Void.
At the border between the East Third War Zone and the Star-Forging Dragon Nest War Zone of the Treacherous Destruction Continent, troops belonging to the Mitrola Clan are engaged in battle with several mechanical dragon nests.
Giant biological warships and mechanical fortresses clashed, sending arcs of energy of various colors flying wildly into the darkness, illuminating patches of night and bringing both light and death.
At the center of the battlefield were two figures with extremely high energy levels. They were surrounded by massive armies of soldiers, numbering in the millions, all of which had obvious mechanical structures and retained some of the form of True Dragon.
"Ugh, you're such a clingy guy. Wherever I go, you follow me everywhere. Clauvidius, are you my little shadow?"
Gustavo transformed into a colossal spider beast, coiled on an energy web, its eerie green spider eyes flashing incessantly, its tone tinged with helplessness, but mostly with mockery.
Opposite Gustavo stood a long and well-proportioned True Dragon, its entire body covered in translucent crystalline scales. Its horns were crown-shaped, exuding majesty and grandeur. On its chest, a heart of four intertwined energy pulsed. The scales here were circular, more resilient, and significantly stronger in terms of protection.
Clearly, this is a pure-blooded Force Dragon, and in a sense, it can be considered royalty of the True Dragon Empire. It has the nickname of the Dominator physical laws and is skilled in mid-to-long-range suppression, spatial manipulation, and energy annihilation. Its dragon eyes can even switch to different spectral observation modes to directly see countless microscopic particles in motion.
From the beginning of time to the present, the Force Dragon have been among the most powerful dragon species. As long as they grow naturally, they will reach the True God Rank. Their ancient history far surpasses that of other God Race. Some scholars in the Astral Realm even believe that the Force Dragon and other Variant Dragon Clan should be classified as Primordial God of the Astral Realm.
Such a powerful dragon species naturally possesses extraordinary combat prowess. At least in the past few years, Gustavo has witnessed it firsthand. Whether in close combat, mid-to-long-range attacks, or control and defense, this creature is impeccable, belonging to the top Demigod below the True God.
"You insect, you killed my brother! Only death can pay for death!"
"Force Dragon Clauvidius roared."
Faced with this predictable opening, Gustavo resorted to his old rhetoric, "I don't understand why you're pinning Kelongjia's death on me. I was the victim, after all. Besides, if Star-Forging Dragon King hadn't been such a sore loser and tried to bully the weak, Kelongjia wouldn't have died. You should be the one causing trouble for Star-Forging Dragon King."
"Shut up, you insect! How dare you insult His Majesty the Dragon King!"
Another dragon roar shook the Void, and the battle officially began.
Clauvidius's energy heart glowed blue, and rings of electromagnetic energy spread out in all directions like ripples in water, instantly enveloping Clauvidius's mechanical forces.
As members of the Mechanical Dragon Ancestor lineage, almost all the Force Dragon of the True Dragon Empire are mechanical masters. They are particularly adept at using the four basic forces they control to create and command massive mechanical armies to aid them in battle.
As the electromagnetic energy ring was released, Clauvidius's mechanical troops emitted a ghostly blue light from the cracks on their bodies, their electronic eyes became even brighter, and the energy furnace's operating efficiency was instantly maximized, causing them to charge towards Gustavo's Dragon Mech Soldier with explosive combat power.
Looking at the vast, seemingly endless mechanical army, Gustavo's eyes flashed with helplessness. In terms of numbers, his Dragon Mech Soldier were in no way inferior to the enemy, but in terms of quality, they were far behind.
With the blessing of a Peak Demigod Mechanics, mechanical soldiers of the same quality and level can have a combat power difference of several times, and it is quite normal to form a crushing victory.
Sure enough, not long after the battle began, Gustavo's Dragon Mech Soldier fell in large numbers like wheat being harvested, with mechanical fragments and dripping flesh flying everywhere, a truly gruesome sight.
