Chapter 194
The 'armor' beside him grew thinner and thinner, the crystal greatsword became pitted and uneven, and dense crimson particles swirled around it.
That's about enough, aren't you? You really think you're a perpetual motion machine?
Yuki muttered to himself as the chaotic dance seemed endless, with ten, twenty, thirty impacts leaving behind red lines of afterimages all around him, and the ground riddled with craters.
When they reached the thirty-eighth count, Yuki suddenly raised his head.
All the afterimages vanished, and the frenzied lion stood atop its own head, its filled body riddled with cracks.
Newton still had a say in the Reincarnation Game; force is relative. Yuki was almost torn apart, and he was equally battered and bruised.
"I want your blood!"
Wu Raian the Roar to the sky, disregarding his desires. This tortoise shell wasn't particularly hard; the problem was that it kept replenishing itself, making it impossible to cut through Yuki's main body.
It really was that knife, using my blood to strengthen itself.
Yuki wasn't surprised. He had already noticed that Wu Raian's strength and speed had increased to a new level after he put on the Blood-Burning Mantle, and he was now recklessly aiming for his vital points with every move.
However, the filling speed is slowing down, and the cracks are increasing, clearly indicating the absence of a continuously outputting energy core like that of Demon Possession.
You like to trade injury for life, so I'll slowly wear you down.
Seeing that the plan was working, Yuki was even less likely to confront him head-on. Otakemaru had already begun to burn, and the oppressive feeling intensified. Yuki clenched his left fist and released the Reinforcement Magecraft.
The red dust in the air began to dissolve, and before it was completely annihilated, Yuki raised his Hunter's Blunderbuss.
Opposite him was a lion burning with intense passion.
Secret Technique: Falling Fang.
Wu Raian spun around, his nodachi resembling a giant fang. Compared to the chaotic Tatsumaki, the Hunter's Blunderbuss looked as tiny as a toothpick.
It was impossible to hit them; any retreat would mean being hunted down and killed by a barrage of attacks. But Yuki stood in mid-air and saw the Tatsumaki rolling in, engulfing the ocean of energy particles.
A ferocious beast attacks, I step into the trap, and I will--
Ignite the sea.
Bang.
Gunshots rang out, still using Soul Bullet, but these were incendiary bullets never used before. These bullets, forged for the third time, were actually useless against Wu Raian, since he wasn't a spirit, and Yuki's target wasn't him either.
Like throwing a torch into an oil depot, the scattered soul particles instantly ignited. This was one-third of Yuki's soul energy, and even considering the losses, it was still an enormous amount of energy.
Boom--
The sky was set ablaze, and the raging flames of the soul shattered the Night Domain, yet the audience still could not see anything.
The entire arena was ablaze, and the crimson flames formed another domain, burying the Roar fang.
If the audience was in such a state, Wu Raian, who was in the middle of the inferno, was even more overwhelmed.
The intense light stung his eyes, and the energy scorched his blood-stained clothes. He couldn't see or hear anything, and could only rely on inertia to penetrate the sea of fire, unleashing all his power onto the floor.
Boom!!
This attack was even more terrifying; the Roar shockwave annihilated the sea of fire, and the dust it kicked up swirled around like a thick fog.
Damn it, he deliberately lured me into a trap!
With eyes wide open in anger, there was no sign of Yuki in the deep pit, which was tens of meters in diameter. The dazzling sea of fire remained at the core of the 'war of attrition'.
A moment later, he raised his head and saw a figure piercing through the thick fog, struggling to get up.
Kill him, and I can still fight!
His will remained unchanged, but his body had lost control. When he lowered his head, Wu Raian saw that his whole body was covered in embers, which burned through his blood-stained clothes, far exceeding the rate at which the embers were replenished.
The wounds from being shot and slashed by a sword reappeared; the right arm holding the knife broke off again; and the left half of the body vanished into nothingness.
After going through all that trouble, this is the moment he's been waiting for...
The mystery was solved, Wu Raian was visibly stunned. This was due to the use of his relentless, frenzied attacks; all tactics were aimed at his Blood-Burning Mantle.
In the split second between life and death, without his hands, even with his extensive experience in battle, he didn't know what move to use.
Bang!
Gunfire interrupted his thoughts; it was another incendiary bomb, making the embers burn even more fiercely, turning the berserk demon into a human torch.
