Chapter 209
The longsword slipped from his hand, muscles were torn open, revealing the pulsating Demon Heart within. The cannon barrel extended from its throat, and before the gathered plasma ball could even fire, it had already charred large sections of internal organs.
Vitality Shift!
This was a fatal wound, but Yuki didn't die or freeze. While he was gathering his energy, he raised his leg and clamped it around the other's neck.
Using her waist and abdomen, she pulled her body out of Adam's mouth and straddled his shoulders.
Blood gushed out, the left side of his body was almost torn off, his eyes were bloodshot, and he had become a ferocious beast that felt no pain.
The movements were all completed in an instant, so much so that Adam, who instinctively raised his hand to pull Yuki off, was stunned the moment the severed arm hit the ground.
Wait, where are my hands?
Before he could figure out how to deal with the prey behind him Armless, his body suddenly sank, and the ground cracked open with a 'boom'.
Concept Enhancement: Iron Body.
Thousand-Kilogram Drop.
The Reinforcement Magecraft output at full power made both of their bodies several times heavier.
"Hayasaka!"
As soon as she finished speaking, from the side and behind, the blonde girl stood on the broken wall, gripping the huge revolver tightly with both hands, pointing it at the two entangled people.
She was terrified, so terrified that her mind Blank; but the gun was steady, as steady as a thousand pounds.
"Kill me? You're not worthy!"
Adam caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye; even though he was firmly locked in place by Yuki, he still stomped down with all his might with his left leg.
Impact Blade.
The Chaos Item combined with unparalleled power, but without the previous Earth Collapse force, the shockwave only formed a sharp blade, leaving a bottomless gash on the ground.
It stretched swiftly, cutting the Singer's White Veil in two, but in that brief moment of obstruction, the last arrow fell to the ground.
Tide Rises, this thing, offering no defense, stretched Hayasaka Ai's body horizontally by less than half a meter—a difference that could mean life or death.
The blonde girl's expression never changed, as calm and collected as the muzzle of the gun in her hand. She aimed at Adam and Yuki, and without hesitation, pulled the trigger.
Absolute Lethality Mode. Death Knell Tolls.
Six bullets were fired simultaneously, Piercer all physical or energy defenses, and the projectiles traveled at an astonishing speed.
Perish together?
Adam instinctively tried to dodge, but Yuki pinned him down, rendering him unable to move an inch in an instant.
Bang!!
A tremendous roar finally erupted, and the recoil sent Hayasaka Ai flying back several meters. Before she could replenish her luck points, she looked up ahead.
The two intertwined figures burst into a spray of blood. Adam's entire left chest was almost completely gone, and through the hole, one could see the tall building behind him that had been instantly blasted to collapse. But the shot was extremely accurate, passing right by Yuki's feet.
The fatal wound brought extreme pain, but the pain gave rise to extreme power. In an instant, Yuki could no longer suppress it and was forced to stand up.
But he didn't run away; he just raised his right hand.
"Zhang Jin!"
A black short gun was thrown from the side and landed steadily in Yuki's hand.
He was exhausted, utterly drained, but the short gun in his hand remained remarkably steady, as if he were grasping at the last glimmer of hope.
With a twist of his wrist, the spearhead pointed downwards, piercing Adam's skull and penetrating his right chest, accurately Piercer the raging Pain Engine.
"Then would I be worthy to kill you!?"
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Blood Sacrifice to the Blood God! (5K)
The outcome is decided.
When the shot struck, the relentless killing machine finally froze, turning the already silent giant arena into a death zone.
It was like a bucket of cold water being poured over their heads, choking all the spectators; they couldn't even utter a single word, let alone cheer.
The battle raged for over an hour, but the outcome was decided in just five minutes, prompting a sigh from the watching apostles.
How did Adam lose?
It was somewhat confused; just five minutes ago, Adam was sweeping away his attackers, leaving them either dead or wounded.
"But it was indeed a spectacular battle."
The apostle clapped softly, having witnessed the two beasts locked in a life-or-death struggle. One was extremely ferocious, while the other possessed astonishing intelligence. They managed to carve out a window, allowing the woman to deliver the final blow.
