Douluo Dalu: Lucky Star

Credits: Huboor Abdulla

In the pitch-black expanse of the universe, violent energy erupted, causing the surrounding small black holes to gradually dissipate. A somewhat battered Asura returned to the sides of Evil and Kindness, whose expressions were equally grim.

"Well? Have you made up your mind? You've seen it yourselves—if this drags on any longer, we're doomed to lose." Asura's face looked even worse than before.

Using the cover of this attack, he and Evil had reassessed their situation. Under the suppression of Han Li's spatial laws, conventional means offered no escape. Their opponent showed no concern for divine power consumption, and they didn't dare to engage in a battle of attrition.

"I agree. Let's proceed as you suggested," Evil stated first. He'd had enough of being stuck in this powerless state. Asura was right—the five were the foundation of the God Realm; the other gods were secondary.

"Should we consult Destruction and Life first?" Kindness hesitated. She had a lingering sense that perhaps Han Li could still be reasoned with. After all, he hadn't aimed to kill them outright, focusing mainly on Asura. She could vaguely sense that he was holding something back.

"No need. They're barely managing against Silver Dragon King and can't spare. Besides, the three of us hold five votes together. Even if they disagree, we can make the decision ourselves."

Asura glanced at Destruction and Life, who were struggling to maintain a draw with Gu Yue and urged impatiently. He'd had enough—of the battle, of his humiliation. As the enforcer god, he interacted the most with external forces and held the highest pride among the gods. Yet from the very start, his embarrassing performance had been witnessed by all. Even if they eventually won, he knew whispers would follow him. His state of mind was already unbalanced.

"Let's go with Asura's plan. We don't have a better option."

Seeing that Kindness still wanted to argue, Evil chimed in to support the decision.

"Alright," Kindness finally relented after a glance at the two of them.

"Good. You two handle the unsealing; I'll hold him off."

Without waiting for their response, Asura was already enveloped in blood-red divine power. He dared not wield the full power of the Asura Blood Sword but could still use a weakened version to hold off Han Li's two avatars. It wouldn't be too difficult.

Had it not been for those two rule-based avatars with limited intelligence—occasionally evading attacks under Han Li's command using elemental transformations—the fight wouldn't have lasted this long.

Is it starting now?

Across from them, Han Li noticed Asura launching a full-force charge while Evil and Kindness retreated. He immediately sensed that something was amiss.

But instead of intervening, he allowed them to proceed, as the laws of fate grew even more active at that moment. Besides, he had his contingencies.

Even if the two managed to temporarily escape his domain, the chains of fate wouldn't break. At worst, he'd simply spend more divine power to retrieve them.

"Better safe than sorry—let's seriously injure Asura first."

Han Li murmured to himself, a trace of seriousness appearing on his face.

Watching Asura, who was already brimming with killing intent as he charged between the two avatars, Han Li's lips curled slightly as he gave an instantaneous command.

"Ice-Fire Domain, activate."

This was one of his trump cards—how could he abandon it so easily? Aside from the laws of fate, the laws of ice and fire were his primary cultivation focus and the core elements of his martial soul.

Although the rule-based avatars had split into independent entities due to soul skills, their essence was still the same source. Within his Prison of Infinite Laws, constructing a domain using them was almost effortless.

Thus, Asura's full-force sword strike was frozen in mid-air.

The two rule-based avatars transformed into a yin-yang diagram of ice and fire, augmented by spatial power from the array, briefly immobilizing Asura.

It only lasted three seconds. But for Han Li, three seconds was more than enough.

To this point, he still hadn't used any high-damage attack skills. It was time to change that.

That thought aligned with his actions.

Above Han Li, his seventh soul ring lit up. The skill that should have been his Martial Soul True Body now took on a completely different form.

The Fate God Bow in his hand floated upward, rapidly expanding to an astonishing size. The massive bow now pressed directly against Asura's forehead, creating a scene that was both awe-inspiring and faintly comical.

Is this what they call a point-blank ultimate move?

The thought flashed briefly in Han Li's mind before vanishing.

"Silent Sea Thunder Sting."

As the seventh soul ring shone, the ninth soul ring—unused until now—lit up simultaneously. This was the first time Han Li had ever activated this skill since obtaining it.

The skill's effect was straightforward: a high-powered attack combining the water and thunder attributes of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King. However, after Han Li ascended to godhood, the thunder attribute was replaced with destructive power.

In Asura's wide-eyed gaze, a deep purple destructive force condensed before his forehead into an arrow-like bolt of lightning.

Thwack!

With almost no resistance, the lightning arrow pierced through the center of Asura's brows.

