Chapter 33: Battle with the king A black-armored figure streaked through the air on a gleaming sword, his silhouette casting a shadow over the military camp below. Ethan’s clone, draped in sleek battle armor, exuded an aura so intense it was practically screaming: I am dangerous. Step aside or be crushed. Martial artists stationed around the camp turned to look—then looked away just as quickly. No one dared to meet his gaze. His presence was oppressive, the kind that demanded silence and submission. Without hesitation, Ethan soared directly toward the camp’s control office. High-energy weapons clinked against the armored suits of the patrolling soldiers, their eyes narrowing as they sensed something abnormal. Then they felt it—a wave of pressure, unmistakable and suffocating. It was the aura of a Grandmaster. All heads snapped toward the source. A man clad in black armor was flying—on a sword. Instantly, alarms flared in their minds. Only Spirit Masters beneath the King Realm could fly using objects. That meant this stranger was not only a Spirit Master... but one who had reached the Grandmaster level. Spirit Masters were dreaded on the battlefield. They could manipulate bullets mid-air, hurl flying daggers with lethal precision, and with the flick of a hand, raze armies to dust. Every soldier in the vicinity raised their guard. The patrol leader stepped forward and shouted, "This is a restricted area. Leave immediately or be charged with trespassing. We will shoot if necessary." Ethan stopped mid-air. He hadn’t come to pick a fight. The leader had only been doing his duty. "I’m here for business," Ethan said in a hoarse, voice. "Call your commander." Even before the soldier could respond, a powerful presence surged forward. A tall man in a military uniform stepped out, exuding calm authority. His aura was Grandmaster Level 9—immense and sharp. "I’m Commander Ray," the man said politely. "May I know who you are and what business brings you here?" Ethan shook his head. "I came in secret. My identity must remain hidden. I’ve hunted some monsters, and I’ll keep hunting for the next three days. Would you be interested in buying the materials... unofficially?" Ray’s eyes narrowed slightly in realization. Someone from a powerful family or faction, no doubt. "We can buy them," Ray said. "At 80% of market price, off the record. Bring as many as you like." Ethan tossed a heavy backpack to the ground. It thudded with weight. Inside were materials from three Grandmaster Level 2 monsters. Ray’s eyes lit up. These weren’t just any monsters—each was rare, and the materials were in pristine condition. Ethan handed over an anonymous bank account ID. At market value, these parts were worth 30 billion credits. At 80%, Ethan received 24 billion—no questions asked. Without another word, Ethan turned and left. Ray watched the figure vanish into the sky. Strange guy, he thought. But as long as he’s only killing monsters, there’s nothing to worry about. --- Ethan bought every monster he hunted, 3 already sold and the remaining 7,except the big one. Then he started coming every two hours to sell. He was hunting like a mad man. He came again. This time not just one clone. Two different clones appeared, each wearing a distinct suit of armor. But their overwhelming auras made it obvious—they were connected, members of the same formidable organization. Another delivery. More monster parts. Ray was beginning to lose feeling. He had just completed business worth over 200 billion credits. He raised his hands helplessly. "Are you going to come every two hours now? I’ll need to request additional funds." Ethan’s clone gave him a cold look. "Then request them. We’ve got a big one this time." "What level?" Ethan said nothing, merely dropped four backpacks at Ray’s feet. Ray opened them—and his breath caught. These were materials from a Level 9 Grandmaster beast. And not just any beast—that beast. The one his battalion had tried to hunt a month ago and lost dozens of soldiers to. He recognized the hide. Then the bones, the intact crystal core. This monster had nearly slaughtered his entire squad. They didn’t go to the area-25 for fun. That area was a dead zone for martial artist under King. Not even a grandmaster level 9 could survive as a king level beast was present there. They only tried to hunt that particular monster because it left the area 25 and tried to go to the other areas. His expression turned solemn. "How... how did you kill this thing?" "You don’t need to worry about that," Ethan replied coldly. Ray didn’t argue. He immediately authorized a full payment of 100 billion credits. He even added a bonus—his personal vendetta against that monster had just been settled. Before Ethan left, he spoke once more. "Keep your funds stocked. There’s more to come." --- Ethan continued hunting, pushing all his skills to their limits. At one point, he even healed a Level 9 Grandmaster monster just to test the extent of his healing ability. The beast, which had been on the verge of death, recovered within seconds—only for Ethan to kill it with a single swing of his sword. He slaughtered so many Grandmaster-level monsters that Area 25 had been almost completely cleared. Very few Grandmaster beasts remained. But what Ethan didn’t realize was that his merciless