'That's not right.'
Bai Luo was a bit confused: 'Why would people from the West-East Tribe kill their own kind?'
But if the opponent wasn't a beastman from the West-East Tribe, then who was it?
'The Order?'
Bai Luo thought of the Order that Yuedan had mentioned earlier: 'This Order has some power; they can even send out such a formidable guy.'
Although they hadn't met yet, through Magic Perception, Bai Luo was certain that the opponent was definitely a powerhouse far surpassing Yuedan, the Black-Clad Swordsman, and the beastmen.
"Lord Bai Luo?"
Xue Ji didn't possess Bai Luo's powerful perception, so seeing Bai Luo stop, she immediately prepared to ask.
"They're here!"
"What?"
Xue Ji was stunned for a moment, then followed Bai Luo's gaze.
"Boom!!"
The next moment, a deafening explosion soared into the sky.
Torrential flames were cut open, hundreds of houses shattered completely, and countless stone fragments surged towards the two like a tsunami.
"This?!"
Xue Ji's pupils contracted slightly.
Despite the critical situation, Xue Ji couldn't react or dodge; she didn't even know what had happened.
However, what surprised Bai Luo was that in such a critical moment, Xue Ji's first reaction wasn't to run away.
Although very slow, through the girl's muscle reaction, Bai Luo knew that she wanted to stand in front of him, using her body to withstand the impact of the explosion.
"Bang!"
Bai Luo's lips curled slightly, and silver-white Magic enveloped Xue Ji.
Before the explosion could get close, a dazzling silver light instantly tore apart everything in front of them.
Amidst the clash of metal, a passage running from south to north, piercing through the entire Yaohu Village, was forcefully opened by the silver light pushing against purple Magic.
"Hahahaha~~"
A childish yet arrogant laugh came from the front.
It was a boy, wearing a paper bag over his head, with only two holes cut out for his eyes.
Through the holes, the boy's sharp gaze was fixed intently on Bai Luo, who had blocked his probing attack.
"Magic!"
"What immense Magic!"
In the boy's perception, Bai Luo was like a Magic Dragon exuding overwhelming power.
Just by standing there, every cell in the boy's body began to cheer with excitement.
"Interesting!!!"
Sid was originally engaged in his daily routine of hunting down thieves and accumulating funds for Shadowbroker.
Noticing the movement of beastmen in the northern territory, Sid crossed the mountains and successfully slaughtered all the bandits in the village.
However, Sid never expected that a seemingly ordinary stroll would lead him to encounter such an existence.
"Sizzzz!"
In mid-air, Bai Luo's palm collided with a sword as black as ink.
The clash of Magic immediately sent sparks flying.
"Hmm?"
The two sides were in a stalemate for a moment, and looking at the unmoving Bai Luo, Sid was shocked, yet an endless joy welled up within him.
"No way?"
Xue Ji's pupils dilated, a moment of Magic collision: "Is this truly Magic that a human can possess?"
Just the collision between the two unleashed a Magic storm of such terrifying magnitude.
Had Bai Luo not been standing there, blocking the opponent's aura, Xue Ji had no doubt that Sid could have leveled Yaohu Village with just the overflowing Magic.
"Bang!"
However, the sword in Sid's hand, formed from Slime, suddenly shattered.
"What?"
The next moment, the boy's pupils sharply contracted.
In his line of sight, Bai Luo's palm, carrying immense force, forcefully broke through the Magic he used to protect himself with a crushing momentum.
"So strong!"
Sid knew Bai Luo was strong, but he never expected him to be this powerful.
The quality of that Magic was even superior to his own current Magic!
"Boom!"
Bai Luo's palm descended, a seemingly ordinary strike, yet it left a huge pit with a radius of several tens of meters in front.
The exaggerated destructive power, even though Xue Ji was mentally prepared for Bai Luo's strength, still left her mind shaken and her jaw dropped.
"You have some power."
Bai Luo waved his hand, looking at the boy who appeared at the edge of the deep pit, and honestly said, "But not much."
'So, this is that world?'
Upon seeing the boy, Bai Luo had already figured out what kind of world he was in.
The opponent's attire was almost identical to that of the protagonist in a work called "The Eminence in Shadow" that Bai Luo had watched before his transmigration.
'Immense Magic, probably about half a percent (one-twentieth) of mine, but considering his age...'
'Shadow's Magic Growth level must be above SR+1.'
Looking at Sid, his age should be between 8 and 10, while Bai Luo was already 20.
With a difference of six or seven years, it was perfectly normal for Sid's current Magic amount to be less than his own.
However, Shadow's talent didn't seem as exaggerated as Bai Luo had imagined.
"Magic Control is currently unknown, but for Magic Growth alone, it's probably around SR+4, or +5."
Very strong, but not as strong as Bai Luo had imagined.
'It seems the value of SSR is even higher than I thought.'
Bai Luo thought this, preparing to go forward and communicate, but Sid asked first, "Are there also strong individuals like you among the thieves?"
"Thieves?"