He created the opportunity himself, something he had planned before the war even began.
Despite the sighs of admiration, the hard-won fervor was rapidly waning, and the arena itself was on the verge of collapse.
"Then I have no other choice."
Adam's defeat completely erased his original plan. He had intended to fight Adam again after the ritual to unleash all the emotions he had suppressed over the years.
It seems that's not an option now; I must suppress my desire to Yuki.
"Getting out of this Abandoned Land is the top priority; after all, this world doesn't have much value anymore."
The city was reduced to ruins, the Cult suffered heavy losses, and the Blood God's gaze gradually shifted away as the fanaticism subsided. If he were to intervene personally now, he would be trapped in this world forever.
Without a second's hesitation, the apostle raised his hands and activated the backup plan.
"Then, let's fight."
"Then let it burn."
"Then let the blood flow like a river."
With a low murmur, the black building beneath their feet began to crumble, revealing a red light like viscous blood, which seemed to be swallowing the building's black exterior.
Fight! Burn! Let the blood flow like rivers!
The deathmatch arena, which had been completely silent just moments before, erupted in a unified, brutal, and deep sound, devoid of any individual emotion.
You know, the audience will also curse and cheer, but at this moment they are like a broken record, endlessly repeating this sentence.
This was far more powerful than mere cheers; hundreds of thousands of people were saying the same thing, expressing the same desire.
With each shout, the desire was focused onto the ring, and the rapid breathing suddenly stopped.
"Will this ever end?"
Zhang Jin crawled out of the rubble, adjusted his cracked sunglasses, his head throbbing as if it were about to split open from the ripped-out soul, and his face looked terribly pale.
He hadn't even had a chance to collect his dead brother's body when the unified shouts made his heart stop.
There was no return, meaning that killing Adam did not win the championship, and even the light barrier was not lowered. The deathmatch is far from over!
Even in the worst-case scenario, which was almost hopeless for him, the arena remained, and the mysterious apostle bared its fangs.
Although he didn't know what it wanted to do, Zhang Jin, a seasoned player, understood as he looked at the buildings that had turned from pitch black to blood red.
The final secret is about to be revealed.
The final battle is just an appetizer; this scene is the core of the dungeon, but the main quest is more than just 'discovering' it.
Zhang Jin roused himself and looked around, his expression growing increasingly grim.
Kaguya has returned, but like Hayasaka Ai, she is exhausted; an hour-long battle has drained all her resources. Looking ahead, Yuki sits kneeling on the ground, silent as a corpse.
That's it, he's exhausted all his cards.
If Yuki could instantly recover fully, he would feel better, but now even his last hope has been shattered.
"My bad luck really did predict the worst-case scenario."
Yuki slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with helplessness. He had no time to rest, and didn't even have the energy to savor the fierce battle he had just fought.
He felt like he had a jinx, saying that the 'champion' was problematic, and it turned out there really was a problem. Now the answer is revealed:
The strongest becomes the champion—what an ingenious word game!
Discovering and verifying the ultimate secret reveals a deadly trap.
Both warning messages were incorrect, and a familiar scent wafted through the air, sending a chill down my spine.
'Calm down, I have more cards now than during Bloodthirsty Red Moon. Besides, the Reincarnation Game tried to kill me last time, but it failed, didn't it?'
Forcing himself to calm down, Yuki looked up and saw ripples spreading across the once cloudless, blood-red sky.
This phenomenon occurred when dealing with Adam, but Adam was too much of a threat, and Yuuki didn't even have the energy to think about it, let alone Yuki with him.
Fortunately, this was a team strategy, so he focused on fighting while someone kept an eye on the sky.
"Mr. Yuki, these ripples appeared when the battle began, reached their Limit when Adam at his most ferocious, and then slowly subsided because you defeated him. But just now, they started to sway again, and are rising slightly with the Scream."
Hiyori and to the point, each one revealing weariness.
"I understand. The pattern is obvious; it changes with emotions." Yuki exhaled a breath of stale air, his words indifferent and calm. "How far have you two progressed?"
"Basically done. Senior's special ability can last for a few more minutes; she's preparing to add some more chips." Hiyori spoke as quickly as possible, finally muttering to herself, "As expected, there's something wrong with this arena. Even after you dealt with Adam, the Light Wall didn't fall."
