Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely - Chapter 269

Chapter 269: Seven Vs Two, Hatred Boosted Fists
[You have summoned a “Star of Hatred.”]

A crimson star appeared around Sam and began hovering in slow, deliberate circles.

It pulsed faintly, almost like a heartbeat, radiating an ominous crimson glow that only he could see.

As always, the celestials had no idea what was happening.

To them, nothing had changed.

They simply assumed that Sam and his clone were buying time, and so they all prepared to rush him, to overwhelm him completely and finish the job.

After all, once they killed him, they would officially earn the favor of the King.

Completing the [Ultimate Mission] would mean that one among them would finally “ascend.”

Whichever one of them achieved that would be able to lift the rest as well, making their entire group far stronger than before.

Their ambition gleamed in their eyes like reflected firelight.

“Eight of you died,” Sam said, his tone cold. “But… you don’t even seem sad.”

“Why would we be?” Lucien replied with a grin that didn’t reach his eyes. “It was expected. And to be honest, we already established the ranking within our group. The ones you killed were at the bottom.”

“Haha,” Grok laughed, his massive arms flexing with crimson mist pouring from his body. “Can we fight now? I’m tired of interruptions!”

“Go ahead,” Lucien said with a shrug. “We’ll assist you if needed. Not like he can actually hurt you anyway.”

Grok smirked, stepping forward.

In his awakened form, his body wasn’t just ten times stronger — it was far more durable than before.

Even the [Primordial Sword] could have struggled to cut through him now.

And without it, Sam had no chance of piercing his defenses.

Not physically. Not in this state.

Fwish!

Grok vanished from his spot and closed the distance in an instant.

His fist swung toward Sam’s head with enough force to rupture the air itself.

Sam moved back just in time, the blow missing him by a hair’s width.

As he dodged, his eyes flicked toward the others.

The celestials remained in position, circling him like predators waiting for the moment to strike, each one perfectly still yet ready to intervene if anything went wrong.

‘They know people are watching,’ Sam thought. ‘So they’re making a show out of this.’

They wanted everyone who was watching from the kingdom or even the [King] and [Colossals] to see how perfectly in control they were.

Every move they made was part of that act.

They had even chosen their strongest hand-to-hand fighter, Grok, to face him directly, while the others stood ready to react.

Every path of escape was blocked.

Every contingency accounted for.

It was checkmate before the fight even began.

There was no way out, no loophole, and no mercy waiting for him.

This was their victory, or so they believed.

Sam began to retreat, trying to create some distance, but Seris raised her hand before he could move far.

Golden vines burst from the ground, twisting upward like snakes.

Sam sensed them and ducked low, narrowly avoiding being caught, only to dodge again as Grok’s fist came crashing down from above.

The impact cracked the earth where he had just stood.

Meanwhile, the [Primordial Clone] stood still in the distance.

It hadn’t moved once since the fight began.

Normally, it would have already thrown itself into battle, attacking anything nearby, thirsting for destruction, yet right now, it just watched with that eerie, growing smile.

‘Stay like this until I order you to,’ Sam thought, keeping his mind linked with it. ‘We’ll get him.’

The clone gave a faint nod.

It took a ready stance, crimson aura flickering faintly around its edges.

Then—

ZAP!

A bolt of lightning tore through the air.

A [Thunder Spear] screamed toward the clone, who twisted aside, narrowly avoiding the blast.

“=)”

Lucien’s lips curled. “I’ll take care of that thing. We don’t give him any chances.”

The celestials all nodded.

Grok grinned wide. “Aw… I wanted to take them both at once!”

“No risks,” Lucien snapped. “We don’t know what that thing is capable of.”

“Come on,” Grok laughed, cracking his neck. “He lost his powers and his sword. What’s he gonna do? Watch this!”

He raised his leg high, crimson mist swirling thicker around his body.

In addition to their awakened forms, the celestials had each gained several new abilities.

They hadn’t trained or studied them, the knowledge had simply been imprinted into their minds upon awakening.

They knew instinctively how to use them.

SLAM!

Earth Flip!

Grok roared, his voice booming like thunder.

The crimson veins on his body pulsed violently as he slammed his foot down.

BOOM!

The ground erupted beneath Sam’s feet.

Chunks of earth exploded upward, and Sam was launched into the air, his balance momentarily broken.

‘Oh.’

Sam looked up and noticed that Grok was already waiting above him, face twisted in cruel satisfaction.

