Translator: AnubisTL
Thirty minutes later.
Chen Mang's brow twitched slightly. Sensing something, he nodded almost imperceptibly, a newfound confidence settling in his heart.
Thirty minutes prior, he had spent a considerable sum to find a train conductor at the front of the line. He had persuaded the conductor to smuggle a refrigerator into the Bronze Gate using his Space Pouch—a seemingly simple task that had proven surprisingly difficult.
The main issue was...
The conductor genuinely revered the Bronze Gate as a Holy Land, viewing Chen Mang's request as a potential desecration and a grave disrespect to Satan.
Of course, faced with sufficient profit, the conductor ultimately agreed to take the risk.
Now—
Chen Mang sensed that the refrigerator had successfully entered the Bronze Gate and was functioning normally. This meant the Bronze Gate couldn't sever the connection between the two refrigerators, making his escape plan even smoother.
The line was long.
The entry process was surprisingly swift. Chen Mang's fears proved unfounded; there was no inspection at the Bronze Gate's entrance. All that was required was proof of being a train conductor.
He had purchased this credential for a small sum before setting out.
Soon enough—
It was finally Chen Mang's group's turn. As he led Biaozi and the others through the Bronze Gate, a flicker of awe crossed his eyes at the sight before him. Chen Mang raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
The scene was indeed awe-inspiring.
Before them stretched a mysterious, cavernous tunnel, akin to a warp tunnel. Seven-colored light streamed rapidly backward along the tunnel walls, carrying with it rust-covered runes.
At the tunnel's end stood three statues.
Three armored figures, their faces obscured, stood motionless, each wielding a massive sword. Though their poses differed, all exuded a palpable aura of menace.
This was the Holy Land.
The dwelling place of Satan.
Here, one might have the rare opportunity to witness Satan himself—the deity of the Fourth-Level Civilization known as the Extreme Evil Civilization!
Within the tunnel—
Many train conductors and their subordinates continued to queue here. Several tables stood before the statue, behind which sat men in white robes and veiled faces, processing the conductors' paperwork. Once the formalities were completed, the conductors could leave the Holy Land. These men were the Holy Land's "staff."
"Interesting," Chen Mang murmured, observing the scene before him.
It seemed that "Satan" wasn't just a fabricated myth used for control, but a genuine, tangible entity.
Before coming here, he had summoned Kira for questioning.
She offered no answers, claiming to have never heard of any Satanic deity in the cosmos. She insisted that there were no true gods in the universe, though she conceded that the divine race might qualify as such.
Just then—
"Do you find my domain pleasing to the eye?"
A frigid, utterly indifferent voice suddenly whispered in Chen Mang's ear.
The next moment!
Before he could react, a violent gust of wind surged from behind. A man materialized behind him, his five fingers transforming into claws that slashed toward the center of Chen Mang's back with hurricane force. A sharp, stinging pain suddenly coursed through Chen Mang's entire body.
Chen Mang used the momentum to surge forward a few steps before swiftly turning around, gently rubbing his chest as he gazed at the man standing behind him.
The man was stark naked, draped only in a cape over his shoulders.
He didn't have three heads or six arms.
Like any ordinary human, he had one head and two arms. The only differences were the two horns protruding from his head and the massive, crimson wings on his back, large enough to completely envelop his entire body.
Chen Mang could share his train's defenses, preventing fatal injuries, but he still felt a sharp, stinging pain.
This meant...
With just a single, ordinary strike, this man's attack energy range had already exceeded Tier 500!
Terrifying!
Meanwhile, the crowd in the tunnel had fallen to their knees, their faces flushed with fanaticism as they gazed at the man and chanted in unison:
"Satan endures! Darkness prevails!"
The man before them was Satan himself.
"Hah..."
Chen Mang exhaled softly, then raised a hand to stop Biaozi and the others from acting. He turned to the naked man and chuckled, "Does Satan not have the habit of wearing clothes?"
Satan narrowed his eyes, studying Chen Mang, who stood motionless and appeared unharmed. He muttered to himself, "That strike looked ordinary, but it was my full-power attack in my un-transformed state. Its destructive force should have been immense."
