Super God Academy: Kabuto

Just as the angels were struggling to gather their nearly depleted divine energy, the light of the Fiery Sword flickered erratically under the increasingly turbulent, deep-sea-like blue spiritual tides and the endless barrage of physical tentacles from Lan Cang. In that instant, the balance of the battle was rapidly tilting towards the abyss—

The sudden change, like two pebbles thrown into stagnant water, abruptly shattered the almost solidified rhythm of destruction!

The first to stir was the space on the flanks of the battlefield. As if roughly kneaded by an invisible giant hand, the void twisted and rippled violently. A jet-black flagship, its bow resembling a ferocious bird's beak, its hull covered in sharp bone spikes and decaying feather reliefs, brutally tore through the spatial disguise, appearing like a ferocious beast struggling from a rift in the abyss, exploding with a suffocating sense of oppression! On the bridge, Hua Ye stood with his arms outstretched, head slightly tilted back, taking a deep breath, as if savoring the destructive energy and aura of despair permeating this star field. His face wore an extremely unsettling smile, a mixture of lewdness and self-satisfied arrogance. Ruo Ning followed closely behind, standing half a step to his side, her icy gaze sweeping across every corner of the battlefield like a razor.

"Hahahaha! What a rare sight!" Hua Ye's voice, amplified by some kind of energy, reverberated clearly in the gaps between the spiritual tides and energy explosions, filled with undisguised mockery and greed. "Holy angels with broken wings, ugly monsters roaming... Such an artistic and despairing scene, if I, the King, do not come to 'appreciate' it myself, wouldn't it be a loss to the universe?"

His appearance was like pouring cold water into boiling oil. Lan Cang's massive body paused slightly, and at least two pairs of compound eyes instantly turned, their cold gaze locking onto the unfamiliar warship radiating intense chaos and hostility. The mental tide that had been pressing down on Angel Chase showed a subtle shift, conveying a chilling assessment and warning. Angel Chase felt the pressure ease slightly, but alarm bells rang in her mind. Far from relaxing, she raised her already taut nerves to the limit—the threat of the demon was terrifying, but Hua Ye's filth and cunning represented a different kind of deep-seated disgust and danger to the angel.

However, before Hua Ye could further enjoy the superiority of his "fisherman's" status, and before Lancang could fully adjust its strategy to deal with this new threat—

In another space, a completely different transformation occurred.

There was no violent spatial distortion, no roaring energy release, only a magenta light and shadow, like shattered kaleidoscope lenses, appearing out of thin air without warning. These fragments of light and shadow spun and danced, then, drawn by an invisible force, rapidly converged and pieced together at the center. The whole process was quiet and eerie, carrying an almost artistic sense of "disharmony" that was out of place with the bloody atmosphere of the current battlefield.

Where light and shadow converged, Tsukasa Kadoya's figure quietly emerged. He held the iconic magenta camera in one hand, the other casually in his trouser pocket, as if he had simply strolled from one film set to another. He tilted his head slightly, his gaze calmly sweeping across the battlefield: past the angelic Chase, his silver armor stained with dust, his breathing heavy yet his eyes still sharp as stars; past the enormous, dark blue triangular monster, Lan Cang, whose spiritual power surged like a bottomless ocean; finally, his gaze settled steadily on Hua Ye's face, a face etched with desire and calculation, and paused.

Hua Ye's smug smile froze instantly, a slight crack appearing on his face. Deep within his pupils, a mixture of fear, anger, and a hint of embarrassment at having his thoughts exposed flashed. He stared intently at Kadoya Tsukasa, practically spitting out the words with suppressed rage: "It's you again… that guy you can't shake off like a shadow!"

Faced with this almost tangible hostility, Tsukasa Kadoya showed no sign of tension. Instead, the usual cynical and provocative smile on his lips became even more pronounced. He even casually raised the camera in his hand, the lens seemingly pointed at Hua Ye, his tone light as if greeting an old friend: "What does this mean? It means that the lens of fate always likes to focus on those characters with a lot of 'scenes,' doesn't it, Hua Ye... 'King'?" He deliberately slowed down his speech at the last title, the last syllable rising slightly, the undisguised mockery and faint contempt piercing like a needle.

"Insolence!" Ruoning, standing beside Hua Ye, glared coldly, her hand tightening on her sword hilt, her killing intent palpable. Hua Ye's facial muscles twitched uncontrollably, but he was, after all, a king who had reigned for tens of thousands of years. He forcibly suppressed his almost explosive rage, instead letting out an even more exaggerated laugh, one that subtly revealed a chilling glint of calculation: "Hahaha! Interesting! This is fucking interesting! Kid, I'll remember your reckless arrogance!"

His gaze, like a viper's forked tongue, darted rapidly between Tsukasa Kadoya, the struggling Angel Chase, and the menacing Lan Cang. Tsukasa Kadoya's sudden appearance had completely ruined his perfect plan to reap the benefits. This enigmatic and unpredictable individual's stance was ambiguous, but he was clearly connected to the Angel faction (or related forces), and his strength was unfathomable, defying conventional wisdom. Staying here any longer might not only result in nothing, but also risk being drawn into an unpredictable and dangerous vortex.

The weighing of pros and cons can happen in an instant.

Hua Ye's smile vanished abruptly, replaced by a cold, sinister expression. He stared intently at Kadoya Tsukasa, each word laced with undisguised threat and resentment: "Very well. Kid, I'll give you, and some others, a little 'face' today. But remember, the universe is vast, and the road ahead is long… We'll meet again!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he no longer hesitated, not even glancing again at the seemingly within-reach "prey" (Angel Chase) and the coveted "spectacle" (Triangular Lancang) in the center of the battlefield. He abruptly waved his hand and shouted sharply, "Retreat!"

The Skyfall flagship reacted swiftly, its hull immediately radiating a strong spatial jump glow. Amidst a somewhat hurried energy hum, it abruptly distorted and blurred, just as it had appeared, before finally disappearing into the rippling spatial waves, leaving only a rapidly calming void and a faint lingering aftertaste of depravity and desire.

Hua Ye's decisive (or rather, pragmatic) retreat instantly shattered the fragile and dangerous three-way standoff that had just formed. Amidst the shattered nebula dust, only Angel Chase, whose chest rose and fell slightly and whose holy flames, though dimmed, still burned tenaciously, remained facing off against Lan Cang, the Triangular Commander who had refocused all his attention and whose azure mental fluctuations resembled a deep-sea storm poised to erupt.

Tsukasa Kadoya remained in that subtly positioned spot, neither too close nor too far, his camera already lowered at some point. He seemed like an observer detached from the situation, or a chess piece of unknown weight already placed on the board, quietly awaiting its next move. His very existence was, at that moment, a silent yet powerful variable.

In Lancang's inhuman compound eyes, data streams flickered wildly, seemingly performing complex recalculations far beyond human comprehension. It locked onto the only remaining, and most crucial, target—Angel Chase. Hua Ye's interlude and retreat, and Tsukasa Kadoya's silent observation, seemed unable to shake its fundamental command priority. For the triangular entity, eliminating interference and executing the predetermined elimination task was the most efficient logic.

A dark blue light began to pulse and converge dangerously once again on its surface and on the surrounding fleet.