From a piece of paper less than a foot long, an eight-meter serpent burst forth! Hissing, the great snake opened its gaping maw and lunged at Shi Ming.

’So this is the 2D Girl’s power?’

Shi Ming dodged another one of Shadow’s assassination attempts, then used the speed of his Ten Thousand Tribulations Thunder Body and his own reflexes to deftly evade the great serpent’s deadly lunge.

His eyes, crackling with lightning, blinked.

The Eye of the World activated, providing a new notification!

It appeared in a bouncing rhythm.

[The Eye of the World has noticed an intense and exciting bout and will continue its live coverage for you!!!]

[The 2D Girl has summoned a powerful sea beast phantom! The Baikal Sea Serpent!]

[She spent four hours sketching this painting, and it possesses one-third the power of a real Baikal Sea Serpent! The faction backing her, Moon Shadow, is dead set on victory! Can our Fighter emerge victorious in this one-versus-four battle?]

Those few simple sentences packed in a considerable amount of information.

Shi Ming was long accustomed to the style of the Eye of Intelligence and the Eye of the World. In a way, they were a reflection of his own personality.

He had never heard of Moon Shadow.

But anyone who stood against him,

was an enemy!

Radiant light intertwined as lightning exploded ceaselessly across the sea. Powerful serpents of electricity writhed on the water’s surface, persisting without fading. The area of the Ten Thousand Tribulations Thunder Prison overlapped with the lockdown from the Gorinchis Scripture, and the two effects descended upon the sea, transforming it into a true deathmatch arena.

The heat from the Sea of Silence met the brilliant lightning, forming a torrential downpour in midair that came howling down with the storm.

Shi Ming had no intention of running away.

When facing enemies,

you had to strike hard!

Beat them until it hurt!

Beat them until they were scared!

’Otherwise, did they really think he was some pushover they could come and test whenever they pleased?’

Besides, his luck had been good this time. He’d drawn a powerful offensive skill—a large-scale AOE one at that. This gave Shi Ming the leeway to fight one-on-four. Although the great serpent’s Attack Power was terrifying, it was just the phantom of some sea beast and lacked the oppressive aura of a true S-rank monster.

Shi Ming moved like an arrow of lightning, a phantom within the Ten Thousand Tribulations Thunder Prison, leaving a trail of brilliant sparks in midair.

From the brief exchange, he had already gained a basic understanding of his three opponents.

’Huang Mao is agile and can teleport, so he’ll be hard to kill.’

’The great serpent summoned by the mysterious 2D Girl is in the fight, but her real body is hiding on that distant, drifting boat. She hasn’t been hit by lightning even once this whole time. She must have an incredibly powerful trump card up her sleeve.’

’As for Shadow, an assassin forced into the center of the stage... he’s become the weak link!’

WHOOSH! He dodged another of the great serpent’s ferocious lunges and appeared right in front of Shadow.

This time, Shadow didn’t retreat. He had nowhere left to run. Gritting his teeth, he brought his hands together. Light and shadow flickered, and a sphere of interwoven black and white energy appeared, seemingly wielding the dual powers of darkness and light. He was actually going to face Shi Ming head-on.

’An assassin trying to go toe-to-toe with a fighter? Who gave you that kind of courage?’

Shi Ming swung his silver fist, pressing forward relentlessly.

BOOM!

Like a clap of thunder, his right fist collided with the black-and-white orb in Mr. Ying’s hands. Without even needing to activate his Black Tortoise Shield, Shi Ming could feel that this flashy power was no match for his Ten Thousand Tribulations Thunder Body. The still-forming orb was torn to shreds, and his fist slammed violently into Mr. Ying’s chest, shattering his specialized armor into countless fragments!

An assassin’s physique is exceptionally fragile, and Mr. Ying was no exception.

’A perfect chance.’

In that split second, having landed a successful blow, Shi Ming was preparing to strike again with tenfold power to finish him off. But the space before him rippled, and Huang Mao had already teleported Mr. Ying away to an unknown location.

S-rank skill, Spatial Secret Pattern! Activated!

At the same time, he felt the space around him begin to solidify. A powerful, crushing pressure threatened to flatten him into a painting!

S-rank skill, Man in the Painting! Activated!

Mr. Ying emerged once more from a nearby shadow. A dagger of light formed in his left hand and one of darkness in his right. Wielding two completely different blades, he lunged abruptly at Shi Ming, determined to avenge his earlier humiliation.

S-rank skill, Light and Shadow Twins! Activated!

A light flickered in Shi Ming’s right eye.

In an instant, he saw a new notification.

[The intense and exciting bout has entered Act Two!!!]

[Even the fiercest sea beast wouldn’t dare to face three powerful S-rank Awakened, yet the Fighter at the center of the ring has actually held on for five minutes and even forced these incredibly prideful chosen ones to cooperate! Truly commendable! The Eye of the World is very satisfied with this fight!]

[The typically occasional update frequency will be temporarily increased!]

[As everyone knows, you can break through the ’Man in the Painting’ lockdown by concentrating all your power into a single point. Overwhelm the technique with brute force; shatter the surface with a single strike.]

Shi Ming let out a low roar.

The Thunder Power in his body surged. KRAK! With a shattering sound, the dimensional power proved unable to withstand his force and gave way. Scraps of what looked like paper flew everywhere, instantly soaked by the downpour and washed into the sea.

Shadow’s twin daggers closed in!

Shi Ming’s eyes darkened as he prepared to activate his Black Tortoise Shield again and teach this utterly reckless assassin a harsh lesson. But to his surprise, just as Shadow was about to pounce, Tatasta teleported him away again.