Yet...
This man seemed completely unscathed?
How is that possible? According to his senses, this man was a low-tier life form, ranking far below him. How could he have withstood such an attack?
None of these thoughts surfaced on his face. Instead, he wore a dismissive smile. "You pathetic humans remain as foolish as ever in your understanding."
"Adventurer from the human civilization."
"Congratulations."
"You've chosen a fitting grave for yourself."
"You will die here."
"Of course, you have another option. If you reveal detailed information about the human civilization's inner workings and explain how you traversed 780,000 light-years to reach the Extreme Evil Civilization, I might spare your life. I could even make you the Knight Commander of the Holy Land, granting you immense power and authority."
"This is a promise made in the name of Satan."
As the words faded, the surrounding train conductors and Holy Temple staff cast envious and jealous glances at Chen Mang. The Knight Commander of the Holy Land was truly a position of immense power, equivalent to a security captain—but this was no ordinary security captain; this was the captain of the Holy Land's security forces, a position of unparalleled authority.
"Is that so?"
In the next moment—
The brooch on Chen Mang's chest suddenly transformed into the massive Stellaris train, hovering above the tunnel. Simultaneously, he strode into the refrigerator he carried with Biaozi and the others, emerging inside the locomotive cabin.
The tunnel was vast and empty.
Even after expanding multiple times, the Stellaris train still appeared minuscule within its cavernous space.
After just one exchange, Chen Mang knew his opponent was formidable.
The energy range unleashed by a casual sneak attack had already reached or exceeded Tier 500. But so what? His armor could rapidly regenerate. As long as the enemy's power didn't far surpass Tier 500, they couldn't breach his defenses.
Without another word, as the train materialized—
The patterns on the six Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannons atop the carriage began to glow, entering their charging phase. A searing light then engulfed the entire tunnel as six consecutive Tier 500 Arcanon Main Cannon blasts locked onto Satan and roared forth.
The miscellaneous bystanders in the tunnel were vaporized almost instantly.
In a battle of this magnitude, observing from close range without sufficient power was suicidal.
This was Chen Mang's most powerful attack to date!
He had never used Tier 500 Arcanon Main Cannons against an enemy before. The destructive force was astonishing. The tunnel was obliterated in a cataclysmic explosion, revealing a vast, flat plain beyond.
The tunnel had been artificially constructed by Satan.
The plain was the true Holy Land.
After pulverizing Satan into fragments, the six Tier 500 Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon beams continued their trajectory unabated, piercing several holes through the horizon before gradually vanishing into the pitch-black voids.
"Is he dead?"
Chen Mang glanced at the target acquisition radar on his screen, which now showed no signs of life in the vicinity.
The next moment—
BOOM!!!
A massive impact suddenly struck the underside of the train. The force sent the hovering train flying through the air, tumbling violently before righting itself. Carriage 7 was nearly destroyed by the blow.
Thanks to the armor's overpowered effect and the Nanospider's rapid repair capabilities, the damage was quickly being repaired.
Chen Mang sat at the control panel, his eyes fixed on the colossal monster hovering nearby.
Its face resembled Satan's earlier form, but its size had increased severalfold. The skin on its back had been torn apart, revealing crimson, hardened flesh. Its once human-like hands had transformed into demonic claws, resembling gout-ridden talons.
Scarlet, fleshy wings slowly flapped behind it, each beat generating a powerful gust of wind.
The creature appeared... completely unscathed.
"How is that possible?!" Chen Mang exclaimed, his expression shifting slightly. He knew this battle would be difficult, but he never imagined the enemy would emerge completely unharmed. The target acquisition radar had clearly shown the creature's life force rapidly draining away after the initial strike.
Had it resurrected again?
Of course.
If Satan could resurrect his followers, he could certainly resurrect himself.
He quickly glanced at the Doppler Radar's readings for the zone. There was no such thing as a resurrection without a cause; the enemy must have revived himself using some structure or method. To kill Satan, they would first need to destroy this structure.
