A robotic message resonated, requesting confirmation of Sesel and Oria’s entry into the group. The whale accepted with a snort, as if not caring much, but quickly stowed the axe away. Ruri almost laughed, seeing their clear excitement. However, at the moment, there was no time to assess these gains.
In the next second, golden power emanated from the two, converging toward the whale. Ruri quickly jumped to her master’s side. Soon, the whale held her hand, and the three watched in confusion as Ruri’s eyes lit up with the acquired extreme power. But the young girl quickly steadied herself as if nothing had happened.
"What elemental runes did you two receive?" The whale said dryly. Both of them had passed the first test and, therefore, received the same reward.
The two responded quickly, understanding that they needed to showcase their abilities for him to better know their capabilities. After all, they were about to enter a tough fight. Sesel received a wind rune, while Oria obtained an electric rune.
The whale nodded slightly, satisfied. "During this time, you weren’t allowed to train but managed to fully master the runes, right?"
They both nodded, lowering their heads with fearful eyes. Soon, the whale sighed, and Alm allowed Bruno to take the lead. They needed to handle the two as smoothly as possible; after all, these women were still on the defensive after going through so much trouble with those men.
"Don’t worry too much. I know you must be much weaker than usual after being trapped for so long," Bruno said calmly. "I won’t use you as a shield or anything like that. Your job is just to stay alive. So, you should use the power of wind and electricity only to escape."
The two raised their heads, a bit shocked. Soon, the whale, noticing their softened expressions, spoke again. "I’ll get a bit closer. It will take a second. I have to delve into your souls to remove everything, right?"
The two breathed heavily and nodded, despite the fear. Bruno snorted and, without delay, approached like a flash. With his hands, he touched their foreheads, completing everything as quickly as possible. Then he stepped back.
"Ruri, teach these three on the way to use the hero rune. Their lives will be in your hands in this fight, and they can help a bit," the whale said, turning around and starting to walk. They had already wasted too much time there.
The three were still dazed, feeling the sensations of freedom in their minds. Sayqi went through the same and helped them get up, knowing that this feeling was indescribable. Everyone soon ran at a moderate speed behind the whale, while Ruri explained as quickly as she could to them.
They became increasingly shocked... technically, now, they had lost the power of the hero by becoming companions. But, as they followed Ruri’s instructions, they managed to trigger the heroic rune in their minds. Now, they didn’t have the golden power... but another power existed in its place.
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So, as soon as they felt this new power, the three immediately turned their gazes to the round figure ahead. They all immediately sensed a direct connection with him. His presence before them changed completely, and their looks became strange. Ruri obviously saw this, snorting heavily, but had an idea and quickly cut in.
"This is a divine blessing given to you. Something that only a few deserving ones have received, so cherish it, but don’t be presumptuous. He can be divine with those who are faithful, but equally a demon with those who disappoint him," Ruri said in a serious tone.
The three listened and almost stopped their fast-paced steps in shock. "Divine blessing... him? Is he a..." one of them murmured, and Ruri just nodded without saying anything. Soon, the eyes of the three became tense... what kind of cultivator could do what he did and still give them such a level of power? They thought in synchrony, and Ruri smiled internally without letting it show.
Ahead, the whale continued to advance silently but listening a bit incredulously. ’Is Ruri turning into our missionary now?’ Bruno commented mentally.
Alm then commented contentedly. ’It’s a clever method. Them having a divine image of us creates a natural distance; so, they’ll never think anything strange. But obviously, it’s an exaggeration; we’re not attractive in any way.’
’I think in Ruri’s head, it’s not quite like that... unfortunately, she has a very peculiar taste and refuses to see the reality about us.’ Bruno spoke too candidly. Soon, both he and Alm felt very awkward realizing this, and they fell into strategic silence again.
At the speed they were going, it took an hour to reach the golden temple in the center of the island. They intentionally gave some time for the three, so they could use a bit of the power. After all, this was essential for them to survive in this fight. Now, they had just over 19 hours to complete everything and leave.
Soon, the group stopped their steps and spotted a temple five times larger than the previous one. In its center, there was a bestial creature with some very familiar features. It lay there with its coiled body and no visible wings, and its body should be a dozen meters long. Multicolored scales covered it, and everyone could feel multiple laws emanating from each scale.
At that moment, Ruri felt a message coming from her spatial space. It was Deryu, who had been with them all the time since leaving Runula in the realm of ashes. However, even before Ruri could speak, everyone took a step into the temple, and the creature opened its eyes.
They were deep and ethereal, and quickly, a draconian pressure covered everyone, pressing them mentally and physically.
’It’s a Drake, another race that, like the wyverns, has a thin draconian bloodline in its veins.’ the whale communicated through the array in Ruri’s mind.
The Drake rose imposingly and looked at everyone; quickly, irritation flashed in its eyes. "Newcomers? That mediocre Hexaalis even let someone with a ridiculous cultivation pass... what a disgrace!" The Drake spoke furiously, clearly referring to Ruri.
"Let’s get this over with. The test is simple: survive in my domains for a hundred years." He spoke lazily, and then the whale narrowed its eyes.
"Is that the only rule to win? That Hexaalis told us something different." The whale quickly retorted.
