Volume One: Intrigue and Deception in the Imperial Capital - Monster

No one could have imagined that at the same time Si Nan Zheng unleashing the Golden Compass, another Divine Item appeared on the bridge outside the main gate of the capital.

Rakshasa True Word.

The treasure of the Rakshasa Divine Sect in the South Spirit Continent is said to be the materialization of the Word Spirit of a fierce god in ancient times. It contains both the supreme wisdom of the fierce god and the rage capable of destroying everything. It is both incomparably noble and incomparably evil.

Of course, that's just a legend; after all, it's impossible to prove whether that so-called evil god actually exists.

However, one thing is certain.

Of all the components of the World Crossing Gate, the Rakshasa True Word is undoubtedly the most violent and ferocious.

"Roar... howl... roar... howl how..."

Directly above the bridge, an astonishing Blood Energy permeated the sky, distorting the blood-red clouds into a vortex. At the center of the vortex stood a person below.

It was less a "person" and more a "thing with a human form."

Its towering body, nearly three meters tall, was covered in layers of dark red runes, its entire body sprouting dense, armor-like barbs. Its hands and feet had transformed into enormous, bright red claws. And its face—the humanoid creature's face was completely unrecognizable. Its once captivatingly beautiful eyes had turned an eerie, sallow yellow; its once smooth cheeks were covered in a thick layer of scabs, resembling a grotesque mask; its cherry-like mouth had split horizontally, all the way to its ears, revealing sharp teeth; its long, black hair had turned a muddy white, reaching its knees...

In short, it's a monster.

"It can't be wrong..."

A hundred meters away, I. B. stood with a serious expression. He had three more paintbrushes in his right hand, making a total of four, which he held between his fingers. The palette in his left hand was also larger, covered with colorful drops of paint.

"Although I've never seen the actual object, this must be the Rakshasa True Word..."

Several months ago, the Leader's capable general, Blood Fiend, went to the Rakshasa Divine Sect to forcibly seize the Rakshasa True Word and engaged in a world-shattering battle with the Rakshasa Grand Sect Master. After the fierce battle, the Grand Sect Master and one of the two Sect Master died from their injuries, while Blood Fiend disappeared along with the Rakshasa True Word. The organization sent people to search for him for a long time without any results.

Some say she's dead, and the Rakshasa True Word was destroyed in the battle; others believe Blood Fiend stole the Rakshasa True Word and defected from the organization. Opinions differ. This is beyond I. B's control. After all, he only recently joined the organization. Although his strength has been recognized, he hasn't accumulated enough status and prestige. He has no right to interfere with Big Figure like Blood Fiend, whose overall strength ranks in the top ten.

Instead of worrying about those things, let's focus on the present...

First, subdue this stupid woman who has gone berserk under the influence of the Rakshasa True Word, then take her and the mantra back to claim credit!

The painter confronts the monster.

The moment human eyes and demonic eyes meet—

"Roar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The monster roared to the sky, and the crimson clouds above reacted, automatically swirling and churning like a pot of boiling blood! At the same time, I. B. swung his paintbrush, and white and blue burst forth!

"Blue-White Ice and Snow, coloring the sky!"

The blue-white light shot straight into the sky, suppressing the blood-red light that filled the heavens and dyeing the clouds an icy blue! Countless hailstones the size of boulders crashed down, raining down on the monster. Half of the bridge trembled violently under the onslaught, nearly collapsing!

The hailstones didn't just strike the monster; the instant they hit, the icy, solid ice spread throughout its body, freezing it solid. In no time, the ferocious monster was frozen into a large ice block with a diameter of over ten meters.

"It's not over yet... Sharpness of Bright Silver! Great Poison of Purple-Green!"

The lampposts on the bridge transformed into incredibly sharp spears, coated with a layer of deadly poison. Under I. B.'s control, dozens of poison spears shot out from all directions, piercing through the monster along with the ice!

First came the freezing ice, then the piercing blades, and then the poison... Even this monster couldn't withstand it...

However--

"What!?"

I. B. looked at the frozen monster, initially thinking it had been riddled with holes, but upon closer inspection, the blades hadn't pierced its body at all! There wasn't even a scratch!

