Chapter 152
Cheng Xiaoyu was aware of her concerns.
"I see."
Since there would be no accidental injury, Che Huiyi naturally didn't intend to show any mercy.
Or perhaps she vaguely knew that if she didn't use the Final Sword, she might not be able to intervene in the battle between the two.
Chapter Sixty-Three: Crisis.
When Castorice realized she had been ambushed, she didn't immediately think of using a feint. After all, the Dragon Emperor she had seen in other volumes of Remembrance was the type who liked to sweep everything aside, and even if he had some strategy, he would only enjoy the pleasure of his opponent being defeated.
Therefore, Castorice did not think that he would avoid fighting in front of her.
But... for some reason, a vague sense of unease rose in her heart, which made her unwilling to stay in the dungeon any longer.
Castorice wasn't worried that the Swordsman Guild would embezzle her reward. Even if they did, she wouldn't really care. More than anything, she wanted to know the source of this unease.
Since the king here is dead, she no longer needs to stay here.
After saying goodbye to the Swordsman Guild and leaving the dungeon alone, Castorice immediately realized that something was wrong.
There was an abnormal gathering of magic power in the direction of Country H. It wasn't that she could sense Country H within her perception range, but rather that the situation in Country H was visibly abnormal.
I instinctively opened a portal, only to find that the coordinates I left behind had become blurry and unclear. If I teleported randomly, I didn't know where I would end up.
This unexpected situation immediately reminded Castorice of the Illusion Monarch. She had previously taken precautions against him, and now this was his way of retaliating.
However... it's a bit too confident to manipulate space in front of her. Although she doesn't have the core of the Herrscher of Void at this moment, her sensitivity and understanding of space will still be inherited even if she loses the core.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
The area that was once a city has now become a basin, and the people protected by the Shadow Legion stare in disbelief at the battle in the Sky Manipulation.
Even S-Class hunters found this scene unfamiliar and incomprehensible.
Gao Jianli was panting heavily. The magic power within him was still immense, but his body had reached its limit. The feeling of aging filled him with bitterness. He couldn't even go up to help; he even needed others to spare energy to protect him.
His body was nearing its limit; had it not been for the magic within him, he could have died at any moment.
In the Sky Manipulation, Che Huiyi was fighting Fang Monarch and Illusion Monarch at the same time, looked extremely ugly. Every swing of her twenty-meter-long greatsword could sever Fang Monarch's flesh, but Illusion Monarch was constantly healing her and using spatial True Magic to interfere with her battle.
Neither the attacks of the Illusion Monarch nor the Fang Monarch could break through her defense after she was fully released Kailing Armor. Even though the two opponents posed no threat to her at all, they were able to keep her in place.
This almost perfectly mirrored the scene from before, and she was once again powerless to muster any strength.
Looking at the battlefield not far away, Che Huiyi became increasingly anxious.
This wasn't the first time Cheng Xiaoyu had faced death so closely. Although he had worked in the Underworld for so long, he had only ever witnessed the deaths of others. His so-called "facing death" was a series of near-death experiences he had almost every time he entered the dungeon when he was weak.
Death was a constant companion to him, but... no matter how close he got, he always managed to escape the inevitable end.
This time is no different!
With two daggers sweeping left and right, tearing apart the surging flames, Cheng Xiaoyu fought and retreated, engaging in guerrilla warfare with the Dragon Emperor.
Now restored to its dragon form, the Destruction Monarch was enormous, with just one fingernail measuring three or four meters long. Coupled with the magic power wrapped around its body, even a simple movement would cause a massive earthquake.
"To continue fighting in such a disgraceful manner—does this deserve the title of Shadow Monarch?!"
Watching Cheng Xiaoyu dodge and weave, unwilling to fight him head-on, the Dragon Emperor felt his blood pressure rising uncontrollably.
The fact that the dignified Shadow Monarch had no intention of fighting him did not bring him any joy; instead, it made him feel increasingly depressed.
The fact that the other party made this move indicates that their goal was not to defeat you.
He is the calamity that will destroy the world, the embodiment of destruction. He is inherently at odds with the other, who is human but has inherited the power of the Shadow Monarch. However, the other has no intention of defeating him. What does this mean?
It means that the other person believes there is someone more suitable to defeat them.
In other words, even though he has inherited the power of the Shadow Monarch, he still believes that there is someone above him. So who is that person?
Without even needing to think, the Dragon Emperor knew perfectly well that the person he was waiting for was that unknown being.
Even the Dragon Emperor didn't think he could survive fighting two Shadow Monarch simultaneously, let alone the unknown being who might be even stronger than the Shadow Monarch. If those two joined forces...
Not wanting the situation to actually turn out that way, the Dragon Emperor had no choice but to shout, "Just like before! Fight me to the death!"
