Lord of the Truth

1071  Glaring flaw

"...And I will make sure you don't live to tell the tale."

RUMBLE RUMBLE

Pythor's massive body shifted, and the sheer weight of his form caused deep fractures to spread across the ground beneath him. The earth itself seemed to groan under his immense bulk, sinking inch by inch as if surrendering to his presence.

HSSSS HSSSS

A single flick of his tongue, drenched in the corrosive purple venom, sent waves of distortion rippling through the air. The very atmosphere began to erode, thinning unnaturally and creating an eerie vacuum that pressed down on the battlefield like an unseen force of doom.

"..." Robin locked eyes with Pythor, indeed, he lost his last sliver of humanity left, there was nothing in those eyes except for savagery and doom. He could almost hear the echoes of countless lives snuffed out by this monstrosity's will, a silent cacophony of suffering embedded deep within Baithor's soul. The weight of billions lost pressed heavily on Robin's chest.

At that moment, Robin realized—Pythor had severed his final link to his true self. No longer did he bear even a shred of the former human king. If he were now to stand beside Durger, the beast king, no one would question that he was his rightful heir. Robin clenched his fists. "So this... this is what happens when one masters the second cultivation path completely? You become a mere imitation of the creature whose blood you've drained? A pathetic counterfeit?"

Pythor didn't take the bait. Instead, with a menacing HSSSS, he threw his jaws open wide and unleashed a torrential blast. FWOAAAAAASH!

The thick purple mist surged forward like a tidal wave, engulfing everything in its path. Robin's pupils shrank. "Damn it!" He cursed under his breath, activating his time-flash ability with a sharp BLINK, barely managing to reappear outside the mist's expanding edge.

Pythor's monstrous head snapped toward Robin's new position instantly. Another blast followed. FWOAAAAAASH!

BLINK BLINK

For ten relentless seconds, Pythor spewed his deadly mist with alarming intensity. Buildings, debris, remnants of the previous four battles—all disintegrated in an instant. The entire city within a few miles radius vanished without a trace, and the purple haze continued its slow, insidious creep outward. The very earth beneath it groaned as it was eaten away, dissolving into nothingness.

"..." Robin gritted his teeth. He could see Pythor's plan now. The beast was using his mist to corral him, offering the illusion of near capture, baiting him into staying close in a futile attempt to evade. Robin realized he had to act fast.

Pythor suddenly shifted his gaze away from Robin, turning his focus upwards— towards Amon.

"You dare?!" Robin's voice roared with fury as he watched Pythor's intentions change. Without hesitation, he slashed through space beside him. KRRAAAACK A spatial rift tore open, and Robin vanished into it. A heartbeat later, he emerged high above Pythor's titanic frame, hovering just over his back.

"..." Robin's original plan had been simple—land a few crushing blows, shatter some scales, and force Pythor to redirect his wrath to him once more. But the moment his feet touched Pythor's monstrous hide, he understood just how hopeless that plan had been.

Each scale was enormous—large enough to support five of him standing side by side. BOOM BOOM Robin stomped twice, feeling their density beneath his feet. Each one was nearly half a meter thick. Slowly, his gaze traveled across the beast's colossal frame, taking in the thousands of overlapping scales. Each of them could be used to forge an epic armor!

Robin's focus zeroed in on the back of Pythor's head... Was this the true power of the second cultivation path? Transformation? Only minutes ago, Pythor had been a skinny pale human in his eyes. Now, he was a primordial terror. His body, weight, and aura were indistinguishable from that of an ancient beast. The transformation was more than just superficial— It is like he changed places with Durger!

Knowing brute force wouldn't suffice, Robin acted. WHOOSH With a mere thought, a black spear materialized from his spatial ring.

This was no ordinary weapon. Unlike the sleek, needle-like space spear, this one was thick, heavy, and built for raw destruction. Its massive head gleamed ominously, and twin handles were positioned along its shaft to ensure maximum control. Crafted entirely from Uracelium, the spear was a tool only used for raw power.

"HAAAAA--!!" Robin roared, activating his divine tattoos. GLOW GLOW The fourth-stage Body Strengthening Divine Tattoo and Pure Strength Divine Tattoo flared to life, flooding his body with immense power. Then, with all his might—BOOOOOOOM!! The Spear came crashing like a meteor, the strength Robin could pull now using the heavy spear was much more than than his normal. Noting that with just a kick moments ago he managed to break Pythor's rib!

"Damn it!" Even with his full strength, the spear barely managed to pierce the scale to a degree, creating only a dent in it.

YANK YANK Robin struggled to retrieve his weapon, but the spearhead had lodged itself deep within Pythor's scale, refusing to budge.

"HSSSSAAAA!!" Pythor still bellowed in agony, the blow managed to send shock waves all over his body at least. His monstrous head twisting around to locate the source of his pain. Spotting Robin, he unleashed another devastating purple mist wave. FWOAAAAAASH!

Robin smirked, dodging with another BLINK, reappearing on the same scale. WHOOSH A second black spear emerged in his hand.

"Let's try this again!" he shouted, driving it down with another colossal strike. BOOOOM!!

"HSSSAAAAAAHH!!!" Pythor abandoned his mist attack, lunging downward in an attempt to crush Robin beneath his gargantuan fangs.

"Not today!" Robin laughed, tearing through space once more. KRRAAACK He vanished into the void just as Pythor's jaw came crashing down.

BOOOOM The force of Pythor's impact triggered a dust storm that engulfed the entire battlefield, giving Robin a brief moment to catch his breath.

"Huff... Huff... Huff..." Robin panted, watching Pythor struggle to clear the swirling debris. His eyes narrowed.

In that moment, Robin realized a glaring flaw in his combat style...