"Warning! Warning! The Whale Shark King's Hetero-Energy is rising sharply! It is rising sharply..."
Lisa's alarm blared throughout the Black Tortoise.
A vortex of Hetero-Energy erupted with a roar, though its origin remained unseen. Only the planet itself trembled, shaking to its very core. Beyond the sight of those who dwelled in this world, just ahead of the vortex about to consume the Whale Shark King, the Whale Shark Ultra Beast suddenly leaped from the subterranean depths. It swallowed the gray mouse and the soul of the Whale Shark King in one fell swoop. Even the sealing vortex lost its target and slowly dissipated.
The Whale Shark King was right. In this world, as long as one's Hetero-Energy is powerful enough, there is nothing one cannot achieve. One must obey the rules of the land they stand upon, especially when standing in a world stronger than one's own.
"Tricks and trifles are ultimately illusions." The Whale Shark King's voice reverberated between heaven and earth, soul-stirring and profound. He released his full Hetero-Energy, a complete Black Hole's worth, and forcibly shattered the binding of the spell.
When he reappeared, he was already inside the Whale Shark Ultra Beast. With a grandiose wave of his hand, the Ultra Beast's eyes ignited with a scarlet glow. Its massive form vaulted into the firmament, and when it descended…
Whale Shark War God, has entered the fray!
The endless desert sands were pushed aside like waves in the wake of the tremors. The Whale Shark King, piloting the Whale Shark War God, looked downward. Across a chasm-like height, he locked eyes with Shendu.
"In the eyes of the strong, there is no place for the weak. But you… I am willing to grant you sufficient respect. Die by the hands of my Whale Shark War God!"
This was the Whale Shark King's ultimate form. An Ultra Beast is one of the highest manifestations of Hetero-Energy. His overwhelming power and physical frame were his greatest assets to lord over the firmament. He had every reason to be proud, to call himself the strong. Only moments ago, even Kino and his comrades in their Ultra Beast forms could not withstand a single blow from him. Even the combined Ultra Beast God had been forcibly dismantled within two strikes.
As his feet touched the ground, the earth of this Third Parallel Universe, a constant stream of power surged into him. At this very moment, the Whale Shark King's Hetero-Energy recovered to its peak! This was his territory; this was his home turf!
"I must admit, you forced me into my Ultra Beast form. That is your ability."
How could the Whale Shark King not understand Shendu's intentions? As warriors who live for battle, there was a tacit understanding between them. By summoning the Whale Shark War God, he had already conceded a step. He acknowledged this opponent.
"Now, bring out your trump card, or you have absolutely no chance of defeating me!"
The Whale Shark King declared, looking down at Shendu. He knew Shendu must still have hidden power, but the strong are inherently proud. He waited, expectant, for Shendu to unleash his true strength, so they could begin the second round of their duel.
The Whale Shark King's voice echoed across the desert like rolling thunder. His confidence as a conqueror was absolute.
Yet, on the ground beneath him, Shendu's face remained void of panic. He seemed to have been waiting for this for a long time. Without wasting words, he simply nodded. "Fine."
Only one word to answer the challenge. He had achieved his goal; he had seized the initiative in this battle, a feat befitting the pride of the Fire Demon. Shendu closed his eyes slightly. He liked this opponent, having been stifled for so long, this contest brought him genuine pleasure. His foe possessed immense power, yet was still willing to grant every opponent respect, holding nothing but scorn for cowardly sneak attacks.
The moment Shendu shut his eyes, the restless, swirling sand dunes, agitated moments ago by the Whale Shark War God, suddenly fell silent. Heaven and earth stood still. It was as if something truly terrifying was brewing.
Shendu's trump card? It was simple.
It was nothing more than a bit of Hetero-Energy.
At this very moment, the Hetero-Energy circulating around him began to be drawn inward, rushing into his body like a surging river. The increase in power was invisible, yet the sudden, mounting pressure struck everyone present like a physical weight, like a massive boulder pressing against their hearts.
Shendu revealed his essence, his very existence, to this world. And in turn, the world answered him.
"Warning! Warning! An unknown source of Hetero-Energy is rising sharply! Extremely dangerous!"
Inside the Black Tortoise, Lisa suddenly issued an alarm, a piercing sound unlike anything they had heard before.
"Sister Lisa, can you analyze the source of the Hetero-Energy?" Thales asked instinctively from the main control seat.
"Source of Hetero-Energy..." The scanner locked onto Shendu in the desert, the holographic screen mapping his silhouette. "Nature of Hetero-Energy... Warning: this activity exceeds the Black Tortoise's rated capacity. Unable to analyze. Unable to analyze..."
Lisa, the AI of the Black Tortoise, was actually unable to analyze Shendu's Hetero-Energy? Thales stood stunned. Even with the Whale Shark King, the strongest enemy they had faced thus far, the ship had been able to identify the nature of his energy. He had done so just moments ago. But now, the sensors had effectively gone on strike.
Thales gulped, staring blankly at the battlefield.
"Just how strong is this guy..." Thales muttered.
On the battlefield, inside the Whale Shark War God, as the pressure radiating from Shendu climbed higher, the Whale Shark King's expression shifted from composure and anticipation to bewilderment and confusion. He couldn't understand what he was seeing.
In ten thousand years, he had never witnessed something so bizarre. He could sense Shendu's Hetero-Energy fluctuating, rising and falling. He had assumed it was some strange state of being, but Shendu was absorbing it. The massive waves of energy twisted into a deep-sea vortex, and the destination at the center of that vortex was Shendu's unyielding form. The sight was so horrifying that the Whale Shark King's eyes widened.
Finally, in the next moment, Shendu forcibly cut off the incoming energy, bringing the vortex, composed entirely of Hetero-Energy, to a complete, grinding halt. This vortex was invisible to the naked eye, hovering above the planet, but it did not dissipate; it simply rendered the very sky colorless.
Shendu opened his eyes and exhaled a stream of scorching heat. He had forced his Hetero-Energy to stabilize at the level of a Black Hole.
"Although I am not fond of the word 'fair,' you are indeed worth a proper fight."
The Whale Shark King's expression darkened. Within his senses, the total amount of Hetero-Energy that had not yet been absorbed, the energy still suspended above them, had long since surpassed the limits of his estimation. It was vast, dwarfing the very planet beneath their feet. It hung heavily over their heads, causing even the Whale Shark War God to instinctively shrink back.
"I have already analyzed the nature of your Hetero-Energy. It is very similar to the earth we stand upon. It seems you also possess the ability to draw energy from the outside world."
Shendu pointed out the Whale Shark King's greatest ace. As a Demon Sorcerer, and having personally felt the impact of the Whale Shark King's Tsunami Calamity, he had roughly grasped the nature of his enemy's power during the fight.
"So, I shall also draw power from above. That should make it even, wouldn't you say? Haha."
Shendu laughed aloud, his tone filled with genuine delight.
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