Chapter 45: The King of Insects (Part Two)

Information about the [King of Insects] went no further than rumors; Zhou Ke did not care much for information that offered no tangible benefits.

There was no way he was going to scour the entire city through the sewers like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, just because the target could burrow underground like a ninja. At the very least, he would need a rat master to guide him first.

Besides, his primary focus for intelligence gathering was not on that bug, whose design was nearly identical to Cell.

Upon obtaining the precise coordinates of the [King of Dogs], Zhou Ke left the western restaurant.

He had briefly considered finishing off the ape on his way out to casually pick up 3 reward points, but then remembered he hadn't settled the dining bill yet, so he reluctantly abandoned the idea.

Before leaving, he shamelessly praised himself aloud, "I really am a kind and good person!"

On the wild hills at the edge of the city, a desolate temple without worshippers had its red ropes, bells, and overall desolation rustled by the wind.

To the left of the temple gate, a solitary stone statue of a dog stepping on auspicious clouds stood alone, while the other side was bare, making it look severely asymmetrical.

However, since it was a ruined temple, no one cared about such details.

Nor did anyone notice that the supposedly lifeless stone statue was arching its back and lifting its knees, while the gray stone texture on its body slowly peeled away.

Much like a newborn shedding its skin, the statue's body continuously grew taller and more robust, exposing snow-white fur with sideburns resembling a fierce lion's mane.

The auspicious clouds at its feet also transformed into tangible mist, undulating with a solitary and proud spirituality.

"Who goes there?" The King of Dogs opened its slender mouth slightly, uttering human speech.

"The one who comes to take your dog life."

Although this was a response, it still betrayed a hint of hesitation in its tone.

"This is no good; I feel like this line is still not imposing enough."

Along the long, winding stone steps of the mountain, accompanied by idle and casual mumblings, a gloomy youth with dead fish eyes stepped forward.

"How about I recite a traditional opening poem? What do you think?"

Just as these words left Zhou Ke's lips, silver claws tore through the fierce wind and struck instantly.

Yet, knowing all too well how punch-worthy he was, how could Zhou Ke fail to prepare in advance? He abruptly sidestepped to evade the attack, casually flicked out two flying daggers, and muttered under his breath, "Hmph, old timer playing dirty, lacking martial virtue."

Whoosh! Whoosh!

At such close range, the two flying daggers were impossible to miss, striking the King of Dogs's left foreleg and shoulder joint respectively.

To everyone's surprise, what burst forth from the impact was not a splatter of blood, but the clashing of metal and a shower of sparks.

Zhou Ke clearly saw the flying daggers bounce off that seemingly fluffy and soft fur, with the tip of one blade even chipping off.

"Is this the kind of physical hardness a carbon-based lifeform is supposed to have? This is going to be troublesome..."

Within a mere second of probing, Zhou Ke confirmed that his opponent possessed exceptional defensive capabilities that rendered it impervious to blades and firearms.

"Bizarre human." The King of Dogs was also somewhat surprised.

Its sensitive senses told it that the ethereal fluctuations of the youth before it were not strong; in fact, one could even call them feeble.

Therefore, it had assumed that its previous strike would have claimed Zhou Ke's life.

Differing greatly from the human strategy of dealing with the unknown, the more bestial King of Dogs knew only one rule—the weirder something was, the sooner it had to be eliminated.

Hum!

With a piercing, explosive shriek, the stone steps beneath the creature's four paws fractured into spiderweb-like cracks.

The King of Dogs grew substantially larger once again, and its drooling, elongated snout reached a height where Zhou Ke could no longer touch it even if he stretched out his arm.

Looking at its entire body, from head to tail, a rough estimate put its length at over ten meters.

Zhou Ke, who had been standing to the side of the King of Dogs facing the clear moonlight, was now completely engulfed beneath the beastly shadow.

The shadow stretched into the vast canopy of trees, making the entire mountain forest feel as though it had become a part of the King of Dogs.