Bai Luo was momentarily stunned, but he quickly reacted.
He remembered that Shadow in the original work was like this, hunting down bandits and human traffickers everywhere.
Looking at the current situation, the opponent obviously mistook him for a bandit invading Yaohu Village.
However, Bai Luo sensed the vanishing life auras in the village.
"I'm not a thief, they..."
Bai Luo hesitated for a moment, not saying much more.
He hadn't noticed it when watching the anime, but thinking about it carefully, Shadow's logic of action was quite neurotic.
Hundreds of beastmen who invaded Yaohu Village, he killed them all.
Didn't he even ask who they were?
Thieves?
Directly labeling the beastmen of the West-East Tribe as thieves?
'Is he that crude?'
Bai Luo had no intention of redressing the grievances of these beastmen.
With such burning, killing, and looting, these beastmen were no different in essence from bandits.
"They?"
Sid looked at Bai Luo in confusion.
"No."
Bai Luo shook his head: "Nothing."
Those beastmen were not related to Bai Luo, and he didn't care about their lives or deaths.
Not killing unrelated individuals was Bai Luo's style, but he wouldn't force others to do the same.
"It's not wrong to say they are thieves."
Bai Luo had no reason to defend a village massacre that spared no old, weak, women, or children.
Knowing that he had transmigrated to the Shadow World, Bai Luo immediately thought of Xue Ji's identity.
'Xue Ji, is she the future Queen of the White Tower in the Lawless City, the Snow Woman of the Nine-Tailed White Fox?'
Now that Xue Ji chose to follow him, then for the death of his future companion's enemies (the beastmen of the West-East Tribe), Bai Luo should actually thank Shadow.
"This, can this really be done by a human?"
On the other side, Xue Ji stared blankly at the traces left by Bai Luo and Sid's exchange: "It's almost like a natural disaster."
"Thank you for letting me know where this is."
Bai Luo's lips curled slightly, and his figure vanished from beside Xue Ji.
The next moment, a large hand obscured Sid's vision.
Bai Luo appeared in front of him, then covered the boy's incredulous face with his hand: "Unfortunately, you attacked me..."
The killing intent earlier was undeniable.
If it wasn't Bai Luo standing here.
If it were someone else, they would probably have died from Sid's sword strike just now.
"Don't worry, I'll spare your life."
Since you attacked, be prepared to be counter-killed.
What if Sid is the protagonist?
No one can show off in front of Bai Luo!
"So fast!"
Sid's pupils contracted slightly, and in an instant, the only thing he could do was condense a large amount of Magic and cover his entire body like skin.
Unfortunately, it was useless!
"Bang!"
When Bai Luo's palm touched Sid, the protective Magic crumbled at a touch.
"How is that possible?!"
Since his transmigration, Sid had never been so surprised; his Magic was as fragile as thin paper in front of the opponent.
"Boom!!"
Two figures streaked across the sky, carrying a fierce hurricane directly into the distance, even crushing everything in their path with overwhelming force.
"So, so amazing."
Xue Ji's heart almost stopped from watching, and the white fox girl's tail trembled unconsciously, which was the beastman's instinctive longing and adoration for the strong.
The life-saving grace, and the overwhelming power Bai Luo now displayed.
The two combined caused Xue Ji's beastman instincts to stir uncontrollably.
"Swish swish swish!"
Before Xue Ji could compose herself, a dazzling purple Magic Power instantly bloomed from the forest outside the village.
That Magic Power was like a sharp blade, instantly severing all ancient trees within a thousand meters.
But it wasn't over yet.
The second purple blade, the third, the fourth, hundreds of Magic Power blades, like a storm, slashed towards Bai Luo in front of the boy.
"Ding ding ding~~"
Silver-white Magic Power enveloped his entire body, making Bai Luo's body emit a sacred glow.
And it was this faint glow that managed to withstand Sid's storm-like assault.
Not a single one of the hundreds of Magic Power blades could leave even a trace on Bai Luo's body.
"Your Magic Power is very strong."
"But my Magic Power is even greater than yours."
Bai Luo's understated words made Sid feel inexplicably frustrated.
He was supposed to become the Shadowbroker, but the Bai Luo in front of him looked exactly like what he aspired to be.
"Magic Power!!!"
Almost instantly, Sid understood the meaning of Bai Luo's words.
Magic Power Compression!
Combat in this world was all about Magic Power.
But the current situation was that Bai Luo's Magic Power was even greater than Sid's at the moment.
If Sid attacked with 100 units of Magic Power, then Bai Luo would compress 1000 units of Magic Power, defending with ten times the density.
Similarly, when Bai Luo's high-density Magic Power descended, the protective Magic Power around Sid's body naturally crumbled at a touch.
"What a joke!!"
For the first time, Sid doubted his own Magic Power.
His parents and sister in this world, their Magic Power couldn't even reach a fraction of his own.
All this time, Sid had been leisurely sipping tea, watching the weak fight among themselves.
That superior demeanor was the composure of the Shadowbroker.
'Am I being looked down upon?'
