Chapter 320: Beginning of the End
Jack stood in space. Below him stretched an endlessly blue planet, with hints of green where it curved away. The moon hovered two hundred thousand miles away, a half-lit gray sphere, and stars surrounded him in every other direction. The sun, being a star itself, couldnt miss this gathering; it blasted light, so bright that even Jack had to squint while looking at it.
Jack Rust, said Galicia Lonihor, the planetary overseer of Earth. What a peculiar man.
Her form was that of a humanoid lioness, with tight robes and a wide cape around her body. Once upon a time, she had seemed like a god. Now, she was an opponent. Jack met her gaze squarely, not cowering in the slightest.
How so? he asked.
You are just full of surprises. First the tournament, then Trial Planet, then Hell. I have never seen someone rise so fast. She shook her head. What is your secret?
He grinned. My secret is talent, luck, pain, and a ton of hard work.
Hah! She snorted with cold laughter. Once upon a time, you were an F-Grade ant cowering under a sliver of my pressure. Now, you stand against me. What gives you such confidence? You should know that a D-Grade, even one as powerful as yourself, can never challenge a mid C-Grade.
Never say never, overseer. You may have to eat your words.
Her smile cracked. She was well aware that, through the projection stone Jack had brought along, this battle was broadcasted across the planet, if not the entire galaxy. Every jab he took at her was another blow at the dignity of the already suffering Animal Kingdom.
Have it your way, she replied coldly. I tried to give you some last words, but you may die a mocking death, as was your life.
The only mockery here, overseer, is you and your pissant of a faction. Even its name sounds ridiculous; who in their right mind would take seriously an Animal Kingdom? If my little toe could speak, it would come up with ten better names in the time it takes you to gurgle the blood of innocents.
Her forehead spasmed. Just how badly do you want to die, Jack Rust?
Honestly, can our enmity grow any larger?
She grinned; a dooming, bloodthirsty smile filled with sharp lion teeth. No, she replied. So, in the name of the Animal Kingdom, I will erase you.
Her handmore a clawed paw than a palmrose and fell. Jack felt space lock down around him, preventing him from teleporting. A giant spear of light flew his way. He reared his fist back and shot it forward, meeting the spear at the tip. Space rumbled. A massive shockwave erupted in all directions. The spear cracked and dissipated, but Jacks knuckles cracked as well, flaring sparks of pain into his brain.
Jack Rust is a powerful man, the overseer said, speaking not to him, but to the projection stone. Yet, to an Elder of the great Animal Kingdom, he is nothing. Watch him fall.
She shot ahead. Jack braced himself, but it was just impossible. She appeared before him in an instant. Her punch smashed into his guard, breaking an arm and sending him flying. He couldnt tell his own speed in space, but it was very, very fast. She teleported behind him, casually kicking upward. This time, growing more used to her speed, he bent his body to dodge, but even the spatial undulations of her kick sent him tumbling through space.
He punched ahead, predicting her next location, and connected with her forearm. It bent a bitbut her slap broke his teeth and made him spin away.
It is futile, she said with disappointment. I dont know who fed you this delusion, but you cannot face me.
Heh. Jack forced a smile and spat out blood, watching it sail away in the vacuum. I had intended to warm up a bit, but I guess its pointless. Very well. Prepare yourself, overseer. What you are about to witnesswill rock your world.
She frowned. The spectators all across the planet exchanged hushed whispers, leaning in to take a better look.
Green energy emerged from Jacks body. It surrounded and suffused him, almost hiding his features. Suddenly, as if his body was imbued by this energy, he began to expand. He grew an entire foot. His injuries healed like they were never there, and two fleshy appendages wormed out of his ribs, forming into two extra arms right below his armpits. His entire being emitted a green radiance. His smile was wide, bursting with power.
Take a good look, he said, his mere voice causing ripples in space. This is the man who will defeat you.
The overseer stared at his transformation with curiosity. A moment later, it turned into disbelief. Her eyes widened as her brain reached the truth. No! she said. Did you really No; you wouldnt dare!
This was only the fourth time in his life that Jack activated the Life Drop. The first had been when he tested it against a random desert monster. The second had been against Old Man Spirit. The third, to survive the heavenly tribulation while breaking through to the D-Grade.
All those times, nobody except his closest friends and Old Man Spirit had been there to witness him. It was one of his most tightly kept secrets. Moreover, nobody had ever used the System to inspect him in this form, as the Ancient Voice had clearly dictated.
