Duality of Shadows-Chapter 963: You Never Run Away

The queen’s universe fell silent; all the chaos-immersed laws stabilized. It felt as though every living being was weighed down by an overwhelming pressure.

The whale arrived, gripping his hammer, tearing through the queen’s domain as if it didn’t even exist. The queen widened her eyes in disbelief. She was certain no living being could enter or leave her domain, but… what stood before her was no longer a conventional form of life.

With her celestial soul, she felt it clearly: it was as if she was facing the very will of the heavens incarnated. Not only had he elevated his soul to match her own level, but he had also transformed into something beyond belief — all while his cultivation remained in the divine realms.

In that moment, a cold sweat ran down her back. Even though capturing him had been her highest priority, she realized he was a thousand times more dangerous and unpredictable than she’d ever imagined. If he were to cultivate into the immortal realms and continue growing… how far could he go?

Without hesitation, the queen unleashed her full power.

The vast universe lost all its colors. Everything became engulfed in sacred gold, emanating largely from the primordial chaos item. It was a technique of her own creation, based on the laws drawn from that item.

Alm and Bruno took deep breaths, catching the sharp scent of blood. Ruri appeared beside them, turning to face everyone behind her. She exhaled deeply, though a sense of relief washed over her as she confirmed everyone was still alive.

The entire army gazed at the whale’s back, watching him stare coldly in the direction where the queen observed them from space.

"Master…" Rehvka murmured, her trembling eyes fixed on him.

For the allies, his arrival was like a decree of victory. They clenched their fists tightly, many with tears streaming down their faces. They had succeeded in buying the necessary time.

"Enter."

The whale’s dry command echoed. Everyone felt a force pulling them, and they allowed themselves to be taken. Moments later, they found themselves in the safety of the internal universe.

The immortal heroes stood frozen, gripped by the suffocating presence of death itself. They couldn’t even breathe, their gazes locked onto the whale’s, as an immense oppressive force sealed them in place.

The queen, however, didn’t care. She focused entirely on her power. It all happened in mere seconds, but it was enough for her to ensure he couldn’t escape now. The entire universe was surrounded by golden light and mist. She knew that using laws or anything beyond raw power against this figure was pointless.

Alm and Bruno, meanwhile, understood they had lost any chance of escape the moment they arrived. Yet there was no turning back. Now, they would face their hateful enemy head-on, for the first time.

A dry, mocking female voice echoed:

"Well, well, you’ve come quite far, stealing my things. I admire your boldness in trying to elevate yourself so blatantly within my universe. But the game’s over. Everything you’ve gained will now be mine. You’ve been quite the contributor to my cause."

Her voice brimmed with confidence. Despite everything, he was still too weak. If this figure had fled and focused on cultivating safely, she might’ve been in trouble.

But… he only let out a vile laugh, locking eyes with her golden gaze, and slowly replied:

"Oh? I’d say the same. You’ve built quite a nice place here, filled with opportunities for me to enjoy. You thought it was a good idea to create this space as a slaughterhouse, where your heroes could train, use, and kill at will. But here I am. I gathered the ants and climbed my way up at your expense. With your resources, I’ll also take your head."

A disdainful laugh echoed for several seconds.

"Hahaha… And how exactly do you plan to do that? I might’ve panicked if I’d discovered you weren’t here. But you were foolish enough to return. Sacrificing those people was an obvious choice. I overestimated you; in the end, an ant could never have the mindset of a king."

She scoffed, her eyes flaring with intense light.

In that instant, all the frozen immortal heroes felt their bodies surge with her power to their limits. Their minds cleared, and they felt a strength many times greater than before.

Two hundred immortal heroes quickly unleashed their full power. The entire universe watched as its laws spiraled into chaos once more. Every living being felt the impact; their bodies trembled with fear.

"Show him the true power a servant must possess. Absolute loyalty means living or dying at my will."

The cold, emotionless female voice echoed, reverberating through all heavenly laws, heard by every living being.

**"For the queen!"**

A thunderous cry erupted from all directions. Every hero roared mightily. But it wasn’t just them: across the queen’s universe, all beings had their mental dominance maximized by her command. They too shouted with all their might, from every planet and galaxy.

Ruri, standing beside the whale, clenched her fists tightly. Alm and Bruno, their souls fully united once more, prepared themselves for what was to come.

The whale just kept staring at the golden eyes, clear mockery gleaming in his gaze. She noticed it and spoke with disdain:

"Capture him."

Immediately, all the heroes gripped their weapons, but...

"What a waste of time," the whale’s voice sounded indifferent. "The power of a slave? Watch what the trust and will of an insect can create, Ruri."

"Yes!" she responded curtly, stepping forward.

The queen looked at the human woman coldly. Then, the memory came back: years ago, she had sensed, from an obscure corner of the universe, a will so strong that even she noticed and reacted to it. She remembered the moment she activated Ruri’s rune, intending to dominate her. (Chapter 124)

The queen rarely cared about the insects in her universe, but now and then, someone talented enough emerged to warrant a second glance. She didn’t lack power or servants, but creating divinities wasn’t something easily accomplished. That was why the people in her universe were subjected to minimal dominion in an attempt to cultivate them. Each generation, a dozen candidates emerged, and she made some effort.

After activating dominion over Ruri, the queen had simply forgotten about her. But now, she realized even that had been exploited by the figure who had stolen the very talents she herself had selected.

"Ridiculous. Well, you’ve trained slaves for me, so she’ll be welcomed. Go." Her voice was cold and contemptuous.

