The two powerhouses from the Demon Team were exactly as Nios had analyzed: one a spellcaster, the other a melee expert, and both were formidable. The spellcaster's true strength was still obscured; he had used the mist to vanish quickly, leaving only the melee fighter to charge forward fearlessly.

This melee fighter's enhancement attribute was bizarre: his strength increased with every attack he sustained, though the extent and duration of this boost remained unknown. At this moment, the South Yan Continent Team had truly encountered a powerful foe.

“How about it? Still planning to run?” The muscular man from the Demon Team stood before Nios and the others, casually holding the half-armored man from the South Yan Continent Team. He had smashed straight through the incredibly solid floor, moving from the second story to the third, blocking the path of the South Yan Continent Team members. He stood there brazenly, seemingly utterly without fear.

“What was your mission from Chu Xuan?” the man standing about ten meters ahead asked directly.

The muscle-bound man paused, then sneered coldly, “Such intense curiosity right before death? That’s right, Chu Xuan’s mission for us was to delay you as much as possible, preventing you from leaving a message before the Central Continent Team arrives, or perhaps ensuring you succumb to your illnesses, but ideally, killing just one of you would suffice. However, your team is so weak, we wouldn't mind wiping you all out anyway. Hahaha…”

“Clever for yourself… Why are there always people in this world who think they are so clever?” Nios took a deep breath and said, “But it is precisely because of that that this world remains so exciting. Surprises always accompany surprises… Right, you foolish idiot.”

The muscular man laughed loudly.

He said no more.

With a powerful thrust of his feet, he charged toward Nios and the others. This brute had a grotesque wound across his back, looking as if it had been cleaved open by some sharp weapon, the injury deep enough to expose bone. Yet, the muscles on either side of the gash were visibly writhing and healing at a rapid pace. As he lunged forward ferociously, his speed was truly unparalleled.

Suddenly, with a sharp thud, the muscular man collided with a blood-red trident. This trident was engraved with countless symbols of three eyes and some unknown script and imagery. Strangely, the trident hovered about three meters in front of Nios, seemingly unsupported and drifting, yet it solidly withstood the brute’s full-force impact, actually repelling him several meters back.

“Calling you a foolish idiot is flattering you. If the Demon Team didn’t have the Clone Zheng Zha and Clone Chu Xuan, and if you imbeciles had to fight relying only on yourselves… we would have been wiped out countless times. Since you’ve blocked our last route to survival, if you’re going to Hell, we’ll all go together!” Nios grasped the trident and shouted the incantation: “…Respect the ancient contract, proven by my blood and my eyes. Live with me, die with me!” As the words were spoken, the trident erupted in fierce red light.

The muscle man, only just steadying himself—after all, he was a combatant from the Demon Team accustomed to countless battles—immediately rolled sideways into the adjacent corridor. A red beam of light flashed where he had been standing moments before. Nios had hurled the trident, which embedded itself deeply into the wall not far away. That wall had been reinforced by the 'Main God,' yet the trident pierced it, and glowing entirely red, the trident seemed corrosive, causing the wall material to slowly dissolve.

“What… what kind of joke is this? Chu Xuan never said the South Yan Continent Team had such powerful members… Agasola! You motherf***er, if you don’t show up, I’m checking out early!” The muscle man was utterly stunned. He immediately roared out, and as if responding to his call, a clanging sound of metal meeting metal suddenly echoed from the emergency exit passage behind the South Yan Continent Team. Several skeletal soldiers, clad in metal armor, burst out from the second-floor exit—the sound was their weapons striking their own armor.

“Magic-type combatants, legendary class?” The team members drew their weapons. However, it was evident that the rest of the South Yan Continent Team wasn't exceptionally strong; in fact, they seemed slightly weaker. Nearly everyone brandished high-tech weaponry, whereas established knowledge in the Reincarnation World suggested that truly powerful veterans usually favored melee weapons.

The muscle man dared not leave the corridor, only shouting from its protection: “Since your strength is considerable, fighting you won’t be a disgrace to us. My enhancement attribute is the Muscle-Fruit. The more damage I take, the denser my muscle tissue becomes, increasing my defense. The greater the force applied, the greater my muscle strength becomes. Essentially, I get stronger the stronger my opponent is… As long as I can withstand one strike from your trident, I can easily slaughter you all. So think carefully before you strike; you only get one chance!”

