area51novel Chapter 54: Metamorphosis
Chapter 54: Metamorphosis
In the secluded chamber of the global headquarters of the Ultimate Martial Arts Academy, Hong is in seclusion.
Light filled the space again, and the huge black sphere had vanished without a trace.
Hong sat cross-legged in the center of the secret room, his eyes still closed, but his entire demeanor had undergone a dramatic change.
If he was once a spear with its sharp edge exposed, then now he is a vast, boundless starry sky that encompasses all things. All his sharpness and power have been completely concealed.
He successfully broke through from the first level of the Hengxing realm to the second level, and his internal energy surged. More importantly, his previously unstable "Light Domain" underwent a qualitative leap after the most important cornerstone, "Cultivation," was added.
What was originally only the fourth level of the domain has now leaped into the sixth level, and has reached a state of complete control and perfect mastery.
Hong slowly opened his eyes.
Those deep eyes held no energy fluctuations, as calm as an ancient well, yet they seemed to be able to see through people's hearts and understand all the illusions of the world.
He stood up from the ground, his movements casual and natural, like an ordinary person who had never practiced martial arts and was about to go out for a walk.
The mere act of standing up caused the pressure he unconsciously exuded to create slight ripples in the surrounding space, much like water.
He walked slowly toward the heavy, sealed door made of a special alloy.
When he was three meters away from the secret door, the surface of the incredibly sturdy door began to creak and twist.
The door seemed to be subjected to an invisible, terrifying force, and was being slowly squeezed and deformed.
Hong frowned slightly.
With a thought, he instantly and completely concealed all the unconscious aura he was releasing.
The pressure on the secret door suddenly disappeared with a soft sound, and it returned to normal.
At this moment, Hong looks like an extremely ordinary person.
……
Meanwhile, at the core control center of the Dome of Light.
A silence.
The joy of Thor's emergence from seclusion and the suppression of the beast tide has long since vanished, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity.
On the main screen, footage of the Golden Horned Beast devouring the Third War Base of the Indian Empire was playing on a loop.
The massive war base, forged from countless alloys, along with the millions of monsters entrenched within it, was forcibly kneaded into a metal sphere by an invisible force and then easily swallowed up.
This scene, which defied all reason, left everyone breathless.
Just then, a dazzling purple bolt of lightning flashed, and Thor's figure appeared in the center of the hall.
He had just returned from providing support in the European theater, and his face still carried a trace of post-battle excitement and exhilaration.
His gaze fell on the constantly looping images on the main screen, and the latest data analysis highlighted in striking red by Babata next to the images.
"The analysis results are in."
Babata's analysis results circulated in the monitoring center after being relayed by Luo Feng.
"After consuming the metal from those ancient civilization ruins and the entire war base, its energy level is estimated to have reached at least the fifth level of the Hengxing level, or even higher."
"Based on its cosmic behemoth bloodline and energy amplitude, no attack currently available on Earth can cause it fatal damage. Theoretically, only a B6-class laser cannon could pose a significant threat to it."
Thor's smile froze.
The exhilaration he felt after breaking through to the Hengxing level and slaying the Thunder Dragon Emperor has vanished completely.
Faced with this analysis, he felt a sense of powerlessness.
A fifth-tier star level? That means that even if the opponent just stands there and lets him hit it, even if he uses all his strength plus his domain power, the damage he can inflicts on it will be very limited.
Just then.
The alloy doors of the control center slid open silently to both sides.
A figure dressed in black training clothes walked in slowly, and everyone's eyes subconsciously focused on the doorway.
The person who arrived was none other than Hong.
Thor and Luo Feng were the first to realize that something was wrong.
Thor had just broken through to the Hengxing level, and his perception was incredibly sharp. But in his perception, Hong, who was slowly approaching, did not seem to be a living being at all.
All his senses that tried to probe the past were swallowed up without a trace, and he received no feedback.
This bizarre situation gave him an indescribable sense of terrifying pressure.
"Brother Hong...you..." Thor's voice became somewhat hoarse.
Within Luo Feng's sea of consciousness, Babata also uttered a voice filled with surprise and uncertainty.
"Second-tier of the Hengxing level. But... what a strange feeling, I can't read his life field at all!"
It instantly detected the energy intensity of the flood, but was unable to analyze any further data.
Luo Feng, forcing himself to stay upright, leaned against the control panel and reported to Hong as quickly as possible everything that had happened since the appearance of the Golden Horned Beast.
Hong listened calmly to the entire account without any change in expression on his face.
He walked to the main screen, his gaze falling on the dark golden body of the Golden Horned Beast, and remained silent for a long time.
Thor watched Hong's retreating figure, opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Hong finally spoke.
"Passive defense is pointless now. If we just wait for it to eat up all the metal it can find, we're doomed anyway."
He slowly turned around, his deep gaze sweeping over Thor before landing on Luo Feng.
"We must take the initiative."
These six simple words gave everyone a sense of purpose and dispelled the gloom that had been hanging over their hearts.
Thor was stunned for a moment, then the dejection on his face vanished, replaced by a fervent fighting spirit.
"Hahaha! Great!"
He slapped his thigh and burst into laughter.
"Fighting this behemoth head-on is much better than cowering here and waiting to die! I've been itching for a fight for ages!"
Hong nodded slightly to Thor.
Then, his gaze turned to Luo Feng, who was almost unable to stand.
Looking at Luo Feng's deathly pale face and the bloodstains at the corner of his mouth, a barely perceptible tenderness appeared in Hong Gujing's usually calm eyes.
He walked up to Luo Feng, reached out, and patted Luo Feng on the shoulder.
"You've done enough, thank you for your hard work."
Hong's voice was calm and gentle.
"Take a good rest. Leave the rest to me."
These words seemed to possess some kind of magic, draining Luo Feng of the last bit of willpower that sustained him.
Luo Feng felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and his body slumped forward.
Just as he was about to fall, an invisible, gentle force supported him.
Then, this force slowly carried him out of the control center and placed him in Hong's private meditation room on the top floor of the Extreme Martial Arts Academy's global headquarters.
After doing all this, Hong turned around and walked back to the main control panel.
He personally took over the Dome of Light's global communication channels, and his deep voice, transmitted via encrypted signals, instantly reached all the war bases still fighting around the world, as well as the ears of the highest leaders of various countries.
"I am Hong."
"From now on, Thor and I will assist the various war zones in ending this beast tide as soon as possible."
His voice paused.
"All major war zones and war bases must ensure the final mopping-up and cleanup work is carried out effectively!"