Yet, sometimes, an increase in size does not translate to clumsiness.

Swish!

A silver crescent hook flashed, and a gale-force speed followed.

The King of Dogs's attack came even faster and fiercer than the last!

Although Zhou Ke reacted in time, he was too late to escape the reach of the lethal claws, leaving him with no choice but to raise his short daggers in both hands to defend himself.

A deafening roar echoed as a crescent-shaped wind blade directly sheared through trees within a radius of several miles, sending leaves and branches tumbling down in droves.

"Ah, that hurts like hell."

Barely managing to block the blow, Zhou Ke was blown backward by the kinetic force, a trail of fresh red blood slowly trickling down his forehead.

He looked down at the short daggers in his hands, where only the hilts remained and the blades were entirely gone, and let out a soft sigh, "I said it before, I hate physical labor."

With that, the ether surged, and truth manifested!

*『Upper jaw pressed against the heavens, lower jaw covering the earth, within the abyss-like throat, I caught a glimpse of the greed you keep hidden beneath.』*

The materialized Fenrir affectionately coiled around Zhou Ke's neck. Viewed from a distance, it looked like a scarf emitting a faint blue glow.

Naturally, it was impossible for him to casually command Fenrir to devour the King of Dogs, as that would be tantamount to mutual destruction.

However, do not forget that [Ragnarok: Jaws] possessed another ability.

Gazing at the hesitant King of Dogs, Zhou Ke sneered and, without a second thought, thrust his hand deep into the wolf's throat:

"Welcome me, Spirit Key."

Black light burst forth, and a uniquely shaped long blade was pulled from the depths of the throat.

The blade of the long sword was pitch black, devoid of a handguard, and the end of the hilt featured bizarre protrusions and indentations, resembling an ancient key.

[Ragnarok: Jaws: Valuable essences are tempered in the poisonous river within the stomach of the giant wolf Fenrir, forging corresponding weapons.]

The [Spirit Key] was precisely the creation left behind after Fenrir consumed the Headless Gentleman.

"Not bad, not bad. Big Boss Fenrir deserves a reward." Zhou Ke weighed the long blade twice with great satisfaction, grasping its specific usage method the moment he touched it.

Thus, as if entirely confident or simply bluffing, he beckoned to the King of Dogs with a provocative hand gesture.

Driven primarily by its animalistic nature, the King of Dogs fell heavily for the taunt. Pushing off with its hind legs, it lunged toward Zhou Ke in the span of just two breaths.

Its dual claws descended fiercely, transforming the violent gale into the crushing pressure of a waterfall!

This time, Zhou Ke had no intention of running. Holding the Spirit Key horizontally before him, he firmly intercepted the hooked claws.

Unlike the flying daggers that shattered upon the slightest contact, the pitch-black blade of the Spirit Key showed no timidity under the King of Dogs's immensely powerful and heavy onslaught, maintaining the unshakeable stability of a mountain weathering a storm.

"Just as I calculated..." Zhou Ke muttered, his arms trembling as he engaged in a contest of strength, though his mouth remained just as active. "...you're not actually all that impressive."

The calculation Mr. Zhou was referring to was based on the strength of the invigilation commander, Wu Bai, who was at the Candle Wick Tenth Stage, serving as his baseline for estimation.

Approaching it from the perspective of an exam planner, one inevitably had to ensure perfection when accounting for the safety of the examinees.

It was impossible to allow an uncontrollable situation to arise during the exam; the invigilating executor had to be at least twice as strong as a mutant commander.

Therefore, the King of Dogs was estimated to be at the Candle Wick Fifth Stage.

Had his calculations been drastically off, he would have fled without a moment's hesitation.

If his calculations were correct—Zhou Ke's lips curved slightly upward. "Heh, then I've already won."

Before his strength was completely overwhelmed by the crushing pressure, he suddenly changed his stance, drawing his blade and slashing toward the right.

This caused the King of Dogs's claws to strike empty air, while a shallow yet distinct bloody gash was sliced across its left foreleg.