Chapter 413 – One for Each, Which One Do You Choose?

“Clang-crash!”

The sound of metal breaking.

“Boom!”

Followed by a heavy splash.

“Hiss-“

Anders, standing rigidly in mid-air, trembled violently for a moment, then snapped back to reality.

A huge blood-red splash erupted on the water surface below him, as if something had just fallen into the water.

At this moment, Anders couldn’t care less about what had happened.

The silver tentacles under his control retracted as if startled, while the simple light armor that covered his vital areas quickly sprouted a web of silver threads. In the blink of an eye, it was woven into a thick, magnificent suit of heavy armor.

“Huff-huff-“

Completely encased in the silver armor, Anders was still shaken, pressing one hand against his chest, bent over, panting heavily like a dog.

Behind the mask of the armor, his eyes showed a strong sense of fear and agitation.

“Are you alright?”

Another figure in silver armor appeared from nowhere, carefully supporting Anders.

This person was evidently the Black Robe Elder, who had just arrived.

The armor worn by the Black Robe Elder seemed to share the same origin as Anders’.

But in terms of design and the overall elegance of the armor, Anders’ armor far surpassed the former.

The difference between them was like one being a “basic model” and the other an “ultimate version” with several upgrades.

“Get lost!”

An infuriated Anders roughly shoved aside the Black Robe Elder’s support, and with a backhanded slap, struck his face hard.

The slap was so forceful that the Black Robe Elder was sent flying backward like a cannonball.

The silver mask on his face was deeply dented, yet the elder did not show even a hint of displeasure. Instead, he quickly flew back, offering the relatively intact side of his face in submission.

“It was my fault for being late… please punish me!”

“Whoosh-“

Anders’ eyes were bloodshot, and he panted heavily.

Under the gaze of his furious eyes, the Black Robe Elder bent low in submission, almost kissing Anders’ feet.

A few seconds later, Anders spoke.

“Go get that woman for me!”

“Yes.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the Black Robe Elder turned and vanished into the vast end of the water region.

With the Black Robe Elder gone, Anders remained standing in place.

His mind, shaken by fear, gradually began to calm down.

Anders had never been so embarrassed.

Even with the protection of the Fate Mech core, and despite the Black Robe Elder not arriving in time, even if the blade truly struck him, it might not have mattered much.

But Anders, who had grown up surrounded by adulation and without facing the slightest setbacks or harm…

When had he ever been confronted so closely by someone wielding a knife?

Especially when he couldn’t move a single finger.

That feeling of being the fish meat on someone else’s chopping board was unforgettable!

So much so that every time Anders closed his eyes now, the image of that woman bathed in purple light, with frozen features, mercilessly swinging a blade at him replayed in his mind.

“There won’t… be a next time.”

Anders took a deep breath, grasped his neck, and rubbed it vigorously, as if to erase that small shadow lurking in his heart.

He opened his eyes, and within his silver pupils, coldness and aggression gleamed.

In the next moment, an energy surge many times more intense than before erupted from Anders.

Propelled by this force, he vanished into thin air, as if he had evaporated.

Ahead of where he disappeared, a series of explosive sounds rang out, and columns of blood-red water shot skyward!

Anders, like a raging beast, charged wildly through the blood-red water region.

His speed was indescribable; within just a few breaths, he caught up with the Black Robe Elder who had left earlier.

At this moment, the Black Robe Elder was skimming close to the water’s surface, occasionally launching energy light spheres below, causing splashes to erupt with loud “bangs.”

The arrival of Anders made the Black Robe Elder glance back and quickly shout at him.

“Be careful, young master. There’s something strange about this water; it can corrode and destroy my mech.

That woman is hiding underwater, but she won’t be able to hide for long…”

Anders said nothing, coldly scanning the water region before him.

With the Fate Mech’s full power activated, his mental power far surpassed that of a typical tenth-stage star spirit many times over.

His powerful mental power meticulously swept over the seemingly calm water region below.

Amid the alternating blood-red and black murky currents, he quickly spotted a familiar graceful figure, swiftly darting like a fish.

