"Swallow them all!" Waldo ingested the three Power Enhancing Pills he had stored. Instantly, his body inflated like it was being pumped with air, growing significantly in size. Thump, thump, thump! His clothes, too, were torn apart by his expanding muscles, becoming tattered rags. His entire aura soared to an incredible new height.

...

"Is the captain’s strength skyrocketing?!" Wade watched Waldo from a distance, a flicker of inexplicable fear in her beautiful eyes. Mallin’s expression was also complex. "Our combined strength as siblings is over two hundred. We might not be among the top trial participants, but we’re still outstanding. Yet, the gap between us and the captain is still so vast!" Wade remarked with a sense of relief, "Thankfully, we teamed up with Waldo as our captain before entering the palace. Otherwise, we might have been trapped here!"

The siblings exchanged a look, feeling a sense of trepidation. Without Waldo, if they had recklessly ventured in, they would likely never defeat so many bloody puppets. They would either be killed or trapped here until they starved to death. In any case, the outcome wouldn’t have been favorable.

But now, with Waldo present, they were not overly concerned. They had immense confidence in him, and rightly so. The strength displayed by Waldo was astonishingly beyond their imagination. They even speculated that Waldo, at that moment, was much more powerful than his apparent combat strength of five hundred. With such terrifying power, there was no reason he couldn’t defeat these bloody puppets.

The two did not speak further, their eyes bright with tension and anticipation as they watched the scene unfolding not far away. At this moment, Waldo, unleashing his full strength again, charged toward the distant bloody puppets with an unmatched will to fight and an overwhelming aura.

...

"Attack!" Waldo roared, his voice thunderous. Wielding the massive axe, he truly became a terrifying war deity. His axe seemed to tear a rift in the void itself as he struck down. Boom! A bloody puppet at the forefront was hit by his axe, causing a huge explosion. Waldo’s power surged ferociously into the puppet.

Unbelievably, the body of this bloody puppet had thousands of threads connecting it to the other puppets, transferring all of Waldo’s released power outwards. Beneath the feet of the nine bloody puppets, a massive formation pattern rose, enveloping them all. Countless threads interlinked, binding them as one entity.

"Die!" Waldo bellowed. The energy inside him surged like a tsunami, quickly reaching the limit that the nine bloody puppets could withstand.

After consuming the Power Enhancing Pill, Waldo’s strength was much greater than before. What was previously impossible, now seemed achievable. With a roar, Waldo clenched his axe, using the power of his waist to spin in a circle. Using this immense momentum, the massive axe, like a meteor, smashed fiercely into the leading bloody puppet.

Boom! The puppet was sent flying backwards. Due to Waldo’s terrifying power, it exploded mid-air, bursting into countless fragments that fell like rain.

...

And just like that, the first of the bloody puppets was blown apart!

At this moment, the formation composed of the nine bloody puppets was declared broken. Dealing with the remaining bloody puppets became much easier for Waldo. Seizing the opportunity, he did not hesitate and launched continuous attacks.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Explosions followed Waldo’s roars, one after another. The bodies of the bloody puppets were blown apart in mid-air. At this moment, Waldo was like a god of war. His axe stirred the winds and clouds like a giant serpent, leaving devastation in its wake. Determined to kill these bloody puppets, Waldo spared no expense and disregarded the consequences. Even at the risk of sustaining lasting injuries, he aimed to quickly eliminate these puppets. Delaying further would only make the situation increasingly unfavorable. This action was a necessity under the circumstances.

...

As the bloody puppets exploded, blood splattered throughout the palace, filling the air with a thick, heavy scent, rapidly engulfing the entire rulers’ palace. WadeMallin siblings sighed in relief, smiles of relaxation appearing on their faces. "Finally, it’s over!" They exchanged a look, feeling the weight lifted off their chests. Waldo’s strength had indeed crushed the bloody puppets.

...

"Finally, all are dealt with." After the battle, Waldo coldly surveyed his handiwork. The ground was pockmarked and littered with various fragments. Just then, a special light appeared, repairing the damaged ground. Seeing this, Waldo let out a cold snort. "As expected, this palace has the ability to self-repair. Its power comes either from the chessboard world itself or from some method left by the supreme rulers! It must be something of endless might!" "And the bloody puppets I killed must also be a part of the palace."

"If I couldn’t kill them immediately, their power would quickly recover. Over time, even I would likely face nothing but death!" A dangerous flicker continuously sparked in Waldo’s eyes. At this moment, he pondered deeply. The great battle had ended, but more challenging difficulties lay ahead. The ordeal was far from over.

"Hmph!" Suddenly, Waldo’s expression changed, and he let out a muffled grunt. His complexion swiftly shifted from its healthy rosy hue to a purplish tone. A putrid scent also began to emanate from him. At the same time, his previously soaring and dominating aura suddenly plummeted, collapsing like a towering edifice in an instant, with astonishing speed.

Waldo staggered. "Damn it, the side effects are kicking in so quickly?!" Without time to think, he immediately took out a bottle of Apple Pills and swallowed them like beans. Upon entering his stomach, the pills transformed into a warm current flowing down from his throat. More warmth surged toward his limbs, which had been growing weak. His entire body felt warm and comfortable, like basking in the sunlight on a winter day, utterly relaxing and refreshing. The rapidly diminishing power inside him was quickly replenished and restored!

"Captain, are you alright?"

"Captain, what happened to you just now?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

WadeMallin hurried forward to support Waldo, their concern evident.