The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 357. Reinforcement

"Her transformation..." Tyler murmured as he stared at the girl lying unconscious in Mathilda’s arms. "It kinda looks like Vale’s village chief... Misra."

Mathilda’s brows furrowed as she looked down at Astrid, who shimmered faintly with soft light and traces of darkness still swirling faintly beneath her skin.

"Now that you mention it... yeah," Mathilda nodded. "Misra’s Abyss Transformation kinda looks similar. But Astrid looks cute."

"Ah... Misra must be crying in her afterlife." Tyler said.

Just then, the ground trembled beneath their feet—a heavy, thudding presence approaching from behind.

Everyone turned sharply.

The Giant stepped out of the shadows, his towering form rising like a moving mountain behind Tyler. His massive feet cracked the earth as he stopped beside them.

"Enemy?!" Lily’s voice rang out as she immediately took her whip.

"No, no—hold up!" Tyler raised a hand quickly. "He’s an ally. Well... at least for now."

The others didn’t lower their guard just yet, but the tension eased slightly.

The Giant gave a slow, respectful nod before glancing at Astrid in Mathilda’s arms.

His deep voice rumbled like rolling thunder, echoing through the cracked terrain. "Hmm... interesting. She carries the Darkness Essence within her. Seems like you tiny people managed to defeat Night."

The Giant continued. "Night... not just any creature. She belonged to a forgotten race born in pure darkness—beings from the void between worlds. Parasitic in nature. When such beings die, they try to possess a suitable host to avoid true death."

Everyone stared at Astrid’s sleeping form in silence.

The Giant knelt down slightly, examining Astrid with glowing eyes. "This little angel has an extraordinary amount of Life Force within her. Far more than a normal half-angel. When Night tried to devour her from the inside, Astrid’s own life essence resisted. The darkness couldn’t consume her completely and... in turn, was consumed."

"Will she be alright?" Tyler asked, concern evident in his voice.

The Giant gave a thoughtful pause, then nodded slowly. "She will not only survive... she will awaken stronger. She’s evolving. Her soul resisted corruption and absorbed a fraction of ancient darkness. When she wakes... she may no longer be the same girl you once knew."

Lily blinked. "You mean her personality will change?"

"No," the Giant replied. "Her soul remains hers. But her power... her nature... is no longer just divine. It now carries the balance between darkness and light."

The wind picked up slightly, rustling Astrid’s hair.

Everyone remained silent for a moment.

"So you mean... She got a Power Upgrade..." Lily said with deadpan expression.

The Giant Understood the word ’power upgrade’ and nodded.

"Lucky... Why didn’t Night Possess Mana?" Mana asked with envy.

"You are a spirit." Mathilda gave her a side eye.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

Adam and Dusk were still locked in a brutal battle against Apollo, who commanded the battlefield from atop the Giant Abyss Lizard. Dusk faced off against the Giant Gorilla, while Adam took on the monstrous lizard itself.

The Gorilla let out a guttural roar as it raised its massive axe, aiming to cleave Dusk in half. But Dusk vanished in a flash, reappearing midair as a flurry of floating magical cards circled him like an orbiting storm.

"Try this," he whispered.

With a flick of his staff, Dusk directed the cards toward the Gorilla’s arm. They spiraled around the limb, moving faster and faster until sparks ignited into magical flames. The creature let out a pained cry as its arm was engulfed. The axe slipped from its grip and thundered to the ground.

Before the dust could settle, Dusk vanished once again.

Only his staff—and the tall magician’s hat balanced on top—remained standing where he’d been.

The Gorilla stomped forward, only to hear a shimmer of cards. Dusk had reappeared near the fallen axe. He tossed a handful of glowing cards onto the weapon, enchanting it with explosive energy.

The beast roared and tried to crush Dusk with its other hand—but the magician disappeared once more, this time reappearing back at his staff’s original position. He calmly caught the falling hat and adjusted it atop his head.

"Adam..." Dusk muttered as he eyed the battlefield. "Finish faster. This thing is really starting to annoy me."

Meanwhile, Adam was fighting the towering lizard. He held a giant hammer, which he slammed against the creature’s leg with a grunt. Sparks flew on impact, but the beast hardly flinched.

"Switch," Adam whispered.

The hammer disappeared, replaced instantly by a sleek silver sword. He slashed across the scales, but again—barely a scratch.

"Damn it," Adam muttered, then took out his yo-yo, flinging it upward to climb the creature’s massive body.

Just as he neared the top, the lizard’s entire body began to glow white. Energy surged toward its mouth, forming a brilliant beam of destruction.

Adam’s eyes widened. "No, no, no!"

