novelraw Chapter 416 409 - Star-Vault VS Annihilation!
Chapter 416 409 - Star-Vault VS Annihilation!
"Very good."
For the second time, Annihilation expressed his approval of Lu Xing.
Such a blazing smile looked somewhat out of place on "Kevin's" face, but it did not affect Annihilation's mood in the slightest.
The advantage did not lie with Star-Vault.
Annihilation had chosen this battlefield not only to evade Nanook's gaze but also with the intent of using the other's retainers as leverage.
Now, it seemed, that would no longer be necessary.
"This place is too small," Annihilation said, glancing around. "A restricted galaxy-class environment is hardly enough for us to display our true power."
This tiny stellar system was countless tiers below the "Super-Galaxy-class" power wielded by a Grand Monarch. The simplest physical contact between the two of them could likely grind the entire solar system into dust.
Furthermore, this borrowed body would not withstand many bursts of their energy.
"You have already been 'there' once," Annihilation stated, his words somewhat ambiguous, but Lu Xing understood his meaning perfectly.
"That suits me just fine," the Monarch nodded.
"Excellent."
"For being so straightforward, if you happen to perish by accident, I might make an exception and look after your retainers."
A golden spirit, burning with indigo flames, slowly emerged from Kevin's body.
"There's no need," Lu Xing replied, similarly withdrawing his own power from Kiana's body. "If I kill you, how many of the Antimatter Legion survive will depend on whether 'Lord Nanook' is willing to intervene."
"In that case..."
The entire moon was completely engulfed by a golden ocean.
"Let us begin."
Whoosh—
---o---
Crack!
A crisp sound, like shattering glass, echoed from the void.
Two incomparably brilliant streams of light pierced through the emptiness from across the cosmic sea, shattering the barriers of both [Imaginary Space] and the [Void Space] that stood in their path!
"Ahhh—"
A horrifying roar had barely begun before it was pulverized into a shower of red sand by the surging, immense force... leaving behind only a choked, dying wail that was cut short abruptly.
[Imaginary Arch-Husk]
Two Husks that commanded the rules of the Imaginary and possessed combat power at the level of a fledgling Astral God were simply and unceremoniously smashed to death beside the trunk of the Tree.
That was right.
Besides the Time Vortex-shrouded Earth, there were only two other places in the universe hidden from Nanook's gaze.
On the Tree, or in the Sea.
Evidently, Grand Monarch Annihilation had chosen the branches of the Imaginary Tree as the battlefield for his duel with Star-Vault. They had not climbed to the treetop; exploring that region was a feat that would have to wait until both Grand Monarchs had truly ascended to godhood.
Hooo.
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, likely stirred by the birth and death of some unknown universe.
When the shimmering foliage stilled, two golden spheres hung silently in place, separated by a branch.
The most conspicuous external manifestation of the Dominion of Order was a "sphere."
In their normal states, both Star-Vault and Annihilation appeared to the world as perfect spheres.
K-CHA!
A rainbow brilliance, as dazzling as a diamond, lit up the surface of one sphere.
Arcs of different radii, yet perfectly parallel, began to bloom. As they expanded, a slender dragon's tail, like the Milky Way itself, hung inverted against the cosmic sea, and sky-blotting wings fanned an autumn wind that made the branches tremble.
Gold and diamond, magnificent and noble.
In the place of the universe's origin, the Grand Sovereign Entropy Dragon revealed his true form.
Simultaneously.
K-VRMM!
The other sphere slowly opened as well.
From within a chaotic, disorderly rift of漆black, crimson lightning coalesced and burst forth like a divine punishment from the heavens.
A crimson-gold ring was the first thing to enter view.
And after that—
A thousand arms, a golden body, a wheel-like halo, and black eyes.
A heteromorphic giant, shimmering with the same radiance as the Monarch and bearing a jagged chasm on its chest as if struck by lightning, appeared on the other side of the Imaginary Branch.
[Vike Xiaojizhe]
[Grand Sovereign Entropy Dragon]
DOOM!!!
The giant's two thickest fists slammed together in front of its body.
The resulting shockwave instantly cleared the surrounding area of crimson sand, revealing the murky, yet clear, puddles hidden beneath—these were the yet-undissipated ripples of the Quantum Sea crashing against the shore.
Debris.
The millions of grains of sand that could slip through one's fingers in an instant were all remnants of worlds that had already sunk into the Sea, their traces vanished.
