At Imperial Monument Park, representatives from various major families and powers had been gathering for a while. The vast square was packed with people. In front of the square, Barlow stood beneath a huge monument, holding a black umbrella, quietly waiting. His face showed both sorrow and anger as his eyes scanned the crowd. He was searching for someone—Adrian.Before Lenny died, his final words demanded that Adrian be killed. Although Barlow didn't understand the reason, he had sensed Lenny's hatred. In Barlow's mind, Adrian was to blame. If Adrian hadn't been so domineering, the Roys and the Council of Elders wouldn't have needed to organize any inauguration ceremony to vie for power. Without that ceremony, Lenny wouldn't have been struck by lightning.Thinking of this, Barlow clenched his fists in hatred.However, he didn't see Adrian or any of his men in the crowd. Not only was Adrian missing, but so were the people from the Natren Military Region, like Zector. On top of that,
Eden was stunned, never expecting this turn of events. If he mingled with the other representatives, sneaking away would be much easier. But if he stood at the front, under the gaze of nearly ten thousand people, he would have no chance to leave."Umm..." Eden was at a loss for words, unsure how to refuse.Barlow thought Eden was being polite, so he took Eden by the shoulder and pushed him forward. Under his lead, Eden and his thousand men in Flaming Dragon Armor moved to the most conspicuous spot in the square.A little while later, a line of headlights lit up on the wide road not far away. Dozens of armored vehicles draped in black cloth slowly approached from the direction of the city and entered the scene. Amid solemn and mournful singing, four fully armed middle-aged men lifted Lenny's coffin from one of the vehicles. The coffin, though not overly luxurious, exuded dignified solemnity. All sides and the top were transparent, except for the bottom, allowing everyone to see Len
In Barlow's eyes, Eden's desperate run was a heroic effort to save Lenny, deeply moving him.Several kilometers away, Adrian stood with his hands behind his back, his sensory power covering the entire square. He knew everything that was happening, even better than anyone else because Lenny's movement was manipulated by his sensory power.Adrian had noticed Eden's intention to flee the scene, so he triggered the Zero Toxin in advance. The toxin had now entered Lenny's corpse and spread rapidly. Lenny's once-stiffened and stagnant blood began to flow again, and the meridians in his body were being drastically transformed by the powerful toxin.Though Adrian couldn't observe these microscopic changes, they soon manifested externally. The most obvious change was in Lenny's heart. His heart, which had long stopped beating, suddenly began beating again, and its size was slowly increasing. Soon after, his lungs also resumed functioning, allowing Lenny to breathe once more.Barlow, lying o
"Lenny... Lenny!" Barlow howled into the pitch-black night sky, pointing and cursing, "Heaven, what did the Roys do wrong?! What did my Lenny do wrong?! Even in death, you refuse to let him go!"Just as he finished speaking, a huge tentacle suddenly extended from Lenny's left rib, piercing through the left side of the coffin. The two men who were carrying the coffin were still standing on the left side. When the huge tentacle emerged, they were immediately slapped away. One rolled more than ten meters and crashed into the pedestal of the monument, while the other rolled twenty to thirty meters and slammed into the trunk of a large tree. This sudden scene immediately frightened the dozens of people around into screams.Barlow collapsed on the ground. Although there was no panic in his eyes, they were filled with utter despair. Even when he had watched Lenny being struck by lightning last night, he hadn't felt such despair.Boom!Another huge tentacle extended from Lenny's body, pier
Meanwhile, dozens of city guards who had driven their armored vehicles to attend the memorial service scrambled back into their vehicles and fled one after another. These guards were personally recruited by Lenny during his lifetime, lacking strict training and discipline, especially now in a life-or-death situation.Even Tommy and Ryden, the elders who had been standing in front of the monument, scattered in all directions, fleeing from the chaos.In the blink of an eye, only Barlow remained, standing beside the coffin. He watched as several huge tentacles emerged from it, a hint of fear creeping into his eyes. The crimson pillar shooting into the sky only served to intensify his trembling.The beam of light originated from Lenny, which had lost its eyes, nose, and forehead, leaving behind only a fist-sized hole oozing blood. Inside this cavity, Barlow could vaguely discern a spherical object rotating—a giant eyeball about the size of a fist. As the eyeball rotated, the red beam of
Eden looked toward the fleeing crowd and witnessed the chaos unfolding. Some panicked individuals jumped into the lake, while others, trampled underfoot, lay bloodied on the ground. Those too slow to escape were rendered unconscious by the sheer pressure of the situation.Fortunately, the thousand soldiers Eden had brought managed to escape to a safe distance. He breathed a sigh of relief, murmuring, "Thank goodness I got away. The consequences would’ve been unthinkable."Just as Eden finished sighing, the transformed Lenny suddenly halted his pursuit of Barlow."You bastard..." Eden gritted his teeth, consumed by hatred.However, even as Eden cursed, another strange transformation occurred. The monster that Lenny had become began to swell, his body expanding from its somewhat normal form into a spherical shape exceeding ten meters in diameter.His hands, still resembling their original form, started to twitch and elongate rapidly, thickening as they twisted. In moments, his arms
The situation was rapidly spiraling beyond Eden’s expectations."Stay vigilant. If any level nine fighters show up, report to me immediately," he instructed. "And stay close. Everyone must remain nearby. If the level nines arrive and the battle becomes critical or nears its end, everyone should mobilize.""Yes, sir!" his soldiers shouted in response.Meanwhile, on the building's top floor, Adrian stood quietly with a smile. He was determined not to let the three families endanger the city for their armor funding.Expanding his sensory power, Adrian monitored the families. The Colons had deployed armored units equipped with powerful weapons, transported by tanks to the monument. The Arroyos, on the other hand, sent about a hundred suicide warriors in standard battle gear with special alloy swords. And for the Valdezes, there was Eden, controlling a thousand warriors in Flaming Dragon Armor who were scattered nearby.Adrian then spotted something in the sky and scanned it. They were
To Herald, the scene was one of great glory. What thrilled him the most was their mission to confront the monster at the monument."After this battle, I'll be a force to be reckoned with in the city!" Herald smiled happily.In the distance, they could faintly see the red beam of light, which marked the monster’s location. However, Golden Snake was much closer—only two kilometers away—and had a clearer view. He could even see several tentacles twisting around the beam."Stop! We wait here!" Golden Snake commanded.More than a dozen tanks halted on the road. Golden Snake opened the door, jumped onto the roof, and looked toward the beam."That monster isn't moving. What's going on?" he muttered. The man riding with him climbed onto the roof and handed him a tablet. Golden Snake saw that the monster was motionless, with people scattered on the ground around it, either unconscious from being trampled or knocked out by the monster's oppressive force."Isn't that Barlow hiding behind