Chapter 291

Chapter 291: 291

Neo dangled high above the battlefield, blood running in thick lines down his chin and dripping onto the chaos far below. The being’s massive hand locked around his skull like a vice. Fingers dug deep enough to send white flashes across his vision. Pain burned through every nerve. The creature slowly opened its free palm and pressed the rough hand flat over Neo’s face. Dark smoke poured out in a cold flood, filling his nose and mouth. He choked hard, legs kicking at empty air.

He grabbed the thick wrist with both hands and tried to pry the fingers loose. When that failed he sank his teeth into the hide and bit down with everything he had left. The skin tasted like old stone mixed with ash. He tore and chewed until his jaw ached and blood from his own gums mixed with the creature’s, yet he barely left a mark. The being did not even twitch.

An idea cut through the pain. Neo pulled every scrap of the seven energies he carried—fire, ice, lightning, earth, wind, light, and shadow—and forced them all into his right leg. The limb glowed under the skin, hot and heavy. He swung it upward with every ounce of strength left in his body and drove his heel straight into the being’s groin.

The grip around his head loosened for half a second.

That was all he needed.

Neo dropped free, hit the ground rolling, and exploded into Torch Man mode. Flames of every color wrapped his body from shoulders to boots. He slammed fist after fist into the being, each punch carrying a different energy. For the first time the creature staggered. Dark blood sprayed across the dirt. Neo’s heart hammered with fierce satisfaction.

He shoved all seven energies deep into his core and shut his eyes. Inside the silent dark he forced them together, grinding them against one another until they stopped fighting and became one. A new power settled in his chest—cool, sharp, and completely invisible. He opened his palm. The energies condensed into a small knife that caught no light at all. It felt almost weightless, yet the air around the blade hummed like a live wire.

Neo dropped into a low stance, legs tensed hard, and launched himself forward. He slashed again and again. The invisible edge carved through the being’s shoulder like paper. Half the joint tore free in a spray of black fluid. Power flooded Neo’s arms. Every strike now hit with the force of a hundred ordinary blows. His attack strength surged past fifty stars.

He hit the ground hard among the chaos of the battlefield. Demons, angels, and his own robots crashed together in a storm of steel and magic. Neo grinned through the blood on his teeth. He let the noise and the smoke swallow him, moving low, matching the color of the nearest demon’s armor, then slipping behind an angel’s wing. The being searched, roaring, but the crowd was too thick and the fighting too wild.

At last the creature rose high into the sky and scanned the ground like a hawk looking for prey. Neo found a shallow crater left by some earlier explosion, dropped into it, and dragged a torn brown cloak over the opening. He waited, breath held tight in his chest, until the heavy shadow passed overhead. Then he tore the cover away and launched upward, invisible knife flashing. The blade bit deep into the being’s other shoulder. Bone cracked with a wet sound. The arm went limp; the creature could no longer lift it to strike.

The being snarled and opened its mouth wide. A thick beam of raw energy erupted. It smashed into Neo’s shoulder and hurled him across the field like a broken doll. He slammed into the earth hard enough to leave a deep crater, the wind knocked clean out of him. Before he could rise the being was already there, foot raised high for a killing kick. Neo grabbed the thick ankle with both hands, twisted with every muscle in his back and arms, and flipped the giant into the air. He rode the momentum, slamming both heels into the creature’s ribs again and again until something inside cracked loud enough to hear over the battle.

Bruises bloomed across Neo’s skin in purple, black, and sickly yellow. The being’s fists and knees had painted him from neck to thigh. Still the creature came on, obsessed, raising one massive foot to crush Neo’s skull into the dirt. At the last possible instant Neo teleported. He appeared above the being’s head, the Stardust Spear already in his hands. He drove the weapon down in a furious rain of thrusts, each one sparking with bright starlight.

The being swayed on its feet, almost finished. Neo coated his entire body in the seven energies once more, pulled every last drop into his right fist, and drove the punch straight through the creature’s chest. A gaping hole opened. Dark fluid poured out. The being crumpled. Neo stored the corpse in his inventory without ceremony and stood on shaking legs.

The battlefield stretched out below him under the smoke-filled sky. His women were still fighting hard. Luna moved like a living storm, cutting down demons on one side and angels on the other, her blades never still for more than a heartbeat. She was the clear MVP of the fight. Alvina fought a step behind her, precise and deadly with every strike. Martha held the left flank, her magic slamming whole groups of enemies flat against the ground. Neo felt a fierce pride settle warm in his chest.

On the far horizon the Dragon Queen arrived with her full flight of dragons, wings blotting out what little light remained. Neo nodded once in thanks. Moments later Elina, the bunny chief, appeared with her army of warrior women, ears high and weapons ready. He nodded to her as well. The two forces crashed into the remaining enemies alongside his robots. The combined demon and angel army shattered under the weight of the new numbers.

A soft chime sounded in Neo’s mind. Quest complete. Rewards waited quietly in his inventory. He looked over his harem and could not stop the tired smile that spread across his face. Each of them had carved their own path through the slaughter. Then he spotted Veya still on the field, backpack stuffed so full of robot parts that the straps strained. She collected the last broken limb, stood, and sprinted toward her laboratory without looking back. Neo laughed under his breath at the sight.

Eva walked over to Elina and the two spoke in quiet voices near the edge of the field. The Dragon Queen approached Neo and bowed her head slightly. "I received the call late," she said. "Forgive the delay." Neo simply nodded. The field was quiet now. Most of the enemy lay dead; a few survivors knelt in chains, taken as hostages by the robots.

He led his harem back into the Nyx tribe under the rising night. That night he threw a party that spilled across the forest clearings. Food, drink, and laughter filled the air until the stars wheeled high overhead. When the last song faded, the forest residents drifted home to their own places and the women returned to theirs. Neo walked alone to the throne room, sat on the heavy chair, and let the silence settle around him like a cloak.

A quest notification flared bright in front of his eyes. He read it once, then again, heart hammering hard against his ribs.

Princess Sana of the Find Kingdom and two other women were under attack by demons. He had three hours to reach the Great Queen’s house and stop the creatures from milking the three women. Failure meant his death and theirs. A warning followed in cold letters: Vel hunted his blood. A new ability unlocked at the same time—Death Eyes. With them he could see how long any weaker person had left to live.

Neo swallowed hard. He teleported straight to the Find Kingdom and ignited Torch Man mode without a second thought, shooting into the open sky. The system map showed the three women on the far side of the continent. He cursed under his breath and poured every scrap of speed into his flight, wind tearing at his clothes and hair.

At last the castle rose beneath him—tall walls of black plates and twisted horns, wrapped in a glowing barrier that pulsed with steady light. A swarm of demons hammered at the shield from every side. Among them a demon stood taller than the rest, horns wide as a man’s reach, muscles like carved stone. That one was clearly the strongest. Blow after heavy blow landed against the barrier until, after a long and brutal stretch of time, a hole finally tore open. The demon charged through without hesitation.

Neo cursed again and dove hard. He stayed tight on the creature’s broad back, both palms open wide, and fired two beams of pure energy at point-blank range. The beams slammed into the demon’s spine with a sharp crack. The demon crashed to the ground with a heavy, bone-shaking thud.