The forest was dead silent. Too silent. Ian wiped the sweat off his brow, his breath ragged. Did I really just kill a Demon Wolf? His Chaos Laser Eyes still sizzled faintly, the air around him thick with the stench of burnt fur and blood.

Okay, okay. Breathe. That thing attacked first. Self-defense, right? He kicked the massive corpse, half-expecting it to twitch. It didn’t.

Then, wrong move.

A howl tore through the night, so deep it rattled Ian’s bones. Not just any howl. That was the sound of something ancient. Something pissed.

Sigmund.

Oh, crap. Crap, crap, crap. Ian’s pulse spiked. The Alpha of Alphas wasn’t just some random monster. He was the monster. The kind legends whispered about in fear. The kind who’d torn armies apart for looking at him wrong.

And Ian? He’d just killed his kid.

The trees trembled. Shadows stretched unnaturally, twisting like they were alive. Then, him.

Sigmund emerged, his massive form cutting through the darkness like a blade. Silver fur, glowing red eyes, muscles that looked like they could crush mountains. Every step he took made the earth groan.

Oh, I’m so dead.

Sigmund’s gaze locked onto Ian. Not with rage. Not even hatred. Just… disappointment. Like Ian was some bug that had dared to annoy him.

“You.” His voice wasn’t a growl, it was a quake. “You think those little laser eyes make you special?”

Ian swallowed. Okay, maybe if I run…

“Run,” Sigmund said, as if reading his mind. A slow, terrifying smirk spread across his muzzle. “I love chasing my food.”

The air itself seemed to freeze as Sigmund took another step toward Ian, his claws flexing, ready to shred flesh from bone.

Then, the sky split open.

A sound like shattering glass echoed through the forest, and the stars above twisted, warping as if something colossal was pushing through reality itself. Sigmund’s ears pinned back, his crimson eyes widening in something Ian had never expected to see on the Alpha of Alphas’ face, fear.

What the hell is happening now?! Ian stumbled back, his Chaos Laser Eyes flickering uselessly.

Then She descended.

Semeria.

The Emperor Star Hydra.

Her form was beyond comprehension, an endless, serpentine body woven from the fabric of the cosmos, scales shimmering like dying stars. Nine heads, each crowned with a halo of swirling nebulae, eyes deeper than black holes, swallowing all light. The forest around them withered in her presence, the very ground trembling beneath her infinite weight.

Sigmund, the unstoppable terror, the god of wolves, dropped to his knees.

“M-My Emperor…” His voice was a whisper, raw with reverence.

Semeria’s heads swayed, her gaze locking onto him. Not with anger. Not with malice. Just amusement. The kind a god has for an ant.

“Sigmund,” she spoke, and the universe itself seemed to vibrate with her voice. “Alpha of Alphas. How… quaint.”

Ian’s mind short-circuited. Quaint?! This thing just called the most feared monster in existence quaint?!

Sigmund didn’t protest. He couldn’t. His massive frame shuddered as he pressed his forehead into the dirt. “I… I did not expect your presence, Infinite Python. Forgive my intrusion upon your domain.”

Infinite Python?! Ian’s jaw dropped. This is the thing even Sigmund bows to?!

Semeria chuckled, the sound like distant supernovas. “You hunted in my skies, little wolf. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

Sigmund’s breath hitched. “I…”

“Silence.” One of her heads flicked lazily, and the air around Sigmund compressed, forcing him flat against the earth. He didn’t resist. Couldn’t.

Ian’s legs gave out. This… this is way above my pay grade.

Semeria’s many eyes turned toward him, and for a heartbeat, Ian was certain he’d dissolve into stardust under her gaze.

Then she smiled.

“Run along, Great Old One,” she mused. “This one is mine now. I have expectations of you. After all, you’re the only one who rivaled my strength. It’s a pity that you had to be in such a current state.”

Ian didn’t need to be told twice.

He ran.

Behind him, Sigmund’s howl of terror was the last thing he heard before the forest erupted in celestial fire.

