Chapter 158: Hagekex Shatters a Crowned Beast with a Single Punch, the Whole City Trembles

Bloodfang Arena.

The silver-white giant wolf bared its full set of fangs, its left eye hollow, pierced through by a grotesque gash that ran across its entire face, making it look ferocious and terrifying; its left forepaw limped, dragging a long claw mark in the sand as it walked.

This was an old ice wolf.

Ice wolves are the dominant beasts of the Northern Reaches; though not the strongest individually among Northern creatures, they are rare among pack-hunting animals, and when dozens coordinate their attacks with clear division of labor, even the largest ice plains bears fall beneath their claws and fangs.

They are also the symbol of the Dean family, and Ice Wolf Knights are their exclusive profession.

Hss!

Upon seeing the vicious one-eyed ice wolf on the arena floor, everyone held their breath in terror.

And because of its title, many recognized its identity and began whispering among themselves.

“Ice Demon Wolf Fingers—heard it was the former alpha of the largest ice wolf pack in the Northern Reaches, driven out after being defeated by a younger alpha, and now survives by eating humans; supposedly it devoured every last person in a whole village!”

“So terrifying—finally, the eldest son of the Lord of the North, ‘Feral Wolf’ Kain Dean, captured it with his Frostfang Knights. We thought it had been executed, never imagined it ended up here in the arena.”

“Hmm, to capture an Ice Demon Wolf—that ‘Feral Wolf’ must already have peak New Moon-tier strength. He’s only twenty-five. Looks like the North truly has a worthy successor!”

Devoured an entire village?!

With his superhuman physique, Hagekex naturally heard the spectators’ murmurs behind him.

At this moment, his brilliant golden eyes lost their battle fervor, replaced by icy killing intent.

He clenched his fists tightly, streams of golden flame-clouds oozing from his massive body, illuminating his sharply defined bronze muscles like molten gold.

After he ascended to the New Moon tier, Simon canceled his obligation to wear the magic-suppressing collar out of respect.

Aow!

Sensing the human’s killing intent, Ice Demon Wolf Fingers let out a piercing, mournful howl toward the sky.

That howl seemed infused with magic, causing Hagekex to feel dizzy; the spectators in the stands clutched their ears in agony, some even collapsing unconscious in their seats.

Shhh!

Fortunately, a blood-red transparent barrier appeared in time, enveloping the entire arena and preventing the worst accident since the arena’s founding.

“That’s the ability only an Ice Wolf Alpha possesses—the Death Howl. Didn’t expect it to retain this after being banished,” remarked someone well-versed in beast lore.

“If not for the magic left behind by Sir Simon, we’d all be unconscious by now,” someone said, still shaken.

“Hagekex, kill this beast!” more spectators roared in fury.

Most of them were nobles who paid dearly for tickets—nearly turned deaf by a beast. How could they not be enraged?

Tap-tap-tap!

Taking advantage of Hagekex’s dizziness, the Ice Demon Wolf blurred into a streak of motion, lunging at him with terrifying speed.

Clang!

With a metallic crash, the Ice Demon Wolf slashed its claws, leaving multiple gashes across Hagekex’s chest in an instant.

As it eagerly awaited the moment to rip open his chest and savor his delicious organs, it suddenly realized its claws—capable of shredding human armor—had left only two faint white marks on this human’s chest!

Is this thing even human?

Harder than the hide of an ice plains bear!

Even this ancient wolf king, who had led countless hunts, now wore a look of unmistakable shock on his wolf face.

“His body’s hardness has increased again.”

Hagekex, now recovered from dizziness, silently thought as he stared at the white marks on his chest.

After ascending to the variant class of Hundred Deaths Warrior, one ability he gained was Hundred Deaths Body.

Hundred Deaths Body: Having survived hundreds of death-threatening crises, you’ve grown resistant to death; each time you’re injured, your body develops resistance to that specific damage type.

In the arena, battling ferocious beasts, he suffered mostly claw strikes and bites—so under Hundred Deaths Body, his body’s hardness kept increasing.

Now, Hagekex even suspected that even an iron armor worth as much as a villa in the city center might not be harder than his skin.