"We've talked long enough."
"Now... let's get down to business!"
BOOM!
---o---
Annihilation's speed was not fast.
Here, in the domain of the Tree and the Sea, his movements could be tracked by the naked eye... but one must understand that this simple leap had crossed the gap between dozens, even hundreds of branches.
Such speed had already transcended what could be explained by "warp drive." The phrase "universe-crossing" was a far more apt description.
With the combat prowess of Star-Vault and Annihilation, they could indeed shatter the barriers between multiple universes with ease.
While the power levels of the Astral Gods varied, as beings who conformed to the rules of the Imaginary, even the weakest among them possessed "universe-level" combat strength. Given enough time, any Astral God could silence an entire universe.
And as for the strongest among them...
Take Aha, the Astral God of Elation, who could "shatter a universe with a laugh," for example. If He so wished, a single full-power strike could annihilate a universe in an instant. This was the terrifying power of a "single-target" cosmic being.
As existences standing at the apex of the Grand Monarchs, a mere "universe-crossing" leap was nothing to Star-Vault and Annihilation.
—
The approaching fist was silent.
At the end of his mightiest right arm, a fist condensed with [Destruction] hammered down toward Star-Vault's draconic head!
But aside from the endless, pitch-black Imaginary energy, there was nothing in the vast space illuminated by the treetop!
The fist, its power contained to the absolute extreme without emitting a single sound, erased all Imaginary energy in its path with a force that defied all rules, arriving directly at a coordinate less than half a body's length from Star-Vault.
Molecules? Atoms? Electrons?
None of the above—
The ultimate expression of Destruction was to erase any existence it touched, along with the very medium that sustained that existence, directly from the foundational level.
To put it simply, any target struck by Annihilation's fist would, in effect, have never been born into this world at all.
CLANG.
A graceful arc swept down from the side.
The sky-blotting dragon wing folded in, blocking Annihilation's fist with a practiced ease that belied its immense power.
[Preservation] and [Immortality].
The Dominion of Preservation, originating from the Astral God of Preservation, Qlipoth. It could proportionally reduce incoming "damage" based on the combatants' mastery of their respective Paths and their expenditure of Imaginary energy.
At least for this single blow, all destructive force less than or equal to "Super-Galaxy-class" would be forcibly reduced to 1 point. Given Star-Vault's attributes, this was equivalent to someone on Earth polishing his body with an angle grinder.
Annihilation's attack had clearly surpassed that level.
A strike on the level of an Astral God, even with its damage reduced by [Preservation] to a mere 0.01%, was still enough to send Star-Vault's massive form reeling.
And after that—
[Immortality] would directly consume the power of [Destruction], now weakened ten-thousandfold.
---o---
CLANG.
Fist and wing collided.
Annihilation, of course, had not expected a simple probing attack to yield any significant results.
While his two main fists were the strongest weapons in this form, the thousand arms on his shoulders, even if each could only exert 1/10th of his true power, would still amount to a hundred times his current output. Star-Vault had used two Dominions to block his most proficient one. While it was hard to declare a winner, the advantage had slightly shifted to his side.
VMMMM!
Rustle.
A ripple, imperceptible to the naked eye, resonated through the branches. Swathes of leaves, as if swept by an autumn wind, turned from green to gold, then to deep crimson, and finally disintegrated into falling motes of light that drifted down from the canopy.
In that instant, two entire major star regions were annihilated. Hundreds upon thousands of civilized worlds withered and died.
And the source of it all...
Was merely a single clash between Star-Vault and Annihilation, a clash of [Finality]. Annihilation had intended to trap Star-Vault with the flow of time. In this world where time itself had already solidified, "trapping" was merely a means to "slow" his opponent's actions. Aside from the Final Monarch, no being could achieve true stasis here.
However, Annihilation's control had failed to take effect.
The temporal power of [Finality] was far more difficult to control than imagined. Using his own, far weaker [Finality], Star-Vault had redirected the calamity, forcing an unknown advanced civilization somewhere in the universe to bear the brunt of Annihilation's attack.
The Monarch could indeed be considered merciful.
Though perhaps the word "seemingly" should be added before that description. For the Monarch, life had become nothing more than a number since some point in the past... In a certain sense, Star-Vault and Annihilation were no different.
With [Finality] countered, Annihilation's right fist, which had smashed into the dragon wing, had no chance of being withdrawn before his thousand other fists could descend.