I'd be a fool to fight you to the death.
Cheng Xiaoyu dodged with a cold smile.
He did initially intend to cooperate with Che Huiyi to kill the opponent before Castorice arrived, but unfortunately, the opponent had two more kings, and they were even a combination of a support and a warrior, which completely restricted Che Huiyi to her spot.
Although it seems that Che Huiyi will be able to come out soon, after all, even a king cannot remain completely secretive forever, this period of time will probably not be short.
After several rounds of head-on clashes, Cheng Xiaoyu realized that his perception was correct; he indeed couldn't win in a direct confrontation.
Then there's no need to continue the confrontation. Let's go back to the original plan and wait for Castorice to finish.
Seeing the Dragon Emperor's exasperated but helpless state, Cheng Xiaoyu found it amusing. How could the mighty Dragon Emperor have such a day?
However, in that brief moment of relaxation, the dragon's lips curled into a cold smile, and then it roared angrily.
Whether it was Cheng Xiaoyu not far from him, Che Huiyi in the Sky Manipulation, or the Fang Monarch and the Illusion Monarch, they were all stunned into immobility by this sudden sound. This was the strongest racial ability of the dragon race, Dragon Fear.
This is an ability that indiscriminately intimidates all living beings in the surrounding area, regardless of friend or foe. Ordinary dragons can intimidate National Power Level Hunter, let alone the Dragon Emperor's Dragon Fear, which even the Shadow Monarch cannot easily withstand.
Even a single moment of vulnerability is enough.
The Dragon Emperor's gaping maw instantly spewed forth raging flames. Realizing something was wrong, Cheng Xiaoyu summoned the Flying Dragon Kaisa with all his might to carry him away, but his expression changed drastically the next moment.
"No! He's not targeting me!"
Cheng Xiaoyu looked up at the Sky Manipulation, wanting to summon soldiers to take Che Huiyi, who had been caught off guard, away from where she was. However, his stiff body was not strong enough to support his free control of magic power, and he could only watch helplessly as the golden-red dragon breath dyed the Sky Manipulation red.
"Che Huiyi!?"
Chapter Sixty-Four: The atmosphere gradually went off track.
The firelight illuminated almost the entire Sky Manipulation, but even more dazzling than the firelight was the only dark purple glow in this white world.
Cheng Xiaoyu keenly noticed that the moment Che Huiyi was swallowed by the dragon's breath, a color different from the bright world appeared at the location where she was swallowed. Then, a giant dragon shot out from that different color at an extremely fast speed, chasing after her like a shooting star.
The dragon breath that Cheng Xiaoyu thought he couldn't withstand was split in two in front of the Dead Dragon. With the oppressive feeling brought by the Dead Dragon falling, even the Dragon Emperor had great difficulty dodging.
"Boom!"
The already fragile earth cracked again under the impact of the Dead Dragon, and countless pebbles and dust flew into the Sky Manipulation under the immense force, only to fall back down with gravity.
When the view cleared again, all that could be seen was that the Dead Dragon, which was only a dozen meters long, had knocked the Dragon Emperor, who was over a hundred meters long, to the ground, covered in blood.
The Dead Dragon roared towards the Sky Manipulation, seemingly proclaiming its status as a higher-level dragon.
However, this is only Cheng Xiaoyu's perspective.
From the perspective of the Castorice...
Polykeus: What is this thing that comes out with its face covered in fire?
Polykeus: The fire seems to be coming from that direction?
Polykeus: Did I bump into something?
Polykeus: Why does it look like a dragon? Is it normal for it to shatter upon impact?
Polykeus: (Looking up at the Castorice) Is this something you can crash into? I thought it was a speed bump.
"Roar...!"
The Dragon Emperor, whose consciousness had been hazy from the impact, had just regained it when he saw an unknown Demon Beast standing on him. Its victorious posture enraged him, and its immense magical power left him speechless.
What kind of tile is this?
Although Polykeus appears to be a dragon, the Dragon Emperor did not truly regard him as one. After all, he could clearly sense that this so-called dragon was merely a shell, and its essence had nothing to do with a dragon. It lacked not only dragon scales, but also the heart and aura of a dragon.
Rather than a dragon, it's more accurate to say that the power of death has grown into the shape of a dragon.
In mid-air, Che Huiyi had already prepared herself for serious injury. Although her warrior-type hunter defense was far superior to that of a fragile character like Cheng Xiaoyu, she lacked Cheng Xiaoyu's healing abilities. Although her attack threshold was higher, being truly injured meant a significant drop in her health.
Although she was confident that even if she lost her form, she wouldn't be unable to defeat the Illusion Monarch and the Fang Monarch, since neither of them could break through her defenses, being injured first in this kind of battle was undoubtedly a bad sign.
