Book Two: Life and Death at the Northern Frontier - Crystal Giants
Crack! Crack! Huge crystals kept breaking off from the palace dome and falling around us. Our movements were restricted by the World Crystal Tree, so we moved towards the entrance like snails. Givinia and I, who were already slow to move, also had to carry the Sena Sisters, who were completely unable to move. You can imagine how slow we were.
"Just... a little bit more!"
The entrance was less than ten meters away, and the sunlight outside beckoned us. The Crystal Realm Fruit was important, but we had to escape this dangerous place first.
Boom!!!
Hope was dashed.
The massive beam of the dome finally broke off and landed in front of us like a small mountain. We immediately stopped in our tracks; if we had gone any further, we would have been crushed and our brains would have been splattered everywhere!
"Ah! The entrance!"
"Damn it!"
The broken beams completely blocked the palace entrance. If I still had my powers, this would be no problem at all, but now—
"There's no other way! Let's retreat to the corner!"
"Givinia shouted, leading us to move towards the corner, where the chances of getting hit would be much lower," she said.
"Then how are we going to get out!" I shouted.
"We'll have to play it by ear!"
What a clever move to play it safe! Hopefully, we can hold out until then.
"A Ye!!!!"
A heavy pressure came from above, and my long-accumulated fighting instincts spurred me into action—I pushed Ailin forward with all my might, simultaneously using the recoil to leap backward—
Thump!!!
Ailin and I narrowly avoided the falling giant crystal, and although we escaped with our lives, the three of us were now separated by this wall-like crystal!
"A Ye! Hurry up and go—" Ally shouted anxiously to me, but was interrupted by Givinia.
"Don't wander off, A Ye! Just hide under this crystal! It's safer there!"
"Understood! You all hide by the door first, don't worry about me!"
I immediately covered my head and curled up under the crystal, just like when I take shelter in a corner during an earthquake. The angle between it and the ground created a cavity that allowed me to hide.
"..."
There's always a way out.
This giant crystal completely separated me from the other three, which meant they wouldn't notice what I was doing here.
I carefully took out the parchment I had always kept close to my body. On the Withered Yellow paper were unidentified characters as red as blood. This was the very same coercive contract that Huang Huo had given me, the one his "cooperator" had created.
Adventure is a must.
Since I can no longer use my powers, if I want to "attach" this to the Crystal Realm Fruit, I must get close to it myself, which will inevitably come with great risks. But I have no other choice. According to Huang Huo, two Crystal Realm Fruits are born at the same time, but only one will survive and the other will self-destruct. The longer it takes, the less safe this place will be.
If we're going to take action, we need to do it now before the Crystal Realm Fruit fully matures.
"Get up!"
I tensed my muscles, struggling to stand up while holding onto the massive crystal block. The immense pressure made me stagger. I realized that the World Crystal Tree's "suppression" didn't just affect the physical body, but went straight to the heart, putting immense pressure on one from the inside out!
And so, enduring the pressure, we moved forward.
A glint of light flashed before my eyes, too fast to be seen with the naked eye. The next instant, a deep trench appeared right next to my toes, like a warning line blocking my way!
That's too fast!
This was undoubtedly an attack launched by the World Crystal Tree. It was clearly just a warning, otherwise I wouldn't be standing here unharmed!
That's right... Although it looks unassuming, it's the ancestor of the Crystal Tree! How could it let me get close so easily!
Victory is so close yet we can't get close, what should we do!
However, things can only get worse.
Click!!
A deafening roar erupted from the dome, and countless fragments rained down around me. I quickly covered my head to avoid them. A gigantic hand, as large as a hangar, reached in through the hole in the dome, composed entirely of incredibly hard crystals!
A scream came from where she couldn't see —Ailin a strange hand reaching through the dome. It was terrifying for young Ailin, but it wasn't over yet—
Hiss----
The vibrations suddenly stopped, the crystal blocks ceased falling, and the giant crystal hand retracted, as if someone had pressed the pause button.
A gigantic shadow loomed over us.
Something enormous peered into the palace through the hole through which a hand had just reached.
A gigantic, hollow, purplish-blue eye locked onto us.
My heart felt like it had stopped beating.
It wasn't because of the suppression of the World Crystal Tree, but because of fear.
This is the most primal fear that small creatures experience when facing a huge predator.
After looking at us for a while, the giant eye moved away.
But the sense of oppression only grew stronger.
"Hiss--Roar oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Suddenly, a deafening roar came from overhead, and two powerful giant hands simultaneously reached into the hole, grabbed the sides of the hole, and tore it apart with force! The incredibly solid crystal dome shattered into fragments like brittle glass under its tear! In just a few seconds, the palace dome was completely destroyed, and the full appearance of the owner of the monstrous hands was revealed before us.
At that moment, I finally understood what despair was.
