Chapter 92—The Wild Realm.
Chapter 92—The Wild Realm.
The magnificent white-jade architecture, suspended bridges, and refined imperial palaces of the Celestial Empire faded into the ether as the grand spatial portal behind Emperor Zhao Tian’s throne room collapsed into pure mana light.
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[WORLD SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT!]
FACTION ’SOVEREIGN’ HAS ASCENDED TO FLOOR 10!
ZONE ENTERED: The Primordial World of Beasts — The Untold Wilds
HAZARD RATING: TIER-SS (Extreme Physical Hazard & Primal Instinct Constraints)
SPECIAL RULE: Apex Survival — Passive Health & Mana Regeneration Reduced by 50%!
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When Kaelen stepped through the portal, the air that filled his lungs was heavy, hot, and rich with the thick, metallic scent of fresh blood, ancient damp earth, and volatile primal mana.
𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
There were no marble roads here, no golden pagodas, and no disciplined cultivator armies. Spread out beneath a dark crimson sky torn by constant purple lightning was a terrifying, primordial wilderness.
Trees made of ironwood soared thousands of feet into the air, their black roots coiling around mountain ranges like sleeping serpents.
In the far distance, the earth-shattering roars of colossal primeval beasts echoed through the canyons, causing the very ground under their feet to vibrate with immense physical force.
"This floor feels completely wild," Ignis remarked, his golden-dragon eyes scanning the dense, shadowy forest canopy with a fierce, excited grin. He adjusted the grip on his heavy claymore as a hot breeze blew through his fiery hair.
"No diplomatic games, no grand speeches from arrogant emperors. Just raw, unadulterated violence."
"The atmospheric mana density is nearly three times higher than Floor 9," Ren reported calmly, her fingers flying across the floating holographic interface generated by her wrist gauntlet.
"However, the mana here is unrefined and volatile. It actively interferes with delicate spellcasting and automated drone guidance systems."She tapped her visor, recalibrating her tactical displays.
"Furthermore, my sensors are detecting thousands of high-energy signatures moving through the jungle ahead. Floor 10 isn’t an empire of men or ascendants... it is an open hunting ground ruled by primordial overlords.""A place where strength is the only law that matters," Tsubaki murmured, emerging from the dark shadow cast by a colossal moss-covered boulder. His right hand rested lightly upon the hilt of his black katana, his crimson eyes sharp and focused.
"My shadow scouts report that Floor 10 is divided among three Primal Kings. The closest territory belongs to the Abyssal Behemoth King, a creature that has consumed every challenger for the past three centuries."
Lyra stood gracefully beside Kaelen, her slender fingers intertwined securely with his dark-gloved hand. The completed Key of the Holy Grail embedded within Kaelen’s chest core pulsed with a steady, comforting golden radiance, casting a ten-meter protective aura around the squad that completely neutralized the floor’s severe regeneration penalty.
"The wildness of this realm cannot touch you, Kaelen," Lyra whispered softly, her bright blue eyes shining with absolute, quiet devotion as she looked up into his face.
"Whether it is an emperor on a golden throne or a primal monster in the abyss, everything bends before your void."
"A beast is simpler to handle than an emperor, my light," Kaelen purred smoothly, his low velvet voice breaking through the heavy, roaring background noise of the primordial forest. He gently squeezed her hand, his dark violet eyes gleaming with a cold, golden-ringed authority. "A beast does not hide behind lies or protocol. It’s simply hunger... and it dies when it meets something higher on the food chain."
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[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION!]
The key of the holy grail is activated!
EFFECT: Sovereign Territory Active! All squad members gain 50% resistance to primal environmental debuffs!
RESONANCE: Floor 10 Waystone Tracking Active!
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Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet trembled violently.
BOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOM!
The massive ironwood trees at the edge of the clearing were snapped like dry twigs as a massive tide of shadows surged out from the dark forest. Hundreds of terrifying quadrupeds built like mountain rhinos, covered in jagged obsidian scales and wielding horns of pure antimatter lightning, burst into the open plain!
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[AMBUSH INITIATED!]
HOSTILE ENTITIES: 500x Abyssal Scale-Beasts (Level 175 Elite)
LEADER: General Gorthok—The Iron Horn (Level 180 Tier-EX)
OBJECTIVE: Eliminate the Intruders!
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"MORTAL FLESH!" a voice roared from the front of the stampede. Leading the horde was a titan-sized beast standing thirty feet tall, its obsidian scales dripping with black acidic slime, its eyes glowing with bloodthirsty crimson light—General Gorthok. "YOU DARE STEP INTO THE HUNTING GROUNDS OF THE BEHEMOTH KING?! YOUR BONES WILL BE CRUSHED INTO DUST!"Five hundred Level 175 Scale-Beasts lowered their anti-matter horns, unleashing a unified wave of black-and-purple plasma lightning that tore up the earth, surging directly toward Kaelen’s position!
