Heaven Breaker: SSS Rank Tiger Evolution-Chapter 55: Light in the darkness

Fire is bait, a sacrifice, and a hindrance, since his attacks end up being useless, yet he can still steal my attention.

Lightning is what causes the greatest damage in a short period of time—each attack is an immediate threat that must be dealt with in the best possible way.

Ice is versatile, capable of camouflaging, defending, attacking, and mitigating the damage from my flames, preventing his allies from dying.

Blood is just as versatile, with the added ability to poison me, but it cannot mitigate damage.

The white rats are disposable pawns, completely worthless.

Love and Shadow are important supports, but they are hidden, outside my reach.

The King is hidden behind them, in theory. But in reality, his voice could be projected from somewhere else. In other words, he may be luring me to the wrong place.

’I only need to kill the King,’ I thought. ’But Ice and Blood will protect him if I try. Fire will interfere, and Lightning will immediately counterattack.’

So I should defeat Lightning first... but if I do, they’ll protect him while trying to put fire between me and the others to slow me down.

No matter who I attack, they will defend with mastery. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

But what if I try a feint? Even then, there’s still a second shield, and everything repeats.

No matter what I do, their defense is simply too solid.

’Either way, it’s impossible to win unless I can instantly break at least one of their defenses. But in my current state—me weakened and them strengthened—it’s impossible to break such a robust defense.’

Touché. Checkmate.

With all my current firepower, victory is impossible.

I remained motionless as the ocean of rats continued to swallow me whole.

My eyes were fixed on the moon and the sun, shining with all their degeneration.

I laughed.

There was something amusing about it—the moon looked like sliced cheese, while the sun resembled a piece of grilled meat.

I swallowed hard before closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. I had been spending too much time devouring celestial bodies.

"It’s tempting... but can I eat this?" I wondered, summoning Ludwig, my [ Living Shadow ].

Until now, I had only eaten comets. Their energy was intense enough to make me fear what would happen next, forcing me to immediately expend the overflowing power.

However, I had asked the wrong question.

"It’s not whether I can, but whether I can endure eating all of this. Is my gluttony great enough? And the answer to that question is..."

I smiled, my eyes shining intensely.

"Gluttony! Go and satisfy your hunger!"

...

"It’s over," the Rat King said, licking his lips. "It’s time for the good part." He laughed as he watched the ocean before him.

However, at that very moment, a terrible chill ran through his body, forcing him to look up at the sky with wide, utterly terrified eyes.

"W-what i-is th-that?!" he stammered in horror.

It was instinctive for a rat to fear shadows—especially those that came from above.

However, this fear was not instinctive, but learned.

His smile faded, his eyes darkened, and his body trembled.

"Who’s there?! Who is the honored one wandering the filthy lands of this humble little rat?!"

He screamed in terror as he saw a beast’s shadow manifest on the face of the sun.

"What have I done to offend you, Senior?! Please, I beg for mercy! I ask for forgiveness—I’ll do anything for your pardon!"

His teeth chattered as the beast slowly opened its mouth.

The rat’s eyes narrowed into thin needles, his heart pounding faster and faster with every passing second.

He struggled against the instinct to play dead before a superior power.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! What did I do to offend a celestial devourer?! Wasn’t what they already did to this ruined land enough, that you now come to intimidate these humble creatures seeking evolution?! Do you not fear being intimidated by others as you intimidate me?! Those from distant lands will not stand by and watch this! They will bring justice for me! They will punish you cursed travelers who threaten to break the balance of this peaceful continent! Stop now if you know what’s good for you!"

The beast looked at him with curious eyes, prompting the rat to speak even faster.

"Yes! Senior, listen to me—let’s have some tea and forget our differences. I’m sure you can tell me much about the lands of travelers and their many wonders! Just leave that sun aside and come down here; I’m certain I have something more suitable for your refined palate..."

The rat smiled again, the smile weak and broken in a desperate attempt.

However, the beast merely snorted before opening its mouth wide, revealing rows upon rows of sharp fangs.

"No, Senior! NO!" the rat screamed. "Please!"

CRACK CRACK CRACK

The sun shattered at the point of the bite like a crunchy biscuit, blood spilling from it like the filling of a pastry.

The sky trembled.

The beast expanded and contracted rapidly, its body writhing in intense pain.

It looked as though the beast was about to explode, yet it clenched its teeth, focusing on keeping its form intact.

The beast’s throat soon constricted, swallowing a hot piece of the sun.

And the reaction was immediate.

"Good, Ludwig. Very good," Kai murmured, his body suddenly beginning to glow with intense heat.

SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK

The rats began to scream, opening space around him—many dying instantly from the intense heat he emitted.

Kai reached the ground for the first time since the battle began, the ocean of rats parting around him.

Kai laughed.

"I can’t handle this energy, so naturally it turns into heat and light." He kept laughing, feeling the overflowing power making his flesh glow with a pinkish hue.

At same time the explosive pressure of energy burst through the body’s pores to create openings, resulting in several minor injuries.

"Even so... I can handle the heat, as well as my blood." He smiled intensely. "And best of all, the poison in my blood can’t handle heat."

He laughed loudly, feeling the poison being cleansed from his bloodstream, his vision growing clearer and clearer.

"Even so, my resistance is at its limit." He closed his eyes, focusing. "But my healing can handle a few minor burns and injuries if necessary."

Kai took a deep breath, then exhaled—flames pouring from his mouth even without being summoned.

"Ludwig, eat another piece," he ordered, and the beast obeyed. "We gonna eat it whole."

Kai’s body glowed brighter and brighter, the ground beneath him beginning to melt like butter.

The Rat King looked on the verge of tears as he watched the sun shrink, the world growing darker and darker.

Kai laughed as he looked at him through Ludwig.

"You’re looking for the sun in the wrong place," he murmured as a beam of light rose into the heavens from his body.

The Rat King’s eyes widened in shock.

"I-it’s y-you?!" he stammered.

Kai only laughed as the sun went out like a candle, abandoning the world to eternal darkness.

[ You Killed The Sun ]

And in that darkness, only a single star shone brightly enough to banish it.

"The star you seek is not in the sky, but on the earth!" Kai shouted, channeling the power of the stars as an ocean of lava formed around him.

"And the star’s name is: Kai!!!"

BOOOOOM

Kai returned to the battlefield.