"Looks like someone wants to test me."
In the Second Parallel Universe, at the wormhole exit, Zoran gazed at the portal and smiled.
He had already dealt with the Poison Dragon Pool; now, he only needed to head to Dragon City and observe how things unfolded. Devin's arrival was unnecessary. In fact, from the very beginning, his arrival was merely a causal ripple that invited trouble. That was precisely why he had just expelled Devin back to his point of origin.
But it seemed Hades was not giving up; he was forcing the channel to remain open. Zoran was more than happy to play along to the bitter end.
Across dimensions, separated by several parallel universes, Zoran and Hades, two warriors capable of manifesting a Nebula Body, were locked in a high-stakes struggle over the wormhole. Situated in different universes, their vast, opposing Hetero-Energy clashed at both ends of the channel. Hades wanted to maintain it; Zoran wanted to destroy it.
At the entrance, Devin stared at Hades with uncertainty.
The sheer, overwhelming Hetero-Energy belonging to the ruler spilled out, forcefully shoring up the entrance, its oppressive might radiating throughout the entire Fifth Parallel Universe. Devin couldn't help but feel suspicious. What kind of being was on the other side? To force Hades to get serious?
It was clear that Hades was currently outputting at least six Black Holes' worth of Hetero-Energy. Many of his subordinates rushed over in a panic, bewildered by the unfolding events.
"Devin, get into the channel! I am going to send you through today, no matter what!" Hades commanded sharply.
The moment he finished speaking, the wormhole flickered, twisted, and suddenly shrank until it was as minuscule as a needle point, nearly vanishing. The other side was pushing back.
"It seems the one on the other side is a powerhouse, too," Hades said in a low voice, his Hetero-Energy spiking once more. The ground beneath his feet had long since cracked into countless fragments, fissures spreading in all directions without pause.
With a low grunt, he forcefully expanded the entrance back to the size of a tree trunk.
"Devin?" Hades called out.
Devin took a step back and shook his head. He wasn't stupid. Entering now would mean being caught in a pincer attack; he wouldn't even know how he died.
Hades glared at the wormhole, as if trying to peer through the entrance at the being on the other side. "Fine. If you want to fight, then let's dance!"
He stomped down, a black aura surging from his body as a phantom image manifested above him. "Netherworld Nebula!" he growled, pushing his Hetero-Energy to its limit.
In an instant, the wormhole entrance expanded to hundreds of meters in width, a clear path emerging. His voice grew ethereal: "History has never lacked powerful warriors, but I, too, do not lack power."
The voice rolled like thunder, echoing in every direction.
"Long live Hades! Long live Hades!" The soldiers, having heard the news, cheered, raising their weapons in a display of mounting momentum.
Compared to the scene in the Fifth Parallel Universe, the Second Parallel Universe, the destination of the wormhole, was much quieter.
Thales sat bored on a rock, chin resting on his hand, eyes fixed on the wormhole that was constantly changing size not far away. Zoran hovered at the exit, his aura as calm as ever. Hades was locking horns with him, determined to open this wormhole today. As the one contending against him, Zoran naturally couldn't allow him to open this channel right in front of him.
He let out a soft huff, calmly reaching out and gripping the void.
The next second, a pressure as immense as a mountain peak surged toward him, and the entire wormhole channel instantly expanded to hundreds of meters in width.
Zoran lowered his gaze, saying unhurriedly, "Getting serious? Is Hades from 100,000 years ago really this hot-headed?"
He let out a hearty laugh, and his Hetero-Energy surged in near-perfect synchronization. A pale purple phantom drifted from his body high into the sky, gathering like rolling clouds and mist. But the appearance of the manifested phantom was not his current human visage.
It was a demon!
Clad in purple and red Taoist robes, with four hands clasped together, it stood there leisurely. The true form of the Moon Demon manifested in the blink of an eye, expanding to its limit and looming over the firmament of the entire Second Parallel Universe.
The suffocating aura reached every corner of the realm. When this aura descended, the warriors of the Azure Dragon and White Dragon clans in Dragon City, who had been waiting for the tournament to begin, trembled in fear. This world had never lacked brave warriors, but the aura of a Nebula Body was simply too terrifying, causing countless fighters in the realm to turn pale.
"Moon-Devouring Nebula," Zoran said softly.
The Hetero-Energy granted to him by this world erupted to its peak. The channel, which had been widened to hundreds of meters, shrank rapidly the moment his words fell, returning to the size of a needle point in an instant.
The maneuvering between powerhouses was fully displayed in this moment.
On the other side, Hades' expression changed drastically. He couldn't imagine who exactly was on the other side, being able to force the wormhole to close while he was in a state of Nebula Body manifestation.
Relying on his explosive Hetero-Energy, he struggled to maintain his footing, attempting to widen the wormhole again. The black armor on Hades' body shuddered under the strain, and even the phantom of the Netherworld Nebula began to sway slightly. He forcefully expanded the needle-thin entrance to the size of a fist.
They were the race destined to conquer all seven parallel universes. But at this very moment, he had reached his limit. Standing before his countless subordinates and his own Wolf Clan, he could not afford to lose face.
From inside the wormhole, a shattering sound suddenly echoed.
Hades' expression sank. This wormhole could not withstand the clash of two Nebula-level Hetero-Energies; it was on the verge of collapse. Perhaps forcing the channel to shatter now was a decent choice. At the very least, he wouldn't be seen by his Wolf Clan subordinates having the wormhole closed by the powerhouse on the other side. Even if Devin couldn't be sent over, at least it wouldn't count as a loss.
"It seems this wormhole can't hold on," Zoran remarked from the other side.
Hades of this moment was, after all, still lacking compared to him. Perhaps after 100,000 years within the time-stagnant Netherworld Black Hole, he might be able to go toe-to-toe with him. But between powerhouses, even the slightest gap was an insurmountable chasm.
Gazing at the wormhole, Zoran closed his palm completely. A jarring, ear-splitting cracking and roaring sound echoed out. It seemed the Hades on the other side didn't want to struggle anymore. The power of the Netherworld Nebula began to act on the wormhole itself from the other side of the entrance, attempting to destroy the channel.
Zoran curled his lips into a smile, speaking softly, his voice riding the power into the tunnel.
In the Fifth Parallel Universe, Hades was just preparing to exert more force on the channel when, in the next second, a strange, low voice permeated the wormhole, carried by the force. It drifted above the heads of all the Wolf Clan members and warriors, and it curled around Hades' ears.
"If you don't let go now, I will open a new one and come over personally..."
The voice stated.
Hades froze, the arm of the Netherworld Nebula reaching forward slowly dropping.
In one ten-thousandth of a second, the wormhole channel shrank and then vanished into nothingness. The world was empty; everyone was speechless. Many of the Wolf Clan warriors' arms remained stiffly raised in the air.
Dead silence.
But that voice continued to drift slowly and steadily above everyone's heads.
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