KRAK.
The whipping dragon tail coiled upward.
Countless black holes generated by [Voracity] clung tightly to the surface of the scales, helping the "rope" bind Annihilation's arm.
Immediately after, just an instant before the thousand fists could fall, the raised draconic head plunged downward, aiming its magnificent horns straight for Annihilation's chest!
DOOONG!
---o---
The sound of a great bell tolled across the Imaginary Tree.
A small branch near the point of impact snapped. The broken twig fell straight toward the turbid mire below, only to be instantly devoured by the newly formed "swamp."
Mere seconds ago, it had been a newborn subspace universe.
Hah.
A golden "mist" sprayed from the mouths of both Star-Vault and Annihilation.
Lu Xing's counterattack was swift, but it also failed to injure Annihilation. The first exchange of their battle was a complete draw, with a tiny bit of environmental damage on the side.
The force of the impact came from [Immortality] and [Destruction], aimed at causing purely physical damage. To put it bluntly, it was meant to help Annihilation with some literal "weight reduction." While not as vicious as Annihilation's punch, if Star-Vault's charge had truly connected, Annihilation would have been fighting with half his body mangled.
Unfortunately, just as Annihilation's offense was perfect, so too was his defense.
His sudden use of [Trailblaze] was not directed at Star-Vault, but at himself. He "shifted" the middle section of his body out of existence to avoid the devastating impact. To use a vivid analogy, it was as if someone aimed for your head, and you simply removed it, letting the blow pass through empty air before putting it back on.
It had to be said, Annihilation's little life hack had truly opened Lu Xing's eyes. Though he had done similar things, he would never have dared attempt something so "vicious."
At the same time, because Star-Vault had closed the distance, Annihilation's "thousand fists" were guaranteed to miss. However, his much closer left arm was now free. A hand like a millstone viciously clamped down on Star-Vault's neck, and a hybrid of spiritual and physical energy began to pour madly into Lu Xing's body!
[Abundance] and [Erudition].
The former was used to "corrode" the body of [Immortality].
The Dominion of Yaoshi, the Astral God of Abundance, was a path to longevity that mortals yearned for. But to the Dragonkin, who already possessed immortal bodies, it was a poison not to be touched. Even the slightest contact would require "scraping the bone to remove the poison" to barely purge it.
The latter was used to "confuse" Star-Vault's mind.
The true purpose of the Dominion of Erudition, beyond granting souls to mindless beings, was its more terrifying ability to "brainwash"—in the most literal sense. It could erase an opponent's knowledge, turning their mind into a blank slate.
Of course, against an equal like Star-Vault, this move would at most "stun" him for a moment.
Regrettably, however, Annihilation's opportunistic strike also failed. The [Beauty] contained deep within his Immortality rendered the corrosion of [Abundance] useless. And cloaking his soul, [Enigmata] likewise rendered [Erudition] meaningless.
DOOM!
A shockwave pushed the two Grand Monarchs apart, sending a flurry of newly grown, green leaves fluttering down like snow. The consequences of this impact far exceeded any of their previous clashes. A total of 2,202 stellar systems were "casually" extinguished, not even given the chance to fall into the Sea and become world bubbles.
A dragon wing, slashing down like a guillotine, had collided fiercely with a bald head that struck like a war hammer!
Star-Vault looked considerably worse for wear: the elegant curve of his wing was gone, its edge not only chipped but the entire "blade" twisted by more than 15 degrees. Annihilation had also paid a price: a scar a dozen fingers long marred his smooth head, with crimson lightning arcing continuously from the gash.
"You are even more outstanding than I imagined," Annihilation said slowly, touching the healing wound on his head in praise.
"And you're not as formidable as I imagined... has bullying the weak for so long made you forget how to fight an equal?" Star-Vault's reply was far from polite.
"It certainly seems that way."
Their fates were already decided the moment the battle began. Whether they were irritable or patient, it was all just trash talk to buy time.
Both were waiting for "their MP to recover and their skills to cool down."
The exchange had seemed simple, but they were fighting on the branches of the Imaginary Tree. Although no more [Imaginary Arch-Husks] had appeared, their mere presence here meant they were constantly enduring pressure on the level of an Astral God.
And then...
"I'm ready," Annihilation declared.
"What a coincidence. So am I," Star-Vault replied.
Whoosh—