Volume Four: Withering in the Human World - Chapter 291: To Play Dirty or Not

It has to be admitted.

I underestimated my opponent.

The Holy See's ultimate combat force, the Heavenly Law, is on par with the higher-ups. Below that, the strongest combat force consists of the top few Templar Knight. The Chief is undoubtedly very strong, probably comparable to Special Class Combatant in the organization. Following this order, Alan, ranked Fifth Seat, also possesses strength comparable to a high-level combatant.

Organizing high-level combatants means you're already a super-strong individual capable of sweeping through a country. Although I once defeated the Special Class Combatant, Sick Spider, at a heavy price, there were too many coincidences involved. I not only used various underhanded tactics, but the berserk state of the Boundary Breaking Armor also directly affected the outcome of the battle. I know that in terms of direct combat strength, I'm definitely no match for Sick Spider, but even so, my strength surpasses that of an average high-level combatant.

In other words, I believe my abilities are absolutely superior to Alan's.

But simply being stronger than her isn't enough. In front of the Revolutionary Army, I must appear invincible, meaning I must defeat her in a stylish and impressive way, without showing any signs of fatigue.

However, there's an old Chinese saying that's really quite apt.

Being too proud to admit defeat will only lead to suffering.

"Environmental Simulation - Extreme Cold Ice Field!"

Although I was mentally prepared, the sudden, bone-chilling cold still made me pause. I quickly ignited the fire within my blood to dispel the bone-chilling cold, conjuring a scorching Blood Whip that lashed out at Alan! Alan's seemingly frail body unleashed astonishing power; with a swift leap, she dodged my Blood Whip and swung her small warhammer—

"Heavy Pressure Hammer!"

The air around the small warhammer suddenly solidified, then continuously converged and compressed under invisible pressure, forming a transparent giant hammer a hundred meters long in the blink of an eye, which slammed down in my direction! It wouldn't have been difficult for me to dodge such an attack, but I forcibly stopped my movement—if I dodged, this hammer would have hit them!

"Thousand Layer Crystal Shield!"

Since absorbing the Yan Yi Ming Hua, I've been dodging attacks whenever possible, rarely using defensive skills anymore, but that doesn't mean I've become rusty. Just as its name suggests, thousands of paper-thin, dense crystal layers are stacked together to form a shield that perfectly disperses the impact, allowing me to face that ridiculously low-class compressed air hammer head-on!

I had the upper hand in the first round—yeah right!

My shield did block the hammer, but the instant it did, the crystal shield trembled and then collapsed inward! In the blink of an eye, it coalesced into a high-density sphere!

"How pathetic! Such a boastful tone, yet their strength is nothing more than Magma Sea!"

A viscous, violent heat permeated my body, as if I had been thrown into underground magma! But...

"Too bad, high heat doesn't work on me! Rushing Flame Pillar!"

Six large blood bubbles appeared in front of me, forming a hexagonal shape the same height as me. The next instant, a hexagonal column of blood gushed out, burning as it sprayed, turning the battlefield into a scorched black in an instant!

Of course, as expected, little sister Alan was completely unharmed after the Blood Flame dissipated.

"Simulated Environment - Deep Sea!"

A sensation unlike the previous bone-chilling cold and sticky heat washed over me; this time it was a combination of cold, suffocation, and terrifying pressure! Even my vision went dark. I felt as if I had been sunk thousands of meters below the surface of the Deep Sea, with no light, no oxygen, and extremely low temperatures. Most importantly, the terrifying pressure was so intense that even refined steel could be instantly compressed into a small lump!

Now I roughly understand her superpower—she can simulate any "environment" on this planet, and a person's body and even will will be affected and interfered with by the new environment.

Of course, only the person affected will be trapped in that "environment"; other objects will remain unaffected. If the environment is simulated as polar regions, people will freeze to death; if it's simulated as underground magma, people will be burned to ashes; and if it's simulated as Deep Sea environments, people will suffer a triple attack of water pressure, cold, and lack of oxygen. Her ability has an extremely wide range, large enough to easily cover an entire remnant of the Revolutionary Army from hundreds of meters away, making it an extremely efficient and destructive ability.

This is an extremely troublesome ability. Her "Heavy Pressure Hammer" probably simulated an environment with extremely high pressure around the warhammer, combining offense and defense. Ordinary ability users can't even get close to her. If she creates an environment of lava or Ice Cave around herself, then teleportation ability users won't be able to get close enough to assassinate her, and she can also withstand sniper fire from a distance...

However, since it's the environment, I can make use of it, right?

"... Hmm? That's strange, why haven't you been flattened yet?"

"Of course, I Blood Crystal Reinforcement!" I wanted to explain to her in a cool way, but I was choked by the "seawater" and couldn't make a sound. The biggest threat in the Deep Sea environment is indeed the terrifying water pressure. For something like this, simply using blood crystals to support the bones is obviously not enough.

