Chapter 488 - 312: Titan Royal family 3
"I blocked it! I told you! You can’t beat me if that’s your only trick! Now, break!"
He mustered the last of his strength, trying to shatter the giant finger completely.
"Really?" Li Wen’s calm voice rang out, laced with a hint of barely perceptible mockery.
As Raymond watched in utter horror and the crowd stared, dumbfounded, Li Wen raised his finger again.
In his sea of consciousness, the eyes of his colossal Primordial Spirit avatar opened, and a second, immense torrent of Primordial Spirit power surged forth.
Another giant, dark-gold finger, just as terrifying and radiating an aura of annihilation, materialized before him without warning.
"What?!" Raymond’s wild laughter cut off abruptly. His eyes, filled with incredulous terror, nearly bulged from their sockets. "This is impossible!!!"
"My God! He can do it again?!"
"How can he use such a powerful Secret Technique back-to-back?"
"A monster! He’s an absolute monster!" Gasps erupted from the crowd below. The expressions on Kane, Sisko, and the others’ faces changed dramatically.
The spark of hope that had just ignited in Naraku’s eyes was instantly doused, as if by a bucket of ice water.
It was extinguished in an instant, leaving behind only deeper despair and the coldness of dead embers.
Only Isabel’s look of admiration deepened. A glimmer of understanding—’of course’—flashed in her eyes as she muttered to herself, ’An unbelievable foundation for his Primordial Spirit... No wonder he could pass the eighth floor of the Heaven-Reaching Tower.’
"Go."
Li Wen uttered a single word.
The second dark-gold finger, carrying with it a will to end all things, silently touched the tip of the first, already-fading finger.
The two fingers stacked!
The power of annihilation erupted!
CRACK!
Raymond’s greatsword could no longer withstand the force. It let out a mournful cry as the lightning covering it died out completely, its surface riddled with cracks.
Immediately after, the terrifying power of annihilation flooded forth like a burst dam, instantly swallowing his burly frame.
There was no scream, no struggle.
In the dark-gold light that symbolized finality, Raymond’s figure crumbled like a sand sculpture, disintegrating inch by inch until he was annihilated, vanishing completely into the void.
In the center of the massive lava pit on the arena floor, only Li Wen remained, standing alone.
The light from the binary stars washed over his calm face. His black combat attire was spotless.
...
[You have fought a battle. Martial Artist EXP +15]
[Class: Martial Artist LV 7 (1130→ 1145 / 12800)]
Back in his personal space, Li Wen looked at the newly increased experience points on his status panel, and the corner of his mouth curved up slightly.
Defeating two genius "Kings" from the Alka Empire in a row had yielded a hefty amount of experience. ’The Virtual Cosmos’s combat arenas are truly a great place to grind for EXP.’
’I’ve fought a 1-star and a 2-star King now. That was 10 and 15 EXP, respectively...’
His gaze swept across the long list of challengers—all geniuses from the Alka Empire’s capital, Alka Star. Finally, his eyes landed on the highest-ranked ID.
’Ares Titan, a 3-star King... The royal family of the Alka Empire is the Titan Clan, isn’t it? I wonder if he’s a young Prince.’
A flicker of fighting spirit appeared in Li Wen’s eyes. ’You’re next.’
He accepted the challenge without hesitation.
...
「Inside the exclusive palace on Alka Star.」
Raymond, who had just been teleported back, was pale and his aura was faint. He still hadn’t recovered from the shock and humiliation of being crushed by two fingers.
Naraku looked as if he’d lost his soul, huddled in the shadows of a corner.
Just then, the exceptionally tall and burly Ares Titan, who emanated a faint golden radiance, spoke, a sharp glint in his eyes. "He accepted my challenge."
"What?!"
"He actually dared to accept a challenge from Ares?"
"The nerve! Ares, teach him a lesson! Show him what a real gap in power looks like!"
"That’s right, show him the might of the Titan Royal family! Some guy from a lesser civilization gets two wins in a row and already thinks he’s invincible!"
Kane, Sisko, and the others, as if they’d found their champion, began to clamor indignantly, trying to vent all the frustration Li Wen had caused them.
Ares Titan said little, only giving a steady nod before his figure vanished on the spot.
...
「The Apex Combat Arena.」
The environment was unchanged—still the barren surface of a supergiant, lifeless planet.
Space rippled opposite Li Wen, and the magnificent, nearly three-meter-tall physique of Ares Titan materialized, looking as if it were cast from solid gold.
He wore a set of archaic golden battle armor inscribed with esoteric runes, but carried no weapon.
Just by standing there, he naturally exuded a majestic aura as immense and unshakable as a mountain—sacred and dignified, like an ancient deity walking among mortals.
His golden eyes met Li Wen’s. His voice was deep and magnetic, carrying an air of innate nobility.
"Li Wen. Reaching the eighth floor of the Heaven-Reaching Tower at a bone age of forty is proof enough that your talent is astonishing."
His words might have sounded like a compliment, but his tone was utterly condescending, and his attitude that Li Wen should naturally accept his "guidance" made him even more grating than the taunts of Naraku and Raymond.
"But rejecting the internal invitation to the Source Net was an unwise move. It will only cause your talent to languish and gather dust.
Joining the core of the Source Net is the fastest path to the apex of the universe. It’s a shame you made the wrong choice."
He shook his head slightly, as if pitying Li Wen.
This seemingly well-intentioned advice was filled with the judgment of a superior looking down on an inferior who didn’t know their place.
Li Wen just watched him coolly, without so much as twitching an eyebrow, let alone deigning to respond.
In the eyes of the already furious Alka geniuses watching from outside the arena, this silent dismissal was the height of arrogance and provocation.