“Found you…”

Anders focused on the figure, his lips curving silently into a smirk beneath the mask, revealing a few blood-red gums.

He casually lifted a handful of murky water, letting the black-red lake water seep through his fingers.

The Black Robe Elder was right; the depths of this water region indeed held something strange. Whatever mysterious substance it contained could corrode the Black Robe Elder’s low-grade mech, and even his own was being affected.

He wondered how that woman managed to withstand the corrosive force while hiding underwater.

Under normal circumstances, Anders might have taken an interest in the composition of the water, but now…

All he wanted was to acquire what he desired most immediately!

“Then… let’s try another way.”

Anders locked his mental power onto the water region where the woman’s aura flowed, rapidly escalating his momentum.

The terrifying energy pressure transformed into visible white rings, expanding outward in waves.

This surge even alarmed the Black Robe Elder, who quickly moved aside.

Encased in the white rings, Anders slowly raised one hand, aimed at the water region ahead, and softly spoke.

“Demonic Light. Silver Prison Slash!”

As soon as Anders finished speaking.

“Buzz!”

The layers of white rings surrounding Anders suddenly vanished.

In their place, countless beams of silver light burst forth.

With a booming rush, these silver lights shot downward, intersecting and slicing through the air.

In just an instant.

The black-red water region spanning tens of kilometers, targeted by Anders’ outstretched hand… evaporated in unison.

It was as if a section of the black-red mirror-like lake surface had been forcibly gouged out.

Under this tempest of high heat and slicing energy, the figure hidden beneath the water finally revealed itself.

Anders slowly lowered his hand, stepping through the air toward the silhouetted figure.

“It’s over.”

…

Yuwen Tong barely managed to turn over, swinging her alloy long blade backward at a silver light that was dangerously close.

The blade touched the silver light without making a sound, as if it were made of wax, silently melting away by half.

This, however, gave Yuwen Tong a fleeting moment to catch her breath.

She moved aside, and the silver light that should have pierced her shoulder only grazed her arm, leaving a shocking bloodstain before vanishing.

“Whew-“

Yuwen Tong exhaled the stale air from her lungs, slowly standing up while leaning on the broken blade.

At some point, her combat suit’s headgear had shattered, leaving her waist-length hair in disarray.

Wet and tangled, the strands dripped with black-red liquid.

At this moment, Yuwen Tong appeared extremely disheveled.

Several places on her body, where she hadn’t dodged in time, bore large, corrosive wounds.

The state-of-the-art combat suit, reputed to withstand attacks from tenth stage powerhouses, seemed paper-thin, offering no semblance of defense from the very start of this chase.

But Yuwen Tong wasn’t concerned.

She casually tucked the wet strands behind her ear, her exposed skin strikingly pale.

Her eyes had turned completely purple.

A deep purple, exuding nobility with a hint of mystery.

Her pupils seemed to have changed, though she couldn’t see it herself.

Yuwen Tong clearly sensed that the familiar strength was finally waking up within her body and bloodline once more.

She had almost forgotten when was the last time this innate strength had resumed awakening so consistently.

“Comfort is like a knife…”

Yuwen Tong gently twirled the remaining portion of the broken blade in her hand, creating a beautiful flourish. She slightly tilted her head up as a purple radiance emanated from her body like a halo, slowly evaporating the residual moisture on her body.

“To defeat the extraordinary.”

“This… this is what I truly seek.”

Yuwen Tong murmured softly.

Perhaps it was during a typical afternoon, when she naturally made a breakthrough, and the threat from the three super divine level mechas completely vanished from her awareness, and the strength within her bloodline ceased its revival.

She knew then, it was time for her to leave the planet’s surface.

Now, the long-missed feeling of life-and-death crisis had reappeared, causing her dormant bloodline to surge once again.

Even if the opponent before her was unimaginably strong, making this her final stand, her last battle…

It’s still better than…

“Staying cooped up in a room, playing games until I wither away.”

Yuwen Tong took a gentle breath; her slender fingers wrapped quietly around the broken blade, setting up an offensive stance against the approaching enemy.

The purple light in her eyes concentrated, steady and focused, burning like a purple flame.

