Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

At the same time, a black light flashed on his right Rune Glove.

WHOOSH!

Pitch-black chains shot through the air, instantly binding another nearby figure who was trying to flee in a panic.

The chains not only bound his limbs but also forcibly suppressed the Rune Power within his body.

Su Chen’s eyes grew cold. A Telekinesis acceleration field formed around the captive. With a flick of his wrist, he loosened the chains, and the man was launched like a cannonball, hurtling toward the Teleportation Gate on the ground.

WHOOSH!

The Heart Sword Warlock moved as well.

He drew his sword and rose to his feet. His movements seemed unhurried, yet they were so fast they blurred the eye. An invisible wave of Heart Sword energy slashed out in a crescent arc, splitting the human cannonball in two before he even hit the ground.

”A cheap trick,” he scoffed.

His strike had also detonated the shadowflame Su Chen had implanted in the man’s body. The Destruction attribute inherently had a delayed detonation effect.

Now that his plan had been seen through, the surprise had been defused early.

BOOM!

A storm of black and purple fire erupted in mid-air.

The Heart Sword Warlock, who had just been sneering, felt his eyelid twitch. He had underestimated the explosive power of this Technique. Nearly half the valley was bathed in an eerie, dark twilight.

Before the aftershocks of the explosion faded, Su Chen’s figure had already phased through the blast, silent as a ghost.

But the moment he materialized, a viscous, swamp-like gravity suddenly constricted him from all directions, threatening to crush his body.

This wasn’t an Earth Element gravity field.

It was a pure Dark Element fluctuation...

It was some unknown Dark Element gravity ability, undoubtedly empowered by a Core Authority.

His intended destination had been thrown off; he was now at least fifty meters away from the Teleportation Gate.

’A little interesting.’

Su Chen’s lips curved slightly, a glint of genuine interest in his eyes.

Even abilities like teleportation, flash-jumps, and phase-shifting would be forcibly anchored and interrupted by this field. His body, which was in a state of quantum superposition, was even being subjected to Illusion and Reality Transformation.

The next instant, he applied a Telekinesis acceleration to himself, and his body unnaturally broke free from the gravity that had just taken hold.

The Mysterious Mage controlling the gravity felt his pupils shrink in shock. ’Impossible!’ he thought. ’That’s Lv7 Dark Gravity, designed specifically to counter teleportation!’

Normally, spatial displacement is like jumping from one point on a sheet of paper to another. This gravity ability, however, was like causing that paper to severely collapse and fold, interrupting the target’s teleport and preventing them from reaching their destination.

This Dark Gravity, which could be considered almost brokenly overpowered, could even hold the target fast after they materialized.

But now, it had completely failed.

”Don’t panic.”

Just then, two dark figures who had just stepped through the Teleportation Gate suddenly began to swell in size.

The bones of a Four-Star Demon Warlock crackled like popping beans as his flesh and skin tore apart, completing his Demon Transformation.

His muscles knotted like iron, wings sprouted from his back, and after a roar that unleashed a Psychic Shock on the area, he lunged forward.

Moreover, a Three-Star Forest Sage—a higher-tier class than the Nature Apostle—also revealed his own unique ability. He not only transformed into a giant bear but also used his Spirit Possession trait to let an earth spirit inhabit his body.

With his physical and spiritual bodies perfectly unified, he radiated a primal, savage aura.

But all these attempts to block him were utterly futile.

Faced with the sudden eruption of gunfire from all directions, as well as the figures charging straight at him, Su Chen didn’t dodge or block. Instead, his entire body of flesh and blood instantly deconstructed, transforming into a surging, high-speed stream of Dark Element particles.

Like a nocturnal tide flowing through a crack, he silently passed through the Demon’s body, letting all the bullets pass harmlessly through his intangible form.

”What? Full-body Elementalization?”

Just as Su Chen found their novel abilities interesting, the Demon Warlock and the others were equally stunned by his Elementalization—an ability that seemed to defy all normal combat mechanics.

Upon reaching the Teleportation Gate, the stream of particles abruptly converged.

A right hand solidified in an instant, its palm slamming against the gate.

The Flame Burst Rune erupted with power.

The next instant.

BOOM!

The entire seven-story-tall Teleportation Gate shattered, collapsing as if it were made of toy blocks.

The spatial energy that had been contained within its frame burst forth, and a violent, chaotic vortex of spatial turbulence swept through nearly half of Eagle’s Beak Valley.

Wherever it passed, the air distorted, rocks shattered, and light itself seemed to fracture.

What was truly terrifying were the slivers of spatial blades within the chaotic energy, sharp enough to slice through any physical matter. The surrounding gang members couldn’t spare a thought for Su Chen, their successful invader; they could only scramble to retreat.

”You did it!”

”Xiaoluo! Xiaohu! You guys are gods!”

Watching the torrent of spatial energy erupt in the valley, the members of the infiltration and investigation squad were so excited they forgot all protocol. Multiple people started shouting into the comms channel at once, dissolving it into a cacophony of piercing squeals and static.

The comms went down temporarily.

After a moment, Xiaoluo’s faint voice came through.

”It wasn’t me...”

”And... Brother He is already dead. I don’t know who did it.”

Ah...

The news was stunning, and the joy of their successful mission was diluted by a wave of grief.

”Evacuate north immediately, as far as you can. We have people coming from the rear for extraction.”

Having grown accustomed to losing teammates over the past week, Captain Hong suppressed his emotions and calmly issued the order.

Even with the Teleportation Gate destroyed, the situation for the operatives was far from optimistic.

It was obvious they were completely outnumbered.

If they kept fighting, they would all be wiped out.

A sudden surprise attack from an Ashen Warlock had already broken their formation. With enemies engaging them in close quarters, their squad had been split up, and the status of several members was unknown.

If not for their two snipers providing cover from extreme range and forcing the enemy to be cautious, their casualties from that attack would have been much higher.

The situation was dire.

Captain Hong gritted his teeth, steeled himself, and made the decision to have the surviving team members fall back immediately.

This decision meant abandoning those who were pinned down in the fighting ahead.

”Fall back, now!”

Captain Hong could only make such a cold-hearted decision because he was prepared to cover the retreat himself. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he returned to the city.

”No way! We all leave together!”

A sniper yelled over the channel, objecting to the order.

”Negative.”

”Together.”

Perhaps realizing what their captain intended to do, everyone started talking at once again, and the channel dissolved into dead air.

However...

The team members who had just begun to pull back responded with their actions, immediately turning around and heading back into the fray.

”Requesting fire support for the forward-most operative. Thank you.”

Just then, a clear, cold, and unfamiliar woman’s voice suddenly cut through the channel.