Nios ignored him completely, only asking, “What about your partner? What is his enhancement?”

“That gloomy idiot? He has the Summoning-type enhancement. He only summons ghosts and skeletons. If I had time, I could crush his skull easily… Damn it, what is your enhancement attribute?” The muscle man finally realized he had just divulged too much about his team’s combat methods and weaknesses. He roared, demanding an answer.

Nios sneered and did not conceal the truth: “My enhancement attribute is the Bloodline of the Three-Eyed Tribe… I’ll tell you the rest when you’re in Hell!” With that, he beckoned with one hand, and the trident floated back as if alive, settling into his open palm. The trident immediately pulsed with dazzling red light again.

(This is bad. They’ve pinned us down here. I don’t know how Richard is doing… It seems this guy wasn’t exaggerating; their strength really is immense. What can we do? How can we possibly leave a message for the Central Continent Team? Our time might be running out…)

“You guys figure out how to deal with the skeleton soldiers below; they should be relatively weak… Leave this one to me!” Nios gripped the trident firmly with one hand and roared to those behind him. As he finished speaking, he charged forward, brandishing the trident.

The muscle man wasn't entirely reckless. He tore off a decorative wooden panel from the adjacent wall and hurled it forcefully towards Nios as he burst out of the corridor. Simultaneously, he pushed off the ground and leaped into mid-air.

Nios only saw the wooden panel hurtling towards him. This reinforced plank was undoubtedly as hard as granite. He could only raise the trident to block it. The red light flashed, and the wood instantly disintegrated into smoke. At the same moment, the muscle man dropped down directly from above him, unleashing a punch aimed squarely at his head. The massive pressure from the punch seemed to break the air itself. A loud bang accompanied the punch, terrifying in its display of force. However, astonishingly, the punch stopped about twenty centimeters short of Nios’s body, as if hitting something solid, actually rebounding the muscle man backward several meters.

“Psychokinesis? We have a psychic expert on the Demon Team too, and his is innate. Can you really surpass him?” The muscle man was completely unperturbed. Thrown back, he braced himself against the wall with his feet, then pushed off hard. As the wall cracked under his force, he tumbled past Nios, narrowly avoiding the thrust Nios attempted, and landed firmly on the ground. He immediately delivered another devastating punch. This time, though it still didn't connect, it actually knocked Nios flying backward. The sheer force sent Nios slamming hard against the wall. This wasn't over; the muscle man sprang forward again with a vicious kick.

Nios was plastered against the wall. Though he had managed to block the two attacks with his psychokinetic field, being thrown back felt terrible. He felt a metallic taste rise in his throat before he was violently kicked nearly ten meters away. This time, his psychic defense absorbed only most of the force; the remaining power broke through the shield and struck his left arm, which bent easily like brittle bamboo. That arm was effectively useless.

(Just as expected… Someone without innate melee aptitude, even if they reach the strength of a melee expert through other means, is still completely helpless against a true melee expert of the same rank… Am I going to die here?) Nios finally let out a loud cry, spitting out a large mouthful of foul blood. He half-knelt on the ground, using his right hand to barely support the trident to stand up again. But the muscle man gave him no time to recover; he lunged forward again. The ten-meter distance, for someone of his strength level, took less than a second to close rapidly. However, halfway through his charge, the ground suddenly burst upward, and a gigantic battle-axe shot straight up from below. The muscle man quickly leaped backward, but no matter how fast he dodged, the sudden axe sliced off half of his right foot. This happened in the blink of an eye. By the time Nios recovered, Richard had leaped up from downstairs and shielded him.

“I’m late. I was almost winded by a sudden punch from him downstairs, then I searched for a while before finding you up here… Nios, are you alright?” Richard kept his eyes fixed on the muscle man. Though this man spoke arrogantly and seemed somewhat dim-witted, he was an absolute powerhouse, a top-tier one at that—likely at the peak of unlocking the third level of the gene lock, already brushing against the threshold of the fourth stage.

