Mark Grayson's disguised submarine, like a lone boat spewed out by the universe, plunged into the embrace of the Void Graveyard.
This was not absolute nothingness, but rather like the universe's morgue.
Gigantic starship wreckage, like the skeletons of prehistoric beasts, floated and collided in the cold, dead void.
Twisted metal, broken keels, armor layers melted through by energy… all spoke of the demise of countless civilizations.
Sparse stardust permeated the space, absorbing the already faint light, shrouding the entire area in a oppressive, dim, iron-gray hue.
The only light source came from the energy cores within some of the wreckage that had not yet completely extinguished, like the eyes of dying creatures, flickering with ominous green or dark red light.
Absolute silence was the master here, as if even sound had been swallowed by this graveyard.
The spaceship carefully glided in the shadow of a dreadnought wreck comparable to an asteroid.
Allen stared intently at the sensors, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Energy readings are chaotic, interference is extremely strong… but ahead, near the coordinates, there's a strong gravitational well distortion signal, consistent with what the Star Seers predicted!"
"And… a large number of active engine signals! Probably Trigg's assault ships!"
Mark Grayson stood before the bridge viewport, his new combat suit shimmering with a deep blue-black luster in the dim light, his molten-gold eyes sharp as knives, piercing through layers of wreckage mist to lock onto the target area.
It was a vast space surrounded by dense wreckage, with a visible gravitational vortex at its center, twisting even light.
Over a dozen Viltrum assault ships, emblazoned with ferocious claw mark symbols and shaped like razor blades, patrolled around the vortex like a school of sharks.
"Where is Trigg?" Mark Grayson's voice was low, his muscles tensing slightly beneath his combat suit, like a leopard poised to strike.
Before he finished speaking, a faint signal with a specific encrypted identifier cut directly into the ship's auxiliary channel.
Trigg's characteristic, raspy voice, like metal grinding, sounded, carrying a hint of playfulness.
"My soldiers tell me you've arrived, Mark Grayson, you're quite punctual."
"However… a small hiccup, I can't come over right now. I'll send my subordinates to find you."
Inside the Viltrum main battleship.
Trigg sat in the observation station, his two-meter-three height making the surrounding interstellar equipment look like toys, a faint curve on his chiseled face.
Mark Grayson stood before the viewport, his molten-gold eyes sharp as knives, instantly piercing through the mist of wreckage to lock onto the front.
On a floating, colossal platform of wreckage at the edge of the light-bending gravitational vortex, a figure stood.
That was a giant.
His body was like a moving mountain, his neck as thick as the stump of a century-old tree, steadily supporting his head, which was etched with the marks of time.
His white beard was his most striking feature, not an elegantly trimmed shape, but like a snowdrift torn by a gale, and his hair was a tangled mess of dark gray and white, stubbornly standing on end.
A cold, hard silver gleamed at the joint where metal met flesh on his right shoulder; it was a mechanical arm, with exposed intricate gears at the joints, and dark red stains still clinging to his knuckles, the blood of some unknown planet.
Viltrum standard battle armor encased his massive torso, every ripple of muscle causing the metal shell to subtly tense, as if it would burst those cold restraints in the next second.
Simply by standing there, he exuded a suffocating sense of oppression, like the embodiment of war.
"Conqueror…" Allen's voice carried a hint of trepidation.
"Trigg's most loyal and brutal war hound, a pure machine of destruction… Trigg didn't come? He sent Conqueror to greet you?"
Mark Grayson's eyes were cold.
He seemed to understand Trigg's meaning.
Testing the waters.
Using this hardest stone to gauge his current weight.
If he won, it meant he was worth Trigg personally cooperating with.
If he lost, he would immediately become a prisoner.
Without hesitation, Mark Grayson pulled open the hatch, and the cold vacuum instantly enveloped his entire body.
He bent his knees slightly, then pushed off the hull with a powerful thrust!
Boom!
The alloy deck buckled under the impact!
His body transformed into a bolt of lightning tearing through the void, carrying an unparalleled momentum, and slammed onto the platform opposite Conqueror, the metal beneath his feet groaning under the strain.
"Mark Grayson, Trigg greatly admires you… but in my opinion, he might have misjudged you."
Conqueror stared at Mark Grayson, his expressionless face scrutinizing him from head to toe, his pupils seemingly devoid of any warmth, only the focused indifference of a hunter locking onto prey, as if he could penetrate flesh and reach the soul.
Mark Grayson did not answer.
He simply took a step forward, and the air between them seemed to ignite, creating an incomprehensible sense of spatial distortion.
"Hmm?"
A hint of surprise flashed in Conqueror's eyes.
In his view, Mark Grayson's seemingly frail physique could never possess such an aura.
"Interesting… then I shall weigh your worth!"
