The earth rumbled like a waking beast. The golden, opulent hotel behind Rowan split apart, forming a massive crater as a violent explosion tore through its core. Screams filled the air as people who had been peacefully dining moments earlier were flung outward, swallowed by fire, smoke, and shattered steel. Countless lives were claimed in an instant.
Yet from the very heart of that blazing explosion, three figures burst out like meteors. Each one radiated an overwhelming aura, their bodies wrapped in terrifying waves of power so dense that Rowan felt his breath catch. The pressure alone made his bones feel as if they were being squeezed by an invisible force.
"Two at Cosmic Rank Two. One at Cosmic Rank Three," Babata warned sharply. The sentient AI grabbed Rowan metaphorically by the collar, urging him to retreat. "Rowan, you are only at Star Level Seven. Getting caught in the shockwaves of their battle could kill you."
Rowan knew Babata wasn't exaggerating. Even as he dodged chunks of falling concrete and steel plummeting from the ruins above, the air trembled with apocalyptic force.
Before he could stabilize himself, a thunderous roar tore through the sky.
"Naquro, hand over the map right now. Do you think you can keep it for yourself?"
The two Cosmic Rank Two warriors glared at a strange being whose skin was marked with fiery red patterns and whose forehead bore three sharp horns. This Cosmic Rank Three warrior clutched a metallic box pulsing with eerie energy.
Naquro laughed wildly. "You want something from the Shadowfiend Clan? Keep dreaming."
Flames erupted across Naquro's entire body. In an instant, his speed skyrocketed and he shot into the distance, streaking toward the outskirts of Qulong Star.
The two pursuers tried to chase after him, but he left them behind within seconds. They could only watch helplessly as he vanished into the cosmic horizon. In fury, they roared orders to all their subordinates, directing them toward the spaceport for a full pursuit.
Rowan frowned as he watched them disappear. "Shadowfiend Clan? What even is that?"
Babata sounded almost startled. "The Shadowfiend Clan... Are they truly not extinct?"
"Extinct? What are you talking about?" Rowan demanded urgently.
Babata took a slow breath, as though dredging up memories from millions of years ago. "The Shadowfiend Clan was once infamous across the universe. They are not flesh-and-blood beings but special lifeforms blessed by the Law of Time. Even at the Cosmic Rank, they can stop time for brief moments. The most gifted among them could comprehend time at the Star Level, even reversing it for a fraction of a second."
Rowan's eyes widened.
"And it gets even crazier," Babata continued. "They have no souls. Their bodies can turn into mist. They are immune to mental pressure and possess monstrous explosive strength. Even without training, their physical output reaches ninety-nine times normal force. With proper martial techniques, their power skyrockets into something terrifying."
Rowan's heart pounded.
This was far more broken than the assassins of the Void Shadow Clan he had learned about before.
Blessed by the Law of Time...
Ninety-ninefold physical force...
Mist-like bodies immune to spirit attacks...
A race like that was practically born to break the rules of combat.
And Rowan already possessed the Time Stone. If he combined its power with a Shadowfiend physique... his perception of time laws would increase exponentially. His chances of mastering time itself would skyrocket.
In direct combat, the Shadowfiend Clan might be the single strongest special race he had ever heard of.
"But why did they go extinct?" Rowan pressed.
Babata spoke in a hushed tone. "Seventy million years ago, when my master had just reached Peak World Lord, something horrifying happened. The leader of the Shadowfiend Clan, one of the first Cosmic Venerables I told you about, offended the Axeforge Founder."
Rowan froze.
The Axeforge Founder...
A being capable of slaying True Gods.
Even the universe trembled before his name.
"No one knows what the Shadowfiend Venerable did, but the Axeforge Founder sent legions of top-tier warriors after him. They wiped him out completely. Then they exterminated the entire Shadowfiend Clan."
Babata's voice turned somber.
"That war shook the entire universe. Shadowfiends were hunted to extinction across every galaxy. Even those who appeared later were killed instantly. By the time my master reached the Undying Rank and another twenty million years passed, the Shadowfiend Clan had disappeared entirely."
Rowan felt a chill creep down his spine.
Why would a Cosmic Venerable provoke someone like the Axeforge Founder?
What could possibly make such a being attempt something so suicidal?
Babata continued, "Fragments of their bodies and some of their techniques survived, but no one could cultivate them. Their biology is incompatible with soul-based species."
Rowan's mind raced.
A race blessed by the Law of Time.
Physically unstoppable.
Capable of freezing time itself.
And extinct.
If he had even a sliver of their essence...
If he could create a Shadowfiend clone...
His potential would transform entirely.
"Babata," Rowan said firmly, "we need that metal box Naquro stole."
"You are insane," Babata cried. "He is Cosmic Rank Three. You are Star Level Seven. He could sneeze and vaporize you."
"Tell me how to track him," Rowan insisted.
Babata sighed heavily. "Fine. Every visitor who enters Qulong Star leaves a cosmic identification code, similar to a phone number on Earth. Naquro's ID should be in the database. I can hack their system and locate his coordinates through the universe network. It will take about an hour."
An hour was acceptable. Rowan nodded and immediately flew toward the spaceport, urging Babata to begin.
"Rowan, listen to me. This is suicide. Actual suicide," Babata groaned.
Rowan ignored him.
Once Babata began hacking, Rowan commandeered his aircraft and sped in the direction Naquro fled.
An hour later, Babata returned to the smart wristband projection. "Got him. Coordinates located in the Gilrath Constellation. Ten hours of hyperspace travel."
A holographic star map appeared, the red marker blinking in the vast cosmic ocean.
Rowan immediately forced the Black Dragon ship into hyperspace.
Babata glared at him. "How exactly do you plan to fight a Cosmic Rank Three?"
"You will see soon enough."
Rowan leaned back, gathering his thoughts. This trip had unexpectedly delivered the opportunity of a lifetime. If he obtained even one trace of Shadowfiend essence, he could create a clone capable of comprehending the Law of Time.
With such a clone, he could safely send either his original body or his duplicate into the Marvel Universe to study time and space rules, while the other remained in the Devouring World to participate in trials and the Genius Tournament.
Even if one body died, the other could resurrect him as long as the life core survived. Indirect immortality.
Babata suddenly panicked. "Wait. Rowan. What are you doing? Stop! Stop!"
Rowan calmly removed the Infinity Gauntlet from his arm.
"Into the box you go. You nag too much."
"No! Rowan, don't you dare!"
He dropped Babata's device into a special signal-blocking container he'd prepared long ago. The lid snapped shut and all external connections were severed.
He could not risk anyone discovering the Infinity Gauntlet.
Now he was free to use it however he needed.
Rowan grinned, feeling bloodlust simmer in his veins.
"A Star Level warrior fighting a Cosmic Rank Three. This will be fun."
As hyperspace dissolved around them, the Black Dragon ship emerged into a new cosmic region.
And Rowan's first true universe-level battle was about to begin.