The muscle man was tough; he didn’t utter a sound despite losing half his foot. He sneered at the two before him, yet the wound on his foot was already writhing and healing, with some muscle tissue even extending forward to start reforming the shape of a complete foot.

“Idiot, don't you know? The more you hurt me, the denser and tougher my muscles become—my strength and hardness increase. If you want to die, keep hurting me, hahaha…” The muscle man laughed loudly, preparing to charge again.

“I only know that greater power comes with greater burden. Nothing in this world is gained without cost. How long can your body sustain this level of strength?” As he spoke, his eyes slowly turned red, and his muscles began to visibly swell.

The muscle man laughed loudly without replying. He suddenly ripped a large piece of stone from the adjacent wall and hurled it with all his might toward Richard and Nios. The two palm-sized stones shot forward with alarming speed. With a sharp crack, they struck Richard’s great-axe, shattering the incredibly hard stone fragments upon impact. The great-axe also dented in the center. The pulverized stone shards flew out like bullets, forcing Richard and Nios to keep their heads down.

Seizing this opportunity, the muscle man charged forward. Richard, after all, was a melee expert. His combat intuition was far superior to Nios's fragility. He immediately swung his axe horizontally. A faint glow emanated from the massive blade—a sign of high-level Battle Qi. Capable of cutting metal like mud, even if the muscle man boasted about his hardness and density, he certainly wouldn't dare meet that axe head-on. Moreover, the axe came too fast; the muscle man had no room to maneuver either above or below, forcing him to retreat a few steps until he stood right at the edge of the axe’s cutting range.

With a thunderous clang, the axe buried itself deep into the adjacent wall. In that precise instant, the muscle man pushed off the ground and rushed forward. He and Richard threw simultaneous punches. With a sharp snap, their fists met. They both recoiled a step. Richard’s eyes were now completely crimson, his muscles bulging violently; at a glance, he looked somewhat terrifying. The muscle man’s muscles were also constantly twitching, their color shifting from normal flesh tone to bluish-green, a clear indication of extreme muscular development.

The two human-shaped titans clashed. Richard didn't have time to retrieve his axe. The muscle man seemed accustomed only to fighting bare-handed. Now that Richard had activated his Berserker skill, his strength was astonishing, temporarily suppressing the muscle man and even starting to force him back. Both were pure power-type warriors; every punch landed on flesh with a heavy thump. Just listening to the sounds suggested battles between mecha. The corridor was utterly devastated by their struggle. The debris scattered around possessed the force of bullets. Nios blocked a few with his trident, constantly retreating. He had a more critical mission than fighting—he needed to preserve the hope of the South Yan Continent Team’s survival.

(What should I do? Trying to slowly find a solution now or waiting for the Central Continent Team is unrealistic. Those two Demon Team members are too strong. Richard can only hold the muscle man down for now, and if that guy keeps getting stronger, he might eventually win. As for the other necromancer, I don't know his strength, but since he partners with this muscle man and the muscle man called his name in crisis, his strength can't be that low… What do I do? Damn it! I, Nios, am at a loss. Does strength truly surpass wisdom?)

Just as Nios was becoming deeply anxious, on the second floor, several members of the South Yan Continent Team had completed their encirclement of the Necromancer amidst the mist. These individuals were the core veterans Nios had left behind, significantly stronger than those fighting skeletons on the third floor. After surrounding the Necromancer, they used their Mind Chains to communicate and advanced toward him together.

“Got him! Be careful of the instant burst damage from a magic-user—it’s devastating… Wait, something’s wrong. What is that dark shadow?” A mental scan easily penetrated the fog. All of them saw what the caster was doing: he was intently chanting an incantation. A faintly visible magic circle appeared beneath his feet, and a massive, dark shadow materialized near the circle, constantly writhing and changing shape. This made them uneasy, but the intense sounds of battle from the third floor and the screams of some weaker South Yan Continent Team members compelled them to continue advancing toward the Necromancer.

At that moment, a horse’s whinny suddenly erupted from the dark shadow. The group only had time to see a pair of hooves appear before the shadow charged violently toward the South Yan Continent Team member closest to the Necromancer.

