Chapter 1017: Your Death, My Demise

Thunder Slash!

Aiken's field of view was almost entirely taken up by the massive sword light, but it didn't affect his reaction at all; he instantly turned and held the Thousand-Throat Demon Shield in front of him.

The square shield's center bore a twisted human face, surrounded by countless wicked snarls; blessed by the Lord of Darkness, it is perhaps the world's most unbreakable shield, unrivaled, and even the Ouroin Master's sword cannot pierce it.

Evil energy erupted on the Thousand-Throat Demon Shield, raising a black high wall.

Boom!

Thunder Slash struck the black wall, producing a thunderous roar; the evil wall was instantly shattered into pieces, but the sword light's force was also reduced by more than half.

The Soul‑Burning Heavy Sword surged like a hot knife through bamboo, cutting through the core of the Thousand-Throat Demon Shield.

Clang!

At the moment of impact, the sky‑full lightning vanished, Lei En cancelled the Thunder Slash and switched to the long‑charged "Destruction Strike", instantly unleashing fifteen times the power!

Level 20 strength limit is amplified another fifteenfold.

Even if the Soul‑Burning Heavy Sword's force were halved, the Eternal Chosen could not withstand such a terrifying attack; both person and shield were blasted away like a baseball. The Eternal Chosen's both hands were fractured, the Thousand-Throat Demon Shield and the Regicide Sword nearly slipped from grasp, and the arm guard of Moka's Armor was cracked by the blast.

During the backward flight, Moka's Armor instantly healed Aiken's injuries.

But the sheer power of Lei En's sword prevented him from stopping the backward momentum; in an instant he flew out of Albert Bay, slanted headfirst into the sea, raising waves a hundred meters high.

Sea King Ke Man, retreating far away, saw the scene and his pupils instantly contracted.

"This power..."

The wound at his waist had already healed, and he hurriedly halted his movement, thinking that this still wasn't enough to kill the Eternal Chosen.

Immediately, Ake Man saw a massive lightning bolt over a hundred meters long streak down from the sky.

Within the lightning was a blood‑red spear; it had been spiraling and accelerating thousands of meters up, and now, as if commanded, it plunged down in a flash too fast for the eye to track, piercing the sea surface where Aiken had fallen.

One second later.

Boom!

The sea outside Albert Bay's mouth suddenly bulged, as if something exploded beneath; countless waves of seawater surged skyward, forming a mushroom‑shaped hundred‑meter water column. The back‑flowing water was interlaced with thick bolts of lightning, like a dancing golden snake, and the shockwave spread beyond a kilometer.

Ake Man's expression turned blank; he had never seen a spell like this, comparable to the Ten Rings.

He even couldn't be sure whether it was a spell at all.

The Sea King's gaze swept the boiling sea, searching for the Eternal Chosen's trace, his mind filled with doubt: "Will Aiken survive this blow?"

Before the thought could settle, a black spear burst through the massive wave and shot straight into the clouds.

Aiken!

His condition now was grim; the Moka's Armor fused to his body was heavily damaged, his whole body drenched in dark red blood, and a horrifying gash gaped across his chest, nearly piercing him, revealing half of a still‑beating heart.

Although the armor and wounds were healing, and the heart was rapidly growing granulation tissue—far from fatal—this gruesome sight shattered people's image of the Eternal Chosen's invincibility.

Originally, the Eternal Chosen could also bleed and be gravely wounded.

He—can also die!

"I admit..." Aiken's voice was low and hoarse, echoing across the sky: "All along I've underestimated your strength. Your growth rate far exceeded my expectations; had I known, ten years ago when we first clashed, I should have given my all."

The eyes beneath the Crown of Dominion flared with blood fire, staring intently at Lei En.

Lei En gave no response.

The Eternal Chosen paused, then continued: "Not killing you while you were still weak is the biggest mistake I've made in this life."

"But this time, I won't make that mistake again."

"Here!"

The Eternal Chosen lifted the Regicide Sword and pointed it at Lei En, "I swear by the Abyssal Four Gods, Ryan Augustus, that today, either you die or I perish!"

A terrifying, soul‑shaking voice echoed across the entire Albert Bay.

Everyone could hear the Eternal Chosen's seething anger and massive hatred toward Lei En; he regarded the Empire's Consul as his greatest foe in this life, setting everything else aside. At this moment, in the Eternal Chosen's eyes, killing Lei En was the sole objective!

Everyone on the New Continent had heard of the Eternal Chosen's dreadful reputation; he was the shadow in their hearts, the greatest nightmare.

