Crimson Alliance, Third Sector, Border Battlefield.
The dragon beasts flapped their wings, unleashing silent roars. A burst of fire illuminated a vast expanse of space. Steel warships rampaged through the dragon horde, displaying overwhelming power, only to be instantly reduced to cosmic dust by the sudden breath of True Dragon...
The two armies stretched for countless kilometers across the vast, dark Starry Sky. Every moment, countless warriors fell, and many others, renowned throughout the Starry Sky, ascended to the summit, stepping over countless blood and bones.
The Crusher, Lancelot, is one of them.
Over the years, Lancelot fought in numerous battles, both north and south.
He once smashed the skull of Epic Gold Dragon to pieces with a single punch.
It also rammed back and forth among the Sea Dragon Alliance's warships, piercing through seemingly indestructible armor.
He was always at the forefront, and carried out more than one decapitation strike.
Because of his excessive violence, he often pulverizes his enemies, turning them into mincemeat and leaving bloodstains across the Starry Sky. Even warships are nothing more than large toys in the face of his terrifying physique, and can be quickly dismantled. Therefore, the warriors of the Sea Dragon Alliance affectionately call him the Crusher.
The nicknames given by enemies are the most prestigious, and over time, the name of Lancelot the Crusher began to be sung on the battlefield between the Sea Dragon Alliance and the Crimson Alliance.
When his name is heard, his soldiers are filled with awe and their morale is greatly boosted.
Conversely, the warriors of the Sea Dragon Alliance, upon learning that the Crusher Lancelot has arrived on the battlefield, will be filled with fear and proceed with extreme caution, lest their warship armor be suddenly torn apart and they be slaughtered.
In the vast Starry Sky, two figures were clashing violently, scales flying, blood splattering, and surging energy flames spreading wildly, as if trying to ignite this Starry Sky.
Bang!!
The vibration traveled through his bones to his ears. Lancelot's eyes were cold, but a wild smile played on his lips.
Opposite him stood a creature with a dragon's head and a snake's body, also grinning wildly, its mouth full of sharp, white teeth.
Their palms met, muscles bulging, and terrifying power surged from their bodies, colliding and surging again and again, unleashing layers upon layers of invisible impact.
Some of the dragon beasts that were nearby were struck by this invisible force and often exploded on the spot, a truly gruesome sight.
It should be noted that dragon beasts capable of fighting across the cosmic battlefield are at least Mid-Rank Transcendent, yet they could not even withstand the aftershocks of two powerful individuals. This demonstrates just how formidable their combat strength is.
"Lancelot, the Dragon Clan blood within you is no less than that of any True Dragon. Join us, return to the embrace of your race. The Crimson Alliance is unworthy of a dragon-blooded warrior like you!" the powerful dragon-headed, human-bodied figure roared, his words sincere and earnest.
Upon hearing this, Lancelot's smile widened. "Want me to join the Sea Dragon Alliance? Defeat me first, Jerome. The weak have no right to make demands."
"Fine, since you refuse to return on your own, then I'll take you back!" Jerome roared, suddenly raising his head, revealing a distinct golden-red mark on his throat. Then, a breath powerful enough to melt the boundless earth rushed towards Lansiluo's cheek.
Lancelot showed no fear. He opened his mouth as well, and the scaly organ hidden beneath his throat contracted, releasing dazzling lightning from the energy channels on its surface. The next moment, a bolt of Lightning Breath shot out, colliding with the breath of the dragon-headed, human-bodied Jerome.
Boom!!
The two beams of energy, one gold and red, the other blue and white, one flame and the other lightning, were both extremely violent in nature. The terrifying aftershocks generated after their collision were unimaginable.
The roaring energy tornado, entwined with lightning and flames, rapidly expanded to a height of ten thousand meters, raging in the vacuum. Some meteorites were caught in it and quickly shattered into countless streams of light.
Thump!!
After an unknown amount of time, a violent explosion silently burst forth with sparks of thunder and fire, sending two figures flying backward, smashing through the bodies of many innocent soldiers along the way.
Once the kinetic energy was fully dissipated, Lancelot breathed slowly. A thin layer of blue light membrane on the surface of his full and powerful muscles slowly dissipated, turning into streams of energy that flowed into his limbs and bones.
This is the effect of the Attribute Talent [Energy Absorption], which reduces the damage received by 30% when attacked by energy and converts this energy into the user's own physical energy.
As for the transformation process, it was that dissipated blue light membrane that was just now. It was an extremely unique energy structure with very strong decomposition properties, somewhat similar to Dean Urta's Innovation Skill [Annihilation Black Hole].
