Chapter 142: The Real Confrontation

The overwhelming thunder lasted for a long time. However, this explosive lightning was bizarrely devoid of any kinetic impact, preventing Yu Jin and the Purple-Winged Tiger from using the force to escape the blast radius. They had no choice but to silently endure the onslaught.

Only when the commotion gradually subsided and the scarred earth reappeared did everyone widen their eyes, straining to make out the situation on the battlefield as quickly as possible.

Kemo and Shadow Kill felt a faint surge of dread, terrified of witnessing something they could not accept.

As a familiar figure emerged before them, the two slowly exhaled a sigh of relief. Thank goodness... Boss Yu Jin was not dead.

Yet, the moment this thought arose, they startled themselves. Since when had Yu Jin become so weak in their minds that they actually worried he might die?

The two exchanged a glance. It wasn't that Yu Jin had grown weak; rather, that so-called God Slayer had exceeded their expectations time and time again, to the point of actually posing a genuine threat to Yu Jin.

Yu Jin was firmly protected from the front by a Black Crystal Greatshield. The inert Black Crystal possessed extraordinary resistance to energy.

Yu Jin had previously used this crystal to break through the Purple-Winged Tiger's energy attacks, and now, he relied on this Black Crystal to withstand this bizarre energy eruption.

The Black Crystal emitted a faint wisp of smoke. Upon closer inspection, one could see that murky, cotton-like impurities had appeared within the originally translucent material.

The metal used to forge a B-Class mechanical cyborg was undeniably exorbitant—not only exceptionally sturdy but also imbued with extraordinary resistance.

Yet at this moment, the gaps between the armor plates on Yu Jin's back had been sealed shut, a result of the molten liquid metal cooling and resolidifying.

Had the energy eruption lasted just a little longer, his entire internal structure might have been completely destroyed.

"He actually didn't die..." Li Yu muttered. A B-Class Lifeform was troublesome indeed, though he hadn't harbored much hope to begin with.

This attack was just something he had casually thrown together on the fly. No matter how powerful it was, it had its limits.

Although his voice was soft, it was still captured by Yu Jin's auxiliary AI. In an instant, a chilling gaze swept over him.

Yu Jin truly hadn't expected this guy to casually concoct such a devastating trick. His auxiliary AI was currently playing the recording of Li Yu manipulating the lightning by hand.

From the moment Li Yu joined the battlefield, Yu Jin had instructed his auxiliary AI to keep a constant eye on the man's movements.

Even though he was not an expert in energy mechanics, he knew that under normal circumstances, it was impossible to mix various special energies together the way Li Yu did.

Moreover... Sals had also died in the recent energy eruption, making him the second subordinate Li Yu had eliminated.

As much as Yu Jin hated to admit it, he now felt a certain degree of apprehension toward Li Yu. He had begun to view him as a genuine opponent, rather than a mere C-Class Lifeform he could crush at will.

Sensing Yu Jin's glare, Li Yu immediately gave an awkward chuckle. "I was saying that the Purple-Winged Tiger hasn't died yet. Please don't overthink it, Your Excellency."

Not only had Yu Jin survived, but the Purple-Winged Tiger had not lost its vital signs either. Having endured several devastating attacks, it still stood tall upon the earth. One had to admit, its massive physique granted it unparalleled vitality.

Its current appearance was even more miserable. The purple crystal shield in front of it had vanished, and its entire body was covered in charred, blackened chunks—the result of its flesh being scorched by extreme heat.

The remaining two Thunder Beasts were already dead, lying lifelessly on the ground. Half of their bodies had been carbonized, and the rest was pitch black.

"Roar!" A pained bellow tore from the Purple-Winged Tiger's throat. It trembled violently, shaking off large chunks of charred flesh from its body.

The pair of wings on its back finally detached completely, crashing heavily onto the earth and kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

It was dripping with blood and gore, its bones barely visible beneath the ruin. Blood continuously dripped from its frame onto the ground, quickly forming a crimson pool at the Purple-Winged Tiger's feet.

Despite looking so tragically pitiful, it was difficult to evoke a shred of sympathy from anyone present. Though the Purple-Winged Tiger was not dead yet, it might as well have been.

It was injured to the absolute extreme. Even if it completely lost its vital signs in the very next second, no one would be surprised.

However, although the people present had slight variances in their IQ, they were all battle-hardened veterans. Not a single person underestimated the Purple-Winged Tiger in its current state.

Yu Jin's expression grew even more cautious. There were countless examples of people making fatal mistakes at the final moments of a battle, and he had no intention of becoming another cautionary tale.

The mechanical structure on his back clanked loudly, scraping out a shower of sparks. The thrusters rotated and, with some struggle, barely managed to kick into operation.

Repairing his damaged mechanical body structure would cost a hefty sum of Star Coins. Combined with the various weapons he had expended, it caused Yu Jin quite a bit of heartache. Fortunately, someone else would be reimbursing the expenses.

The Purple-Winged Tiger's massive body charged toward Yu Jin, splattering blood through the air. At this point, even without the assistance of Kemo and the others...

Yu Jin appeared completely at ease. He didn't engage the Purple-Winged Tiger in a head-on clash at all; instead, he simply kited and restrained it, keeping it pinned to its current location.

With the battle reaching this stage, the situation had largely stabilized. They only needed to wait for the severely wounded Purple-Winged Tiger to slowly exhaust its remaining stamina.

