Chapter 227: Great Battle (1)
The Curses of the Demon
A straight, scorched channel was carved into the Swamp Forest.
Starting from the original crater, the channel stretched north for almost a thousand meters before stopping. At the end of the channel, the demon Ghast, with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, lay in a massive pit piled with碎 wood and earth. His face was dark enough to drip water.
As an ancient demon, a former ruler of the galaxy, he had just been knocked back hundreds of meters by a creature he considered an ant.
"Human, you are courting death."
Ghast pushed himself up from the pit. He pointed a hand, and the ground cracked, surging with magma that instantly formed three giant Fire Snakes. The snakes were made of molten rock, with drops of liquid fire occasionally dripping from them.
At the same time, Ghast muttered an incantation. Countless gray light waves flew toward Luke, forming a solid-looking gray circle beneath his feet.
Curse of Misfortune!
The moment the circle formed, the battle armor immediately malfunctioned.
"Warning... Warning... The energy crystal is fractured. Energy is continuously leaking. Please replace immediately."
"Ava, what's going on?"
"That bolt of lightning struck the armor, causing an anomaly in the energy crystal."
Luke frowned. "How could a Kryptonian energy crystal be cracked by lightning?"
"Theoretically, it shouldn't be possible, but it happened."
Luke: "..."
He was silent for a few seconds, then looked down at the gray circle beneath his feet, gritting his teeth.
"Looks like I have to end this quickly."
With that thought, he leaped into the air. Unexpectedly, his foot slipped, and his massive body slammed heavily onto the ground.
Bang!
A human-shaped crater appeared in the mud.
Luke climbed out of the pit, green flames burning fiercely in his eyes, like a flesh-eating monster.
Ghast stood atop one of the giant snakes, his head held high with an air of innate arrogance and disdain.
"A laughable creature, so powerless before fate. No one can resist fate, and I am the master of fate."
"Die."
The fiery giant snakes roared and charged. Luke opened his right hand, and a blue energy cannon blasted the lead snake's head into fragments. The next second, however, new heads grew back.
The snake heads opened their mouths, spewing countless molten bombs.
Luke snorted. Flames shot from his feet, propelling him into the air. He dodged the magma while closing the distance to Ghast, his eight spider legs firing constantly, shattering the giant snakes' heads.
The three snakes and the single armored figure weaved around each other in the air, a terrifyingly close dance where Luke managed to precisely avoid every attack.
Ghast continuously controlled the giant snakes to attack, but to no avail. Gradually, he grew impatient. To be reduced to a stalemate with a lower life form, after finally escaping, was a severe blow to the ancient demon's reputation.
"Human, your defiance is irritating me."
Massive magical energy gathered above, transforming into a black vortex. The vortex expanded rapidly: one meter... two meters... three meters... four meters... In the blink of an eye, it grew to over ten meters wide. A terrifying suction force spread from the vortex. Grass clippings, branches, and stones below all flew up, rushing into the vortex.
The vortex grew larger, seeming to connect to another world.
Ghast laughed loudly.
"See? This is true magic."
He pointed a finger, and the vortex slowly flew forward.
The three fire snakes were torn into fragments by the suction and then consumed by the pitch-black maelstrom. It was like a giant black hole, devouring and tearing apart everything in its vicinity.
As it consumed more, its radius continuously expanded. Trees and mud vanished completely, leaving the ground bare, without a blade of grass.
Frightening power!
Luke murmured. Truly worthy of an ancient demon, to use such terrifying magic.
The suction grew stronger. The Phantom armor flew outward at full speed but was still being pulled toward the vortex inch by inch. Luke frowned, green flames appearing on his palm. He glanced down at the Swamp Monster and paused.
After a period of recovery, Professor Holland had returned to his previous state.
His legs were rooted in the soil. Despite the maelstrom's fury, he stood completely unshaken. A sapling sprouted from the mud and instantly grew into a towering tree. The tree's branches extended upward, wrapping around Luke's body and dragging him down from the sky.
Luke let out a small sigh of relief, speaking in a low voice,
"I thought you'd need more time to recover."
The Swamp Monster said expressionlessly, "Your friend tried to blow me up."
Luke gave a sarcastic shake of his head.
"I already told you they are the FBI. You should know better than anyone what kind of people the Federal Bureau of Investigation are, you experienced it firsthand decades ago."
The Swamp Monster snorted coldly. "Your girlfriend is also FBI."
"Emily is different."
"I don't see how she is different."
"She is mine. That is the biggest difference."
The Swamp Monster gave Luke a cold look, then whipped a branch, flinging him far away.
A Favor Requested
The black vortex continued to expand, but the Swamp Monster below showed no fear. He plunged his hands and feet into the soil. As a suppressed roar echoed through the forest, countless green shoots burst from the earth, growing upward at an extremely rapid pace. These shoots were unlike ordinary trees; their trunks were brownish-yellow, they had few leaves, but their wood was dense and extremely tough.
The trees grew higher and higher, surging toward the vortex from all directions.
From a distance, it looked like a massive collection of trees shooting skyward, surrounding the vortex. The two forces rubbed against each other. The trees were destroyed by the tearing force, but the vortex also stopped expanding, and under the continuous assault of the wood, it actually began to contract.
Seeing this, Ghast narrowed his eyes above, a powerful killing intent bursting forth.
The Parliament of Trees!
The Elemental Lord!
There is a being of this magnitude on Earth? It must die. It absolutely cannot be allowed to live.
Ghast had a perfect plan for the future: he wanted to restore the glory of the ancient era and become the ruler of the galaxy. To be a ruler, he had to eliminate all stumbling blocks beneath his throne.
Ghast muttered an incantation in a low, hoarse voice that echoed in the air. Suddenly, the sky darkened. Countless black particles seeped out of the soil, continuously gathering toward Ghast's arm.
His right hand imperceptibly turned pitch-black, and a dense aura of Death Energy spread out. The trees below began to show signs of decay.
The Swamp Monster sensed the change. He straightened up, his solemn face showing a hint of panic.
Death Energy was the nemesis of natural power. If he was struck by that arm, he would either enter suspended animation or die.
Ghast cackled unnervingly. Wings spread from his back, and he swooped down. Trees shot up, trying to block him, but they strangely decayed and withered, turning into black ash that drifted down.
The Swamp Monster took a deep breath, his body swelling. His muscles bulged, turning him into a four-meter-tall giant. Just as Luke expected him to unleash his full power for a fight to the death, Alec Holland suddenly turned his head and said with a note of anxiety,
"Hey, can you maybe help me out?"
"Me?"
Luke pointed to himself, completely baffled.
The Swamp Monster nodded repeatedly like a pecking chicken. "That hand of his has a severe counter-effect on me. Can you help me tank the hit?"
Luke: "..."
Are you kidding me? If you're afraid of Death Energy, why wouldn't I be?
Although... I don't think I actually feel anything from Death Energy!
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