Chapter 94 - The Beast Emperor Return (2/2)

”You should know that the weapons Artifact Spirits are created with fragments of the user's soul. Even if you take over the body, it will still be able to perceive the presence of a stranger and won't generate all of its power.”

The words of Bao Bei were like a veiled arrow that pointed straight to the enemy's pride. However, he answered with a laugh.

”So? What does it change? It's just a weapon that didn't accomplish its task. I have plenty of other techniques to use in its place.”

Then, he leaped forward into the region devoid of snakes and spiderwebs' filaments. The dome of Bao Bei also had extensive damage and could barely stand up, let alone attack as before.

”Law of Space, Instant Displacement.”

The body of the Shé Family head disappeared before the eyes of all those who were watching the battle. The next instant, he appeared next to Bao Bei. His nine snake heads behind his back were still there, and they prepared to strike.

”Law of Time, Arrest.”

It was as if the flow of time itself had stopped. The hairs on Bao Bei's body, as well as her movements, were still as if they were frozen in time. Taking advantage of that arrest, the nine snake heads behind the back of the Shé Family head gathered forward with their mouths wide open.

”Concept of Destruction, Law of Poison, Hydra Destruction Cannon!”

From each of the snake mouths came a ray of spirit power of enormous power. Just being hit by one of those rays was inconceivable, let alone nine. Yet, this was what happened. The nine beams merged into one, increasing their overall power before heading against the immovable Bao Bei, which at that point couldn't possibly block the attack.

”It's over, you lousy monster! Die like that snake asshole!”

The Shé Family head screamed with a face distorted by the negative emotions he felt. There wasn't even the slightest trace of elegance and grace existing before. All he wanted was to see that hated spider destroyed in front of him.

Boom! Screech!

A roar, louder than all those heard before, broke out where the two fighters were. Then it spread throughout the entire lake. Those who were watching from the lake shore, despite Gaiya's protective veil, couldn't help but all collapse on the ground, covering their ears because they couldn't bear that deafening sound.

No, it wasn't correct. Not everyone was down to cover their ears. Two people, no, five beings were standing, unconcerned about how loud the noise was.

Besides Gaiya, Hei, Ye, Xing, and Lian stood motionless in their place. Their eyes never lost sight of Bao Bei for a moment. Not even the tears or their eardrums' rupture or the excruciating pain that was gripping their hearts. No, none of this mattered. The only thing they cared about was the purple spider that was fighting in the sky with a strength never seen before.

It was because Bao Bei was the strongest being of all!

Therefore, there was no way that she would have let herself be defeated. And their absolute trust towards Bao Bei wasn't disappointed because, despite the impossible situation, the divine beast spider, the Empress of all the Divine Beasts, wasn't a being that would have gone down even for a blow that seemed impossible to avoid or block.

”Concept of Reality, Projection of the Dream.”

When the glow from the titanic ray descended on Bao Bei, she said these words. Then she closed her eight eyes to see more clearly the image she wanted, not at all worried about the incoming ray that swept her a moment later.

But Bao Bei hadn't been swept, though. In front of her, a snake with pitch-black scales had suddenly appeared. Its whole body was pitch black, even its eyes, its tongue, and its teeth. Every visible part of this snake was of that color.

After resisting the attack, that snake that initially had a size similar to that which Bao Bei was assuming, meaning five meters in length, began to grow larger.

10 meters, 50 meters, 100 meters, 150 meters.

At 150 meters long, the pitch-black snake stopped growing. Then it threw a hiss that reverberated throughout the lake region.

Hiss!

No, it wasn't just the Crossroad Lake. The whole Rainbow Island was within the range of that hiss, making everyone who listened to it scare. However, it was different from the attacks of the Shé Family martial artist. Those who heard that hiss, whether they on the lake shore or elsewhere, weren't damaged by the sound's out-of-scale intensity.

Yet this wasn't the case for the spirit beasts of the island. But rather than damaged, they were instead influenced by this hiss. Each of them began to kneel on the ground while they issued calls to respond to that cry.

It didn't matter if they were birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, or amphibians. It didn't matter if they were vertebrate or invertebrate species. All of them were bending down to the ground. And this was because they could perceive it. Even if they didn't know why, inside their hearts, they knew.

It was as if it were engraved within their very essence. The supreme existence of their species. The pinnacle of the final evolution that had been denied to them countless years ago and which they so desperately longed to achieve.

Their Lord and Sovereign, the Emperor Beast, had returned.

And when the hissing finally ended, the black eyes of that pitch-black snake lingered on the human flying high in the sky that until a moment before was laughing pleased, convinced that he had finally achieved victory.

”And so, we meet again. The One Who Hides Behind The Curtains.”

Authority. It was the most immediate feeling you felt when you listened to that voice. Not an authority derived from fear or from oppressing others with your strength. Not at all. It was an authority derived from trust and hope that those who followed him had towards their lord.

For his enemies, his voice would have been like the cold blade of a dagger on a dark night. For his allies, it was instead like a spiderweb's thread lowered to save the souls in pain that were in Hell.

”HEI AN!”

The Shé Family head's face became even more contracted and deformed than it had done up until now. This time, in addition to anger and hatred, there was a slight nuance of fear in his voice and expression. And it was because he couldn't help feeling fear before the appearance of the snake that he had become even more furious.

”HEI AN! YOU! I! WILL! KILL! YOU! ”

The human screamed violently with all the breath he had in his body. The being that had being occupying his thoughts for a hundred thousand years had appeared before him. The being that most of all, he wanted to kill him with his own hands. No, killing him was a euphemism.

He wanted to tear his enemy's flesh apart, cut it into pieces until the last shred. Tormenting his soul for eternity while binding him to survive to watch his loved ones suffer one by one of a horrible death. He wanted to see him collapse and despair. He wanted to see him plead for himself or his loved ones and see his reaction when he denied him grace, forcing him to suffer more.

It was the stage his obsession, his resentment, and his hatred against the being before his eyes had reached.

But this was of no use, because Hei An, the Emperor Beast, was the only possessor in the whole history of this world who had ever awakened the Concept of Hope. Regardless of how desperate his situation or that of his companions might seem, he wouldn't give up. He would continue to advance, confident that one day, his dream would come true, even if he had to die to leave HOPE to someone else.

”The One Who Hides Behind the Curtains! This time I'll be your opponent! ”