Liam chose the system's reward without hesitation, his mind already racing ahead to what kind of transformation awaited him. The moment he confirmed the selection, a surge of shimmering emerald light erupted around him, wrapping his entire body in a radiant glow that pulsed with raw, ancient power. It wasn't just energy—it felt alive, like something breathing, something watching.
What he had gained was the Xuanwu True Skill from the world of Fengyun, a high-level martial art that didn't just enhance strength—it redefined it. As the technique imprinted itself into his consciousness, Liam felt his internal energy shift immediately, gathering deep within him before compressing into something far denser, far more refined. If his original energy intensity had been a mere ten, then what surged through him now felt like one hundred—an explosive, overwhelming increase that bordered on absurd.
The change didn't stop there. The swirling currents inside his body began to converge, spiraling inward toward his dantian, where they condensed into a solid, glowing core. That core pulsed like a second heart, radiating power outward with every beat. In ancient times, a transformation like this would have marked the birth of a terrestrial immortal, someone capable of standing above mortals and rewriting the natural order.
And yet, this was only the beginning.
Almost immediately after, Liam absorbed two more rewards—the [Immortal Technique] and the [Asura Bloodline Limit]. The moment they integrated into his body, a violent reaction erupted within him, as if two opposing forces had been forced into the same vessel. The Indra bloodline he had previously absorbed was cold, deeply yin in nature, refined and precise like a blade honed to perfection. In contrast, the Asura bloodline surged with raw strength, overwhelmingly yang, like a raging beast that refused to be restrained.
When the two collided, the result wasn't conflict—it was fusion.
Yin and yang intertwined, feeding into each other, amplifying each other in a way that transcended simple addition. It was like thunder splitting the sky, like an endless ocean rising into a catastrophic tsunami. The energy roaring through Liam's veins reached a level that no single power could have achieved on its own.
"Boom!!"
"Boom!!"
His bloodline began to evolve, twisting and reshaping itself into something entirely new. The transformation wasn't gentle—it was violent, explosive, a complete leap forward that shattered the limits of his previous existence. As it reached completion, a terrifying wave of energy burst outward from his body, tearing through everything around him.
Steel beams snapped like twigs under immense pressure, and the factory that had once stood firm collapsed in an instant, reduced to nothing more than a pile of shattered debris. Dust and smoke filled the air, choking the surroundings as the ruins settled into silence.
A coughing sound broke through the stillness.
Slaughter was the first to crawl out from the wreckage, its small body curled tightly as if trying to make itself as unnoticeable as possible. It cautiously extended a few thin tentacles, poking at the debris around it while carefully avoiding looking too far into the distance.
It had only been alive for a few days.
Why did its life already involve this kind of terrifying nonsense?
The symbiote hesitated, its instincts screaming at it to run, to escape as fast as possible. Just as it was debating whether to flee, the sky above darkened abruptly. Thick clouds gathered, swallowing the sun, while a powerful wind began to howl through the ruins.
Lightning streaked across the sky, converging into a single point.
Then it struck.
A massive bolt of lightning tore through the heavens and slammed down into the factory ruins with devastating force, sending shockwaves rippling through the ground. The sheer intensity of it made Slaughter nearly collapse from fear. Although it possessed greater potential than Venom and had already overcome one of the symbiote race's weaknesses—sound—it was still vulnerable to fire and extreme heat.
And what it was witnessing now?
That wasn't just lightning.
That was destruction.
The torrent of lightning didn't fade after the impact. Instead, it began to twist and coil, intertwining with itself as it gathered into a massive, ferocious shape. In mere seconds, it took form—a Thunder Kirin, crackling with energy, its body composed entirely of condensed lightning that roared with primal fury.
From within the ruins, Liam slowly rose into the air.
He stepped onto the lightning itself, as if it were solid ground, and the Thunder Kirin responded instantly, circling around him like a loyal beast. It wasn't just a technique—it was the ultimate manifestation of lightning release, a power that existed at the peak of destructive potential.
And the most terrifying part?
He had never learned it before.
But as his bloodline evolved and returned to its ancestral state, knowledge flooded his mind—Dao, techniques, abilities that seemed to originate from the very source of power itself. The divine tree's essence whispered secrets into his consciousness, unlocking skills that would have taken lifetimes to master.