"Well, well, well... you're quite impressive," Satan sneered, his demonic claws clenching as he hovered high above. His eyes burned with malice and bloodlust as he grinned savagely. "My Past State, which took me three millennia to cultivate, was so easily destroyed by you? And I didn't even have time to transform!"
"Your strength far exceeds my expectations. Such power couldn't possibly remain hidden within human civilization. In fact, you're likely its leader."
"If I remember correctly, a single Tier 500 Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon requires 1 quadrillion units of iron ore."
"Six shots would be 6 quadrillion units."
"To casually expend 6 quadrillion units of iron ore... has that remote human galaxy truly become so wealthy?"
"Good."
"Excellent!"
"It seems we won't even need to mobilize the Military. Capturing you today will make invading human civilization child's play."
"Now then..."
"Experience my true Satan form!"
In the next instant—
Satan's veins suddenly bulged, rising like mountain ranges across his body until they burst open in unison. Countless crimson mists enveloped him as a thunderous roar echoed across the plains.
"Blood Slaughter!"
A scarlet beam of light, radiating terrifying destructive power, slammed down toward the Stellaris train!
Piercing alarms blared through the Stellaris.
Warning, warning!
Incoming attack energy range: Tier 800.
Chen Mang's face turned icy, his mind entering an unnervingly calm state. He slammed the control lever to full throttle, desperately trying to distance the train from the attack zone, and simultaneously pressed the train's special ability button on the control panel.
Absolute Defense!
The Tier 50 SPY-7 Doppler energy shield and the Tier 500 armor began stacking their defensive properties, boosting the train's total defense to Tier 550!
This was the train's strongest defensive configuration.
But it still wasn't enough.
At the same moment, Chen Mang hurled two exhausted, discarded mining stars into the path of the incoming attack.
The scarlet beam crashed down, pulverizing both mining stars before slamming into the armor of the Stellaris as it veered sideways. The immense force sent the train tumbling end over end.
The vehicle audio system blared with countless wails and howls.
Clearly, the situation inside the carriages was catastrophic.
Many had died.
"Looks pretty ordinary to me," Satan muttered, slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected his strongest attack to inflict so little damage. How could those two suddenly appearing mining stars have weakened his strike so drastically?
But he didn't dwell on it. After all, his opponent was still formidable.
Then...
"How about another round?" Satan grinned savagely, shaking his head. Veins bulged rapidly across his body, bursting into crimson mist that enveloped him. A scarlet beam of light gradually coalesced in his hand.
"Why aren't you fighting back?"
"Out of resources?"
"Foolish Train Civilization! Does lacking resources turn you into a paper tiger? My attacks don't require any resources, you know."
Meanwhile, inside the Stellaris's locomotive cabin:
Xiao Ai was busy broadcasting panic-inducing background sounds—emergency alerts and disaster recordings—that Zhang Yiren had stored in his data pathways.
Inside the train, not a single person had died. Instead, their collective strength had reached an unprecedented peak.
Chen Mang sat at the control panel, a smile playing on his lips as he stared intently at the control panel screen.
Train Armor Tier: 580.
After the Train Armor reached Tier 500, its overpowered effect allowed it to absorb all energy supplies and temporarily convert the absorbed energy into armor defense. This was why he had prepared so thoroughly earlier.
He simply wasn't sure whether the "energy supplies" mentioned included attacks like Satan's or only referred to things like light energy main cannons.
In such uncertain circumstances, it was best to have a backup plan.
As it turned out, Satan's ultimate attack was completely ineffective against him and even enhanced his strength.
Now, all he needed to do was get Satan to unleash this ultimate attack as many times as possible, allowing him to completely overwhelm the demon.
Just then—
Another crimson beam slammed down!
This time, the Stellaris didn't even flinch. It was blasted away, tumbling across the ground several times before finally struggling to hover in the air. Its Armor Tier had surged to 660!
In truth,
After absorbing the energy attack, it retained absolutely no kinetic energy. The so-called rolling was entirely self-controlled.
Soon.
