The death of the Zoiger swarm didn't bother Yu Zhou much.
After all, those Zoigers only obeyed him because of the Giga Battlenizer.
Once they slipped free of his control, they reverted to their natural state—hostile and savage, attacking anything that moved.
Unless a monster had been raised from birth and developed a genuine emotional bond, it was nearly impossible to truly tame one.
Still, in the black energy sphere released by the Dark King, Yu Zhou could actually hear faint echoes of the Zoigers' cries—resentful and lingering within.
Soon, the two massive energy spheres collided midair.
The Dark King made no further moves, merely waiting for the inevitable—
for the explosion of destructive power that would follow their clash.
Yu Zhou, on the other hand, wasn't worried.
The energy sphere he had created wasn't an ordinary one.
The two spheres pressed against each other, neither yielding.
Though both were composed of dark energy, they seemed to despise one another—writhing and thrashing as if locked in a vicious brawl.
Their forms distorted under the strain, growing increasingly unstable as they reached their limits.
"Explode,"
the Dark King hissed with a ghostly chuckle, his voice coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.
He braced himself for the violent blast that would follow.
But Yu Zhou didn't flinch.
Instead, he simply uttered one word:
"Devour."
The next moment, Yu Zhou's black "bubble" sphere swallowed the Dark King's energy sphere whole.
Gululu—
A wet, gulping sound rippled through the air.
Then, the dark orb ballooned in size—now several times larger, its destructive aura swelling to terrifying intensity.
The Dark King froze.
His own energy sphere… had just been eaten?
Impossible!
Energy collisions were supposed to cause massive explosions, not absorption!
What he had just witnessed defied every law of power he knew.
"I've lived for ages," the Dark King muttered in disbelief, "and I've never seen such a ridiculous energy clash."
The octopus-like eyes atop his head stared warily at the now-enlarged, pitch-black orb drifting toward him.
That thing's energy alone could swallow him whole—
and the destruction within it was palpable.
"…Young man," he said finally, chuckling darkly, "I admit defeat."
With a casual motion, the Dark King raised a dark-green finger and tapped the air.
At once, the violent energy sphere dissipated completely.
"What?!"
If Yu Zhou could make an expressive face in his current form, it would have been priceless.
That attack—his masterpiece—was undone with a single touch?
Just like that?!
"You've got to be kidding me!"
The Dark King, now grinning, reverted to his robed old-man form.
He gave a slight bow, then turned and started jogging briskly away across the wasteland.
"Hey! You old man—don't you dare skip out on your debt!"
Yu Zhou shot forward, cutting him off before he could flee.
"Now, now," the old man said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I've already conceded defeat, haven't I? What more do you want?"
In truth, he was exhausted.
That single finger tap—dispersing such a vast power—had consumed almost all the strength of his current incarnation.
If he tried to fight again, his projection would probably dissipate entirely.
"You know what I want," Yu Zhou said flatly, shrinking back down to human size. He held out his hand.
"Hand over your dark power."
"Young man, be reasonable," the old man said in a weary, grandfatherly tone.
"Yes, you won—but that energy sphere I dispersed? It's gone! Poof! Shouldn't we just call it even and part as friends?"
"I don't care. You admitted defeat yourself," Yu Zhou said coolly.
Truthfully, he'd been stunned when the old man had erased his energy so effortlessly.
He hadn't expected such absurd power—
and if the fight had continued, Yu Zhou might not have stood a chance.
But for the Dark King to erase the energy and then immediately surrender?
That, Yu Zhou didn't buy for a second.
Being "polite" with the King of Darkness was like shaking hands with a venomous snake.
"Young man, you're being unreasonable!" the old man complained, throwing up his hands helplessly.
Yu Zhou stared at him.
This wrinkled, leering figure didn't match the terrifying being he'd just fought.
Even his tone was completely different.
Could someone's personality really shift that much between forms?
Maybe the saying was true: appearance reflects the heart.
If his heart was sleazy, no wonder even as the King of Darkness he looked… well, sleazy.
"Alright, old man," Yu Zhou said coldly. "If you won't hand over your dark power, then I'll just take it myself."
"Wait, wait! I'll give it to you!"
The old man ducked back, waving his hands frantically.
Take it himself? What did this brat mean by that?
How exactly was he planning to extract the power?
The old man's eyes flicked nervously down at his frail, human body.
Realization dawned, and his face twisted in disgust.
"Young man, that's indecent!"
"What's indecent about it?" Yu Zhou shot back. "If you don't hand over the dark power willingly, then don't blame me for showing a little… respect for the elderly."
He cracked his knuckles meaningfully.
"Listen, young man," the old man said quickly, his tone suddenly sincere.
"I'm telling you the truth—during that battle, I exhausted almost all my strength! I can't give you any power right now. Let me return first, gather more energy, and I'll bring it to you myself. I promise I won't go back on my word."
"…Really?" Yu Zhou raised a sceptical brow.
Now it made sense why the old man had run instead of flying away—
he didn't have enough energy left.
Apparently, dispersing that massive dark orb had drained him nearly dry.
"Really!" the old man said, nodding furiously, terrified Yu Zhou wouldn't believe him.
"Swear it."
"What?"
"Swear it," Yu Zhou repeated firmly.
"Fine, fine!" The old man sighed. "If I break my promise, may I die a miserable death!"
Yu Zhou shook his head. "No, no. That's too weak. A proper vow needs impact."
The old man blinked. "Then what kind of oath do you want me to make?"
"You should swear," Yu Zhou said after a moment's thought, "that if you break your word, the entire Dark Realm will be transformed into a Realm of Light—and you yourself will become a being of light!"
The old man's face went pale.
"…That's one vicious oath, boy."
To anyone else, it might've sounded harmless.
But for him—the King of Darkness himself—
to be turned into light would be a fate worse than death.