The beam fired.

"Switch!" Adam yelled.

In a flash, he vanished, replaced by a chunk of stone. The beam blasted through the sky, tearing through clouds like paper.

Adam reappeared at a safer distance, panting. "That was too close."

He took another breath and launched himself upward again using the yo-yo. This time, his target wasn’t the lizard—it was the strange control machine Apollo was operating atop its head.

Drawing a futuristic gun, Adam took aim and fired. The bullet shot forward like a meteor, striking the barrier around the machine. The impact barely left a dent.

"Ha!" Apollo laughed, cradling the device in one arm. "You think that can break through my defenses?"

Adam gritted his teeth and fired again. But this time, just as the bullet reached the barrier, he whispered, "Switch."

The bullet shimmered—and swapped midair into a radiant sword pulsing with terrifying energy.

Apollo’s eyes narrowed. He moved faster than the sword, appearing in front of the device and intercepting the strike. The blade clanged off his armor, pushing him back slightly—but the machine remained untouched.

"Still not enough," Adam muttered, frustration creeping into his voice.

Suddenly, the air shimmered—and space itself tore open. Dawn stepped through the rift, followed by Tyler, Lily, Mana, Mathilda, and the rest of the Grandmasters.

Apollo blinked in surprise. "Reinforcements? Tch. So be it. I’ll just end this quickly."

He took a small vial and poured a drop of glowing liquid into the machine. Instantly, the lizard let out a deep, distorted howl, and its body surged with chaotic energy.

The Machine Needle slightly become unstable.

"Brother!" Dawn cried, ignoring Apollo completely as she flew straight toward Dusk.

"You girls assist Dawn and Dusk," Tyler shouted. "I’ll help Adam!"

As if on cue, the Giant Gorilla retrieved its axe and swung it at Dawn. But Dusk snapped his fingers just before it could land. The cards he had placed earlier on the weapon ignited in arcs of lightning, stunning the beast.

With the girls and Grandmasters joining the fray, Dusk finally had room to breathe.

Tyler landed beside Adam with a roll, brushing dirt off his cloak.

"I can’t fly," he muttered.

"Flight restriction," Adam explained curtly. "The Abyss Beast suppresses airborne abilities."

Tyler groaned. "Of course it does." fгeewebnovёl.com

"Any plan?" he asked.

Adam didn’t look away from the towering lizard. "If we can just destroy or remove the control machine on its head, the lizard will stop attacking us."

"That’s it?" Tyler tilted his head. "Sounds easy enough."

Adam scoffed. "It’s not! Apollo’s guarding the device, and it’s protected by a high-level energy barrier. Even if we use high level attack he simply uses his Armour as shield. We need to regroup and form a plan to completely damage or remove the —"

Adam suddenly froze mid-sentence, his eyes widening.

In Tyler’s hand was a Copper Ladle.

And resting inside the ladle—was the machine.

"H–how...?" Apollo gasped, visibly shaken.

"H–how...?" Adam echoed, completely dumbfounded.

Tyler casually twirled the ladle. "Told you. Easy enough."

Tyler simply took his copper ladle and made a swiping gesture towards the machine. Since the Needles were unstable he was able to take it easily.

"Can you snatch his armor?" Adam asked, glancing at Apollo.

"Nah," Tyler replied, shaking his head. "He’s wearing it. Not possible."

Before they could say more, the Abyss Lizard—now free from control—let out a thunderous roar, its voice shaking the ground. Its entire body began to glow with wild energy. Without warning, it reared up and dove headfirst into the ground, vanishing beneath the earth in a surge of tremors and dust.

Apollo, still standing atop the lizard’s head, lost his balance as the creature dove. With flight restrictions in place, he couldn’t escape into the air. He barely managed to leap away just before being crushed, landing heavily on the ground—right in front of Tyler and Adam.

The two stared at him for a brief moment. Apollo looked up, his expression furious and confused.

Then, to his surprise, both Tyler and Adam turned and sprinted away without a word.

"What the—?" Apollo muttered.

A second later, realization struck.

A massive beam of concentrated energy blasted down from behind, engulfing Apollo in a blinding flash. The ground cracked, smoke billowed, and the force of the explosion shook the battlefield.

The Lizard, now glowing with calm but immense power, didn’t even glance back. It turned its head toward the Giant Gorilla and let out a low, rumbling roar.

The Gorilla, still holding its axe, hesitated. Then, as if understanding something unspoken, it lowered its weapon.

Without a word, the two colossal beasts walked off together, disappearing into the distance.

Tyler and Adam reappeared behind a fallen boulder, watching in silence.