CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER57-FORGING THE BODY

"Exhilarating! This is too exhilarating!" Owen, his face covered in blood, threw his head back and roared with laughter.

The guy with dragonscale swung his arm, and once again, a fist landed right in front of Owen.

Gathering all his strength, Owen channeled the arcanergy within his body and met the giant’s fist with his own.

"Bang!" Just like before, he was sent flying, crashing into the wall with a violent noise.

"Ugh--" Owen spat out a mouthful of blood, mixed with chunks of his internal organs.

Despite the blood and the severe internal impact, he felt no discomfort, but rather a sense of exhilaration.

The robust vitality brought by Emerald Blessing hadn’t fully integrated into his body before.

It was like a balloon overfilled with air, bound to burst eventually.

Now, Owen was like a deflating balloon, the bomb within him being extinguished by the giant’s punches, one after another.

The energy of Emerald Blessing further refined his body, pushing it towards perfection.

Owen got up from the ground, laughing heartily at the giant: "Again!"

With a roar, they both exerted force simultaneously, their fists colliding like two shooting stars.

The immense impact caused the surrounding air to tremble, emitting a sharp whistling sound.

The noise of flesh meeting flesh echoed across the battlefield, sending chills down one’s spine.

Owen’s fists numbed from the giant’s power, his nerves uncontrollably trembling.

His arm muscles swelled, his blood boiling under his skin, as if about to burst forth.

He swung his fist again, smashing it hard against the giant’s body.

The giant was no less fierce, his fist carrying the power to annihilate everything, striking Owen once more.

Owen felt as if his body was being crushed under a mountain, his bones creaking.

He spat out another mouthful of blood, splattering it on the giant’s body.

They continued to exchange blows, each hit bringing endless pain and bloodshed.

Owen’s body had suffered severe damage, his skin split open, flesh blurred with blood.

Charlie was dumbfounded: "Your Highness, are we really not going to help?"

Finn’s mouth twitched slightly as he watched the dragon and the giant’s fight, his hair standing on end.

He felt if he went up, he would be turned into a pancake with just one punch.

"I..."

Hughes, who had been somewhat dazed as well, perked up upon seeing Finn’s dilemma and cleverly said,

"Haven’t you noticed that although Mr. Owen looks pitiful, he’s actually exchanging blows with the giant?"

Once again, Owen was sent flying in a parabolic trajectory by the giant, crashing into the wall, spewing blood continuously.

"Is this what you call exchanging blows with the giant?" Charlie pointed at Owen.

Owen sprung up from the ground like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, fearlessly charging towards the giant again.

Hughes pointed at Owen: "See, that’s how incredible Mr. Owen is. He doesn’t need our help at all."

Charlie watched Owen being thrown again, spitting a golden arc of blood into the air, "But..."

"There are no ’buts’," Hughes’s eyes gleamed with the light of wisdom, "Do you know what Mr. Owen is doing?"

"What?" Charlie was intimidated by the profound light in Hughes’s eyes.

"Hmm, if I’m not mistaken, Mr. Owen is using the giant for training."

"Ah?" Charlie looked at Hughes skeptically.

Finn also turned to Hughes, feeling his statement was too far-fetched, like a tall tale for children.

"Hear me out."

"Fine, I’ll listen to your... explanation."

"Why would I make it up?" Hughes rolled his eyes. "You’ve seen Mr. Owen’s speed before. If he wanted to escape, could the giant stop him?"

"No, he couldn’t."

"Exactly. So why does Mr. Owen keep engaging the giant in a fight to the death?"

Charlie realized: "Mr. Owen is training!"

"Right! That’s why Mr. Owen keeps fighting despite repeated defeats, and keeps getting back up after each fall."

"Mr. Owen’s strength is extraordinary, using getting beaten as a method of training. No one else could withstand such a training method!"

"Exactly."

"So, we really don’t need to help Mr. Owen; we might just disrupt his training," Charlie seemed to understand.

"Correct, so let’s not meddle unnecessarily."

Hughes sighed in relief.

He was genuinely worried that Charlie, in a moment of impulsiveness, might challenge the giant, diverting its attention onto them.

If that happened, their guard squad would be in a dire situation.