“You who feast on humans—never thought you’d crack your claws on someone, did you?”

Hagekex coldly said, staring at the stunned Ice Demon Wolf.

Boom!

He slammed his right foot into the ground, his massive body instantly surging forward with speed incongruous to his size, charging at the demon wolf.

His fist, wreathed in brilliant golden magic, smashed like a siege ram into the wolf’s lower back.

Boom-boom-boom!

Within the blood-red barrier, two streaks of gold and blue darted at blinding speed, colliding with the thunderous roar of a thousand charging armies, sending the crowd into wild cheers.

“Hagekex, I love you!”

“In a few months, I want you lying on my new five-meter bed, holding me!”

“Oh, gods above—if I could kiss even one of Hagekex’s muscles, I’d gladly go to hell!”

Watching this, many of Hagekex’s female fans went wild—among them, the vampire girl was one of the most fervent.

Boom!

After another fierce clash, Hagekex slowly stepped back, creating distance from the Ice Demon Wolf.

He frowned as he stared at the ice needles embedded in his knuckles.

The thick silver-white fur on the demon wolf’s body now stood rigid, coated in countless frost spikes—like a full suit of spiked armor, perfectly blocking his attacks and even inflicting counter-damage.

Ice Demon Wolf Fingers, seeing the blood seeping from Hagekex’s knuckles, showed a human-like sneer in its blue eyes.

Even banished, it was still an Alpha!

The human who captured it—if not for that cowardly ambush with a whole group, draining its magic—it might never have ended up here.

“Time to test another ability I’ve never used since becoming a Hundred Deaths Warrior.”

Seeing the mockery in the demon wolf’s eyes, Hagekex’s expression turned cold—he made his decision.

He’d planned to save it as a secret weapon for later slave uprisings, but his temper simply couldn’t take it anymore!

“Huh.” Hagekex took a deep breath.

Muscle Enhancement.

Berserk.

Gigantification.

Three mutually reinforcing abilities activated simultaneously on Hagekex.

Crack—crack.

The sound of bones shattering echoed like firecrackers during the New Year Festival.

Simultaneously, his knotted muscle fibers began swelling wildly like vines.

His entire body seemed lifted by invisible hands—three meters, three and a half meters… until he reached over four meters tall, then finally stopped.

Seeing this human suddenly tower above even the Ice Plains Bear King, the Ice Demon Wolf’s sneer vanished, replaced by terror.

In the world of beasts, size largely determined combat power.

But it wasn’t over!

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—torrents of brilliant golden magic erupted, turning Hagekex’s colossal form into a radiant golden statue.

Amidst the anticipation of countless eyes, Hagekex slowly raised his right fist.

All his magic was now gathered, compressed into his right fist, forming a tiny vortex of magical energy.

Hss!

Seeing this, Ice Demon Wolf Fingers instinctively felt a primal, bone-chilling danger.

As if every aging organ within its body screamed: Run!

Tap-tap-tap.

Without hesitation, the starving wolf abandoned its meal and bolted, tail between its legs, straight for the entrance tunnel.

It came in roaring—now it fled in panic.

But it was already too late…

“Air Shock.” Hagekex silently whispered, then unleashed every ounce of strength in his colossal frame, swinging his right fist with all his might.

Boom!

With a thunderclap loud enough to deafen, the golden fist halted midair—as if hitting an invisible wall.

Crack—crack—crack.

Before anyone could react, a series of crisp, glass-shattering sounds erupted beneath them, as if the air itself had split.

Boom——!!!

The next instant, a visible shockwave exploded outward like ripples on a pond.

The sandy ground beneath them cracked layer by layer like fragile ice, spiderweb cracks spreading wildly.

Rocks and soil were hurled skyward, then pulverized into dust by the violent wind, swept away in a raging torrent.

Where the windstorm passed, the earth sank and rose, as if a celestial dragon had rolled beneath it—terrifying beyond words.

Ice Demon Wolf Fingers turned its head in horror.

