Chapter 268: “Ants Nowadays Talk So Big…” Then He Transformed!

Even though the Beast Race also valued strength when choosing a partner, they were still naturally attracted to beauty.

And this was even more true for the Owl Race.

They were considered beautiful themselves, so they tended to appreciate attractive individuals even more.

Meanwhile, Ivar, who was standing beside Alia, didn’t hear her words clearly.

Since the moment he had arrived, his attention had been fixed on Isaria.

Not exactly on her appearance...

But on her white eyes.

’She seems special.’ That thought immediately surfaced in his mind.

After all, Owls were renowned for their extraordinary eyesight and the various hidden abilities connected to their vision.

Because of this, very little could escape their gaze.

Half-Owls inherited some of these abilities as well.

That was why Ivar could immediately tell that there was something unusual about Isaria.

Either she had been born with an extraordinary gift...

Or her Origin Skill had made her special.

Since Ivar could sense that she was either related to the Owl Race or possessed abilities connected to them, so his interest in Isaria only grew.

’What’s the point of looks if he’s weak?’ Karon, a Shadow Dragon, remained completely unimpressed by Luke’s appearance.

Although dragons also appreciated beauty and attractive features, they firmly believed that strength came first.

As for Karon herself, she was an extraordinary beauty, with long black hair, deep black eyes and fair skin.

Nearby, Zeyr, a male Earth Dragon, had dark brown shoulder-length hair and matching dark brown eyes.

He didn’t react to Karon’s words.

Instead, his gaze remained fixed on Luke.

There was something about Luke’s actions that caught his attention.

’Pride.’

Something he didn’t see in the other humans present.

Even though Luke’s cultivation was only that of a Bronze Knight, at least according to what they had heard, Zeyr couldn’t help but feel a small sense of satisfaction seeing someone stand up after being insulted.

After all, he was an Earth Dragon himself.

And a prideful one at that.

So he would never willingly bow his head before anyone.

Fael, who had dark blue hair and matching dark blue eyes, also showed little reaction to Luke’s appearance.

After all, among the Marinthian races, beautiful appearances were common.

So, unlike many of the others, he simply looked at Luke calmly.

The same was true for Joria, a female Marinthian with light blue hair and matching light blue eyes.

Meanwhile, Kira, a female human mage with long black hair and black eyes, exchanged a worried glance with Nolan, a male human with short ashen hair and golden eyes.

Although Luke—the Hero of Light—had faced plenty of ridicule in the past simply because he was talentless human, they still cared about his reputation.

If a human Hero were beaten by someone who wasn’t even a Hero, the ridicule directed toward him would only become worse.

Which in turn, would bring more shame to human race.

"Should we intervene?" Kira asked quietly.

Deep down, however, she already knew the answer.

Even within Empyrean Academy, humans were treated with the least respect among the races.

And the two of them knew very well that even if they joined forces, they wouldn’t stand a chance against Arwen.

Meanwhile, Estelle and Isaria both looked at Luke with surprise.

But that surprise quickly turned into worry.

’He shouldn’t have stepped forward.’ Estelle could clearly see Luke’s tough persona.

Although she was secretly happy that he had stood up for her, the warmth in her heart was accompanied by concern.

After all, very few people had ever stood up for her like this.

But sadly, this was clearly a misunderstanding.

Although Estelle’s involvement had played a small part in Luke’s actions, the decision to step forward had ultimately been entirely his own.

If this had been the old Luke, he might have stopped to carefully assess the situation before acting.

But the current Luke was different.

He was a true Titan now.

And Titans didn’t merely possess intelect.

They also possessed pride.

Arwen’s word—filth—had struck directly at that pride.

The pride Luke had slowly begun developing ever since he had become a true Titan.

A Pure Titan.

Seeing that Luke could actually get hurt, Estelle finally decided to intervene.

However, just as she was about to take a step forward—

"Say it again." Luke’s calm voice echoed through the plaza.

Arwen, who had already been struggling to contain his anger, felt the last thread of his patience snap.

’How dare a mere filth speak to me while looking down at me?’

"Filth." So this time, Arwen said it openly.

But the expected reaction never came.

’Sigh... what can we expect from him?’ Seeing this, many people sighed.

Some even quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Kira, Nolan, Isaria, and Estelle were among them.

After all, enduring a few insults was far better than watching Luke get crippled or seriously injured.

That was something their race had often suffered from in the past.

Meanwhile, Roderan and Drevian merely sighed.

They had already expected this outcome, so they weren’t particularly disappointed.

"Seems like your fine specimen really is a coward." Ivar mocked Alia, referring to her earlier judgment of Luke.

He was also secretly pleased to see Luke being insulted.

After all, if Isaria truly possessed that special ability, then her attention shouldn’t be on anyone else.

It should belong to him alone.

Alia’s expression darkened at Ivar’s mocking words, but she couldn’t find anything to say in response.

Fael, Joria, Karon, and Lirael simply sneered.

They had expected this from the beginning.

But among everyone present, Marius was the only one genuinely annoyed.

’Why aren’t they fighting?!’

As for Zeyr, he could only sigh.

He had genuinely thought highly of Luke’s pride.

As these thoughts continued to pass through everyone’s minds, most of them assumed that the matter was finally over.

Then Luke spoke again.

This time, however, it was their turn to be shocked.

"I didn’t know." A wide grin appeared on Luke’s face.

"...That ants nowadays talk so big."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Another silence descended upon the plaza.

This time, it was even quieter than before.

The moment those words fell, Arwen’s mind completely snapped.

"Bas—"

Sadly, he didn’t even get the chance to finish those words.

Since, in the very next instant—

BOOM!

Luke’s body suddenly began expanding at an astonishing speed.

His muscles grew larger, his frame rapidly towering over everyone around him.

In the blink of an eye, the seven-foot-tall Luke had transformed into a twenty-foot giant.

At the same time, his clothes automatically adjusted to his rapidly expanding body, leaving them completely intact.

Soon, a bare-chested Titan, standing twenty feet tall, appeared before everyone.

Long, dark-black hair cascaded down to his chest.

It was so dark that the surrounding area seemed to grow dimmer simply from its presence.

His eyes had also transformed completely, becoming pitch-black like an endless void.

Above his head floated a pitch-black halo, formed entirely from condensed Void Energy.

With every breath Luke took, the halo pulsed.

WHUMM...

Waves of Void Energy spread through the surroundings, causing the air itself to tremble.

His entire body was covered in mysterious black symbols.

They were so dark that, if Luke’s skin hadn’t been fair, the symbols would have been almost impossible to distinguish.

This was Luke’s Nyx Titan Form after becoming a true Titan.

And the difference was enormous.

Previously, his transformation had only increased his height by around two feet by each realm.

Now, it had increased by a full six feet.

His hair and eyes had completely transformed into something resembling the Void itself.

And those mysterious symbols had appeared across his entire body.

They were something Luke should have possessed from the moment he became a Pure Titan.

A newly born Pure Titan naturally possessed these symbols.

As for Titans of lower lineages, however, such symbols had to be earned or awakened after reaching certain stages of their existence.

Although Luke currently couldn’t utilize the true power hidden within these symbols, their existence alone represented something extraordinary.

And once he reached higher realms...

He would eventually discover just how miraculous they truly were.