In the instant the Ice-Fire Domain dissipated, Asura's previously intact body exploded from the waist up, unleashing a blast so powerful that it also obliterated Han Li's two avatars. This detonation created the most massive shockwave since the battle began.

An actual black hole was born. Even Han Li's meticulously maintained domain fell into disarray, with the laws of various elements and the power of fate chaotically intertwining, forming a storm of laws. This disturbance even affected Gu Yue's battle, forcing her to retreat temporarily to avoid collateral damage.

Opposite her, Destruction and Life heaved sighs of relief, finally able to take a moment to recover.

Gu Yue's Silver Dragon Spear, though not on par with their super divine weapons, had an energy-devouring effect that greatly frustrated them. The spear absorbed its energy to strengthen itself, ensuring it didn't fall behind in clashes with the Destruction Scepter while simultaneously feeding Gu Yue divine power. This allowed her to recklessly expend energy, manipulating various elemental laws to harass them relentlessly.

In contrast, Destruction and Life were at a disadvantage. Life's creation power was mirrored by Gu Yue, rendering it ineffective, while Destruction's abilities were suppressed by Han Li's domain, forcing him to rely on other laws, which consumed far more energy than usual.

Even the battle-hardened Destruction felt an urge to flee, but he couldn't. His wife needed his protection, or under the dual pressure, Life would likely fall to Gu Yue.

But just as they caught their breath, a sharp cracking sound came from behind them.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was piercing.

A sense of foreboding surged in Destruction's heart. He turned abruptly, and what he saw left him stunned: the protective barrier outside the God Realm had shattered.

The barrier... shattered? Did Han Li do this? For a brief moment, Destruction was at a loss.

Asura's situation didn't worry him—reforming a destroyed body was trivial for a god of his level, and he could still sense Asura's presence. But the barrier... that was a different matter. If it failed, the God Realm would suffer unimaginable losses.

The God Realm was a high-concentration energy planet. Its protective barrier was essential for containing its energy, stabilizing its formations, and defending against cosmic laws. Without it, the gods—especially those weaker than them—would be unable to survive in the harsh conditions of the universe.

Destruction was overcome with despair. Then, his gaze fell on Evil and Kindness below the God Realm. In their hands, the Judgment Scales and Heart of Kindness glowed blindingly bright.

He turned back sharply to see Han Li standing in apparent confusion.

It wasn't him? Destruction was dumbfounded.

"Finally, it's done! Han Li, you've had your fun, but the counterattack of the God Realm starts now!"

"Gods of the God Realm, hear my command! In the name of the God of Asura, I order you to leave the God Realm and counterattack the Douluo Plane. The one with the greatest merit in battle will succeed me as the next God of Asura!"

Not far away, Asura, who had just reformed his divine body after escaping the explosion, declared the counteroffensive.

"Asura! Evil! Kindness! What in the world are you doing?"

Before Han Li could respond, Destruction's furious voice echoed across the void. He no longer cared that he was still in Han Li's domain; his entire body surged with divine power, ready to devour gods indiscriminately.

Behind him, the Life Goddess displayed a similar desperation, throwing caution to the wind as they charged toward the God Realm. They couldn't afford to bother with Han Li or Gu Yue anymore.

The majority of beings in the God Realm were divine officials, whose strength was often not much greater than that of Ultimate Douluo. Without any protection, they were exposed to the cosmos' merciless laws. On a pure energy planet like the God Realm, it wouldn't take long for the cosmic laws to erode and crush them completely.

With Han Li still present, the destroyed barrier wouldn't be restored. How could the three of them dare take such a reckless gamble?

This was likely Destruction and Life's shared thought as they sped toward the God Realm to protect the divine officials.

"Destruction, Life! Forget about everything else—take down Han Li first!"

Asura's voice rang out again, now filled with frustration. He hadn't expected Destruction, usually a fellow radical, to turn against him at this critical moment.

"Get lost!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Destruction abandoned the battlefield and rushed straight toward the God Realm.

"In the name of the God of Destruction and the God of Life, I decree: All gods of the God Realm, protect the divine officials with your full might!"

Amid the dark void, Destruction's voice boomed like thunder.

"How interesting."

Han Li's voice followed, calm yet tinged with provocation.

"Destruction, it seems I've underestimated you. You've proven to be a man of integrity."

"However, I must apologize. Since the barrier is already down, let's leave it that way. Protect your people as best you can."

In the emptiness, Han Li floated upward, his hands forming a strange gesture. At the center of his chest, a droplet of milky-white liquid with a silvery sheen coalesced.

Within the droplet, space fluctuated faintly, revealing a core of black matter devoid of any energy signature.