Read Novel Full Chapter 855: Confrontation [2]
Chapter 855: Confrontation [2]
After leaving Arianne with Spartan, Michael switched to Fade state with his law. Among his many undead, there were not a lot that could match Fade’s stealthy traits and abilities.
And it was proven when even a former Rank 4 took so long to notice him.
How Michael knew the other party was Rank 4 was quite simple.
It was easy to recognize the type of bullies that overwhelmed you without trying.
The only misconception Michael had was that Veyrion was the Rank 4 superpower that once had this domain. It gave rise to the thought that what was happening was probably a sneaky ploy made hundreds of years ago to reincarnate and start a new life.
This was the supernatural world. Anything was possible. Michael let his imagination run freely.
As for the prowess Veyrion showed, such as dismissing attacks and using multiple elements, this was not shocking for those who could use laws.
When one stepped onto the path of law cultivation, previous limitations no longer applied to them.
As for how he dismissed the attacks, Michael had a feeling it had something to do with the comprehension of a former Rank 4 superpower.
He might be weaker now that even Renn could harm him, but comprehension was not something that could be taken away.
However, it was precisely because of this weakness that Michael still dared to stay.
If this had been an outrageous foe at full strength, he would have risked using Wisdom’s power to teleport outside the realm. His life mattered more than anything else in these ruins.
Michael stood several dozen meters away, his form still half merged with Fade’s law, his presence thinned to the point where even light seemed to slip past him.
Yet Veyrion had noticed him.
That alone confirmed everything Michael needed to know.
This thing was far beyond anything else in the ruin.
Still, Michael did not retreat.
His green eyes remained fixed on the floating bodies of the tenth prince and Renn, suspended helplessly beside the pale figure.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
The air was still.
Crystal veins beneath the ground pulsed faintly, their dim glow reflecting against Veyrion’s translucent skin.
Michael broke the silence first.
"Are you the one responsible for all this?" he asked calmly.
His voice carried no fear or hostility.
Only certainty.
Veyrion did not answer immediately.
Its black eyes rested on him, unmoving.
However, Michael noticed it instantly.
The hesitation.
It was subtle, buried beneath the creature’s calm exterior, but it existed.
Veyrion was observing him the same way it had observed the prince and Renn earlier.
Michael could feel it.
A faint probing pressure brushed against him, like cold air slipping over his skin. It was not physical.
Veyrion’s pupils did not change.
Its expression did not shift.
But inside, something recoiled.
For the first time since awakening, it could not see.
It could perceive the prince clearly. His bloodline shone like a torch.
It could perceive Renn even more clearly. His sword root was like a sharpened edge cutting through reality itself.
But this one—
This youth with green eyes—
Was wrong.
Its perception slid across him without resistance, yet nothing was revealed. It was like trying to grasp mist.
Or staring into something that was both present and not.
That frightened it.
Not visibly or outwardly, but deeply.
Unknown variables were dangerous.
Especially in its current weakened state.
"...Responsible?" Veyrion repeated softly, as if tasting the word.
Michael did not move.
"You created the orbs, right?" Michael said. "You infected them."
His gaze shifted briefly toward the unconscious prince and Renn.
"What are you up to?"
Silence stretched between them.
Veyrion’s eyes narrowed by a fraction.
"...What are you?" Veyrion asked quietly.
Michael tilted his head slightly.
"That was my question."
For the first time, Veyrion did not answer immediately.
A faint crease formed between its brows, almost imperceptible.
A brief silence followed.
Neither moved.
The crystal veins beneath the ground pulsed slowly, their dim glow reflecting off the unconscious bodies floating beside Veyrion.
Michael’s gaze remained steady.
Veyrion’s remained fixed on him.
Then—
The ground exploded.
Crystal-veined stone shattered outward as something massive forced its way up from beneath the surface. Fragments of hardened mineral flew in all directions, some embedding deep into the surrounding terrain with sharp cracks.
A massive arm emerged first.
Thick.
Blackened.
Veins of crystal pulsed beneath its skin like molten glass.
Then the rest followed.
A giant creature pulled itself free from the ground with violent force, its massive frame towering over both Michael and Veyrion.
It resembled an ape.
But distorted.
Its proportions were wrong. Its limbs were too long. Its shoulders were too wide. Its face had no features, only smooth flesh stretched tight across where eyes and a mouth should have been. Crystal veins crawled across its entire body, pulsing violently.
Michael’s eyes narrowed immediately.
A Rank 3 presence.
He could feel it clearly.
However, with his Eye of Truth, Michael could tell it was not the layered depth of someone who understood laws.
Just raw, overwhelming physical strength.
Its muscles flexed, and the ground beneath its feet fractured from the pressure alone.
It turned its faceless head toward Michael.
Then it moved.
Its massive leg drove downward, launching its body forward with explosive force. The ground collapsed behind it as it accelerated, its fist pulling back before swinging forward with enough momentum to tear the air apart.
The punch descended toward Michael’s head.
The sheer force compressed the air into a visible shockwave.
If it landed, it would reduce an ordinary Rank 2 body to nothing.
Michael did not step back.
He leaned.
Just slightly.
The fist passed beside his head by less than an inch.
The wind alone tore his cloak apart at the edges, sending black fragments scattering into the air.
Michael’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had quite liked that robe.
The creature did not slow.
Its other arm came immediately, swinging horizontally with brutal speed.
Michael’s body shifted again.
A simple turn of the shoulders.
The arm missed him completely and slammed into the ground behind him.
The impact shattered the crystal-veined stone like glass.
A crater formed instantly, fragments launching outward with lethal velocity.
Still, Michael remained standing at its center.
Untouched.
The creature’s massive hand descended again, fingers spread wide, intending to crush him outright.
Michael moved forward this time.
He stepped inside its reach.
His fist tightened.
No excessive motion.
No dramatic preparation.
Just a single, clean strike.
His arm moved.
The punch landed directly against the creature’s torso.
For a fraction of a second—
Nothing happened.
Then the force detonated.
A shockwave burst outward from the point of contact, compressing the air into a visible ring. The creature’s crystal-veined body buckled inward unnaturally, its massive frame lifting off the ground as if gravity had been erased.
The back of its torso exploded outward.
The creature was launched backward like a projectile, tearing across the ground and carving a deep trench before crashing into the distant crystal ridge.
The ridge collapsed. Stone crumbled, and dust filled the air.
Silence returned.