the staff, the entire area was cleared! Even Ren's Golden Bell Shield was like paper before this weapon, shattering on contact!
Thud, thud, thud!
Ren slid over a hundred meters before stabilizing. "Damn, I've been the one hitting people for a month. This is the first time I've been sent flying!" Ren cursed under his breath, but his focus didn't waver—he had lost sight of Wukong!
"Brother Ren, watch your back!" Zhao Xin's voice rang out.
Ren manifested a shield behind him without hesitation and performed a desperate "donkey roll" forward. He heard a whistle of air above him. Damn! This guy is playing for keeps! Ren thought. If that had landed, his spine would have snapped!
But Wukong seemed to be targeting him specifically. Missing the strike, he spun and swung the staff toward Ren again!
BOOM!
A small mushroom cloud erupted. Wukong frowned, muttering, "Escaped?"
In the distance, Ren looked at the crater with a "survivor" expression. "Thanks, Qiangwei. I almost said goodbye to the world!" If Qiangwei hadn't blinked him away at the last millisecond, he'd be offline by now. Even knowing Wukong wouldn't actually kill them, Ren was envious of that terrifying power. If I were as strong as Brother Monkey, would those Taotie still dare to 'dance'?
While Ren was lost in thought, Ge Xiaolun and Liu Chuang didn't stay idle. They raised their weapons and struck at Wukong's head.
Dong—
Their weapons hit Wukong's body, but they couldn't even scratch his armor. "What? So hard?" The two were shocked and tried to retreat, but Wukong was faster. A swing of the staff sent Xiaolun flying. Liu Chuang was saved by Qiangwei.
"Wait! Why didn't you save me?!" Xiaolun complained in the comms. "Shut up! Don't you know how 'hard' you are?" Qiangwei replied. Over the month, Xiaolun had awakened three abilities: Silence, Courage, and Garen's Justice. Courage was a passive that made him tougher and accelerated his healing.
Sun Wukong's gaze suddenly locked onto Qiangwei. "Short-range jumping is indeed a troublesome ability," he narrowed his eyes. "Then Old Sun will deal with you first!"
In an instant, Wukong vanished. Ren shouted in the channel: "Qiangwei, run!"
Buzz— Space vibrated as Qiangwei blinked to another spot. The place she had just stood was now a deep crater. Seeing that destructive power, Qiangwei felt a chill. But while she was dazed, Wukong didn't stop! He locked onto her again and appeared before her. By the time she realized it, her mind exploded with a roar.
Everything went black as she lost consciousness. Having knocked out Qiangwei, Wukong's lips curled into a smile. Behind him, several furious figures charged out!
"You bastard!" Ge Xiaolun was livid, his greatsword glowing with a faint golden light. In the Dark Plane, voices rang out.
[Querying biological information of the target...] "Query my foot!" The enraged Xiaolun didn't want to hear system fluff. He roared at his system: "He's a damn villain! An antagonist! I, the Power of the Galaxy, will do everything to kill him!"
Static— After a few crackles of electricity, an icon of a giant sword appeared above Sun Wukong's head.
[Definition successful. This biological entity is the greatest villain in the known universe. Every attack of yours will deal irreversible True Damage!]
Xiaolun's strike landed. Usually, Wukong wouldn't bother dodging attacks from Tier 1 soldiers; they couldn't break his armor. But after Ren and Liu Chuang were batted away, Xiaolun's blade struck.
BOOM!
The "invincible" Sun Wukong was sent flying by Xiaolun's sword! His protective golden light shattered instantly. For a moment, Wukong felt his brain short-circuit. He slammed his staff into the ground to stop his momentum, looking at Xiaolun in disbelief. "How? This brat's attack power has exceeded Old Sun's endurance?"
Wukong wasn't just armored; he had the Vajra Indestructible Body. Even if the armor broke, he shouldn't be hurt. Yet that strike bypassed all defenses!
Xiaolun didn't stop. He gripped his greatsword with both hands, held it before his chest. His eyes flickered with mysterious code, eventually settling into a brilliant gold.
"JUDGMENT!"
A pitch-black vortex appeared in the sky. To everyone's shock, a massive golden sword tore through the clouds, striking directly down upon Sun Wukong!
Rumble! The earth shook as cracks spread from beneath Wukong's feet. His eyes were wide with shock. This kid! How did he suddenly explode with such power?
That was his last thought before his body was consumed by the golden blade.
[Judgment Successful.]
The system voice echoed in Xiaolun's ear, but he couldn't hear it. After the golden sword vanished, Xiaolun collapsed from exhaustion, falling unconscious.
Ren walked over to catch him, staring at the crater. Monkey Brother wasn't actually 'executed,' was he?
On the rooftop, Lian Feng and Yu Qin looked at the real Sun Wukong standing beside them. He had a deep, bone-chilling wound on his chest.
"Sss! Kids these days are something else! Old Sun has cultivated for so many years, but this is the first time I've been hurt this badly!" Wukong hissed through his teeth. That "Justice" sword had nearly cleaved him in two. If not for his strange "immortal arts," he'd be dead.
Once he recovered slightly, Wukong and the healers went down to the field. The squad was gathered together, and Ren was explaining: "So, Sun Wukong must be on our side. This sudden attack was likely just a test of our strength."