Chapter 876: Wrath of the Thunder God

Even though his power reached Level 20 and his defense was impenetrable, Wei Kela Matiya II still dared not relax when facing Lei En's Thunder God's Hammer, feeling extreme apprehension.

This Empire youth, whose age is not even a tenth of my own, is frighteningly strong.

Not a Saint Rank, yet far surpasses Saint Rank.

He knew that without the boost from the Nine‑ring Imperial Armament, which would increase his strength more than tenfold, he would not be Lei En's match; in less than half a minute he could be hammered to death by Lei En and the Mirror Image, with no chance of luck.

But now, Wei Kela Matiya II is utterly unafraid.

Apprehension does not mean fear of battle.

As long as Lei En is dealt with, the remaining foes are just chickens and dogs; that so‑called "Empire Iron Wall" is merely a steel knight, indestructible but far inferior to Lei En in tactics. Without Lei En's interference, I can flee at any time.

"Kill him, and we can survive today."

Wei Kela Matiya II's goal shifted from capturing Lei En to turn the tide, to finding a chance to escape.

With that thought, he let out a fierce roar.

Planting his feet on the ground for leverage, he swung his sword upward, delivering a full‑power Reverse Slash from below toward Lei En's neck, ignoring the hammer, intending to trade wounds and heavily injure Lei En.

Whoosh!

The red‑black fearsome blade light surged dozens of meters, as if it would split the world in two.

Willpower foresaw the huge danger.

Lei En's mental aura also mirrored Wei Kela Matiya II's every move in his mind, perceiving his intent, and in an instant decisively abandoned the idea of a head‑on clash.

Spiritual leap.

Lei En's figure vanished by a hair's breadth.

The soul‑burning heavy sword cleaved the air, its strike infused with excessive power; even though Wei Kela Matiya II's swordsmanship is rare, he could not retract the sword in time, and the massive inertia forced his body to continue exerting upward force.

At that moment, Ba Tu La charged in.

He timed it perfectly, seized the opening, and with the "Earth Guardian" solidly slammed into Wei Kela Matiya II's back.

Bang!

Wei Kela Matiya II involuntarily flew upward.

Ba Tu La's broad sword in his right hand thrust three consecutive blows in an instant, each strike stronger than the last, all cutting into Wei Kela Matiya II's chest armor.

This epic‑grade broad sword, unmatched in sharpness and enchanted with five layers of Armor Penetration, finally pierced the tyrant's armor on the third thrust.

The blade tip entered flesh and bone, nearly reaching the heart before it got stuck.

Ah!

Wei Kela Matiya II let out a painful cry, forced himself to turn toward Ba Tu La, but found Ba Tu La had withdrawn the broad sword and already retreated beyond attack range.

The Imperial Armament sensed danger approaching from the side.

It was Lei En.

He deliberately slowed his spiritual leap this time and chose the landing point precisely; just as Wei Kela Matiya II turned to face Ba Tu La, he arrived, and, taking advantage, swung the Thunder God's Hammer he held, leaving Wei Kela Matiya II no chance to evade.

A booming crack.

The Thunder God's Hammer slammed onto Wei Kela Matiya II's head.

This hammer, Lei En did not unleash a thunderous strike to avoid lightning harming the nearby Ba Tu La, but instead triggered a more concentrated single‑target "Destructive Critical", and at the moment of impact he controlled the hammer's weight to surge to one hundred thousand pounds.

Wei Kela Matiya II was like a baseball struck mid‑swing, flipping and spiraling up into the sky.

His head was almost flattened by the hammer; the injuries were heavier than when Lei En first used the Thunder God's Hammer, and his consciousness was lost, like a rolling corpse.

Yet he did not die.

Lei En's Soul Eye could see the Fire of Faith, an energy from the tens of millions of citizens of the Gupta Kingdom gathering from all directions, seemingly endless, continuously merging into Wei Kela Matiya II's body and soul.

It was this intangible energy that caused Wei Kela Matiya II's power to surge, coalescing into an indestructible tyrant's armor that swiftly healed his wounds.

This is the Imperial Armament!

The Gupta Kingdom's vast territory and fifty million people make the Imperial Armament's amplification even more exaggerated than the Ten‑ring Spell; this Divine Technique is limitless, rendering Wei Kela Matiya II almost an Undying Body.

Lei En had to admit that the Imperial Armament was indeed formidable.

For mortal kings, monarchs, and every ruler, the Imperial Armament is the most perfect Divine Technique in the world.

The Gupta Kingdom on the Old Continent is only a second‑tier nation, yet it made Wei Kela Matiya II so powerful. The three great human Empires each have an area and population more than twenty times that of Gupta; what if a ruler of such an Empire wielded the Imperial Armament?

Lei En could not imagine how mighty that power would be; it would surely surpass anything in the mortal world.

In that moment, he felt a stir of desire.

"If I had a means to restrain Ban Er Ke, to make Him wary of me, perhaps believing in Him isn't impossible…"

"If the realm and populace I govern were vast enough, the Imperial Armament could amplify me to god‑like power; perhaps I could turn the tables and outright crush Ban Er Ke."

