When Noah’s shout rang in his ears, Po Kong’s face went blank with confusion.
Before he could figure out why Noah’s voice was coming from Starlight’s mouth or what the danger was, a sudden, powerful force struck him violently from behind, slamming into his back.
Unprepared, he coughed up a large spray of blood. His body was thrown like a sandbag tossed by a giant, flying straight through the air.
Fortunately, Moen reacted quickly. She commanded the treant to lunge forward several steps, catching his body like a ball. Had she not, that blow likely would have cost Po Kong half his life.
Even so, the fierce momentum of Po Kong’s body was more than the treant’s arm could bear; it shattered instantly into countless splinters.
“What... what the hell...!” In the chaos, Po Kong tried to sit up, but he found he couldn’t muster any strength.
Only then did waves of intense pain begin to surge from every part of his body. He felt as if he were about to fall apart.
It was no exaggeration to say that this was the first time in his life he had ever felt this way.
“It’s Taros... He’s still alive?!” Xia Duo spun around to look, only to see a figure as black as night slowly walking out from the shattered ruins of the wall.
If it weren’t for the longsword Po Kong had left behind still protruding from the black figure’s chest, they wouldn’t have even recognized it as Taros’s shell.
For some reason, the figure’s height had shrunk to about three meters. It was a far cry from the terrifying skeletal form it had started with, now displaying a shape similar to a human’s.
Although this body still had many imperfections, there was no denying that Taros now truly possessed a body of flesh and blood.
After knocking Po Kong away with a single blow, Taros did not immediately press the attack. Instead, He lowered His head silently and began to carefully examine His new body.
Though the muscular body approached human proportions, its surface was covered in fine, black scales, like a suit of pitch-black armor. Sharp bone spikes pierced through the skin at the back and joints, protruding menacingly.
Even more heart-stopping was the narrow, viper-like face. Rows of sharp fangs were fully visible within the hideous, large mouth. Its ferocity was easily a match for even the most infamous magical beasts.
Taros moved His hands casually, seemingly quite satisfied with this vessel.
Then, His gaze fell upon the longsword still embedded in His chest.
Even though the blade was buried deep within the torso, not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound. Instead, it looked as if the sword had naturally grown out from within Him, merging with His body.
Taros reached out with one hand, firmly gripped the exposed blade, and snapped it with a powerful twist.
With a crisp metallic crack, Po Kong’s longsword—meticulously forged from countless rare materials—was easily snapped in two.
“Hmph...”
Taros gave a cold snort. Ignoring the blade fragment still inside His chest, He tossed the broken half aside like trash. Then, He raised His head and looked coldly at the group in the distance with His large, bell-like eyes.
“!!! Run! Sister! Run!” Even from dozens of meters away, Xia Duo’s clothes were instantly soaked in cold sweat the moment she met His gaze.
What kind of eyes were those? Xia Duo couldn't find the words to describe the pressure emanating from the black figure. She only knew that her sixth sense was screaming a warning: the creature before her was a monster she absolutely could not match.
Moen also quickly realized the danger. She urged the treant beneath her to run frantically in the opposite direction of Taros.
The buffs on the treant had not yet faded. With the powerful strides of its four thick legs, it covered dozens of meters in an instant, attempting to escape Taros’s vicinity.
But Taros simply lifted a leg and took a step forward, covering a vast distance in a single stride. This eerie speed left Xia Duo, who had been watching from behind, pale with shock.
Moreover, looking at the other's composed manner, He clearly did not take the four of them seriously. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before they were caught.
Unwilling to give up, Xia Duo quickly drew her bow and fired. Several crimson arrows streaked through the air like meteors, flying straight toward Taros.
However, He simply waved a hand, easily reducing the arrows to nothingness with battle qi, as if they had never existed.
“Damn it... Didn't I already pierce his vitals? How did this guy get even stronger... Little Star... no, is it Senior Noah now?”
Under Moen’s emergency treatment, the heavily injured Po Kong finally caught his breath. As soon as he sat up, he immediately looked toward Starlight.
“It’s me. Little Star’s mental exertion was a bit too much, and he has temporarily lost consciousness. I didn’t expect this god, who should have been in the grave long ago, to still have a trump card like this. But we might not be without a chance to win; at least your strike did cause Him damage.”
Noah spoke while controlling Starlight’s body. Without the assistance of the body's owner, he could barely move it; being able to speak was already his limit.
“But what use is that? We’re all at our wits' end now. There’s no way we can beat Him, right? I just don’t know if we can successfully escape...” Po Kong spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and spoke through gritted teeth.
“Tell me, boy, did you really use your full strength?” Noah stared intently at Po Kong with those heterochromatic eyes and asked suddenly, his tone carrying a hint of doubt.
“Of course... Senior, how did you... fine... I guess you knew all along?” Po Kong wanted to argue, but under Noah’s piercing gaze, his words faltered, and he could only answer as such.
“Naturally. Did you think you could hide it from me? Your little cleverness is still a bit too green!” Noah’s tone carried a mix of playfulness and unquestionable authority.
This sudden conversation left Xia Duo and Moen completely bewildered. They couldn't understand why Starlight’s voice and tone had suddenly become so strange and experienced, as if he were talking to Po Kong as an elder.
Furthermore, the information revealed in their dialogue shocked them even more—the heavily injured Po Kong was actually hiding his full strength?
“I don’t care what you’re discussing, but if there’s a way, you’d better do it fast! We can’t run for much longer!” Xia Duo shouted back during a gap in her archery as she fired off several more arrows.
By now, Taros’s figure was close at hand, only a dozen meters away. They could even clearly see the complex and mysterious faint patterns on His black scales.
“Tsk... It seems I have no choice. Xia Duo, Moen, do you have any cards left? Buy me a little time...”
Po Kong clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. Leaning against the treant’s trunk, he forced himself to stand up and spoke to the two girls with a solemn expression.
At the same time, a faint golden light began to flicker in his originally emerald pupils. An indescribable aura began to quietly accumulate within his body, as if it were ready to burst forth at any moment.
“I do... I still have two Sacred Wood Arrows left! What do you plan to do? Are you sure?” Xia Duo noticed the change in Po Kong and asked quickly, her heart skipping a beat.
“If it’s just to stop His movement, I can try to use the Power of Nature to block Him for a while. As for the time... twenty seconds at most,” Moen replied softly, looking down at the treant beneath her.
Rate on N.U.