Compared to Lancelot, whose breathing stabilized after only a couple of breaths, Jerome of the Dragon Serpent Race, hundreds of kilometers away, was in a much worse state.
His and Lancelot's energy breaths collided, both extremely intense. After a long stalemate, the accumulated energy was immense, and the resulting explosion was an attack at the level of Demigod.
Even with Jerome's physique, taking such a direct hit would have left him with considerable injuries, but Lancelot, who was a whole Great Life Rank lower than him, seemed completely unharmed, which made Jerome quite indignant.
"This guy is a monster!" Jerome clenched his fists tightly, suddenly understanding how those he had previously crushed with his talent felt.
This feeling of powerlessness... is truly suffocating.
Moreover, Jerome could clearly sense that Lancelot's strength had risen to a new level compared to their last encounter.
This monster disguised as a human is like a sponge that can never be completely squeezed dry; its potential is virtually Endless, and it is improving every moment.
At first, I was the one dominating him.
Later, the two sides were evenly matched.
Now... let's not talk about it anymore!
"Hey, Jerome, are you still going to fight?"
Lancelot rubbed his wrists and used energy as a medium to transmit his voice, shouting into the distance.
To be honest, he quite liked Jerome as an opponent. This guy was a battle maniac like himself, which suited his temperament. If it weren't for the factions they belonged to, they might have been good friends.
Jerome chuckled, waved his hand, and turned to leave.
Behind him, the warriors and spaceships of the Sea Dragon Alliance slowly retreated, and gazes filled with awe and respect shot toward Lancelot from all directions, some from enemies, but more from their own people.
With the Sea Dragon Alliance retreating, there was no need for our side to stay any longer. After completing our daily skirmishes, Lancelot led his men back to our temporary encampment, a steel fortress with a diameter of seven hundred kilometers.
This is one of the Crimson Alliance's motherships, model "War Spear". This series of motherships has extremely fierce firepower, and its energy core uses the Alliance's most advanced nuclear fusion technology, almost artificially creating a miniature sun.
The mothership's main gun is a positron cannon, which, when fired at full power, can Destruction the surface ecosystem of a planet, making it arguably a planet-destroying cannon.
In addition, the War Spear mothership is equipped with modular technological equipment such as "electromagnetic field generator", "shield generator", "high-energy annihilation bomb" and "space disorder device", which can adapt to various types of combat missions.
Such a steel behemoth is something even a Demigod could not subdue single-handedly; in fact, a single accidental hit by the positron cannon could result in instant death.
The Crimson Alliance possesses nearly a hundred space battleships of the caliber of the War Spear Mothership, which gives you an idea of their terrifying war potential.
The reason why the Blood Clan, which possesses three Peak Demigod, fears the retaliation of the Crimson Alliance and is even willing to cooperate with the infamous Ashes again and again is because of this.
Amidst admiring gazes, Lancelot entered his own private room.
The space isn't large, only about 300 square meters, but it ranks among the top five rooms on the War Spear mothership, truly deserving the title of 'luxury'!
Despite its massive size, the War Spear mothership was built to maximize its combat effectiveness. The engineers, driven by a madness, left almost no living space, instead laying as many energy pipes as possible, installing more advanced weaponry, and continuously thickening its outer armor. Inside the armor, layers of air pressure buffers were installed, making this cold, imposing steel fortress more flexible and resilient, preventing a chain reaction of collapse when subjected to kinetic energy attacks due to its overly rigid structure.
Just like weapons made from raw iron, which are hard enough but lack toughness, other elements, such as carbon, need to be added to ensure sufficient toughness.
These simple principles also apply to more advanced technological weapons.
However, after all this process, the living space is naturally compressed time and time again, making it feel quite cramped.
The room, which is over 300 square meters, has about 50 square meters set up as a living area, while the rest has become Lancelot's training ground.
He specifically applied for a gravity chamber, which can release gravity intensity equivalent to 30,000 times that of Planet Oklo, which can effectively train the body, penetrating to the cellular level, with obvious results.
However, as Lancelot's physical strength continues to improve, this gravity chamber will soon face the same fate as its predecessors: it will be obsolete. His progress is too fast; a training device like this needs to be replaced after only a short period of use.
Fortunately, Lancelot has now become the representative and leading figure of the Holy Sword Academy. In terms of resources, the academy provides them generously, and with Logo silently supporting him behind the scenes, Lancelot only needs to focus on his cultivation.
