Chapter 544: A Fist
Chapter 544: A Fist
Ji Xinghuo raised an eyebrow, finding the situation slightly amusing. The Iron Emperor, having already surrendered, now wanted to save face in front of his subjects, using the excuse of Rome's honor.
If only we had applied more pressure or cut off communications, he thought. The Iron Emperor would have had no choice but to agree without an audience to witness his capitulation.
However, it didn't matter now.
Without hesitation, Ji Xinghuo said, "Then let me be the one to defeat you, Mr. Ivan."
The Iron Emperor rose from his throne, war hammer in hand.
"Follow me."
They were in the Iron Palace, and a slight miscalculation in their upcoming battle could result in the destruction of the empire's landmark structure.
While Ji Xinghuo would have had no qualms if this were a life-or-death situation, since the Iron Emperor had already offered his surrender, he decided to give him some face and follow him, remaining vigilant in case of any sudden betrayal.
The grand doors of the hall opened, revealing a crowd of Roman Imperial Guards outside, all of whom breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the Iron Emperor.
"Your Majesty!"
The commander of the Imperial Guards, Yevgeny, looked at Ji Xinghuo, still unsure of what had transpired.
"Stand down," the Iron Emperor ordered, his gaze sweeping over the guards. "Yevgeny, continue the blockade of the Iron Palace. No one is to enter or leave without my permission." He then turned to Ji Xinghuo and said, "Mr. Ji, let's go to the Imperial Arena. Please."
As he finished speaking, the magnificent coat that symbolized his imperial status was torn, and a liquid metal, resembling quicksilver, emerged on his skin.
The silvery light flowed rapidly, soon enveloping his entire body.
In less than two seconds, a set of silver-gray armor formed, each piece fitting seamlessly together. The elegant and simple design hugged his body's contours, emanating a powerful energy that clearly marked it as something not of Earth's creation.
The Iron Emperor rose into the air and flew towards the Imperial Arena on the outskirts of Ivangela, breaking the sound barrier with a thunderous boom.
Ji Xinghuo transformed into a lightning bolt and pursued him.
His gaze fell on the Iron Emperor's armor, and his vision displayed the following information:
[Armor: Skywalker Battle Armor]
[Grade: Revelation Two-Star]
[Functions: Flight Level 6, Agile Level 7, Dynamic Energy Field, Nano-Armor Outer Layer, Energy Reflection Level 4]
"Another Revelation Two-Star equipment," Ji Xinghuo thought, unsurprised that the Iron Emperor possessed the Skywalker Battle Armor. According to the files he had seen, the Iron Emperor had acquired it at the beginning of the century, leading to a significant increase in his strength.
The Iron Emperor rarely displayed this battle armor in public, and even those closest to him were unaware of its origins.
Who would have thought it was a Revelation Two-Star!
While the Skywalker Battle Armor lacked direct combat capabilities, its double defense of the nano-armor outer layer and energy reflection was impressive, although not exceptionally remarkable.
What truly astonished Ji Xinghuo were the flight and agility capabilities.
A super-limit ability and an exceptional ability had reached Levels 6 and 7, respectively.
The combination of these two extraordinarily high-level abilities produced remarkable results, greatly compensating for the Iron Emperor's shortcomings.
For many years, the Sword Bureau had been collecting intelligence on the Iron Emperor and analyzing his strength. As the third-ranked powerhouse on the Global Combat Power List, his greatest strengths were his offensive and defensive capabilities, while his speed and agility were his most significant weaknesses.
The Skywalker Battle Armor was likely the Iron Emperor's trump card.
Ji Xinghuo's gaze fell on the Iron Emperor's left hand, where a coarse black ring adorned his thumb.
The Myriad Star Pupil identified it as the "Will Iron Ring."
A Revelation One-Star treasure, it could protect the wearer's mind, resist mental attacks, and came with two ether affinities that accelerated cultivation and stellar force recovery.
"A good item," Ji Xinghuo thought.
Having sat on the imperial throne for over a century, the Iron Emperor had amassed vast resources from the New Roman Empire, so it was no surprise that he could afford a few Revelation-grade equipment.
However, Revelation Two-Star was likely the limit.
Obtaining Revelation Three-Star equipment wasn't just a matter of money, even in the True Dragon Dynasty. It would require millions of ether crystals, and even with the resources of an entire empire, it would be challenging for the Iron Emperor to acquire them. Purchasing them remotely on Earth was also unrealistic due to a lack of channels.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Iron Emperor sped through the sky like a silver bolt of lightning, cutting through the atmosphere.
Ji Xinghuo closely trailed behind him.
He maintained a constant distance of about 500 meters from the Iron Emperor, no matter how much the latter accelerated, resulting in a relative state of static positioning between them.
They soon arrived at a massive elliptical arena.
Bang!
The Iron Emperor flew directly into the arena, landing heavily on the alloy-forged ground with a deafening crash.
A lightning bolt descended, revealing Ji Xinghuo.
He turned and scanned the surroundings, familiar with the Imperial Arena. A few years ago, he had watched Zhao Manying compete here multiple times, witnessing her championship victory. It was also here that he had first met the new Solar King.
There were no matches or other events scheduled in the Imperial Arena today, and the vast arena was mostly empty except for a handful of staff members.
"Close the roof and shut down the surveillance system immediately, then get out!" the Iron Emperor ordered loudly.
Upon recognizing the emperor, the staff members hastily complied, their faces filled with trepidation as they scurried out of the arena.
