At this moment, the King stood clad in golden full-body armor. The armor's smooth lines embodied both strength and grace, and a majestic, roaring beast was carved across his chest, exuding an imposing presence. Though his hair was silver with age, and his body frail from the weight of years, his presence overshadowed all. Even Su Hao's winged armor, impressive as it was, paled in comparison to the King's regal form.
In his hand, the King gripped a long, golden blade, its edge gleaming like the first rays of dawn. His expression was unreadable—stoic and unyielding—while his sharp eyes locked onto the tiny black dot gliding steadily across the horizon. His gaze, honed by years of battle, narrowed as he silently calculated the threat.
Though uncertain of what this approaching figure was, the King remained resolute. He had faced down armies, beasts, and foes more dangerous than anything this world could offer.
Even at the edge of death's door, his confidence was a fortress built on a lifetime of victories. It was a confidence shared by those around him—soldiers, nobles, and citizens alike—they all believed in the King's strength. To them, he was invincible.
As the rumbling filled the air, the once-distant black dot grew larger, sharper. What had been a mere speck against the sky became clear—a silver-armored figure hurtling toward the city.
Two wings, thin and sharp as blades, extended behind the figure, slicing through the air with unnatural speed.
On the figure's back was a large metal sphere, and another, smaller metal sphere was being dragged behind him.
It was an odd sight.
Yet as the crowd stared, their collective thought was, 'That armor looks incredible.'
Then came a big question: Without flapping its wings, how could it fly through the sky like a bird?
"Whoosh—Boom∼!"
The armored figure soared over the capital city, drawing countless gazes upward.
It was none other than Su Hao, dressed in his winged armor.
The large metal sphere strapped to his back was an "Eight Hundred" bomb, kept as a precaution. The smaller one he dragged behind was a "gift" for the people below.
Though not everyone would appreciate this gift, at least no one would reject it.
Hovering at about 700 meters (0.42 miles) above the capital city, Su Hao circled around, observing the grandeur of the city below.
This was the largest and most prosperous human city in this world—He'an City.
His eyes quickly found the heart of the city—the royal palace. Its grandeur stretched out beneath him, a testament to the might and history of the human race.
Adjusting his course, Su Hao began to ascend, climbing higher and higher until he once again became just a small dot in the sky.
From this great height, Su Hao pulled out the basketball-sized metal sphere and held it in both hands.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly injected a massive amount of blood Qi into the metal sphere.
The sphere began emitting a faint white glow, growing brighter and brighter until the metal sphere's shape was no longer visible. Su Hao himself was bathed in white light, as if he were a second sun in the sky.
Su Hao stopped ascending and began his descent, falling faster and faster.
The sphere in his hands seemed to have transcended, turning into a blinding ball of light without any tangible form. Under Su Hao's guidance, it plunged straight toward the earth.
Like a falling sun.
Su Hao had named this ball of light: "The Radiance of Runes."
On the ground, everyone stared at the falling "sun" in terror, shouting in panic as they scrambled to flee the palace. People shoved and pushed, desperately trying to escape the city.
But was there still time?
All the palace guards squinted upward, their faces grim as they watched the descending brilliance. What was this? How could they defend against it?
A single thought crossed everyone's minds: "We're doomed!"
At that moment, someone voiced their suspicion, "Could that be the "Traveler"?"
Another person immediately agreed, "It must be him! Who else could pull off something like this?"
"What's he planning? Destroy the palace?"
"It's over!"
But amidst the growing chaos, the King remained steady. With a measured step, he moved forward, his eyes locked on the falling sphere of light, its blinding radiance doing little to deter his gaze.
Calculating the distance, the King sprinted forward, picking up speed. Golden markings spread across his exposed face, forming intricate patterns.
With a mighty leap, the King launched himself into the air, soaring 100 meters (328 feet) toward the descending ball of light.
Su Hao spotted the golden-armored figure leaping into the air—it was the strongest blood Qi reaction in the city, about ten times stronger than his own. There was no doubt, this was the Human King.