Chen Mang's pained laughter echoed from the train's Vehicle Audio System: "That hurt, but... you can only use an attack of this magnitude twice in a row, right? Now it's my turn."
"Oh?"
Satan, who had been preparing to rush in and finish the job with his fists, flapped his crimson wings in the air, a flicker of disdain and arrogance flashing in his eyes. "Foolish human," he sneered, "you clearly know nothing of what Satan is, or what a god is!"
"Today—"
"I will show you the power of a god!"
In an instant!
The patterns on Satan's crimson wings began to emit an eerie deep purple light, distorting space itself. Countless rifts appeared, revealing pitch-black, unknown entities lurking behind them.
Then!
Myriad deep purple shards slowly materialized high in the sky, descending like a torrential storm, accompanied by Satan's furious roar, engulfing the entire Stellaris train!
"Divine Punishment!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dense explosions erupted around the Stellaris train, one after another.
This attack was even more powerful.
The Stellaris train's armor strength surged to Tier 760!
"Is this your limit? Then it's my turn to strike."
"Fine, make your move."
Satan suddenly calmed down, his eyes flashing with coldness as he scrutinized the train that had merely rolled over, completely unscathed by his Divine Punishment. He began to sense something was amiss.
At first, he had easily crushed a carriage with a single punch. Yet now, the train had withstood several of his killing blows without a scratch?
This...
This was clearly wrong.
Could it be...
That the train was immune to energy attacks but vulnerable to physical strikes?
Without waiting for the train to react, Satan's fingers twitched. His body vanished in an instant, leaving behind countless afterimages as he reappeared almost instantaneously above the Stellaris train's locomotive cabin. With a furious roar, he slammed his fist down with devastating force.
He swiftly withdrew, glancing at the Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon he had destroyed with a single punch and the dented, near-shattered armor of the locomotive cabin. A slow grin spread across his face. "Cunning humans," he murmured, "Satan has already seen through your petty schemes."
"I forgot to mention," he continued, "energy attacks were merely a forced adaptation to the cosmic wars. The Demon Race's true strength lies in our physical might. This is where I truly excel!"
In the next instant, he roared, "Strongest Form, activate!"
Satan's body began to transform again. His veins became starkly visible, purple blood coursing through them in stark contrast to the crimson wings behind him. His physique radiated raw power and explosive potential.
"This is going to be troublesome," Chen Mang muttered, sitting in the locomotive cabin and gazing at the crack in the ceiling. His brow furrowed slightly. A single blow had already cracked his Tier 760 armor—the strongest opponent he had ever faced.
Against such an opponent, Xiao Lu stood no chance.
If Xiao Lu dared to swallow it, the enemy would simply blast through its stomach.
Now, there was only one option left.
In the next moment—
The Stellaris train swiftly transformed into a brooch and vanished from its position.
It had fled.
Immediately afterward, the Stellaris reappeared in the Cosmic Void. The Doppler radar showed that the Level 4987 Light Energy Cannon, which had been traversing the Cosmic Void for tens of millions of years, was just ahead.
He slammed the control lever forward, charging straight toward it!
"Ran away?"
Satan hovered high above, his Divine Sense rapidly expanding outward. After confirming that the enemy hadn't merely retreated into a Pseudo-Fourth-Dimensional Space but had genuinely escaped, his expression darkened with fury.
His Past State had been destroyed, yet the enemy had still managed to escape.
A truly humiliating defeat!
Still, the enemy had suffered significant damage and expended vast resources. This was the perfect moment to strike. It was a pity they hadn't captured the human; otherwise, they could have forced him to reveal the location of the wormhole created by human civilization, saving them considerable resources.
What wealth!
To casually throw away 6 quadrillion resources like that?
This must be the human civilization's strongest train. Did they somehow learn of our invasion plans and launch a preemptive decapitation strike?
"Hmph."
Satan snorted coldly, glanced around, and reverted from his transformed state. The tunnel he had painstakingly constructed was now destroyed, and even the Holy Land had been riddled with holes. Repairing it would be a real pain.
...