Gustavo shook his head and didn't consider withdrawing the Dragon Mech Soldier. He didn't care about the casualties; manufacturing these things was practically a risk-free business for him. As long as he could hold back Clauvidius's mechanical forces, he would make a profit.
After all, his main combat force only consists of a small portion of legion-based units.
The armies under both sides fought endlessly, and the dragon and the spider were naturally not idle either. Whether it was the Dragon-Hunting Spider Clan or the True Dragon clan, they were all battle maniacs. Even the Metallic Dragon Clan who claimed to be in the benevolent camp loved to fight, let alone the Force Dragon.
This wasn't the first time the two sides had fought; they had even developed a tacit understanding, to the point that a single glance or gesture was enough for them to discern each other's next move.
Just like what happened next, after their eyes met, the two powerful figures who were facing off simultaneously disappeared.
Within the Void interlayer, the spatial membrane, like glass, reflected two relatively blurry shadows. The two rapidly approached each other, and then the dragon claw and the blade foot collided violently.
Click!
The intense collision cracked the space, which then exploded.
Dimensional fragments flew like snowflakes, and many soldiers suffered an undeserved fate, being torn into neatly broken pieces.
The material-deconstructing dragon claw, wrapped in a powerful nuclear force manipulation field, can directly disintegrate the atomic nuclei of certain substances. Against high-density armor, such as hard materials like metal and rock, it can inflict terrifying Armor Break attacks similar to real damage.
During the initial period when Clauvidius was hunting him down, Gustavo dared not let him get close at all. Wherever those terrifying dragon claws touched, whether it was flesh or exoskeleton, they would tear open a large hole, and then a terrifying flow of energy radiation would penetrate in.
Gustavo didn't care about the energy radiation and simply absorbed it, but the physical damage was a real headache for him.
This is a fracture at the atomic level, not a simple injury, and it is extremely difficult to repair.
If Gustavo hadn't had incredibly high health and possessed the "Controller" talent, making him extremely skilled at soul attacks and able to repel Clauvidius, he probably would have been dead long ago.
After the initial battle, Gustavo began searching for a solution, focusing on an Attribute Talent: "Gene Regulation."
This talent allows Gustavo's genes to mutate autonomously when encountering harsh environments, adaptively enhancing resistance in a certain aspect and increasing the chances of survival. This talent can also be triggered during combat.
After the initial battle with Clauvidius, Gene Regulation was triggered, and related resistance began to develop, but because it was a newly formed gene chain, it was relatively fragile.
To grow quickly, you must fight again and again, or improve in a targeted manner using appropriate methods.
In short, either continue fighting Clauvidius and increase your resistance to the material-deconstructing claw attacks by taking hits, or use the Devourer talent to devour similar gene fragments to enhance your physical body.
Gustavo continues its long-standing tradition of choosing the wrong option – it's pathetic!
I want them all.
On one hand, he logged into the Northern Spirit Spacetime and contacted several major merchant guilds, asking them to keep an eye out for species with Transcendent gene abilities that possess strong and weak nuclear forces, expressing his willingness to spend a large sum of money to purchase them. On the other hand, he also approached the higher-ups of the races, requesting their help, thus taking a two-pronged approach.
On the other hand, facing Clauvidius's repeated provocations, Gustavo remained fearless, risking great danger to fight. His body gradually adapted to this power as his skin was torn and bleeding, and his resistance increased accordingly. In the final moments when his life was hanging by a thread, he escaped using his soul-based abilities or the Eye of the Void.
Once the gene fragments possessing strong and weak nuclear force talents arrived, Gustavo began to devour them. At this moment, the strength of the Devouring Faction became apparent—its extreme adaptability!
As time went on, Clauvidius gradually realized something was wrong; his opponent's growth rate was far too fast.
From initially being completely vulnerable to him, to later managing to put up a fight, and now being able to confront him head-on, his material disintegration claw attacks have lost their initial power in his presence.