"The Radiance of Runes is now in a gaseous, fluid-like state. It needs a sufficient initial velocity before I can release it. Only then, upon impact with the ground, will it have the necessary speed to spread rapidly!" Su Hao thought as he silently calculated his descent speed.
When he was about 400 meters (0.24 miles) above the ground, Su Hao pushed the light ball away from his hands, letting it continue its fall under its own momentum. He began adjusting his winged armor to ascend.
The King's eyes widened as his face twisted with determination. The golden markings on his face began to glow even brighter, as if they were about to burst from his skin. With a loud roar, he unleashed his attack, «Void-Cleaving Blade!»
"Swish∼!"
He slashed at the falling ball of light.
"Hm?"
The golden blade sliced through the air, aimed straight at the ball of light. But as it connected, the King felt something strange. His blade met no resistance, as if it had passed through a wisp of cloud. The light remained intact, its descent undisturbed.
He passed straight through the ball of light, continuing his upward trajectory toward Su Hao, but the light hadn't harmed him at all!
Looking back, he saw that the ball of light remained unchanged, still hurtling toward the palace.
But soon, the King noticed something peculiar.
His entire suit of armor, along with the golden blade in his hand, had lost their luster. Tiny words were engraved all over them.
They were passages he recognized—writings from ≤The Path of the Warrior≥ and ≤Comprehensive Guide to the Worlds of Runes≥.—texts he had studied at least five times. There was no mistaking them.
"Could it be...?" A theory formed in his mind.
He glanced up at the silver-armored figure now changing direction in mid-air, his eyes flashing with a cold light. Somehow, in mid-air, he managed to alter his trajectory and continued to charge toward Su Hao.
After pushing away the ball of light, Su Hao quickly controlled his winged armor to ascend.
His speed was too great, and with the massive "Eight Hundred" bomb on his back, it would take him over 200 meters (0.12 miles) to fully turn and start ascending.
Just as Su Hao was about to complete a U-shaped maneuver and ascend, he saw the King's overwhelming presence as he adjusted in mid-air, moving to intercept him.
Su Hao immediately calculated the interception: "At our current speeds, the Human King will fail to catch me. I'll pass him by 20 meters (196,85 feet) and successfully ascend."
Still, Su Hao drew his short and long blades, preparing for any unexpected changes.
But Su Hao had miscalculated. The King clearly realized that at this speed, he wouldn't be able to reach his target. With a loud shout, blood Qi surged from his feet, boosting his speed even further.
This was the Human King's battle technique—«Sky Step».
Su Hao's eyes widened in shock. "Crap! I didn't expect the Human King could fly, even if just briefly."
He immediately activated his runes: ‹Hardening›,‹Deflection›, ‹Barrier›, ‹Vibration› ‹Blinding flash›, and ‹Coordination›. The runes on his two blades were also activated: ‹Hardening›, ‹Sharpness›, ‹Penetration›, ‹Drill› and ‹Corrosion›.
Still feeling uneasy, Su Hao flooded his winged armor and blades with blood Qi while trying to adjust his direction to avoid the King. At the same time, he prepared for a direct confrontation, blades at the ready.
No matter how Su Hao adjusted his position, the King quickly reacted, following him closely. Soon, the two were on a collision course.
"«Void-Cleaving Blade!»" the King roared, slashing at Su Hao with a blow that could cut him in half.
"He's really trying to split me in two!" Su Hao raised his blade to meet the attack, though he knew deep down that this strike would be tough to block.
"Clang—Crack!"
The clash was brief.
Su Hao's long blade snapped, his body tilting to the side as the King's blade narrowly missed his chest.
'That was close!'
Su Hao quickly adjusted his trajectory, speeding away.
The King, after soaring a bit higher, descended back to the ground. The ornate gold blade in his hand had also broken after clashing with Su Hao's blade.
The King's face darkened as he glared at Su Hao's retreating figure, gritting his teeth. "Damn it, he got away!"
Meanwhile, the large ball of light—The Radiance of Runes—finally struck the ground.