It has an ugly, crystalline head, a massive body like a mountain, limbs as thick as an iron tower, and hollow, enormous eyes that radiate a cold, gleaming light.
But there's something even more terrifying.
Not one.
Instead, there are four.
Four crystal giants, each a kilometer tall, surrounded the palace.
The Crystal Emperor Tree I fought before could create a colossal crystal blade hundreds of feet long in an instant, which I considered to be an incredibly terrifying fighting force.
However, the World Crystal Tree does not create melee weapons such as crystal blades.
Rather, it is the strongest monster, possessing invincible power, impervious hardness, and an earth-shattering physique.
"Roar..."
One of the giants raised a massive hand capable of easily shaking mountains and extended a single finger.
Even the smallest finger is comparable in size to a heavy truck.
Then a giant finger weighing tens of tons pressed down.
The landing point is -- me.
Wait a minute. No way.
Is that all?
Unable to use superpowers, without even a chance to struggle, is it all over?
Wait, wait, wait!
There must be some other way!
Last time he faced I. B., he was clearly pushed to the brink of certain death, but he still managed to turn the tide, didn't he?
What did they rely on back then?
That's me in a frenzy.
To be precise, it was the rampaging Rakshasa True Word within my body.
If, if I could use that power again, even if I couldn't win, escaping would be easy!
But -- do we really need to use it?
I still remember how I felt then.
Endless madness and ferocity raged within my mind, driving me insane and ultimately turning me into a monster. If it weren't for Haoyue being there, I probably would have been completely transformed, both physically and mentally.
Even so—in the end, will we still have to rely on that?
Not using it means certain death.
Using it would drive you completely insane, almost like being dead.
Even so--
"I'll live one more day if I can!"
Consciousness burrowed deep into the flesh, heading towards the very core of core, desperately searching for that strongest yet most malevolent lifeline—even if it turned into a monster, as long as there was life, there was still hope! More importantly—I couldn't stop here yet, I hadn't truly experienced the beauty of this world, hadn't truly enjoyed my life, hadn't yet seen the bright moon again—
Swoosh! "!!!"
I stopped while desperately chanting the Rakshasa True Word.
The giant finger that was about to hit me stopped.
I, along with the four giants, all looked at the World Crystal Tree.
To be precise, it's the hole drilled out by the World Crystal Tree.
A murderous aura and Battle Qi as vast as the ocean drew ever closer, causing even the ground to tremble violently! This was the first time I had ever felt such an astonishing force; the feeling was omnipresent, enveloping me like a vast ocean, making escape impossible!
A figure leaped out of the pit and landed steadily, the movement graceful and natural, showing no sign of being suppressed by the World Crystal Tree.
This is a middle-aged man with long, flowing hair and dressed in a suit.
His appearance exudes mature masculine beauty, with the stubble around his mouth adding to his charm. He has an extremely tall and muscular physique, every muscle brimming with explosive power. What's even more impressive is his mature, composed, and impeccable aura—simply flawless. If he were on Earth, he could easily captivate any man who's into handsome men or older men just by standing there.
The moment I saw that man, a strange panic erupted from the depths of my consciousness. This feeling didn't come from me, but from fragments of Blood Fiend's memories! The man's appearance seemed to have triggered Blood Fiend's memories!
If I remember correctly, Blood Fiend was one of the organization's high-ranking members before his death.
Just how terrifying must this man be to inspire such fear in her?
"Hiss..."
Eight enormous eyes stared intently at the man, clearly aware of his danger. Faced with their imposing presence, the man merely responded with indifferent gazes, seemingly disregarding them entirely. He didn't even glance at us, probably not wanting to waste his time on such insignificant beings.
"Hmph... all bark and no bite."
With a light touch of his feet, the man leaped dozens of meters into the air, standing firmly atop the World Crystal Tree, facing the giants.
The World Crystal Tree, which I couldn't even get close to, was used by him as a ladder to step on.
""""Roar! Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!!!!!!!!!!""
The giants roared in fury, and the entire Crystal Island trembled! The man's act of trampling their creator underfoot had clearly enraged them!
The largest giant raised its mountain-like arm above its head and roared as it swung it down with tremendous force! A colossal crystal fist, the size of a hangar, descended from the sky with the speed of thunder, turning everything in its path to ashes!
Boom!!!!!!!
A tremendous collision resounded through the heavens and earth. An unprecedented and astonishing impact exploded and spread at the treetops, obliterating everything in its path! The palace's crystalline outer walls could not withstand such an impact and shattered into crystal fragments after only a few seconds! Even outside the palace, the sounds of bricks and stones exploding could be heard continuously. The impact of this attack directly covered the entire Crystal Island!
As the smoke cleared, I saw an unbelievable sight.
One hand.
Compared to a giant fist, a hand is like an ant's antenna.
Yet he steadily caught the mountain-like punch without even his arm swaying.
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GM starts banning accounts!
I knew my true colors wouldn't be revealed.