Chapter 3: The New Form - Dominating Ghost God
After acquiring the demonic horn of Shuten-dōji as fusion material, Zhou Yan had yet to formally activate his innate ability of Super Fusion.
The primary reason was that in the main world, it was not yet time to unleash his power recklessly.
Unlike in the Calamity Realm, where he could wield his strength without concern for future troubles, in the main world he remained cautious until he fully understood the world's formidable figures and the technological and military prowess of various nations.
He had only just dared to use his Life Gear after it gained its mimicry function; activating Super Fusion without any life-threatening situation was out of the question. The extraordinary form and the aura that radiated from Super Fusion could easily attract unwanted attention, making it his trump card to hold in reserve.
From living in the main world for over a month, Zhou Yan had already surpassed his initial benchmark, the formidable warrior Luo Xuan, especially now that he wore his Life Gear and unleashed his full strength.
Even those above Luo Xuan's "Exquisite" rank—those at the "Absolute" or "Grandmaster" levels—had physical limits roughly equivalent to "the strength of ten men."
This meant that, without external aid, Zhou Yan’s physique in Life Gear was already superior to most.
However, disregarding other countries’ black technologies, the Heavenly Yuan Sovereign Empire possessed the "Divine Machine," equipment whose effects Zhou Yan could not yet fully gauge.
He only knew from online data that wielders of the Divine Machine would see their combat power increase tenfold. Numerically, this implied that an ordinary Grandmaster with "ten men’s strength," around 100 in physical power, could reach a strength comparable to 1,000 when equipped with this device.
At present, Zhou Yan’s Super Fusion physique barely exceeded 200; even with the boosts from his newly learned Star-Chasing Secret Map and the Obscure Seal Demon Power, his theoretical power likely did not surpass 500.
Moreover, those equipped with Divine Machines were not only Grandmasters; even Exquisite-level masters like Luo Xuan, who led semi-official martial arts schools, typically had one each.
Zhou Yan had seen rough statistics online indicating that the Empire boasted about 20,000 Exquisite-level warriors.
Even if not all were mechanized warriors, the number of such warriors probably exceeded 10,000.
In other words—there were at least ten thousand individuals stronger than Zhou Yan’s fused strength.
If this was true, Zhou Yan realized his trump card was still unstable; he needed to remain cautious and bide his time.
Fortunately, his growth rate was fast, and the potential of his Super Fusion talent was visibly boundless. With enough time, he would inevitably become invincible.
Lost in thought, Zhou Yan no longer hesitated and activated Super Fusion.
[Activating Talent: Super Fusion]
[Fusion Material: Shuten-dōji’s Demonic Horn]
A pair of black demonic horns materialized as a phantom, merging with Zhou Yan amid radiant light.
In an instant, his form transformed, enveloped by endless strange radiance.
His entire body was sheathed in armor of reddish-brown, yellow, and black hues.
His shoulders, forearms, and calves were adorned with numerous appropriately placed black spikes.
His head was completely encased in a fierce-looking helmet, from which a pair of black-gray demon horns sprouted upward from the temples, forehead, and crown.
His eyes were covered by dark yellow crystalline lenses inscribed with runes, yet his vision remained perfectly clear.
Every red plate of his armor bore twisted runes reminiscent of those Zhou Yan had seen on Shuten-dōji during their battle.
Violent surges of demonic energy burst forth like an angry tsunami, stirring dust in the long-abandoned room.
The ground rippled with concentric waves of dust.
[Fusion Complete]
[Fused Life Gear Form—Overlord Demon God]
[Combat in this form consumes Life Gear durability at 40 units per second]
[Additional Attribute Bonuses: Physique +82, Agility +75, Spirit +72]
[Activated Skill 1—Demon Fist (consumes 200 durability per use)]
[Activated Skill 2—Frenzied March (consumes 150 durability per use)]
[Activated Skill 3—Demon God Transformation (sustained, consumes 60 durability per second)]
A low, eerie voice emanated from beneath the helmet.
“Overlord Demon God—that’s an audacious name.”
Zhou Yan stood calmly, feeling the unmatched power now under his control. An overwhelming confidence, capable of annihilating all, welled up within him.
He had the illusion that now, with a single punch, he could crush everything.
Raising his right hand, he slowly clenched it into a fist before his eyes. The dark yellow rune-etched crystalline lenses covering his eyes did not hinder his sight in the slightest; even the vision loss from his missing right eye seemed somehow perfectly compensated.
This power was utterly intoxicating!
Originally, Zhou Yan only wished to briefly transform and experience his new form, but an unwillingness to revert arose within him.
Holding his hammer, everyone looked like mere nails to him.
In more refined terms—armed with a formidable weapon, his murderous intent stirred spontaneously!
He approached the window, pushed it open, and looked up at the neon-lit city beyond the tall buildings.
The corner of his mouth beneath the mask curled into a faint smile.
The next moment, a flowing black cape appeared behind his armor.
He then bent his knees slightly.
“Time to go out and have some fun!”
Boom!
The floor tiles cracked slightly as Zhou Yan’s figure rocketed out of the window like a rocket, reaching nearly a hundred meters above the city within seconds.
Of course, he did not jump that high himself; the building floor was about seventy meters up, and he had only leapt about thirty meters.
