My feet were caked in black mud, uncomfortable and clammy, with waves of chill creeping up from the ground. I sat atop a stranded boat in the marsh—if you could even call it a boat. It was exaggerated in shape, just a shell with nothing inside, and its exterior looked like some creature had doodled it carelessly, all crooked and warped.
Not far away, I saw a tank—eight cannons mounted on it, absurdly over-the-top. Instead of tracks, it had eight massive wheels.
These strange contraptions were everywhere—there were even flying saucers. No matter how I looked around, this place didn’t resemble the Four Sacred Realm at all.
The wind cut like a blade. In my memory, the Four Sacred Realm was nothing like this. I’d once sought out Martin Lane, who told me about the Four Sacred Realm. Long ago, he’d seen it in a dream and even described some of its features to me, though they were only fragmented, dreamlike glimpses.
Just then, I noticed something moving in the marsh not far away. I watched with suspicion, but quickly sensed something was wrong. Scanning for an escape route, I leapt off the derelict boat and ran.
A massive black Drake Serpent surged toward me, moving fast. I glanced behind me and immediately frowned.
“What the hell is that?”
Behind me, the Drake Serpent had the head of a dragon and the body of a snake—at least ten meters long, disturbingly odd. Without thinking, I spotted a cylindrical house in the Great Marsh and sprinted over. Seeing a window on the second floor, I leaped up and grabbed the sill.
With a crash, the black, monstrous Drake Serpent slammed into the wall of the house. Pulling myself onto the window ledge, I saw its head probing, searching for me.
A huge hole had been torn open at the base of the house, and the whole structure was shaking. Only now did I realize the house was just a shell—nothing inside. The Drake Serpent had already noticed me.
With a hiss, the Drake Serpent, its dragon head gaping wide, lunged at me. I glanced behind, leapt backward, and with a bang, the window exploded into shards. I landed in the mud, water splashing everywhere, staring calmly at the Drake Serpent as it attacked.
Although I couldn't use my powers, my body's density felt just as it had before.
With a crack, I raised my right hand to block, bracing myself as a tremendous force slammed into me. I stood firm, and the Drake Serpent shrieked—the row of teeth in its mouth shattered. I swung my left fist, hammering down on the serpent's head.
With a boom, a surge of force pressed downward. In an instant, the Drake Serpent vanished like a bubble, and the house, blasted by my strength, dissolved into thin air as well.
Ma Yongjie had taught me many striking techniques, which I'd thought were useless—just exercises to strengthen my Deathbane Aura. But now, as a human, the high-density Deathbane Aura that makes up my body has carried over. This resilient flesh is my foundation for surviving in this world.
I couldn't help but feel grateful that I'd listened to Oddball Moe back then, and Ma Yongjie was always willing to teach me. Tammy Blade also taught me a lot.
I'll have to share a drink with them when I get back.
I smiled and tilted my head back, feeling on top of the world. But suddenly, my expression froze. Above me, lying flat, was a figure with arms folded—a white T-shirt, black tight pants, black leather shoes, glasses, and a small braid hanging to the left. He looked proper, but his eyes glinted with something sinister.
"See something interesting?"
I asked. The man above slowly stood up and landed in front of me, dropping his folded arms. Now I saw a string of black numbers—007—on his neck: Agent Seven.
Agent Seven stood before me, his sharp chin and clean-cut looks accentuated by an unwavering smile. He kept his right hand angled across his chest and bowed to me with eerie politeness.
"I'm a Forsaken. You may call me Agent Seven. I sensed an unusual presence, so I came over. Your skills are impressive—especially that last strike."
I grunted, studying Agent Seven—the Forsaken operative. He was strange, unsettling.
Suddenly, I thrust my right fist up to my chest. With a thud, Agent Seven's long leg lashed out, and the ground beneath my feet caved in from the impact.
"I'm nothing more than a nameless traveler. What exactly do you mean by that?"
With a sudden move, I grabbed Agent Seven's foot and squeezed hard. The bones creaked. Instantly, Agent Seven sprang up, his left leg kicking toward me—a fierce blow. I dodged, tilting my head aside, then smiled and slammed Agent Seven down to the ground.
With a smack, Agent Seven caught himself with both hands as he hit the ground. His left leg, which had missed earlier, snapped back and kicked my right hand away—unexpectedly, sending me reeling to the right.
