A Sword to Cripple

At first, Zeus and Hera didn’t take Dustin seriously.

After all, in their eyes, Dustin’s strength was on par with Poseidon’s --- and he was even seriously injured.

Even in a one-on-one fight, they were confident in securing victory. And now there were two of them?

But after their earlier probing attacks, they suddenly realized that things weren’t as simple as they’d assumed.

Dustin’s imposing presence and vigorous energy didn’t look like someone who had been injured at all.

Not only was he not injured --- his strength far exceeded their expectations.

There were only two possible explanations for this.

Either the intelligence they’d gathered was inaccurate, or Dustin had experienced some kind of miraculous breakthrough.

As for what level he had reached, they couldn’t tell right away.

Only now did they begin to understand Margaret’s real intention behind stalling for time.

Initially, they’d thought Margaret was merely buying time for Dustin to heal without being disturbed.

But now, they finally realized --- he wasn’t healing at all. He had been at the critical juncture of a breakthrough.

Though reluctant to admit it, they had clearly been played --- tricked by Margaret’s half-truths and deception into going around in circles.

At that realization, both were not only angry, but deeply troubled.

Because now, the situation was beginning to spiral out of their control.

“Hera, looks like we’ll have to fight together. This guy’s not easy to deal with,” Zeus said, looking at Hera seriously.

“Obviously. I saw that already,” Hera replied coldly.

Dustin hadn’t used any magical artifacts --- just his protective qi alone had blocked their attacks.

That fact alone proved that Dustin’s strength was at least on par with theirs --- possibly even greater.

Neither of them could guarantee a win in a solo duel. Only by joining forces could they hope to suppress him.

“Let’s strike together!”

With a glance, Zeus suddenly raised both hands and summoned two glowing spheres of lightning, then hurled them at Dustin.

Almost simultaneously, Hera launched her attack as well.

Tens of thousands of black ice spikes fell from the sky like a torrential downpour, raining down toward Dustin.

Two divine kings struck at once --- one from the front, the other from above --- their teamwork seamless.

If it had been any ordinary Ultimate Grandmaster, this blow would’ve left them seriously injured, if not dead.

But Dustin had long since transcended mortal limits, reaching a realm neither of them could touch.

Facing the overwhelming assault, Dustin didn’t move an inch. He simply raised his hand and gently waved.

Whoosh~!

A gentle breeze swept across the heavens and earth.

The thousands of ice spikes from Hera shattered into dust upon contact with the breeze, vanishing into nothing.

Meanwhile, Zeus’s lightning attack was absorbed like mud thrown into the sea, completely swallowed and disappearing without a trace.

Their combined attacks caused no damage.

In fact, they didn’t even stir up the slightest ripple.

Appearing suddenly, vanishing mysteriously --- like sand in the wind.

“What?!”

Seeing this, both Zeus and Hera were visibly shocked, their faces filled with disbelief.

Had Dustin used protective qi to block them, they might not have been this surprised.

But he didn’t use any protective qi --- no divine abilities at all.

He had simply waved his hand, and their attacks were effortlessly neutralized without even a sound.

Such a strange technique clearly surpassed the domain of an Ultimate Grandmaster.

Could it be… that Dustin had already broken through?

Reached that realm akin to an earthbound immortal?

At that thought, Zeus and Hera were filled with dread.

Could they really be this unlucky?

They’d barely been in the Dragonmarsh for a few days and had already run into such a deadly enemy?

“Are you done attacking?”

Dustin stared calmly at the two of them. “If you’re finished, then it’s my turn.”

With that, Dustin extended two fingers like a sword and pointed at Zeus from afar.

Whoosh~!

A golden sword-light shot out, piercing straight toward Zeus’s chest.

“Hm?”

Zeus’s expression changed, and he hastily raised his hands, summoning a massive lightning sphere to intercept the golden blade.

Boom!

With a deafening blast, the lightning orb exploded instantly --- while the golden sword-light remained intact.

Still surging forward, it continued straight for Zeus’s chest.

Too late to gather his protective qi, Zeus could only raise his arm instinctively to block.

His body had been tempered repeatedly by divine lightning, making it extraordinarily resilient. Even without protective qi, his physical body alone was strong enough to kill a regular Ultimate Grandmaster.

Boom!

Another explosion rang out.

The moment the sword-light struck, it detonated with immense force.

The impact blew off Zeus’s arm and sent his entire body flying backward dozens of meters.

He crashed through several walls before finally hitting the ground, coughing violently, blood streaming from his nose and mouth.

“Ah?!”

Seeing this, Hera’s face turned pale with fear.

Just one move --- and Zeus was severely wounded, his arm blown off.

What kind of monster was this guy?!

As Dustin prepared to strike again, Hera was so terrified her soul nearly left her body. Without even the courage to fight back, she turned and fled on the spot. - Ton