Golza

High above, the golden words slowly faded, and a faint glow spread across the once-blank screen of light.

A sequence of images appeared, clear for every living being on Douluo Continent to see.

The images began in the vastness of space. A blue planet, veiled in white clouds as thin as cicada wings, hung in the darkness. Blue oceans and green landmasses were faintly visible on its surface, serene and immense.

The view swept inward through layer upon layer of cloud and flowing air, drawing closer until it settled on the planet's surface.

This world was utterly unlike Douluo Continent. Towering buildings rose like a forest of steel. Countless strange iron boxes sped back and forth along the streets, while enormous iron birds soared between the clouds.

As the images advanced, a deep, weighty voice rang out, clear in every living being's ears:

"This is a blue planet without martial souls or Soul Power. Hatred and conflict have gradually diminished, and peace and development have become the guiding forces of this world. As human conflicts waned, threats from outer space and natural disasters became the greatest obstacles to progress. The nations of the world reached an agreement to establish the Earth Peaceful United Organization (TPC) and form the Earth Defense Force to counter attacks from extraterrestrial forces. To protect their home, TPC selected elite members of the Earth Defense Force to form a special unit called GUTS..."

The unfamiliar sights sent shockwaves across Douluo Continent. Humans and soul beasts alike stared wide-eyed, their faces full of astonishment and confusion. Discussion surged like a tide and never ceased.

"What's going on?! How did that big blue ball floating in the dark turn into a continent when the view got closer?"

"Exactly! Does that mean Douluo Continent looks like a giant ball from far away in space too?"

"That can't be right. If I were standing on a ball, shouldn't I be tilted?"

"But the screen said it was showing us the World-Destroying Demon Gods of Douluo Star, not the World-Destroying Demon Gods of Douluo Continent. The place we live must be a planet too."

"Then could there be other continents on our planet that we don't know about?"

"Look at those iron birds! They can carry people through the sky! What are they?"

"And those iron boxes on the ground! They're so fast!"

"But wasn't this supposed to be about the World-Destroying Demon Gods of Douluo Star? Why does it look like we're watching another planet?"

"Could a demon god from another planet have come to Douluo Star?"

As the narration ended, the image settled on a vast grassland. Cattle and sheep grazed at their leisure, occasionally letting out low calls. Everything looked peaceful.

The WING 1 fighter jet passed slowly over the grassland. In the cockpit, Daigo and Rena chatted quietly as they flew their patrol, their voices relaxed.

Clearly, a quiet patrol like this was nothing out of the ordinary for the two partners.

Suddenly, the ground ahead of them shook violently. Jagged cracks split the earth, spreading and widening as a muffled rumble rose. A gigantic monster slowly climbed out from underground.

The monster was grayish-brown, its body covered in hard, rock-rough scales. Its head was enormous, and its red eyes gleamed with ferocity. Every step of its thick, powerful legs shook the ground and left a deep footprint.

It was Golza.

Golza's appearance struck Douluo Continent like a boulder dropped into a still lake. Talk erupted everywhere, growing ever more heated. From the strongest members of the great powers to ordinary civilians and soul masters, everyone discussed the monster that had appeared so suddenly, their eyes filled with curiosity, shock, and wariness.

At Shrek Academy, on the training ground.

The Shrek Seven Devils, along with Flender, Yu Xiaogang, Zhao Wuji, and the others, gathered in the open space. Their gazes were fixed on the screen overhead, though their expressions ranged from shock and curiosity to disdain.

Dai Mubai folded his arms and frowned slightly. Looking at Daigo and Rena on the screen, he said dismissively, "This world has no martial souls or Soul Power. They must all be ordinary people, with no power at all."

As a prince of the Star Luo Empire, Dai Mubai had always been proud. Accustomed to Douluo Continent's powerful Soul Power system, he immediately felt superior to a world without it.

Tang San stood nearby and nodded slightly. "Yes. None of the humans we've seen displayed any power. They relied on their own strength and those strange iron contraptions to get around and work. There was no sign of Soul Power."

Ma Hongjun leaned in with a greedy, leering grin. His small eyes glittered as he rubbed his hands together. "So if we went there, we'd be the strongest? We could have anything we wanted, right? As many girls as we liked?"

Greedy and lustful by nature, he could hardly contain his excitement at the thought of doing whatever he pleased in a world without Soul Power.

Dai Mubai gave a contemptuous smile. "Right. With our strength, we could even become emperors there. Those ordinary people couldn't withstand a single blow from us."

Confidence filled his voice. To him, humans without Soul Power were no different from ants.

He might not be able to become emperor of the Star Luo Empire, but becoming an emperor over there would be good enough.

Ning Rongrong stood to one side with her hands on her hips. At their words, contempt crossed her face. "Hah. You two?"

Her voice dripped with disdain as she swept a scornful gaze over Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun. "They may not have Soul Power, but they can build houses that tall, not to mention those flying iron machines. For all we know, they have powerful weapons we just haven't seen yet."

Ning Rongrong came from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and had seen much of the world. Her family also traded in ore. She knew that stone alone could not be used to build slender towers hundreds of meters tall. Rather than dismiss the unfamiliar buildings and aircraft on the screen as Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun had, she regarded them with caution.

Because the screen had appeared, the Seven Devils had not gone to the Star Dou Great Forest as planned that day to hunt for a soul ring for Oscar. They had yet to fight side by side.

At this point, Ning Rongrong was hardly friendly toward the others at Shrek. She neither liked nor disliked Xiao Wu, Tang San, Zhu Zhuqing, or Oscar, but she utterly detested Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun.

Now that she had an opening, Ning Rongrong, Douluo's master of cutting remarks, was naturally going to take a shot at them.