“Watch out! It’s a Skeleton Knight!” But the knight within the shadow moved with incredible speed. The warning had barely sounded before a greatsword of pure blackness sliced through the man. He made no sound and was instantly cleaved in two. Only then did everyone clearly see the knight’s form: the knight rode an armored steed of pure black, even the horse’s hooves encased in metal, and the rider himself was completely wrapped in black armor—nothing like the typical appearance of a Skeleton Knight.

“Heavens, it’s a Black Knight… not a Skeleton Knight!” The Black Knight, also known as the Death God’s Knight, was a near-top-tier summoning spell for necromancy, requiring the exchange of a Double-A-rated side story plotline. Compared to other Double-A attributes and skills, the cost-effectiveness of this spell was abysmal. It required not only exchanging for the skill but also possessing sufficiently powerful summoning magic aptitude and mental strength to sustain it. All told, the Double-A Black Knight summoning skill likely cost more than an S-rated side story plot point. It was too inefficient; even veterans specializing in summoning often opted for Yu-Gi-Oh! card summons or other alternatives, so virtually no one knew the true power of the Black Knight.

Aya, who was a semi-summoning magic-enhancement specialist, had also reviewed the summonable skills available from the "Main God." She shared the common sentiment that the Black Knight skill was practically useless… But thinking deeply, the greater the power, the greater the constraint. Correspondingly, the greater the cost, the greater the power attained should be… The Black Knight looked immensely imposing, and its black saber was wreathed in black energy. In terms of sheer speed and power, this Black Knight was not weaker than a fusion of seven or even eight Wraith Knights. The saber swayed constantly, carving deep scores into the surrounding walls as if they were made of tofu… This power far exceeded that of Richard or the muscle man. Combined with the charging speed of the massive warhorse, in this narrow corridor, it was a veritable human shredder.

“Gagaga… This Black Knight skill was obtained from Chu Xuan at the cost of my own life, and its power is even greater than I imagined. It seems there’s no need to summon ghosts or zombies anymore… Kill them all!” The Black Knight reined in his steed, which snorted, emitting black energy from its nostrils as well. The surrounding members were momentarily stunned by the knight’s presence, and after one man was instantly cut in half, no one made a move for a short time. It wasn't until the Black Knight charged that Aya suddenly yelled, “Everyone run! Save who you can, tell Nios, run quickly…” The words died as Aya’s head flew high into the air, disappearing into the mist…

By this time, the battle on the third floor had reached a fever pitch. Richard’s Berserker skill, which rivaled Zheng Zha’s ‘Explosion’ skill in the Starship Troopers scenario, was still only matching the muscle man now. Though Zheng Zha’s physical condition was far inferior back then, Richard had certainly improved through long-term training. Yet, he was now only fighting the muscle man to a stalemate, and was gradually being pushed back.

“You know, I am someone who is good for nothing except strength and speed. My weapon is my body. In the Demon Team, my strength is considered above average. To lose a close-quarters fight to a member of a third-rate team like yours, I might as well retire!” The muscle man laughed boisterously. His muscles were now so exaggerated they seemed ready to tear his skin, looking like countless bluish-red, fleshy biological masses wrapped around his skeleton—both exaggerated and grotesque. Every movement or attack he made carried immense weight. The entire corridor was ruined by the two of them, and Richard was covered in wounds. The characteristic of the Berserker is to ignore the pain of damage and increase strength, but not to negate damage directly. In the short term, they might fight evenly, but as time wore on… Richard was doomed.

"Crack!" The two fists collided violently. This time was different from the previous few; the heavily muscled man's strength had surged several times over, while Li Richard's power began to wane. With one rising and the other falling, the outcome of the clash was immediately apparent: Li Richard was completely overpowered. The muscular man, having struck, sensed the shift and grinned ferociously, seizing the remnants of bone in Li Richard's clenched fist.

"Might as well tell you... you guessed right, my Devil Fruit power does have limits. The stronger I get, the more dangerous I become to myself... Too bad you people are too weak to push me to that extent. Die!" The muscular man roared with a maniacal grin. With a single wrench, he hurled Li Richard against the wall, then slammed his left shoulder down. His strength was magnitudes greater than a tank's. This immense pressure didn't just crush Li Richard into a pulp; it caved in the three-meter-square section of the wall entirely. Sparks flew as the wires inside short-circuited, making the muscular man seem truly like a human Gundam.

