465: Chapter 461 Heading South

the collective bounced up from the ground. Though the numbness in half of his body hadn't fully subsided, he was already moving. His legs coiled with power before he launched himself in a super jump, his entire being slamming toward Lu Jianchuan like a purple cannonball.

Lu Jianchuan flashed to the side, and the collective's headbutt grazed past his shoulder.

He seized the opportunity to grab one of the collective's legs, his five fingers tightening as electric currents exploded from his palm, and a brilliant white light flared up once more. With a sudden burst of strength, he swung the collective's entire body around and slammed him violently into the ground.

A crater exploded into the earth.

the collective lay at the bottom of the pit, the purple patterns on the surface of his armor flickering several times. Gritting his teeth, his shoulder and back plates cracked open simultaneously as several tentacles extended from the gaps, propping him up against the ground and launching him back onto his feet.

The moment he landed, he had already adjusted his posture and threw a punch toward Lu Jianchuan's face. Lu Jianchuan raised his hand to parry, but another fist was already arriving.

Fist against fist, foot against foot, the two men's movements grew faster and faster, each collision exploding with a shockwave of Qi. the collective gave his all, every strike carrying the force to shatter mountains and crack stone, but Lu Jianchuan did not retreat.

He was like a wall, blocking all attacks on the outside before booming back with a punch of his own.

The two moved rapidly among the ruins, their fist shadows intertwining as gravel and stone splashed everywhere from the impact.

Lu Jianchuan threw a punch at the collective's chest; the collective sidestepped to avoid it and threw a backhand punch in return, which Lu Jianchuan ducked under. Neither gained the upper hand, and neither retreated half a step.

Lu Jianchuan suddenly stood still. Electric currents exploded from within him—not from his fists, not from his arms, but bursting simultaneously from every gap and every pattern across his entire body.

The brilliant white light wrapped his entire person into a sphere of light, releasing energy indiscriminately in all directions.

the collective was forced back, crossing his arms in front of his face as the ground beneath his feet was scorched into a charred black arc by the electricity.

Before the light had even dissipated, Lu Jianchuan raised his hand. The steel bars scattered among the ruins vibrated simultaneously, emitting a humming metallic drone. Several twisted steel bars sprang from the rubble piles, shooting toward the collective's back.

the collective whipped his head around, sidestepping the first bar and ducking under the second. The third grazed his shoulder plate—and then he saw that Lu Jianchuan was no longer in his original position.

Lu Jianchuan stood behind him, gripping a fourth steel bar. One end of the bar had already pierced the collective's back and protruded from his chest.

Lu Jianchuan kicked the collective in the chest, sending him flying back.

the collective tumbled several times on the ground, crashing into a pillar of the main body. Rubble and flesh fell from above, burying half his body. He propped himself up to climb out, the steel bar still lodged in his chest, swaying slightly with his breathing.

Lu Jianchuan stood in place and raised his hand. Electric currents condensed in his palm; it wasn't the previous disorderly bursting, but rather as if it were being restrained by something, compressed and shaped.

The air around him began to emit a low hum. Iron filings on the ground and metal fragments in the rubble all vibrated slightly, as if being plucked by an invisible hand.

This was the true power of this form. Electric currents surged within him, forming an invisible magnetic field on his body's surface. With him as the center, all metal within a dozen meters resonated. He didn't need contact or aim; he only needed a coordinate.

He looked up, staring at the trembling steel bar in the collective's chest.

The current in his palm elongated like a javelin, taking shape, solidifying, and glowing in his hand. He threw it with force; the moment the Long Spear of electricity left his hand, it let out a piercing shriek, flying straight toward the collective.

the collective instinctively dodged to the side. The spear curved to follow him. He twisted his body in mid-air, and the spear adjusted its angle accordingly, locking onto the magnetized steel bar in his chest. The bar was trembling and glowing like a lighthouse in the night, while the spear was a moth drawn to the flame.

The electric Long Spear struck the collective's chest. Light exploded, brighter than any time before. the collective's body went rigid; acrid smoke rose from the gaps in his purple armor, and his internal organs carbonized and blackened in the high temperature.

His limbs stopped obeying him, his fingers spasming to the point where he couldn't even form a fist. He knelt on the ground, gasping for breath, and looked up.

Lu Jianchuan brought his hands together.

Electric currents converged, compressed, and rotated between his hands, a sphere slowly taking shape in his palms.

The thing wasn't large, just a bit bigger than a fist, emitting a soft, nearly white light. It wasn't dazzling or explosive; it was as quiet as a star just plucked from the heavens.

With a gentle push, the orb of light floated out from his palms.

It wasn't fast. One could even say it was slow. Like a falling leaf or a bubble, it drifted unsteadily toward the collective.

the collective pulled the steel bar from his chest and used the last of his strength to hurl it at the orb of light.

The steel bar traced an arc through the air and struck the orb—the bar melted the instant they touched, molten iron dripping from the air and searing small pits of rising white smoke into the ground. The orb passed through the molten iron and continued to drift forward.

the collective's pupils contracted. He wanted to run, to hide, to do something. But the electrical paralysis in his body hadn't faded; his limbs wouldn't obey, and every attempt to stand resulted in him falling back. He could only watch as the orb of light drifted closer and closer.

In this form, he was a self-contained magnetic field. There was no need for deliberate control or active release. Those currents surged within him, flowed over his surface, and formed an invisible force field around him.

Magnetism was his hand, his eye, and his extended nerves. He could condense electricity into spears, spheres, or anything he desired. As long as the magnetic field remained, those things would not dissipate, deviate, or stop.

the collective retreated rapidly.

He stared at the orb of light drifting toward him, his pupils shrinking into slits.

He didn't believe such a thing had no distance limit. No matter how strong the power or how perfect the form, as long as enough distance was created, it would surely decay and dissipate.

He calculated as he retreated, his feet crushing piece after piece of rubble, backing into the shadow of the main body, into the range of that giant eye's gaze.

He looked up, wanting to check Lu Jianchuan's position—but the silver-black figure was no longer there.

His peripheral vision caught something glowing behind him.

Lu Jianchuan stood behind him, his body sparking with electricity, those black-gold patterns dazzlingly bright. He reached out, fingers splayed, and gripped the collective's head.

The moment his fingers tightened, electricity exploded from his palm. the collective's body went stiff; before his limbs could even attempt to resist, they were paralyzed and drained of strength.

He dragged the collective forward. Like a bolt of lightning cleaving the air, he sprinted toward the orb of light, dragging the purple figure with him.

the collective struggled in his grip, fists pounding against his arms and feet kicking at his chest, their armor clashing with dull thuds.

Lu Jianchuan did not stop. He endured those attacks head-on, each step digging deeper, each step rushing faster.

The orb of light drew closer. the collective's struggling grew more frantic. Lu Jianchuan's grip tightened further.

He slammed the collective's head into the orb of light.

The light exploded. Silently and slowly, it expanded. That tiny orb of light blossomed like a flower; the petals were brilliant white electricity, and the stamen was the molten shards of armor.

the collective's body disintegrated bit by bit within that light. Purple fragments splashed out from the glow, landing on the ground and rolling into the rubble, no longer shining.

(To not have been able to fully entertain Lord Lu Jianchuan... I am truly sorry.)

When the light dissipated, only a set of shattered armor remained on the ground. Purple, red, and dark gold were all mixed together like a pile of crushed soda cans.

The giant eye looked at Lu Jianchuan, its pupil contracting until it was very small, like a cat being held by the scruff of its neck. There was no anger or hatred within it—only fear.