"Damn, what am I thinking!"

Lei En hesitated for a heartbeat, then suddenly snapped awake, realizing he had almost been brainwashed by Ban Er Ke.

Cooperating with a rogue god is like scheming with a tiger!

The Imperial Armament is a Divine Technique created by Ban Er Ke; once it is bestowed upon oneself and merged into the soul, one's life and death are in His hands, and sooner or later one will become His puppet.

These thoughts flashed through Lei En's mind.

But it did not affect his combat; a Mirror Image had already manifested ahead on the trajectory where Wei Kela Matiya II was blasted away, transforming into a Titan Giant, its massive hammer descending heavily, and since Wei Kela Matiya II's consciousness had not fully recovered, he was smashed straight into the ground.

With a thunderous boom, Wei Kela Matiya II created a huge crater in the ruins.

Ou Ti Lu Ke, Bi Ge Bai, Ma You Fu, Lin Di An and Cha En Ni, five legendary Wizards who had retreated outside the ruins, each seized the chance to cast, hurling their most powerful spells into the pit, attempting to enlarge the enemy's wounds, even to kill outright.

The spell energy raged, causing a massive explosion.

After casting, the legendary Wizards instantly flickered away, each very cautious, not wanting to give the enemy a chance to ambush.

Lei En shook his head.

His hammer only severely wounded Wei Kela Matiya II, but was insufficient to kill him; the Imperial Armament restored him in an instant.

Those spells had little effect.

He glanced at Batula nearby and saw that the Marquis Ze Li Mu wore a heavy expression, clearly also aware of the outcome.

"Lei En, Chairman."

Batula said quickly: "What I did just now was the best I could; the Tyrant's Armor's defense is too strong, I cannot kill him. If even you cannot handle it, we can only let him escape. The situation in Franice is abnormal; we cannot delay any longer."

His words were sincere and every one true, and he did not resort to tricks in battle despite the two sides competing for the Consul or holding different stances.

Lei En looked up and glanced at Fu Kong Cheng.

Indeed they could not delay any longer, but they must not let Vikramatia II escape, or endless trouble would follow.

"I have a way."

Lei En's words made Batula and a group of Empire elites overjoyed: "Your Marquis, please hold him for half a minute; I need to make some preparations."

"Fine!" Batula answered without hesitation.

"My Mirror Image will assist you, Marquis."

While the two were communicating, Lei En's four Mirror Images kept attacking: two took turns firing Rocket Launchers, bombarding Vikramatia II with rockets to slow his wound recovery, while the other two continuously cast, hurling Electric Blast Orbs and Mind Blasts.

But these attacks achieved little effect.

A few seconds later, Vikramatia II's wounds fully healed; he leapt from the pit, brandishing his Soul‑Burning Great Sword toward Lei En.

"Heretic, your opponent is me."

Batula wielded a large round shield and a broad sword, letting out a high war cry; beyond his heavy armor he added a layer of earth armor and fearlessly charged.

Lei En's Mirror Images also flashed in, attacking from different directions.

"Get out of the way!"

Vikramatia II sliced Batula with a sword, and that earth armor collapsed like paper; the Soul‑Burning Great Sword left a huge wound.

However, one Mirror Image also seized the chance to unleash a Soul‑Eating Slash.

A thunderclap sounded, and the sword aura vanished.

The Tyrant's Armor was marked with fine sword scratches; this injury was negligible for Vikramatia II, but the Soul‑Eating Slash's soul‑devouring power penetrated his body, frenziedly gnawing his spirit, causing terrible agony that even the imperial armament could not exempt.

Vikramatia II let out a howl of pain; a bolt of lightning struck, revealing a Titan Giant, which swung its hammer and smashed him to the ground.

Boom—!

The Mirror Image's war hammer could not breach Vikramatia II's defense; it did not linger, and after striking it flashed away.

When Vikramatia II endured the intense pain and stood up again, Batula once more fearlessly charged.

Batula's wounds had been healed by the Heart of Earth; the "Earth Guardian" in his hand was restored, his body reflecting a golden sheen as if never injured.

"Heretic!"

Batula shouted loudly.

For some reason, Vikramatia II, upon hearing the word "heretic," felt an inexplicable fury; as a sovereign of a great nation, dignified and majestic, having roamed the continent for three hundred years, when had anyone ever contemptuously called him a heretic?

It was an utter disgrace!

Vikramatia II cast reason aside, intent only to kill this Empire man bearing a shield.

He swung his Soul‑Burning Great Sword and struck hard.

Batula used the Earth Guardian to block in front of him, unsurprisingly being knocked airborne again; even his Tier‑3 Golden Sacred Body could not fully withstand such an attack, and he was gravely wounded instantly.

However, Vikramatia II had no chance to pursue.

Lei En's Mirror Images returned, spotting an opening; a Soul‑Eating Slash swept across, plunging him into unbearable agony. When he recovered, Batula sprang forward again, shouting "Heretic," looking utterly indestructible.