"Tsk tsk, you really don’t learn, do you, Mr. Ying? Have you already forgotten about that reflective ability of his?"

Tatasta mocked him without mercy.

"Bastard! It’s not your place to give me orders!"

Shadow was flustered and exasperated. "This kid isn’t normal! Tatasta, Pandoria, what are you two holding back?!"

"Aren’t you holding back as well, Mr. Ying? An Awakened from the Lighthouse shouldn’t be this pathetic." Tatasta never lost a war of words, no matter the situation.

...

The soft humming stopped.

The drifting boat at the edge of the battlefield stirred.

The 2D Girl stepped out of the cabin. Her expression, her attire, her entire aesthetic—it was all so detached that she seemed like a creature not of this world.

Lightning struck her, yet she remained completely unscathed.

The torrential rain parted around her, leaving her delicate feather ornaments and clothing untouched by a single drop of water.

She stood at the prow, her eyes as cold as a sea beast’s, watching from afar as Shi Ming battled her three companions.

’So it’s him.’

’Information about this very person had caused her never-before-failing illustrated codex to simply explode. Her infallible information probe had only managed to dig up a single hobby and a set of coordinates. After being mocked by Huang Mao for it, she was determined to see for herself what was so special about this man.’

As her gaze fell upon him,

the world of pouring rain in Shi Ming’s vision seemed to transform into an animated, colorful oil painting.

The storm clouds were a smear of deep black. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The lightning bolts were crooked lines of ghastly white.

The seawater was a thick application of indigo and deep black, full of a savage beauty.

The people became mobile, yet comically absurd, two-dimensional color drawings.

The drifting boat on the water’s surface was rendered in rough lines and garish colors.

...

[The intense and exciting bout has entered Act Three!!!]

[The enemy has launched a fierce counterattack!]

[The 2D Girl has revealed the 39th-ranked skill, the fourth form of ’Man in the Painting’—’World of Painting’! The power of this ability is second only to its fifth form, ’Paint Self.’ The thirty-meter area around the Fighter is about to become a painting! Escape the canvas within 360 seconds, or you will become a person in the painting, a two-dimensional being!]

[The method of escape is simple. Even without a reminder from the Eye of the World, you can surely guess what it is!]

Shi Ming understood!

The Titan Bloodline in his muscles erupted completely. The Right Arm Red Pattern grew scorching hot as he gathered the lightning in his hand into a single point. Like the protagonist of a shonen manga holding a halberd, he vowed to tear through the very fabric of dimensions.

His entire body transformed into lightning, and with a piercing shriek, he lanced toward the girl standing at the prow.

RIIIIP!

It was as if a rift had been torn straight through the canvas.

Crimson flames erupted along the edges of the tear, slowly setting the half-formed painting ablaze.

Wherever Shi Ming passed, the abstract world turned back into reality.

CRASH!

Under the savage, beast-like impact, the entire drifting boat was smashed to smithereens. A deep blue pearl fell from the wreckage and sank heavily into the sea.

Tatasta grabbed the girl, dodging the blow, only to be shoved away in disgust.

...

Tatasta stared at Shi Ming, his mind flashing back to the "Princess’s" instructions before he’d set out. ’If I have the chance, I can stir up some chaos and let him go. But if a real opportunity arises, the priority is to retrieve the Map of the Endless Sea and the Taunt Stone.’

’Now, it seems neither is an option.’

’This kid’s combat power is just too terrifying.’

’Without this lockdown, he could probably leave whenever he pleased. An opponent like this... it almost makes me want to get serious.’

Shadow, meanwhile, had been consistently targeted by Shi Ming and was now gasping for breath.

"Tatasta, buy me three seconds!"

"Stop holding back! If this keeps up, we’ll walk away with nothing."

"Fine!"

With his teammate stalling for him, he once again pulled out the Gorinchis Scripture. Forcing himself to endure the price of using it, he flipped the scripture to a new page. Tatasta took the initiative, moving forward to engage Shi Ming in close combat, while the 2D Girl watched the battlefield with a cold gaze, apparently looking for an opening.

[Gorinchis Scripture, Article 321, states!]

[The power of lightning cannot be conducted within this area!]

The moment the words faded, Shadow spat out a mouthful of blood.

This was the price for using the Gorinchis Scripture twice in a row. He glared fiercely at his two teammates, understanding perfectly well that neither of them was using their full strength.

Shi Ming discovered that his Thunder Domain could no longer seem to inflict any effective damage. The enemies before him were as if made of rubber; his overbearing lightning could no longer harm them in the slightest.

And the new round of attacks from the Sea Serpent, Huang Mao, and the girl came like a raging tempest, fiercer than ever!

...

’A four-on-one, and they’re sealing my skills?’

’Fine then!’

’Time to flip the table!’

’I’m done playing this game!’

Shi Ming pulled out a lamp.

The Star Lamp.

His eye twitched, and he blinked.

[The Final Act! Is about to begin!!!!]

[Our Fighter intends to use the Star Lamp to flip the entire board and send all the other players to kingdom come!]

[This sealed battlefield will decide the true victor!]

[But he must understand!]

[The Nameless Cocoon is still a ’baby’ that only awoke less than two years ago. Even if you use its blood to ’fuel the stars’ and have it personally unleash its terrifying, third-ranked S-rank skill, it may not be enough to teach your enemies a harsh lesson. The ’Extremely Evil Sanctuary’ from the Abyss Lord is a better choice, but using it comes with a 32% chance of attracting the Abyss Lord’s attention, which could lead to unknown consequences.]

[After all, the Eye of the World cannot predict the future. It can only provide a reasonable analysis based on the current situation.]

[The pros and cons are clear. What will he choose?]

[Let’s wait and see!]