"Hm? The initial rule is the same for all four islands; obviously, defeating us can let you through. But, as my divine bloodline is above anything, even if I have a cultivation lower than yours, it’s impossible for me to be defeated. No one ever would, so I established another test." The Drake spoke lazily.
The whale quickly snorted dryly; dealing with proud idiots was tiresome. "Great, let’s get on with it then."
The Drake sensed the disdain in the whale’s words and smiled faintly. His cultivation quickly stabilized at the fourth level of the Heaven Stage Realm, equal to Hexaalis. Obviously, his actual power was also at the peak of cultivation. But the difference in his power was like heaven and earth when compared to Hexaalis.
Then the Drake’s scales lit up, and in his eyes, there was only an infinite will to kill. The test he imposed was to stay alive for a hundred years in the domain, but he didn’t say anything about not being able to attack. This whale in human form would become a fatty and satisfying appetizer for his taste.
Suddenly the entire golden palace vibrated, and an equally golden power emerged, covering the entire area and closing it completely. The whole place turned into a sealed dome, and after the test began, there was no possibility of escape.
Quickly, the Drake’s scales lit up. The entire closed place was covered by violent elemental runes. In seconds, everything was immersed in the five elemental powers dancing frantically and attacking in all directions.
’In the first test, she forces them to fight against a creature with multiple heroic abilities, compelling them to develop various aspects to adapt and surprise if they want to win. Then, she gives them an elemental rune, and in the second test, she makes them fight against a creature that uses all elements. So, the cultivator must develop their element to the maximum to overcome all the other five. It’s an interesting teaching method.’ Alm dryly commented as they felt the women behind.
All of them had glowing runes on their foreheads, using them together. All the elemental power attacking their bodies turned into a gentle breeze that caused no harm. The whale nodded in satisfaction, and Ruri was the one doing the most work coordinating them.
’We can’t rely on Ruri to surprise-kill him. We have to kill him ourselves quickly without giving him a chance to notice anything wrong.’ Bruno commented, taking a deep breath with the whale.
Right in the next second, a colossal shadow emerged, approaching them. Its jaws opened towards the whale, and along with it, an infinite power fell onto the round body like a mountain.
Alm and Bruno immediately felt their entire Qi freeze, and a deadly sensation hit them.
’The dragon bloodline isn’t restricted by the technique that seals your cultivation,’ Alm dryly commented, then a villainous laughter emerged. ’He didn’t realize our bloodline, great!’
All the women were relatively relaxed in that environment, so they looked forward and saw something gruesome sprout like a giant shadow. It was the Drake that opened its massive mouth and attacked the whale directly; everyone jumped in shock.
CRACK!
The sound of teeth closing violently echoed along with the smell of blood. Soon, they all felt their hearts stop beating, and their faces turned pale. The whale... was swallowed...
BOOM!
In the next second, an explosive power, along with a muffled sound, echoed. Everyone looked shocked as the Drake opened its mouth and spat out a lot of black blood, along with a figure that jumped out. A dreadful smile permeated his face, but his eyes, shining in earthy brown, stood out like two headlights.
The whale rolled on the golden floor and slowly got up. He was covered in the Drake’s black blood, but mixed with it was his own red blood.
"YOU BASTARD!" The Drake roared furiously.
"I had no idea that the glorious draconian bloodline now chooses its victims among those infinitely weaker. My dear, you are clearly a pathetic bastard who managed to disgrace everyone with the noble dragon blood running in your veins," said the whale with a scornful and mocking laugh.
"It would be wiser for you to change your name... Ah, forget it. I’m not good with names. Just use Trash. That’s enough."
The whale spoke his last words, and all the women behind saw all elemental laws freeze statically. Then, a violent and infinite power emerged in the world, making everyone feel their entire concept of power changed completely.
All elemental runes exploded in a luminous display before that Drake. Saying they felt a hammer drop on their chests wasn’t an accurate description. It was as if the entire world was pressing violently on them, and their bodies seemed about to explode in blood.
"YOU..." The Drake spoke with his eyes lighting up in nefarious colors. All his scales trembled in fury, and all his cultivation was released without hesitation. But... the whale stood still in front of him without any expression of agony; there was only a look of ridicule.
"DISAPPEAR!" The Drake spat and opened his mouth again, but now, the world went dark. It was the dragon’s breath!
The whale just looked dryly and almost let out a laugh at that moment. All behind would have fallen to their knees if they had any autonomy over their bodies; not even their eyes could move, and there was only the vision of the apocalyptic power emerging slowly.
Then...
In the Drake’s eyes, a brown line appeared. In that second, the whale made a movement with his arm. Soon, within the Drake’s body, a dual and dark law emerged, causing all his Qi to destabilize.
"Such pathetic and illusory honor that it becomes comical." Those were the last words the Drake heard.
BOOM!!!!!
All the Qi from his body that he moved to attack went out of his control, exploding inside him. The poisonous blood obviously wasn’t enough, but it served to corrupt the internal defenses of his vital organs. Then, the self-created law, Duality of Shadows, did the dirty work.
It was a double, and invincible, poison... for someone foolish enough to use all their power capable of easily destroying planets just to furiously kill a simple ant.