After everyone left and the Grand Protection Protocol activated, energy erupted from Titan King's body. The crushing purple aura pouring out of him could be felt for miles. Titan King began releasing extremely powerful sound waves that froze the wolf in place, then charged forward and slammed into it.
[Recovery site behind a distant mountain]
Lin Yuan lay sprawled out while Ikalat knelt on the ground. Both of them were panting from pain, wounds, and exhaustion, and beside them the disciples they had saved were still unconscious. They suddenly felt the crushing aura coming from miles away, and Lin Yuan asked nervously:
"What is that… terrifying aura?"
Ikalat spoke calmly, fatigue rasping in his hoarse voice:
"System, what's the source of that aura?"
The System appeared before them.
System: "The source is the Master's aura. That is because the lock on his dark power has been released, which strengthens him the more darkness there is. It was sealed out of fear of being detected by the Great Concepts, but the danger has now exceeded 80%, so the lock must be opened. This will enhance the Master's power by about 30%–40%, and with the enhancement from the right fragment of Darkness, the Master's strength will rise to double—or even twice—his current level."
[In the battle]
Titan King flew into the air using the jetpack, but the wolf roared. The rocks that had shattered from their collision moments earlier shot toward Titan King at terrifying speed and smashed into him, sending him crashing to the ground. The wolf pounced on him and began biting his body, but since he was made of metal, the bites didn't do much.
Titan King punched the wolf and knocked it away. Then Titan King stood up, grabbed the wolf, and began smashing it into the nearby mountain—
once… twice… three times… four times… in rapid succession.
But the wolf retaliated by releasing an electrical wave that blasted Titan King back and scorched his metal hand and gloves. The wolf moved at its top speed straight toward Titan King.
Titan King drew his black sword, but the wolf suddenly used lightning energy to move at an absurd speed beside Titan King. It grabbed the sword, ripped it free by force, charged it with electricity through its sharp teeth, and stabbed it into Titan King's neck. Titan King dropped to the ground and convulsed violently. The wolf moved in and began biting Titan King while shocking him with electricity.
[In the recovery area]
The System appeared before Lin Yuan and Ikalat.
System: "Master Vitality: 38% Win Rate: 46% Great Concepts Detection Rate: 33%"
Ikalat and Lin Yuan were shocked. Lin Yuan said:
"Damn it—he's going to die! We have to move and help him!"
Ikalat stopped him and grabbed him.
"You idiot! We're weak and injured—if we go help him, we'll die too. We're allies of convenience. If Scarlet King dies, we split up and keep living. But if we go to help him, we die!"
The System appeared again.
System: "Master Vitality: 29%
Because the Master's vitality has fallen below 30%, all power seals will be released. This will raise the win rate to 76%, but the detection rate by the Concepts will rise. The good thing is that we're inside a Cosmic Cave, which lowers their detection—though it does not eliminate it."
The disciples began waking up. Among them was a beautiful girl with glossy black hair, a small frame, and medium curves. The moment she woke up, she screamed:
"Don't hurt me!! I'm the daughter of the Sect Master of Yang Sun Sect! If you hurt me, you won't live to see tomorrow, you damned villains!!"
Lin Yuan laughed coldly, stepped closer, and his voice turned flirtatious:
"We won't hurt you, miss beauty—but may I know your name? And would you like to go out with me and talk in private?"
Ikalat kicked Lin Yuan from behind and shouted at him:
"We're going to die if we don't leave right now! No time for flirting!"
Lin Yuan snapped back angrily:
"How do you know we're going to die right now?"
Ikalat pointed behind him with a deadpan, almost comedic expression—revealing the wolf being hurled violently onto the ground not far from them. Titan King appeared and spoke in a distorted, reversed voice:
".dratsab uoy ,uoy barg ll'I"
He advanced toward the wolf, which fired another black sphere—but Titan King slapped the sphere aside with his hand, sending it into the ground and destroying it.
He yanked the sword out of his neck and gripped it. An expression appeared on his screen:
"(｀Д´)"
He rushed the Lightning Wolf, grabbed it, and drove the sword into its belly—pushing deeper and deeper as the wolf howled loudly and blood sprayed everywhere.
Ikalat asked curiously:
"What did he say?"
The System suddenly appeared in front of them, making Lin Yuan flinch.
System: "Because the sword stabbed into the Master's neck, the normal point of speech output has been damaged, causing the sound to come out reversed. This damage is most likely permanent. Titan King will speak in reverse permanently, but only Titan King—not the Master himself."
The System began translating:
Translation… 12%… 44%… 76%… 100%:
Original phrase: ".dratsab uoy ,uoy barg ll'I"
Reversed speech: "I'll grab you, you bastard."
"Power Stones + rating, please"