Chapter 133: First Mission (1)

A breathtaking sight greeted the eye: a colossal form of metal. Patches of vibrant crimson scales adorned its metallic exterior, and beneath this armored skin, muscles rippled with each heartbeat, radiating an aura of concentrated power. Twelve horns of varying sizes crowned its head, shimmering like starlight.

“Hmm… the air hangs heavy here.”

As he spoke, his mesmerizing golden eyes, pupils slitted like a cat’s, swept across the unfamiliar landscape. There was an unmistakable draconic quality to his presence—each word, each movement imbued with an air of overpowering majesty. His very gaze carried an innate arrogance, as though the world itself bent to his will.

However…

“Oh? Looks like you actually made it, Yongyong. ‘Course we can’t be without our porter. Welcome aboard.”

These flippant words, tossed out by an unseen speaker, caused Yongyong’s imposing demeanor to crumble instantly.

“…My good sir! Have you been well?”

“Uh huh. But mind shrinking down a bit? You’re hurting my neck.”

“Hehe. Yes, sir!”

Yongyong awkwardly rubbed his stubby forelegs together, and swiftly cast a polymorph spell.

Poof-

“Come on, Yongyong. What’s with the unfamiliar getup? That dashing, muscular appearance doesn’t suit the Yongyong I know!”

“Ahh…!”

Poof-

In a blink, the handsome, strapping man vanished. In his place stood a diminutive boy with tousled red hair and blue eyes, wearing simple commoner clothes and hefting an oversized backpack.

“Adjustment complete, big bro!”

“Hahaha. Yeah, now that’s more like it.”

“But of course. It’d be dreadful if I looked unfamiliar to you, big bro!”

“Haha. Such a smooth talker.”

Yongyong performed the most sincere kowtow he could muster. It was impossible to tell whether he was driven by glibness, fear, or survival instinct.

“Allow me to properly introduce myself! I’m Yongyong, big bro Karlstein’s forever SSS-class porter!”

“Uh, um… Right. That’s overdoing it, Yongyong.”

“Yessir!”

Yongyong sprang up straight in response.

“Alright. Make yourself home at bud.”

Only after Karlstein’s welcoming words did Yongyong finally take in his surroundings.

Hmm!

A thin atmosphere hung around them. The sky above was stained red, while golden mist obscuring their vision.

A subtle sense of pressure weighed upon the dragon.

“Wh-where is this?”

“Oh… I was just going to talk about that.”

“Yessir! I’m all ears, ready to bear every word to heart!”

“Now that everyone’s here, I’ll explain.”

The Bluadges Virdel and Perpe, who had arrived earlier, joined Yongyong in listening intently to Oradge’s words. What followed was rather shocking.

“We’re being chased?”

“I guess you say that. Haha!”

“Th-that can’t be!”

It was a preposterous statement. Oradge, being chased? The Oradge? None other than Karlstein Babylon? The supreme dignity of the Galactic Empire, the King-God-Cosmic Emperor?

“They’re more persistent than I thought. You’d think they’d give up after taking that much damage.”

He went on to explain that they were currently somewhere within the realm of 《Three Thousand》.

“It’s a passage area connecting the Lower Realm to the Upper realm. It’s a bit of a long explanation…”

[The barrier will soon be lifted. Be on the ready, brat!]

“Let’s finish fighting first, then we’ll talk.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

Yongyong was confused. Who was this talking wooden puppet? And how could it call Oradge a brat?

The juxtaposition was jarring, but Oradge’s serious expression silenced any questions.

For now, I’ll just do as I’m told—

Crack- Crackle-

A sound like breaking ice reverberated through the atmosphere.

‘Is the barrier breaking?’

The thought had barely formed when…

Crrrack- Shatter-

With a piercingly sharp noise, the golden mist abruptly disappeared.

“Ugh!”

“…”

“Woaagh!”

Yongyong could not stifle a silly yell.

Wh-where are we even?!

A spatial passage, Oradge had called it?

An insane pressure bore down on his entire body.

Vooom-

As the barrier fell, he felt simultaneously squeezed and on the verge of bursting—a paradoxical sensation that stole his breath away.

Fwoosh-

To make matters worse, an invisible storm, its winds sharp as blades, filled the air around them.

Slash-

“Oww!”

Despite his powerful scales and draconic auto-protective magic, Yongyong suffered scratches. Even his carefully tuned defenses were being torn like paper.

Vooom-

Yongyong glanced around in shock, only to see that Virdel and Perpe already appeared to have adapted, their bodies emitting a faint light as they endured the onslaught without issue.

Whaa?

“I guess it’s still too early for Yongyong?”

“N-no, big bro! This weak spring breeze can’t stop my heart from beating for you!”

Dozens of magic circles instantly materialized around Yongyong’s body, boosting his defenses to withstand the storm.

“…Alright. For now, we need to deal with that first.”

Yongyong followed Oradge in adjusting his posture, preparing for battle. However…

“Just watch for now. It’s enough to observe what kind of opponents they are.”

Fwsh-

Karlstein moved to confront a figure in martial arts attire floating in the distance.

Whoosh-

Tremendous Spiritual Power began to gather and condense around him, forming golden scales that covered his body.