"Gurgle... um..."

I burned my blood to power my body, attempting to move despite the immense pressure of the Deep Sea. Without compromising my basic vital signs, I crystallized all the blood that had seeped into my bones, flowed through my skin, and trickled through some of my muscles. In past battles, I realized that my defense was indeed a weakness, so I considered many ways to comprehensively improve my physical strength without hindering my freedom of movement. Now it was time to put them into practice.

Alan's abilities are indeed very strong, possessing god-like skills for large-scale slaughter and crowd control, which is why I didn't unleash the Blood Beast to attack. However, her weaknesses are also quite obvious. Her attack power is entirely determined by the environment. A simulated Deep Sea environment cannot provide pressure greater than the highest water pressure on Spirit Star, and a simulated magma environment cannot generate temperatures higher than the hottest magma on Spirit Star. The same applies to other environments. In other words, the upper limit of her attack power is fixed from the very beginning.

Anyway, I'm still "soaking in the sea" right now. Although I can barely withstand the pressure, I'm still holding my breath and enduring the cold.

"But you should give in now, you pathetic, pathetic, despicable Blasphemers! I think you're almost at your limit!"

Alan crossed her arms and frowned, but my next move surprised her.

I pressed forward despite the immense pressure of the Deep Sea.

One step, two steps, my steps became more and more steady, and cracks appeared on my skin. Crimson blood seeped from the cracks, but instead of dripping, it floated slowly as if dissolved in water. As a part of me, it was naturally placed in the Deep Sea environment and drifted away with the water that did not exist for any other person.

"Tch... Ocean depth, change it to 6000 meters!"

The pressure suddenly increased, and I almost lost my footing. The newly formed blood crystals even made a crackling sound. But it's okay, she's almost within range.

Don't forget, my primary task now is not only to "repel the enemy," but also to establish a good image in front of the Revolutionary Army, which is to say, to "act." Otherwise, I would have already torn off all pretenses and used every dirty trick in the book to confront her.

The Blood Flame continuously provided power, allowing me to lift my legs, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and put them down again, walking forward step by step, getting closer to Alan.

"You... stop right there! Simulated lava!"

Boom!! A deafening explosion, loud enough for only me to hear, was followed by hellish heat. It felt as if something heavier and thicker enveloped me, blocking my path. Could she create two or more environments at the same time? The Deep Sea and magma, two completely different environments, didn't clash at all, leaving me in a true world of ice and fire.

But that's not enough to stop me— Crystal Scale Armor!

Thin yet incredibly tough crystals formed on the surface, resisting the immense pressure of both cold and scorching heat. Countless crystal scales opened and closed continuously, as if they possessed their own consciousness.

"Simulation—strata! Ice Cave! Damn it, why don't you stop!?"

The simulated environments imposed upon me are increasing, but I'm gradually getting the hang of it. Blood is not just a tool for combat, but my very existence. To control it perfectly, I need to let the blood merge more closely with my body. My skin beneath the scales has turned pale red. I've almost completely replaced all the bodily fluids in my body, even soaking every cell that makes up my flesh in blood. It's certainly exhausting, but I can feel my control over my body steadily increasing.

My blood sometimes crystallizes, sometimes boils, and sometimes explodes. Every drop of blood has its own responsibility. That's how I keep adapting to wave after wave of new environments and moving forward.

"Stop right there!"

In the windy environment, the razor-sharp winds whipped across my body, making a clanging sound; in the swampy environment, the ground made me sink deeper; the pressure of the underground environment even exceeded that of the Deep Sea. But I responded to each challenge with ease, my protective blood constantly changing to adapt to all sorts of new environments.

"Stop!"

I ignored it and just kept walking forward step by step. The pain was beyond my imagination. Forcibly controlling the blood in various ways was already torture. This was like being skinned alive and having my tendons pulled out. Imagine what it would feel like if the blood in your body suddenly rebelled.

"I already told you not to move forward!"

Alan roared as he unleashed one new environment after another, making it increasingly difficult for me to move forward, yet I had to pretend to be in complete control.

"Stop! Don't come any closer to me!"

I slightly curved my lips into a smile. Almost there, just a little more...

"Why—why, why, why won't you die! I've simulated dozens of times, how come you—"

--The final step.

Alright. The victory is secured.

Thank you for simulating all the different environments. My cracked skin bled a lot, and then all sorts of fluids, including seawater, lava, wind, and rapids, immediately washed away my blood, spreading it to every corner of the simulated environment.

Being in the environment, I could roughly sense its size and where its edges were.

Alan herself is of course unaffected by her own powers, but that doesn't matter, as long as I'm close enough to her and keep her within the simulated environment she creates centered on me.

All the simulations were fake to her, but my blood, which had spread everywhere, was the real deal.

Then it becomes simple.

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Oh my god, school starts soon QAQ