At the same time, the heroes charged at full force. However, after just a second, their bodies froze in midair.

The queen noticed the small human’s eyes turn violet. Suddenly, the immortal heroes began coughing blood, their crimson mixing with a violet hue, as if poisoned.

Ruri smiled, and nine violet lotuses materialized around her, spinning softly. They had been activated the moment she arrived but hidden perfectly within space, infiltrating the heroes without detection.

’Mental cultivation?’

The queen recognized the technique, but her eyes narrowed as she realized it went far beyond that. It was on a level superior to that of the technique’s original creator—terrifyingly stronger. Ruri’s mental power had invaded the heroes’ bodies so subtly that no one had noticed.

Though injured, the heroes growled, sensing the violet threads within their bodies. They quickly activated their heroic power to expel them, needing just five seconds to succeed. It was futile.

At that moment, Ruri spread her arms. The nine lotuses began spinning, and in her hands, two smaller lotuses materialized: one a radiant celestial blue and the other as dark as black ink.

The two lotuses began spinning rapidly, their energies burning like flames and growing in size at an alarming rate. Within two seconds, the lotuses’ flames had expanded to hundreds of meters.

The queen’s eyes widened in surprise. They were flames born from faith, flames of karmic celestial energy, and Yin. The small human was also enveloped in a pulsating mental energy of intense violet.

’Three completely different energies... none of them individually strong enough to challenge an immortal, let alone three energies that should repel one another.’ The queen murmured to herself.

In the next instant, Ruri merged the two lotuses together. Simultaneously, her mental power fused with them. The energies didn’t just combine—they multiplied tens of times over!

*"World Exterminating Karmic Lotus!"*

In less than four seconds, Ruri’s voice reverberated through the heavenly laws. A massive lotus with petals blending violet, celestial blue, and black appeared. It spun, radiating apocalyptic pressure in every direction.

The queen, emotionless, ordered: "Dodge...". But her words halted midway, as immortal-level time and space laws were invoked.

The lotus immediately materialized amidst the heroes. There was no chance to defend, not for those whose bodies were still affected by Ruri’s mental power.

**KBOOM!**

An indescribable explosion completely obliterated the region. The entire galaxy they were in was wiped out, and nearby galaxies saw their stars extinguished in an overwhelming wave of destruction.

Thankfully—or not—all those galaxies had already been evacuated of life. Still, the chaos and devastation left a colossal void in the region.

It took minutes for the queen’s golden power to forcibly stabilize everything. First, she analyzed the situation, deeming it senseless and irrelevant. But upon recognizing the attack’s true capability, she realized she had no time to react.

With a simple gesture, the queen snuffed out what remained of the devastation as if extinguishing a fragile flame. But...

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Her eyes turned to a round figure who stared at her indifferently. Just ahead of him, the small human appeared utterly drained, her face pale.

As for the immortal heroes... there was nothing left of them.

Two hundred immortals, two-thirds of the queen’s entire strength, had been annihilated. They had cost her millions of years, resources, and effort to cultivate.

The queen couldn’t believe it. How was this possible? Her eyes locked on the whale, who wore a mocking smile.

"Of course, it wasn’t just her power," he spoke calmly. "She’s not alone. My power and the will of all my followers united with hers. That’s the strength of those who aren’t slaves."

The queen’s golden eyes narrowed in fury. "Insects..." she growled. But deep down, it didn’t matter. They were disposable servants, and she believed she’d gain much more by capturing them and discovering how their power worked.

Snorting, her golden eyes turned to Ruri.

In that instant, her golden power moved. Emerging from the void, a katana slashed less than a meter from Ruri’s neck.

*Clang!*

The sharp clash of metal echoed. The queen narrowed her eyes further.

Kaiyka had acted on her command, and her strike had landed successfully, but the blade of her sword, wielded by someone who cultivated the Dao of the Sword God, had shattered.

Ruri’s exhausted body was now covered in radiant violet scales. A supreme primordial draconic aura burst forth into the world. At full power, the strike hadn’t even come close to piercing her defenses.

Ruri and the whale grinned sinisterly.

"Pathetic and predictable," Ruri spat. She then waved her hand, and Qi flowed through her body as if from nowhere. She used World Completeness on Kaiyka, completely binding her.

Holding a mass of runes, Ruri turned to the whale. He nodded, satisfied, and in an instant, both she and Kaiyka disappeared into his internal universe.

The whale turned to the queen, letting out a vile laugh.

The queen now realized she had been fooled again. Ruri, defenseless? Since when had that woman ever been a damsel in distress? She had feigned weakness, knowing Kaiyka was hiding, protected by the queen’s power.

Kaiyka was highly skilled in that Dao, something no hero could rival. She was a missionary with her own advantages, valued by the queen, who intended to cultivate her further in the future.

After the heroes were eliminated, the whale and Ruri had set a perfect trap. They had gambled on the queen using her in this situation, still believing they weren’t worth her direct intervention. In the end, Kaiyka was sealed effortlessly.

Every move had been quick and precise. The queen had the power to stop it all, but the pair had exploited her arrogance, her disdain for acting personally. As the supreme ruler of all universes, she believed everything was beneath her and could be dealt with easily.

"Must feel nice to be so arrogant, huh?" the whale said, placing his hands behind his back and staring into her golden eyes.

A dry snort echoed from her.

"Fine, I’m done with this game. If you think I care about such things, you’re very naive. Everything will return to me anyway. And as for you, you’ll never escape."

As she spoke, the whale saw a blinding golden light. Finally, the queen’s full physical form began materializing, radiating her complete, maximum power.