Born to Rule

"Ratatatat..."

Deafening gunfire shattered the silence of the base in an instant. Countless tongues of flame spat death like venomous snakes, pouring fire at Lu Chen and his two companions.

"Tch, you're even using rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs)? Going all out, aren't you?" Lu Chen curled his lip, but there wasn't a trace of fear on his face. Instead, he looked excited and eager to try.

These fools who didn't know whether to live or die had dared to interrupt him while he enjoyed this "appetizer." That was the last straw!

"Linda, A Kai, warm-up's over. Time to get to work." A wicked smile curled at Lu Chen's lips, and a bloodthirsty light flickered in his eyes.

The next second, he moved.

"Whoosh!"

His figure vanished from the spot like a ghost. With the SSS-rank Lightspeed Assault, Lu Chen's speed had surpassed what the naked eye could follow. All that could be seen was a blurry afterimage flashing past.

"Bang!"

With a muffled boom, Lu Chen charged into the center of the enemy formation.

"Fuck you!"

He roared and drove his right fist forward like a cannonball. The air itself seemed compressed to its limit, letting out a piercing shriek.

"Boom!!!"

A terrifying burst of energy combining the SSS-rank Blazing Flame Impact and Thunder Shock erupted. Crimson flames intertwined with blue-violet lightning, forming an energy storm that destroyed everything as it raged wildly in all directions.

"Aaah..."

Shrill screams instantly echoed throughout the base. The armed personnel wielding high-energy weapons didn't even have a chance to react before the terrifying energy swallowed them whole.

Flesh and blood flew, severed limbs scattered everywhere, and the air filled with the nauseating stench of burnt flesh and blood.

With a single strike, Lu Chen vaporized more than a dozen armed personnel on the spot, leaving not even ashes behind.

Was he even human? He was practically a human Gundam!

Linda and A Kai weren't idle either. Following close behind Lu Chen, they each unleashed their own SSS-rank talents.

"Frost Domain!"

Linda shouted and waved her delicate hand. A wave of extreme cold instantly spread outward from her.

The ground rapidly froze at a speed visible to the naked eye. A thick layer of frost instantly covered the entire base, freezing all the surviving armed personnel in place.

"Thunderstorm Domain!"

Not to be outdone, A Kai raised both arms high. Thick bolts of lightning descended from the sky, rampaging through the enemy ranks like furious thunder dragons.

"Crackle! Crackle!"

The thunderous roar of lightning was deafening. The armed personnel frozen in the frost couldn't move at all and could only watch as lightning struck them, instantly charring them to a crisp.

Like tigers among sheep, the three slaughtered their way through the enemy ranks. Nothing survived in their wake, and corpses and wreckage littered the ground, making the place look like hell on earth.

Were these really still D-rank and C-rank talents? Were they sure they weren't SSS+ rank?

The surviving armed personnel looked at the apocalyptic scene before them and completely broke down. Their weapons fell to the ground, and their faces were full of despair and terror.

"Devils! They're devils!"

"We're no match for them!"

"Run!"

Fear spread through the crowd like a plague. The surviving armed personnel no longer cared about orders or duties. They threw down their arms and fled in all directions, wanting only to escape this terrifying place as quickly as possible.

But against Lu Chen and his two companions, their struggle was futile.

"Trying to run? Did I say you could?" Lu Chen sneered. With a thought, he activated the SSS-rank Lightspeed Assault again, darting through the crowd like a ghost and harvesting one living soul after another.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

The sound of fists striking flesh rang out again and again. Every armed fighter Lu Chen struck flew backward like a kite with its string cut, tracing a bloody arc through the air.

Linda and A Kai followed close behind, continuing to expand their gains and reap the lives of the defeated stragglers.

In just a few minutes, the entire base had become a sea of blood. Corpses and wreckage lay everywhere, and the air was thick with the nauseating stench of blood.

Seeing the defense line he had so carefully arranged crumble like paper before Lu Chen and his companions, the commander flew into a rage.

"Activate the defense system! Activate the defense system! Kill them!" he roared himself hoarse, like a gambler frantic after heavy losses, making one last desperate struggle.

"Clack! Clack!"

At the commander's order, the ceiling of the base suddenly opened. Dozens of automated turrets slowly descended, their dark muzzles trained on Lu Chen and his companions, their metallic surfaces gleaming ominously.

A dense rain of bullets poured out, sweeping toward the three like a swarm of locusts and sealing off every escape route.

"Tch, getting desperate already? We're only just getting started." Lu Chen curled his lip in disdain. There wasn't a trace of panic on his face; instead, an amused smile appeared.

An attack of this level was nothing more than a tickle to him.

"Since you like playing with turrets so much, I'll play with you." Lu Chen sneered inwardly and, with a thought, instantly activated the SSSSSS-rank Infinite Replication.

"Ding! A-rank talent Precision Strike successfully replicated! Automatically upgraded to SSS-rank Absolute Hit!"