A Level 4987 light energy main cannon appeared as a mere red dot on the Doppler Radar.
But when seen with the naked eye, it was an utterly awe-inspiring sight!
In the distance, a pure white pillar of light, far exceeding the limits of physics, pierced the pitch-black Cosmic Void. Its brilliance dwarfed that of a supernova, capable of instantly vaporizing any matter in the universe!
Tier 4987!
No.
Not Tier 4987.
It had already reached Tier 4988!
This was an attack so terrifying that, upon reaching the Niya Star System, it could instantly destroy the entire galaxy. It would trigger a massive cosmic black hole, whose influence would engulf galaxies spanning millions of light-years.
If only he had a way to redirect this attack.
Just throw it into the Extreme Evil Galaxy.
From that moment on, the name "Satan" would vanish from the entire universe.
"..."
Chen Mang sat in the locomotive cabin, gazing at the pure white pillar of light in the distance. The space ahead was already violently distorting, and he could even glimpse miniature black holes forming and collapsing within the radiant column—rapidly born from the aftershocks, only to be swiftly destroyed.
No one could survive this attack.
Though still distant, the shockwaves had already reached this area.
With a calm expression, Chen Mang pushed the control lever to its maximum setting. The Stellaris train accelerated toward the pillar of light at breakneck speed, hurtling forward as if seeking its own destruction.
In reality, most trains would have disintegrated long before reaching this point. Only Chen Mang's overpowered armor allowed him to withstand the full force of the impact unscathed.
Even so, the visual assault was overwhelming.
Gradually, gradually...
In Chen Mang's eyes, the white light expanded until it filled his entire field of vision. After what felt like an eternity, the train suddenly lurched violently, followed by an eerie silence.
Chen Mang's eyes had been blinded.
He was currently being treated in the medical bay.
As he approached the center, he glanced at it just once.
That single glance.
His eyeballs burst within their sockets.
It was a brightness far surpassing even a supernova explosion. The luminosity of a star paled in comparison to a supernova, which could be billions of times brighter!
Even the brightest star couldn't match the brilliance of an ordinary supernova.
Supernovas are among the most violent optical phenomena in the universe!
Yet the searing pillar of light before him was even brighter than a supernova explosion. It was unimaginable that humans had created such a devastating weapon.
When Chen Mang emerged from the medical bay and returned to the locomotive cabin, he looked at the screen on the train control panel.
Thirty-nine days had passed since his escape from Satan. The searing pillar of light was visible ahead, but even at the Stellaris's speed, it would take another thirty-nine days to reach its core.
Of course, this was a mutual pursuit. The light pillar was moving even faster.
Meanwhile, his Train Armor Tier had reached an astonishing Tier 2494!
An utterly terrifying number.
Sitting in the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang gazed at the number and gradually began to smile. Initially, when he absorbed Satan's energy attacks, only one-tenth of the absorbed energy converted into Armor Tier.
This time, the absorption rate was nearly half.
The primary reason for this exponential increase was the energy intensity of the Light Cannon, which increased almost exponentially with each Tier upgrade.
The power of a Tier 4000 Light Cannon wasn't merely ten times greater than a Tier 400 Light Cannon; it was hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of times stronger.
They were on completely different levels.
Though separated by only a single zero in their Tier numbers, the difference between them was fundamental.
The latter could effortlessly destroy a planet with a diameter of 100,000 kilometers, while the former could effortlessly obliterate a galaxy spanning hundreds of thousands of light-years.
And a galaxy of that size contained at least hundreds of billions of such planets.
"Then..."
"This time, it's my turn to act."
Using the refrigerator, Chen Mang returned to the Holy Land, reappearing in the tunnel. After 39 days, Satan had evidently repaired most of the damage from their previous battle.
Without hesitation, Chen Mang fired another Tier 200 Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon, effortlessly destroying the tunnel and exposing the flat plain once more.
A single Tier 200 Arcanon Main Cannon required only 100 million units of iron ore.
Even a Tier 500 version required just 100 billion units.
The Stellaris train was stocked with tens of quadrillions of units of iron ore!
