Fly tried to adjust his mindset according to the theory Genevieve had mentioned earlier, but he found it completely useless. The Roach Matriarch continued to hack at him with her black scythe, unrelenting.

  Before he knew it, Fly had been forced to the very edge of the square earthen platform.

  "You just won't quit, will you?"

  Fly glared abruptly at the Roach Matriarch, a flush of anger rising in his expression.

  If not for him, how could this Roach Matriarch be strutting around here acting so high and mighty?

  This Roach Matriarch was nothing more than the origin of the Beast Totem residing within his Sea of Consciousness. Essentially, she was just a spiritual body condensed from mental energy.

  In a sense, he was the one who had given the Roach Matriarch "life."

  If this were the real world, fine—perhaps he wouldn't be a match for the Roach Matriarch.

  But this was his Sea of Consciousness!

  This was merely a world constructed by his own subconscious.

  "In my own dream, am I really going to let you push me around?"

  Fly let out a furious roar and raised his fist.

  Behind him was a bottomless abyss. Since there was no retreat, he might as well go all out and fight her to the death!

  Even if Grandmaster Muse was desperate to find a disciple, surely she wouldn't let anyone actually die here, right?

  After all, the attendees of this exhibition were all renowned geniuses in Star City, many with deep family backgrounds. Offending all these major clans would be a significant trouble even for someone of Grandmaster Muse's stature.

  Worst case scenario, I just get blasted off the stage like Gideon King, Fly thought to himself.

  Having made up his mind, Fly hesitated no longer. With a sudden stomp against the ground, he charged straight at the Roach Matriarch. The moment he closed the distance, he abruptly raised his fist and smashed it toward her chest with all his might.

  "Take this!"

  It seemed the Roach Matriarch hadn't expected Fly to dare to fight back, and for a moment, she actually failed to react.

  Bang!

  With a thunderous crash, the Roach Matriarch was sent flying on the spot.

  "Huh?"

  Now, even Fly was dumbfounded. He completely hadn't expected the power of his single punch to be this great!

  The Roach Matriarch flew backward, tracing a perfect parabola in the air before smashing heavily onto the ground. And strangely, Fly felt no pain in his fist whatsoever.

  Fly looked at his own fist in disbelief.

  "So, in my Sea of Consciousness, the physical laws of the real world don't apply?"

  "Just like in a lucid dream, I can do whatever I want?"

  "I can solo the Roach Matriarch?"

  "I am invincible?"

  Fly's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled upward.

  It was like playing a horror game where you're chased all over the map by a horde of unknown ghosts, driven to the brink of death. But just as you feel lost and despairing, you look up and suddenly realize there's a red bar floating above the enemy's head.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  A Health Bar!

  Anything with a health bar can be killed!

  "Then there's nothing to be afraid of!"

  "There's absolutely nothing to be afraid of!"

  Fly couldn't help but let out a wicked laugh. He strode forward, walking straight toward the Roach Matriarch.

  [DIE!]

  The Roach Matriarch rolled over and stood up again. Her mandibles hissed, issuing a death threat to Fly.

  But in the next second, Fly practically teleported right in front of her. He clenched his five fingers into a fist and drove a vicious uppercut straight into her chin.

  "Lushan Rising Dragon Fist!"

  The power of this punch was considerable, forcefully launching the Roach Matriarch three meters into the air.

  As she began to fall, Fly leaped up directly, clasped his hands together, and smashed them ruthlessly down onto her abdomen.

  Bang!

  With a thunderous crash, the Roach Matriarch's body was embedded deep into the ground. The surrounding earth cracked and splintered, spreading out like a meticulously woven spiderweb.

  What Fly found even more incredible was...

  Just a moment ago, the Roach Matriarch had been a colossal monster several meters tall. But in the blink of an eye, her size seemed to have shrunk significantly.

  "No, that's not right. It's not that she got smaller; it's that I got bigger."

  Fly quickly analyzed the situation. He felt that ever since the spark of rebellion had ignited in his heart, power had been surging endlessly from within his body.

