Inside the hall beyond the rust-covered small iron door.
Director Huang collapsed to the ground, his face dripping with cold sweat. His left hand gripped his right arm—the arm that had held the book was now completely severed, blood spurting wildly.
[I have obtained the Innate Source Artifact.]
Yang Zicang caught the falling dark-red book.
[This Source Artifact belongs to its owner, and I cannot take control of it.]
The book-like treasure began to warp, as if about to vanish from this world.
Everyone in that area seemed to –land– as if from a shattered giant bubble—the chaotic air around them surged, and Chronos’s expansion state dissipated.
The human silhouette within the book, who was communicating with the Defier, scattered the moment the arm was severed.
The deeply hypnotized Defier, moments before being fully contained, suddenly snapped fully awake. With a sharp metallic ring that exploded through the entire hall, countless streaks of sword aura shot out like tidal waves.
[Councilman 41 has temporarily lifted the seal on the Innate Source Artifact for me.]
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM.
The hall erupted, the ceiling of the entire nest blown open, leaving behind a hollow crater in the city like a volcano spewing forth.
[Councilman 41 bought me 0.5 seconds, unleashing Bloodline Arcane Skill: Torrent of Chronos.]
Another force descended from above, fiercely suppressing this book that was about to vanish.
[Councilor No. 41 invested Void Zero Chronos 43210N for me.]
The invisible blades surging in from the outside instantly slowed down, as if a time barrier resembling a tornado had formed before me.
[Chronos expansion, range 4.32 meters, 10 seconds remaining.]
Bang! The dense blades slammed into the surrounding walls.
The great hall immediately lost its form, shattering countless otherworldly items within, yet only the blade aura beside me crept forward, still not touching me.
–What should I do?–
Yang Zicang said, knowing the enemy he faced would be formidable, but he hadn’t expected an existence he couldn’t contend with at all.
The opponent could crush him with a single finger.
A united voice rose in everyone’s heart throughout the entire city at this moment.
[Because Yang Zicang of the Silver Faction eliminated the enemy containment unit, the scales of confrontation have been tipped again.]
[Councillor No. 41 issued a special reward: –Elect Summon Card.-****]
A new small black hole materialized before Yang Zicang, from which a card emerged.
[7 seconds remaining.]
[Do you wish to use the Elect Summon Card to execute the –Summon–?]
[Currently, there are 4 potential responders in this city.]
Clutching it, Yang Zicang’s mind swiftly filled with the instructions for its use.
The voice of the evaluation committee member echoed in their mind:
｛This object can summon high-level combatants under the Council who have once left this city. The recommended list includes: Chen Huoya, Sword Thirteen, Black Mandarin Duck, Zhao Anlong.｝
–Could these people all be…–
｛They have all grown to the strength needed to seal or kill the Defenders. Four seconds left.｝
[Will you use the Elect Summon Card to perform the summon?]
The blank card in his hand asked once more with indifferent consciousness.
Even though time in this small area was extended anew, the Defender appeared just a few meters away in an instant. It had already extended its arm, and at its fingertip a cluster of red light was coalescing.
The broken lines, already existing beyond the time barrier, finally shot in.
｛Yang Zicang, don’t kill Huang Zhong…｝
｛Let them contain…｝
Yang Zicang raised the card and said:
–Zhao Anlong!–
Time seemed to freeze.
The next second, the earth shattered.
Boom!
Lightning crackled in all directions. The humanoid figure that suddenly appeared before him was like a primordial tyrannosaur charging forth from ancient times.
Fist silhouettes flickered with tiny clusters of energy, dimly glimmering and ebbing. They shredded the air into glass-like shards as they shattered through time and space.
The red gleam at the Defender’s fingertip was sent flying by that single punch.
In that instant, Yang Zicang seemed to see the profound cosmic scene surrounding his fist.
The Defier ruthlessly unleashed blade-light born from spatial compression, which burst like several missiles within the nest.
{Who!}
–It’s me, your father!–
Yet the suddenly appearing silhouette of the youth, still defiant like the monarch of the earth, withstood these attacks, landing a punch on its jaw.
Boom!
[100000N has annihilated.]
The billowing clouds scattered and dissipated, revealing the moonlight in the sky.
The crimson-eyed being with a long tail was hurled towards the heavens by this punch like a missile.
Bang! Bang!
Two figures shot across the sky, descending from above.
Though clearly lacking flight ability, relying solely on the leaping power from his bursting muscles, he sprang into the air amid fragments of flying rocks and steel pipes, delivering a kick of ruination straight for the opponent’s head.
Recovering, the Defier transformed into a high-speed afterimage and appeared behind Zhao Anlong, a red light flickering on its fingertip.
–Shush!–
A sphere of energy burst forth, striking Zhao Anlong’s back.
His clothes trembled at the point of impact, the contact surface warped and twisted, then exploded with a bang.
Zhao Anlong spun his body, his hands creating an oscillating crack from which a galaxy gleamed.
{The one who has strayed from the trajectory of destiny.}
–That’s right. Do you desire such power? Accept my seal and become my slave.–
{Arrogance!}
A crimson stream of light converged, and an even stronger wave of energy surged from the Defender’s hands. Zhao Anlong stepped once more upon the erupting fragments and shot skyward, shrinking into a mere speck.
A flash of white light blazed in the heavens, and an orange-red radiance burst open like an explosion.
