Fwish! BOOM!

The [Primordial Clone] had also lost all of its abilities, and it was already a miracle that it refused to be nullified to begin with.

But Sam didn’t care.

He couldn’t change the past, so all he needed to do now was to endure.

’Running would be our smartest option at this point,’ Sam thought, gazing at the gates behind him.

[Won’t work.]

’Hm.’

The celestials took a step forward, all of their eyes and halos flaring as they got ready to deal with the primordial.

Fwish!

The [Primordial Clone] tried to attack from behind, but Olivia immediately dodged the attack, then slashed at the clone with her rainbow wings.

SWASH!

She actually hurt the clone, who backed away, its form slightly distorting.

’The clone easily dies,’ Sam thought. ’If it gets hit more, it will disappear...’

Still, even if Sam couldn’t see the status windows of his opponents anymore, he could still analyze them.

Lucien was the leader of the group.

He had a dignified appearance and wore a suit with lightning patterns.

His hair was a mix of blue and green, and the halo above his head was made of lightning.

Grok, as said before, was the muscle head—shirtless, with bulging muscles, and a halo of white with crimson fractures.

Damon was the one who had tried to identify Sam’s sword months ago.

He wielded a book that floated beside him, pages turning on their own as if alive.

His halo was brown, with pages constantly spinning around it.

Seris was a petite woman with blonde hair, and her golden halo had small wings sprouting from its sides.

She seemed to be the most nervous of the group, trembling slightly even while trying to stand tall.

[Do not judge them on their appearances.]

’I know, but it’s the only thing I can see.’

Maeva had violet twin-tails, and her eyes looked like scopes, glowing faintly.

Her halo was fragile and transparent, like glass.

Levi was the quiet one, with the eye-shaped necklace around his neck.

Strangely enough, his halo was also an enormous eye, blinking slowly every few seconds.

And finally, Olivia.

She stood just beside Lucien, her aura nearly matching his.

Her wings, hair, and halo were all rainbow-colored, radiating brilliance unlike anything else in the square.

All seven of them kept staring at Sam, waiting for him to move.

But Sam...

"=)"

He actually found it hilarious.

"So you guys are doing this because some guy asked you to?" he laughed. "Incredible."

"Your death is imminent. We all know you cannot avoid it," Lucien replied coldly, summoning his [Thunder Spear] in hand.

[He’s right. We need to find a better way to kill them.]

’No,’ Sam grinned. ’I’ll kill them with my bare hands if I need to.’

[What—]

Sam ignored the panels flashing around him.

[Hell-Mode Analysis] was his subconscious, his own logical side trying to reason with him, but he refused to listen to it.

Even if it was literally himself.

He took his stance, both hands flaring with aura.

’I don’t need my sword to beat the shit out of them.’

"A fist battle?" Grok laughed, stepping forward as his muscles bulged. "I’m in!"

The ground cracked under his step, and the others readied their weapons.

It truly seemed like the battle was about to begin, but right as they were about to engage—

[No.]

A sudden thunderous voice erupted across the entire kingdom, shaking the air itself.

A chill went down Sam’s spine.

’What?’

He looked around but saw nothing.

He had never heard this voice before, and yet... it sounded so powerful.

It was as if the sky itself had spoken.

So much more powerful than he was, than anyone here could ever be.

And then, the answer came rather quickly.

"SHIT," Lucien shouted, eyes widening. "BOW DOWN!"

Shockingly, every single one of the celestials dropped to their knees instantly, pressing their heads to the ground.

They didn’t even look at Sam or the clone.

Sam stood frozen, still in his stance, completely confused.

But the [Primordial Clone], on the other hand, saw this as the perfect opportunity.

It dashed forward instantly, its aura flaring violently, aiming to strike them all while they were vulnerable.

Even without his [Primordial Sword], even without experience in hand-to-hand combat, Sam knew that if he managed to land one solid hit, that single punch would be enough to destroy them.

After all, his aura and affinities would still be concentrated in that punch.

But right before the clone could strike—

BOOM!

The clone stopped and jumped back instinctively.

A bolt of divine lightning struck down exactly where it would have been standing, leaving behind a massive crater.

And what terrified Sam most... was what he saw next.

The [Primordial Clone] trembled.

Its body flickered, and for the first time in a long time, it wasn’t smiling anymore.

’Oh shit...’

[No fighting until all the participants are in place,] the voice spoke again, deeper and more malicious this time. [Do that again, and you might die.]

The celestials still didn’t move.

They remained bowed, trembling, halos dimmed in reverence.

Sam didn’t move either.

He kept his stance, every muscle tense, his mind racing.

That "King"... this was him.

The voice that commanded even the celestials to kneel.

He was the one they served, the one who had given them that damned [Primordial Blocker].

The big boss behind all of this.

But that didn’t mean Sam would go down without a fight.

No matter how strong he was.

[I feel like this is still unfair,] the King said, his tone turning almost playful. [After all, this is your second-to-last challenge in this realm. So... let’s make it as impossible as possible =)]

The King didn’t show himself. He didn’t need to.

He was simply there, everywhere, like the sky itself was alive.

His presence was crushing.

Sam could barely breathe.

Then—

Snap!

A sharp, echoing sound filled the air, and a massive vortex opened above the square.

It spiraled violently, swallowing the clouds, tearing apart the realm’s ceiling.

The energy it released made the ground tremble beneath everyone’s feet.

And in that moment... Sam felt a chill pierce through his spine.

[You won’t survive this,] the King said casually. [But if you do, I’ll be gladly ready to welcome you to MY realm.]

[Until then... let’s make sure everybody in this realm is watching.]

Snap!

A bright flash filled the sky.

Suddenly, a massive crimson panel appeared before every single awakener in the [Upper Realm].

It showed what was happening in the square, broadcasting the scene to all.

’Oh shit...’ Sam clenched his jaw.

Now everyone could see.

Every celestial, every awakener.

Even Seraphine and Belle. Everyone would witness this battle.

[Who cares? It’s either us or them. Proceed.]

Sam took a deep breath. Then he nodded.

He took his stance once more, focusing all his energy.

And just like that, the King’s voice vanished.

The vortex remained above, but the overwhelming pressure began to fade slightly.

The celestials finally stood up again, their halos flickering violently.

The [Primordial Clone] straightened itself, its aura unstable, yet unbroken.

The air between both sides grew tense.

And then—

Zap! Zap! Zap!

Crimson lightning struck down from the vortex above, one bolt for each celestial.

The entire square filled with mist, smoke spreading from the ground.

Sam shielded his eyes from the brightness, his vision blurring.

’Huh?’

[Goodbye, Primordial.]

That was the final panel that appeared before him.

And then, from beyond the mist, he felt it.

A strange, heavy aura.

Stronger. More refined. More terrifying than before.

As the mist slowly cleared, the figures of the celestials became visible again.

Lucien stood at the front, his lightning crackling wildly, his eyes blazing with divine light.

"Thank you, King," he said, grinning wide. "With this... his end is assured."

Ding!

[The "Eternal" group has been boosted by the "Light of the King."]

’Are you fucking kidding me?’

...

A/N

I know Sam has been getting bullied lately but trust me, it’s character development!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com