Chapter 66 – The Twilight of the Clear Sky
The dust of the shattered hammer had barely settled when the atmosphere in the arena changed from competitive to lethal. Bibi Dong did not simply walk, she descended from the VIP balcony as if walking down an invisible staircase of solidified air.
Bibi Dong descends from the balcony. She doesn't attack, she comes to speak. She plans to reveals Xiao Wu's identity as a 100,000-year-old soul beast, but she would do it with a chillingly calm diplomacy.
As she touched the sand, the sheer physical presence of the Supreme Pontiff silenced the crowd. She was a vision of majestic, fertile power. Her white and gold armor was molded to her mature milf like and full bodied silhouette, emphasizing a narrow waist that blossomed into wide, powerful hips and a voluptuous chest that commanded respect. Every step she took radiated the dignity of an Empress, yet there was a predatory grace in her eyes.
"Xiao Wu," Bibi Dong said, her voice a silk-wrapped blade. "The game is over. You are a 100,000-year-old Soft-Boned Rabbit. By the laws of the Spirit World, you are a resource. However..." she gestured to Lakan, "the Holy Son seeks a new path. Give yourself to our Soul Spirit System research. Become the bridge between beast and man, and the Hall will protect you. Refuse, and you are merely prey."
•••••••
Tang San, broken and bleeding, crawls in front of Xiao Wu. He ignores the Soul Spirit System proposal entirely, viewing it only as a plot to kill her.
His eyes were bloodshot, his mind fractured by the defeat and the thief illusions. "Don't listen to her, Xiao Wu!" he rasped, his hand trembling as he reached into his 24 Moonlit Bridges. He pulled out a metallic flower, the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus. "If I can't have you, the world can burn with us!" He wasn't looking for a solution, he is looking for a tragedy.
BOOM!
The sky over Wuhun City split open. A massive black shadow blotted out the sun as a titanic hammer, wreathed in black lightning, slammed into the center of the arena.
"Who dares touch my son's woman?!"
Tang Hao appeared atop the handle of the hammer, his tattered cloak billowing. His presence shook the foundations of the city, his nine spirit rings, including the terrifying red 100,000-year ring, pulsating with a murderous intent.
••••••••••
Lakan stepped forward in an unheried leisure way, hands in his pockets, a playful, mocking smirk on his face. He looked at Tang Hao with the bored eyes of a predator looking at a fossil.
"Ah, the God of War," Lakan chuckled, a sound that was less a giggle and more a rhythmic, taunting mockery that echoed the whole arena. "I was wondering when the local stray would show up to bark."
Tang Hao's eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on the Clear Sky Hammer. "Boy, you have talent, but you are a Soul Emperor. Step aside before I crush your body."
Lakan laughed again, tilting his head. "It'll be fine, Tang Hao. After all... you're soooo~~ weak."
The insult acted like a spark in a powder keg. Tang Hao's mind flashed back to his humiliation at the hands of Yue Guan two years ago. The shame of being a Houtian Douluo beaten by an Chrysanthemum sissy burst fueled a volcanic rage.
"DIEE!" Tang Hao roared, swinging the hammer with a force that sent a shockwave through the stadium, shattering the VIP glass and making Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin brace themselves.
Lakan didn't dodge. He triggered the Eight-Gate Overdrive.
"x20 Surge. Iridescent Bone Forging: Engage."
Lakan's skin took on a metallic, silver-stone sheen, the Batong Pilak. He caught the head of the Clear Sky Hammer with his bare Iridescent Enchanced Hand, the impact creating a crater 100 meters wide. The stone of the arena groaned as the shockwave resonated through the entire Spirit City, felt by citizens miles away as the whole city shook.
"Is this the Clear Sky power?" Lakan whispered, his voice calm amidst the storm. "Tang Hao... you were born in an era without me, and hence you were hailed as the greatest genius of that age. And yet, you turn out to be... so painfully ordinary."
As Tang Hao widen his eyes from shock, Lakan ignited his 36 Heavenly Star Acupoints. The Stellar Chain completed.
"Overdrive: x56 Multiplier!"
Lakan's aura exploded, turning into a blinding constellation. He unleashed the Eight Directional Flow. He used Tapyas (The Shaving Wind) to vibrate Tang Hao's hammer, numbing the Titled Douluo's arms, then followed with a Panununtukan (Vibrational Pulse) directly into Tang Hao's chest.
"Impossible!" Tang Hao spat blood, his ninth ring flickering. He performed Ring Explosion, sacrificing his soul rings for a final, desperate burst of power. The sky turned black as he concentrated everything into a single strike.
Lakan entered the Void-Motion Pulse State. The world slowed to a crawl.
"Let me show you the difference between a Ordinary Genius and a Sovereign," Lakan said.
Lakan moved. He executed the Prismatic Flash, circling Tang Hao in under a millisecond. Eight Friction Phantoms appeared simultaneously, trapping the God of War in the Octagon Prison (Ang Kulungang Walong Sulok).
1. North: An Echoing Strike to the jaw.
2. East: A Biakid low-sweep to the knees.
3. West: A Tusok-Daloy pierce to the shoulder.
...all eight strikes converged at once.
"Know this, Tang Hao," Lakan said, appearing right in front of the disbelieving man's face as the eight echoes collapsed into the center. "The only reason you were called the greatest... was simply because I wasn't born yet."
CRAAA-ACK!
The combined force of the 56x Overdrive and the Octagonal Collapse hit Tang Hao. The Spatial Distortion warped the air, and for a second, the Great God of War looked like a puppet with broken strings. He fell to his hands and knees, his Nine Rings dimmed, his chest caved in by the Vibrational Pulse.
The entire Spirit City trembled from the final impact. Qian Renxue, watching from the stands, felt her heart hammer against her ribs. This wasn't a fight, it was an execution of an era.
Lakan stood over the fallen Tang Hao, his breathing heavy, his Silver Stone bones vibrating from the x56 strain. He was exhausted, but he stood tall, the Ibong Adarna hovering majestically behind him.
Bibi Dong looked at Lakan with a pride that bordered on worship. But as she moved to finish the job, the shadows of the arena floor began to boil.
A crimson mist, thick with the smell of old blood and iron, erupted between Lakan and the fallen Tangs.
"A feast of geniuses..." a voice rasped.
The Slaughter King emerged. He didn't look at Tang Hao; he looked directly at Lakan. He saw the Void Motion state and the exhausted Sovereign.
"The little Phoenix is tired," the King hissed, his blood-red cape swirling as he prepared his Blood Sacrifice ritual to seize Lakan in the chaos.