"No need, I'll go alone. You all can just watch," Muria looked around and shook his head, rejecting the suggestion from the Bagdad warrior next to him.
By now, the number of Ikkon people gathered around Muria had reached an unprecedented figure of over 10,000. These Ikkon had come from various tribes, all responding to Muria's call to witness the birth of a new king.
"But you still don't have a flying companion. How are you going to get up there?" The Bagdad warrior, eager to assist Muria, was still unwilling to give up after hearing his refusal.
"Of course, I'll just fly up myself!" Muria smiled. Under the watchful eyes of the thousands of Ikkon present, glowing divine patterns began to emerge on his body, enveloping him in radiant light.
To the shock of the surrounding Ikkon, Muria's body rose from Black Cat and hovered in mid-air. Then, brilliant light began to flow from him, gathering behind his back like liquid, forming three pairs of pure white wings resembling those of an angel.
"This is..." The sight of Muria left the gathered Bagdad warriors stunned. They had never imagined that divine patterns could be cultivated to such a degree.
Boom! Encased in pure white light, Muria flapped his glowing wings and shot toward the floating Cloud Peak, high above, like a white streak across the sky.
Roar! Roar! Roar! As soon as Muria neared Cloud Peak, the guardians of the area noticed him—winged creatures with wingspans of over 30 meters, known as Shadow Beasts, rushed toward the clearly hostile Muria.
Faced with the Shadow Beasts swarming from all directions, Muria remained calm. With a casual movement, he grabbed the jaws of one Shadow Beast that lunged to bite him.
He instinctively considered tearing the beast apart but hesitated slightly. Instead, he threw the creature aside, sending it crashing into another Shadow Beast that was also aiming for him.
The Shadow Beasts were the guardians of Meisha, and Meisha was the creature Muria was about to conquer. In other words, these Shadow Beasts would soon be under his command, so there was no need for Muria to go all out. A light beating would suffice.
Howl! Muria kicked out, sending a visible crescent-shaped shockwave toward another Shadow Beast, striking one of its wings and breaking it. The creature spun out of control and crashed down onto Cloud Peak.
"Awroo!" The Shadow Beast that fell into the bushes below looked up at Muria, who had just effortlessly taken down multiple of its kin. Its cry echoed in the air, filled with the pain of its broken wing and the frustration of being powerless to protect its king.
Pure, impotent rage!
…
Muria dominated the battlefield on Cloud Peak with the ease of a king, mowing down the Shadow Beasts like bronze-tier children. The Ikkon people watching below were left in awe, their voices filled with admiration.
"Are the Shadow Beasts too weak, or is Lord Ull too strong? It seems like they don't stand a chance!"
"Of course, it's because Lord Ull is too powerful. Shadow Beasts prey on Blue Creek Beasts!"
"So Bagdad warriors can be this strong. I've really been slacking off before!"
"This is Lord Ull's true strength? It seems he's been holding back when fighting alongside us."
"Go, Ull! You can do it!" Batu, Muria's father, watched excitedly from below. His face was full of enthusiasm as he cheered, "You will conquer Meisha and become king!"
…
"Too easy!" In the sky, Muria felt like he hadn't exerted much effort as he glanced at the defeated Shadow Beasts below, most of them grounded with broken wings and growling in frustration. He scoffed at them in disdain.
"Now, where is the King of the Sky?" With his impressive six wings spread out behind him—created purely for show—Muria began searching for Meisha.
Muria was someone who valued practicality, but he also appreciated a stylish appearance. After all, who wouldn't want to look cooler? While the six wings weren't very useful in battle, they definitely made a visual impact. And in this world, which also judged by appearances, a king with a striking look was more compelling than a plain one. Of course, that king needed to have the strength to back it up.
"Found you!" It didn't take Muria long to locate—or rather, sense—the presence of Meisha. He transformed into a streak of light and shot deeper into Cloud Peak.
Despite its name, Cloud Peak wasn't just a single peak but a massive mountain range floating in the sky, complete with a fully developed ecosystem.
"Hey!" Muria stopped in the central area of Cloud Peak. Before him sat a creature perched on a rock that resembled a throne. It had the body structure of a dragon from Erathia, with four legs and two wings. However, it lacked the horns of a dragon, and its body was covered in sleek, violet-black skin instead of scales. Its form was slender, elegant, and regal—befitting of a king.
But Meisha's regal aura was bolstered by the near hundred Shadow Beasts either flying or lying nearby. Without them, Meisha would just be a particularly elegant creature, albeit a large one.
"It's about the size of an ancient black dragon," Muria assessed the creature. "As my mount in this world, it'll do just fine."
As Muria evaluated Meisha, the creature also scrutinized him. When Meisha noticed the disrespectful look in Muria's eyes, it let out an angry roar, clearly insulted by his gaze.
After that roar, a dozen Shadow Beasts immediately prepared to launch an attack on Muria. However, before they could move, Meisha roared again, and the Shadow Beasts reluctantly withdrew, folding their wings and settling onto the mountain.
Roar! Meisha roared once more, and the Shadow Beasts obediently cleared the area, leaving a large open space.
"So, you want to fight me one-on-one? Interesting!" Muria raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling some respect for this sky king.
Boom! Just as this thought crossed his mind, Muria noticed Meisha's neck swelling. Purple light seeped from between its teeth, and before he could fully react, a violet-black beam shot straight at him.
Muria, whose body was barely over three meters tall, was instantly engulfed by the enormous beam of light, which continued shooting into the sky behind him.
The beam split the sky like a sword, dispersing the clouds and leaving the sky clear.
The beam lasted for more than ten seconds. When Meisha finally closed its mouth, a streak of white light burst from where Muria had been standing. It curved gracefully before smashing into Meisha's chin.
Awroo! Meisha let out a cry of pain, its imposing posture atop the throne-like rock shattered as it was knocked over, crashing into the rock and shattering it in the process.
"Not bad!" Muria, covered in smoke with his divine patterns dimming, stood atop Meisha's neck, patting his chest. He had sensed the attack coming but hadn't been fast enough to dodge. His body simply couldn't keep up with his mind.
Roar! Meisha, its chin aching, roared in fury and swiped a claw at Muria. He dodged and punched the creature's neck again, producing a dull thud.
This was the first time since arriving in this world that Muria had been hit so hard. He wasn't holding back at all, giving everything he had. Meisha was equally furious, for it had never been knocked down in its life.
Meow! After being struck twice in the neck, Meisha let out a cry—but this time, it was different. The once mighty roar now sounded like the squeak of a kitten.
"Hmm?" Muria paused, surprised by the sound. He glanced at the spot he had struck, then at his fist, and a smile crept across his face.
It wasn't just Muria who was stunned—Meisha was equally shocked by the sound it had just made. Its massive body froze, and an expression of disbelief appeared on its face. Ignoring Muria for a moment, Meisha let out another roar to test its voice.
Meow! The powerful, majestic roar it expected didn't come. Instead, it was another kitten-like squeak.
Meow! Meow! Meow! Meisha tried several more times, only to find that its voice had been completely changed. Furious, its eyes, now burning red, locked onto Muria—the one responsible for its humiliating new voice, who was now laughing uncontrollably on the side.
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