Lifting the Veil Reveals Only Victory or Defeat

The fire, blazing towards the heavens, displayed the most ferocious attack imaginable.

Even if there were weapons with greater raw power, none possessed such a savage attack style.

A slash composed of fire, but whose effect wasn't heat.

It was a directed, violent attack of countless plasma particles, the energy released when matter's molecules were split and recombined into lower-energy molecules – inflicted upon a single person!!

Vakh couldn't dodge. He took the full force of the potentially decisive blow on his neck.

And yet…

Shu was the first to fall.

He crashed onto the scorched earth like a discarded ragdoll, stirring up unfallen ash.

Then Vakh, pulling an unknown giant bird that appeared out of nowhere, slowly descended.

A "garment" of flesh quickly covered Vakh's charred body.

Visually, the standing Vakh was in far worse condition than Shu. His left arm and the entire left side of his chest were gone. Half his face was exposed bone.

And Shu?

His sword-wielding right arm was missing. He writhed in agony on the thick layer of ash, clutching his severed arm.

Multicoloured light flickered on the stump. Shu rolled onto his back, gripping his shoulder, desperately trying to suppress something.

"Shu…" Vakh's remaining eye stared at him.

The tender flesh started rapidly growing from Vakh's charred body, quickly taking shape and evolving into skin, muscle, blood vessels, and the missing heart…

In seconds, an almost fully restored, albeit pale, Vakh stood before the still-struggling Shu.

"Truly… delightful…" Vakh brushed away the bloody steam rising from his healing body. "I doubt I'll ever forget this battle…"

"Urgh—!" Shu groaned, his shoulder jerking, suppressed by his faintly glowing hand.

Raising his ashen face, Shu glared at Vakh.

Vakh looked at the kneeling Shu, an expression of regret on his face.

"Tsk… I hadn't intended to use this…" His gaze fell on Shu's hand, clutching his left shoulder, his excitement undiminished.

"Why suppress it? Let it erupt. Perhaps you'll become even stronger, strong enough to kill me!" Vakh said with a smile, raising a hand towards Shu.

Shu's body, which he had just managed to prop up, slumped again. Cold sweat dripped from his face, falling onto the black ash.

"I must admit, Shu, you're strong. Stronger than I anticipated, even though I had high expectations…"

Vakh's eyes scanned Shu, scrutinizing every detail like a connoisseur admiring a masterpiece.

Shu's increasing agony seemed to be another source of pleasure for Vakh, eliciting a satisfied sigh.

"That's why I truly didn't want to harm you. You're such a… perfect specimen. But you've consistently exceeded my expectations."

"From the [Champion] to the [Pseudo-Dragon], to shattering my [Pangu]…" Vakh paused, seemingly lost in memory.

His manic expression intensified, and he clenched his fist.

"What other surprises do you have?! What kind of treasure are you?!"

"Aagh—!" Shu cried out, finally losing control of his left shoulder.

Masses of flesh and bone erupted from the severed arm, forming a grotesque… "limb."

No, that "limb" was several times larger than Shu himself.

It was like a hideous tumor with a person attached.

The violent mutation, disregarding Shu's will, drained his remaining biological energy. A wave of weakness and dizziness washed over him, threatening to knock him unconscious.

Only the last vestiges of [hope] in his body kept him conscious.

In this battle, every living thing was Vakh's ally against Shu… including Shu's own body.

In that instant of the sword strike, just as he struck Vakh, he almost severed Vakh's body.

But in that same instant, Vakh had grabbed his hand.

And then, in a split second, Shu felt his hand cease to be his own. He watched helplessly as his arm mutated violently, the change rapidly spreading towards his body.

His returning rationality prompted him to take drastic action. He severed his own arm.

But with his arm gone, the Flamescion sword strike was reduced to its residual power, consuming the mutating arm and Vakh's half-body before dissipating.

And Shu, having expended almost all his energy, fell helplessly from the sky.

From the very beginning, Vakh had possessed the power to transform him into a mutated creature. But he'd been more "arrogant" than Shu.

Shu had saved his potentially fatal Flamescion strike for last. Vakh had concealed his guaranteed killing blow!

Now, both had revealed their trump cards, but Shu had lost… utterly.

Struggling to lift his head, Shu's eyes still blazed with unquenched fury.

"Look… Shu. Another… surprise!" Vakh said, spreading his hands, smiling. "Even my most fundamental ability, the foundation of all this, you can resist!"

"The power I expended on you could have created ten… no, twenty, even more [Pseudo-Dragons]! And yet, it only mutated a single arm!"

"Hah…" Vakh shook his head, sighing, retracting his hands. "It's a pity. You've given me so many surprises, but you lost in the most fundamental aspect…"

"Shu, you are still a [creature]. You still belong to the pyramid of life. You simply stand at the apex. And I…" Vakh looked at Shu's growing "limb," his eyes filled with regret.

"I am now the one who defines that pyramid!!"