This startled Wu Raian awake. Instead of begging for mercy, he charged forward ferociously, his mouth agape, determined to tear his enemy to shreds, even if it meant using his teeth.
Even a cornered beast will fight.
Undeterred by this demonic madness, Yuki lowered his gun, raised his knife, and calmly and simply plunged it into the other man's chest.
"I want your life."
Chapter Twenty-Four: Factions, Battle Maniac! (5K)
There was utter silence; even though the Night Domain had been broken open by brute force, the tens of thousands of spectators could see nothing.
Flames engulfed the world, followed by a mushroom cloud that rose and thick dust obscured everything.
Ordinary people couldn't understand this level of combat at all, and the huge arena seemed too small. Everyone craned their necks, eagerly awaiting the final result.
Since nothing was seen yet, there were no cheers in the deathmatch arena. If the demon won, that would be fine, but if Yuki won, he would only be met with boos from all sides.
"He won, but he showed me the Limit."
The apostle already knew the outcome and was clapping softly.
Without a doubt, this was a spectacular battle, with both sides giving their all, like caged beasts tearing at each other until the very last moment.
That's more like it; it wasn't for nothing that I've been paying attention.
The apostle was in a good mood and didn't care at all about the few rats scurrying around. In this city, power was everything, and there were only a handful of people it took seriously. Oh, now there was one missing.
"It seems that the domain can be broken, but the fact that the demon was defeated by him speaks volumes." Elk muttered to himself. This was their trump card; even without the identity of a seed, it was still the best whetstone.
"It makes sense to ignite the championship battle with an even stronger whetstone." The apostle didn't care about Wu Raian's life or death, just as he didn't care about Yuki; on the contrary, he was filled with surprise.
A battle between the strong is only interesting when they are evenly matched. Isn't it a good thing that inferior whetstones are eliminated?
It turned its head and saw a boy with bangs standing not far away, squinting as he carefully observed what was below.
"Tell me, how does he compare to Adam?"
The boy was Chun. In principle, players are not allowed to enter other deathmatch arenas, but this is not the rule of the Reincarnation Game. As long as the Cult is willing, he can cheat.
It was him, it was definitely him. That diary truly lived up to its reputation as the organization's most powerful tool; it was so effective!
Chun didn't recognize Wu Raian; all her attention was on Yuki. Her hands trembled slightly, whether from excitement or fear, it was hard to tell.
'Recording future events with the past'—this is the Future Diary, a very special Chaos Item. Of course, like prophetic skills, its accuracy rate is about 20%, so four were selected at the same time.
And yet, it just so happened that I—no, Adam— ran into it. Is this some kind of Destiny?
His mind was a bit of a mess, and the boy didn't hear the apostle's question until Elk patted him hard on the shoulder, bringing him back to his senses.
"Adam should be stronger than him, at least in terms of sheer destructive power."
"That's good." The apostle was relieved, as this was its biggest concern, since it had not witnessed Adam's battle firsthand.
A true warrior would definitely challenge me if he saw me, and I would accept the challenge and have no choice but to kill him.
Since it concerned the overall plan and it couldn't avoid battle, it left the decision to Chun.
"So, is Adam the strongest being in your world?"
The second question caused Chun's expression to change drastically. She looked at the apostle in front of her with a strange gaze before calming down after a while.
The records of the day are full of strange characters and plot devices, as well as powerful individuals who are aware of the player's existence.
"Uh, that's a difficult question to answer."
Just tell the truth.
"In terms of combat power alone, you should be at the very top, right? Is there anything you can teach me, Apostle?" The boy lowered his head, looking like he was asking for guidance.
With this level of strength, you think you can stand at the top? You're just a player from a closed world; no wonder you don't understand anything.
The apostle nodded slightly, showing no intention of exchanging information, and turned to look to the side:
"How is Adam? Does he still have any rivals?"
"The Doomsday Iron Cavalier, Chaos Troll, and Brass Warrior all died at his hands," Elk reported.
There were eight warriors in total. Yuki killed two, Adam killed three, and now there is one left, which is that seed that has no value.
"Give the third seed to Adam; it's too much trouble for him to become a warrior, he'll only be food." The apostle waved his hand. The preparations were almost complete, there was no need for a backup plan, so let's use his blood to further heat up the atmosphere.