However, this process took far longer than anyone anticipated. It took seventeen hours and thirty-six minutes for the massive Purple-Winged Tiger to completely lose its vital signs and crash heavily onto the earth.

The area where it collapsed had turned into a literal lake of blood. The outer layers of its flesh had completely lost their color, completely drained dry.

Yu Jin hadn't expended much effort; after all, it was no different from walking a dog. Battered and broken, the Purple-Winged Tiger posed no real threat to him whatsoever.

Everyone's attention relaxed, especially the ordinary Molcasar soldiers. Having endured endless cycles of despair and hope, they finally saw the dawn of victory.

Many soldiers lay sprawled out across the camp. Although night had fallen, the tide-like swarms of Black Lizards had finally ceased their assault.

The Purple-Winged Tiger seemed to represent a definitive end—the conclusion of the invasion.

However, Mole did not feel any sense of relief as survivors of the catastrophe. He knew full well that the real confrontation was only just beginning.

Kansa maintained his usual elegant demeanor. His purple prism shield had blocked all the splattering blood, leaving his armor as spotless as ever. The two Purple Crystal Short Blades, still shimmering faintly, were smoothly retracted into his armored sleeves.

At this moment, he exuded the aura of a man who held absolute victory in his hands. He flashed a sincere smile at Mole. "Your Excellency Mole, the most difficult and arduous times have finally passed."

Mole remained silent, his expression calm—or at least, he appeared calm on the surface.

As Yu Jin returned with Kemo and Shadow Kill, Kansa looked highly pleased. "Well done, Yu Jin."

Yu Jin, however, was in a foul mood and completely ignored Kansa. Instead, he locked his gaze on Li Yu, who was approaching from another direction. His eyes were deathly cold, as if he might draw his blade and hack him to pieces at any second.

Kansa's smile froze on his face. His expression darkened slightly before returning to normal. "Go ahead and process this Amethyst Beast. It is your spoil of war, after all."

A hint of excitement colored Kemo and Shadow Kill's faces. This was a B-Class Lifeform. With such a massive carcass alone, it could be sold for an astronomical price. It was an enormous fortune.

Yu Jin's attitude softened slightly, and he managed to squeeze out a smile. "Thank you for your generosity."

Neither Mole nor Li Yu spoke, and the atmosphere at the scene gradually grew heavy. The presence of the B-Class Lifeform had acted as a buffer between them—a thin paper window of civility.

Mole and Kansa shared a tacit understanding not to pierce that paper, but now, that barrier had naturally disappeared.

Mole took the initiative to speak. "Thank you for your assistance, Your Excellency. Now that the problem has been resolved, may I ask when you plan to leave? It would allow me to make the necessary preparations."

"Leave?" Kansa wore a half-smile as he shook his head. "Please do not joke, Governor General. Do you truly not know why I am here?"

Kansa directly brought the issue into the open. At the same time, the smart terminals of everyone present vibrated slightly.

Li Yu even heard a report from Claptrap. "Master, the Interstellar Network in this star sector has just been jammed."

Everyone glanced at their smart terminals, their expressions shifting. Mole's solemnity, Kansa's anticipation, and Yu Jin's eagerness to strike—all of it fell into Li Yu's eyes.

"Your Highness Kansa, I can finally make my move, right...?" Yu Jin kept his eyes fixed tightly on Li Yu. After holding back for so long, he could finally crush this annoying insect that kept jumping around!

"Wait!" Mole shouted sternly, drawing everyone's gaze. Kansa raised a hand, signaling Yu Jin to hold off.

A surge of frustration swelled within Yu Jin's chest. He wanted to speak, but seemingly recalling something, he ultimately swallowed his words.

'Damn Kansa... does he really think he's my master!?'

Li Yu felt curious about the relationship between the two. It seemed Yu Jin wasn't actually Kansa's subordinate.

Yet, despite his extreme impatience, Yu Jin still obediently followed Kansa's orders. There had to be some underlying secret.

"Does Your Excellency Mole have anything else to say?" Kansa looked calm and composed, as if everything was perfectly under his control.

Mole spoke in a low, serious tone. "You cannot make a move. I can let you take the Amethyst Core, but you must leave a portion for Molcasar. Those are my terms..."

Kansa barely reacted. Upon hearing this, an unfathomable smile crept onto his face. "And what if I refuse?"

"Then it will be mutual destruction!" Mole's expression was resolute as he stared directly into Kansa's eyes.

"Mutual destruction?" Kansa's smile widened. "The Interstellar Network here has already been jammed. How exactly do you plan to achieve mutual destruction?"

Feigning doubt, he didn't give Mole a chance to speak before continuing, "You're not going to tell me that somewhere out there, you've set up some sort of dead man's switch—that if you fail to respond for a certain amount of time, a message will automatically be sent to the Black Hole Network, are you...?"

Mole's face immediately sank. This was indeed his plan. Even if Kansa's people jammed the Interstellar Network here, he could still force mutual destruction through this method.

But since Kansa had anticipated it, the opposing side likely already had a countermeasure prepared.

"You've overlooked one crucial problem..." Kansa shook his head. "And that is time..."

"For a backward civilization like Molcasar, how long would it take to extract an Amethyst Core?"

"And for the Amethyst Civilization, which has studied Amethyst Cores for God knows how long, take a guess..."

The smile of a victor surfaced on the corners of Kansa's lips. "...How much time do you think we need for extraction?"