The Invincible Full-Moon System

Chapter 2070: Not the Hunter

Swoosh—!

In the profound silence, the hailstorm roared even harder.

It was a chorus of ice and wind—a screaming gale that should have drowned all thought, all sound, and all reason. And yet, between Rex and Diamantona, there were many unspoken thoughts in the stillness. One levitating higher than the other. One a presence of grandeur draped in crimson crystal and obsidian skin, while the other the perfect synchrony between man and beast.

Just as they were rooted in a standstill, the far distance flashed with a blinding white light.

A fulmination.

A searing, all-consuming detonation that split the horizon before the thunderous boom followed a second behind. An echthral roar that spread across the entire realm, rattling the ground and shaking the choking night sky.

Above, the fabric of the new realm was cracked open—the dimensional veil was torn asunder.

Everyone watched as the tear gaped wider like a new wound, raw and bleeding light.

But the Cluster Custodian was there, watching the Purgation Duel from the spaces between realms, and closed the dimensional wounds before they could form fully. His presence was a calm, indifferent force that knitted the dimensional fabric back together with the same ease a seamstress mended a torn hem.

Right now, there was not only one battle going on within this new realm.

Beyond the clash between Rex and Diamantona along with the one at the red shore, another battle raged in the distance. It was the battle between High Lord Rashal and High Lord Ursa, a pair of powerhouses who were determined to be the last one standing.

And their battle was on a league of its own.

It was a cataclysm of white and blue, a war of higher Demigods that showed no sign of stopping.

Above, the spectators watched eagerly, curious as to how it would end.

Considering that most believed High Lord Ursa would have something up his sleeve that would most likely guarantee his victory, the spectators weren’t so sure anymore after seeing how Rex easily defeated several High Millinars without suffering much damage.

Instead of a one-sided battle, this might be an exciting one.

One that would evolve into a bloody one.

But even then, Rex and Diamantona didn’t spare the detonation a single glance.

Even when the violent shockwave travelled through the air and slammed against them, a concussive force that would have flattened lesser beings and more, neither made a single move. Neither broke eye contact. Both stood there and ate the shockwave like it was nothing.

Rex snapped out of his stance.

It seemed the shockwave helped him to focus on the moment again.

He recovered from the tension and quickly asked the System about Diamantona’s power.

System, what is the Major Law of Killing Crystal?

<Does the user want to purchase the information f—?>

Just buy it! I’m not short on gold right now.

<Affirmative.>

Even though Rex was hoping that he would be wrong, reality proved that he was right.

Diamantona has access to a Major Law. Even as an Awakened Demigod, just like Rex, he was able to get his hands on it. Rex didn’t know exactly what it would do, but he could feel that its rank was on par with his own Laws, perhaps even higher.

He needed to identify its abilities clearly.

Going in blindly without that knowledge, he would only be getting into trouble.

He knew a Major Law was incredibly powerful.

And considering that this belonged to Diamantona, it must be more than simply powerful.

Rex couldn’t risk being caught off guard by it.

Normally, a Law’s power could be inferred from its name alone—Law of Ice, Law of Coldness, and the like were simple to read. This one, however, was opaque. All Rex could deduce was that it was tied to crystals. Nothing more.

Just as the System was analysing the Major Law, a voice crept to his ears.

"I can tell you."

"Hm?"

Rex looked up and realized that it was Diamantona’s voice.

It caught him off guard. He thought for a moment that he might’ve said what he was saying in his mind out loud, but he had never done that before, no matter how dire the situation was. So, there was no chance for him to slip those words out.

Perhaps Dimanatona could read his mind somehow.

But the Scion simply smiled and pointed at his own eyes as if they were Rex’s eyes.

"I can see the intent in your eyes. I know what you are thinking." He said flatly. "I know."

He then paused, letting the hailstorm rage around them.

"The Major Law of Killing Crystal belongs to the Goddess of Dark Nature," Diamantona continued, his tone calm, almost conversational. "You might be aware of her since she’s also the Goddess whom your Dark Elves got their powers from."

Rex’s eyes narrowed at what he said, but he relaxed again.

Finding out where he came from wasn’t that surprising since High Lord Rashal did it so easily, too.

It should be well within his expectations.

And then, Diamantona continued.

"Initially, it was the Major Law of Killing Nature. It increased my raw energy—the more my kill count against living beings of the forest climbed. It also dealt more damage to those with kill counts smaller than my own. A simple principle. The more I killed, the stronger I became. The more I killed, the more lethal I was to those who had killed less."

He tilted his head slightly.

Around him, the crystal shards that formed a red mist seemed to move alongside him.

"But due to an eventful time, a period of my life I won’t bore you with, the Major Law changed. To my surprise, it evolved. It became the Major Law of Killing Crystal. It retained its original abilities. But now, any killings using my crystals would be counted. I’ve grown far stronger thanks to it."

Rex listened to what he said, and it matched the System’s description that appeared before him.

It seemed Diamantona was not lying.

Or rather, there was no need for him to lie—as the Major Law of Killing Crystal was simply a boosting Law, which could not be countered. He then raised his hand with grace—watching the red mist swirl around it elegantly.

