Four cables extended from the shoulders and legs of the close-combat robot, now firmly latched onto Death King Tree. Every attack from Ye Zhongming's control sent her flying, only to be yanked back by these cables.
Smacked away, dragged back.
Smacked away again, dragged back again...
Death King Tree was like a punching bag, battered back and forth by Ye Zhongmingâs robot without any chance to retaliate.
Neither of them were flying lifeforms. No matter what tricks they used to stay airborne, they would eventually fall.
When Death King Tree crashed to the ground, nearly buried by a brutal kick from the robot, both sides finally stopped.
Death King Treeâs vines stood rigid around her, ceasing their flailing. Ye Zhongmingâs robot stood motionless, head lowered, arms hanging limp. The surrounding soldiers held their weapons, breaths heldâ
The scene was eerily tense.
Everyone knew the truth: despite the ferocity of the fight, neither side had used their trump cards. Death King Treeâs World Nature had been interrupted, and she hadnât even resorted to her other abilities, let alone her true form, which should have been her ultimate state.
In other words, both had been holding back.
Death King Treeâs vines could counterattack at any moment. Ye Zhongmingâs fists could drop at any second.
"Are you trying to kill me?"
"Do you think I can kill you?"
The two exchanged words in an instant. The robotâs massive foot slowly lifted.
Death King Tree climbed out of the crater, staring up at Ye Zhongming.
The cockpit opened. Ye Zhongming leaped out. Everyone expected the two powerhouses to face off directlyâ
But the moment his feet touched the ground, he blitzed forward, appearing in front of the black cat in a flashâand punched down.
"I hate your eyes. Learn respect. Learn fear."
Cloud Peakâs King spoke calmly, but his aura sent a surge of adrenaline through every Cloud Peak fighter.
Only their king couldâand wouldâdare speak like this to a level-nine lifeform.
Neither Talking Lady nor her black cat had expected Ye Zhongming to turn on them after fighting the Death King Tree.
Didnât he fear provoking two level-nines at once? Noâthree!
Even if Cloud Peak were strong, facing three level-nines simultaneously would be a nightmare.
Even if they won, half of Cloud Peak would die.
Talking Lady firmly believed her living value to Cloud Peak far exceeded her dead one.
Yet Ye Zhongming attacked anyway.
"Prepare!"
The order didnât come from Xia Leiâbut Le Dayuan.
Not overstepping, but out of sheer concern.
The close-combat robot was a weapon of immense versatility and power, amplifying the pilotâs strength.
But the toll it took was equally immense.
Stamina, mental energyâdrained like a vampireâs feast.
The state of previous high-sync pilots after use was proof enough.
Ye Zhongming was differentâhis physique surpassed theirs, and his sync rate was near-perfect.
But that fight, though brief, had been brutal.
The exhaustion had to be severe. What condition was he really in?
Le Dayuan understood Ye Zhongmingâs reasoning. If these two level-nines werenât broken now, theyâd become unstable variablesâa potential catastrophe for Cloud Peak. êŠđ¶đœoÍÎĂđš
He had to act.
But whether it would work? Le Dayuan had no confidenceâhence his desperate order.
Not that Cloud Peakâs fighters needed prompting.
A sea of targeting lasers already covered Death King Treeâs body, dots and lines painting her in crimson.
More weaponsâwithout laser guidesâwere also locked onto her.
Cloud Peak would not allow Death King Tree to join Talking Lady.
"Damn you all," Death King Tree cursedâbut stood perfectly still.
Neither had gone all-out earlier, but she knew: Ye Zhongming had made his point.
Twice during that fight, sheâd felt deathâs touchâonce when pinned underfoot, and earlier, when hit by those four projectiles.
She didnât know how, but she was certain: if Ye Zhongming had wanted, sheâd be dead now.
It defied logic, yet Death King Tree wasnât surprised. She rememberedâheâd beaten her before, back in her city, while weaker. So doing it again? Not strange at all.
The only thing she didnât understand was why, mid-fight, her body had suddenly felt heavy, her strength incomplete, as if something was suppressing her.
And Ye Zhongmingâs strikesâso damn hard. Even now, certain prominent areas throbbed painfully.
She tugged her torn leather outfit aside, checking.
âŠStill intact. Good.
Meanwhileâ
Ye Zhongmingâs fist descended toward the black cat, his body a blur. At two meters away, he vanished, reappearing right where the cat had beenâ
BOOM!
The ground cratered.
A miss.
Even with Ye Zhongming exiting the cockpit close to Talking Lady and attacking at full speed, the cat had just barely dodged, the fist grazing its fur.
Talking Lady, now enraged, opened her mouthâa sonic attack gatheringâ
But Ye Zhongmingâs foot stomped down first.
A dull thud reverberated.
Talking Ladyâs attack was choked off. Her face flushed, her body hunched as she staggered back.
Then she saw themâblack orbs rolling at her feet.
Magic crystal grenades.
The explosion came instantly, followed by a mountain-sized shadow crashing down from above.
Its target?
The black cat, mid-leap, screeching as it coiled for a counterattack.
The mountain slammed onto it, burying it alive.