Luke attempts to comfort a furious Job, who is upset about being blacklisted. Meanwhile, Mu Fan and his giant dragon mech, Evil Wing, hurtle towards a dangerous cosmic black storm, determined to find someone Mu Fan is searching for. Despite the extreme danger and Shura's rapidly depleting energy, they charge into the storm, leaving a brilliant red lotus symbol in their wake.
"What in the world is that!?"
"Could it possibly be... the dragon from earlier?"
They stared at each other, utterly dumbfounded.
Evil Wing declared that this was the most savage, brutal, and astonishing method of passage creation it had ever witnessed.
Shura carved a direct path through the immense, boundless black storm with its own body.
A colossal Red Lotus unfurled, and at its core...
With a single strike, all barriers were utterly annihilated.
Is there anything more exhilarating than witnessing such a spectacle firsthand?
Absolutely not!
Consumed by excitement, Evil Wing nearly lost its mind. It abruptly tilted its head back, opened its draconic maw wide, and unleashed a torrent of blazing flames from its throat.
The dragon unfurled its magnificent wings and surged forward with incredible speed, pursuing the figure that commanded its submission and left it breathless.
"Open!"
"Open!"
"------Open!"
Successive waves of flame erupted with increasing ferocity in every direction.
The imperceptible barriers before Shura disintegrated one by one.
Innumerable twisted shadows were shredded and evaporated before Mu Fan's very eyes.
Shura's mecha form endured a continuous, violent shuddering, and beads of perspiration broke out on Mu Fan's skin.
Whether mere seconds or over ten seconds elapsed, Mu Fan suddenly felt an immense lightness as all resistance emanating from Shura vanished instantaneously.
The oppressive, unending darkness ahead dispersed in a flash.
The familiar, deep, shimmering black of the universe reappeared before him.
However, the scene now presented was far more breathtaking than anything in the outside world.
Eight celestial bodies, varying in size and hue, silently orbited a radiant star.
Within Shura's visual capture system, a vastly miniaturized star map quietly displayed the exquisite beauty of this cosmos.
"Ah~ ah ah ah!"
Flames ignited sequentially behind him, intermittent sound waves reaching Mu Fan's ears.
Evil Wing's entire form was nearly engulfed in fire; the dragon roared as it hurtled towards Shura, seemingly intending to halt its charge. Yet, due to its excessive speed and immense size, it was too late to stop!
The black mecha, revealed as the Red Flame subsided, became clearly visible.
Evil Wing bellowed in alarm, desperate to avoid colliding with Shura!
Thus, it beat its wings with all its might.
It had already witnessed Shura indifferently turn its head to regard it before raising an arm, palm outstretched flat.
In this pose of poised stillness, the two figures, one crimson and one black, met with a resounding clash.
*Buzz.*
Evil Wing experienced a momentary brain-numbing buzz, its senses almost shutting down. It was only a second later that it realized Shura had seized its head in one hand, bringing it to a complete halt.
As that palm withdrew, the faint red stellar mist surrounding them rapidly dissipated, carrying away the scorching residual heat from Evil Wing's body.
Evil Wing regained control of its form.
Too terrifying.
The master is far too powerful.
"Evil Wing, did you sense it?"
Mu Fan quietly marveled at the other magnificent universe concealed within the black storm as he spoke softly.
At this juncture, a hundred thousand meters behind Shura and Evil Wing, the vast black storm was entirely demarcated by a belt of debris, coexisting peacefully.
Upon hearing Mu Fan's question, the reverse scales on Evil Wing's neck instantly flared and rotated into a circle, moments later pointing resolutely in a single direction.
The menacing dragon head swiveled towards that bearing, as if an invisible pathway had materialized within Evil Wing's sight.
A moment later, this mechanical entity transmitted an incredibly firm thought wave.
"Roar!"
[It's over there]!
Hearing this, Mu Fan's heart nearly ceased beating, immediately followed by an overwhelming, indescribable joy surging through his chest.
"Finally... found it..."
Mu Fan's usual composure finally faltered, his lips trembling slightly at this moment.
"Lead... the way!"
"Roar!"
Evil Wing responded with an exhilarated roar of its own.
It rejoiced for Mu Fan, and even more so for being able to aid him.
It was not merely a dumb dragon solely concerned with sustenance!
Beside Mu Fan, it felt recognized and valued.
Evil Wing was the one and only unique Mechanical Giant Dragon in this entire universe!
The dragon executed a loop, carrying Shura upon its back before charging directly towards the identified destination.
The target in that direction... was a colossal, dark planet shrouded in a tenuous atmosphere, positioned as the fifth celestial body from the inner core outwards within this star system.
Beneath the darkened sky, two nascent moons softly cast down their radiant luminescence.
Across the expansive grasslands, a river spanning over five hundred meters in width meandered its course, sustaining this vast prairie.
On both banks of the river, the water grasses had grown to a height exceeding three meters.
Periodically, one could observe robust fish, each over a meter in length, breaching the surface of the shallow lagoons to nibble at the lakeside reeds.
The river's deeper regions held unknown creatures, but for the surrounding denizens, this waterway was primarily renowned as the direct passage to the Red Stone Clan's bustling trading center.
This magnificent river, unlike a dozen or so narrower tributaries, not only enriched the land and its verdant grasslands but also sustained a multitude of inhabitants.
At this precise moment, distant flocks of birds abruptly took flight.
They traversed the sky, their collective movement creating a whistling sound reminiscent of a vast avian sea.
Bathed in the moonlight, three colossal canoes, meticulously carved from enormous trees, sliced through the water, generating waves several meters high as the powerful strokes of their rowers brought them to an abrupt, forceful halt.
Each of these giant wooden vessels teemed with over thirty individuals, and a low murmur began to spread across the river's surface.
"Trouble lies ahead; everyone, remain vigilant and cautious."
Under the soft glow of the two crescent moons, the facial features of these individuals became distinctly visible.
A preponderance of them were sturdy adults, accompanied by the elderly and women, clutching large bundles that appeared to represent their entire worldly possessions.
Donning garments of fur, these people possessed slightly protruding brow bones, and their physiques were even more formidable than those of the White Armor Clan. Green leaves, intricately tattooed onto their necks and dyed with a vibrant sap, gave the appearance of lifelike foliage.
The robust rowers, drawing crossbows fashioned from white bone from their backs, began to scan the riverbank ahead with wary eyes.
With their keen vision, they could now discern large swathes of grass undulating rhythmically.
This movement clearly indicated the approach of a considerable number of beings.
Rustle... rustle...
Suddenly, a plump fish, having just surfaced, swiftly submerged once more, a large splash erupting as it evaded a reed before it could even take a bite.
From the dense grass, two figures erupted, launching themselves to an astonishing distance of over eight meters before landing with a heavy thud on the far side of a large puddle.
Upon their landing, the two individuals instinctively cast their gazes toward the three immense canoes situated in the river's center.
Both parties clearly observed one another.
Without a moment to spare for words, the two silhouettes lowered their heads and broke into a desperate sprint.
"Are those two from... the White Armor Tribe!?"
"We hail from the Green Leaf Tribe. Fellow tribesmen from the White Armor Clan, what has occurred?"