An unprecedented fighting spirit brewed within her, tinged with a sense of tragic decisiveness, a relentless momentum rising like a banner.

At that very moment, a faint ripple spread beside her.

The two advancing enemies paused visibly, their gaze shifting slightly to her side.

Yuwen Tong quickly turned her head.

The momentum she had been building suddenly stilled, and her expression showed a brief moment of surprise.

“You… why are you here?”

Yuwen Tong blinked, blurting out instinctively.

The young man, who appeared out of nowhere with a handsome and youthful presence, didn’t answer her question.

Instead, he focused intently on the two figures in front of them, quickly speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear.

“I’m here to help you. Two opponents… one for each of us.”

“Which one do you choose?”

“Uh…”

In the ancestral land secret realm, within a deep and silent valley.

Many trialists had gathered here.

They were all representatives from the four planetary forces participating in this trial.

Just minutes ago, everyone within the secret realm received a message from the advanced civilization known as the Bai Family.

The message indicated a major upheaval in the trial, leading to its early termination, and revealed the location of the current coordinate point.

Almost immediately upon receiving the message, everyone rushed to this coordinate point.

However, there was very little time left until the Bai Family’s specified time for the secret realm exit to open, and still, some had yet to arrive.

This included all the tenth stage powerhouses of the four planetary forces.

This absence caused many to worry, leading to anxious communication and discussion among the participants.

Chen Wu Hao stood among his group’s members, his brow furrowed as he continuously refreshed his contact list on his communicator.

Lu Yuan had advanced to the tenth stage!

This news hit him like a nuclear bomb, leaving him shaken throughout the journey.

Now, as the shock began to subside, it was replaced by growing concerns.

“Tenth stage, and yet none of the tenth stage powerhouses are here. Are they all being held back with no way to escape? Or is it…”

Chen Wu Hao bit his lip, unwilling to let his thoughts drift further into that dire possibility.

“Don’t worry, everything will be alright…”

The eighth-stage supernova companion from Xia State at his side kept reassuring him, just as he had previously comforted Lu Yuan.

Chen Wu Hao felt a wave of inexplicable frustration as he glanced at the surrounding crowd…

Only about two-thirds of their supernova members from Xia State had arrived.

The remaining third were either out of contact or still on their way.

With the absence of tenth stage powerhouses and the disconnection of ninth stage powerhouses, the responsibility of leading the trialists from their planet had fallen to a lone ninth-stage powerhouse allied with Javier.

He was doing his best to calm the uneasy emotions within the group, his face strained with the pressure.

“Urge those who are still on their way…” Chen Wu Hao couldn’t help but suggest. His companion nodded, prompting the people from Xia State to frantically press their communicators.

The pervasive atmosphere of anxiety and restlessness lingered in the valley for a while.

Then, at a certain point, all sounds within the vast valley abruptly ceased.

Immediately following that, a white light suddenly appeared at a location within the valley.

The eyes of everyone waiting in the valley lit up as well.

The exit was about to open.

They were unsure about the nature of the upheaval that had occurred during this extraterrestrial trial.

But reaching safety first and foremost was undoubtedly essential.

Amidst the collective anticipation, the spot of white light rapidly expanded.

It quickly grew from the size of a fist to over half a person’s height.

The white light took on the unique vortex form characteristic of a spatial portal. Just as everyone was preparing to sequentially leave as the exit fully opened…

Suddenly, a blue metal sphere, with a diameter over half a person’s height, flew out from the vortex’s entrance.

“Boom!”

The blue metal sphere landed heavily on the valley floor, scattering debris everywhere.

As soon as this blue metal sphere fell, the previously expanding vortex entrance stopped widening and began to shrink.

In the blink of an eye, it shrank to nothingness, vanishing without a trace.

“Uh…”

Everyone in the valley was stunned, momentarily unable to react.

Wasn’t the secret realm exit supposed to open here to guide everyone out?

How come the exit opened halfway, dropped an unknown metal sphere, and then just disappeared?

“What on earth happened? Has something gone wrong with opening the exit too?!”

Someone in the crowd shouted in bewilderment, and more voices joined in, creating a buzzing commotion.

