An Unexpected Opponent
[This chapter is a bit late... June 30th, the last day of the month, please vote with your monthly tickets! Everyone, throw all your remaining tickets at me! We can't let them be overwhelmed at the last minute!]
The reason why demigods are called demigods is that the evolution of the genetic level from the thirteenth to the fourteenth level is not a simple upgrade in rank.
The Fourteenth Order genetic entity possesses ten major genetic chains, and the helical structure of these ten chains represents the final state of a linear Gene Chain structure. In a sense, reaching this level signifies the limit of human evolution. Taking another step forward, the linear structure of the Gene Chain undergoes a radical transformation, and humans will no longer be called humans, but rather gods.
Because of the extreme stability and perfection of the demigod Gene Chain, those who reach the Demigod Realm will have their Combat Strength increased a hundredfold from the thirteenth rank.
In addition, once this stage is reached, provided there is a spark of inspiration, one can ignite a divine fire within the body and begin to transform the body's cells. This process usually takes a very long time to complete.
Moreover, the parts that are not fully modified will retain the weaknesses of the human body.
For Bigge to win, he must find the part of his opponent that hasn't been fully converted, thus maximizing the effectiveness of his attack. If his opponent is a fully converted energy being, Bigge, wielding a demigod artifact, has virtually no chance of winning.
Because demigod objects are not true divine objects; only true divine objects can obliterate a god's body. At best, a demigod object can only leave a slight pain on a god, and cannot cause any real harm, much like hitting someone with a pillow.
As for finding the parts of the opponent's body that haven't been completely converted, it's not difficult. Because the cellular composition of different tissues and organs in the human body varies, the most difficult cells to convert are brain cells, followed by heart muscle cells, liver cells, and bone cells. Therefore, attacking these organs, or directly attacking the skeleton, shouldn't be too problematic.
The first parts of a demigod's body to be energized are their skin and muscles. Ordinary weapons cannot even penetrate the defenses of their energized skin; only demigod-level artifacts can break through their energy defenses. Therefore, the Darkness in Bigge's hands perfectly fits this requirement.
Three demigods surrounded Bigge in a pincer formation, watching Bigge warily. They too recognized the black longsword in Bigge's hand as a demigod artifact. This meant Bigge had a chance of killing all three of them.
Bigge possesses Combat Strength amplified ten thousandfold, but his defense remains fragile. Even a single blow from these three demigods would likely be fatal. Therefore, his situation is also perilous.
Surrounded by three opponents, launching an attack was not a good idea, as it would easily give the others an opening. So Bigge chose to remain still and patiently stood rooted to the spot.
However, the three demigods were somewhat frustrated. Their opponent was only an Eleventh Order gene entity, and despite being surrounded by the three of them, none of them dared to make the first move.
The demigod behind Bigge suddenly moved. He felt the fight was too humiliating and desperately wanted to vent his frustration. As a Body Cultivation, he feared no one in close combat, so he lunged forward, extending a claw straight for the back of Bigge's head.
Bigge moved instantly, and before anyone could see him turn around, his longsword was already out, a black blade of energy aimed straight for the opponent's head.
Almost simultaneously, the other two demigods also moved. Unexpectedly, Bigge kicked up another knife on the ground, caught it steadily with his left hand, and plunged it into the left chest of the demigod behind him. Without caring whether the attack succeeded, he pulled the longsword away, instantly twisted his body, and swung both hands in a horizontal slash, blocking the attacks of the other two demigods.
As for the demigod who launched the sneak attack from behind Bigge, his heart was indeed not fully modified, and he lost his life completely under Bigge's attack.
"The reason I stood here waiting for the three of you to complete your encirclement was because I saw a demigod-level longsword on the ground. I figured it might come in handy, and it actually did." Bigge explained the scene that had just unfolded, noticing the disbelief on the other two's faces. "That was actually a bad habit I picked up in the kitchen; it makes me feel more comfortable holding a knife in each hand."
After taking down the first demigod, Bigge suddenly realized that demigods weren't actually that hard to kill.
But the other two demigods began to be even more wary of him.
"Can you guys hurry up? I'm in a rush..." Bigge was still thinking about making dinner for Gu Ding. As the chef, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to go back too late.
The moment Bigge uttered those words, he witnessed an unbelievable scene: the heads of the two demigods suddenly separated and fell to the ground. The headless corpses lay sprawled on the ground, clearly dead beyond any doubt.