As his upward momentum ceased and he began to descend, the black cape behind him suddenly unfurled into a pair of wings.
He hovered midair, his wings gently fluttering in the breeze.
Below lay the bustling city; above, the bright full moon hung in the sky.
At this moment, Zhou Yan felt as if he looked down upon the world.
His vision and perception were extraordinary. With just a slight hover, he turned his gaze toward a direction about three kilometers away.
There was an open-air plaza currently hosting a lively event—something like a music festival or underground concert.
Yet, the scene that should have been filled with joy now carried faint screams for help, even audible from afar to Zhou Yan.
“Are such outbreaks of uncontrolled desire more prone to occur in densely packed crowds?”
Watching the monster slaughtering mercilessly within the thick crowd, Zhou Yan bent forward slightly; his wings folded into a streamlined posture, and he dove toward the target like a falcon striking.
At that moment, the plaza was ablaze with fire, and a towering figure was committing a frenzied massacre.
Over three meters tall, clad entirely in black armor formed from some dark substance, wielding a large shield in the left hand and a two-meter-long greatsword engulfed in raging flames in the right.
At first glance, a black-armored knight.
Yet this knight relentlessly pursued the panicked crowd, swinging his massive blade to ruthlessly slaughter wave after wave of innocent bystanders.
Amid the carnage, he howled in anguish and fury.
“Why?!”
“I came first!”
“I protected you for so long!”
“He’s just a transfer student—handsomer, wealthier...”
“Is a knight forever inferior to a prince?!”
Amid the pursuit, the knight suddenly caught up with a little girl who had fallen.
“Hahaha! Such a cute girl—she’ll surely grow up to be a heartbreaker!”
He laughed madly, raising his greatsword high.
“Die!”
“No!” The girl’s mother, having seen her daughter fall and loosen her grip, immediately turned to rescue her, only to witness a scene that shattered her soul.
Flames, chaos, screams, blood, death!
The terrifying black knight raised his blazing sword and brought it down mercilessly on the sobbing girl on the ground.
Swish!
In the mother’s eyes, a blur flashed past at incredible speed.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
In that instant, a violent gust of wind surged forth.
The blur transformed from extreme motion to perfect stillness, condensing into a crimson figure wreathed in terrifying purple demonic flames.
The crimson figure, engulfed in immense purple flames, collided fiercely with the black knight’s hastily raised shield.
Boom!
The boundless purple flames erupted explosively, shattering the black giant shield into countless fragments.
The shield-bearing knight was blasted away like a cannonball, crashing violently into the makeshift stage and smashing it to pieces.
The sharp wind whipped the girl’s mother’s long hair into a chaotic dance.
Only then did the mother clearly see the crimson figure—it was a humanoid clad entirely in dark red armor.
The figure turned his head toward the stunned woman.
His voice, deep and eerie, resonated from beneath the godlike helmet:
“Take your daughter and leave.”
Indeed, this was Zhou Yan in his Overlord Demon God form.
The woman snapped back to reality, running frantically forward to scoop up the still-crying girl, who seemed unaware she had narrowly escaped death.
She then collapsed to her knees, repeatedly thanking Zhou Yan with all her might.
Zhou Yan showed no interest in responding to her gratitude. Instead, he turned to look at the shattered stage where the black knight had fallen, a disdainful smile curling beneath his mask.
“Hey, big guy, still playing dead?”
The surrounding fires crackled and popped.
People screamed as they fled in all directions.
Suddenly, the towering black knight sprang up from the broken stage, roaring furiously, clutching the flaming greatsword with both hands as he charged at Zhou Yan.
“All good-looking guys deserve to die!!!”
Zhou Yan shifted slightly, casting a sidelong glance at the fearsome giant figure.
“Haha, if all handsome guys deserve death, then someone as handsome as me is surely doomed.”
“But dying at the hands of a loser like you? Not a chance.”
“Demon God Transformation!”
The eerie runes on all the red plates of his armor flared with scarlet light.
The demon horns on his helmet’s forehead lengthened abruptly.
The runes on the yellow crystal covering his eyes flickered and shifted to red.
His already menacing armor became even more terrifying.
He then shifted sideways into a horse stance, executing a complex motion: his left fist cocked at his waist, his right hand rising fluidly to guard in front.
Purple Obscure Seal runes appeared on the back of his right hand, and fierce deep purple flames instantly enveloped his entire body.
Not only did the flames cover him, but as Zhou Yan moved, the blazing demonic fire rapidly condensed behind him, forming a massive phantom of a terrifying demon mirroring his stance.
At this moment, the black knight reached him and swung his blazing greatsword downward.
Zhou Yan laughed heartily, deftly slapping the sword’s spine with his raised right hand to deflect the blow.
Immediately, his left fist, charged with overwhelming force, thundered forward, striking the knight’s chest heavily.
The ghostly demon shadow behind Zhou Yan punched simultaneously.
“Demon Fist!”
Boom!!!
Endless purple flames burst forth, obliterating the knight’s upper body into countless fragments on the spot!
[Defeated "The Indulger," gained 530 Spirit Points]
***
Late again—my apologies to all esteemed readers!
Back to 8,000 characters tomorrow!