System: Replicating The Heavens

Chapter 531: Ch 531: Alex V/S Karoth

Alex had just replicated treasures from Karoth when Karoth moved.

BOOM!

The moment he shifted his weight, the world around Alex seemed to collapse inward. A deep boom rolled through the chamber as the ground shattered beneath Karoth's step. Dust burst upward like a dark wave, and broken stone flew in every direction.

Alex felt the pressure hit him before the sound reached his ears. This pressure was like a crushing force that made his chest tighten, and his bones scream in warning.

He tried to retreat, and his body tried to obey. But his thoughts were slower than Karoth's movement.

The space between them vanished. A massive shadow swallowed Alex's vision, and a black fist slammed forward like a falling meteor.

Bang!

The impact landed on Alex's chest with a thunderous bang that shook the walls and split the air. Pain exploded inside him. His ribs felt as if they had shattered into fragments, and his heart slammed violently against his chest.

Pfft.

Blood sprayed from his mouth, warm and bitter. His body was hurled backward, spinning helplessly through the air before crashing into a metal wall. The wall folded inward with a metallic scream and collapsed in a cloud of sparks and dust. Alex rolled across the ground, leaving a trail of blood and broken debris behind him.

He had to admit it had been far too long since someone had beaten him up this badly.

Before Alex could even breathe, Karoth was already there.

"Roar!"

Karoth roared like a beast. His roar was deep and savage, like thunder trapped inside a beast. The air vibrated violently, and Alex felt his mind shake from the sheer madness behind that roar. Karoth raised his foot and brought it down.

Crack!

"Boom!"

The floor shattered under Alex's body once again. Stone collapsed, and a shallow crater formed around him. The impact drove the breath out of his lungs. His back struck jagged fragments, and pain spread through his spine like fire.

He tried to move, but his legs refused to follow his mind. His arms trembled uncontrollably.

Karoth bent forward and seized him by the throat. Alex felt his neck tighten instantly, as if an iron clamp had closed around it. His feet lifted off the ground, and his vision blurred. Dark spots danced before his eyes as his breathing turned shallow and broken.

Ghk.

Karoth lifted him higher and then slammed him downward without mercy.

"Boom!"

The ground burst apart again. Dust exploded outward in a thick cloud. Alex's body bounced once and then sank into the shattered stone. Blood seeped from his lips and stained the broken floor beneath him.

Karoth did not pause. He continued to beat up Alex like he was a punching bag, a ragged punching bag at that.

A massive fist rose and fell on Alex.

Bang.

Another explosion of pain tore through Alex's body. His ribs screamed, and his organs felt like they were being crushed from all sides. He could taste blood filling his mouth.

Again.

Bang!

Again.

Boom!

Each strike was heavier than the last, as if Karoth was hammering him into the ground. Alex could not block or dodge Karoth's attack. His powerful strength and cultivation meant nothing in front of Karoth, who was at the peak of the Saint King Stage.

Although Karoth was a peak Saint King Stage warrior, his true strength and battle prowess could definitely match a Saint Sovereign.

As for why Alex was suffering so much, it was because every major stage within the realm of Saints was a vast chasm. Each step meant a complete transformation of body, soul, and laws. Power "multiplied" several times after advancing each major stage rather than "increased".

It can be said that the current Alex, even with his cultivation at the First Layer of Great Saint Stage, was at least ten times weaker than Karoth.

However, he was not helpless. He could have definitely gone against Karoth and beaten him up as well, but he didn't get the chance to activate his special physique or bloodline.

Even Alex knew that he could survive as long as he activated his special physique or bloodline. Unfortunately, Karoth was not giving him time at all.

Of course, he did have the time earlier, but he wasted that time in replicating treasures from Karoth's body.

As a result, his body was now being treated like fragile clay.

Roar!

Karoth roared again, and his roar shook the chamber once more. It was filled with fury and hunger. Alex even sensed something in his roar that gave him a feeling that this creature only existed to destroy everything, perhaps even the world.

