Chapter 2340: The Next Phase (Part 3)

Shin watched the ongoing battle with a slight frown beneath his mask.

The Trinity Apes fighting against the experts were remarkably similar to the ones he had encountered in the caves of the Starry Spears Mountain Forest. However, the abilities these three monster bosses displayed were vastly different from what he remembered.

Even the Steelfist Ape, which was supposed to possess straightforward abilities and relatively simple combat patterns, seemed far more formidable than the one Shin had fought before.

The Ironhead Chimpanzee, however, displayed the greatest difference of all—particularly now that it commanded an entire army of armored stone monkeys.

"Are these the true abilities of the Trinity Apes?" Shin murmured, recalling the information he had gathered about these monsters.

According to what he had learned, the ones he had fought in the caves of the Starry Spears Mountain Forest were relatively young compared to the Trinity Apes described in ancient legends.

After all, they were descendants of the First Stone Ape, a legendary creature said to be among the most terrifying beings in the recorded history of the Atlas World.

Judging by the other ancient creatures Shin had encountered, the legendary Stone Ape should have been on the same level as the Ancient Elemental Being sealed within the Lesser Kingdom of Juron, if not stronger.

With such an extraordinary lineage, it was only natural for its descendants to possess equally terrifying potential.

Before Shin could dwell on the matter any further, the smaller Heavenly Dominator finally made its move.

ROAR!

A thunderous roar erupted from the colossal monster, announcing its presence and seemingly reminding everyone on the battlefield that it had yet to join the fray.

The roar alone was enough to darken the expressions of the surrounding experts as they were reminded of the danger the Heavenly Dominator posed.

The Trinity Apes were already giving them more than enough trouble. If the Heavenly Dominator joined the battle in earnest, the entire situation could easily descend into an even greater disaster.

Fortunately, not everyone viewed the prospect with dread.

Some were more than willing to welcome such a formidable opponent.

Shing! Shing!

Two brilliant sword flashes tore through the air toward the Heavenly Dominator. One blazed with terrifying flames, while the other shone like a radiant light piercing through the darkness.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The two attacks streaked toward the monster just as it appeared ready to charge into the chaotic battlefield.

ROAR!

The Heavenly Dominator let out an enraged roar upon sensing the incoming attacks.

Rather than evade, it raised both arms and swung its enormous fists forward, meeting the two sword flashes head-on.

BANG! BANG!

The instant the stone fists collided with the incoming attacks, the resulting impact brought the Heavenly Dominator’s advance to an abrupt halt.

BAAAANG!

A moment later, the tremendous force of the collision drove the monster a step backward. Its massive arms recoiled from the impact as it struggled to disperse the force that had struck it.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

At almost the same instant, two figures were sent flying in opposite directions, crashing toward the desert floor.

BANG! BANG!

They landed heavily, kicking up thick clouds of sand that briefly obscured their figures.

Moments later, both emerged from the swirling dust.

"Don’t get in my way, you conceited bastard! That guy is my prey now!" Solfang declared, wiping the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth with the back of his left arm.

"Hmph! Lunatic," Emperor Dream replied, casually twirling his sword before flicking it to the side.

Watching the exchange from nearby, Caroline could only shake her head. "Men are all the same... A bunch of competitive, brainless idiots."

She idly spun her chakrams before turning her attention back to the Heavenly Dominator. A moment later, she licked her lips, a savage grin spreading across her face.

"The big guy has just become much stronger after getting smaller."

Despite her earlier criticism, the battle frenzy radiating from Caroline was every bit as intense as that of the two men she had just ridiculed.

Caroline was about to make her move when something unexpected happened.

BANG!

A thunderous explosion reverberated across the battlefield.

In the blink of an eye, the figure of the Heavenly Dominator vanished from its original position, catching everyone completely off guard.

"F*ck!"

"What!?"

"Oh, no!"

The expressions of the three peak god-level experts immediately turned grim as they realized what had happened.

"What kind of speed is that for such a huge body!?" Solfang exclaimed in disbelief.

Despite his shock, his body reacted almost instinctively. His figure transformed into a blazing streak of light as he rapidly retreated from his original position.

A split second later, the Heavenly Dominator’s enormous fist slammed into the space where he had stood.

BOOOOM!

The desert floor erupted beneath the terrifying force of the punch, sending sand scattering in every direction as a massive cloud of dust surged into the air.

The resulting devastation was a clear testament to the sheer power behind the attack.

Although the scale of destruction was nowhere near that of the Heavenly Dominator’s previous, colossal attacks, the force concentrated into this single punch remained overwhelmingly powerful—more than enough to devastate everything within its immediate vicinity.

Shing! Shing!

At almost the same instant, Emperor Dream and Caroline appeared on opposite sides of the Heavenly Dominator, launching a coordinated counterattack.

Despite the terrifying speed the monster boss had just demonstrated, the two god-level experts had managed to react in time and exploit the brief opening created by its attack.

Shing! Shing! Shing!

Emperor Dream swung his sword in rapid succession, unleashing a series of intersecting sword flashes that tore through the air and swept toward the monster from multiple angles.

