The Power of Infinity

“Your abilities are truly formidable.”

Titan rose once more, countless intricate blood vessels sprouting from his severed wounds, intertwining and eventually coalescing into a pair of perfectly identical legs.

He pointed to his head. “A pity it’s still not quite perfect.”

“Is this regenerative ability a gift from the Bloodkin, or from The Gem?” Liu Yu probed, hoping to exploit the time Titan spent recovering to use her `[Eye of Omniscience]` again. However, the searing pain in her left eye forced her to abandon the notion for the moment. ‘So, this skill has a cooldown,’ she realized.

“Perhaps the Bloodkin, perhaps The Gem… or perhaps both.”

The voice came from behind her! Liu Yu spun around, and indeed, it was the crimson figure, both hands gripping a light blade several meters long, lunging aggressively towards her.

`[Reaper – PW09]`

The gleaming light sank into the black tide like a solitary boat lost at sea, failing to stir even the slightest ripple.

“How surprising,” Titan remarked. “Can you truly keep pace with even this speed?”

Liu Yu’s inability to react swiftly did not mean `[Shadow]` was equally slow. The instant Titan launched his attack, this loyal guardian, coiled around the young woman, instinctively formed a defense, repelling the blow. `[Shadow]`’s autonomous mode had clearly led Titan to a misunderstanding.

“Hmph, this is far from my limit,” Liu Yu bluffed with a scoff. “Even if you run faster than light, you won’t escape these eyes of mine.”

The young woman’s brazen claim seemed to stun Titan. He remained silent for a long moment, then quietly took a step forward, vanishing from Liu Yu’s sight in an instant.

Liu Yu anxiously scanned her surroundings, finally locating him hovering in mid-air behind her, extreme power converging at his fingertips.

“Try this,” he challenged.

`[Ground Eradication Beam α—pw02]`

As his words faded, terrifyingly potent light projectiles erupted from the Bloodkin’s hands, tracing the young woman’s movements. No matter how Liu Yu dodged or distanced herself, they remained relentlessly locked onto her form.

“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Knowing evasion was futile, the young woman ultimately chose to endure the barrage head-on. Fortunately, `[Shadow]` once again proved its impenetrable defense, swallowing every incoming light projectile and leaving her standing proudly, utterly spotless.

‘Does this thing truly have a defense limit?’ Liu Yu mused, a flicker of doubt in her heart. Despite having wielded `[Shadow]` for so long, she still couldn’t grasp the full extent of its power. For her, even an extraordinary ability like `[Eye of Omniscience: Sever]` was merely an added bonus. `[Shadow]`’s true strength had always resided in its unyielding defense, steadfastly safeguarding her safety.

Titan was powerful, truly powerful. Were they not battling within this specially created `[High Dimension]`, the mere aftershocks of their clash would have been enough to raze an entire city. Yet, even with his earth-shattering might, Titan found himself utterly helpless and outmatched against `[Shadow]`’s defenses.

“Hmph!” Liu Yu grunted.

Dodging a direct pillar of light, Liu Yu swung her weapon at Titan. Predictably, only a phantom afterimage remained where he had been. Immediately afterward, the lingering shadow erupted with a fierce glow.

“Boom!”

Emerging unscathed from the explosion, the young woman was met with an onslaught of further attacks: energy blasts, slashes, laser cannons, and countless other unfamiliar techniques. Like an inexhaustible encyclopedia, Titan continually conjured new tricks, widening Liu Yu’s eyes with each display. Yet, despite the Bloodkin’s meticulous efforts, he remained unable to penetrate `[Shadow]`’s defenses and harm Liu Yu.

Thus, the two continued, one attacking, one defending, neither able to gain an advantage. The battle seemed to have reached a stalemate.

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Why have you stopped?” Liu Yu taunted. “Oh, could it be that the esteemed Bloodkin leader is helpless against a tiny, weak woman?”

“…Has anyone ever told you that you’re… disagreeable?”

“Hehe, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. The people chasing me could line up from one end of the city to the other!”

Liu Yu’s girlish teasing momentarily stunned Titan, a vision of a charming, smiling figure seemingly materializing before his eyes. He reached out to touch it, but the vision abruptly transformed into the black-cloaked young woman lunging at his face. Startled, he hastily retreated, narrowly evading a fatal strike.

“Tch, consider yourself lucky,” Liu Yu grumbled, her ambush having failed.

Composing himself and shaking off the nostalgic thoughts of the past, Titan spoke in a deep voice, “Guest from The Supervisory Bureau, I’ll give you one last chance. If you don’t wish to die, it’s not too late to leave this place now.”

‘Hmph, threatening people when you can’t win… Wait, what is this…’ Liu Yu tilted her head, her intuition telling her something extraordinary was happening to Titan.

“This is the `[Deep Realm]`,” he explained, whether to her or himself, “though it’s merely a corner of the universe, it encompasses several galaxies.” One by one, stones floated from Titan’s palm. They varied in size and shape—some large, some small, some round, some square—all ceaselessly revolving and colliding around the largest fiery sphere in the center.

“In that dark, magnificent sea of stars, a tale once circulated: a terrifying creature, one that consumes planets just to be born, slumbers within a certain world. It is a destroyer of civilizations, a devourer of planets, the broom used by the Lord of the Universe to sweep away time.”

Titan gently nudged a blue sphere with his index finger. “Do such legendary creatures truly exist?”

“—The answer is yes. During our long voyages, our fleet was fortunate enough to capture their young, and from them, we uncovered some of their secrets.” Titan’s voice grew louder. “The power of `[The Gem]` is `[Infinity]`! As long as one finds the way to use it, any phenomenon can be made real! Through that research data, and by utilizing the infinite power of `[The Gem]`, I created the region I once reached—the `[Deep Realm]`.”

The spheres were crushed, and simultaneously, a terrifying aura surged from his body, climbing steadily higher. “Now, the environment is ready, and all conditions have been met.” All the small spheres trembled, crumbled, and transformed into minute yet immense energy, seeping into Titan’s body. “Here, I shall complete the growth of that `[Star-devouring Beast]`, to become a being that will shake the universe, destroying everything…”

The crimson light slowly receded, leaving behind only a dull, profoundly dark armor. But then, dazzling starlight suddenly ignited, illuminating the entire `[High Dimension]`. Looking towards the source of the starlight… one, two, three… countless spheres were embedded upon that armor, marking its origin. “This is `[Shattered Star Remains]`—my creation, forged to defeat those `[Black-blooded]`!”

His mere breath could now scour a planet’s surface, and the sun was but a toy in his grasp. Unprecedented power surged within Titan’s body, continually expanding and elevating him. Now, even if he were to face the `[Black-blooded]` creature that had caused his downfall, he would be confident of victory. And so… it was time to end this battle.

He located the black-cloaked young woman, who had retreated far away. With a mere glance, a scorching beam incinerated everything in its path.

“Oh? Did you evade it?”

A fierce wind howled. Simply speaking had unleashed an endless, terrifying storm. If not for being within this `[High Dimension]`, his recent actions would likely have annihilated human civilization in the outer realms.

Marveling at his own might, Titan once again sought Liu Yu’s trace.

“Hmph…”

He fixed his gaze, discovering a figure that had already crossed the storm, charging towards him.

“Instead of fleeing, you approach me?”

‘How ridiculous, how pathetic…’ ‘Like Don Quixote tilting at windmills.’ ‘This is a challenge destined for failure.’

Titan clenched his five fingers, destructive power gathering in his fist, aimed at the approaching young woman… and unleashed a punch.