The powerhouses leading the various groups shouted loudly in an attempt to restore order, but it had little effect.

In fact, those people were also frowning, already attempting to reconnect with the Bai Family.

“Something’s not right…”

Chen Wu Hao had been fixated on the metal sphere that had fallen from the vortex.

He noticed that ever since the blue metal sphere landed, lights on its surface kept flashing.

Sensing something unusual, a strong sense of unease quickly grew within him.

“Let’s move… we need to leave here!”

His background as a pure martial artist had endowed Chen Wu Hao with a supernova’s exceptional intuition, known as “Martial Sense” in the martial artist world.

This is a primal instinct, deep within the body, akin to the natural ability of wild animals to seek fortune and avoid disaster.

The stronger the martial artist, the closer they are to nature, and the more potent this instinct becomes.

Chen Wu Hao had never abandoned his pure martial arts skills, and this “Martial Sense” had been continuously reinforced, even saving his life multiple times.

He grabbed his companion beside him and urged him to leave, loudly calling for the supernovas from Xia State around him to evacuate as well.

His sudden and intense reaction caught the attention of some, with many eyes now focused on him.

But Chen Wu Hao didn’t care at all.

If he was wrong, he might just be mocked behind his back, but if his premonition was accurate, he could potentially save many lives.

“Old Chen, you…”

His companion, being pulled along by Chen Wu Hao, hesitated.

Yet, perhaps never having seen him so forceful in the face of impending danger, he gritted his teeth and ultimately chose to retreat while calling for his subordinates to leave as well.

The supernovas from Xia State generally heeded the two men’s commands, following them out of the valley.

However, not everyone was as compliant.

Most people watched them with confused and peculiar expressions, the gaze of the ninth-stage powerhouse from Javier’s side was particularly indifferent.

As Chen Wu Hao led the group towards the valley’s exit, his sense of unease and dread grew to an almost suffocating intensity.

This feeling of unrest was apparently not something only he sensed; a small portion of those who stayed in the valley began to grow restless, gradually moving toward the valley’s exit.

Just as this unease reached a breaking point…

A strange, vibrating hum suddenly filled the air.

A gigantic blue aperture erupted from within the valley.

In a flash, this aperture swept across the entire valley.

And then…

The valley fell into complete silence.

Chen Wu Hao, positioned at the rear with one foot just outside the valley, stood frozen, his face drained of color as he slowly turned his body.

When he finally took in the scene within the valley, he froze completely, his pupils contracting sharply.

Within the valley, everyone was immobilized in various lifelike postures.

Yet, the next second, all those frozen figures collapsed like building blocks into countless bloody fragments.

This included even the eighth-stage and ninth-stage powerhouses.

At the moment the blue aperture burst forth, every single person in the valley was indiscriminately annihilated!

“They’re dead… all dead…”

Chen Wu Hao stared blankly at the scene before him, as did the supernovas from Xia State standing behind him.

They watched as the blood from those who perished, now reduced to piles of flesh, flowed out from their bodies, collecting into a stream and surging toward the blue metal sphere at the valley’s center.

After absorbing a large quantity of the powerhouses’ blood, the massive metal sphere began to melt.

From it, a humanoid creature, over two meters tall, with sharp limbs, slowly emerged.

Crimson blood climbed up from this creature’s feet, gradually turning its blue exterior into a pale shade of red.

Once it was entirely enveloped in red, a pattern on its chest lit up, emitting a hazy glow.

It was the pattern of a flower.

A pale red narcissus, exuding a sinister yet icy aura.

The humanoid creature with the red narcissus emblem lit up its face, scanning directly toward Chen Wu Hao and his group.

It seemed to make a small gesture but then paused.

Its gaze retracted, and with a violent “boom,” it blasted apart the ground beneath it, shot into the sky, and vanished without a trace in an instant.

In the vast valley, only Chen Wu Hao and his group remained, staring dazedly in the direction where the humanoid creature disappeared.

After a long silence, a voice slowly murmured as if in a dream.

“That’s… that’s the Bai Family’s emblem.”

“The Bai Family… wants us all dead!”