Conqueror took a step, the shadow behind him spreading like a living thing, as if to absorb most of the surrounding light.
The invisible aura around him, mixed with the scent of gunpowder, rust, and stardust, felt as if every inch of ground he had walked had once been a battlefield.
"To enter a temple and worship the gods, one must first enter the mountain gate; to see the true god… you must first pass me!"
Conqueror's cold eyes locked onto Mark Grayson, without any superfluous words, only the pure excitement of a beast locking onto its prey.
His huge foot stomped down forcefully!
Thud!
The entire platform vibrated violently.
His massive body erupted with terrifying speed, disproportionate to his size, like a cannonball leaving the barrel, instantly covering dozens of meters!
His right fist clenched, the mechanical arm tearing through the dead void, bringing with it a dull, heart-stopping roar, and directly slammed into Mark Grayson's chest without any fancy moves!
The simplest, most direct, and most effective.
This was the unique aesthetic of power belonging to the Viltrum Conqueror!
Mark Grayson's eyes narrowed, and he likewise did not dodge.
His legs rooted to the deck, his back tensed like a dragon's spine, his right fist clenched, muscles bulging under his combat suit, and facing the giant fist thicker than his own body, he likewise unleashed a powerful punch!
Bang—!!!
A muffled, extreme roar, as if two small asteroids had collided, reverberated.
Centered on the point of impact of their fists, a visible shockwave rapidly expanded, instantly clearing the dust and tiny debris accumulated on the platform's surface, pulverizing them.
The alloy deck beneath their feet violently undulated and twisted like water, emitting a piercing metallic tearing sound.
Mark Grayson's combat boots sank deep into the deformed metal, his body sliding back half a step, plowing two deep grooves, but he stood firm!
A clear vibrating sensation ran through his right arm, but the new combat suit perfectly dispersed and absorbed the impact force, the blue-black energy patterns at the point of contact rapidly flickering before quickly settling down.
Conqueror's massive body also swayed slightly!
Surprise appeared in his eyes for the second time!
This small insect actually managed to withstand his power head-on without falling, even only retreating half a step; this strength… indeed, it was not an empty rumor.
"Roar!"
Surprise instantly transformed into even more ferocious battle intent.
Conqueror let out a roar, his left fist like a giant siege hammer, sweeping across with even more terrifying power!
This time, the target was Mark Grayson's head!
Mark Grayson's eyes were sharp as lightning, he no longer met the blow head-on, his body drifted back half a step as if weightless, perfectly allowing the giant fist, capable of smashing mountains, to graze past his nose.
The terrifying punch wind made his combat suit flap violently!
The instant the giant fist missed, Mark Grayson's body sprang back like a compressed spring, his right leg like a battle-axe tearing through the sky, bringing with it a piercing whoosh, and savagely whipped into Conqueror's right flank, exposed due to his exertion!
Thud!
Conqueror's heavy battle armor let out a muffled thud, the point of impact clearly dented, and the immense force caused his massive body to stagger a step to the left.
The pain activated the berserk bloodline within Conqueror's body.
How many years had passed, he no longer remembered.
During countless campaigns and conquests, Viltrum's active violent genes had gradually grown cold, because his opponents had no way to pique his interest.
Now… before he completely withered, he had finally met an opponent, besides Trigg, who could make him go all out.
The mission Trigg had given him was now completely forgotten…
Nothing was more important than being killed by an opponent, or killing an opponent!
Conqueror was like a rampaging war colossus, every punch, every kick was heavy and powerful, stirring up turbulent storms!
He used his size and strength advantage, attempting to completely suppress and crush Mark Grayson with a continuous barrage of heavy blows.
Giant fists encased in standard battle armor rained down like raindrops, heavy combat boots stomping on the platform, each landing causing the wreckage to tremble!
Mark Grayson, however, transformed into the most precise, most deadly blue-black blade, pushing his speed, agility, and explosive power to the extreme!
He weaved and dodged within Conqueror's furious storm of attacks, like a phantom, utilizing the flexibility advantage brought by the size difference, constantly seeking gaps in the opponent's attacks and weak points in their defense.
Fists, elbows, knees, and legs became deadly weapons!
Each strike against the opponent's battle armor erupted with a dull roar!
The dents on Conqueror's body grew more numerous; although he couldn't break through the defense with a single blow, the cumulative impact force constantly vibrated through his body via the armor!
The battle was incredibly fierce, and the shockwaves of colliding fists and feet continuously exploded.
The platform beneath their feet continuously cracked and disintegrated under their brutalization!
But Mark Grayson remained at ease, his molten-gold eyes calm as ice, clearly controlling the rhythm of the battle.
He felt that while Conqueror's strength was great, there was a clear gap in his speed and skill compared to his own.
He was even more convinced that this battle was more like a performance evaluation carefully designed by Trigg.
