Siege Hammer (Part 1)

Ronan had to admit, he was grateful to the Brave Warrior who had charged in first. The man's misjudgment had given him a chance to react.

The instant the screams rang out, Ronan made his decision. Through the Dark Heavy Chains, he used his will to stimulate the Burning Demon Shadow, forcibly jolting it awake from its "dead dog" state and leaving it where it was.

His soul body retraced the path he had come by, flowing back in reverse.

Ronan had based his judgment on the worst-case scenario, harboring no wishful thinking. As it turned out, it could not have been more timely.

The military reacted with astonishing speed. Once they recognized the true nature of those screaming rich second-generation Pig teammates, they abandoned any hope of cooperation and acted at once.

Inside the room, the first Brave Warrior to rush in raised the bulky firearm in his hands. Amid a thunderous roar, it sprayed out dazzling electric light.

That proved more effective than any command. Though the screams became even more piercing, the rich second-generation kids immediately threw themselves to the floor. Aside from that Brave Warrior, no one remained standing in the room. They all scrambled desperately toward the newly opened barred gate, crawling and stumbling over one another to squeeze through.

The Brave Warrior finally brought the situation under control. His head, encased in a fully sealed helmet, lifted, and the translucent visor aimed at the empty upper portion of the compartment.

To ordinary eyes, there was nothing there but rolling smoke.

But the Brave Warrior clearly did not think so. His right hand brushed the weapon's selector, switching it from the blank-firing mode used to frighten people into single-shot mode.

The muzzle gave a muffled thump. In the next moment, a vast Fire Cloud billowed through the semi-enclosed compartment, nearly covering its entire upper half like a crude, violent miniature Flame Bullet.

By then, Ronan had already retreated through two compartments, more than ten meters away in a straight line. But because the chains were still fused with the Burning Demon Shadow and difficult to withdraw, information from that side continued to flow back to him.

The instant the Fire Cloud rose, Ronan's mind trembled. A nearly tangible impact traveled down the chains. Though he was only an insubstantial soul body, it felt as if someone had punched him squarely in the chest. The sensation was awful.

It was certain that the true destructive force of that shot was not the seemingly ferocious flames. At that moment, Ronan felt no heat transfer, only an attack that struck directly at the soul.

If even he felt that way, there was no need to mention the Burning Demon Shadow still trapped in the compartment. It had only just awakened from its "dead dog" state and was still somewhat dazed when the red cloud burst overhead, crossing the boundary between reality and illusion to strike it.

In an instant, the Burning Demon Shadow's body actually shrank by a full circle, clearly suffering damage.

This Flame Bullet-like ammunition had obviously been designed specifically for Darkside Creatures, and its effects were immediate. However, reloading was not easy. After firing one shot, the Brave Warrior backed away and began reloading. He would not be able to finish anytime soon.

But it would be far too naive to think that created an opportunity.

One man might have exhausted his tricks, but there were simply too many of them.

As soon as the first Flame Bullet was fired, trajectories came slicing in from outside the compartment one after another. At least five rounds of the same type entered and exploded. Fire Clouds churned everywhere, raising the temperature in the entire compartment by at least twenty degrees.

The soaring temperature looked terrifying, but it was actually meaningless. It only further proved that the ammunition's lethal force had largely shifted beyond the conventional level.

The Burning Demon Shadow trapped in the compartment had the most to say about that.

This volley of Flame Bullets not only delivered impacts aimed directly at the soul, but also possessed a clinging force.

While under attack, the Burning Demon Shadow tried to flee. But it was as though a basin of glue had been poured into the surrounding void, making every movement incredibly difficult.

Perhaps some kind of invisible, powerful magnetic field?

Ronan continued retreating as he thought. It was now clear that the military had developed a complete and effective set of methods for dealing with Darkside Creatures. If he had stayed just now, who knew what would have happened to him.

Ronan had carefully considered both his route and method of retreat. From Liu Tao's introduction, he had roughly learned that Shadow Mist did not truly see Darkside Creatures when tracking them. Rather, it used a computational model based on probabilities of existence.

In other words, the military likely did not know the true forms, numbers, or relationships of the Darkside Creatures.

Without hesitation, Ronan pushed the Burning Demon Shadow he had just acquired out as bait. With it drawing their fire, he was safe for the moment at least.

However, after suffering repeated attacks while bound inside the compartment, the Burning Demon Shadow was finally provoked into revealing its ferocity.

Its demon body, already riddled with damage, suddenly contracted. Its once-insubstantial shadowy form gained a few degrees of solidity. For an instant, it even acquired a clearer physical outline.

The Dark Heavy Chains, still linked to the Burning Demon Shadow, transmitted back specific information. But Ronan could not immediately make out what it was. He only felt that it resembled some kind of savage beast.

The next moment, the "invisible beast" threw back its head and roared. Nearly tangible spiritual waves instantly filled the compartment, pierced through the metal walls, and spread rapidly outward.

From the moment the gunfire began, the burning Fire Cloud overhead had nearly scared the rich second-generation kids into wetting themselves. They were all screaming for help, and some had lost even the strength to crawl.

Fortunately, the soldiers waiting outside had seen through their true nature and changed tactics. They reached in at once and dragged them out.

But then the Burning Demon Shadow's roar arrived.

No one actually heard a sound, yet beneath the sweeping spiritual waves, an uncontrollable terror of death erupted in everyone's heart.

In that instant, at least three people wet themselves, while others passed out on the spot.

Yet on another level, through the chains and through the Burning Demon Shadow, Ronan saw strange things begin to spray and seep out from the mouths, noses, and pores of those rich second-generation kids who had already collapsed before fear.

Countless dark-red points of light floated up like dust motes drifting in sunlight, yet within their dim glow was clearly contained a strange energy.

They were like some bizarre kind of "spores," originating from the dozen or so trembling rich second-generation kids inside and outside the compartment.

Almost every one of them sprayed out these dark-red spores, which intertwined with one another. Together, they formed a thin luminous mist that covered the entire compartment.

The luminous mist grew denser far too quickly. Huge quantities of spores flowed in and out of their bodies every moment, their density so great that it was as though a layer of Dark Seclusion flame was burning.

At last, the luminous mist reached a certain peak density and began to surge on its own. The Burning Demon Shadow was submerged within it, with only a faint outline visible.

At first glance, it resembled the sketches Ronan had drawn for it at the beginning, except it was far simpler. Many parts had even broken free of the structure of a "drawing," becoming extremely abstract. Overall, it looked like an enlarged, bizarre symbol.

The instant the symbol appeared, the Burning Demon Shadow locked onto its target.

The Brave Warrior who had remained at the very front, his powerful body wrapped in Exoskeleton Armor, jolted as if electrocuted. Then he began convulsing violently and toppled backward. Within his tangible shell, faint wisps of "smoke" rose up, already showing signs of dispersing.