Karoth grabbed Alex by the chest and lifted him with one hand, holding him like a broken toy.

Alex's body hung limply. His arms trembled, and his vision faded in and out. Every breath felt like swallowing fire.

Karoth pulled his arm back.

Boom!

Alex was thrown across the chamber. He smashed through broken machines and shattered walls, rolling through debris and metal shards before finally crashing to a stop. The ground around him cracked from the impact.

He tried to stand up, but his body failed. His muscles screamed in protest at the move.

He raised his brows and looked at Karoth, who was also looking back at him. Moreover, at this moment, Alex can see a mocking smile on Karoth's face.

"This.. cough... bastard!"

Alex swore in pain. Now that he had the chance, he decided not to let it go to waste.

"Godfiend Phantom Body, awaken!"

Immediately, Alex felt something awakening deep within him. The shattered ground around his broken form suddenly grew silent, as if even the dust dared not move. And then...

Thump!

A strange heartbeat echoed, not from his chest, but from the space itself. It was heavy, ancient, and suffocating. The air around Alex darkened, twisting into thin streams of black and pale silver mist that coiled around his body like living shadows.

Karoth was stunned when he saw the sudden change around Alex. He felt something was extremely wrong, and the smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a serious expression.

He wanted to get rid of Alex now, but before he could do that—

Hisss~

A sound like poison boiling filled the chamber. The mist thickened, and Alex's skin began to change. Karoth watched in shock as light bent unnaturally around Alex. His blood, which had been dripping onto the ground, stopped falling midway and evaporated into black smoke.

Crack... crack...

The fractures in the floor beneath him spread from the pressure that did not belong to the physical world. A cold aura expanded outward, carrying a chilling sense of death, yet within it pulsed an equally terrifying vitality.

Boom!

A shockwave burst from Alex's body. The dust, debris, and broken metal around him were blown away, but instead of being scattered violently, they seemed to pass through an invisible barrier, dissolving as if they had touched something unreal.

His eyes snapped open, and Karoth watched in horror as one of Alex's eyes glowed with a deep black light, and the other eye shone with a cold, silver light.

When his gaze shifted, space itself appeared to blur.

The mist around him surged wildly.

This was the first time Alex had awakened the Godfiend Phantom Body, and he had to admit the sensation he was feeling right now was simply too strong. He even felt like he could easily shatter this entire world with raw strength and still leave this place safe and sound.

Whoooom!

Alex's body slowly rose from the ground. His form flickered like a phantom flame, sometimes appearing fully physical, sometimes transparent enough that the shattered wall behind him could be seen through his chest.

Karoth, on the other hand, stood frozen in shock.

For the first time, he felt very uneasy. The red glow in his eyes flickered violently, like flames struck by a sudden wind. The aura around Alex was no longer something he could ignore. It was not just powerful; it was wrong and... different. It made Karoth's instincts scream.

A low, uneasy growl rolled out of his throat.

"Grrrrr!"

His claws tightened, cracking the ground beneath his feet. He could not understand what Alex had become, but his body and heart understood that Alex was dangerous. He felt threatened.

"Boom!"

Karoth stepped forward and swung his fist with brutal force. The air shattered from the sheer speed. The fist smashed straight toward Alex's chest.

"Shuaa!"

Surprisingly, his fist actually passed through Alex's body.

There was no resistance that he expected or impact.

Karoth's arm simply went through Alex's body as if he had punched smoke. The space behind Alex exploded instead, smashing into the wall and creating a huge crater.

Boom! Crash!

Karoth stared at his own arm in disbelief. Then he looked at Alex.

Alex was still floating calmly, his eyes lowered, quietly observing his own body and hands. He slowly opened and closed his fingers, watching how light bent around them.

Seeing how casually his once-beaten opponent was now acting, ignoring him completely, Karoth's rage erupted.