34: Chapter 34 yielded 1A and 1B!

75,000 Battle Power.

The moment this number came into view, Night Kasi's breathing hitched for a split second.

It was a full 60,000 higher than his own.

This was no longer a matter of who was stronger; the lives of the two brothers now hung entirely on the whim of the person before them.

But Night Kasi did not retreat.

He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "I know who you are."

Night Kasi spoke up. "Rank 1... Lin Wan, it was you who killed Hesikeer, wasn't it?!"

"Yeah." Lin Wan nodded casually. "And then what?"

"You are strong, I admit that."

Night Kasi said, enunciating every word. "But my younger brother didn't provoke you; he was simply trying to survive the trial."

"Your subordinate made him kneel and threatened to kill him... I cannot let this slide."

Ye Fan poked his head out from behind Lin Wan. "Hey, get your facts straight. It was your brother who started talking trash..."

"Shut up!"

Night Kasi glared fiercely at Ye Fan before looking back at Lin Wan. "I know I can't beat you, and it would be easy for you to kill me."

"But the people of our Dark Night Civilization can die standing; we do not live on our knees."

"If you want to kill me, I accept that."

"But I cannot let the humiliation my brother suffered simply pass."

Lin Wan looked at his stubborn face and suddenly found it amusing.

What a character! It's a pity he doesn't understand his place.

"Then what do you want?"

"..." Night Kasi remained silent for a long time, seemingly unable to come up with a concrete answer.

Finally, he unclenched his fists and took a deep breath. "At least... make him apologize."

Ye Fan, listening from the side, was stunned.

Ye Kaan was also stunned. "Brother?!"

"Shut up." Night Kasi didn't even turn his head.

Lin Wan looked at him, thinking this guy was actually quite rare. He clearly knew he couldn't stop even a single finger of his opponent, yet he still stood up for his brother, asking for nothing more than an apology.

Such backbone is quite interesting... my ass!

Do you really think you're the protagonist, or some lead in a mindless power-fantasy novel?

He, Lin Wan, was not here to make friends.

Seeking out the Dark Night Civilization was to complete his objective.

Now that the objective was complete, it was only reasonable to clear out a few guys who didn't know how to respect their King.

"An apology won't be necessary," Lin Wan said. "I'll grant you a quick death."

Night Kasi's pupils constricted sharply.

He instinctively shielded Ye Kaan behind him, shadow energy surging wildly around him as he prepared to unleash his full power.

But Lin Wan was much faster. It was the perfect time to test his new Word Spirit.

He simply raised his right hand, fingers splayed towards the sky.

[ Word Spirit: Wrath of Indra ] Activated.

The sky changed. The once-calm night sky was instantly blanketed by churning dark clouds.

These were not natural clouds, but the manifestation of some violent energy.

Blinding flashes of lightning crackled within the dark clouds. Each bolt, as thick as a giant python, coiled and slithered through the clouds, emitting deafening roars.

The wind rose. It began as a mere breeze, but within seconds, it surged into a hurricane, sweeping rubble, broken wood, and dust from the ground into the air to form a massive pillar of wind that connected the sky to the earth.

Night Kasi's expression shifted. He could feel that the power brewing within the dark clouds far exceeded his limits.

He even had the illusion that the dark clouds were like the eye of some ancient god, coldly looking down upon the ants below.

"Brother... what is that..." Ye Kaan's voice trembled.

Night Kasi didn't answer. He simply shoved his brother back, then transformed into a shadow and charged toward Lin Wan. Strike first.

But Lin Wan didn't even glance down at him. For the sake of a shred of dignity, ignoring the chasm in strength, delivering "charismatic" lines, and now daring to attack the King—such an ant was not worthy of the King's gaze.

He simply clenched his raised right hand.

From the sky, a pillar of lightning as thick as a mountain crashed down.

This was no ordinary lightning. This was... divine retribution.

The pillar of lightning was laced with violent wind blades. Lightning and storm intertwined to form a destructive spiral that completely swallowed Night Kasi's charging figure.

Night Kasi's shadow defense was torn apart the instant it made contact.

He let out a muffled groan as his body was pierced by the lightning, his bones crackling and charring within the electric light.

The storm swept up his body like an invisible noose, dragging him into the depths of the lightning pillar.

"...Brother!!" Ye Kaan let out a shrill scream. He rushed toward the lightning pillar without a second thought, but he had only taken a few steps before being caught in the periphery of the strike.

A bolt of lightning struck him with pinpoint accuracy. Ye Kaan didn't even have time to scream; his entire body was pierced by the lightning, and he collapsed to the ground, stiff, as his life force rapidly dissipated.

The lightning pillar lasted for about five seconds. When it faded, the dark clouds dispersed and the winds died down. A large, charred crater was left on the ground.

At the bottom of the crater, the corpses of Night Kasi and Ye Kaan lay still.

Night Kasi's body was covered in charred marks; his shadow energy had completely dissipated, leaving only a broken husk.

Ye Kaan was relatively more intact, save for a hole in his chest pierced by the lightning.

Lin Wan looked at the two corpses and remained silent for a moment. "...I had intended to leave your bodies intact."

He walked up, crouched down, and reached out to touch Night Kasi's forehead.

[ Decrypt Target: Talent: Night Shadow (A-rank) Aptitude: General-rank ] [ Decryption Points Required: 80,000 ] [ Decrypt? ] "Yes."

[ Decrypting... Decryption accelerating... ] [ Decryption complete. ] [ Obtained: Night Shadow (A-rank) ]

[ Night Shadow: Battle Power increases by 30% in shadowy environments, movement speed increases by 50%. Can transform into a shadow form to evade physical damage. Duration of shadow form is tied to Mental Power. ]

[ Obtained: General-rank Aptitude ] [ Description: Affinity for Dark Night technology reaches 80%. Physical fitness increases by 80% in darkness. ]

"A-rank talent, General-rank aptitude..." Lin Wan murmured. He reached out to touch Ye Kaan's corpse.

It didn't even have General-rank aptitude, so Lin Wan ignored it.

[ Target: Sonic Throat (B-rank) ] [ Decryption Points Required: 5,000 ] [ Decrypt? ] "Yes."

[ Decryption accelerating... Decryption complete. ] [ Obtained: Sonic Throat (B-rank) ]

[ Sonic Throat: Can release a sonic shockwave through shouting. Sonic shockwaves deal True Damage and knock back or stun enemy units. Power is tied to Mental attributes. ]

B-rank. As expected, it was just a specialty-level talent. Besides, these were fixed talents, so they couldn't be upgraded.

Lin Wan stood up and brushed the dust from his hands.

Ye Fan walked over cautiously from a distance. He glanced at the two corpses at the bottom of the crater, his mouth twitching.

"...Brother-in-law, your Word Spirit is too intense. You just wiped them out like that."

"Yeah."

"So, when I talked back to you earlier, had you already considered using this move?"

"..." Lin Wan glanced at him.

Ye Fan immediately took three steps back. "I was wrong!"

Lin Wan couldn't be bothered to respond and turned away. "Let's keep moving."

"Hey! Alright! Brother-in-law, wait for me! Where are we going?"

"The core region!"

The two figures disappeared into the night.

At the bottom of the crater, the two charred corpses lay still under the light of the purple moon.

The night wind swept past, emitting a low, wailing sound.