But now was the time to go all-out, and damn be the consequences.
The various spectators were just awed by his transformation. They couldnt scan him through the projection. The planetary overseer, however, could, and she did so immediately. The usual blue screen appeared for only a moment before crumbling, replaced by one filled with red, capital letters.
She had never seen such a thing before.
WARNING!
OLD ONE ACTIVITY DETECTED. CONTAINMENT PROTOCOL INITIATED. THE NEAREST AUTHORITIES HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. CONTAINERS HAVE BEEN DISPATCHED.
LEAVE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY. VISIT ANY HAND OF GOD HEADQUARTERS TO RECEIVE THE APPROPRIATE BOUNTY. YOUR DISCOVERY CODE IS JR4390RND330GL.
ALL DETAILS OF THIS MATTER ARE NOW CLASSIFIED. SHARING ANY INFORMATION WILL RESULT IN YOUR SWIFT EXTERMINATION.
THANK YOU FOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE NEW WORLD.
At the same time, a similar screen appeared in Jacks eyes:
WARNING!
YOU HAVE TAMPERED WITH FORBIDDEN POWERS. PLEASE STOP EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING AND WAIT. CONTACT NO ONE. HIGH-GRADE MEMBERS OF THE NEW WORLD ARE UNDERWAY.
DISOBEY, AND YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED.
He didnt expect this. Regardless, it changed nothing. He knew there would be consequences if he revealed his four-armed form. Hopefully, the Church would have his back as promised.
What have you done? Galicia asked, horrified. This is This is projected across the galaxy!
She clearly knew more things than the common people. Her first reaction was to lash out and shatter the projection stone. A spear of light flew over, but before it could reach the stone, a man with four arms appeared before it. He reached out and grabbed the spear by the shaft.
Space itself screeched as the spear ground to a halt. A moment later, Jack crushed the spear in his palm, and it dissipated. Galicia was stunned by disbelief. I am your opponent, overseer, Jack declared, and I say this battle gets broadcasted. If you disagree he cracked a smile do something about it.
Do you understand nothing? This isnt even about me. The Hand of God
The Hand of God will do nothing, he replied, shutting up both her and everyone watching with his disrespect. They will receive the same answer as you. If they want to do something, theyre welcome to come and try.
Galicia struggled to form words. Youre insane!
I do what I want. This is my will and the will of the entire planet. From here on out, we no longer answer to the Animal Kingdom or the Hand of God. The planet of Earth belongs to me, and we are under the protection of the Black Hole Church. The entire planet will be teleported to safety after I defeat you.
You This is treason!
He laughed out loud. Is that what you call it? To escape your tyranny is treason? To side against the people forcing everyone to kill each other is treason? No, overseerthis is right. But, if you want to stop us, it is very easy. Just kill me. Nothing will happen, then, and my words will be just the ramblings of a loser. So, come on. Fight me. He adopted a battle stance, clenching three fists and using the last to give Galicia Lonihor and the entire world the middle finger. He grinned. If you dare.
She roared and attacked.
***
On the surface of Earth, ArTazul and ArKarvahul, the two djinn merchants who worked with the alliance, looked at the large projection screen over Valville. They then stared at each other. Their jaws dropped at the same time.
Shit, said Tazul.
Shit, said Karvahul. Cousin, were in deep shit!
We fucked up! This is already transmitted to the entire galaxy!
Can we stop the projection?
Are you kidding me? Stop it now? Do you realize how many credits weve been paid for this!? Well have to give it all back!
This is our lives were speaking about, Tazul! The Hand of God will skin us alive!
ArTazuls face took on a business look. Then, suddenly, his eyes shone like credit cards. Imagine how much money we could make out of this, he whispered.
Youre insane! Karvahul replied, almost pulling his hair out. Youll kill us both! Give me the stone, Ill shatter it right away!
Wait, Karvahul! Tazul said, keeping his cousin away from the projection stone. Think about it! Weve already projected the crucial partsdo you really think the Hand of God will spare us if we stop now?
That gave Karvahul pause. No?
Of course not! Everyone who saw thisno, this entire planetwill be purged for good measure! Well be made examples of!
Karvahul wanted to cry. He removed his turban and used it to wipe his nose. What will we do, cousin? Were going to die!