But to my surprise, the expected attack did not come. Instead, a familiar Purple Rift appeared in front of me.
Before she could react, the figure of the Dead Dragon flew out from the crack and knocked the Destruction Monarch over.
Castorice, who stepped out after her, was also somewhat surprised by the situation. She had just opened the portal using the magic coordinates left on Che Huiyi when she saw an attack coming toward her.
Almost instinctively, the Dead Dragon flew out.
Faced with this extension of her own will, Castorice certainly wouldn't blame it for acting impulsively, since it must have been her subconscious that caused it to crash out.
Besides, it did a good job of hitting it; hitting enemies was no problem for it.
"Sorry, Senior Cha, I'm late."
Castorice looked at Che Huiyi and nodded with a smile.
"No! It's not too late at all! You've been a great help!"
Seeing the familiar figure and that effortless demeanor, Che Huiyi's mood instantly relaxed, but then she thought of the Destruction Legion rushing in all directions, "That's right! Those Demon Beast...!"
"Don't worry."
At this moment, Cheng Xiaoyu, riding a flying dragon, had already flown to the two of them. He said with a relaxed expression, "My soldiers have done their best to protect the survivors. Although their frontal combat strength is not as good as the Dragon Emperor's soldiers in the short term, they will not lose in a protracted war."
Backed by the magic power of the entire Underworld, he speaks with absolute authority.
"Your soldiers... speaking of which, Cheng Xiaoyu the Hunter is...?"
Che Huiyi had already sensed something was wrong, after all, Cheng Xiaoyu's status as Castorice's subordinate, his ability to constantly summon soldiers, and his magic similar to Castorice's magic.
These, combined with the information gleaned from the previous conversation with the Frost Monarch, further solidify this understanding.
"Ah, I am the Shadow Monarch."
Cheng Xiaoyu said directly.
"Hunter Cheng?"
Castorice was also a little confused about the situation. She could sense that Cheng Xiaoyu had made a lot of progress and that his life essence had completely changed, making him completely different from his previous half-baked self.
But... she didn't know the specifics of what happened.
"Simply put, I have become one with the Shadow Monarch."
Cheng Xiaoyu couldn't explain it well, so he could only keep it brief. "Now he has handed over all his power to me."
The conversation between the two left Che Huiyi completely bewildered. So, Cheng Xiaoyu wasn't the Shadow Monarch before, but had only just become one?
"Can a monarch succeed to the throne?"
She couldn't help but ask.
Upon noticing Castorice's arrival, the situation became somewhat erratic, and Cheng Xiaoyu had to steer the conversation back on track. "It's basically impossible, my situation is special... Compared to that, there are other things to deal with right now."
Although he tried to steer the conversation back on track, he still used the somewhat arrogant term 'solution'.
After all, in his view, the current situation was already very clear: he and Che Huiyi would each kill a king, and then Castorice would go and beat up the Dragon Emperor. If he and Che Huiyi resolved the situation quickly, they might even be able to join in and fight the Dragon Emperor together.
He didn't think the Dragon Emperor was an insurmountable opponent for Castorice. After all, he knew that he and the Dragon Emperor were evenly matched, and he still saw Castorice as unfathomable.
"As expected of the Grim Reaper..."
Cheng Xiaoyu wasn't too surprised. Even though he had become the Shadow Monarch, he still didn't have any good feelings towards the King or the Dominator. At most, he had some ambiguous friendship with the Shadow Monarch.
Compared to these outsiders from Earth, he naturally loved and respected Xia Castorice, the local Grim Reaper, more. She was the strongest and more acceptable to him.
Although the fact that Castorice's identity as an Earth God appeared for the first time in multiple reincarnations was somewhat intriguing, he didn't care. After all, there were too many explanations for this, such as Castorice herself saying that she had just taken over the position and that the previous God of Death didn't care about the extinction of humanity.
He didn't care about such claims at all. Based on his current interactions and understanding, he was willing to believe that Castorice was a god of their Earth.
If Castorice were to check the approval rating, she would find that the approval rating has increased significantly again at this point.
"Grim Reaper?"
Che Huiyi looked at Cheng Xiaoyu, then at Castorice, and suddenly seemed to understand something, but lacking key information and confirmation, she could only vaguely understand.
She felt a little uncomfortable. Why were the two people in front of her having so many conversations she didn't understand? Weren't the three of them supposed to be friends?
After each of them found their opponent, Castorice landed and looked at the Dragon Emperor lying under the claws of the Dead Dragon.
Even though he was directly in front of Castorice's line of sight, the Dragon Emperor had a feeling that she wasn't looking at him.
Moreover... only by truly facing it can one realize how terrifyingly powerful this unknown being, or rather, the one whom the Shadow Monarch calls the Grim Reaper, is!