Seeking the Way Orbs. Yin-Yang Release. Three Heads and Six Arms.
Indra's Arrow. Six Paths: Massive Rasenshuriken.
Six Paths: Planetary Devastation.
Sage Art: Wood Release—True Thousand Hands, Buddha Manifestation.
Heavenly Obstruction Star.
Even the Eight Gates Formation—Night Guy.
The sheer volume of techniques flooding into his mind was overwhelming, as vast and countless as the stars in the sky. For now, he chose something simple—something to test the waters.
The Thunder Kirin.
And the result?
More than satisfactory.
This was only the second time he had helped a villain out of simple camaraderie, and already his strength had reached this level. If he continued—third time, fourth time, fifth time—just how far could he go?
Liam couldn't help the grin that spread across his face.
He rubbed his hands together, black and white energy gathering between his palms as he compressed the Thunder Kirin into a condensed sphere. Without hesitation, he brought it to his mouth and swallowed it whole, absorbing the power directly into his body.
The energy churned violently within him, not yet fully stabilized.
Before he could even begin to process it—
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~~~"
Slaughter suddenly appeared in front of him, moving with surprising speed. It tilted its head, its tentacles swaying slightly as it cautiously reached toward him, clearly asking for attention. There was something almost… expectant in its behavior, like a child waiting to be acknowledged.
Liam blinked, slightly confused by the gesture.
Still, he reached out and picked up the small symbiote, turning it around in his hands as he examined it. Once. Twice. As he did, a few stray strands of black-and-white energy slipped from his fingers, seeping into Slaughter's body.
There weren't many—just seven or eight strands.
But the effect was immediate.
The small, palm-sized symbiote trembled violently as its color deepened from pale red to a rich, blood-soaked crimson. The weakness it had shown before vanished completely, replaced by a sharp, aggressive aura that radiated outward.
Liam narrowed his eyes slightly, quickly piecing things together.
"So it's because you were born too early… a deficiency that needs to be filled from external sources."
Forming a hand seal, he pressed a Tai Chi mark onto Slaughter's head before giving it a firm pat.
"Then go," he said calmly. "Hunt villains. Stir up chaos in Hell's Kitchen. The messier things get, the better. Do that, and I'll reward you with even more."
"Th-thank you… sir…"
Slaughter's voice was clumsy and childlike, its words coming out slowly as it struggled to speak. Even after leaving Liam's hand, it kept glancing back at him, its gaze filled with a strange mix of awe and fear before finally disappearing into the darkness.
To it, this man was… kind.
He fed it. Strengthened it. Gave it purpose.
That kind of "selflessness" left a deep mark on its still-developing mind, making it both revere and fear him in equal measure.
And it didn't waste time.
That very night, deep within Hell's Kitchen, a small-time gang known as the Rhine family was conducting a heroin deal. There were only about ten of them, but every single one was armed, their expressions tense as they kept watch over their surroundings.
Ever since the Hand and the Kingpin had divided up the underground territory, life had become increasingly difficult for smaller gangs like theirs. Survival meant scraping together whatever scraps they could find, pushing them to their limits.
"Fuck you!!"
The leader suddenly exploded in rage, his voice echoing through the alley. "You think you can cheat me with this garbage?!"
"Damn it, he noticed."
The opposing group realized immediately that things had gone south.
Gunfire erupted without warning.
Both sides clashed violently, bullets tearing through the air as chaos consumed the scene. But just as the fight reached its peak—
Something else entered the battlefield.
Slaughter's body twisted and expanded, its symbiote flesh reshaping into a blood-armored warrior. Its arms morphed into twin blades, each over two meters long, gleaming with a terrifying edge. With a single leap, it closed the distance instantly.
Heads fell.
Bodies collapsed.
Screams filled the air.
The already volatile situation spiraled into complete carnage as Slaughter tore through both sides indiscriminately, turning the alley into a slaughterhouse.
And in the darkness below—
A pair of bright, black eyes watched everything unfold.
Hidden within the sewer, a green, turtle-like figure swallowed hard, his expression frozen in shock as he stared at the massacre above.
This was Michelangelo.
His voice was barely a whisper as the thought echoed through his mind.
"Where the hell did that monster come from?"
.....
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