Tazuls chin became square and stony. There is only one thing we can do, Karvahul. Believe in Jack. If he has a plan, we better hope it works out.
So we keep transmitting?
We transmit even harder. Only two things can save us now, Karvahul. Jack Rustand tons over tons of credits. So lets make as much money as possible.
Their gazed crossed. A moment later, the eyes of both of them turned into credit cards.
I guess we have no choice, said Karvahul.
Exactly. No choice at all. So, lets spread this projection as far and wide as possible and become filthy rich.
***
After Shol won, the two lycan immortals were quickly defeated and slain as well, making the entire battle on the Integration Starship a total victory for the alliance. Currently, the professor and everyone else had already tied up the enemies and were watching a projection screen hastily set up against the wall of the concert stage.
When Jack revealed his battle form, everyone gasped, but nobody really understood what was happening. Even Shol and Dordok only had a vague idea. The only exceptions were Brock, Gan Salin, and Nauja, all of whom glanced at each other and shrugged. Brock placed a fist against his chest.
I believe in you, big bro, he said.
***
A B-Grade leonine was hurtling through space in his starship. Suddenly, the projection screen over his helm showed Jack transforming. The Ancestors eyes widened.
Fool! he exclaimed. He instantly reached for a device in his pocket and used it to contact someone. Eva! I know youre on your way, dammit. That kid had the artifact all along! Come pick me up; we can take no chances with the Church there!
No reply came, but he still stopped his starship. Moments later, space distorted. A massive, needle-shaped starship appeared in front of him, and he rushed into its open side door. The large starship blinked once again and disappeared.
***
The Sage was inside a tiny, dark starship. A black hole was drawn on its body, framed by green rays of light.
There was only one other person inside. It was a man with flowing black robes, long dark hair, and red eyes. He looked like a human. At present, this man held a tiny spoon between his fingers, twirling it around to look at it from all sides.
He really did it, the man exclaimed without glancing at the projection screen. Your friend is a madman.
Are you certain you can hold off a fleet? the Sage asked.
Well, there is only one way to find out. Theyre almost here. Lets go.
***
Jack roared as he punched out. Space caved under his fists. The planetary overseer met it with a punch of her own, their knuckles clashing.
The world shattered like glass. Space turned into a storm for multiple miles around them. Light was everywhere. Purple stars flickered in and out of existence. If this had been the surface of the Earth, everything to the horizon would have been annihilated.
The overseer roared. She split open the spatial storm, then teleported behind Jack. He teleported behind her in turn, exchanging strikes wildly. Their forms blurred. They flew at ten times the speed of sound or teleported. Their speed was extreme. Every clash was an explosion. If anyone on the Integration Starship looked up, all they would see was massive flashes in the depths of the sky.
Dao-imbued roars echoed. Their battle changed locations wildly, flying deeper into space. They were surrounded by emptiness on all sides. It gave a completely new meaning to the word duel.
Fall! the overseer exclaimed. Suddenly, white light was everywhere, outshining even the sun. Spears emerged, followed by gigantic soldiers holding them. There were nine of them, each a mile tall and clad in shiny plate armor. Feathery wings spread from their backs, flapping despite the absence of air.
Hah! Ive seen that trick before! Jack exclaimed, releasing his Dao Domain. Tiny stars appeared everywhere, flickering between purple and green. Constellations formed and disappeared. Roaring meteors crossed Jacks domain, each shaped as a fist and carrying tremendous power.
Space itself tightened around the winged knights like a closed fist. They struggled but remained still. One of Jacks four fists was enough to hold them in place, while, at the same time, the Dao of the Fist permeated the space around him, driving away everything else.
The overseers Dao erupted as well. It was a white sphere of absolute, divine supremacy. It could not be stopped. It lorded over everyone and everything, reigning supreme across the universe. The white warred against the purple, each meteor crashing into the light and melting. The winged knights were empowered, resisting Jacks suppression to approach him.
Jack himself, however, was unaffected. He released his Brutalizing Aura, using it to siphon energy off the knights. He then charged the overseer, bringing his domain closer.
As the two fighters came within a few feet of each other, their two domains ground together. Sparks flew, both purple and white. A thousand tiny explosions resounded at once. The Dao itself moaned in regret as their tremendous understandings pulled on it, tearing it in half.
Space shook in protest. The world boomed around them. Stars collided. The winged knights marched forth.
