Monteiro's corpse lay sprawled across the ground. The wilderness had returned to its silent, frigid stillness — only the ceaseless cold wind howled on.
Lin Lei picked up that golden badge, a smile spreading across his face. "This is the second gold badge we've claimed from this battle!" His eyes were fixed solely on the golden badge. As for Monteiro's defensive Chief God artifact, he merely glanced at it. That artifact would ultimately be reclaimed by a Chief God regardless.
Bei Bei bounded over, practically vibrating with excitement. "Boss, the second one! After that green-haired girl died, that Commander Badge went to Lei Sijing. This one should be ours. That makes four Commander Badges for us!"
"That's right, four! One each for my father, Boss Yeru, George, and Dilia's brother. That's more than enough!" Lin Lei let out a long, relieved breath.
Bei Bei grinned.
"Boss, do you think Grandpa Derin could ever come back to life?" Bei Bei suddenly asked.
Lin Lei froze.
"Grandpa Derin?" A cascade of scenes from over two thousand years ago flooded Lin Lei's mind — back when he was an ordinary child, a teenager, growing step by step under Grandpa Derin's guidance.
In Lin Lei's life, Derinkoort and Bei Bei had both occupied irreplaceable places. Whether a thousand years, ten thousand years, or even longer passed, Lin Lei could never forget Grandpa Derin. His death was a scar etched deep into Lin Lei's heart — an eternal regret.
"Grandpa Derin's soul was scattered to nothingness," Lin Lei murmured, his voice low.
"Soul scattered to nothingness means he can never come back?" Bei Bei pressed, unwilling to accept it.
"A soul must remain intact to form an undead." Lin Lei shook his head. "Bei Bei, let's not dwell on this. Let's go find Lei Hong and the others."
Every time this wound was reopened, Lin Lei felt the pain anew.
"Alright." Bei Bei let it drop, and the two of them flew off toward the distant surge of powerful Chief God energy.
Near a barren mountain, Lei Hong was locked in fierce battle with Xia Siwei.
Lei Hong had already transformed — his body had swollen into a giant a full ten meters tall, his frame forged of iron. The king among the Earth Giants!
Lei Hong's resolute, cold gaze was locked on the small figure before him. His two massive legs fell like meteor after meteor, stomping, kicking, smashing — the movements were simple, yet each one sent tremors through space, leaving tiny cracks in its wake. The earth heaved and buckled beneath him, surging upward and caving in to amplify his attacks.
"Whoosh whoosh~~" Xia Siwei darted and flickered like a flame in the wind.
"This brute hits too hard. Especially in his transformed state — I can't even match his speed." Xia Siwei was growing frantic. The white halo around his body flowed and twisted ceaselessly, coiling like ribbons into a flawless defense. "I only have one chance. It has to work."
Without warning —
Six ribbons of white light shot straight for Lei Hong's chest. Lei Hong's massive hand swept forward to swat them aside, but five of the six ribbons suddenly lashed around his right arm. The sixth ribbon — its tip, which had been soft and flexible — sharpened to a razor point and drove straight for Lei Hong's chest!
"ROAR~~"
The giant Lei Hong unleashed a terrifying roar. The sound alone created visible ripples in space. The golden magic runes spread across his body — each one shaped like a fist — blazed to life, searing golden light erupting from every rune. Simultaneously, Lei Hong thrust both arms outward, shattering the white ribbons.
Xia Siwei's face drained of color. "How is this possible?!"
"Clang!" The ribbon aimed at Lei Hong's chest had barely pierced into his flesh before it stuck fast, unable to penetrate any deeper.
"ROAR~~" Bellowing with rage, Lei Hong swept both arms together in a crushing clap aimed straight at Xia Siwei.
Shocked, Xia Siwei burst backward, narrowly escaping the reach of Lei Hong's attack. But then — both of Lei Hong's massive palms erupted with pillars of white light. Golden radiance coursed along the surface of the pillars. They shot forward at a speed far surpassing Xia Siwei's own.
"No!" White ribbons surged across Xia Siwei's body instantly, forming ring after ring of defense.
"BOOM!"
The two golden-veined pillars of white light collided and hammered directly into Xia Siwei. Every single protective ribbon shattered, inch by inch. In the last instant, terror filled Xia Siwei's eyes before the pillars swallowed him whole. A deafening explosion rang out, and Xia Siwei was obliterated into dust.
Lei Hong's body shrank rapidly back to its normal size.
"Hah, hah!" Lei Hong's chest heaved like a bellows, each breath coming heavy and labored. His face had gone deathly pale. That ultimate move was one he would never resort to unless absolutely necessary — once deployed, his strength would suffer greatly, and it would take considerable time to recover.
"I didn't expect Xia Siwei to be this troublesome," Lei Hong muttered, only steadying his breathing after a long while. "At least there's still one Commander Badge."
Lei Hong had already spotted the Commander Badge lying on the ground. As for the two rings, he paid them no mind — he knew one was a spatial ring and the other a soul defensive Chief God artifact.
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" Two auras rushed closer at tremendous speed.
"Hm?" Lei Hong turned to look, then relaxed. It was Lin Lei and Bei Bei.
"Lei Hong, you killed Xia Siwei?" Lin Lei took in the devastation across the ground and grinned.
"It took quite some effort to put him down." A rare smile crossed Lei Hong's face. "That Xia Siwei cultivated the Water System and excelled at defense. I actually had to resort to my forbidden technique just to finish him. By the way — did you manage to kill Monteiro?" A glint of anticipation flickered in his eyes. His good brother had died at Monteiro's hands long ago.
"We did." Lin Lei flipped his palm open, revealing a Commander Badge. "Here — his badge."
"Good!" Lei Hong couldn't contain his elation.
Just then, an aura hurtled toward them at great speed. The three of them turned — it was Lei Sijing. Lei Sijing caught sight of the Commander Badge in Lin Lei's hand and burst into laughter. "Ha ha! That bastard Monteiro is finally dead! I've had enough of his arrogance. Let's see him act high and mighty now. Lei Hong — you killed Xia Siwei too?"
"Mm." Lei Hong produced his own Commander Badge.
"Well? Lei Sijing, what about you?" Bei Bei grinned cheekily. Lin Lei looked at Lei Sijing with a smile as well. The mood among them was excellent.