After eating something to satisfy his appetite, Lancelot, shirtless, entered the gravity chamber, pressed a red button, and the numbers on the electronic screen above him began to jump wildly.
1000, 2000, 3000... 30000!
As gravity intensified, Lancelot could even see streaks of dark, vertical lines of gravity dancing back and forth before his eyes. His skin began to turn visibly red and develop dragon-scale-like patterns, accompanied by a deep, majestic, and profound dragon roar.
Click! Click!
The joints rubbed against each other, producing a crisp sound like thunder exploding. The blood in the veins, thick as lead and mercury and as hot as magma, churned and roared incessantly, like a ferocious beast trapped in a cage, ready to break free and roar at the Starry Sky at any moment...
Lancelot seemed oblivious to the terrifying power surging within him, gritting his teeth and striking a series of peculiar poses.
On the information panel, [Lancelot Gene Training Method Lv49] was flashing faintly.
Compared to level 42 a few years ago, this exclusive Gene Training Method may seem to only increase the level by 7, but in reality, the overall training effect has increased several times over.
The more advanced a skill becomes, the more difficult it is to improve, but each level of advancement brings about a tremendous transformation.
This can be seen from the two Phoenix talents he has awakened in recent years: [Burning Amid Fire] and [Undying Mind].
[Burning Amid Fire] is an active ability. When activated by Lancelot, every cell in his body will ignite an "unquenchable flame," resulting in a terrifying 20% health regeneration rate per second, a 50% increase in movement speed, and a 150-point increase in fire resistance. The duration is unlimited until the Phoenix blood within his body is completely burned out.
[Undying Mind] is a passive ability, a rare talent that enhances mental will strength. The extent of the enhancement depends on one's mental attribute; the higher the mental attribute, the greater the benefit gained from Undying Mind.
According to the information panel, when the Undying Mind reaches a certain level, it will produce an extremely terrifying effect, which can be simply summarized as. "If the spirit is immortal, I am immortal!"
In other words, as long as one's will does not falter and one does not lose heart, there is a chance for rebirth.
The talent that pairs with [Undying Mind] is [Flame Will]. As long as the flames exist, the mind will not perish, and the will can be reborn from the flames, thereby reshaping the body with the help of the flames.
When Annula's remnant soul attempted to reshape its physical body using the blood of the Phoenix, it was likely with these two talents in mind.
Unfortunately, they all belong to Lancelot now.
The maximum development levels for "Burning Amid Fire" and "Undying Mind" are 46 and 48 respectively.
In fact, given the strength of the Phoenix bloodline, the maximum level of these two talents should be even higher. However, when Logo was concocting the Phoenix bloodline potion, he had only just advanced to the ranks of top alchemists, and ultimately, he was somewhat lacking in ability.
But the choice made back then wasn't necessarily wrong. Resources should be used as soon as possible to enhance strength; otherwise, they'd just sit in the warehouse collecting dust.
Make the most of everything!
Both Logo and Lancelot share this idea: don't be stingy with good things.
You can't have your cake and eat it too; you have to give up something to gain something.
Although he wasted some of the value of the Phoenix bloodline, Lancelot maintained a rapid increase in strength.
The Burning Amid Fire has reached level 39, while the Undying Mind skill is a level higher, reaching level 40.
The continuous improvement of his new Ability Energy is also benefiting Lancelot. With the help of abundant resources, his life rank has jumped from Legendary Tier One to the current Peak Legendary in just a few years.
Moreover, Lancelot has already combined many Ability Energy, talents, and skills to form the prototype of the SS-level Innovation Skill [Immortal Body].
After the battle with Jerome ended, Lancelot felt he had seized the opportunity, so he let the former go, withdrew the War Spear mothership, and prepared to complete his advancement.
Enduring a terrifying gravity 30,000 times stronger than normal, Lancelot warmed up, fully activating his cells, while scanning the information panel, his gaze sweeping over each talent attribute in turn.
[Body of Steel], [Breath of Vitality], [Wellspring of Nature], [Regenerative Bone Marrow], [Rapid Healing], [Life Drain]—these six Ability Energy combine to form the S-rank Innovation Skill [Tree of Life].
The original Crimson Alliance version of [Immortal Body] was a prerequisite ability for [Vortex Tyrant Body], an SSS-level Innovation Skill created by Moon Breaker Maxwell.
Based on this, and combining the Tree of Life with his own circumstances, Lancelot used his knowledge of genetic engineering, and after years of exploration and countless exhilarating battles, he finally created Immortal Body that perfectly suited his own condition.
