Chapter 332: One Punch

After the extreme light and heat receded, peace returned here once more, but this time there was no sense of tranquility or ease.

The heavy white clouds blanketing the sky had at some point been stained with a black veil, perhaps startled by this destructive power; looking up from the ground, one could only see the originally azure sky turn a dim gray, and the air was filled with a gunpowder smell ordinary people could hardly bear.

After a few seconds, or perhaps a few minutes, the sun had been swallowed by darkness, making it impossible to tell how much time had passed based on changes in light.

In this stuffy, scorching darkness, the concept of time, like sunlight being devoured, had undergone an unimaginable distortion.

When Rose Woman, gazing from the distant grassland still tinged with residual green toward the battle's center, instantly saw that the battlefield, burned white by the explosion, was a phenomenon Gu Langji recognized.

Under the thick black clouds, residual magma flickered weakly on the ground covered in a spiderweb of cracks.

It brought a faint glow to the already pitch-black trees, like a firefly lighting up in the darkness—weak, yet possessing tenacious life.

It emitted a crackling sound, and could go out at any moment.

Amidst the sparks that dotted the surroundings like stars, a black, horned humanoid creature lay on its back in the abandoned huge pit.

Although aided by the faint light, Rose Woman still could not discern the other's identity.

Because the instigator of all this had turned completely black in the end.

Having fallen from the sky and standing on the ground, the black warrior's body showed no distinction between charred muscle and its original robust form.

Its pair of iron-like wings on its back were flapping, equally black, with bones and membranes interconnected.

Its surface bore no other scars, remaining intact despite such a violent explosion, making it easy to imagine the sound of Gu Langji's weapon striking it, a clash of metal on metal.

Rose Woman made no attempt to help either side, for the battle between the Rhinoceros Beetle Gu Langji and Kuuga had already entered the sacred slaughter game.

She merely clenched her hands slightly, awaiting the final outcome.

As one of the architects of the slaughter game's rules, she likewise yearned to see the stronger side prevail.

This had nothing to do with identity; even if it weren't Gu Langji, whoever won the game would gain everything.

Because that is how the tribe's structure works: the strong almost hold absolute power to rule all, while the weak are born with original sin.

This was likely caused by the meteorite that fell from outer space; Gu Langji's thoughts gradually became consumed by slaughter, and he ingeniously used strange energy to turn them into inhuman monsters.

They were made to massacre all kinds of life, even fighting each other among their own kind.

This is a higher-level slaughter game: no rules, survival to the end is victory.

Who won, then? Kuuga probably wouldn't grow wings, so the victor is likely Gadolu? Does that mean Kuuga lost?

While Rose Woman was still carefully observing, trying to tell who was who, the scattered magma inside the great pit amid the spiderweb suddenly surged inward toward the center.

The black, horned figure rose slowly from the magma, fiery lava flowing slowly over its thorn‑covered body, rolling down the limbs and stacking to form crimson armor.

It stepped out of the magma, and the contact of its extreme heat with the air sent out wisps of white smoke.

The lava flowing over its body dripped onto the scorched ground, melting through it in an instant.

It gently twisted its neck, tightened its wrists, and lifted its head to gaze at the opponent it could fight with all its strength.

Although the movements were slight, they resembled a tiger licking its claws—light yet full of threat.

If this were a wildlife show on TV, the next scene would be the tiger leaping high, opening its scarlet maw, biting through the prey's throat, and feasting.

When Rose Woman finally saw the ferocious face beneath the lava, her pupils contracted.

It was Gadolu! The one who had crawled out of the pit was indeed Gadolu.

If Gadolu had just climbed out of the huge pit, then the winged figure opposite him must be Kuuga.

The battle just now had actually been Kuuga gaining the upper hand! This result shocked Rose Woman, and her body tensed up involuntarily.

But when she glanced at Kuuga's eyes, reddened to the point of darkening, from another angle, Kuuga merely gave a careless glance.

Just that slight glance made Rose Woman's body tighten suddenly, her heart beginning to race.

Even her limbs began to tremble slightly, saliva started to flood her mouth, and her blood pressure began to spike.

Her formerly beautiful face was soon slick with sweat within a few seconds, and her breathing grew rapid.

The surrounding air seemed to turn viscous, obstructing her breath, as if time itself were nearing a standstill.

It allowed her to clearly see the killing intent revealed in Kuuga's eyes.

Intangible fear drove her to the extreme; when faced with an unstoppable danger, organisms desperately secrete adrenaline within their bodies to grasp a sliver of chance to survive.

Thus blood pressure rises, the mind becomes highly tense, and it feels as if time itself has slowed.

Of course, this is not an actual change in time, but your body trying to save you, causing your perception to slow down.

Although she knew Kuuga's power was great, she never expected that even his casual glance would be too much for her to bear.

Fortunately, Kuuga's gaze swept past her quickly, and only then did Rose Woman feel she had come back to life in that instant.

On Gadolu's body, covered in flowing lava, there appeared a deep fist imprint.

The shattered cracks spread from the abdomen all over the body, but it seemed not to have harmed the essential core of the Rhinoceros Beetle Gu Langji, merely breaking its outer shell.

For the Gu Langji species, as long as the belt running through all their nervous systems is not shattered, they generally do not die.

Their vitality is usually vested in the belt, which is both a weak point and the strongest part of their entire body.

And now, a more astonishing scene unfolded: the ferocious wound on Gu Langji's carapace was slowly enveloped by lava and healed at great speed.

A single glance suffices to know that the aura now emanating from the Rhinoceros Beetle Gu Langji no longer carries that savage feeling.

Moreover, it can use its power to heal the injuries it currently sustains, and furthermore, it shows no intention of launching an active attack.

All of this points to the same terrifying fact.

"Kuuga, I truly want to thank you; if it weren't for you letting me experience the brink of death, I might never have mastered the power of my body."

The Rhinoceros Beetle gripped the magma enveloping its body; this magma of thousands of degrees could no longer harm it.

It had evolved, becoming far stronger than before when it had lost reason and rampaged; all its form transformations had become its natural state.

Speed, agility, strength, and defense had all reached their limits.

Just as Diga possesses the strength of its Red Brute form, the speed of its Agile form, and the vast skill set of its Normal form, the creature's body now bears two words written all over it.

Invincible!

Throwing a punch to summon a stronger opponent—such luck is unmatched.

(End of chapter)