Finn almost believed him, but seeing Owen’s determination, it really seemed like what Hughes described.

Diana also looked curiously at Hughes, wondering whether he had just made a lucky guess or truly had an exceptional insight to see through Owen’s intentions.

The dragonscale creature, unable to defeat Owen for a long time, was also infuriated, its eyes turning a fiery red:

"Dragons are indeed tough. Once I split you in half with my axe, let’s see if you can still fight!"

The giant slowly extended his enormous arm, his bulging muscles clenching tightly around a five-meter-long axe.

The axe, rugged and ancient-looking, had clearly withstood the test of time.

Its body was covered in deep scratches and indentations, the traces of intense battles that chilled the onlookers to the bone.

The blade of the axe was not smooth, filled with serrated notches, a testament to the numerous enemies’ armors and bones it had torn through on the battlefield.

The handle was made of thick bones and rough wood pieced together, primal and wild.

Despite its ancient appearance, the giant axe emitted an undeniable aura of magic.

A faint black glow surrounded the axe, as if dark energy from the abyss flowed within it, making the surrounding air heavy and oppressive.

Charlie’s eyes suddenly lit up again, pointing at the giant and shouting, "He’s not fighting fair, Your Highness! Shouldn’t we step in now?"

The giant glanced briefly at Charlie.

Hughes quickly turned his head, pretending to admire a mural on the wall.

Only after the aggressive gaze passed did he turn back, speaking earnestly, "Charlie, do you really have so little faith in Mr. Owen?"

"It’s not that... The giant took out a weapon first, escalating the battle. We must help Mr. Owen."

"Help..." Hughes swallowed the words he wanted to scold with, "Of course we should help, but we need to find the right moment."

While the guard squad was arguing, the giant had already begun his attack.

A flash of crimson passed through his eyes.

Effortlessly lifting the giant axe above his head, he then brought it down fiercely.

A wave of black energy released from the axe instantly tore the ground around it, forming a deep fissure.

Owen, sensing the strong intent of death in the energy wave, rolled away to dodge.

The ease in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a solemn expression.

The previous battle had been fist against fist, and relying on his Gold Divine Dragon Blood and the strong vitality from Emerald Blessing, he could withstand the giant’s assaults.

But now, the battle had escalated.

If the giant’s axe struck Owen, it would undoubtedly cleave him in two.

No matter how confident Owen was in his constitution, he would not be arrogant enough to believe he could fully heal if bisected.

This was beyond his current capabilities.

He could only dodge endlessly, seeking an opportunity to attack.

Diana, being more powerful and insightful than the members of the guard squad, naturally saw that Owen was now at a disadvantage.

"Owen, if you can’t defeat him, retreat," she said.

Owen didn’t respond, knowing that only cowards retreat in the face of a powerful opponent.

To obtain the Dreamscape Stone, he had to get past the giant.

"Head-on collision? Who can’t do that?" Owen’s pupils instantly turned golden, a primordial aura swirling throughout the temple.

He transformed into the Gold Divine Dragon, his majestic, massive body shimmering in golden light.

His scales sparkled like jewels, emitting the ancient, primal aura.

Spreading his vast wings, he soared into the sky, letting out a deafening dragon’s roar: "Bring it on!"

The giant, wielding his huge axe, stood on the ground, formidable and unshakable like a mountain.

"A dragon, indeed a dragon! Today I shall drink dragon blood, eat dragon flesh!"

Owen flew above the giant and suddenly spewed a scorching stream of flame.

Dragon arcana·Dragonfire Breath.

The flames, sharp as swords, shot towards the giant but were easily blocked by his raised axe.

The giant roared in anger, swinging his axe with force, trying to knock Owen out of the sky.

Owen nimbly dodged the giant’s attacks while fiercely clawing at his body.

Each strike brought gusts of wind, shattering pottery and porcelain in the temple into pieces.

The giant’s scales and armor did their job, blocking most of Owen’s attacks.

Roaring, the giant kept swinging his axe in retaliation, but his strikes always missed Owen.

"Is this really diamond-tier? He’s going toe to toe with a master-tier," Hughes said in shock, his mouth agape.

Charlie, brimming with excitement, bellowed, "Mr. Owen will win!"

At that moment, something unexpected happened...