Bai Luo's calm gaze felt piercing to Sid: "You bastard! Don't underestimate the Shadowbroker!!"
"Huh?"
These nonsensical words made Bai Luo frown: 'The mindset of a chuunibyou is indeed hard to understand.'
"Hmm?"
Just as Bai Luo was sighing, a sharp sword light pierced through the daylight, purple Magic Power condensed into a single line.
That was Sid; the boy condensed his Magic Power into a straight sword.
He held it with both hands, the tip of the sword, capable of penetrating anything, was already aimed at Bai Luo's heart.
"Remarkable Magic Control, commendable."
However, with the same indifferent demeanor, Bai Luo took in every one of Sid's movements.
He raised his right hand, bent four fingers, and extended only his index fingertip forward.
"Ding!!"
"Wh-…"
Sid felt as if his worldview had been brutally trampled.
His sword, his full-power attack, was blocked by a single finger!
"This level of Magic Power?!"
Sid could feel the density of the Magic Power at Bai Luo's fingertip; if he had gathered all his Magic Power into one sword, then Bai Luo had condensed ten times Sid's Magic Power into a single point.
"I told you, my Magic Power is greater than yours."
With a flick of his finger, the sword in Sid's hand, his Magic Power barrier, and even his flesh crumbled at that moment.
Sid felt an irresistible force coming from the front, flattening him and the forest behind him.
But, it wasn't over yet!
"Boom!!"
"This!"
Xue Ji trembled as she looked at the scene before her: "The mountain, the mountain was split open."
At this moment, the forest north of Yaohu Village had been overturned, and that light did not stop there, but cut the distant mountain in half.
God-like power.
This was the only phrase Xue Ji could think of to describe Bai Luo.
"Cough, cough cough~"
From the ruins, Sid crawled up from the ground.
He was utterly disheveled, his noble clothes shattered, leaving only rags hanging, revealing his bloodied body.
"Excellent combat instincts."
Recalling what had just happened, Bai Luo slowly walked towards Sid: "He dodged a fatal blow at the last moment."
Is this the protagonist of this world?
Bai Luo had no grudge against Sid, but the other party attacked him from the start, and each time he struck, it was aimed at his vital points.
As the one defending himself, Bai Luo had no room for humor.
"He who kills, shall be killed."
So what if he was the protagonist? If he dared to attack him, then he had to be prepared to be counter-killed.
"Ha, haha, hahaha!!"
Facing despair, Sid felt no fear, only an inner madness and excitement.
"This is how it should be..."
His dream of being the Shadowbroker had not yet been realized, how could he fall here: "Cultivation, this is how it becomes interesting!!"
Sid stared intently at Bai Luo, two lines of bloody tears sliding down his cheeks, but he paid them no mind.
"Buzz~~"
A large amount of purple Magic Power surged from Sid's body, his flesh dissolving, but Sid didn't care: "Once, there was a man who challenged a nuclear bomb."
"He looked up at the sky, felt his own insignificance, and longed for power that could rival it."
"But no matter what he did, he couldn't surpass it."
Magic Power turned into a torrent; they covered the ground beneath his feet, connected to the heavens, and a huge Magic Power barrier enveloped Bai Luo and everything within a few thousand meters around him.
"This is..."
Bai Luo looked at the flickering Magic Power circuit; he knew this was Sid's ultimate technique, [Atomic Collapse], from the original work.
But seeing it with his own eyes, Bai Luo had a different understanding.
"You, are you crazy?"
Also possessing the talent for Magic Control, Bai Luo saw through the essence of [Atomic Collapse] at a glance.
The principle of this move was to materialize Magic Power, then instantly cause it to fission, thereby releasing thousands, or even tens of thousands of times the original Magic Power.
But such raw Magic Power was incredibly violent, and the difficulty of taming it was unimaginable.
Not to mention that this fission occurred within the body.
It was no exaggeration to say that if there was even a slight loss of control, Sid himself would be the first to be blown up.
"Hahahahaha~~"
Seeing Bai Luo's surprise, Sid experienced a pleasure he hadn't tasted in a long time.
[Atomic Collapse] was originally just Sid's concept.
But at the critical moment of life and death, Sid desperately tried, and finally succeeded in developing this world-destroying move!
"Through countless attempts, I came to a conclusion."
"The only way to surpass a nuclear bomb is to become a nuclear bomb myself!"
"Now!"
The boy raised his right hand and, with an incredibly arrogant tone, declared with full chuunibyou flair: "Feel the roar of this heaven and earth!!"
"I! Am! Atomic!"
As Sid's voice fell, Xue Ji in the distance, and Hong Ye and others hidden in the mountains, all saw the pale purple Magic Power pillar soaring into the sky.
A light curtain with a radius of several thousand meters shot straight into the sky; wherever it passed, mountains crumbled, earth and stone turned to nothing, and all living beings and matter were instantly reduced to ashes.
After an unknown amount of time, when the sky darkened again and the world returned to peace, what greeted Xue Ji's eyes was a desolate land that no longer resembled its original form.