"What happened?" A hint of apprehension flashed in Bigge's eyes. He hadn't seen what had just happened.
But he soon saw another person emerge from the Battle Cage, and that person looked exactly like him. As the person drew closer, Bigge noticed the only difference: the other's eyes were blood red, clearly tainted by long-term killing, and obviously his soul had been corrupted by demons.
"Who exactly are you? Did you kill those two people?" Bigge frowned slightly. The Black Robed Man had told him that he only needed to defeat ninety-nine people to leave, but judging from the current situation, it seemed that something had changed.
"Those two cowards are really useless," the Red-Eyed Man said with a slight smirk. "Who am I? Why would you ask such a question? I am you."
Bigge stared at the other man silently, still not quite understanding what the Black Robed Man meant by this arrangement.
"To be precise, I am the past you, the part you have forgotten." The Red-Eyed Man said, extending his right hand forward, in which he held a knife.
The knife was dark red all over, with a black blade and strange cryptic inscriptions carved on the back.
"Godslayer?!" Bigge exclaimed the name of the sword the moment he saw it, but all other memories of the sword vanished completely.
"I didn't expect you to recognize me," the Red-Eyed Man said, handing the knife to Bigge.
Bigge hesitated for a moment, but still reached out and took it.
The moment he grasped the hilt, he knew it was a divine artifact. He read the history of this longsword, but still had no memory of his own. Yet, the feeling of what he had done with this sword lingered. The memory of this longsword was filled with bloody slaughter.
"The old man wasn't wrong. Only one person can leave here alive today," the Red-Eyed Man suddenly spoke. "If you win, you can gain all your forgotten memories. If you lose, I will replace you and become a member of Gu Ding Team."
"They will definitely recognize that you are not me," Bigge said with certainty.
"That's not necessarily true. Don't you know we're just two separate consciousnesses right now? Once you die, the body will naturally be under my control. My combat power is stronger than yours, and I believe they'll welcome me more than a cook who can only cook. Besides, once I become a combatant, I can just hire another cook." The Red-Eyed Man also drew a Godslayer.
"So that's how it is, then let's fight!" Bigge finally got really angry. Not only did the other party want to replace him as a member of the Gu Ding Team, but they also wanted to change his dream of becoming a chef. Either of these two points was intolerable to him.
"Then let me see how much you've improved after these few days of special training!" The Red-Eyed Man swung his long sword, and a blood-red blade of light poured out like a pillar of light, reverberating in the void with a terrifying wail.
Bigge's move was exactly the same as his; he also swung his sword, and a blood-red blade of light shot out like a pillar of light, colliding with the Red-Eyed Man's attack.
Driven by the divine object, the energy intensity of the two manifested to an unprecedented level.
When the two Red Radiance collided, the entire arena began to collapse. Not only were the stands destroyed, but the ground where the two stood also began to sink. Even the heavy metal gates of the Battle Cage were twisted and deformed in the aftershocks of the battle.
The first impact generated such terrifying power, something Bigge hadn't expected. His attack just now could have easily annihilated the three demigods from before. This was the difference between a divine object and a demigod object.
But this was only the first blow.
Seeing Bigge's figure fly backwards just like his own, the Red-Eyed Man quickly steadied himself, raised his sword again, and launched a diagonal slash aimed at Bigge's landing point.
Another beam of Red Radiance shot out, like a deafening cannon roar, carrying a deadly force as it hurtled towards Bigge.
Bigge could regain his footing, he had no choice but to grip the knife with both hands and forcefully block the attack.
But having landed a blow, the Red-Eyed Man naturally wouldn't let his opponent off easily. He would strike while the iron was hot and finish him off! His third, fourth, and fifth strikes... a series of attacks were unleashed in succession.
Bigge twisted his body and managed to parry the opponent's relentless, storm-like attacks with his sword.
At that moment, the Red-Eyed Man closed in, swinging his blade again when he was less than a meter away from Bigge. Another Red Radiance shot out at this close range, Bigge struggled to raise his blade to block it, but his massive body was immediately sent flying like a sandbag.
Although the Godslayer in Bigge's hands bore the brunt of the attack, the repeated impacts still caused internal injuries to Bigge's organs.
Bigge gasped for breath as he struggled to his feet from the rubble. He could feel the pain coursing through his body, but he knew he couldn't give up. No matter how arduous the battle, he had to win!
[Dear friends, we must win the monthly votes too! The difference in treatment between third and fourth place is too great~~ Bullet really needs this top three!] (To be continued.)