The brilliant golden light vanished in an instant, and the portal dissolved into nothingness.
Yet, the sky suddenly darkened.
Above and below, the two beings, who had perceived each other as rivals from the very first glance, locked eyes. Both possessed absolute conviction in their own strength, a certainty that they stood inferior to no one.
As the hegemon of the Third Parallel Universe and the lord of its local factions, the Whale Shark King was the undisputed master of this domain. Moreover, he subscribed to the adage that a powerful dragon should not overreach when facing a local serpent. He relied on his Hetero-Energy, which measured a full one Black Hole, and felt even more confident in his own unique nature.
The distribution of Hetero-Energy within his body was almost identical to the structure of this Third Parallel Universe's Earth. As long as he stood upon the planet, it would provide him with an inexhaustible supply of energy. Even if he were wounded, so long as he remained alive, the planet itself was his greatest trump card.
As for Shendu, it went without saying: he had never considered the possibility of failure.
Times had changed. This was not the world of Jackie Chan Adventures; there were no sealing spells to bind him. More importantly, as Zoran had mentioned to him previously, the life essence of a demon was highly favored in this world. This was a gift from the cosmos, and he had yet to claim it.
Standing proudly amidst the swirling desert sands, the Whale Shark King declared with immense confidence: "On this planet, I have no need to fear any man's blade."
He fixed his gaze on the firmament. Just then, Shendu's massive form descended to the ground, kicking up a tidal wave of golden sand.
"Feel it closely. Those foreign currents of Hetero-Energy... they belong to you," Zoran's gentle voice echoed in his mind.
Shendu closed his eyes briefly and then snapped them open. A grin spread across his face. He felt it, a strange, inexplicable power swirling around him, yearning to merge with his being. It was the exact same phenomenon that had occurred when Zoran first descended.
Shendu was no mindless brute. The very first thing he did upon arrival was sense Zoran's aura, and he couldn't help but feel a jolt of astonishment. His brother had become incredibly powerful!
If I absorb this, will I become as strong as my brother? Shendu couldn't help but ask.
"Exactly," Zoran replied.
"So swift. What a blessed land this is!" Shendu laughed, then his tone shifted. "But, there is no need to rush."
He strode out from the thick curtain of sand and walked deliberately until he stood before the Whale Shark War God, speaking slowly: "I like enemies like you. You have enough confidence, and you have the capital to back it up."
"In the eyes of the strong, there is no seat for the weak, well said." Shendu applauded softly.
"Oh?" The Whale Shark King let out a low hum. His gaze toward Shendu suddenly brimmed with excitement. Given his current level of Hetero-Energy, how could he fail to notice the peculiarities of his opponent?
Unquantifiable energy surged and ebbed within Shendu like a tidal wave, fluctuating between extreme highs and lows, a disparity that was nothing short of staggering.
"Well said indeed!" the Whale Shark King exclaimed. In the next second, he remarkably exited his Ultra Beast form, standing before Shendu in his base armor. "An interesting opponent. Though your energy level currently seems quite low, I still recognize you as a strong one. I, the Whale Shark King, have never been one to bully the weak with superior power. Please!"
He extended an arm in a standard, elegant gesture of invitation.
"That's more like it. This is interesting," Shendu let out a booming laugh. At this moment, he chose to ignore the Hetero-Energy that was clawing at his consciousness, desperate to fuse with him. Instead, he took slow, measured steps toward the Whale Shark King.
On the other side of the battlefield.
Kino, Devin, and Phoebe scratched their heads in confusion, watching the sudden shift in the tide of battle with bewilderment.
"Are we still fighting?" Kino flicked his wrists.
"You? Hmph. You aren't even qualified," the Whale Shark King dismissed them entirely, his eyes never leaving Shendu.
"Hey!" Kino's face flushed with annoyance, but just as he was about to retort, Master Wyatt's voice crackled into his ear.
"Kino, pull back. Replenish your Hetero-Energy for now."
Kino blinked, stunned. "Fine, whatever."
They had only exchanged a few blows with the Whaleshark King, yet their Hetero-Energy had already plummeted below forty percent. Rather than wasting time with petty taunts, it was better to retreat and let that little sprite, Baboo, restore their strength.
Still, the true nature of that strange creature that had descended from the sky was utterly baffling. He wasn't quite an armored combatant, nor was he an Ultra Beast. He was like some sort of monster. If they weren't so exhausted and if the aura radiating from the newcomer hadn't made his heart tremble, Kino might have had a few more choice words to say.
Returning to the Black Tortoise, the trio's brows arched in surprise. Zoran had returned at some point and was now standing beside Master Wyatt, wearing a faint smile. Master Wyatt, meanwhile, looked grave, as if a great calamity had occurred.
"You never mentioned that as an otherworldly traveler, you could also bring others with you... No, that is assuming that thing even counts as a person," Master Wyatt said, his expression somber as he looked at Zoran.
"Isn't that perfectly normal?" Zoran shrugged dismissively. "Look, he's here to fight the Whale Shark King. Or did you truly believe that Kino and his friends could defeat the Whale Shark King on their own?"
"Who... is he?" Master Wyatt couldn't help but ask.
In this universe, every powerful entity lived by a specific creed. Master Wyatt's was balance; the Nebula Body Galvas's was love; the Scorpion King Solita's was revenge. But the strange state of Shendu reminded him of the Zoran he had first met.
If that creature wanted to, could he also ascend to the heavens in a single step and manifest a Nebula Body? If so, what became of the balance in this universe?
Balance, my foot! A new Nebula Body shows up every time he turns around!
Yet, he found it difficult to argue with Zoran. Master Wyatt's ultimate, invincible technique, the Primordial Void Annihilation, was essentially a one-second tour of the Void when faced with Zoran. He knew he couldn't win, and frankly, he should be grateful that this particular Nebula-level being was even willing to talk.
"Him?" Zoran looked toward the two figures dueling in the desert, his eyes fixed on Shendu's back. "I thought you might have guessed."
Master Wyatt's face fell instantly. He had suspected as much. Although he was not a combat-oriented fighter, his mastery of Hetero-Energy was immense, and his perception of an outsider's aura was keen.
That was the problem. The creature that had just appeared, whom one could only describe as a monster, possessed an essence of life that, when perceived through Hetero-Energy, was identical to that of the man standing before him!
Master Wyatt didn't dare think any deeper.
Zoran, however, revealed the truth with an indifferent smile. "He is my younger brother."
It hit Master Wyatt like a heavy hammer. He stood frozen, his eyes involuntarily darting between Zoran and the distant Shendu.
If these two were brothers, and one of them looked so monstrous and utterly inhuman...
Then... what kind of creature was the Zoran standing before him, hidden beneath that human skin?
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