Neos knelt at the dead end of the alleyway.

The injuries he had sustained earlier were severe, and even if he escaped in the confusion, he wouldn't get far. The two members of the Demon Squad possessed strength beyond his imagination, especially when forced into a direct power-versus-power confrontation without any prior strategy.

This was the worst possible outcome for him.

Furthermore, he had no will left to fight; his entire focus was on finding a way to leave a message.

So, he simply knelt at the end of the alley. If Li Richard fell, his death was certain.

If Li Richard had won, there might have been a sliver of hope, but now, he was surely doomed too.

(Sigh, is this the end of my journey? But I still haven't found a way to leave a message... Is my wisdom truly limited to this? Far inferior to Chu Xuan?) Neos looked towards the distance with a bitter smile. The muscular man, unhurried, shook the pulp off his body before slowly walking toward Neos. That mass of flesh was already starting to smoke.

The short-circuiting wires generated intense heat, yet it was surprising that this long-dormant building still had power running. "Wait, electricity?" Neos used his trident to push himself up, looking toward the approaching muscular man with a smile. "Do you know? What's known as psychokinesis is essentially a variation of mental power, or you could call it the most primitive form of the Light of the Mind. While it lacks the structure of the Light of the Mind, it already possesses its nascent form. Because of this, psychokinesis can manifest in countless forms, much like the Light of the Mind."

"Oh, so what?" the muscle man sneered dismissively. He was only dozens of steps from Neos. Although he walked slowly, it was merely the cruel desire to toy with his prey; killing Neos would take mere seconds.

"My trident is a controller for psychokinesis, capable of converting it into other forms of energy... including electronic signals—that’s also a form of energy. Oh, and my Third Eye attribute, besides psychokinesis, has a very special secondary property: accelerating thought processes, up to ten times or more than a normal person, though such intensity severely damages the brain..." Neos smiled, gripping the trident tightly. A red light flickered incessantly on the weapon, but he didn't attack the muscular man. Instead, he turned and faced the wall behind him. Under the muscular man's gaze, he suddenly rammed the trident into the wall with force. Instantly, sparks erupted as the trident pierced the wiring network inside.

"Chu Xuan! This is the message I leave for you. Whether you get it depends on your luck..." "...My wisdom will not yield to others, even if I am slightly weaker, but my heart will never give up!" "Yes, so next time... Chu Xuan, if we ever have the chance to fight, I certainly won't lose to you!" The red light on Neos's trident flickered unevenly, seemingly in some sort of pattern, but the muscular man had no idea what he was doing. This man’s thoughts were simple: since Neos had made his move, there was no need for pleasantries. He charged forward and struck with a punch, directly snapping Neos in half at the center of his back. The immense concussive force crushed the rest of his body into pulp, and the trident was blasted into the wall, vanishing from sight.

"Idiot, mumbling nonsense. I told you all, I am a person of only strength and speed, with no other special skills, but focusing purely on these aspects has only made me stronger. I don't know what trick you just pulled, but weren't you still killed by one punch? Haha, what an idiot..." The muscular man laughed boisterously, shaking the blood from his hands. Before he could turn, he heard a voice from behind him say, "Why does that sound so familiar? I believe... I said something similar myself."

The muscular man froze, too terrified to turn around. He recognized the voice clearly—it was the voice he often heard within his team; it was Zheng Zha's voice. He certainly couldn't be unfamiliar with it... But Zheng Zha was currently guarding the exterior of Laboratory Seven and couldn't possibly have said those words. This meant the identity of the person behind him was obvious: this must be the second strongest man in the entire Reincarnation World—the true Zheng Zha! The muscular man hadn't noticed anyone approach him from behind. If his senses hadn't failed him, the newcomer’s power must have been vastly superior, exceeding his own by many times.

As soon as Zheng Zha spoke those words,

A terrifying aura slammed into his back, like a mountain collapsing. Though he was currently brimming with power, he felt an irresistible urge to freeze, unable to move.

