Chapter 1274: I’m going to conquer the republic
Chapter 1274: I’m going to conquer the republic
Souta looked calmly at the two people. He wasn’t bothered by their aura at all. He could kill a Seventh Shackle Realm expert when he was still a fourth stage monster, so now that he had advanced to the fifth stage, he no longer felt any threat from them.
He turned his head and looked beyond Hydro Land City, deep into the country.
"Arrogant! Do you think you can ignore us? You can’t simply barge into this country!!" One of the two people was infuriated by Souta’s disregard for their presence.
"No...!" The other glanced at his comrade and reached out a hand, stopping him from advancing. "Let’s not act rashly. I have a bad feeling about that monster."
His sensitivity was sharper than his comrade’s, allowing him to vaguely sense how dangerous Souta was. Moreover, both of them were only at the second and third enhancement.
At the moment, Souta turned his attention back to the two Seventh Shackle Realm experts. He raised his hand and made a grabbing motion.
Ohm!!
The two widened their eyes. They immediately swam in different directions. However, numerous web-like strings chased after them.
The person who wanted to attack Souta earlier moved as fast as he could. Yet one of the webs managed to grab hold of his leg.
"Damn!!"
He drew his weapon, but another web bound his arm. Seeing the web wrap tightly around him, he panicked. He turned his eyes and saw even more webs rushing toward him.
"No!!"
His voice was swallowed by the dense mass of webs. Blood spread through the surrounding water, hardening around the webs.
Just like that, a Seventh Shackle Realm expert was captured.
Souta paused, choosing not to attack the remaining expert. He reached out his hand, and the bound expert flew to his side.
"Tell your higher-ups that I’m giving the Creasant Republic two choices. Surrender to me or be exterminated."
His cold voice echoed through the area.
The remaining expert felt fear rise in his heart. A Seventh Shackle Realm expert like him was nothing in front of this monster. His comrade had been captured effortlessly.
Without another word, the expert swam away.
Souta remained where he was. He looked at the pile of webs and blood beside him. With a wave of his hand, the webs and blood shifted, revealing the terrified face of the expert trapped inside.
The expert trembled when he saw Souta standing beside him.
"You...!! W-What are you trying to do?!" he asked while stuttering.
"Hmm... I’m going to conquer the republic," Souta replied.
The expert was speechless.
The monster standing before him was utterly insane.
The Creasant Republic was filled with countless powerful beings. Conquering it alone was nearly impossible.
"You think I’ll fail?" Souta chuckled softly. "Well... considering the aura I’m releasing only appears to be at the initial stage, I can understand why you’d think that way."
He shook his head and smiled faintly.
"But you’ll see soon enough."
The smile on his face slowly turned colder.
"If your country refuses to submit... then I’ll conquer it by force."
A suffocating pressure swept through the surroundings.
"I will drag them to their knees."
The expert’s expression stiffened.
Then Souta casually revealed another bombshell.
"I’ll tell you a little secret."
His crimson eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness.
"The Bodam Kingdom and the Tarrant Nation are already under my control."
The expert’s pupils shrank violently.
Disbelief flooded his face as he stared at Souta. If those words were true, then the situation was far worse than he had imagined. Although the Creasant Republic was acknowledged as the strongest among the three nations, it still could not stand alone against the combined might of the Bodam Kingdom and the Tarrant Nation.
No matter what, those two nations still possessed terrifying foundations.
Frieda of the Rulman Household, the Supreme Council, the former King of the Bodam Kingdom, the Five Generals, and the monstrous brothers of the Waterfield Clan.
Each one of them was enough to shake entire regions.
Yet somehow... the monster before him had subdued them all.
How...?
A cold sensation crept into the expert’s chest. Still, he clenched his fists tightly, trying to suppress the unease rising within him.
’No... maybe he’s bluffing... Maybe he’s just trying to break my spirit before the battle even begins...’
Souta glanced at the expert and shook his head slightly. He could already tell that this man was desperately creating some false sense of hope in his mind.
But it didn’t matter.
Souta had already given him a death sentence.
Sooner or later, this man would die along with the rest of them if they refused to submit.
Suddenly, Souta turned his head and a faint frown appeared on his face.
