The battle began.
There were no more empty threats, no superfluous revelations. Only uncompromising blows, accompanied by scattering blood and flesh.
Asahi immediately utilized the two properties of Adaptation and Tenacity. Silver fire surged up, burning the void, but it only enveloped his Dragon Claw.
Asahi could, through compressing high-concentration energy, smash Genesis down to the molecular level, but that was both time-consuming and labor-intensive. Thus, he finally employed one of the trump cards he had been hiding ever since setting foot in this world. Of course, excluding that one unconscious time.
Silver Fire. This flame not only had the effect of inhibiting regeneration and healing, but it could even burn the soul. It was the most perfect weapon to kill an entity that was nearly biologically immortal, like Genesis.
He charged in like a moth to a flame, plunging into the Genesis legion, numbering in the tens of thousands of individuals. Every single individual was a complete Genesis, all possessing the ability to restructure genes and manipulate biology to create different incarnations and variants.
Blocking Asahi were Genesis entities that had restructured their bodies using the genes of a type of beetle, causing their two arms to swell into shields. This type of beetle had an exoskeleton that was among the hardest in the world, capable of withstanding a weight 40,000 times its own. Furthermore, Genesis used this as a base, integrating piles of other strengthening genes into it, making its defensive power and resilience reach an unimaginable level.
A full-power punch in Asahi's current state actually felt powerless, fundamentally unable to break these shields.
Out of necessity, he could only add the property of Penetration, along with the Silver Fire. This made his already serious condition even more aggravated.
The System issued a warning.
"Asahi, if you continue to fight in this condition, your body and soul will simultaneously shatter and perish."
The Dragon Form consumes life force and soul to operate.
Because he had been in Dragon Form for too long, Asahi even felt hollowed out.
But the Reality-Shattering Bomb was still inside him. And he was very close to his goal.
So Asahi chose to ignore it. Ignoring the warning from the System, ignoring the horrific pain tearing at both his body and soul, using his willpower to forcefully hold everything together, preventing its collapse.
He had not lost yet! He could not lose yet!
Boom!
Asahi punched through a beetle shield, shattering a Genesis body. As the Silver Fire burned, he seemed to hear a faint sound of thanks emanating from the underworld, like a soul that had been set free.
"What... how did you..."
Sensing the change in the Biological Network, Genesis was stunned.
The Biological Network was Genesis's core, strongest, and most terrifying ability. It existed like a computer network for storing information, but it was not made of steel and cables; it was made of nerves and flesh. Its function was to store information such as genes, matter, and even the host's memories. That is, the more it consumes, the stronger Genesis evolves.
Even the ability to separate bodies and continuously regenerate was not innate, but was a capability Genesis had recreated from some other race.
Confronting a complete Genesis like this was no different from dealing with an entire ecosystem. Innumerable types of properties, countless combinations, enough to drive anyone to despair!
But just now, it felt the memory of an individual had "died." Right within the Biological Network itself.
Although the pure knowledge was unaffected, the concrete memory had indeed died.
Genesis certainly could not comprehend what damage to the soul was, and Asahi would not waste time explaining it to it.
However, moving past the initial shock, all that remained in Genesis was an extreme greed towards Asahi.
The most obsessive thing for Genesis's species was evolution through the absorption of other species. And a unique existence like Asahi was a sacred object that Genesis wanted to possess.
Initially, it only wanted to find a substitute fighter for the IP Rank #1 position, then continue to retreat behind the scenes until it had extracted all value from this world. But the potential coming from Asahi drove Genesis mad. If it could acquire this power, what was this planet worth?
Immediately, the Genesis bodies surged forward en masse. Asahi seemed to have anticipated this long ago. The two Dragon Wings on his back opened up, turning the entire fight into an aerial battle.
The two fought from one area to another. Although they were not intentionally affecting the environment, every punch, every kick, every impact caused the geological strata here to shake. The structure of Underworld became as fragile as a straw hut.
The entire second and third levels of Underworld collapsed, becoming a single battlefield. A silver shadow streaked past tens of thousands of black shadows. Wherever he passed, Silver Fire erupted, along with Genesis corpses that were torn apart and burned until not even residue remained.
Facing the myriad forms of Genesis's genetic mutations, along with the colossal, seemingly infinite numbers, Asahi could not help but regret. If only this world were less fragmented, he would have been able to allocate more strength to this battle.
But the consequences that shattered the world were also because of Genesis. And it was precisely because Genesis shattered the world that it was able to evolve from a mere puddle of slime in a laboratory to this difficult-to-deal-with level. So, this could only be considered a momentary lament.
He kept killing, killing and killing, until the Silver Fire became dim and weak. Yet, the black shadows in front of him continued to pour out ceaselessly.
Even though he had inflicted a massive, hard-to-ignore loss on Genesis, Genesis continued to engage in a war of attrition with him, gradually wearing down his strength. As for the colossal losses, Genesis felt this was a "worthy price." The Silver King was the most valuable sacred object it could obtain in this world. And it was willing to pay any price to completely devour him.
Boom!
For the first time, Asahi was knocked flying, not because the Genesis individuals had surpassed him, but because he had slowed down.
Boom!
With another strike, Asahi felt dizzy, as if a mountain had been slammed into him.
Innumerable attacks rained down on his body, causing Asahi to be knocked down from the sky. Swarms of Genesis also descended in unison, submerging Asahi under a gigantic black deluge.
He struggled to reach out, but more and more flesh covered him. However much he burned, ten times that amount immediately pressed down on him. Not giving him a moment to catch his breath.
Realizing the moment had come, Genesis controlled all its bodies to dissolve like heated wax figures, transforming into a fluid-like substance, officially devouring Asahi whole, beginning the process of absorption.