From then on, Clauvidius finally regarded Gustavo as a true rival and began to use the latter to hone his skills.
Clauvidius's soul has always been his weakness, but of course, his so-called weakness is an insurmountable level compared to most Peak Demigod.
However, they were somewhat unable to withstand Gustavo's attacks.
Gustavo used him to enhance his physical strength and nuclear resistance, and Clauvidius could, in turn, use Gustavo to enhance his soul resistance.
Both sides traded blows and made rapid progress in the battle. Overall, Gustavo improved faster, but Clauvidius was also making up for his final weaknesses.
Later on, although he still claimed it was to avenge his brother Kelongjia, Clauvidius undoubtedly had another reason in mind: to defeat Gustavo.
He had a hunch that if he could kill Gustavo before ascending to True God, he would gain some great benefit, and the "Proof of Godhood" he obtained would shine even more Radiance.
That's why he relentlessly followed in Gustavo's footsteps, chasing after Clauvidius wherever he went, truly living up to Gustavo's saying that he became a tagalong.
In the shattered dimension, the Dragon-Hunting Spider and the Force Dragon collided with each other. Both of them were over ten thousand meters in size. Each collision was like a massive Void body in the void crushing each other, and the resulting energy aftershocks leaked out like ocean waves, emitting a continuous, surging sound.
"Hey, Clauvidius, you're done for. Why are your dragon claws so limp? Did the little female dragon drain you dry? You're not doing well either. Do all the Force Dragon have some kind of hidden ailment like you...?" Gustavo with soul fluctuations while fighting.
Thanks to him, Clauvidius's soul resistance increased dramatically, but this resistance only applied to soul attacks and was completely useless against ordinary fluctuations such as telepathy.
Because Gustavo's spiritual attainments far surpassed Clauvidius's, the latter was simply unable to block out Gustavo's words and could only listen.
What's worse, Clauvidius is a typical tongue-tied gentleman dragon, often having no chance to defend himself against Gustavo's verbal attacks.
At first, he tried to fight back, but after being bombarded with insults, he became withdrawn and stopped talking back, only silently increasing the intensity of his attacks.
This time was no different. Faced with Gustavo's words, Clauvidius's face remained cold and expressionless. However, the increased force in his dragon claws undoubtedly showed that his heart was not so calm.
Seeing this, Gustavo chuckled, his sly laughter making Clauvidius even more annoyed. His energy heart in his chest pounded violently, and a powerful gravitational field descended.
Gravity Well - Sealed!
As Long Tong stared at Gustavo, taking him as his target, the surrounding gravity began to become abnormal, space began to distort, compress, and collapse, and even the flow of time began to slow down imperceptibly.
Without a doubt, this is a control skill.
"Want to test your gravity against me?"
Gustavo smiled knowingly and calmly activated "Gravity Control," vying with Clauvidius for Gravity Control in this area.
The two sides were locked in a stalemate, neither gaining the upper hand.
Clauvidius's dragon eyes grew even colder. With a thought, a spatial wormhole suddenly opened on his broad back, from which a giant railgun emerged. Ultra-high temperature plasma accelerated within the barrel, transforming into a beam of blue light that shot out.
"Trying to launch a sneak attack again? We were already on guard!"
Gustavo sneered, the image formed by his "Future Insight" talent in his mind collapsed and disappeared, and he opened his mouth and spat out a torrent of spider silk.
These spider silks were not energy bodies, but physical spider silks, possessing Gustavo's own devouring properties. In an instant, they spread into the depths of the dimension, weaving a protective network that easily blocked the railgun attack while suddenly breaking free from the Void and enveloping Clauvidius.
Beneath the enormous spider web, the ten-thousand-meter-long Clauvidius looked like a pitiful little insect, about to be captured by an even more apex Predator.
Because the spider silk is covered with nodes formed by Black Hole, the resulting massive gravitational field locks and imprisons a large area of space, preventing instantaneous teleportation within this region.
"Hmph, you think you can shut me off completely? You're too arrogant, you insect!"