  It wasn't just that his strength had increased.

  Even the Roach Matriarch's movements were now crystal clear to him.

  It felt as though the scene before him was being played back in slow motion, at 0.5x speed.

  Sizzle!

  In an instant, the Roach Matriarch, lying on the ground, spat a stream of acidic blood at Fly. She then sprang up violently, brandishing the black scythe in her hand, slashing horizontally at Fly's waist!

  It happened in a flash. Fly felt his vision become brighter than ever before. The trajectory of the acidic blood was displayed clearly and perfectly before his eyes, and his body moved instinctively.

  He dodged the acid attack with a side step, and simultaneously, his hand shot out, grabbing fiercely at the Roach Matriarch's forelimb that held the black scythe.

  Fly's body size during this period continued to expand.

  By the time Fly noticed, his height had already surpassed that of the Roach Matriarch in front of him.

  Fly grabbed the Roach Matriarch's wrist with one hand, while his other hand reached for her joint.

  It was worth noting that this joint connected to the chain of the black scythe she held, and it was also the weakest point of defense on the Roach Matriarch's body.

  "Do you really think just because I call you 'Roach Matriarch,' you're actually a 'Matriarch'?"

  "You're a hundred years too early to be acting high and mighty in front of me."

  Looking at the glaring Health Bar above the Roach Matriarch's head, Fly roared like a beast. He exerted force with both hands simultaneously, his facial features twisting into a ferocious expression.

  This sudden change caused even the Roach Matriarch to shudder involuntarily.

  Crack!

  Crack!

  Fine fractures expanded continuously on the Roach Matriarch's forelimb. Finally, with a crisp snapping sound, Fly forcibly broke off the Roach Matriarch's limb, snatched the black scythe, and gripped it firmly in his hand.

  "Watch closely. This is how you use a scythe."

  Fly was diligent in his cultivation and had long since mastered blade techniques to perfection. In his previous life, he had also read quite a few Wuxia novels. Although this wasn't a Wuxia world, in his own Sea of Consciousness, what the mind conceived could be realized. Therefore, Fly unleashed the martial arts move he had always longed to use.

  "Ascending Sword Style: Eight-Point Hidden Blade!"

  Fly swung the scythe violently, slashing toward the Roach Matriarch. The speed of the blade was incredibly fast, leaving a series of afterimages in the air. At a glance, it looked as if dozens of scythes were slashing at the Roach Matriarch simultaneously.

  The Roach Matriarch waved her remaining forelimbs, intending to defend, but for a moment, she couldn't determine the direction of the incoming blade at all.

  Crash!

  With a single strike, acidic blood splattered in all directions.

  But...

  What terrified the Roach Matriarch even more was that in the face of the corrosive acid blood spraying toward him, Fly chose not to dodge at all.

  Sizzle—

  The acidic blood splashed onto Fly's body, emitting a harsh hissing sound, yet Fly remained completely unharmed!

  That feeling... it was as if Fly were the sovereign ruler of this world. All laws existed because of him, and no attack could harm him in the slightest!

  Such impeccable, oppressive pressure drove the Roach Matriarch to the brink of despair.

  Is this guy really human?

  No...

  "Hiss... hiss... hiss..."

  The Roach Matriarch's mandibles emitted a sound once more.

  [He is not human.]

  [He is the King of the Insect Race! The undisputed King!]

  At this moment, the Roach Matriarch finally realized the gap between herself and Fly. Between them lay a thick barrier, as if they were not from the same dimension.

  Truly invincible, with an indestructible golden body!

  Although the Roach Matriarch's body had been hacked into a mess by Fly, she felt not a shred of resentment in her heart. On the contrary, she was completely immersed in Fly's overwhelming power and had utterly submitted.

  He is the true King of the Insect Race!

  "Break for me!"

  Fly swung the black scythe, delivering the final blow. A blade of energy, pitch-black as ink, surged through the space, severing everything in its path.

  And this entire world began to collapse!

  Thanks for reading!

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