Anyone targeted by the Eternal Chosen could only feel despair.

Yet Lei En's expression remained calm, his voice showed no tremor, yet everyone could hear him perfectly:

"Then, today is your day of death."

The Eternal Chosen roared: "Come!"

As the words fell, Aiken's body turned into a barely visible black blur, flashing forward, charging toward Lei En.

The two were separated by several thousand meters, with the Inner Bay between them.

Lei En's gaze locked on the enemy, and he calmly reduced his size.

When "Strength" reached the Level 20 limit, he poured energy into "Swiftness"; strength and swiftness are contradictory—size signifies strength, but speed diminishes. The higher the strength level, the harder it is to boost swiftness, making the cost‑benefit ratio very low.

But one cannot have strength without speed.

Although he has "Winds of Thunder Wings" and "Titanium‑Gold Flight Feathers" for acceleration, and can rotate the spells "Any Door", "Flash", and "Mind Leap" to gain enough speed for combat, in the most extreme cases when spells are unavailable, the most reliable speed is still that of his own body.

Thus, Lei En invested over a hundred thousand energy units, raising his "Swiftness" to Level 14!

Two levels higher than Legendary Swiftness.

With Level 20 Strength and Level 14 Swiftness, when these two legendary Elements act together, Lei En keeps his stature around five meters tall, perfectly balancing power and speed—his optimal combat state, exploiting both advantages.

If Swiftness improves further, the optimal combat size will shrink even more.

Lei En expects, like the Ouroin Master, to eventually settle at just over three meters tall, like a half‑giant.

At this moment, he has already reduced to five meters tall.

Simultaneously, a pair of broad metallic wings unfurled behind him; each dark‑gold feather crackled with lightning, producing a sizzling sound. He appeared lithe, yet his body and limbs radiated terrifying power, like a deity descending.

Lei En flicked his shoulder, and ten identical Mirror Images materialized around him.

The Eight‑Ring Mirror Image technique creates copies possessing seventy percent of the original's power; their spell potency, strength, and defense are each reduced by thirty percent.

Each Mirror Image's eyes bulged with blood, unleashing boundless fury; their massive hearts hammered, pumping lightning through their veins, and the "Elephant‑Heart Electricity" caused their strength to surge again, reaching the Level 20 limit!

Ake Man stared at the ten Mirror Images, and his heart leapt in terror.

Even as Mirror Images, he felt they possessed terrifying power; he might not even be able to defeat a single one, let alone ten!

But he did not retreat, preparing to face the Eternal Chosen together with Lei En.

"Talisman."

Lei En's voice rang in Ake Man's mind, urging him to chase the Xilian's Eye, leaving Lei En to face Aiken alone.

Ake Man looked up and saw many parties vying for the talisman in the high sky.

The human Holy Soul Wizard who used the Ten‑ring Spell to annihilate the Evil Flame Legion, Captain Asina of the Thunder Mercenary Corps, the Eternal Chosen's mount the Hell Three‑Headed Dragon, a golden three‑headed dragon of unknown origin, a Purgatory Grand Mage and the blood‑soaked Valkyrie, all returned to the Prime Material Plane.

The many sides clashed, and the scene was extremely chaotic.

Time reverted to thirty seconds ago.

The Xilian's Eye was knocked flying by Ake Man's slow thrust; the massive force failed to destroy it, instead it sped toward the sky west of Albert Bay, and Aiken was stopped by Lei En, unable to give chase.

Reslin seized the opportunity, precisely pinpointed, and teleported onto the talisman's flight path.

He ignored the pursuing Hell Three‑Headed Dragon, locked onto the talisman, and cast three consecutive Tim Kainen Disintegrate at it.

Greater Disintegrate does not always work; the higher the target's quality, the lower the chance of destruction. Though the spell claims it can even shatter divine artifacts, its probability is extremely low, possibly requiring hundreds of consecutive casts to succeed.

Earlier, during Time Stop, he refrained from using Greater Disintegrate, fearing it would have no effect and that Aiken would obtain it.

Three transparent beams linked and struck the talisman.

Yet all failed.

"As expected…"

Lei En thought to himself, Greater Disintegrate aims to destroy the magical item created by the Lord of Chaos; although it is only Legend Grade, the probability is still very low.

The surrounding void rippled, and the Hell Three‑Headed Dragon arrived.

It had regained its true draconic form; its massive body surged from the void, the central void dragon sealing space, while the two side heads breathed fire, opening a gaping maw to snap at Reslin.

