Chapter 203: The Second Divine Demon Challenges the Everlasting Puppet [Part 3]

The Second Divine Demon Challenges the Everlasting Puppet [Part 3]

She felt her mind spinning.

Then—

BOOM—RUMBLE!!!

The world trembled.

An ancient and profound aura suddenly erupted from Leandro.

But it did not burst outward like an uncontrolled explosion.

Instead, it rose.

Slowly.

Steadily.

Like something that had been buried beneath the earth for countless years had finally awakened and opened its eyes.

The air grew heavy.

The surrounding mana twisted violently.

Even breathing suddenly felt difficult.

That overwhelming power continued rising toward the heavens.

Then—

Green radiance flooded the sky.

A towering figure slowly emerged behind Leandro.

It stood opposite the divine and demonic phantoms.

The figure looked ancient.

Far older than the mountains beneath their feet.

Yet there was no sense of decay within it.

Quite the opposite.

It was overflowing with vitality.

It felt as though the figure itself represented the endless cycle of life.

Death.

Rebirth.

Growth.

Renewal.

Trees began appearing within the empty void.

Their branches stretched outward.

Leaves drifted through the air despite there being no wind.

A fresh scent spread across the mountain.

The smell of soil after rain.

The fragrance of grass.

The unmistakable scent of life.

The heavens were gradually stained a deep green.

For a single breath—

The entire world seemed to transform into a forest.

An ancient forest.

One that had existed long before civilizations were born.

Long before humans had learned to build cities.

Long before anyone had given names to the mountains and rivers.

And within that vast green world, Leandro’s towering phantom stood firm.

It did not retreat.

It did not yield.

It stood evenly matched against the divine and demonic phantoms.

Norman’s expression finally changed.

His golden eye narrowed.

His black eye became even darker.

He stared at Leandro in silence.

There was no mistaking it.

Leandro’s cultivation was not inferior to his own.

The realization struck Norman harder than he expected.

He had known that the First Rank would be powerful.

He had expected it.

But knowing something in theory was completely different from witnessing it with his own eyes.

The pressure coming from Leandro was real.

Heavy.

Unmistakable.

Then again...

The Patriarch himself had named Leandro the First Rank.

Someone who could receive such recognition from the Patriarch could hardly be ordinary.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Norman’s mouth.

Something changed inside his eyes.

His battle intent began to burn.

For the first time since he had arrived, there was something other than coldness in his expression.

Not anger.

Not hatred.

Not pride.

Excitement.

Pure excitement.

At last—

He had found someone worth fighting.

"To the heavens!"

Norman’s roar shook the mountain.

BOOM!

His body shot upward.

He rose like a golden streak, tearing through the air in an instant.

The divine and demonic phantoms followed.

Their enormous forms moved behind him.

The heavens seemed to shake beneath their presence.

Norman’s aura descended upon the world like an enormous mountain.

The terrifying pressure spread in every direction.

The younger members of the Salvatore Family instinctively retreated.

Some gritted their teeth.

Others struggled to remain standing.

Nobody dared to approach.

At that moment, Norman no longer looked like an ordinary cultivator.

He was like a living embodiment of the Great Laws of the World.

A god.

A demon.

A monstrous existence walking among mortals.

Yet Leandro remained on the ground.

He did not fly.

He did not move backward.

He did not summon another terrifying phenomenon.

He simply stood there.

Calm.

Still.

His expression remained completely unchanged.

Then, slowly, Leandro raised one hand.

His fingers moved.

One seal after another formed between his fingers.

The moment the final hand seal was completed, the surrounding mana began to ripple.

The air distorted.

Space seemed to tremble.

Then—

A figure suddenly appeared in the sky.

Norman’s eyes narrowed.

It looked exactly like Leandro.

The same face.

The same clothes.

Even the same calm expression that seemed almost impossible to disturb.

And that strange aura...

It was identical.

For a moment, Norman simply stared at the figure.

There was no difference.

Not even the slightest one.

The puppet floated silently before him. Its face was cold and expressionless. There was no emotion in its eyes. No hesitation. No trace of human thought.

Just an empty, terrifying stillness.

Then the puppet moved.

It slowly brought its palms together.

The moment they touched—

BOOM!

A thunderous killing aura descended from the heavens.

The entire sky seemed to tremble.

The air shattered beneath the pressure.

Clouds were ripped apart and scattered in every direction. A terrifying force swept across the heavens, carrying enough destructive power to make the surrounding space groan.

Norman’s eyes flashed.

Yet he didn’t move.

He didn’t retreat even half a step.

Instead, he gave a cold snort.

"Hmph! The art of puppetry?"

His voice rolled across the sky.

"Brother, do you think so little of me?"

The killing force crashed toward him.

Norman simply raised one hand.

His palm opened.

For a brief moment, the terrifying energy seemed to be only inches away from swallowing him completely.

Then—

His fingers slowly closed.

CRACK!

The devastating attack was crushed in midair.

Just like that.

A single squeeze was enough.

The monstrous killing aura collapsed beneath his fingers.

Fragments of energy burst outward like countless sparks, scattering across the dark sky before fading into nothingness.

The surrounding void shook violently.

Norman’s black hair whipped wildly behind him.

Yet his expression remained unchanged.

Calm.

Cold.

Almost indifferent.

Then he raised both hands.

The atmosphere around him suddenly changed.

Two completely different forces erupted at the same time.

One carried the majesty of the divine.

It was vast.

Sacred.

Overwhelming.

The other was completely different.

It carried the destructive nature of demons.

Darkness surged through it.

A violent and sinister power that seemed capable of devouring everything in its path.

The two forces wrapped around Norman’s arms.

They spiraled higher and higher.

Divine power and demonic destruction.

Two opposing principles.

Yet, in Norman’ s hands, they began to converge.