Chapter Fifty-Two: Another Evolution

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The transformed monster stood nearly three meters tall, its body writhing with no less than twenty or thirty tentacles. Its appearance was grotesquely twisted and deformed, radiating an overwhelming aura of evil.

Li Can glanced at the black cleaver in his hand—though exquisitely crafted, it seemed almost delicate and charming, utterly lacking in menace compared to those spiked tentacles.

But...

Fwoosh—

White flames appeared, enveloping his right hand and gradually spreading to the cleaver, making it seem like a small knife ablaze. This was a new technique Li Can had developed while practicing the summoning of white flames.

“Divine power... You are an Agent of the Divine!” the monster cried out in terror, its tentacles recoiling in fear.

“Divine power?” Li Can murmured. He had heard quite a few strange terms today: Mutant Shell, Dark Core, and now Divine Power.

It appeared that within the world of these Agents of the Divine and monsters, there existed a complete chain of information he had yet to uncover.

Unfortunately, there was no time to extract useful information from the monster disguised as a security guard.

Li Can drew a deep breath and launched the attack, determined to finish the battle and make his escape before any other monsters could arrive.

Roar—

The monster let out a furious bellow, coiling its tentacles in front of itself, their spiked tips aimed at the rapidly approaching Li Can, then thrusting forward with explosive force.

Li Can, fully focused, rolled swiftly along the ground, rising just in time to deflect a tentacle aiming for his head.

The rest of the tentacles hesitated for a split second, then withdrew to the monster’s side, preparing to strike again—this time with even more cunning angles, leaving Li Can no room to dodge.

With no other choice, Li Can retreated a few steps, evading the attack, then darted quickly around the monster, searching for an opening.

Inside the car, Li Hua gradually regained consciousness. But when he caught sight of what was happening outside, he nearly fainted again from fright.

“Gulp... Brother Zhou, what... what’s going on? What is that thing? And why can that guy with the burning hand jump so high? What on earth have we gotten ourselves into?” He forced down the lump in his throat and spoke in a trembling voice.

“You’re asking me? How would I know?” Zhou Chang’s face was pale, even more so than the newly-awakened Li Hua.

He was the only normal person who had witnessed the monster’s transformation and the young man lifting the car. As the saying goes, the more you know, the greater your fear—especially in the face of such incomprehensible, bizarre events.

“So what do we do? Should we just drive through?” Li Hua suggested.

“Drive through? How? Can’t you see they’re in the middle of the road?” Sweat poured down Zhou Chang’s face, and he could barely speak clearly.

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“Just ram them!”

“No!”

“Why not? Have you gone stupid from fear?” At this critical moment, Li Hua’s tone lost all its initial respect.

“If that tentacled monster was the only one out there, I’d have rammed it without hesitation. But... that young man is there too. I can’t do it!”

“A person? You still call someone who can leap three meters high with a burning hand a person?”

“Shut your mouth!” Zhou Chang snapped, annoyed. “If he hadn’t shown up when he did, you and I would have been killed by that little monster already! We wouldn’t even be sitting here talking!”

Li Hua was lost for words. He didn’t know what had happened while he was unconscious, but Zhou Chang’s tone was honest and urgent—there was no time to ask for details. “So what now?”

“We wait,” Zhou Chang said firmly. “Wait for the young man to defeat the tentacled monster.”

“You really think he can do it?” Li Hua stared at the fight ahead. The short-haired youth was unable to get close to the monster; instead, he seemed at a disadvantage, repeatedly struck by those spiked tentacles.

Zhou Chang could see the youth’s predicament, but even so, there was not a trace of panic in his eyes. He remained calm, instilling a strange sense of reassurance.

...

Bang, bang, bang—

Li Can barely dodged two attacks, but a third tentacle, hidden in his blind spot, struck him in the waist, slamming him down hard onto the grass.

Fortunately, his body was protected by flexible armor, so he wasn’t truly injured—merely shaken and sore from the impact.

Once the monster learned his identity, it had stopped attacking directly, taking up a purely defensive stance. Its tentacles, like the spines of a hedgehog, made it nearly impossible to approach.

“It’s stalling for time...” Li Can sighed as he got up from the ground. “In that case, I’ll have to give up on preserving the integrity of the ingredients.”

With that, he charged at the monster again—this time, making no attempt to dodge. He took the tentacle strikes head-on, then swung his knife, severing several of the tentacles.

With the white flame’s enhancement, the cleaver was sharper than ever—cutting through the tentacles as easily as slicing tofu.

Li Can suddenly realized: Though the tentacles seemed fierce, they were actually terrified of the white flame, always steering clear of its reach.

Recognizing this, he quickly switched the cleaver to his left hand and raised his right, palm open toward the monster.

All the white flame converged in his palm, forming a swirling vortex—a powerful suction erupted.

Roar—

Sensing Li Can’s intent, the monster roared, withdrawing its tentacles and straining to resist the pull.

It could feel the terror of the white flame’s heat; a single touch would reduce it to ashes, leaving not a trace behind.

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Sizzle—

The monster had not yet been pulled in, but leaves and pebbles from all around were swept up. Yet before they reached the white flame, they were vaporized by the intense heat, distorting the air.

Zhou Chang and Li Hua looked on, shaking with fear, speechless.

It was truly a clash of gods!

But in the very next moment, a sly smile appeared at the corner of Li Can’s lips.

Without warning, he extinguished the white flame—the suction vanished. The monster, unable to stop itself in time, flung all its tentacles backward, exposing its vulnerable body.

In a flash, Li Can’s legs tensed, and he shot forward at lightning speed. He aimed a punch at the swollen forehead of the monster.

At that instant, the white flame reappeared, wrapping his fist in a protective layer. With a single punch, he blew apart half the monster’s head.

Everything fell silent.

The monster lost all strength, its tentacles collapsing limply to the ground—utterly dead.

Li Can’s gaze landed on the half-destroyed head, and he paused in surprise. The swollen forehead had concealed a tumor, from which black liquid now gushed in torrents.

His first thought was regret—that he had not brought all the kitchen tools with him. His second instinct was to swirl the cleaver in the black liquid, causing the blade to evolve again, doubling in size until it resembled a small black machete.

Pfffft—

A sound like air escaping a balloon came from the monster’s body, as thick black gas billowed out.

Without hesitation, Li Can inhaled all the gas in one breath.

Instantly, the once-feeble white flame flared up, roaring to life and engulfing his entire right arm.

Vaguely, a small flame split off, circling around his body...

Handsome.

Cold.

Like a true god of war.

(To be continued...)