Chapter 857

• Lucas’s face shifted again and again before he steeled himself and spoke. From the look of it, they wouldn’t quit till they had him. If that’s the case, then he had to gamble. And judging from their words, they weren’t here to kill him, but to get something out of him. If so, why the hell should he be scared? Screw it. Fight first, talk later. Even if he lost, they wouldn’t finish him off. So what if she was a Level 1, three-star lifeform? He’d just broken through, and he had the Riftcleaver in hand—this beast of a blade. Why be afraid? “Kid, looks like you won’t cry till you see the coffin. Fine. I’ll grant your wish.” Zhuo Yunpei’s face went dark with anger. In the next heartbeat, crimson light flooded her hands. Her vital energy roared, and she lunged at Lucas with crushing force. Seeing that, Lucas snapped into Fearless Berserk and slipped into Instinct. His eyes burned blood-red. His arms swelled thicker, every muscle surging like it housed a dragon’s strength. With his life level at 39 and his arm strength doubled, he felt like he could shatter a mountain with one punch. Battle-lust spiked. Confidence surged up from his bones. Shing! The Riftcleaver flashed into his grip. Facing the charging Zhuo Yunpei, Lucas bellowed and swung. The space itself split under that strike. Zhuo Yunpei, who’d treated Lucas like an ant and wore an easy smile, froze. From that single cut, she sensed real danger—enough to threaten her. She didn’t dare catch it bare-handed. Shff! She twisted like a water serpent, slipping past the blade, then tapped back to open some distance. “Innate Triple Shift? Kid, you’re also an Innate Triple Shift master?” She steadied, eyes full of doubt and shock, voice tinged with disbelief. At the same time, she drew a soft sword from her waist. With energy poured in, it went taut and straight. She’d thought she didn’t need a weapon to deal with Lucas. That one slash changed her mind. That cut was absolutely on par with a strike from an Innate Triple Shift powerhouse. Last time on that small island, this punk had only been Innate Single Shift. Did he stumble into some freak chance and rocket up in no time? “Hah. Lady, looks like you’re not all that. Be smart and scram, or I’ll cut you down with one swing.” For forcing her back with a single slash, Lucas’s aura blasted sky-high. “Don’t get cocky, kid! I’m taking you in today, you little brat!” Zhuo Yunpei’s voice went ice-cold as she rushed him with her sword. Right then, seeing her mentor driven back by one strike, Zhuo Xiyan’s face flooded with shock and disbelief. How the hell was this guy so strong? The fight that followed scared her stiff. Riding the boost of Fearless Berserk and wielding the Riftcleaver, Lucas, at Level 1 two-star, went head-to-head with an Innate Triple Shift terror. And he wasn’t even falling behind. Clang! Clang! Clang! Blade and sword slammed again and again. Space itself seemed fragile, shuddering with violent ripples. The Riftcleaver in Lucas’s hand carved pitch-black rents with every swing, its spatial tear effect making hearts pound. After breaking through to Level 1 two-star, Lucas at his peak could truly contend with a Level 1 three-star foe. In Fearless Berserk, his arm strength doubled, and the power behind the Riftcleaver barely matched an Innate Triple Shift master. The blade art he was using was razor-sharp too—nine forms he’d learned from the Human-Face Blade Roach. Lucas had named it the Nine Roach Forms. Compared with that monster, Lucas’s execution was even fiercer and trickier. He wasn’t the same—his brutal experience and insane instincts let him weave the Nine Roach Forms on the fly, turning them into a raging, relentless storm with no openings. On top of that, he could go all out with zero restraint, while Zhuo Yunpei kept holding back—afraid of killing him.