Ian stumbled into the city gates, his clothes singed, his body trembling, but alive.

Word spread faster than wildfire.

“Did you hear?! Ian survived an encounter with Sigmund, the Alpha of Alphas!”

“No way… You mean the same Sigmund who wiped out entire sects for looking at him wrong?!”

“Not just survived, he walked away while the Emperor Star Hydra herself took Sigmund!”

The cultivators in the city lost their minds.

Eldrin, the Azure Blade, a man who had once dueled a thunder dragon to a standstill, gripped Ian’s shoulder with trembling hands. “Brother… how? How are you not a pile of ashes right now?”

Xia Lin, the Crimson Phoenix, whose beauty was matched only by her lethality, stared at Ian like he was some divine mystery. “Even the great sects would’ve been erased for less. And yet… here you stand.”

Ian opened his mouth to answer…

Then the air shifted.

A hush fell over the crowd. The bustling streets of the city went dead silent. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

A figure stepped into view, his presence commanding the very atmosphere around him.

Derek.

The Notorious Soul Bringer.

The civilians whispered in awe:

“It’s him… the perfect rogue cultivator.”

“They say he mastered the Forbidden Shadow Steps at sixteen.”

“I heard he once stole a divine artifact from the Jade Emperor’s vault and left without a trace.”

Derek moved like smoke, effortless, untouchable. His dark robes flowed like liquid shadow, and his eyes, cold, calculating, locked onto Ian with a smirk.

“So,” he said, his voice smooth as poisoned honey, “you’re the one who got lucky with Sigmund.”

Ian’s blood ran cold. This guy… he’s on a whole other level.

Eldrin and Xia Lin tensed, hands drifting toward their weapons, but Derek didn’t even glance their way. He didn’t have to.

Everyone knew.

Derek didn’t fight unless he wanted to. Now, he had targeted Ian!

Ian’s chest heaved as Derek’s blade grazed his throat—a hair’s breadth from death.

“Damn it… this guy’s too fast!” Ian’s Chaos Laser Eyes flickered weakly, his body pushed beyond its limits. Derek moved like a phantom, his every strike precise, merciless.

“Pathetic,” Derek sneered, twirling his dagger coated in soul-corroding venom. “And here I thought you were special.”

He lunged, death in motion.

But then…

BOOM!

A searing, golden light erupted from Ian’s veins. His blood burned, his bones reforged themselves, and wings of pure chaos energy tore from his back!

Second Transformation: Chaos Angel Ascension.

Derek’s eyes widened, for the first time in his life, fear flickered in them.

“Impossible…”

SLASH!

A single swing. A flash of radiant destruction.

Derek’s body split in half, his soul erased before it could even scream.

Silence.

The cultivators watching from the distance lost their minds.

“H-he just… one-shotted Derek?!”

“The Notorious Soul Bringer… gone… just like that?!”

“Ian… is a monster!”

But before the cheers could rise…

CRACK!

The sky shattered.

A figure descended, his very presence warping reality. Crimson scales shimmered under moonlight, draconic wings casting a shadow over the city, and fangs glistening with immortal hunger.

Derek’s son.

The Hybrid Dragon Vampire.

The cultivators fell to their knees without thinking.

“Oh heavens… it’s HIM!”

“The perfect fusion of dragon’s might and vampire’s curse!”

“They say he drank the blood of an Ancient True Dragon and lived!”

The Hybrid Dragon Vampire’s golden-slitted eyes locked onto Ian, his voice a chilling melody of death.

“You killed my father.”

Not anger. Not hatred. Just inevitability.

Ian’s wings tensed. His Chaos Angel form pulsed with power, but for the first time, he felt… small.

Because this?

This wasn’t just another enemy.

This was fate.

And fate had marked him for extinction.

The Hybrid Dragon Vampire raised a clawed hand, the air itself screamed.

“Let’s see if your blood tastes as strong as they say.”

Ian swallowed.

“…I’m so screwed.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep