The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix’s Novels Also Desires Happiness

78. King of Indra (Happy National Day, seeking monthly tickets at the beginning of the month)

The buzzing death warning frantically tore at their nerves.

In the trembling vision, a massive palm blotted out the sun, pressing down with a force that felt as if the entire world were collapsing, nearly causing Mu En’s heart to stop.

And as the mist gradually poured from the gaps between the fingers, Mu En clearly saw the deep grooves of the fingerprints on that palm, along with countless scars that looked as if they had been carved by a mountain of blades.

This was truly a hand.

An exceedingly ordinary hand.

Yet at this moment, it felt like a mountain, falling from the sky.

Mu En’s eyes widened in horror, no longer caring about what might provoke the girl beside him, he wrapped his arms around the waist of the equally pale-faced Lia.

In an instant.

The alchemical core activated.

Then.

Time slowed down sixtyfold!

Ignoring the intense burning in his back and the piercing pain of his body tearing apart, Mu En frantically poured magic into the alchemical core, pushing the time dilation to its current limit.

Bones creaked, blood was forced out of his nearly overstrained body, turning Mu En into a figure drenched in blood, but his expression was fierce, his movements unwavering. In this fleeting moment created by the extreme time dilation, he held Lia tightly and retreated at full speed.

At the same time, a roar that seemed to be squeezed from the depths of the lungs shook the heavens.

“Pink Bear—”

Boom!

The mountains and forests trembled.

Under Mu En’s feet, the dense trees were almost instantaneously parted like a giant wave, as the pink bear-shaped puppet leaped up, wielding a massive wolf-tooth club that seemed to have been pulled from nowhere, and struck down fiercely upon that enormous palm.

“Damn you—get the hell out of my way!”

With a crash, it was as if countless streams of blood surged beneath the puppet’s skin, and the pink bear roared in fury, the wolf-tooth club bursting forth with blinding blood light.

With a crack, a clear wound appeared on the palm.

“Tsk.”

At that moment, a cold, disdainful click sounded, and the giant hand slowly retreated, sinking into the sea of clouds.

But the pink bear showed no signs of relaxation; instead, it was on high alert.

Mu En landed, letting out a long breath, yet could not help but feel the surge of blood, coughing up blood.

“You—you’re bleeding!”

A still somewhat bewildered Lia rushed over in panic, holy light gathering in her hands. “I’ll heal you!”

“Thank you.”

Feeling the warmth brought by the holy light, Mu En exhaled deeply, his gaze traversing the aftermath of that last blow, the forest that had been almost flattened, fixated on the edge of the Deadly Forest, where the sea of clouds had returned to calm.

In the pure, untainted sea of clouds, a figure suddenly emerged.

It was a man, an old man.

He resembled a withered tree, his eye sockets sunken, like a walking corpse, wrapped in tattered cloth that reminded Mu En of the robes worn by monks in his past life.

However, the man’s eyes held a terrifying brilliance, and his skin glimmered with a bronze hue. On his clasped hands, Mu En could vaguely see a new wound at the edges of his fingers.

On his already scarred palm, it was so… unremarkable.

“Hey, you brat…”

In front of him, the pink bear, gripping the wolf-tooth club, looked at the man and suddenly spoke:

“Don’t tell me you’re actually some illegitimate child of that little b*stard Audric.”

“Huh? Do I look like one?”

“Then you better tell me why the one coming to kill you… is a genuine Crowned One!”

The pink bear turned its head and shouted excitedly, “That old b*stard Plang never mentioned anything like this! No way, you better pay more, or I’m not doing it!”

“…”

“Long time no see, Oranriel.”

Not far away, the old man regarded the pink bear, a hint of nostalgia flickering in his eyes, and spoke up voluntarily:

“I never expected you to still be alive, but this curled-up figure in a leather suit is quite an eyesore.”

“The fact that an old relic like you, rumored to have died ten years ago, is still kicking is what’s truly surprising.”

The pink bear’s mouth twisted into a dry arc, his expression as pitiful as if someone had torn up his cherished little yellow book right in front of him. He shrugged his shoulders and said:

“I have no desire to fight with a decrepit ghost like you, the ascetic of the Red Desert—King Indra, Naluijia.”

“Hand over that duke’s son behind you, and we won’t need to clash.”

King Indra smiled, “Since we are old friends, why not make things easier? I’ll credit you with a third of the merit, and we can negotiate a fair reward.”

“Tsk, I’d love to tie that heartless brat up and deliver him to you, but I can’t. My stubborn, proud granddaughter has a terrible temper. If I toss aside her fiancé, she’ll come back to make my life miserable, and I can’t handle that.”

The pink bear squinted, “Besides, that kid’s father is no ordinary man. Are you sure you want to make a move?”

“Ha, that lion king is indeed formidable, and his son seems to be more capable than the rumors suggest, having dodged my earlier ambush.”

King Indra cast a deep glance at Mu En and said, “But when you take someone’s money, you must also help them avert disaster. And as you said, I am already a dying man. Why should I care about these overwhelming waves behind me?”

“Fair point.”

The pink bear’s expression grew serious, “In that case, if I end up breaking my old bones, don’t blame me!”

“Of course.”

King Indra bowed slightly.

“Please.”

“I’m coming!”

The pink bear shouted, a terrifying aura emanating from his comical leather suit.

A rich bloodlight surged forth, dimming the very daylight, creating an imposing spectacle.

“I never expected the pink bear to be this formidable?”

Seeing the pink bear show no signs of backing down, even exuding an overwhelming presence, Mu En was momentarily stunned, unable to hide his astonishment and admiration.

It seemed he had indeed viewed him through tinted glasses.

He should show a bit more respect to this potential elder in the future…

“Prepare to flee!”

At that moment, the pink bear’s cheeky voice suddenly rang in Mu En’s ear.

“Huh?”

“Flee, I’m no match for him.” The pink bear’s tone was tinged with urgency.

“…But aren’t you a co-crowned champion?”

“Damn it, being a co-champion and being able to fight are two different things, okay? His neck is just longer than mine; what can I do?”

Facing the intimidating King Indra, the pink bear wore a disdainful smile, appearing like an unfathomable master of the highest order.

But the secretive whispers he exchanged with Mu En told a different story.

“This Indra King among the crowned ones is no ordinary character; whether in experience or strength, he is terrifyingly profound. Your old man might stand a chance, but how could I, a cute and harmless bear, possibly be his opponent?

Besides, I don’t even have a girlfriend, and I haven’t had enough of those long white legs. I don’t want to be done in here!”

“……” Mu En’s mouth twitched.

Give my admiration back, you b*stard!

“We’re leaving!”

But since the pink bear had already said this, Mu En wasted no time, grabbing Lya’s small hand and turning to run.

“That won’t do.”

Seeing this, the Indra King’s eyes flashed with brilliance, fingers curling slightly, and he suddenly reached out in the direction of Mu En’s escape.

The ground trembled violently, as if an invisible giant beast had swung its paw, plowing through the earth, five deep, bottomless ravines merging into a cage, chasing after the fleeing Mu En.

But in the next moment.

Clang!

A piercing sound, like metal scraping against metal, suddenly rang out.

The pink bear swung the spiked club down fiercely, shattering the invisible beast’s paw and the ravines. He stepped forward, blocking the Indra King.

“Is this really okay? I’ve already said I’m coming.”

The spiked club swung horizontally again, bloodlight surging, the pink bear grinning savagely, delivering a blow straight down!

“Who do you look down on, old b*stard!”

A massive, deep pit appeared beneath the Indra King’s feet, as if a meteor had struck, the raging wind blowing through his tattered cloth, making the old man look like a candle flame about to be extinguished in a storm.

Yet his expression remained unchanged, still… so calm.

“It seems that peaceful methods can no longer solve the problem.”

The old man sighed heavily.

He brought his fingers together, clenched his fist, raised it, and swung it out.

The space instantly warped.

Then,

A brilliant crown rose up, as if the sun had descended!