"Well, that seed has already taken the initiative to issue the challenge."
"He's got some guts, but who is he challenging?"
Elk looked at him strangely and gestured with his chin towards the dusty arena below. "Him."
Um?
The apostle was momentarily stunned, wondering if Kevin could create clones to fight two battles simultaneously, but he quickly realized what was going on.
The challenger is Yuki, but he may not necessarily be the one to accept the challenge, because this team is participating in the battle as a 'team'.
"Trying to outsmart us again? Can't they just focus on a death match?" The apostle lightly rubbed his forehead, as if he was used to this kind of pointless thing. "Go kill the third seed, don't let him cause trouble behind our backs. As for his companions... well, if all else fails, we can take one out on him."
Chun was already annoyed at being given a free piece of information, and was completely dumbfounded after hearing the conversation between the two. He had been in the deathmatch arena for the past few days and hadn't had time to explore the plot.
Then the more I listened, the more something felt off. Were these people just too absurd, or was it that I was abnormal?
It's normal for Two-Gun Zhang to be taken down. As for targeting someone, that's probably related to hint 5, since if a comrade is defeated more than twice, the target will also be eliminated.
But what we're saying is, are there any gentler methods besides murder?
"Wait a minute, you knew his companions were causing trouble, so why didn't you arrest them?" the boy couldn't help but ask.
"What do you mean by 'arrest'?" Elk turned his head, somewhat puzzled.
It means exactly what it says, of course.
Just as Chun was about to speak, she suddenly realized a blind spot: the concept of arresting someone is to detain them by force, but this concept doesn't seem to exist here.
Once hostile actions are taken, it's either you die or I die; there's never a third option. Even hint 5 only applies between players.
He had many suggestions for the apostle, but when the words came to his lips, he couldn't utter a single one and could only stare blankly at the arena.
Holy crap, what kind of world is this?
The air was thick with dust, and red embers burned within the mist, looking almost like ghostly flames from a horror movie.
They don't need any combustible material; they burn in the air and are drawn in by the heavy gray mist, disappearing with a slight swirling motion.
"Even a mosquito's leg is still meat, it can at least make up for some of the losses." Yuki licked his parched lips; this battle had left him completely drained.
Having consumed a third of his Demon Heart, he was almost at the point of exhaustion. Fortunately, Wu Raian's soul energy was different from his previous opponents; it was vast and complete.
As expected, the Slaughter Cycle theory is correct. He didn't enter the cycle, so I was able to obtain all the energy, but even so, it was just a drop in the ocean.
Yuki looked at the still-burning remains not far away. This guy was too fierce, pushing not only his strength but also his intelligence to the Limit. In a sense, he was worn down to death by himself.
Liberation and Blood-Burning Mantle are similar to Reinforcement Magecraft and Demon Possession, belonging to the category of abilities that increase one's physical constitution. As for techniques, compared to him, his are simply unbelievably rudimentary.
This is equivalent to two masters who are similar in internal strength but vastly different in their techniques. Yuki uses his observation skills and intellect to make up for it.
"I'm stronger than you, but you're smarter than me."
The mangled body lying on the ground suddenly spoke; his entire body was almost charred, and even uttering a few words was difficult for him.
This couldn't have been planned in advance. The opponent's ability to counter any move was truly extraordinary. After discovering the true nature of his Blood-Burning Mantle, he adjusted his tactics and deliberately prolonged the battle.
Outbursts are always fleeting. The most dangerous kind of aggressive play, risking one's life for another, is this kind of clever player who holds onto his trump cards until the very last moment.
He saw through my skills and exploited my mindset; what a treacherous bastard.
"You're not convinced?" Yuki walked over, the sword trailing behind him leaving a trail of sparks on the ground.
"What's there to be convinced of in a fight to the death? The living stand, the dead lie prostrate—that's the Truth." Wu Raian seemed quite magnanimous, and even mocked himself, "Could we turn back time and go back to fight again?"
"That won't do. I don't have many tricks up my sleeve. If you're on guard, I'll be the one who dies."
How many ways are there to kill me?
Yuki thought about it seriously for a moment, then replied, "Hmm... there are probably three. The other two plans have a lower success rate, and I can't guarantee they'll kill you."