He had only experienced this sensation when facing the cloned Zheng Zha...

"Is that Zheng Zha from the Central Continent Team?" The muscular man was tough and bit down hard on his tongue.

The sharp pain gave him the opening he needed to regain his composure and turn around.

Only then did he see a figure standing behind him, identical to the cloned Zheng Zha. Except for the orientation of the scar on the face, everything was the same. This Zheng Zha, however, didn't appear quite as cold or terrifying.

"I've wanted to meet you for a long time. Our captain often mentions you. A sworn enemy... I guess you're nothing special after all," the muscular man sneered.

"Your captain? Which team are you from?" the remains of the pulp and blood mass behind the muscular man asked.

The muscular man blinked. Without considering when Zheng Zha had arrived, he immediately blurted out, "I’m from the Demon Squad, here to stop the Southern Flame Continent Team from meeting you... Huh?" Zheng Zha also paused, then let out a harsh laugh after a moment. "Demon Squad, is it? Then that pile of mush behind you must be the corpse of a member of the Southern Flame Continent Team. Whose was it?" "Damn it, why should I tell you anything? I've long been fed up with you guys. You don't look that strong either. Beat me, and then I'll..." Before the muscular man could finish, Zheng Zha materialized in front of him. He threw what seemed like an ordinary punch, yet the muscular man didn't even have time to react. The punch landed squarely on his right shoulder with a crisp 'crack.' This seemingly simple strike held unbelievable power, completely shattering the man's rock-hard muscle. Following the blow, the muscular man's left shoulder and nearly half of his lung were gone.

"I don't have time for jokes. Who did you just kill? What did he say? Tell me everything!" Zheng Zha gripped the muscular man’s neck, hoisting him up as if the powerful man were a mere chick.

The muscular man was utterly shocked and terrified. He had always been supremely confident in his strength; even within the Demon Squad, the strongest reincarnation squad, he was considered mid-to-high tier. And the previous battle had strengthened his muscles considerably. How could he not withstand one punch from the true Zheng Zha? Was this the pinnacle combat strength in the entire Reincarnation World, second only to the clone Zheng Zha? "That was the captain of the Southern Flame Continent Team. He was mumbling some strange words, something about leaving a message for Chu Xuan... Damn it, that guy again..." Hearing this, Zheng Zha almost laughed out loud. It seemed the Demon Squad had suffered just as much from that nuisance. He truly was a terrifying presence... But the Southern Flame Continent Team, and that intellectual who loved chocolate—the one who tried to challenge Chu Xuan but, like every challenge before, failed utterly. Was he dead too?

"A message?" Zheng Zha looked at the heap of pulp beneath the wall and sighed. Then he punched the muscular man's heart. Combined with the punch that shattered his shoulder, both strikes were delivered with instantaneous 'destruction' force—seemingly light, yet carrying the weight of mountains. One casual punch broke the muscular man across the waist, turning his heart into scattered fragments of flesh.

"Zhang Heng, Imhotep, there's one more Demon Squad member below. Capture him alive; I need to interrogate him about the Demon Squad's current location."

Zheng Zha turned around. Only then did the other members of the Central Continent Team slip in through the window. Chu Xuan was already standing in the corridor somewhere, frowning as he looked toward where Neos lay dead.

"A message?" Chu Xuan suddenly reached out and touched the trident embedded in the wall. An arc of electricity flashed across his finger. Although Chu Xuan didn't feel pain, he was jolted by the arc, causing his fingers to tremble involuntarily.

"Electricity? If there's electricity..." Chu Xuan suddenly turned to Zheng Zha and said, "I need to go look for that residual message. Here, take this. I can get useful information from that other Demon Squad member, and once I return, we can start planning how to deal with the Demon Squad..."

"Wait, wait a minute! You're leaving just like that without saying a word! Tell me, what exactly is this message about? And where is his message stored?" he quickly grabbed Chu Xuan, who was about to leave, and anxiously asked.

"If electricity exists, then a computer network must exist too. Although I don't know what Neos meant exactly, judging by the dynamics of this battlefield, the only possible place to store information would be electronic data... Find a computer; that should verify my theory."