The enormous roof slowly closed, blocking the view of the satellites above.
In the empty arena, the two men stood two hundred meters apart. The Iron Emperor took a deep breath, his expression solemn.
"Should I hold back?" Ji Xinghuo asked suddenly.
"Hmph." The Iron Emperor's eyes narrowed, and he said seriously, "This is a battle to the death. Give it your all and do not insult my honor as a warrior!"
'If I go all out, I might just end up killing you,' Ji Xinghuo thought.
However, he refrained from goading his opponent further. The Iron Emperor was, after all, an important figure in Earth's history and deserved respect. He would still have a role to play in the future and was a part of the Sovereign's plan for global unification. It was best to avoid any unnecessary complications.
"Very well," Ji Xinghuo nodded.
In an instant, the Iron Emperor's body grew, expanding from its original height of around 1.7 meters to nearly ten meters tall. His Skywalker Battle Armor expanded with him, and the war hammer in his hand also enlarged, its weight increasing by several dozen times! His eyes blazed with a blood-red light.
A devastating aura spread out, engulfing the entire arena and stirring up violent air currents.
Most other meta-humans would be intimidated by such a display, their fighting spirit crumbling before the battle even began.
But Ji Xinghuo merely appraised his opponent calmly.
"As expected of the Iron Blooded War God," Ji Xinghuo said, unsurprised. It was common knowledge that the Iron Emperor's profession template was "Ironclad Warrior," an evolution of the "Giant General" and "Iron Guard" professions. This was how he had earned his moniker.
However, Ji Xinghuo's sharp eyes, coupled with his access to the Iron Emperor's files and video footage, had led him to suspect a hidden truth.
The Iron Emperor was no ordinary Ironclad Warrior.
Like the Solar King, he had been working towards perfecting an ultimate profession, that of the Iron Blooded War God.
During his time in the True Dragon Dynasty, Ji Xinghuo had once posed as a True Dragon native seeking the path of the Iron Blooded War God, so he was familiar with its intricacies.
The Iron Blooded War God profession was comprised of five profession templates: Giant General, Iron Guard, White Knight, Black-Robed Bishop, and Martial Artist. While these professions were common, the sheer number of meta-abilities required made it extremely difficult to achieve, and its strength once completed was by no means inferior to other ultimate professions.
The Iron Emperor had no need to seek out exotic species or lack resources, but evolving into the Iron Blooded War God was nonetheless a challenging endeavor.
Even so, his strength was formidable.
Ji Xinghuo assessed that if the Iron Emperor were in the True Dragon Dynasty, he would undoubtedly rank within the Third Sequence, having reached the pinnacle of the sixth stage. He would be among the top powerhouses in that sequence, and no one would dare underestimate him.
Boom! The Iron Emperor stomped the ground, causing the entire arena to tremble.
He charged towards Ji Xinghuo with long strides, his Skywalker Battle Armor accelerating wildly. The stellar force within him output at maximum power, lighting up nine nodes in his stellar array, activating his array module, "Indomitable Diamond Body"!
At the same time, a blood-red shadow appeared behind the Iron Emperor, an exact replica of his own silhouette, like a soul.
It was the star-falling meta-ability "Blood-Soaked Battle Soul"!
One of the core meta-abilities of the Iron Blooded War God, it could multiply his strength several times over, vastly enhancing his defense and speed. While this ability was active, he could not be killed, and he would absorb the life and energy of his enemies to replenish himself, growing stronger with each battle.
The Ever-Iron Giant was also activated.
This was a star-falling incarnation-type meta-ability, derived from the extremely rare Ever-Iron Giant clan in the Star Realm. It granted the Iron Emperor immense strength and defense, and the ever-iron could counteract electromagnetism's advantage over metal.
Frenzy! Blazing Blood! Trembling Earth! Bloodthirster!
In an instant, the Iron Emperor entered his most powerful state, unleashing his full strength without holding back. He moved at his highest speed towards Ji Xinghuo, reaching him in the blink of an eye. Wielding the giant war hammer, now weighing thousands of tons, he brought it down on Ji Xinghuo with devastating force.
It was a strike of annihilation!
Just lifting the hammer caused the air to explode within a few hundred meters, creating a vacuum wave that swept through the arena.
The Iron Emperor had absolute confidence in his strength.
On Earth, no one could withstand that blow.
Not even the Solar King.
His gaze locked onto Ji Xinghuo, his mind predicting multiple variations of the upcoming battle. No matter if Ji Xinghuo chose to use instant steps, dodging, or retreating, he had countermeasures prepared to unleash even stronger attacks, maintaining a high-intensity suppression and dictating the rhythm of the fight.
And if Ji Xinghuo chose to take the blow head-on, that would be even better!
If one strike was all it took to kill Ji Xinghuo, then all the problems would be solved, and all the promises made would become null and void.
The global situation would be completely reversed!
The Iron Emperor's heart stirred with hope.
But in the next second, Ji Xinghuo vanished for a moment, only to reappear right before him, having also transformed into a giant of equal stature. A massive fist, crackling with electricity, shot through the war hammer's attack, rapidly growing larger in his vision.
With two centuries of combat experience, the Iron Emperor tried to evade the punch, but all his movements were anticipated by Ji Xinghuo.
And it all happened too fast.
Clang!
A metallic collision reverberated through the arena, and the Iron Emperor's vision went dark. Agonizing pain shot through his head, and he lost consciousness.
(End of Chapter)
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