The new [Immortal Body] builds upon the [Tree of Life], using the Earth Guardian's core ability [Power of Adaptation] as its core, and integrating talents such as [Energy Absorption], [Immovable Wall], [Earth's Protection], [Burning Amid Fire], [Undying Mind], [Overlord], and [Superpowered Flesh]. Perfected by the [World Furnace], its overall strength and potential far surpass the [Immortal Body] version by Moon Breaker Maxwell.
Once he successfully transforms his body into a new version of the [Immortal Body], Lancelot is even confident that he can fight against Demigod with his various trump cards.
After a long while, feeling the surging Blood Qi continuously flowing through his body, Lancelot's eyes burned with fervor.
"It's time!"
After speaking, he took out a storage ring and placed the resources inside in front of him one by one.
"Essence of the Earth," "Life Tree," "Essence of Sunlight," "Crystal of Moonlight"... and most importantly, 108 "Primeval Stone."
With everything prepared, Lancelot summoned the World Furnace, then without hesitation leaped into it with the resources, beginning his ascension.
The Primeval Stone shattered, transforming into golden flames— the Fire of Origin of the world, capable of Destruction everything and creating all things.
As the flames burned, Lancelot's physique began to improve rapidly. Various resources transformed into countless microscopic particles, surging into his limbs, bones, and internal organs.
Rumble!
A thunderous roar echoed from the World Furnace, as if Thor himself were howling, unleashing boundless power.
After an unknown amount of time, the Source Fire in the furnace slowly died down, and the World Furnace vanished, leaving only Lancelot sitting cross-legged with his naked body.
Breathe!
Breathe!
With each heartbeat, the chest heaves and the nostrils open and close, countless breaths of air are drawn into the chest and slowly exhaled. A fierce wind howls throughout the gravity chamber, and a mournful sound fills the air, eerily like the wailing of ghosts and wolves.
Amidst the sweeping wind, Lancelot remained calmly seated.
After he had finished catching his breath, he slowly opened his eyes.
A flash of light!
His golden pupils, filled with a unique divinity, made Lancelot look like a god walking among mortals.
He slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers lightly clenched.
As his physical strength surged, Lancelot had a strange yet distinct feeling.
He... seemed capable of grasping at what should have been an ethereal void with his bare hands!
Moreover, Lancelot was certain that this was not his imagination.
Take a deep breath and open the information panel.
The Life Rank column has changed to "Epic Tier One", and it's about to break through again.
In the talent section, there's a new talent called [Immortal Body].
[Immortal Body] Ultimate Skill - Active: When your health is below 80%, your physical strength is increased by 1 times; below 60%, by 2 times; below 40%, by 4 times; below 20%, by 8 times. When your health is at 1%, you are forced to lock your Life Essence for 10-12 seconds. During this time, you are immune to any single-target attack with an energy level below 6000 Dale.
After carefully reading the description of the Immortal Body on the information panel, Lancelot's smile gradually widened until he could no longer suppress it and finally burst into unrestrained laughter.
Beep beep!
The communication device installed on the wall made a sound, and Lancelot waved his hand casually, revealing a curvaceous and hot body. It was Zyra, who had rebuilt her physical body and advanced to the level of Demigod.
"Oh, you missed me? You're not even dressed?" Zyra's eyes lit up, and she brazenly scanned Lancelot's muscular body with her sly gaze, even whistling.
Lancelot was already indifferent to his woman's nature. He leaned back, supporting himself with his hands on the ground, and tilted his head, asking, "What is it?"
"The Military Control Committee Commission has just decided to launch a surprise attack while the Gendaya Royal Court is rising powerfully, the dimensional situation is in turmoil, and the Radiant Empire is preoccupied with other matters!"
"Target?"
"The Blue Dragon Clan!"
"Hmm?" Lancelot, who hadn't shown much interest before, suddenly sat up, his eyes gleaming. "Help me sign up!"
"Hey, I knew you'd always been after the Blue Dragon Clan bloodline," Zyra with a raised eyebrow and a smile.
"Oh, and also, please tell Dean Urta that I have a method to pinpoint the Blue Dragon's lair."
As he spoke, Lancelot raised his arm, where a faint mark of a curse could be seen.
Dragon Blood Curse!
"Okay, I got it. Come back as soon as possible. Mona misses you so much after not being home for so many days." With that, Zyra hung up the phone rather hastily.
Watching the projection disappear before his eyes as a beam of light, Lancelot smiled, "A woman who says one thing and means another..."