"They’re underestimating me."
Far in the distance, several figures shot across the waters toward Hydro Land City at terrifying speed. Vast energy surged around each of them, their auras unmistakably belonging to Hero-rank experts.
And among them... one stood above the rest.
An Eight Shackle Realm expert.
"What level is that monster?" a towering man over two and a half meters tall asked coldly.
"Initial stage... but the amount of energy he possesses is far beyond that," one of the experts answered gravely. He was the same person who had escaped Hydro Land City to report the situation.
"The audacity of that monster..." the tall man muttered.
He was the Black Water Lord, an Eight Shackle Realm expert at the level of Advanced Archon.
The Eight Shackle Realm was divided into four levels: Initial Mortal, Intermediate Transcendent, Advanced Archon, and finally, Peak Divine.
At this realm, an expert’s body would undergo a terrifying evolution. Every muscle, bone, and drop of blood would be tempered to monstrous levels.
Someone like the Black Water Lord, who had reached the Advanced Archon level, possessed a physical body powerful enough to crush any Seventh Shackle Realm expert with brute force alone.
The seawater around him churned violently as he advanced.
His mere presence distorted the surrounding currents, releasing a pressure so immense that weaker beings would collapse before even facing him.
Whooosh!!
Soon, the group arrived above Hydro Land City.
The first thing they saw was the humanoid monster suspended high above the city, calmly looking down at them while holding one of their nation’s experts by the neck.
Black Water Lord stepped forward, his massive frame radiating overwhelming pressure.
"What do you want, monster?" he asked coldly.
Souta raised an eyebrow and casually pointed at the expert who had escaped earlier.
"Didn’t he already tell you?" he said.
Black Water Lord’s gaze darkened.
"It’s impossible. The Creasant Republic will never submit to anyone." His voice rang out firmly across the sea. There was no room for negotiation in this situation.
Souta tilted his head slightly. He asked, "Is that truly the decision of your higher-ups?"
His crimson eyes narrowed faintly.
"Or is that simply your own conclusion?"
"I don’t need to consult the others for something like this," Black Water Lord replied without hesitation. "They will never bow to you."
A surge of energy burst from his body, causing the surrounding seawater to churn violently.
"We don’t even know who you are."
The atmosphere fell silent for a brief moment.
"I’m Souta." Souta simply stated his name.
Black Water Lord and the others behind him stared at Souta in silence.
Upon seeing their reaction, Souta let out a faint sigh and slowly closed his eyes.
"What a pity..." he muttered.
"It seems I really have no choice but to bring this country to its knees."
Then, his eyes snapped open.
Boom!!
A terrifying surge of energy exploded from his body like a volcanic eruption. The seawater beneath him burst apart as violent shockwaves rippled through the surroundings.
His body rapidly expanded. His horns grew larger and sharper, curving like demonic blades. His skin darkened, while the fur around his wrists turned deep crimson. Golden patterns spread from the monster orb embedded in his chest, crawling across his upper body like living flames.
His dark red hair flowed wildly behind him, growing longer with every pulse of energy. Then his back twitched violently.
Rip!!
Eight massive spider limbs burst out from behind him. Each one glistened with a metallic sheen, radiating terrifying power. The limbs slowly detached from his back and floated behind him like weapons orbiting a god of destruction.
The entire transformation happened in less than a second.
[Monster Orb Release]!!
An overwhelming pressure descended upon everything like the wrath of a calamity.
Boom!!
The Hydro Land City shook violently. Numerous experts across the city were slammed straight into the ground before they could even react. Buildings cracked, streets shattered, and seawater exploded upward from the force alone.
As for the ordinary citizens, the moment Souta entered his released form, their fates had already been decided. No ordinary beings could endure the energy emitted by the released form of a fifth-stage monster. Even E-ranks, D-ranks, and C-ranks died instantly, their bodies unable to withstand the monstrous pressure flooding the city.
Some experts lost consciousness on the spot. Others barely remained awake, their bodies trembling violently as they struggled to move even a finger.
"Y-You...!!" Black Water Lord’s eyes widened in shock.
He had never expected this monster to unleash his released form without hesitation. The pressure pouring from Souta was no longer something that could be measured normally.