{Your bloodline—does it harbor destruction… doesn’t it?}
Scattered below, those still clinging to life had long been sent sprawling. They watched the scene in sheer disbelief; Yang Zicang stood there, utterly dumbfounded.
The sky brightened considerably, and the energy sphere that exploded before fully converging had mostly consumed the Defender’s arms.
[** Time Zero. **]
The book in Yang Zicang’s hand vanished, and a gale surged into the confined space, sending him tumbling away. It was fortunate that Zhao Anlong appeared, otherwise, not even the residual blade aura, let alone the attack itself, would have been something his strength could withstand.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sky quaked like a drum being pounded.
Crash! Boom!
The Defender, now armless, was battered relentlessly upward from below by their attacker. The Defender’s eyes erupted with countless magical runes, which formed into something like a circular prison, striving to envelop both himself and his foe.
–Destruction!–
The prison exploded instantly, but the summoned youth was left a bit disheveled and covered in dust, roaring angrily:
–Seal!–
The surrounding fragments had been completely blasted into fine powder, leaving no foothold, as the two figures plummeted rapidly.
The severely battered Defender turned to look downward.
The young human-like being, facing him, brought his hands together as starlight flickered, and a force field materialized in his hands.
–Moxel unfold!–
[For I am the great Quad!]
[Thus I can birth the cube!]
Zhao Anlong’s eyes sparkled with divine radiance as the ring on his chest emerged. Quad surged through the force field, lengthening into four edges like a three-dimensional model constructed in real time, spreading outward to encircle the defender.
{Your bloodline truly carries the aura of destruction—how nostalgic it feels.}
The defender, who had lost both arms, seemed to sink into memory.
Zhao Anlong said, –Then follow me.–
The defender curled a scornful smile. Casting a glance at the rapidly extending force-field barriers, his body began to decay at an alarming pace.
{Heh, a mere trash from Earth dares to think of becoming my master.}
The cyan-red orb of energy that had condensed from the Defier’s form wobbled and crashed into the force field. Its progenitor, in perfect stride, embraced natural death; it had granted itself a lifespan of merely one single second.
The force field shook once. Zhao Anlong’s cube trembled and vanished, leaving the terrorizing figure that had unnerved the entire city as nothing but a withered corpse.
–Bastard.–
Zhao Anlong’s silhouette traced an arc and landed lightly on the ground.
He waved a hand toward the sky. The descending steel pipes, rocks, and clumps of mud exploded with a resounding boom, scattering into clouds of dust.
A man of not-so-imposing stature walked over step by step and stood before Yang Zicang. He pulled the business card from the hand of the man half-sitting against the wall and glanced at it.
–Finally, someone here has grown enough to summon me back. Not bad, kid.–
–You… cough… are Zhao Anlong?–
Yang Zicang propped himself up.
Zhao Anlong’s medium-short hair swayed in the wind. Within his pupils, it seemed as if stars were constantly gathering and exploding. His whole body exuded an aura comparable to a Resister’s, yet he reined in this imposing presence skillfully.
A human could actually grow to this extent—this power alone seemed to be contained in his very body. Yang Zicang was momentarily stunned.
A bolt shot in along a zigzag path but failed to touch Zhao Anlong—an invisible barrier insulated him.
–Don’t waste your strength. I can only communicate with this guy here.–
Zhao Anlong sighed. He unstrapped a sword from behind his waist and tossed it beside Yang Zicang.
–This weapon is technically yours.–
–For… me?–
–That’s how the rules work. But I hope you can deliver it to Zhao Xuemei of the Monster Hunters’ Alliance. Tell her that I miss her fragrance a bit. But don’t let her rush to accumulate a full ten thousand years of Chronos—have her stay here longer and learn more life-saving skills. At least wait until a year or two has passed to come over. It’s dangerous over there right now.–
–Alright. I’ll give it to her.–
Yang Zicang reached out, his hand brushing against the blade.
[I have obtained a Chronos artifact containing 500N of force.]
–This…–
If his senses were not mistaken, this Chronos artifact could effortlessly deliver 500N of force with every single strike.
Stirred by the fighting spirit in the air, the faint image of a Paleshade Wyrm surfaced behind Yang Zicang, poised and in a constant state of alert. Zhao Anlong glanced at it.
–The weapon—well, it’s a somewhat decent piece. Back where I’m from, you can still manage to get something like this with a bit of effort. Hey, have you been a newcomer around here for just a few months? You actually possess that rare kind of so-called psychic ability, and an offensive one at that. Not bad, not bad. Come over here soon, and spar with me when you get the chance. Oh, right, what’s your name? I stumbled across what the senator mentioned… Yang, was it?–
–Yes, that’s my name. What kind of place is ‘over there’ for you people?–
–Want to know, do you?–
Zhao Anlong flashed a malicious grin:
–If you listen to what I have to say, you’ll have to leave with me. Are you sure you’re okay with that? Many at headquarters are desperate to stay here and live a comfortable life.–
–Then you’d better keep it to yourself.–
Zhao Anlong nodded with relief. He swept his gaze around and heard the distant shouting of people.
–Oh, you killed Lu Zhishen? Good, good, good. So you’ve got two Chronos weapons—impressive. When did our family produce a seedling like you?–
Yang Zicang struggled to spit out the mud from his mouth, took a deep breath, and said, –It’s… not bad.–
–He’s only been here three or four days,– someone in the distance shouted.
–He arrived on the fifteenth of this month.–
Zhao Anlong froze, then carefully examined the face of Yang Zicang, who was leaning against the edge of the mud pit.
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