Jack clenched all four of his fists and drove them at the overseer. Each was a force of nature. Meteors sparked on their knuckles. Light and sound were ripped apart and forcefully drawn into the fists, then released as explosions.
When C-Grades fought, the very fabric of reality was their battleground. Tiny rifts formed in the space all around them. The Dao bemoaned them to stop, yet they kept going.
Jack smashed out a series of punches. The overseer blocked each of them, protected by white light, and retaliated with a palm. Jack crossed his four arms and was flung backward. He let himself fall into a spatial tear and reappeared behind her, winding up his entire body. Meteor Punch! he roared, smashing out a fully-charged punch. She turned and met it with a palm.
Space shattered again. A crack many miles wide spread out, taking time to close. Jack teleported away and the overseer followed, not letting him get a moment of rest. She pressed her attack, and Jack was forced to defend for a while. Her winged soldiers reached him and tried to stab him with their spears, which werent too fast or strong, but they remained an extra distraction that prevented him from facing the overseer at full power. He roared in frustration.
Even after transforming, Jack remained underpowered. The gap between a peak D-Grade and a mid C-Grade was simply too vast. He was one of the strongest D-Grades in the galaxy, if not the strongest, and he was using the Life Drop to greatly enhance himself. Yet, all he achieved was an uphill battle.
His only saving grace was the near-infinite amount of energy supplied by the Life Drop. It was far more than it had been at the E-Grade, yet he still sensed no end to it. It fueled his regeneration, pushing it to new extremes.
The overseer kicked him in the ribs. The bones cracked. Tremendous pain assaulted him, yet the injury already healed itself as he flew away. He turned around and headed at the overseer again, roaring at the top of his lungs. His heart was on fire, but his mind was cold. He could afford no mistakes.
C-Grades were no joke. Galicia Lonihor wielded her Dao like nobody Jack had met before. Her every move carried supremacy. It seeped into his bones, seeped into space, into reality itself. Fighting her was a constant struggle against the urge to just surrender. Even his indomitable will was close to relenting, a feat that nobody of the same Grade had even come close to achieving.
Yet, who was Jack?
He was the man who had overcome every challenge in his way. He had faced impossible odds and used them to grow stronger. He had willingly put himself through extreme pain. He had trained for almost every waking moment.
No. Jack Rust would never surrender here.
Yet, if he let himself slide even a tiny bit, her Dao would instantly overwhelm him. He set his heart on fire to resist, fighting helplessness with stubbornness. His own Dao Root of Weakness revealed that her unbeatable strength was an illusion. He could land hits occasionallyif he just lasted long enough, he would win.
He met a palm with his forearm, then punched back out. She ducked, dodged again, and slammed a knee into his chest. He was sent flying away while she held her position.
How are you doing this? she asked, slowly lowering her leg. You can actually persist for a few moments.
Heh, Jack replied with a dark chuckle, wiping the blood from his lips. I can win, too. Just you wait.
That is impossible. She raised her chin. Then she suddenly asked, Do you know that Maximus Lonihor was my son?
Jack was taken aback. I had a suspicion.
He wasand you dared kill him, she declared coldly. I didnt want to give you face by taking this battle seriously, but your resistance has angered me. So be it. Since you wish to fight a Lonihor, then I shall kill you like a Lonihor.
Suddenly, the winged knights disappeared. Her body shone a radiant white. Light streamed in from every direction, escaping even the tears in space to reach her.
Galicia Lonihor transformed. Her form became clad in white armor. Steel gauntlets appeared around her hands. Six wings unfurled from her back, like an angelic warrior, while a helmet formed around her face, leaving only her cold eyes exposed.
Suddenly, the pressure around Jack intensified. Chanting and hymns filled his ears. Feathers floated everywhere, untouched by the vacuum of space. Galicia raised her holy hand, and reality itself bent the knee. The only Dao left standing was the Fist, as well as Jack Rust himself, who raised his proud chin against her.
Feast your eyes on my form, she declared, for it is the closest thing to a god you will ever see.
Save your words, Galicia, Jack replied. Things looked grim; he could barely take her before, and now she had unleashed a battleform of stronger power. He had no more ways to enhance himselfyet, what choice did he have but to fight? His four fists tightened. His Dao stood again the world. A fist rose against supremacy like a man daring to fight an angel.
I dont care how strong you are. I dont care about your Grade, your ridiculous transformations, or your empty Dao. No matter what happens Today, there is no way Im going to lose!
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