massacre had caught the attention of the king of this territory. Deep within a palace-like lair, the creature—previously in deep slumber—suddenly opened its eyes. While Ethan was dispatching yet another beast, he felt a shift in the air. Something was coming. Fast. In a blur, the earth trembled. A shadow landed before him—so fast it was as if it had teleported. A five-meter-tall beast with scales like iron stood, its golden eyes was calm. It was the gaze of a predator. But Ethan didn’t panic much. Ethan finished off the monster in front of him without even looking at the predator. Then he looked at the earth dragon.His gaze met the creature’s. A low voice echoed, not in a growl, but in perfect human speech. "You dare to massacre my subordinates, insect?" Ethan froze for a moment. So, this was a King. He read about them that the monsters gain intelligence after reaching king realm. But reading and hearing them in a life and death battle field was two entire thing. Ethan’s eyes were full of madness. He could go all out now. No beast in that area could force him to even use a single technique of multiplication . He just used them for fun. But now he could fight to his heart’s content. He cracked his neck. There would be no holding back—not this time. Except for his clones, everything else had to be unleashed. With a flash of will, his Level 9 Sword Intent erupted in full. The atmosphere cracked around him. The Earth Dragon’s pupils constricted. How does an ant like him have this kind of power? The beast roared. A massive shockwave burst from its mouth, sweeping across a hundred kilometers. In the cities beyond, martial artists trembled. "The King of Area 25 is angry!" "Evacuate! Get out now!" Chaos followed. --- 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶 Ethan dashed forward. The Earth Dragon struck back with equal force. Ethan’s base strength was 69,440 tons. But with the 12 times amplification by his sword intent it was now 833,280 tons. The Earth Dragon had the raw power of 800,000 tons, but it was capable of reaching 1 million ton destructive force through brute combat. The battlefield cracked. Ethan released his Thunder Domain for the first time— the thunder domain had two functions. Suppress the enemy and shot thunder bolts like divine punishment. If the enemy was too strong compared to him,then the enemy wouldn’t be suppressed or burned by the thunder. He would probably just feel a little numb. And that was the case for that earth dragon. It’s raw power was many times higher than Ethan. So the domain probably wouldn’t help much. An electric storm covering a kilometer radius. The domain didn’t suppress the Earth Dragon much, but each thunder strike numbed its movements, disrupting its rhythm. Lightning fell. Steel clashed with scale. For every blow Ethan struck, he received one in return—sometimes worse. Bones cracked, armor shattered, his body was sent flying hundreds of meters. He was in a sorry state. But his regeneration worked tirelessly, rebuilding muscle, mending fractures, restoring blood. With all this the madness in Ethan’s eyes only shot passed the chart. Hour after hour passed. Three hours of relentless, world-shaking battle. Ethan was covered in blood—some his, some not. But his blade never wavered. The Earth Dragon, now limping, roared in fury. Lightning danced across its body, burning flesh, tearing scales. With a final cry, Ethan surged forward. His sword gleamed with Sword Intent and the full power of the absolute speed sword technique,a blinding arc of power that split the sky. He swung. Crack. The Earth Dragon’s head fell to the ground, its massive body collapsing like a crumbling mountain. Ethan stood there, chest heaving. Thunder cracked above. His armor flickered with sparks. He had won. Alone. Ethan was still immersed in the aftermath of the battle. His body was regenerating, mending broken bones and torn flesh. His armor was shattered, he then replaced it with a newly conjured one forged through his armor skill. The fierce encounter had only intensified his thirst for battle. The thrill, the danger—it ignited something deep within him. He wanted more. He was already thinking of venturing into even more dangerous territories. But before that, there was one last thing to handle—the carcass of the fallen king-level beast. --- At that very moment, the control room of the military camp was in a state of stunned euphoria. Everyone had been aware that someone was battling the King of Area 25. Based on the sheer scale of the energy fluctuations, they had a strong suspicion about which mysterious organization was behind it. It must be the secret faction who were selling them monster materials repeatedly. But now, something shocking had occurred. The overwhelming aura of the King had vanished completely from their radar. Along with it, most of the remaining Grandmaster-level monsters had also disappeared. Area 25, once a high-risk zone, had been reduced to a standard hunting ground. Then came the message they had almost been expecting—a call from the enigmatic figure of that shadowy organization. He was returning to make another "big deal." They didn’t need to ask what the deal was about. They knew. Without hesitation, they contacted their higher-ups. The rest would now be handled by the higher ups.