This repeated several times.

Batula could only meet Vikramatia II's sword head‑on, sustaining severe injury instantly, but Lei En's Mirror Images held him for a few seconds, and he recovered to full health on the spot.

The Heart of Earth gave Batula endless stamina, and the Golden Sacred Body ensured he would not be killed by a single blow.

But that was enough.

Batula and the Mirror Images teamed up, their coordination exquisite, entangling the terrifying foe.

Lei En did not join the fight.

He activated his Rainbow Light Cloak and vanished, his spirit leapt to the other side of the Royal Palace Ruins, waiting silently. He awaited the battle music entering its third loop; each additional loop increased his power boost by half, sped casting by ten percent, and of course multiplied his energy consumption.

Today's battle in Banbei City, several deities watched from the heavens.

Lei En dared not absorb souls, so he used only his reserved energy, just over two thousand units, most of which had already been spent.

Melodic singing emanated from his body, and his energy dropped rapidly.

On the battlefield, Batula was repeatedly felled by severe wounds, yet each time he rose again to charge, displaying astonishing tenacity and steel‑like Willpower.

This half‑minute felt as long as half a year.

Finally, the time arrived.

The battle music entered its third loop, Lei En's power surged, barely gaining a level, reaching nineteenth‑level strength!

At this moment Batula's enchanted heavy armor had vanished, revealing a tall, robust body, his whole form like forged gold; he once again charged with his shield, only to be sliced airborne. The Soul‑Burning Great Sword struck the shield, its tip pressing down, carving a deep, bone‑visible wound on him, yet no blood flowed.

The Mirror Image's Soul‑Eating Slash flashed by.

The sword aura moved too fast, faster than lightning; Vikramatia II could never evade it. When he shook off the Soul‑Eating agony, he suddenly realized Batula no longer charged.

He froze for a moment, not noticing that one Mirror Image around him was missing.

The scene before him shifted.

Transposition!

Vikramatia II realized he was still atop the Royal Palace Ruins, and at a glance saw Lei En's true form, only a few meters away, within arm's reach.

"He's looking for death!"

Vikramatia II felt great joy, but before he could swing at Lei En, even before the thought of attacking formed, his body ceased moving.

The whole world fell silent.

Within a several‑hundred‑meter radius, the air stopped moving, sound ceased to propagate, even thoughts halted, as if a pause button had been pressed; everything stopped its motion.

Nine-ring Technique—Time Stop!

Outside the spell's range, a host of Empire strongmen all sensed the anomaly in this area, their faces turned horrified; in their eyes, centered on Lei En's position, the scene within several hundred meters was frozen like insects in amber, completely immobilized.

But within the spell's range, Lei En's actions had only just begun.

In the first second, Lei En triggered "Thunder God's Rage", bestowing upon himself the legendary Element "Lord of Thunder"; a massive dark cloud suddenly covered the sky, lightning flashed and thunder roared, countless lightning Elements gathered onto his body, forming a flickering electric "Thunder Battle Armor", instantly raising his power by one level, reaching Level 20!

In the second second, Lei En fully activated Titanic Divine Power, his body swelling to eighteen meters tall, only slightly shorter than the Titan Elder Sorim.

In the third second, Lei En raised the Thunder God's Hammer, which had been synchronously magnified dozens of times, and slammed it down onto the front‑facing Wei Ke La Ma Di Ya II.

Wei Ke La Ma Di Ya II remained motionless within the Time Stop.

He is a Saint Rank strongman, his soul having undergone eight metamorphoses, possessing a certain resistance to Time Stop; his mind struggled to resume its pulse, the Imperial Armament frantically resisted the Time Stop, trying to dodge the hammer above, but its movement was as slow as a snail, instantly filling his eyes with terror and despair.

In the fourth second, the massive Thunder God's Hammer struck down; in an instant its weight reached the limit of one million pounds, the sturdy Tyrant's Armor held out for only one second before collapsing, countless golden lightning burst, but converged at a single point, not spreading outward.

Within the Time Stop there was no sound propagation, nor any vibration.

In the fifth second, Wei Ke La Ma Di Ya II turned to ash, dying silently, and the Nine-ring Imperial Armament could not restore a person who no longer existed.

In the sixth second, Lei En dispelled Thunder God's Rage and Titanic Divine Power, his body shrank to just over three meters tall, and the Thunder God's Hammer reverted to a Thunderbolt Hammer.

The Time Stop ended.

When the Empire's strongmen saw the scene in that area return to normal, a massive shockwave suddenly erupted, laced with golden lightning sweeping across the palace ruins, the sound wave deafening, the ground violently trembling, as if someone had cast the Nine-ring Earthquake Technique.

When the dust falling from the sky settled.

They discovered that Wei Ke La Ma Di Ya II had vanished.

Damn, the network lagged in the last two minutes, couldn't log into the backend, wasted a Leave Request, can't take leave this month… spitting blood!

(End of chapter)