"Get lost!"
A female Mana Giant, standing a hundred meters tall, burst forth from the mass of flesh and let out an angry roar.
With a powerful clap of her hands, she actually managed to deflect the full-force Kamehameha wave unleashed by Goku.
She then instantly shot forward to appear right in front of Goku and delivered a crushing blow from above, slamming him hard into the sea of flesh and blood beneath.
Not satisfied with just that, she immediately gathered a massive amount of crimson energy in her chest and blasted it down at Goku.
In this low-dimensional world, an energy attack of this magnitude was capable of piercing a planet's core and obliterating the entire world on the spot.
"BOOM!"
A terrifying explosion erupted amidst the foul, viscous fluid, tearing apart all the surrounding flesh and blood vessels.
Even Bai Yuekui, who had retreated to a safe distance, was caught in the shockwave and blown away.
"Goku!"
After regaining her footing, Bai Yuekui looked toward Goku with concern, already contemplating an escape route.
The evolved Lord of Light and Shadow was simply too powerful; Goku was clearly no match for it.
However, she knew that once Goku tapped into his hidden potential, he possessed a special ability that could drastically boost his combat power.
The only issue was that, at his current level, he could only sustain this ability for five seconds.
She wondered if five seconds would be enough to kill the evolved... ...the Master of Light and Shadow.
If that proved impossible, she would have to seize the moment the Master of Light and Shadow was under attack to escape the Scarlet Miasma with Goku.
As the saying goes, "Where there's life, there's hope."
In truth, she somewhat regretted bringing Goku to the Scarlet Miasma so soon; had they waited a few more years to let him consolidate his abilities...
...their chances of success would have been far greater.
However, the embryo gestated by the Master of Light and Shadow would also have grown stronger by then...
...so it was hard to say whether the delay would have been a help or a hindrance.
By venturing in now—provided they survived—they would at least fully uncover the true nature of the Master of Light and Shadow.
They could then formulate a targeted plan, potentially increasing their odds of victory.
Besides, Goku claimed to have a trump card up his sleeve, though it remained to be seen if that card was genuine.
Just as Bai Yuekui struggled to steady herself—her nerves taut, ready to burn her cellular energy and rush in to save him...
...Goku showed not a trace of fear on his face;
instead, he looked positively excited.
Despite panting heavily and appearing clearly injured...
"Is this the extent of your power?"
Goku straightened up and walked toward the Master of Light and Shadow...
...which hovered in mid-air, radiating a terrifying aura.
"If this is all you've got, you won't beat me!"
"You've got a sharp tongue. Let's see if you're still so arrogant...
...once I've drained every last drop of your life essence."
Countless blood-colored tentacles erupted from the body of the Lord of Light and Shadow, thrusting toward Goku at a terrifying speed that was difficult for the naked eye to track.
Although his strength was significantly lower than originally planned due to his premature birth...
...if he could drain the vast life essence from the boy before him to replenish himself, recovery was certainly possible—he might even emerge far stronger than he had originally intended.
Moreover, the boy had enlarged his body so drastically in an attempt to boost his power, making it all the harder to dodge the tentacle attacks.
"Animagus!"
Goku silently recited the Animagus transformation incantation. His bloodline surged, and his body expanded once more, transforming from a sixty-meter figure into a terrifying giant ape standing six hundred meters tall.
"Roar!"
He let out a thunderous roar and raised his hand, grabbing hold of every single one of the thrusting tentacles.
Then, with a powerful swing, the Lord of Light and Shadow felt an irresistible, colossal force traveling through the tentacles from the other end.
The next moment, he was sent spinning rapidly through the air like a windmill.
The rotation was so fast that it whipped up a violent tornado.
Wham!
Yet, before he could even react to this turn of events, his entire body was violently slammed against the ground.
And it wasn't just once—it happened over and over again.
Bai Yuekui watched as the Lord of Light and Shadow—now being repeatedly smashed into the ground by the giant ape-form Goku until smoke began to rise—left her momentarily unsure of exactly who... ...was the real monster.
"Ah!"
The Lord of Light and Shadow let out a shrill scream; clearly, she was enraged to the point of losing her sanity.
Fortunately, she managed to calm herself down in the end, severing her own blood-red tentacles to temporarily escape the fate of being crushed.
"I will kill you!"
After all, having devoured over ninety-nine percent of a planet's life essence and stolen the primordial power of Mana, her capabilities went far beyond the mere fraction she had displayed so far.
Even though her opponent had transformed into a giant ape with immense strength, she still had ways to finish him off.
However, before she could even activate her powers, a massive hand—blocking out the sky—grabbed her with speed that outpaced even her nervous system's reaction time.
The immense crushing force made her spew blood instantly.
Next, she was violently slammed against the ground; her body was nearly pulverized into pulp, and her brain was jarred into mush.
Before she could recover using her formidable physical regeneration, she was snatched up again—nearly crushed to the point of exploding—and slammed down once more.
Grabbed, slammed, grabbed, slammed, grabbed, slammed—over and over again.
No matter what abilities she possessed, she simply had no time to unleash them.
"How miserable!"
Bai Yuekui, watching the battle from the sidelines, couldn't help but exclaim.
Watching the giant-ape-transformed Goku deal with the Lord of Light and Shadow was like watching a grown human toying with an ant. ...she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Goku had claimed to have a trump card, and he really did—he was a reliable kid.
"This can't go on!"
Realizing that if things continued this way, she would sooner or later be toyed with until she died, the Lord of Light and Shadow stopped trying to find openings to use her various abilities.
She had to choose the fastest, most likely method to break free from his control.
Just as Goku grabbed her again, her entire body suddenly exploded outward with a thunderous boom.
A surge of powerful, blood-red energy barely managed to shove Goku's hand away, finally giving her a gap to slip through.
This self-detonation was incredibly powerful, but it inflicted severe damage on her as well.
She wouldn't have resorted to such a tactic unless she was truly out of options.
Without a moment's hesitation, having broken free, the Lord of Light and Shadow immediately fled toward the exit.
By now, she understood perfectly well: even if she unleashed every single one of her abilities, she likely stood no chance against that giant ape.
Besides, her new body had already been gestated, and she had absorbed nearly all the planetary life essence available here.
There was no need to stubbornly cling to the remaining population.
Yet, even though she wanted to flee, Goku wasn't about to let her get away.
Although Goku retained his rationality while in his giant ape form, the innate ferocity of his bloodline was exerting a powerful influence on him.
In this state, he absolutely would not allow an enemy to escape alive right before his eyes.
And so, he opened his massive maw toward the fleeing Lord of Light and Shadow:
"BOOM!"
Combining Breathing Techniques, Giant Magic, and the Great Ape transformation, he unleashed a Great Ape energy blast—amplified to 120 times his base power.
Sensing a lethal threat approaching from behind, the Lord of Light and Shadow attempted to dodge; however, even at maximum speed, the blast still grazed him.
—
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