Clauvidius smiled dismissively, not using any spatial abilities, but instead disintegrating himself into photon form and releasing a gravitational field to counteract the web's control. After folding and jumping, he instantly escaped the web's coverage area.
After completing these operations, Clauvidius stood in the Void, his dragon wings suddenly unfurled, and his pupils shot out blackish-purple light. Circling, electrified Black Hole descended from the sky with each flap of his wings.
These Black Hole acted like launch silos, unleashing even more periodic chains of lightning, and in an instant, Gustavo was engulfed by the Berserk attack.
' Transform into a Black Hole!'
Faced with these attacks, Gustavo did not try to withstand them head-on, but instead transformed into a massive Black Hole in the Void, attempting to swallow them whole.
However, as soon as he made this move, a sense of foreboding suddenly arose in his mind.
Across from him, Clauvidius grinned, revealing his menacing, sharp dragon fangs.
' Four-Force Balance!'
With a whoosh, an absolutely still and vast domain appeared out of thin air, enveloping the Void Black Hole that Gustavo had transformed into.
"Damn it, when did this guy figure out this move?" Gustavo's heart sank as he felt the dual stagnation of his body and energy, and he became even more anxious.
'Dragon King - Fission!'
Boom!
Clauvidius lunged forward, and countless substances gathered from all directions beneath his dragon claws.
The domain that he released himself naturally had no effect on him.
As Clauvidius approached the Void Black Hole, a highly unstable sphere of matter had already condensed between his claws.
This was a super-dense sphere of matter created by the superposition of the strong and weak nuclear forces. It was harmless in itself, but Clauvidius used his own power to trigger a chain nuclear fission reaction within the super-dense sphere of matter, and then threw it into the core of the Black Hole.
Clearly, he intended to blow Gustavo to smithereens in one fell swoop.
"Sure enough, while I was making progress, my opponent wasn't idle either."
Gustavo watched the approaching ultra-dense matter sphere from a dimensional perspective, his initial astonishment receding like a tide. "I was planning to hold back and use it in the life-or- Fate War, but alas, the chance is gone!"
After a soft sigh, Clauvidius's expression changed drastically. "My Four-Force Balance Domain... has been torn apart!"
'Gravitational Singularity - Black Hole Abyss!'
An ancient murmur echoed through the Void, and the previously still Void Black Hole collapsed instantly. The ever-increasing energy level alarmed both sides, causing them to retreat frantically.
The next second, Gustavo, condensed into a singularity, began to release a tearing field with a radius of no more than three hundred meters.
Boom!
The super-dense matter fission bomb still exploded.
An unparalleled burst of intense light was released in an instant, accompanied by massive amounts of nuclear radiation. Streams of ultra-high-density energy cores raged through the Void like a hail of bullets.
In the Elven Plane, this attack would be enough to Destruction a high-magic planet.
Most Peak Demigod wouldn't even have a chance to struggle against this attack.
But this certainly doesn't include Gustavo.
The gravitational singularity he transformed into could only release a tearing field with a radius of three hundred meters, but even this three hundred meters became a peak of explosive power that was difficult to surpass.
The moment any matter or energy flow comes into contact with the tearing field, its material structure will shatter and its energy stability will vanish, as if it has entered a forbidden Abyss!
Although the area of the tearing field shrank under the wave of immense explosive power, it ultimately managed to firmly protect the gravitational singularity that Gustavo had transformed into.
As the explosive force began to dissipate, Clauvidius took a deep breath, realizing he could hardly defeat Gustavo. He glanced one last time at his long-time rival, with whom he had fought for years, then Clauvidius and left, leaving behind only the words: "I will utterly defeat you in the Fate Supremacy War!"
"Fate War?"
Gustavo gave a strange, pitying smile.
You couldn't even defeat one of me, so how could you expect to win against two more?
"But that's fine too. If we could devour an entire Force Dragon, that would be a real... feast!"