Agent Seven spun around and closed in, landing a punch squarely in my chest.
With a crash, I was sent flying, skidding across the ground before coming to a stop. Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth.
"Impressive. You managed to slip past my attack trajectory the moment I struck. Anyone who can do that isn't weak—or perhaps there's a reason you can't use your full strength in this world." Agent Seven's tone was casual, almost mocking.
I staggered to my feet, spat out a mouthful of blood, and glared coldly at Agent Seven. Fury erupted from deep inside me. I squared my stance, fists raised, ready for another fight.
In an instant, I charged at Agent Seven, moving faster and faster. He watched me with a flicker of surprise. I lashed out with my left fist—Agent Seven smiled, sidestepped, and dodged. His hands shot out, aiming to clamp down on my shoulders, his right knee already rising.
[Irrelevant website prompt omitted.]
"Sixfold Extremis."
With a sudden twist, I drove my right fist from my ribs—an explosive blow. Agent Seven’s body was struck through in an instant, but he clamped both hands onto my shoulders.
"I win." Agent Seven's voice was soft, but there was a chilling edge to it.
I muttered under my breath, but before I could react, my body started to creak and twist. With a crack, my clothes shredded, blood sprayed, and flesh contorted into a knot. I was hurled across the room.
I raised my fist, exposing white bone, blood dripping steadily. This is the true terror of the Fist Extremis—two-stage attacks. The first strike finds a breach, and then the second stage unleashes a torrent of force into that opening, exploding with destructive power to annihilate the target.
But my body obviously couldn't withstand such force. Even a simple Sixfold Extremis nearly destroyed my hand. The wound was healing slowly, and I felt a wave of exhaustion, weakness settling deep inside.
I’d tried using Sevenfold Extremis before, but with each level, the backlash grew stronger. The instant my body took the hit, my spirit suffered too.
Ma Yongjie had even more advanced techniques—Inner Extremis. All the gold-masked members of the Immortality Society could use it. I’d studied it for years, but it was impossible to master. I no longer had a flesh body—Sky Soul had destroyed my only one. That was one of the reasons for my fury.
Even if I could shape a body from Deathbane Aura, there were limits. A flash of green light—Agent Seven’s body half-melted into viscous green liquid, like mud. He struggled to rise, tried several times, then finally stood. His green eyes stared at me coldly, but then he returned to normal, smiled, picked up his shattered glasses, and restored them with a touch.
I eyed Agent Seven warily. If this fight kept going, it would only get worse for me. My mouth twisted in pain—my right hand throbbed, bone still exposed, though the bleeding had stopped.
Fist Extremis could hurt him, but killing Agent Seven seemed impossible. His strength was formidable.
"Have you finished your analysis—of me?" Agent Seven asked, his voice almost playful.
Agent Seven strolled over, smiling with that same unsettling politeness.
"Forgive my earlier offense. You call yourself a traveler, but what is your name?" Agent Seven's tone was polite, yet something in it chilled me.
I hesitated before answering.
"Ethan Zhang."
Agent Seven broke into a pleased smile.
"Your strength is impressive, but unless you show your true power, you won't defeat me."
I didn’t argue. Even if I used my last reserves, beating Agent Seven would take enormous effort—his power was strange, unlike anything I'd seen before.
"What is this place, really?"
I asked, and Agent Seven nodded.
"Ethan Zhang, please come with me. Your hand is injured, and you seem human—you need to replenish your strength." Agent Seven's politeness was unsettling.
Without hesitation, I followed Agent Seven, sprinting across the Great Marsh. He seemed to know every inch of the land, crossing swamps with ease. Soon, we arrived at a Vitalis Tree glowing with purple light. Each fruit was shaped differently, but all radiated a tempting aura.
"Eat one—the strength you've lost will be restored in no time." Agent Seven said, glancing at my right hand.
Agent Seven watched as I plucked a Vitalis Fruit and ate it in big bites. The taste was neither good nor bad.
Almost immediately, I felt vitality flood my body. The fatigue from our fight vanished. I raised my right hand—where bone had been exposed, flesh grew back. Soon, my entire arm was restored.
"What is this place... really?" I began to ask.
"The only place where human faith comes to die." Agent Seven replied, his voice echoing with existential finality.