[Brat. However powerful the Grand Void Gold Puppet Sutra may be, with your realm at Core Formation, you can only maintain it for a moment. You must end this quickly!]

“Haha, not a problem.”

Behind Karlstein, a massive form briefly materialized—a giant with four arms, half-corporeal, enveloped his golden-scaled body.

As Karlstein clenched his fist and thrust it toward his opponent…

Whoosh-

The blurry form behind him mirrored the action.

BOOM-

A massive current of spiritual pressure, embodied in the extended fist, rushed toward the opponent.

“You! How can a lowly Core Formation cultivator embody a Dharma Aspect?!”

The young man opposite Karlstein formed a hand seal, his entire body becoming transparent and hard as crystal.

CRAASH-

Karlstein’s fist made contact, instantly triggering a spatial storm around the opponent. Tremendous aftershocks spread through the area.

“Gaargh!”

Karlstein immediately shook his sleeve, producing dozens of cannons with barrels as large as houses, floating them in the air.

“Another one!”

Karlstein surged towards his reeling opponent, his fists a blur of motion.

Th-that’s not one more though?

Yongyong’s eyes widened, struggling to follow the incredibly fast combat.

BANG- BOOOM- BOOOM-

Dazzling flashes erupted from the massive floating cannons, their projectiles striking the True Immortal’s body.

PZZZT- KABOOM!

“Gaargh!”

The opponent’s cry of pain pierced the air, unable to regain composure under Karlstein’s relentless assault.

BOOOM-

“Hurk!”

The True Immortal produced a huge black sword from his sleeve, swinging it to meet Karlstein’s incoming fist.

Swish-

Silver characters flickered along the enlarged blade, creating afterimages that rushed forward like streaks of light.

BOOOM-

“Mm…”

Karlstein released a rare grunt of effort—a sound that made it clear just how formidable the force behind the enemy’s sword swing truly was.

BOOOM-

The sword’s afterimages followed, each impact as potent as the first, mercilessly battering Karlstein.

CLANG- CLANG- CLANG-

Karlstein fended off the attacks by crossing the arms of his embodied Dharma Aspect, his brow furrowing slightly.

“For a True Immortal facing a Core Formation opponent, aren’t you taking this too seriously?”

“Keep your nonsense! I abandoned all carelessness the moment Junior Brother Liu fell to you!”

From Yongyong’s observation, it seemed Karlstein had already engaged in a fierce confrontation with these so-called True Immortals. But before Yongyong could even gather his thoughts, the Immortal’s long sword lashed out once more, beginning to corner Karlstein.

However… Karlstein’s eyes lit with fire as he formed a hand seal. Instantly, the sword and its afterimages faltered, screaming under an invisible pressure.

CREAK-

“!!”

“I am sick of you goons.”

Karlstein maintained the seal with his left hand while producing a crude, blood-colored needle from his sleeve.

“Th-that!! Why do you have the Blood-Draining Needle?!!”

“Isn’t it natural to make use of what one acquires?”

Rage contorted the True Immortal’s features.

“So it was you who slew Junior Brother Jiao as well!”

He spat out a mouthful of Blood Essence, channeling it into his sword. Crimson energy coursed along the blade, amplifying its speed.

“Die!”

“Hmph…”

But Karlstein enlarged the Blood-Draining Needle, grasping it with his Dharma Aspect and swinging it down at his opponent.

CRAASH-

The resulting wind pressure sent Yongyong staggering back, his mouth agape at the battle’s ridiculous aftermath.

BOOOM-

“Waargh!”

Although he was not even fighting, he could barely withstand the pressure of the wind.

Fortunately, it seemed the earlier clash had decided the outcome. Yongyong planted his feet in the ground, barely keeping his balance as he assessed the situation.

The True Immortal was dropping from the air, drenched in blood.

“Big bro!!”

“It’s too early to relax.”

Karlstein swung the Blood-Draining Needle at the falling corpse.

Why? Isn’t he dead already?

Before Yongyong could even ask, a soul entity sprang from the opponent’s body, desperately fleeing. That answered his question.

Oh…

WHOOSH- BOOM-

[Gaaagh! The Noble Archer shall never forgive you!]

Screaming a curse with his final breath, the Immortal’s soul was torn asunder, bringing the battle to its true conclusion.

“Phew…”

Karlstein descended toward his companions.

“You get the hang of it now, yeah?”

Eh? The hang of what?

Yongyong was bewildered.

“There are still two more, but as you can see, my Avatar is barely managing.

“Huh?!”

“Yongyong, Perpe, you two in particular need to hold out as long as possible while Virdel finishes her part.”

“!!”

Two more monsters of that caliber remained? And he was expected to face one with Perpe?

Yongyong’s mind reeled from shock, but he managed to compose himself.

“I-I’ll do my best.”

“Right. But your best isn’t enough. You must succeed.”

“…Yes sir!”

He felt an unspoken pressure emanating from Oradge’s grim gaze, as if failure was not an option.

Waah!

For some reason, Yongyong felt his bladder tighten. Was it a mistake to insist on helping?

No!

He gritted his teeth, steeling himself. This was a rare mission entrusted to him. He had to accomplish it, come hell or high water!