Chapter 742 - 735: Connection

Chapter 742: Chapter 735: Connection

Within the blood mist filling the void, a pristine, jade-like arm bizarrely appeared. Seemingly indestructible, it met Hans’s two-handed Light Saber head-on, gripping it firmly. That Light Saber, a convergence of immense Energy with devastating offensive power, was completely unable to harm the arm in the slightest.

’What is this...’

Hans’s pupils constricted at the sight of the bizarrely appearing arm.

’How did this arm appear? I should have completely pulverized his body.’

Caught in the thick of it, he couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. But the many candidates watching from the sidelines, as well as Lily and her group, had seen everything with perfect clarity.

At the very moment Hans’s two-handed sword materialized and he raised it overhead, a portion of the blood mist—all that remained of Zhou Yuanjue’s annihilated body—was suddenly drawn together as if by some unseen force. It abruptly condensed in mid-air, taking the form of an arm that then death-gripped the two-handed sword Hans had created.

"This is... He can actually do something like that? Is it some kind of terrifying Recovery Ability?"

Hagrid said, astonished.

"No, that doesn’t seem like a Recovery Ability. Normally, with a Recovery Ability, the body would reassemble in a specific order. It would start with critical parts like bones and core organs, with the limbs coming last. Besides, a detached arm couldn’t possibly possess such immense power before the body is fully restored."

"But this man is different. He formed an arm at will, and even without the body’s core components, his limbs can still wield such incredible strength. This is beyond the scope of a mere Recovery Ability. I suspect it’s one of his intrinsic abilities."

"And don’t you find that pervasive blood mist suspicious? Perhaps he was never actually injured by Hans at all!"

The speaker was Lan Xueyan, the younger of the twins, her voice as cold and calm as ice. Within their four-person team, she was the epitome of reason, specializing in analyzing enemy abilities.

"What did you say? His body was obliterated, and you’re saying he might not have been injured at all?! Are you kidding me?!"

Lily’s mouth fell open, a look of utter incomprehension on her face.

"Let’s keep watching. The truth will be revealed soon enough."

Lan Xueyan said, her eyes glued to the battlefield.

「On the battlefield.」

SWOOSH!!

After a brief moment of shock, Hans, his two-handed sword still gripped by the arm that had appeared from thin air, quickly retaliated.

He lashed out with a sweeping kick from his right leg, a sharp Light Blade extending from the tip of his boot as he aimed once more for Zhou Yuanjue’s head on the ground.

CLANG!!!

The violent shockwave of metal striking metal spread out. This time, Hans finally understood where the arm that had appeared from thin air came from.

The blood mist swirled, its volume rapidly diminishing as countless tiny particles converged. They swiftly combined to form another arm, which firmly blocked his Light Blade kick.

Then, with a whistling WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH, a leg condensed at Hans’s side and kicked out violently.

The angle was bizarrely vicious and the speed was so extreme that he had no way to block it in time.

THUD!!!

The dull thud of flesh hitting metal rang out. Struck by the leg’s terrifying side kick, Hans’s body was sent flying.

"Don’t you understand yet? If you can’t sever my ’connection,’ you can’t truly harm me."

Zhou Yuanjue’s head, still lying on the ground, said coolly.

Then, a fierce wind began to blow. WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!! The surrounding blood mist rapidly converged on Zhou Yuanjue’s head. A complete body, formed from the combination of the mist’s countless tiny Life Units, reappeared before everyone’s eyes.

Just as Zhou Yuanjue had said, his body was completely unscathed.

"Just as I suspected..."

A sharp glint flashed in Lan Xueyan’s eyes as she watched Zhou Yuanjue’s body reform.

"How in the world is he doing that?"

Lily couldn’t help but ask.

"I’m not entirely sure, but I have a theory. One of his abilities must establish a powerful ’connection’ between the smallest units of his body, linking them like invisible threads. Just now, it wasn’t Hans who shattered his body. Instead, he himself dissolved his own Life Units, turning his tangible flesh into an intangible blood mist to evade over ninety-five percent of the attack’s power. Then, using that powerful connection, he instantly tightened the ’threads,’ allowing those minute units to reassemble and restore his body to its original state."

"Such a bizarre ability. And if I’m not mistaken, there’s probably more to it than just that..."

Lan Xueyan murmured.

’This guy...’

Meanwhile, Hans stabilized his stance. At the point on his waist where he’d been hit, a pale purple barrier shimmered with arcane patterns. It was his suit’s energy shield, and it had just blocked the majority of the damage.

He hadn’t expected Zhou Yuanjue to come out of that completely unscathed.

"A ’connection,’ huh? I think I’m starting to understand."

Hans narrowed his eyes, a flicker of understanding in them as he pieced together what ability Zhou Yuanjue had just used.

’So he dodges my slashes by dispersing his body’s units?’

’In that case, all I need is enough area-of-effect firepower to completely destroy those units. Then you’ll be finished.’

"Try this!!"

Hans clenched his fists and slammed them together in front of his chest.

K-CHUNK! K-CHUNK!!

His knuckles shifted and writhed as the black, mechanical steel of his arms underwent a terrifying transformation. Sections of his forearms unfolded, revealing shimmering, rainbow-colored Energy Plates.

The twelve cores on his body flared with a blinding light. Power to maximum!

"Oh no!! Run!!"

Seeing this, the faces of the candidates watching from several kilometers away drained of color. A terrifying sense of danger and overwhelming pressure washed over them, and they immediately turned to flee.

But it was too late. The Power from the twelve cores within Hans’s body instantly surged into the fan-like Energy Plates on his arms.

Ash Annihilation Orbital Cannon!!

BOOM!!

Originating from Hans’s arms, a terrifying, rainbow-colored pillar of Energy hundreds of meters wide shot forth. Its speed was so incredible that dodging was impossible.

The beam of light shot out, extending for more than ten kilometers, its power utterly terrifying. The candidates who had turned to flee were caught in the aftershock, which was strong enough to trigger their protective mechanisms, ejecting them from the fight. They were sent tumbling across the ground by the shockwave, a miserable sight to behold.

"That..."

Seeing that level of offensive power, a chill ran down the spines of Lily and her group.

Even if the four of them faced it head-on, they would be severely injured at the very least.

The destructive power that Mechanical Creatures could display when backed by sufficient resources was truly terrifying.

"He’s fine. Looks like my guess was correct."

Just as the group was worrying about Zhou Yuanjue’s safety, Lan Xueyan suddenly spoke, an I-knew-it expression on her face.

Everyone looked toward the battlefield. The terrifying orbital beam slowly dissipated, and from within the smoke and dust, Zhou Yuanjue’s figure emerged, walking out one step at a time.

His body was covered in a blood-red light, translucent as jade.

Blood Jade Red Lotus!!