He imbued the lamppost with the concept of "sharpness," and the fact that it could block attacks that embodied the concept of "sharpness" indicates that... the monster's skin was an incredibly powerful defense, strong enough to represent the concept of "sturdiness"!

Click.

Suddenly, a deep crack appeared on the ice block, which was imbued with the concept of "frozen".

Click click click click click click click click click--------

Cracks appeared one after another, and I·B gripped his paintbrush tightly as he watched. A few seconds later, with a deafening roar, the entire ice block exploded, and a dark red demonic shadow flew out from the ice mist, roaring as it charged towards I·B!

"Tsk-- Gray-Yellow Barrier-- "

The grayish-yellow pigment gushed out, but before the barrier could be fully painted, the monster appeared before him!

Too fast! So fast that even lightning speed isn't enough to describe it!

"Roar!!!!"

A thick, ferocious demonic arm swept across, carrying a terrifying stench of blood, instantly sending I. B. flying! The powerful punch slammed into the bridge, causing the bridge, constructed of the finest gold and stone, to collapse in an instant! The flying debris and rocks resembled cannonballs, each one sending up a thousand-foot splash of water!

In the distance, I. B. staggered to his feet. Fortunately, he had given his clothes the concept of "smoothness" beforehand, so the monster's attack slid off the body the moment it touched him, and instead struck the bridge surface.

In other words, just being grazed by its body and sent flying this far, just how strong is this monster...?

This is beyond my ability to handle.

Either escape or call for help!

"Roar!!!!"

With another roar, I. B. looked up and saw a massive bridge pier, weighing several tons, being lifted by the monster with one hand and hurled at him! I. B. quickly ducked down. The pier grazed his head and slammed heavily into the city wall, smashing through the incredibly sturdy structure!

Holy crap! This is even playable!?

I. B. had lost all will to fight. His true value lay not in combat, and he wasn't responsible for external military operations within the organization. This monster before him, in terms of destructive power alone, was more than qualified to be a combatant for the organization! He had to use every means at his disposal to halt its advance and disengage from the battle as quickly as possible!

"Seven-Colored Rainbow spans the sky, overlooking all things— the Myriad Realms Rainbow Flow!!!"

All the pigments on the palette surged into the sky, intertwining and merging into a vibrant rainbow! Countless colors, countless concepts, all converged into a single beam, seemingly encompassing everything in the world! This is I. B.'s proudest achievement!

"Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The flying rainbow crashed down upon the monster, whose entire body surged with Blood Energy, and large patches of eerie runes appeared on its arms! It let out a long howl and threw out both fists, clashing head-on with the flying rainbow!

The colorful sunset painted the entire sky in vibrant hues, with countless colors splashing everywhere – on the river, city walls, riverbanks, and vegetation – turning everything into a kaleidoscope of colors! The area outside the main gate of the capital, spanning several kilometers, transformed into a giant palette, making it feel like stepping into a fairytale world.

"Huff... huff..." I. B's legs went weak, and he collapsed to his knees. "Did it work...?"

He certainly didn't expect to eliminate the monster, only to delay its advance. Now that his goal seemed to have been achieved, there was no time to lose.

Hiss------

"!?"

I. B. was jolted awake as a Killing Intent, like that of an ancient, ferocious beast, enveloped him, making it difficult for him to breathe and see and hear! He trembled as he looked up, only to see the sky, which had just been painted with color, turn back to blood red, with a Blood Vortex of clouds pointing directly at his head, without the slightest deviation.

"Help--Help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A beam of blood-red light shot out from the vortex, crossed the void, and struck I. B directly! I. B was enveloped in red light. He struggled and screamed, but to no avail! He was horrified to find that his skin was turning withered and pale, and the muscles in his body were rapidly atrophying, as if all the Blood Energy in his body were being forcibly drained away!

"No, no, please, let me go ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

The screams grew fainter and fainter until they finally fell silent, and the blood-red light gradually thinned and disappeared.

All that remained was the withered remains of I. B.

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I was very tired after the physical fitness test, so I didn't proofread for typos. Please forgive me.