As the system notification sounded, Lu Chen instantly gained the ability of Absolute Hit, allowing him to precisely control any ranged weapon and hit whatever he aimed at every single time.

"Counterattack begins!"

A wicked smile curled at Lu Chen's lips, and confidence shone in his eyes.

He raised his head, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's, and instantly locked onto every automated turret.

The next second, an unbelievable sight unfolded.

The automated turrets that had been firing wildly at Lu Chen and his companions suddenly turned around, their dark muzzles pointing at the surviving armed personnel.

An even denser rain of bullets poured out. The armed personnel who had still clung to a sliver of hope were instantly swallowed by their own gunfire. Before they could even scream, they were reduced to mangled chunks of flesh.

"No! Help!"

"We're on your side! Don't shoot!"

Shrill screams echoed throughout the base. The surviving armed personnel completely broke down; they had never imagined they would be killed by their own people.

"Th-this... how is this possible?!" The commander stared dumbfounded at the incredible scene before him. He couldn't understand why the automated turrets had suddenly turned against them and attacked their own side.

"Nothing is impossible." Lu Chen's voice sounded beside the commander's ear like the voice of Death, carrying a chilling killing intent.

"Now, it's your turn."

"Y-you... who the hell are you?!" the commander asked in a trembling voice, staring at Lu Chen in terror.

He could feel the young man before him radiating a powerful aura that inspired despair, as though the slightest movement from him could crush the commander completely.

"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is... you'll be dead soon." Lu Chen sneered, a mocking light flickering in his eyes.

"Wait! We can talk! I can give you everything you want! Money! Power! Women! Spare me, and I'll give you anything!" the commander hurriedly said, trying to tempt Lu Chen with material things to save his own life.

"Heh, do you think I lack any of those things?" Lu Chen smiled disdainfully.

"Besides, what I hate most is being threatened."

"You..." The commander's expression changed.

"In that case, let's die together!" the commander roared.

He was an ability user who had awakened the SSS-rank Telepathy, allowing him to control other people's thoughts and actions through mental power.

He tried to read Lu Chen's mind and control his actions, then detonate the energy inside his own body and take Lu Chen down with him.

But when his mental power touched Lu Chen's mind, he found it completely blank, with nothing there.

"Y-you... how did you block my talent?!" the commander shouted in terror, his voice full of disbelief.

"Because you're not qualified." Lu Chen sneered, a mysterious light flickering in his eyes.

He activated the SSS-rank Omniscient Vision and Causality Interference, instantly seeing through the commander's innermost thoughts and implanting a piece of false information in his mind.

"Detonate! Detonate! Detonate!"

The false information echoed in the commander's mind like a curse, constantly stimulating his nerves and leaving him unable to control his actions.

The commander's eyes gradually grew vacant. A sinister smile appeared on his face, and he slowly raised both hands and struck his own chest.

"Boom!!!"

An earth-shaking explosion rang out. The commander's body instantly burst apart, turning into a cloud of bloody mist that vanished into the air.

Lu Chen looked at the spot where the commander had disappeared, his face completely expressionless, as though he had merely done something insignificant.

"Weak," he said indifferently, his voice full of disdain.

Linda and A Kai looked at Lu Chen.

They knew Lu Chen's strength went far beyond this. He was like a bottomless black hole; they could never glimpse his true power.

"Next, let's see what other good things there are..." Lu Chen's lips curved slightly upward in a meaningful smile.

After that deafening explosion, the air was thick with the smell of blood and gunpowder smoke.

Lu Chen stood amid the wreckage of the ruined base. Rubble was strewn everywhere, and severed limbs could be seen all around, making it seem like hell on earth.

Yet he stretched lazily, unconcerned. His joints cracked, as though announcing his victory.

The horizon turned pale with dawn, and a ray of sunlight pierced the darkness and fell on Lu Chen's face, coating him in a golden glow.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at the sun slowly rising in the distance. An arrogant smile curled at his lips. "This is only the beginning. The real show is still to come."

"Next, I'll let the whole world know-the Godslaying Legion isn't here to survive. We're here to rewrite the rules of the apocalypse!" Lu Chen's voice wasn't loud, but it was full of domineering confidence, proclaiming his ambition like a king.

Linda and A Kai stood respectfully behind him. They knew that, following this man, they would witness a brand-new era-an era ruled by the Godslaying Legion!

Even though the smell of blood still hung in the air, their blood was boiling.

"Boss, where are we going next?" A Kai rubbed his hands together excitedly as he asked, eager to get started.

Lu Chen didn't answer. He merely raised his head, his profound gaze seemingly piercing the endless void and falling on a distant place.

He slowly clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him.

"Time to... collect some interest."

Before his words had faded, Lu Chen sat cross-legged where he stood, waves of heart-pounding energy beginning to surge around him.

Before him, a mass of strange energy slowly took shape. It was made from flames, ice...