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The Mammoth Elephant King was a beast of legends, famous for a trunk that could shatter reinforced steel. Yet, Qi Yan endured the blow—tanking the hit with his bare body. Was the man literally made of steel?
The King's colossal eyes widened in disbelief. It raised its right foot, a massive pillar of flesh and bone, and stomped the ground with terrifying force.
BOOM!
A shattering tremor tore through the battlefield, instantly cracking the earth. Soldiers and swordsmen staggered.
"Ugh ah ah!"
Qi Yan, however, simply flapped the black wings sprouting from his back, soaring into the air. He extended his index finger toward the grounded behemoth. Black energy swirled, rapidly compressing into a tight, dense sphere at his fingertip.
"Black Flash Void!"
Buzz! Whoosh!
A blinding beam of black light speared toward the ten-meter-tall King. Too massive to dodge, the beast could only brace itself.
"ROAR!"
CRASH!
The black energy of the Hollow Flash slammed into the King, detonating into a violent hemispherical blast of destructive light. It spread outward, incinerating everything in its path.
When the light faded, a massive, smoldering crater marked the battlefield. Within it lay the Mammoth Elephant King, utterly unconscious.
"That's incredible!"
"Mr. Qi Yan is amazing!"
"He defeated five Nine-Star Demonic Beasts all by himself! He's truly too strong!" The soldiers erupted in ecstatic cheers. With the five strongest beasts taken down so swiftly, the pressure on the human side was instantly relieved.
The Genius and the Monsters
Allen was stunned. He was barely holding his own against one Nine-Star Beast, yet this stranger had annihilated five in roughly a minute. This wasn't strength—it was a force of nature. He'd always considered himself a genius, but today he realized he was a mere frog in a well. Whether it was Qi Yan or the silent warrior, Tsugikuni Yoriichi, in the arena—they were the true monsters.
Clay gritted his teeth, frustration mounting. Two unknowns had suddenly appeared, eclipsing the rivalry he usually only shared with Arthur.
Arthur was equally shocked. Qi Yan's power was already comparable to the Ten Great Saints, but the most frightening thing was his incredible youth.
"Is this Qi Yan's true strength?" Erza finally understood how he could have completed an S-rank mission. With this power, it was only natural.
Qi Yan landed quickly back on the city wall, the black wings receding into a shimmer. He was panting heavily.
"Mr. Qi Yan, are you alright?" the King rushed over, concern etched on his face.
Qi Yan waved a tired hand. "I'm fine. Just heavy magic consumption. I'm afraid I can't help much with the rest of the fight."
"Don't say that, Mr. Qi Yan," the King replied sincerely. "You have already made the greatest contribution. Leave the rest to us!"
With the five leaders eliminated, the human morale skyrocketed. They fought with renewed ferocity. Meanwhile, the demonic beasts' fighting spirit crumbled.
"Judgment of Light!" Arthur unleashed his signature move, his sword blinding the Kui Lion and leaving it gravely wounded in a single, decisive strike.
"Thunderclap Flash!" Clay seized his opportunity. His body dissolved into a flash of pure lightning, weaving through the remaining heads of the Hydra and severing all of them in an instant.
Erza's grueling duel with the Silver Moon Wolf was also reaching its conclusion.
"Purgatory Smash!"
Changing into her formidable black Purgatory Armor, she swung her serrated greatsword fiercely. It connected with the wolf's flank.
"Howl!" The Silver Moon Wolf cried out in agony, collapsing to the ground, utterly defeated.
Finally, only the Unicorn Blood Ape, fighting Allen, remained. Seeing its powerful allies defeated, its will to fight evaporated. It sent Allen flying with a final, desperate palm strike, then turned and bolted into the thick forest without a second glance.
Seeing their Nine-Star leaders scattered, the remaining demonic horde broke formation and fled in every direction.
"OH! OH! OH! WE WON!"
The soldiers roared in victory, raising their weapons to the sky. One hundred thousand demonic beasts—a number large enough to raze a country—had been driven back. Qi Yan, who saved the country, was their hero.
Qi Yan let out a long breath of relief. His hard-earned bonus was safe.
The Applause of a Killer
Suddenly, a spherical object launched out of the forest.
BANG!
It slammed into the crowd near the wall.
Stunned, everyone stared at the object.
"The Unicorn Blood Ape!"
It was the head of the Nine-Star Demonic Beast that had just fled.
"Wh... what's going on?!"
"Didn't that thing run away? Who killed it?!"
As confusion swept through the ranks, a slow, mocking round of applause broke the silence.
"Clap, clap, clap, clap!"
"Not bad! Not bad! You've put on quite a show for me! Truly fascinating."
A young man, eerie and unsettling, strolled out of the Beast Great Forest. He had long purple hair, dark skin, and was dressed in flowing purple robes. He looked to be in his late twenties.
"Who are you? Did you kill the Unicorn Blood Ape?" Arthur stepped forward, wary of the man's unsettling aura and casual arrogance.
The young man sneered. "Human? I am no low-level creature like a human. Do not compare me to them. As for that little monkey, he disobeyed my orders. Naturally, he had to be executed."
Erza's eyes narrowed. "Orders? Did all these demonic beasts attack the city... at your command?"
The young man held up a single finger in a theatrical gesture. "Bingo! Congratulations! You got it right!"
"Why are you doing this?"
"Why? That's simple. It's for revenge!"
"Revenge?"
"Yes! To repay the grudge of a certain fellow who sealed me away for four hundred years."
The King's face, initially puzzled, suddenly went pale as he grasped the terrifying significance of the words.
"Beware!" the King screamed, his voice strained with terror. "This guy is the Magic Dragon... ALAZAM!"