Chapter 526 — Nine Laws & Chaos
5 min read ·
The Nine-Headed Hydra did not give Liora any time to respond.
It stretched its enormous body, spreading its massive heads above her like a net.
"It’s quite surprising that you can conceal yourself from my detection.", it spoke, its voice deep.
"Unfortunately, your strength is quite lacking. You’re only a Rank 6 Awakener after all. Although your combat prowess is a little... bizarre, it ultimately can’t bridge the giant gap between us."
As it spoke, the pressure emanating from the hydra’s body grew stronger.
In the blink of an eye, it had surpassed Rank 7 and even Rank 8, reaching the very peak of Rank 9.
Combined with the nine Laws under its command, its combat prowess had even surpassed Liora’s highest expectations.
It stabilized at Rank 10 without the need to employ any of its trump cards.
For a few moments, neither of the two parties spoke.
Liora continued observing the essence of the Laws surging through her enemy’s body, while the Nine-Headed Hydra stared intently at the World of Heart around it.
As a native of the Blood Forest Realm and the Cosmic Universe, it had no idea what this world represented.
Yet, from the warnings sounding in its heart, it knew very well that this ability possessed the power to threaten it.
The silent confrontation lasted for several seconds.
Until finally, they both broke out.
Their figures disappeared.
The next moment, the pair clashed several kilometers away.
Liora urged all her talent genes to their fullest, enhancing her physical strength while launching hundreds of elemental attacks.
On the other hand, the Nine-Headed Hydra operated the Laws it had comprehended.
Spatial rifts formed, while a deadly aura radiated with it as its center, driving everything toward extinction.
Space.
Death.
The two Laws operated seamlessly, meeting Liora’s attacks and invalidating them.
Despite this, she did not back down.
With a wave of her hand, the grass along the ground transformed into flying swords.
They fired toward the Nine-Headed Hydra at an astonishing speed.
Due to its giant size, the deity was unable to retreat in time.
Hundreds of large wounds were opened along its body.
Yet as the Life Law operated, they healed quickly.
Soon, a relative balance had been created.
Liora continuously urged the World of Heart and her many talents to deal with the hydra, while the massive being faced her attacks head-on.
With its powerful physical strength and the Law of Life protecting it, it faced little danger throughout the process.
Their battle raged on.
However, neither Liora nor the deity approached the Divine Dragon’s remains.
Seemingly afraid of its divine aura, they both kept their distance from it.
--
While the battle was taking place, the Tribe Competition was still continuing.
Perhaps the Nine-Headed Hydra did not seek its believers’ help, or perhaps Liora’s World of Heart had succeeded in sealing the entire demi-plane.
As such, the Hydra Tribe noticed nothing unusual.
The competition continued as usual. Batch after batch of young geniuses fought until only two remained in the end.
The phantom of a bronze Scorpion appeared behind Aaron’s back.
It flicked its tail menacingly, aiming its stinger toward its scale-covered opponent.
A D-Rank talent confronting an SS-Rank. The outcome was to be expected.
Yet, what really happened next shocked everyone.
The stinger easily pierced through the young man’s body.
Poison flowed through it instantly, turning his face green.
His consciousness began to fade away. His vision went dark.
Moments later, he collapsed onto the arena’s floor.
A momentary silence shrouded the arena.
Whether it was the ordinary audience in the stands or the members of the various tribes, they all stared at this scene in shock.
They couldn’t understand how this unknown young man had managed to reach the final, let alone how he was able to defeat the Hydra Tribe Chief’s son, a man who had awakened an SS-Rank talent.
In particular, the gaze of the Hydra Tribe Chief turned stern.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and he looked ready to take action against him.
However, Aaron paid little attention to these.
Not because he was arrogant, but because of the words that were flashing constantly in his field of vision
...
"You’ve completed the Mission: Earning first place in the Tribe Competition."
"Reward: Rank Upgrade."
...
The moment he read those words, a large stream of Cosmic Energy poured out of the depths of his body.
It surged through his muscles, bones, and skin, elevating his strength at an astonishing rate.
Within moments, he had advanced to Rank 3.
However, he had no time to feel happy about this.
A follow-up mission had appeared.
...
"Mission: Escape from the Hydra Tribe! Reward: Seed of Domain."
...
Aaron froze in place.
He didn’t understand what this mission meant.
Furthermore, the changed font and the flashing red letters made him feel as though this was not a real mission but a warning for him to flee.
But how was this possible?
Even if he had won the Tribe Competition, the Hydra Tribe should not dare to hurt him, right?
As for outside forces intervening and causing chaos?
He didn’t believe that such a thing was possible. In his view, the Hydra Tribe was the most powerful force in the eastern region.
Unfortunately, his thoughts were about to be overturned.
Just as he was prepared to step down from the arena and receive the promised rewards, a deafening boom echoed.
The entire arena, including the audience stands, began to shake, as though a massive earthquake was taking place.
The next moment, cracks spread. At first they were small, but they quickly grew larger.
Giant chunks of stone shattered, swallowing several hundred unsuspecting people toward the depths of the earth.
Aaron had no time to process what was happening.
Before he could react, a sea of crimson engulfed a large part of the arena, while a loud voice echoed throughout the city.
It belonged to the Tribe Chief.
Yet compared to the earlier solemnity he had displayed, he now appeared shocked and furious.
"Enemy attack!", his voice spread.