Reslin waved his staff, releasing Spatial Freeze.

The Hell Three‑Headed Dragon's figure froze momentarily; its two side heads seemed mired, moving slowly, while the central void dragon head let out a sharp screech, breaking the Spatial Freeze's restraint.

Reslin seized the chance, flashed away, caught up with the Xilian's Eye, which continued flying forward; he swiftly raised his hand and pointed.

Nine‑ring Annihilation!

The talisman remained intact, still flying forward.

Reslin frowned, sensing something off about the talisman. He evaded the Hell Three‑Headed Dragon's pursuit three times in a row, casting on the Xilian's Eye the Annihilation, Disintegrate, and Release spells, which can destroy physical objects, spirits, and sealed barriers respectively, yet none took effect.

After evading the Hell Three‑Headed Dragon once more, Reslin chose "Spatial Transfer". Since it could not be destroyed, he would toss it to another plane, preventing anyone from obtaining it.

The space containing the Xilian's Eye flipped.

The talisman vanished.

Lei En exhaled in relief; he had prearranged several rune sigils for "Spatial Transfer", leading to various destinations scattered across the Bottomless Abyss, the Prime Material Plane, and other planes.

This casting chose a desolate plane attached to the Prime Material Plane, nameless and devoid of life.

Throwing the Xilian's Eye into the nameless plane is safe; it shouldn't be found for a while.

However……

In less than half a second, that space flipped again, and the Xilian's Eye returned. It kept flying forward, apparently unaffected by Spatial Transfer.

Reslin was dumbfounded.

This talisman is definitely flawed; a Legend Grade magical item would never be so uncanny—someone is meddling behind it!

No, there is a deity!

Lord of Chaos Nyasynlanchi, what is He up to?

One of the Abyssal Four Gods, this Lord of Chaos loves meddling in mortal affairs, its presence far greater than the other three. For tens of thousands of years, it has plotted countless schemes behind the scenes, fooling mortals and deities alike; sometimes its cunning is unfathomable, other times absurdly foolish, contradictory, even its Divine Chosen cannot discern the ever‑changing Lord's ultimate purpose.

But at this moment, Reslin felt a chill down his spine.

Lord of Chaos may be watching him through the Xilian's Eye, manipulating all the conspiracies behind Albert Bay.

He decisively abandoned the talisman, wanting to stay as far away as possible.

Before the Hell Three‑Headed Dragon's gaping maw could tear him, Reslin's spirit leapt away. The dragon, after snapping at empty air, paused, gazed at the unchased Xilian's Eye, and instantly rejoiced, dropping Reslin and lunging for the talisman.

The space around the talisman flipped once more.

A lithe figure emerged, her back sprouting demonic bat wings, a pair of devil horns atop her head, wielding a sharp spear and a twisted great shield—she was the blood‑soaked Valkyrie Valkia.

She looked bewildered, not knowing who had sent her from the Abyss back to the Prime Material Plane.

Then she saw the talisman flying toward her.

"Xilian's Eye!"

Valkia let out a scream; this was the treasure Aiken had been searching for over the past ten years, and the assault on Albert Bay was undertaken for it.

Wearing the Xilian's Eye grants one the ability to foresee the future and discern reality—not the vague visions of prophecy, but a clear view of imminent events, allowing the wearer to avoid danger and make the most advantageous choices.

In battle, the Xilian's Eye places its wearer in an unbeatable position!

That is already powerful enough.

The Xilian's Eye also has a special function; only Aiken can use it. By wearing the talisman, Aiken can endure the projections of the Abyssal Four Gods, wielding this supreme might and possessing power comparable to deities in the mortal realm!

For years, Aiken has been trying to obtain the Xilian's Eye, setting other matters aside.

Valkia is the Chosen Champion of the Lord of Darkness, and does not worship the Lord of Chaos; though she is fiercely loyal to Aiken, the chance to obtain the Xilian's Eye stirred her heart.

The blood‑soaked Valkyrie hesitated only a heartbeat before beating her wings toward the talisman.

Her speed was extreme.

In an instant she reached the talisman, within arm's reach, about to grasp it, when the Xilian's Eye suddenly erupted in a strange radiance, as if pulled by an invisible rope, forcibly changing direction, slipping from her fingertips and flying elsewhere.

A hunched, gaunt black shadow materialized, catching the incoming Xilian's Eye.

Valkia saw the opponent and shouted angrily, "Vilich, you filthy thing, how dare you betray the Lord!"

(End of Chapter)