"As expected, besides us players, there are tens of thousands of other people in the arena. This deathmatch will not end with Adam's death."
"What do you suggest we do now?"
"Wait, then gamble. The fact that he didn't come to kill me personally is already half the battle won."
Yuki's voice was weak, but firm as steel. He had made so many preparations; he would survive to the very end, even if it meant risking his life.
"Be careful, wait for my signal." The pain in his body made Yuki more alert. Killing Adam to seize a huge amount of soul energy replenished his depleted Demon Heart, which would allow him to activate the Regenerative Tail to piece his almost shattered body back together.
He slowly rose and glanced at the enormous corpse kneeling on the ground, its eyes wide with rage. Even in death, Adam, that monster, was still terrifying.
Its body was incomplete, with almost all the muscles peeled away, revealing a metallic skeleton, like a broken robot.
Yuki didn't say anything, nor did he have time to express his emotions. Just then, the supplies in his storage space ran out, so he simply stuffed the entire corpse inside.
Adam is a treasure trove; as for which parts are usable, we'll study them slowly once we return.
"Come closer, let's discuss this." He beckoned, and the three of them immediately came over. Because Yuki's terrible wounds were healing rapidly, his complexion finally looked better.
Without a doubt, Yuki was the backbone, but neither Kaguya, Hayasaka, nor Zhang Jin showed any sense of relief at surviving the ordeal. They seemed somewhat bewildered, or rather, they had lost control of the future.
He had no idea what to do next or how to get back, and just stared blankly at Yuki.
"Zhang Jin, when you activated 'Thinker's Domain,' didn't you notice the atmosphere was off?"
Yuki reminded them that the unified chants had been repeated ten times, the air was gradually becoming hot, and their heartbeats and breathing were accelerating. They had initially thought it was the afterglow of the battle, but after being reminded, they gradually realized that something was wrong.
"Okay." Zhang Jin immediately transformed into a sculpture of the 'The Thinker', and after activation, a golden halo covering hundreds of square meters appeared on the ground.
Not only does the aura protect you from negative influences, it also makes your thinking more agile.
His heartbeat and breathing immediately stabilized. Zhang Jin was stunned for a moment, then suddenly looked up. "No wonder you've always told me not to use it."
"The best stuff is saved for last, didn't you notice? The earlier frenzy wasn't nearly as fierce as it was on the ring."
"I found it, but I thought it was because the area was too huge," Zhang Jin explained, listening carefully. "It seems I was wrong."
The unified sound seemed to come from afar, growing louder and clearer, leaving Zhang Jin and the others completely bewildered, wondering what the apostle was up to.
The light barrier didn't dissipate, and the players remained trapped in the city. Ironically, it didn't come out to reap the rewards, and the Scream didn't sound like cheers.
Within the halo, thought processes are faster and harder to control than usual. Zhang Jin glanced at the expressionless Yuki and finally couldn't hold back any longer.
"You're so calm? Don't you notice this crap dungeon's difficulty is weirdly high?"
"Even disregarding Adam's unexpected factor, eight teams of players have been wiped out, leaving only a few kittens. That's bad enough, but they can't even return. Are we supposed to beat up that apostle?"
Yuki looked at the other person with some pity, wanting to say that he was just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire, and that Adam wasn't an unexpected factor; he was coming for him anyway.
But he couldn't bring himself to say it, fearing that the player, whose soul was already weakened, would die on the spot.
"It's not as dramatic as you think. The key is that apostle." Yuki could only offer words of comfort; he was focused on finding a way to survive.
"You mean, its target isn't the players?" Hayasaka Ai immediately realized, knowing that Hiyori and Yuki had made many guesses.
"If He were simply the Boss, He would have already jumped down and killed us. We are exhausted now, so as long as He doesn't actively try to kill us, there is definitely a chance."
Yuki's words brought a slight sense of relief to everyone. They were currently trapped in the city center, and there was nothing they could do but continue to wait.
But this wait didn't last long, only two minutes, when Kaguya Shinomiya, whose head was wrapped in bandages, trembled as she raised her hand.