"Unexpectedly, he still isn't dead yet. That demon's life is really tenacious." Riku's purple eyes narrowed as he focused on the Black Hawk, struggling in the massive pit below. Despite the dust and debris swirling around, his heightened senses easily picked up the movement of the injured beast.
"Well, let's see if you can survive this!" With a frown, Riku rocketed downwards like a missile, his entire body wrapped in the kinetic energy generated by his powerful descent. He crashed down on the struggling giant eagle's head with such force that the ground quaked, causing the bird's head to sink further into the earth. Riku wasn't going to let it get back up again.
Over the next several minutes, the battlefield turned into a chaotic mess of roaring explosions and earth-shaking blows. Dirt and rocks flew everywhere, and the repeated impacts rang out like thunder. The giant Black Hawk let out weakened, almost pitiful screeches as it fought in vain against Riku's relentless onslaught.
After what felt like an eternity, there was finally silence.
"Finally dead." Riku exhaled deeply, wiping a bit of sweat from his forehead as he settled himself on the giant corpse beneath him. The once-mighty bird now lay still, its wings broken, feathers scattered, and its body riddled with wounds. Riku released the Eight Inner Gates technique, feeling the strain on his body ease.
"The power of the Eight Inner Gates really is incredible—it's giving me a huge boost in physical strength." He took a moment to catch his breath, looking at the battered and destroyed battlefield around him. The Black Hawk had been fast, almost too fast to follow, with a destructive power that rivaled any he had seen before. But despite that, he had managed to bring it down using just the Fourth Gate.
He sighed, glancing at the remains of several other demon species that had gotten caught up in the battle. "It's a pity that the bodies of those demon species were destroyed. Not even any scraps left." With a frown, Riku gave a light kick to the Black Hawk's carcass. "Those were all potential exchange points. I could've gotten at least two or three thousand points if I'd managed to recycle them, but now they're just gone."
Suddenly, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[Ding, the body of the high-level demon Black Iron Eagle was found, worth 8,000 exchange points. Is it recycled?]
Riku's eyes widened in surprise. "Eight thousand? This beast is more valuable than a Dwarf warship!" He grinned, pleased. It made sense, after all—he had experienced the terrifying strength of the Black Hawk firsthand. Though it wasn't quite at Jibril's level, it was still strong enough to crush most of the lower-tier races. Well, except for the Machina species—those armored monstrosities were in a league of their own, even capable of taking down divine beings if they worked together.
"Recycle," Riku commanded without hesitation.
Immediately, the enormous body of the Black Hawk dissolved into nothing, the energy flowing into the system, and Riku once again found himself standing alone amidst the ruined landscape.
"Now I've got 10,000 exchange points," Riku said thoughtfully, hovering in mid-air. "Should I buy two exquisite treasure chests?" He rubbed his chin, considering his options. The thought was tempting. He had grown quite fond of the thrill of opening treasure chests, hoping for powerful rewards.
After a moment, he shook his head. "No, my strength is sufficient for now. Let's save up and open an excellent treasure chest instead. Maybe I'll get something even better." He decided, dismissing the thought of spending points recklessly.
"Now, it's time to open the golden treasure chest. My first golden treasure chest… I hope it has something good." His eyes gleamed with excitement as he turned his gaze towards the large, ornate chest a short distance away. This was the real prize—the culmination of his efforts over the past few days. Lately, his luck had been terrible, with nothing but junk coming out of the treasure chests he had opened. He hoped this one would finally turn things around.
In an instant, Riku's figure blurred, crossing the several kilometers between him and the chest in the blink of an eye. Standing before it, he couldn't help but admire its luxurious design. "As expected of a golden treasure chest. It's on a whole different level of extravagance." The chest was covered in glittering jewels, and golden light seemed to radiate from it, giving it an almost holy appearance.
Wasting no time, Riku placed his hand on the chest. With a crisp click, the lock released, and the chest opened. Golden light flooded out, so bright that Riku had to shield his eyes.
At the same time, the system notification echoed in his mind.
[Ding, congratulations to the host on obtaining a World Shuttle Token.]
[World Shuttle Token: After activation, you can randomly travel to a world familiar to the user and start special tasks. At the same time, after the shuttle, the time flow rate of the user's current world will change. In other worlds, one year is equivalent to only a week in this world.]
"A World Shuttle Token?" Riku looked at the golden token resting inside the chest, his golden eyes reflecting the glow. He picked it up, examining it closely. "If used well, this could be incredibly valuable." The token held the potential for countless opportunities—new worlds meant new challenges, new allies, and, most importantly, new rewards.
It wasn't what he had hoped for in terms of raw power, but he wasn't disappointed. He knew there was more to strength than just brute force. The ability to move between worlds could be a game-changer.
"Forget it, no point overthinking it right now. I should leave before someone else shows up." Riku frowned slightly, sensing the lingering energy from their battle. It had been quite the spectacle, and it wouldn't be long before someone from one of the upper races noticed and came to investigate. The last thing he wanted was to get tangled up with them.
With one last glance at the massive pit—a reminder of the fierce battle that had just taken place—Riku took off, his figure vanishing into the sky.
Not long after Riku departed, a figure appeared at the site of the battle. She hovered in the air, her beautiful wings spread out behind her as she observed the aftermath. It was none other than Jibril, the Exceptional Unit of the Flügel.
"Such a strong energy response… there was definitely a fierce battle here." Jibril floated down towards the massive crater, her expression thoughtful. "And why do I feel a familiar energy signature…?" She muttered, her eyes narrowing as she tried to piece together the puzzle.
After a few minutes, she shook her head, dismissing the thought. "Forget it. I don't have time for this. I still have to chase down those 'monkeys' from the forest. I can't believe they managed to escape with the magic grimoire books. How annoying." Her voice held a mix of irritation and amusement.
With that, Jibril's form flickered, and she merged into the surrounding space, disappearing as quickly as she had arrived.
The battlefield fell silent once more, the only reminder of the recent conflict being the enormous crater in the earth—a testament to the fierce clash that had taken place.
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