The space along their trajectories seemed to distort as tiny spatial fractures emerged around the edges of his attacks, lending each sword flash an additional degree of destructive power.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Meanwhile, Caroline hurled her blazing chakrams toward the Heavenly Dominator.

The twin weapons traced graceful arcs through the air, their trajectories shifting with every subtle gesture of her hands as she manipulated their movements with remarkable precision.

Shing! Shing! Shing!

The chakrams spun violently as they struck the Heavenly Dominator’s stone body, their blazing edges grinding against its rocky surface like a pair of fiery wheels carving through a mountainside.

At the same time, Emperor Dream’s intersecting sword flashes converged upon the monster boss from the opposite side.

For a brief moment, it seemed that both attacks had landed cleanly, catching the Heavenly Dominator between two simultaneous assaults.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

However, the expressions of Emperor Dream and Caroline soon changed as they realized that neither attack had managed to penetrate the monster’s actual defenses.

Zong~! Long~! Long~!

A thick layer of earthen light suddenly shimmered across the Heavenly Dominator’s body, forming an additional layer of elemental armor over its already formidable stone exterior.

The sword flashes, and the blazing chakrams struck this earthen barrier rather than the monster boss’s body itself.

Despite the tremendous power behind their attacks, the two experts had barely managed to scratch the protective layer.

Realizing that their assault had failed to inflict any meaningful damage, Emperor Dream and Caroline immediately withdrew before the Heavenly Dominator could retaliate.

ROAR!

With another thunderous roar, the monster extended one enormous arm toward Caroline, spreading its massive palm as though intending to seize her whole.

Caroline reacted immediately, twisting her body and darting backward in a series of irregular movements. Her figure danced across the desert sand as she repeatedly altered her trajectory, narrowly evading the sweeping stone palm that pursued her.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Meanwhile, Emperor Dream faced a different kind of assault.

The Heavenly Dominator raised its other arm, causing numerous stone cones to erupt from the desert floor and shoot toward him with astonishing speed.

Each projectile seemed to track his movements, forcing him to execute a series of precise dodging maneuvers as he evaded the relentless barrage.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Every stone cone carried enough force to pulverize anything unfortunate enough to stand in its path.

Those that missed their target plunged into the desert floor, triggering violent explosions of sand and debris upon impact.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The bombardment continued without pause, forcing Emperor Dream to remain on the move as the Heavenly Dominator relentlessly pursued him with its earth-elemental attacks.

"Don’t forget about me!"

While the Heavenly Dominator’s attention was divided between Emperor Dream and Caroline, Solfang suddenly returned to the fray, dragging his enormous saber behind him with both hands.

SHING!

The moment he reached his ideal attack range, Solfang swung his blazing saber with tremendous force, unleashing a wave of fire that threatened to melt everything in its path.

The Heavenly Dominator initially had no intention of evading the attack. Confident that its earthen elemental armor could withstand the incoming assault, it prepared to endure the blazing wave head-on.

SWOOSH!

However, the moment the flames came into contact with its elemental armor, the Heavenly Dominator realized something was wrong.

Rather than merely scorching its rocky exterior, the flames began consuming the elemental mana sustaining the protective barrier. As its supply of mana rapidly diminished, the armor gradually lost its toughness.

BANG!

Although Solfang’s blazing sword wave failed to inflict any direct damage on the Heavenly Dominator itself, it completely shattered the monster’s elemental armor.

Seeing the opening, Emperor Dream and Caroline immediately prepared to launch a coordinated counterattack.

Unfortunately, the Heavenly Dominator seemed to anticipate their intentions. It abruptly intensified its assault, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks that left the two experts struggling to find an opportunity to strike back.

Even Solfang wasn’t spared. As he attempted to reposition himself, stone spikes repeatedly erupted from the desert floor, pursuing him even as he retreated.

SHINGGGGG!

Just as the three experts were being forced onto the defensive, a brilliant flash of light descended from the sky and struck the Heavenly Dominator with pinpoint accuracy.

The monster boss was still attempting to reconstruct its elemental armor when the attack landed.

BOOOOOM!

An enormous explosion engulfed its body.

In an instant, the temperature of the surrounding area plummeted as an intense wave of cold swept across the desert, freezing the air around the impact site.

(1,664,789)

A massive crimson damage number appeared above the Heavenly Dominator’s head, displaying the tremendous damage inflicted by the sudden attack.

High above the battlefield, Shin remained suspended in the air, his gaze fixed on the damage number.

He pursed his lips slightly as he mumbled. "A bit lower than I expected."

"I guess its defenses have grown considerably stronger, too," he added after a brief assessment.

As he spoke, Shin casually waved the whip sword in his left hand, causing its segmented blade to retract and fold back into its original form.

He then shifted his gaze toward the three peak god-level experts who were still engaged in the battle below.

All three were currently glaring at him.

Seeing their reactions, a huge grin spread beneath Shin’s mask.

"Looks like I’ve got a head start in this little competition."

...