The contours of a gargantuan mountain appeared at Dasra's back. As it congealed into reality, that mountain pierced the clouds, going far beyond what the eye could see. In the span of a breath, the mountain fully manifested itself, towering at more than eighty kilometers.
The northern side of that mountain was of pure gold, the southern of lapis lazuli, the eastern of crystal, and the western of ruby. Around that mountain, the sun and moon hovered, and below, a cosmic sea rose. Dasra vanished, reappearing on top of the mountain with his legs still crossed and his hands joined in a prayer sign.
"The Sixth Ancient Secret: Mount Meru."
Konrad appraised with his eyes locked on the gargantuan mountain. Starting from the seventh to the second, Ancient Secrets were not truly ranked on strength, but more on difficulty and how scarce they were in the three realms.
Because they usually played different roles and came with various requirements, saying which one trumped another was a daunting task. Mount Meru was both a defensive and offensive art with four layers. With each, its size rose exponentially. At the fourth, it was more than one million kilometers wide, effortlessly able to obliterate a mortal solar system.
Clearly, Dasra was far from the fourth layer. Konrad estimated that he'd barely stepped into the second one. However, that alone was enough to crush all.
Yet, the sight of that formidable force able to squash the Ancient Crystal World into dust and debris couldn't cause a ripple on his serene face.
"You and I have neither grievances nor hatred. But for the sake of Heaven's Will, I must wipe you out of existence, body, and soul. Please forgive me."
Dasra proclaimed and rested his hands against his thighs in a lotus position.
His Mount Meru then turned into a magnificent meteor to plummet onto the Ancient Crystal World! And though Konrad was its sole target, should he fall to this move, and the aftermath left unchecked, the result would be…world destruction!
Before such a force, to say nothing of Konrad's faction, even Dasra's fellow devas were frightened!
"Dasra, are you out of your bloody mind? Stop this at once!"
Aakash bellowed, but to no avail. Dasra carried on, descending alongside his Mount Meru onto Konrad and the Ancient Crystal World.
But as he did, Konrad stretched out his hands, and in a twister of dark-purple light, a dark-purple armor replaced his golden robe. At the back of that armor, six-pairs of wings sprouted while on top of the armor's shoulder, three pairs of horns stood.
Nefarious dark-purple energy rippled from that armor, echoing with a forbidden force that clashed with the atmosphere as if conflicting with nature itself.
Clad in this armor, Konrad didn't budge, welcoming Dasra's ultimate strike with wide open arms!
*BOOOOOOOOOM!*
One rumbling shockwave shook the world as Dasra's Mount Meru collided with Konrad.
But instead of obliterating him, of squashing him into dust and releasing a vast destructive force that would have ruined this mortal world, Mount Meru did…nothing!
And the force it was meant to release onto Konrad flowed in reverse to smash a confused Dasra with twice the force!
*BAAAAANG!*
Mount Meru detonated, and Dasra shot across the sky, traversing the Ancient Crystal World's thermosphere, and exosphere to land into space! And this time, even the Great Warden Physique's absolute resilience couldn't protect him, everything from below his waist and one of his arms directly exploded in blood fog while he orbited in space, a lone, unconscious, floating torso.
"Hahahahaha! There is a road to heaven, but you do not want it. There is no road to hell, but you insist on diving in!"
Konrad burst into laughter, and that vile laugh combined with the eerie dark-purple, flame-like aura coating his armor, filled Aakash, and Nehal with a new round of fright. But when they processed what they just witnessed, that fright turned into full-blown panic!
"Might Reversal…this is the sole ability of the Might Reversal Physique! And at the very least, of a high-grade Divine Physique. Did my brain get kicked by a donkey? What the hell is going on?"
Aakash stammered. As a Celestial Realm scion, he naturally knew of the three forbidden physiques, and the calamities they rained on their owners. But never did he hear of a cultivator wielding the Might Reversal Physique!
This simply wasn't possible. Worse, Konrad showed none of the crippling "congenital disease" a Might Reversal Physique owner should possess.
"It's not him. It's the armor!"
Nehal realized in awe. And indeed, she was right. For the Hidden Moon Pavilion, Konrad studied and created a Four-Winged Black Crystal Armor whose might was slightly above the Four-Winged Valkyrie Armor.
But how could he not create anything for himself? Thanks to the eighth level of the main quest, he obtained two things.
The first was an improvement to the System's Physique Grinder. After completing that quest, the Physique Grinder evolved into Physique Extractor, able to pull out the physique of anyone Konrad tossed into it and lock it within the system. Afterward, Konrad could upgrade that physique through exp and seal it into anything.
As soon as he obtained it, he summoned the seventh von Jurgen prince Clemens and tossed him into the Physique Extractor, pulling out his Might Reversal Physique and thus freeing him of both his long-standing affliction and unparalleled ability.
Alas, Konrad realized that if he sealed that physique within his body, he couldn't escape Clemens' fate and would also turn into a cripple. Therefore, he used the best materials at his disposal, a massive quantity of God-Blood, and the entirety of the Incubus God's bones, to refine a new armor.
That armor, even the strong among Minor Gods couldn't dent. Afterward, Konrad improved and sealed the Might Reversal Physique into the armor, turning it into the most absolute of defenses beneath the True God Rank.
But as a consequence of its conception method, that armor breathed malevolence, and would effortlessly corrupt and corrode the feeble.
But naturally, Konrad had no difficulty wielding it.
He beckoned, causing Dasra's maimed body to fly from space back into the Ancient Crystal World and land before him.
"You and I have neither grievances nor hatred. But for the sake of my wicked heart, I must gore you like a pig, and squash you into meat paste. Please forgive me!"
Konrad chortled while forcing consciousness back into Dasra's regenerating body. With his cultivation level and exceptional physiques, killing him without destroying his soul was, indeed, no mean feat.
Konrad raised his hand, summoning a jet-black, spiked war-hammer which he lifted above Dasra's torso before bashing it in!
*BANG*
The hammer and spikes dug past Dasra's flesh to hack at his chest while he tumbled and cratered down below. Unwilling to let him off the hook, Konrad pursued, slamming his war hammer into Dasra's maimed form like a blood-crazed madman!
*BANG* *CRACK* *BANG*
Dasra's bones collapsed, his flesh and blood gushed forth, but thanks to his formidable vitality, he still clung on dear life, allowing Konrad to abuse him to no end before slamming him back into the air with a rising hammer blow.
"Home…"
Konrad began while again appearing before Dasra…
"…run!"
*BAAAAM*
…and smashing him tens of thousands of miles into the distance, his life or death unknown.
His eyes then turned toward Aakash and Nehal, and as soon as they locked onto them, the pair didn't hesitate…
"Run!"
…to turn heels and run!
"Tss, tss, tss. You come into my land to wreak havoc and demand my life, and when I finally stand before you, you make a getaway? How disappointing.
Alas, the world doesn't work like that."
Konrad sneered, before hurling his war hammer into Aakash's back! And as the deva tumbled, Konrad reappeared before Nehal.
But in the instant he did, from a distance, dozens of green light beams emerged, all rippling with immense demonic energies, all shooting toward him!