As long as his defenses held, he could overwhelm Satan with sheer resource superiority.
99.99% of the light energy main cannon's resource consumption came from the Stellar Vault, requiring him to expend only 0.01% of his own resources.
TL/N: Stellar Vault = The area where the stars are stored.
What other civilizations considered a foundation-level attack—a Tier 500 Arcanon Main Cannon—he could use as a basic attack.
In the next moment—
"Damn you all!"
An enraged voice slowly echoed through the train's interior. Satan had transformed into his Strongest Form once more, purple blood coursing through his veins. Crimson wings flapped as he hovered in mid-air, his words dripping with malice.
"Do you know how long it took me to build this tunnel?"
"This time..."
"I won't give you another chance to escape!"
Without hesitation, Satan, having learned from his previous mistake, launched no initial energy attack. Leaving countless afterimages in his wake, he instantly appeared above the Stellaris train and slammed his full-force fist into the locomotive cabin's armor.
With a single blow, even space shattered, revealing countless fissures.
Inside the Holy Land, all the train conductors and staff were instantly vaporized into bloody mist by the impact!
Yet...
This time...
The armor remained completely intact, without a single crack. Even the train didn't shudder in the slightest.
"How is this possible?" Satan murmured, momentarily stunned. Though he didn't understand what was happening, he took a deep breath, his face twisting into a ferocious grimace. His fists, like a storm of blows, slammed into the armor, each strike tearing through space itself.
"Tsk," Chen Mang clicked his tongue from inside the locomotive cabin. Completely unaffected by the chaos outside, he sat comfortably in his chair, watching the scene unfold on the control panel screen. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Tier 2000 armor—the sense of security it provides is truly remarkable."
To ensure absolute safety, Chen Mang had upgraded both the Permanent Shock Absorber and the Built-in Space Stabilizer accessories to Tier 500 before the journey. As a result, he felt virtually no vibrations whatsoever inside the cabin.
No sensation at all.
Tier 2000 armor.
The sense of security it provided was unparalleled!
Unfortunately, this level of protection was only temporary. Permanently upgrading the armor to this tier would require astronomical resources—even combining the resources of the Extreme Evil Galaxy and the Niya Star System might not suffice.
However, after absorbing the Extreme Evil Civilization, he should be able to permanently upgrade his armor to Tier 1000!
In truth, he believed Tier 1000 armor would be sufficient against Satan. After all, even in his Strongest Form, Satan's attack energy range peaked at around 800-900—far below 1000!
A flicker of confusion gradually appeared in Satan's eyes. He halted his relentless, storm-like assault, having lost count of how many punches he had thrown. Yet the Train Armor remained completely unscathed. This state...
Yes.
The gap was too vast; his attacks couldn't penetrate its defenses.
He searched his memories for a long time before finally unearthing this long-forgotten recollection.
How long had it been?
It had been an eternity since he last encountered an impenetrable defense!
The other party had only been gone for a few dozen days. How could they suddenly become so powerful that his full-force strikes couldn't even scratch their armor?
Lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice that the five Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannons mounted behind him, as he crouched outside the Stellaris's locomotive cabin, had already fully charged. By the time he realized it, it was too late!
Five beams of super-charged Light Cannon fire tore through his physical defenses in an instant, vaporizing his entire body into a bloody mist.
"He's gotta be dead this time, right?" Chen Mang muttered, glancing at the Doppler Radar display. "He can't possibly revive again, can he?"
Xiao Ai's voice soon echoed through the train.
"It appears so, Train Conductor."
"..."
Chen Mang looked ahead and saw Satan, reduced to ashes moments ago, reappearing before the train, still stark naked. This time, however, his physique seemed even more formidable, and the blood coursing through his veins was pitch-black.
The crimson wings behind him had transformed into an absolute, inky blackness, and his entire aura radiated an even more menacing power. He hovered high in the air, his burning gaze piercing through the train's front window, locking onto Chen Mang. He snarled each word with venomous intensity:
"Congratulations!"
"You are the first to witness my Future State!"
(End of the Chapter)
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