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Ignis laughed aloud, stepping directly into the front lines as his claymore erupted into a blinding pillar of black-and-gold dragon fire. "Finally, something I can hit with full power!"
"Dragon Fire Art: Volcanic Cleave!"Ignis leaped fifty feet into the air and slammed his weapon down into the front line of the stampede! A massive fissure of volcanic dragon flame erupted three hundred meters across the battlefield, incinerating fifty Scale-Beasts instantly and turning their obsidian armor into liquid slag!
"Shadow Style: Infinite Crescent Execution!"Tsubaki turned into a black streak of shadow, flickering between the massive beasts at blinding speed. His black katana left behind hundreds of razor-thin dark lines in the air, severing the mana tendons and necks of thirty Scale-Beasts in the span of a single heartbeat!
"System Override: Heavy Ordnance Barrage!"Ren raised her left gauntlet, deploying four heavy tactical artillery drones into the sky. A rain of high-explosive anti-matter rockets slammed into the rear flank of the horde, creating a chaotic chain of massive explosions that disrupted the beasts’ charge and split their ranks!
Meanwhile, Lyra raised her staff, generating a shimmering golden barrier that intercepted every stray bolt of plasma lightning, keeping Kaelen completely untouched by the chaos of the battle.
Despite the fierce resistance from Kaelen’s squad, General Gorthok roared in fury, leaping high over the burning wreckage of his vanguard. His giant antimatter horn surged with enough dark plasma to level a small mountain as he descended straight toward Kaelen!
"DIE, SOVEREIGN!" Gorthok bellowed, his massive weight and momentum crushing the very air beneath him.
Kaelen didn’t even shift his footing.
He casually released Lyra’s hand for a fraction of a second, taking one calm step forward as his dark coat fluttered in the massive shockwave generated by the falling titan.
He reached down to his waist, his slender dark-gloved fingers curling effortlessly around the hilt of the Void Blade.
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[PASSIVE EFFECT: Void Sovereign’s Eye]
TARGET WEAKNESS DETECTED: Core Alignment at Throat Node!
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Kaela
En purred softly, a cold, dark smile gracing his lips as he drew the blade by a mere two inches.
SHING!
A razor-thin line of pitch-black spatial deletion flared in the air.
"Void Art: Spatial Deletion—Horizon Cut!"
SKRRRRRRRAASH!
The two-inch draw of dark steel did not make a loud sound, but the result was absolute.
The thirty-foot-tall body of General Gorthok, along with his anti-matter horn and the remaining two hundred Scale-Beasts behind him, was cleaved horizontally in half mid-air!
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[CRITICAL HIT!]
TARGET: General Gorthok & 200x Abyssal Scale-Beasts
DAMAGE DEALT: 85,000,000 (Pure Spatial Eradication)
DEFENSE NEGATED: 100%!
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[FORCE OBLITERATED!]
CASUALTIES: General Gorthok & Stampede Horde (Eradicated!)
EXP RECEIVED: 18,500,000 Points!
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BOOOOOOM.
The massive, bisected body of General Gorthok slammed into the dirt on either side of Kaelen, collapsing into glowing experience particles before touching his dark boots. Behind him, the two hundred scale-beasts dissolved into dark dust, leaving behind a massive, two-mile line of cleanly sliced ironwood trees and flat ground.
Kaelen smoothly clicked the Void Blade back into its sheath.
CLICK.
The terrifying pressure that had filled the clearing vanished instantly, replaced once again by the quiet, heavy atmosphere of the primordial forest.
"Clean work, My Lord," Tsubaki said, materializing from a nearby tree shadow and sheathing his own katana with a respectful bow.
"These wild beasts have no concept of true spatial authority," Ignis chuckled, wiping a line of dragon soot from his cheek as he rested his heavy claymore on his shoulder.
"They thought their thick scales could protect them from the Sovereign’s blade."
Ren checked her holographic displays, scanning the surrounding terrain. "My Lord, the destruction of General Gorthok has sent a massive shockwave through the floor’s mana network. The Abyssal Behemoth King inside the Central Volcanic Pit has already registered his general’s death."
"Good," Kaelen said smoothly, turning back to Lyra and taking her hand into his once more. Her fingers wrapped around his with a warm, familiar grip. "Let him wait in his pit. It saves us the trouble of hunting him down."
Lyra looked at Kaelen with her bright blue eyes, her smile radiating pure warmth amidst the brutal primordial wildness. "Where to now, Kaelen?"
"To the heart of the volcano, my light," Kaelen whispered, his low velvet voice carrying an unshakeable, absolute confidence as he led his squad deeper into the uncharted forests of Floor 10.
"Let’s show the beasts of this realm who truly rules the top of the food chain."