Before it could even scream, its body exploded the moment it touched the shockwave—its upright ice spikes shredded like paper, its hardened bones shattered and pulverized, muscles and organs crushed into bloody mist mixed with ice shards, spraying everywhere.

In an instant, the once-ravenous beast that had devoured a whole village was reduced to a shapeless, sticky sludge smeared across the cracked earth, still steaming faintly.

The windstorm faded; the dust slowly settled.

Exhausted of magic, Hagekex silently straightened his body. His fist steamed with white vapor; directly before his feet stretched a canyon of cracks extending nearly a hundred meters.

One strike—terrifying as this!

Time seemed frozen. Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the golden giant standing on the arena floor, godlike and majestic.

The vast arena was now silent—so silent you could hear a pin drop—until people slowly began to come to their senses.

"Hegex!"

"Hegex!"

The crowd’s cheers roared like they would overturn the entire arena, audible even to citizens in the outer districts of the Slave Capital.

"Melted Gold Titan!"

Someone had first shouted this title, and soon it spread throughout the entire arena.

"Melted Gold" came from Valagalon, the golden fire of the true dragon, strongest force in Soxia; "Titan" referred to a humanoid race said in the Divine Era to rival true dragons in power, famed for their towering stature.

The title "Melted Gold Titan" was undoubtedly fitting for Hegex—and upon closer scrutiny, even bordering on insolent toward the royal authority.

But the crowd, still swept into frenzy by the shocking spectacle, clearly ignored this.

Amid the frenzied crowd, Latiss could no longer contain her surging affection; wrapped in a torrent of crimson magic, she leapt from her seat.

She vaulted straight over the ten-meter-high wall and landed on the arena floor, rushing toward Hegex without regard for anything.

Midair, Simon Kelai , having rushed over after hearing his subordinate report that the Ice Demon Wolf’s death howl had caused spectators to collapse, now stared blankly at the long fissure on the ground.

"That strike must have reached the power of a full-force Lunar Phase attack."

Upon reaching this conclusion, even Simon, the Sir known as the Piercing Duke, revered nationwide, could not suppress a flicker of astonishment on his ageless, strikingly beautiful face.

As a Lunar Phase cultivator, he knew full well: the higher the phase, the geometrically greater the difficulty of fighting across phases.

Many top geniuses could fight from Morning Star to New Moon, but to match Lunar Phase power while still at New Moon? Even across all historical records, there were barely a handful!

"If he ascends to Lunar Phase, won’t even I be no match for him?"

The moment this thought flashed through his mind, Simon broke into a cold sweat—he fully grasped the terrifying potential within Hegex.

How infuriating! Such a hero, and yet he cannot be brought under my command!

With his full support, perhaps I could realize my dream of reclaiming Kelai ’s kingdom in less than twenty years.

How, how can I make him submit and pledge loyalty to me?

As he wrestled with this question, he suddenly spotted a familiar silhouette, wrapped in crimson magic, leaping down from the stands toward Hegex.

"Could it be?" The Piercing Duke felt a surge of hope and delight.

On the arena floor.

Hegex frowned at the fissure before him and sighed deeply.

"I am still too weak," he murmured.

If those frenzied fans cheering "Golden Titan" above had heard him, they would have been stunned.

After all, he had only recently become New Moon Phase—and already shattered a named beast into pulp with a single punch. This feat would spread across the nation; perhaps even the King Himself would hear of it.

Yet Hegex knew well: his opponent was an extraordinarily gifted warrior. He suspected that only the Prince surpassed that man in talent; all other geniuses paled beside him.

In the Starfire Hall, where injury and death were impossible, he had once begged that man to strike with full strength—and he had seen it.

A brilliance that drowned all else, like sunlight itself, beyond any description.

Even his own Void Shock, which drained his entire magical reserves, was less than one-tenth its power.

I am, indeed, still too weak. I must train twice as hard!

Hegex clenched his fist silently—when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small figure wrapped in crimson magic rushing toward him.

He had thought it a new opponent, but upon sensing her phase, he relaxed his grip.

Morning Star Phase? Even if he stood still and let her strike, leaving a single white mark would be proof of extraordinary talent.

(End of Chapter)