He swung his arm down. The air cracked from the sheer power.

‘I can’t avoid this,’ Sam realized instantly.

If he tried to counter, his arm would shatter. If he took the hit, he’d die.

No matter which path he took, death was certain.

Every time Grok landed a hit, it was fatal.

And right now, his strikes were even stronger than before.

Sam exhaled slowly.

‘I wanted to get more out of this,’ he thought grimly, eyes shifting toward the crimson star circling him. ‘But maybe… there’s no point if I’m going to die anyway.’

The [Star of Hatred] still hovered near him, burning brighter with every heartbeat.

He had only unlocked three of its five known abilities, and his plan had been to summon several more, three, maybe even four, to completely shift the tide of battle.

But that option was gone now.

He didn’t have the time. No more waiting.

Sam focused, his breathing slowing as time itself seemed to crawl.

HATRED BOOST!

The [Star of Hatred] froze mid-air, then shot into Sam’s chest like a streak of blood-colored lightning.

It merged with his body, and crimson energy exploded outward.

His eyes turned a deeper shade of red, glowing with violent fury as veins flared across his arms and neck.

The power of [Hatred] surged through him like a second heartbeat.

[Crush them.]

[Burn them.]

[Tear them apart.]

[Make them regret who they tried to stop.]

Sam’s expression hardened.

He clenched his fist and swung forward.

BOOM!

His punch met Grok’s fist head-on.

The impact sent a shockwave across the battlefield, a deafening blast that rippled through the air.

“GOT YO—” Grok started with a grin, but froze when he felt resistance.

Sam wasn’t being pushed back.

He wasn’t losing ground. He was matching him.

“What…?” Grok’s voice trembled. His grin faltered.

The collision was so intense that the celestials nearby had to shield their faces from the violent burst of energy.

“He’s still that strong?” Maeva muttered, blinking in disbelief. “Or is it just Grok?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Olivia replied sharply. “Be careful. The fact this parasite hasn’t died yet proves he’s still resisting.”

“Perhaps it’s time we just throw everything we have at him,” Damon sighed, his floating book beginning to glow.

Grok and Sam were locked in a dead stalemate.

Neither moved an inch, their fists trembling against each other as crimson mist and aura swirled violently between them.

Then—

“Gotcha,” Sam whispered, his lips curling into a faint grin.

In a single motion, he let go of the clash, sidestepped, and grabbed Grok’s arm.

Before Grok could react, Sam twisted it.

“ARGH!” Grok roared in agony. “KILL HIM!” he bellowed toward the others.

“What about you?” Olivia snapped. “If we target him, we’ll hit you too!”

“WHO CARES!” Grok screamed, panic in his voice. “I have a bad feeling about this!”

That was rare.

Grok, the same man who was always super confident, seemed to be shaken.

Even in his awakened state, some instinct deep inside him screamed that this wasn’t a normal fight anymore.

“You’re dead,” Sam said, his grin widening as he spun Grok’s massive body in midair.

Then he hurled him straight toward the [Primordial Clone].

At the same time, a beam of light, a rain of feathers, and golden vines shot toward Sam from every direction.

Fwish!

He stepped on Grok’s back mid-throw, using it as a springboard to leap into the air and evade all incoming attacks.

The beams and vines hit into the air where he’d been a moment ago, detonating in a storm of light and smoke.

Meanwhile, Grok’s body flew helplessly toward the clone, who was currently fending off Lucien.

“I’m backing away!” Lucien shouted. “Someone cover me!”

But that was the worst possible decision.

Because the moment he did—

Fwish!

“=)”

The clone’s smile widened.

It turned away from everyone else and focused entirely on Grok.

It was still boosted by the same [Hatred Boost] that had empowered Sam, meaning its strength was far beyond its usual limit.

Crimson aura flared around its arm as it drew back its fist.

“Oh…” Grok’s eyes widened.

He finally realized what was about to happen, but it was too late.

BOOM!

The clone’s punch connected directly with Grok’s head.

The impact detonated like an explosion, the force so great it sent every celestial flying backward.

Even Sam, who was still midair, was pushed back by the shockwave.

The ground beneath them shattered into fractures, light and dust erupting skyward.

Sam steadied himself in the air, breathing hard, watching as crimson mist rolled across the battlefield.

And for the first time that fight… he allowed himself to grin.

‘I guess it’s possible,’ he thought, his fist tightening. ‘Even with my bare hands.’