Chapter 219: The Real High-Stakes Game

Six years ago, you couldn’t do it.

Six years later? You’re even less capable.

Hearing Tian Dao’s words, the green diamond insignia on Ivan’s chest—Third Rank Mechanical Stellar Envoy of the Ironcrown Family—flared to life in an instant.

The glow didn’t spread gently. It erupted like a flame catching fire, intensifying rapidly, burning hotter, fiercer.

【Mechanism System Power Activated. Current Power Output: 50%】

To emphasize the moment, the series’ production team gave the special mechanized exosuit a dedicated close-up shot.

This allowed the Dimensional Audience to truly feel the unique mechanical elegance born from the fusion of “supernatural power” and “future technology.”

The camera panned slowly upward along Ivan’s mechanized frame, tracing the contours of his armor.

Suddenly, the quantum patterns etched across his pale gold surface seemed to awaken.

Radiating outward from the core at his chest, they spread like living veins, pulsing with energy.

Golden energy beams surged along pre-designed Stellar Energy pathways embedded in the armor, converging swiftly into the ‘Mechanical Crystals’ positioned at critical joints.

One by one, they ignited—flashing to life like stars in the night sky.

In no time, the entire suit shimmered as if draped in a radiant celestial map.

Cool. Stylish. Undeniably impressive.

After completing the activation sequence, Ivan turned to face Tian Dao.

His red synthetic eyes flickered with cold, calculating light.

“Tian Dao Siming. Six years ago, you were merely a Will anomaly.

Now? There is no escape for you.”

His voice was devoid of emotion—mechanical, precise, terrifyingly rational.

Tian Dao, however, couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Never thought it’d come to this.

After six years, you Ironcrown brutes still rely on the same tired lines.”

The audience on Station 13 reacted with the amused disdain reserved for clowns.

To be fair, if Ivan had said this to anyone other than Tian Dao, they might’ve taken it seriously.

After all, Ivan’s entrance—flying in aboard a sleek Mechanical Aircraft, his cold, imposing presence in the Quantum Space—had earned him the rightful title of Season 2’s ultimate boss.

But if Ivan was the boss…

Then Tian Dao was the boss of all bosses.

The monster among monsters.

A mere Season 2 elite boss?

You’re stepping into the spotlight of our stellar lineup?

You really think you’ve got the right?

Target Acquired: Tian Dao Siming.

Combat Protocol: 80% Energy Output. Execute suppressed fire.

Ivan’s synthetic eyes locked onto Tian Dao.

His right arm reshaped instantly—morphing into a sleek, glowing blue Stellar Energy Quantum Cannon.

At the barrel’s tip, a swirling energy core pulsed, collapsing and expanding with each beat.

The quantum interference it generated rippled through the already unstable Quantum Space like waves on water—proof of the devastating force about to be unleashed.

“Same old energy beam trick again,” Tian Dao smirked.

Then, his Star-Eclipse Eye flared to life—deep, swirling azure.

“Dannika, stay behind me.”

“Yes!”

Dannika immediately darted behind Tian Dao, crouching obediently.

At the same time, Stellar Energy surged within Tian Dao’s body like a tidal wave.

An invisible Vector Field erupted from his core, spreading outward in an instant—shielding not only him, but Chen Kong and Vivian standing nearby.

One second later—

BOOM!!

A torrent of icy blue Stellar Energy lanced forward, screaming through space like a blade tearing through fabric.

The blinding flash consumed half the Quantum Space in an instant.

Chen Kong instinctively clutched Vivian, curling into a ball, pressing his head down.

The deafening explosion roared into his ears, shaking his very soul.

But when the expected wave of energy didn’t come—when silence followed the blast—he slowly opened his eyes.

What he saw froze him.

Ivan’s colossal Quantum Beam—capable of leveling a mountain—was now split cleanly in two, like water parting around a rock.

Two dazzling rivers of energy cascaded on either side of Tian Dao’s body.

And there, standing precisely at the dividing line, was Tian Dao—calm, expressionless, watching the energy streams rush past him like a storm on either side.

The wind from the blast lifted strands of his silver-white hair, fluttering them gently.

The production team seized the moment, giving Tian Dao a tight close-up.

Through the shot, the Dimensional Audience saw more than just his refined, matured features—his face now sharper, more defined.

They also witnessed a flood of data flashing rapidly through his pupils, as if his mind was calculating in real time.

“Holy crap… is that even fair? The production team’s golden child!”

“Screenshot! We must screenshot this!”

“Honestly, that ironclad cannon looks intimidating—but it didn’t even touch Tian Dao’s sleeve. What a joke!”

“Note the Star-Eclipse Eye! He’s analyzing the attack pattern!”

“Tian Dao’s just that good. Whether in low-tier fights or high-stakes battles—he’s always one step ahead.”

The light faded.

Tian Dao exhaled, smiling faintly at the drifting energy particles around him.

“Energy conversion efficiency: 72%. Quantum resonance frequency fluctuation exceeds 0.3 Hz.”

“Looks like your Ironcrown tech isn’t as miraculous as everyone claims.”

Ivan didn’t react.

As a Mechanical Stellar Envoy, he was incapable of emotion—unmoved by mockery, unshaken by failure.

Having confirmed that his Quantum Cannon couldn’t pierce Tian Dao’s defenses, Ivan ceased the wasteful energy discharge.

His synthetic eyes flickered faster—processing, recalibrating.

Protocol Update: Remote attack success rate below 25%. Switching to melee mode.

With that, twin streams of golden particles erupted from his legs, launching him forward like a missile.

Closing the distance in an instant, his left arm snapped forward—extending a three-foot-long alloy blade.

Blue-white electricity crackled along the blade’s edge, sizzling violently.

The air around it visibly ionized, carrying the acrid smell of burnt Kong.

“Not bad,” Tian Dao murmured, his eyes glinting.

Within him, the ‘Eclipse Star Liberation’ incantation activated silently.

Boom. Boom.

Two sharp, thunderous pulses echoed from Tian Dao’s body—like engines reigniting.

Instead of retreating, he charged forward.

His right hand blurred into motion—snatching the electrified blade mid-swing.

He gripped the blade’s edge, letting the violent current explode across his palm—unflinching.

Clang!

A piercing metallic clash rang out.

A shockwave erupted from the point of contact, rippling outward in all directions.

The Vector Field wrapped around Tian Dao’s hand clashed violently with Ivan’s blade—sparking golden fire, emitting a screech so sharp it made the audience wince, instinctively covering their ears.

And in that moment, Chen Kong saw it clearly:

The current from the blade was being deflected—not by brute strength, but by an invisible force, redirected safely into the Kong ground beneath them.

Not a single spark touched Tian Dao.

“Ten Thousand Phenomena Rejection.”

Chen Kong had seen this ability before—countless times.

Yet each time, it left him stunned.

He didn’t even need to consider Tian Dao’s other godlike techniques.

Just this one move alone was enough to make Tian Dao utterly dominant over 99% of his peers in the Stellar Envoy class.

Compared to Tian Dao, Chen Kong—though also a Stellar Prodigy—was like a tiny asteroid beside a blazing sun.

And now, after six years…

The Tian Dao standing before him was so much stronger than the one from six years ago.

A bitter smile tugged at Chen Kong’s lips.

Could someone like him—just a mere mortal—really stand on equal ground with a being like this?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end