Lord of Cosmos-Chapter 201: One Hit

General Hugo advanced at a dead run. He plunged his brush into the red paint and slashed it through the air, unleashing a multitude of sharp, needle-like red lines. He directed the lethal volley at the resistance soldiers atop the hills, felling many of them in a single, devastating stroke. The surviving fighters scrambled for cover, and the gunfire briefly subsided.

But the General pressed on, bullets ricocheting harmlessly off his blue barrier. He dipped his brush into the black paint and swiftly drew a horn in the air. Grabbing it, he blew into the mouthpiece. The resounding blast sent the armored beasts blocking the road stampeding away in terror.

The soldiers rejoiced, rushing behind their commander and shouting with glee now that the path was clear. General Hugo continued to shield his men and lay down suppressing fire against the resistance, surging toward the open square ahead.

But suddenly, a long iron chain shot out, wrapping tightly around his body. Before he could react, he was violently yanked from the midst of his troops, dragged high into the air over one of the hills, and slammed brutally into the ground.

Panic seized the soldiers at the sudden disappearance of their commander. The blue shields vanished with him, and the resistance immediately resumed picking them off with rifle fire.

Hugo scrambled to his feet, furious, to see who had dared drag him like a beast on a leash. He looked around and found himself atop a small hill covered in pink grass, resting in the shadow of a mountain. He looked ahead and saw the masked boy. A broad, arrogant smile stretched across the General's face.

"So, you've finally decided to show yourself and put an end to the tricks and illusions?"

Noor did not return the smile, nor did he offer any reaction. The General dipped his brush into the yellow paint and thrust forward a sticky, colorful thread to snare him. But the thread passed right through the boy and vanished, as if he were nothing but a mirage. Hugo stepped back, his brow furrowing.

"An illusion?"

Hearing a rush of wind from above, Hugo looked up. Noor was plummeting toward him from the mountain peak, wielding a colossal hammer that looked as if it weighed a thousand tons, aiming to crush Hugo beneath it.

Noor had forged the optical clone to distract Hugo while he positioned himself high above, deciding to take a massive, incalculable risk. He leaped down upon the General, conjuring from his imagination the largest hammer conceivable—one no human could possibly lift—and let gravity do the work of driving it down. He used his raw muscular strength to keep it steady so it wouldn't tilt mid-air. His muscles nearly tore under the crushing weight, but he gritted his teeth, letting out a roar as he brought it down upon Hugo.

Hugo's jaw dropped at the sheer size of the weapon descending upon his head. He frantically swept the blue paint around him, encasing his body in a thick, multi-layered dome.

The hammer crashed into the blue barrier, shattering it layer by layer until it reached Hugo, crushing him mercilessly beneath its weight.

Noor hit the ground, his arms aching fiercely. He let out a heavy sigh.

"I don't think he's fit for capture or bargaining now that his body is pulverized," he muttered. "The Prince will be furious when he finds out. But at least he'll be pleased I took out his worst enemy."

Then, Noor heard a grinding noise. He pushed his upper body up and stared in disbelief. The General, lying flat on his back, was painfully lifting the massive hammer off his chest, shoving it aside with tremendous, agonizing effort.

The General staggered to his feet. Many of his bones were broken, but Noor noticed a hard crystalline layer encasing Hugo's body beneath his clothes—much of it now shattered, including the portion covering the right half of his face.

Hugo glared at him with pure malice.

"You nearly killed me, boy. But I have layers upon layers protecting my body from destruction."

General Hugo trudged toward his brush and palette, which he had thrown aside to keep them from being smashed, and picked them up. Noor watched him, eyes wide, unable to believe the man had survived such a strike.

The General plunged his brush into the green paint and began coating his body, causing his broken bones to knit back together. But Noor gave him no quarter. He conjured a pistol from his imagination, took aim, and opened fire. The bullets struck the crystalline armor, ricocheting harmlessly off it.

The General cast the yellow paint, sending a sticky yellow rope shooting forward to wrap around Noor's ankle. Hugo yanked him closer. Noor quickly forged a knife and managed to sever the sticky rope with considerable effort. But no sooner had he tried to stand than dozens of razor-sharp red threads darted toward him. Noor forged a solid, round shield, blocking the rapid-fire strikes, then hurled the heavy shield right into General Hugo's face.

Caught off guard, Hugo took the hit and stumbled back. Noor retreated as the General charged at him with murderous intent. But suddenly, Hugo stepped on something hidden in the grass. A net shot up from the ground, ensnaring him from all sides. The General quickly drew a sharp sword using the black paint, sliced through the netting, and broke free.

"You cunning little brat," Hugo spat. "You don't fight with honor."

Noor smirked. "Is 'honor' even a word in the Franks' dictionary?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The General scowled, his features tightening in anger. He mixed the red and yellow paints on his palette to create orange.

"You possess an astonishing ability, boy. However, nothing conquers art."

Noor stared at him with an icy expression. "Does an artist murder children?"

Hugo laughed darkly. "So that is why you seek revenge against me? For the children of Ghlizan? They are but a flawed excretion of nature. They are no different from beasts, save that they are slightly more intelligent. They are the product of stardust—the random dust that fell from space and contributed to the emergence of various forms of life. Some of those forms are evolved, intelligent, and pure, like the Franks. Others are vile and base, no different from animals, like the Ghlizan. It matters not how many of them die; they simply breed again like insects."