Conqueror, unable to land a decisive blow, a hint of impatience and hidden fury flashed in his eyes.
He had underestimated Mark Grayson's growth rate.
He suddenly delivered a powerful, downward kick towards Mark Grayson, who lightly leaped backward, and the missed giant leg slammed heavily onto the deck.
Boom!
Instantly creating a large pit, dust billowed!
Just as the dust billowed, the molten-gold light in Mark Grayson's eyes suddenly intensified, and he caught Conqueror's extremely brief loss of balance caused by the heavy blow missing!
Opportunity!
"Urgh!"
Mark Grayson let out a low, determined growl in the vacuum, and two highly condensed heat vision beams, like molten-gold spears, shot out from his eyes!
The target was not the opponent's head or heart, but the relatively weaker connection point behind his mechanical arm's joint, exposed due to his large range of motion!
Sizzle—!!!
The scorching beams hit precisely, the terrifying high temperature instantly melted through the metal connection point, the mechanical arm melted and vaporized like butter, revealing the glowing red internal structure and Conqueror's tough but not invincible flesh!
"Roar!!!"
Conqueror let out an extremely painful roar, his body trembling violently, his entire body losing strength due to the sudden soul-piercing pain, his massive body lost balance, and he crashed down onto one knee!
Hot molten metal dripped onto the deck, making sizzling sounds!
Mark Grayson instantly retracted his heat vision, his chest rising and falling slightly.
He stood at the edge of the metallic smoke, his molten-gold eyes coldly staring at the kneeling Conqueror.
The victor was decided.
He only needed to deliver one more blow to completely end this powerful Conqueror.
"Clap clap clap clap…"
Just as Mark Grayson's fist was about to strike, on the other side of the platform, a sudden round of applause came from the previously empty shadows.
"Excellent! Astonishing growth, Mark Grayson."
A deep, steady voice, with a distinct Viltrum accent, like cold spring water, echoed in this dead battlefield.
Trigg's figure stepped out from the darkness.
A perfectly appropriate smile on his face, as if he had just finished watching a spectacular gladiatorial match.
His deep eyes, like they contained stars, calmly looked at Mark Grayson, then glanced at Conqueror, who was kneeling on one knee, his eyes filled with unwillingness and shock.
"Stand down, you have proven his worth far exceeds my expectations."
Trigg's voice carried an unquestionable authority.
Conqueror, enduring the intense pain, supported himself with his left arm, struggled to his feet, glared fiercely at Mark Grayson with his crimson eyes, then respectfully lowered his head, performing a warrior's salute towards Trigg, and then limped back to the shadows at the edge of the platform, his massive figure quickly swallowed by the darkness.
Only then did Trigg fully turn his gaze to Mark Grayson, the formulaic smile on his face seeming a bit more genuine.
"I had to personally confirm if you were worthy of touching the… truth we are about to face."
He slowly walked forward, stopping a few meters from Mark Grayson, his gaze sweeping over Mark Grayson's new blue-black combat suit and his molten-gold eyes, with an undisguised assessment and a hint of satisfaction.
"It turns out."
Trigg spread his hand, palm up, as if displaying an invisible treasure.
"The destruction of Vitrum Prime… seems to have transformed you."
He paused, his eyes deepening.
"Now, let's get to the point, this is what you're interested in…"
Trigg took out a metal cube that glowed with a faint blue light and was covered with complex, ancient patterns.
As soon as the cube appeared, the surrounding space seemed to twist slightly, and an indescribable sense of a whisper, as if from the end of the universe, faintly emanated.
"You may not realize how many planets I've conquered looking for this thing, and now the entire Planetary Alliance is after me."
"But they're not looking for revenge; they're looking for what I have."
"… The answer is in there."
Trigg's gaze turned to the gravitational vortex behind him, where light twisted and gravity was anomalous.
"This is a fragment of a door, or rather… a broken entrance."
"This little thing in my hand is a key."
He lightly tossed the cube, its faint blue light reflecting in his unfathomable eyes.
"Now, cooperation, or continued suspicion?"
Trigg looked at Mark Grayson, a playful curve on his lips.
"The decision is yours, Grayson, but time, I'm afraid, is not on either of our sides."
He threw the question back to Mark Grayson, like a patient chess player waiting for his opponent to make a move.
Mark Grayson's molten-gold eyes stared intently at the cube in Trigg's hand, then looked at the gravitational vortex, like the gaping maw of an abyss.
Trigg's appearance, his mediation, his bait—every step was precise and cunning.
The probing was over, the true game of chess had only just begun.
For Earth, he had to brave this eye of the vortex.
But facing Trigg, this viper, every step had to be taken as if walking on thin ice.
He took a deep breath, with an undeniable resolve.
"Lead the way, Trigg!"
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