And then, he fixed his gaze on Rex again as the red crystal lance behind him rose.

Its engravings renewed with vigor, as if eager to prove themselves, and then pointed at Rex.

In the next second, the red crystal lance’s tip glowed with a shimmering crimson.

A baleful incandescence that pulsed like a heartbeat—and then it fired.

Swoosh—!

A projectile. So preternaturally fast that Rex couldn’t react. Not a twitch—nor a blink. All he felt was a sting that grazed his cheek, a white-hot kiss that carved out blood, and then the projectile slammed into the dark ocean below.

The impact was silent.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Rex blinked, and once he recovered what had happened, he leaped backward—realizing with a cold, creeping dread that he could not react to the attack. The speed was beyond him. Beyond anything he had faced.

Considering his instincts and unbelievable reflexes, this was horrifying to experience.

I can’t believe I didn’t have the time to react to that.

He wouldn’t die outright, as the Absolute Anger Effect would save him, but it was still terrifying.

Almost dead in an instant, a chill shot down his spine.

Midair, he looked down.

Below, the dark ocean lit up from the inside.

A crimson light glowed deep within, illuminating the oceanic dark creatures he had birthed through the Originality of the Beast skill. They swam in ignorance—unaware of the doom descending upon them. And then Rex’s eyes widened.

In an instant, the dark ocean froze.

Not from the surface down—from the inside out. The red crystal climbed upward at a rapid, voracious pace, turning the water solid in a matter of seconds. It spread with a thunderous force, a crystalline plague that consumed everything in its path, and within a few miles’ radius, the entire dark ocean became solid crystal.

A gleaming, crimson expanse that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Naturally, the oceanic dark creatures were decimated.

Frozen in place—their bodies trapped in the crystal-like insects in amber. A thousand crystal needles stabbed through them, piercing flesh, bone, and soul. They died instantly. Thousands of them. Snuffed out in a single, silent instant.

Rex gasped.

He was planning on using the creatures to ambush Diamantona later.

Once the battle raged and approached its zenith, he would distract Diamantona—and buy time for those creatures to sneak an attack. Just a small amount of damage would do fine, as Rex could make use of the chance to decimate Diamantona for good.

But now, that plan was blown away with a single attack.

Before he could even land on the solid crystal, it erupted again.

SHING—!

Dozens of massive crystal spikes exploded outward.

Their sharp tips shot toward Rex, a forest of impaling death. He maneuvered in the air like a master of the sky, dodging with blasts of energy from the soles of his feet and his palms. His movements were a pneumatic danse macabre.

A symphony of aerial peregrinations that made him look like he was walking on air.

He exercised absolute control over his energy, each blast a precise, judicious application of force. He twisted. He spun. He somersaulted through the gaps between the spikes. Once the crystal spikes finally stopped, he landed on the solid surface and slid back.

Despite the seamless maneuver, his sharp fangs were gritted hard.

This power was far beyond what Diamantona had shown up until now.

In Rex’s mind, a cold, calculating thought surfaced—this was dangerous. Diamantona was a Scion who had killed a Scion of the Anger Stratum. He knew how to fight against Rex. He knew that to kill a Scion of the Anger Stratum.

One must not drag out the battle. One must not make the Scion angrier.

From this attack alone, Rex was certain that Diamantona would trigger his Absolute Anger Effect without a problem. And if that failed, Rex might’ve died there. That warning attack had set the tone of the battle unlike anything that had happened throughout the Purgation Duel.

Every attack he launched would be backed with enough power to kill starting now.

Rex’s eyes narrowed.

He could tell that Diamantona would kill him in an instant now.

Giving any chance for Rex to go angrier would only be going against him, so he wouldn’t do that.

For the first time in a long time, there was a familiar dread rising inside Rex’s chest.

It was the kind that made him realize he wasn’t the hunter right now, but rather, he was the prey.

Unlike Diamantona, he knew nothing about countering a Scion from the Sadness Stratum.

But regardless, he knew the danger now.

Since every attack would be lethal, all I had to do was make sure I wouldn’t die the first time.

Rex’s lips sliced up into a smile. He had evolved—become a Greater Lycan. With that came access to a far wider range of powers, each one sharpening his combat prowess by another degree. He had only been feeling Diamantona up until now, but it was time to let loose.

If Diamantona was aiming for a one-shot kill, Rex would make certain it never came.

Let’s try it out.

"Domination of the First Alpha!"

CRACK—!

He slammed his hands into the crystal surface and shot Primordium Energy into its depths.

For a second, Diamantona watched in confusion.

Just then he heard voices. Ghastly voices. Growls. Sounds that were certainly made by the movements of a thousand. Translucent beings began to climb out of the crystal ground. Souls of grotesque creatures—chimeric abominations, twisted oceanic monsters, and things that shouldn’t exist.

As they climbed out, they roared at Diamantona once before launching straight at Rex.

They slammed into his body, one after another, and his body absorbed them.

Their essence. Their power. Their rage.

<Calculating absorbed lesser creatures...>

<Life Points: 130>

"Let’s see how you kill me now," Rex smirked. "Come at me!"