Chapter 146
Even blood magic cannot heal the twisted muscles and shattered bones in a short time; the recovery speed is far slower than the speed of injury.
Aatrox in his World Ender state is just too, too powerful...
The reversal of the situation happened almost in an instant.
Rhaast found himself on the defensive once again, forced to keep running away in an attempt to find a chance to launch a counterattack.
Unfortunately, Aatrox had no weaknesses whatsoever.
But... opportunities may not necessarily arise from the opponent's weaknesses.
Sometimes it can also be help from friendly forces.
Call out--
Bang!
An ice crystal arrow suddenly shot out, and the shattered ice crystal powder instantly covered Aatrox's entire body.
This had little effect on him in his World Ender state, but even a slight delay was enough to allow Rhaast to escape danger temporarily.
"Just in time..." Rhaast hurriedly dragged his heavily injured body away, preparing to recover from his injuries before fighting again.
But just then, another figure rushed over—it was also quite large.
Fortunately, they weren't enemies.
Thump thump thump... Thump thump thump...! The giant Drüvask boar makes a lot of noise when it runs.
Several wooden buckets were tied to the wild boar's back.
There was also a young girl riding on it.
"Chen Ce!" Sejuani shouted, "Over here!"
"What does that mortal want to do..." Rhaast didn't think a mortal and a wild boar could do anything—could they possibly kill Aatrox?
Don't be ridiculous, they'll just become Aatrox's "supplies".
"Those two barrels... explosives... this kind of weapon against ordinary people... it's ridiculous..."
Rhaast's senses were far beyond those of ordinary people; he could tell from just a glance or a sniff that the two wooden barrels were full of gunpowder, even from hundreds of meters away.
But he still didn't think it was any use.
He didn't even bother to acknowledge the mortal and continued running away.
Until Chen Ce spoke from the depths of this body's consciousness:
[Don't run yet...]
Sejuani arrived with two barrels of explosives.
But as she got closer and closer to "Chen Ce," she sensed something was wrong—was Chen Ce really the monster in front of her...?
Where did that skinny, handsome boy go? What happened to him...?
Several meters tall, with horns on its head and its body covered in scales...
He looked exactly like a monster...
"Chen... Chen Ce...?"
Sejuani pulled on the reins from several meters away, and Bristle stopped immediately.
"Ah..." The terrifying monster turned its head, its voice low and hoarse. "Do not tarnish my glory with the name of a mortal... I am Rhaast..."
"La... Rhaast...?" Sejuani was even more confused.
Before she could figure it out, the monster rapidly approached.
"Leave the explosives, you can go..."
"But--"
"No buts, mortal... get out of here before I can't resist killing you..."
Sejuani was about to say something when Rhaast roughly snatched the explosive barrel from Bristle's back—as lightly as if he were holding a few wads of cotton.
"Get lost..." After getting the explosive barrel, Rhaast lifted Bristle up and flung Sejuani a hundred meters away.
Although it looked rough, neither Sejuani nor the Drüvask boar were injured when they fell onto the snow.
Rhaast is in trouble now— Aatrox has charged in.
Thump--!
Another powerful sword strike came down, and Rhaast's arm, which he had just partially restored with blood magic, was broken again.
He couldn't help but burst into a tirade. "I told you to hurry up! It's just a mortal's life!"
[It's all part of the plan...] Anyway, it's not Chen Ce's in pain.
"You're just a damned mortal too...!" Rhaast was furious, but now was not the time to argue.
Aatrox's greatsword struck again, its destructive aura and matching power sending chills down one's spine.
Rhaast quickly used Deceive to dodge.
At the same time, he extended a finger and placed it on the bucket's guide line.
A wisp of Darkin energy overflowed, and the intense heat instantly ignited the fuse.
In the instant he broke stealth, he simultaneously threw several barrels of explosives at Aatrox.
Boom--!
A violent explosion resounded through the sky.
That was quite a powerful move.
But... when it comes to power, Aatrox isn't afraid of this "children's toy".
For him, Ascended being, explosive barrels were no different from fireworks for entertainment.
How could mortal weapons possibly harm the warriors of the gods?
Even a single piece of its shell couldn't be destroyed by explosion.
It just means it's a bit noisy.
There's also a lot of smoke.
Whoosh! The sound of a sharp blade cutting through the air rang out in the thick fog, and Aatrox, who was prepared, immediately parried with his greatsword.
Creating smoke to confuse the enemy and then launching a sneak attack... how could such a childish trick possibly fool a battle- Ascended?
"You're ridiculous, Rhaast..."
Aatrox exerted force with both arms, and the Darkin Blade instantly overpowered the opponent's scythe.
Rhaast, however, revealed a cunning smile.
"The real surprise is yet to come, Aatrox..."
Boom--!
Another loud bang rang out, and a powerful shockwave shot straight into Aatrox's spine.
It was another barrel of explosives hidden behind it with a delayed detonation.
This attack wouldn't seriously injure him, but it would cause him to lean forward for a fleeting moment.
Rhaast seized the opportunity and, at the cost of being struck heavily by the sword, changed the direction of his scythe's attack.
Snap--!
This strike perfectly severed Aatrox's sword-wielding arm.
But Aatrox also cleaved a large gash in his chest.
In this way, he had no way to press his advantage.
Aatrox quickly switched his sword to his left hand and launched an attack in a fit of rage—the feeling of being outmaneuvered reminded him of some unpleasant memories... which made him very unhappy.
"Damn liar--!!"
The giant sword came hurtling towards him, Rhaast dared not take it head-on, so he immediately turned and fled into the thick fog.
The smoke and dust from those barrels of explosives created a perfect "smoke bomb."
Seeing this, Aatrox gave chase without hesitation—he was confident he could pinpoint Rhaast's location precisely through the smoke.
Even if he couldn't see Rhaast, the latter couldn't escape.
The Darkin can sense each other...
"Come! Fight me!"
"Tch..." Rhaast dragged his wounded body as he continued to flee.
But he could never get very far.
Not to mention that he was inherently slower than Aatrox, his severely injured body meant he couldn't run far.
Before long, he gradually came to a stop in a thick fog.
Aatrox also caught a glimpse of that blurry yet familiar figure through the thick fog.
"It's over, my brother... Your cowardly act of running away disgusts me!"
Aatrox approached slowly, his red-glowing "demon eyes" appearing particularly terrifying in the thick fog.
Rhaast has completely stopped running.
"Aatrox... you are indeed very strong..." The weak breathing sounded like that of a dying man.
"No need for flattery, Rhaast ..." Aatrox's vision gradually cleared through the thick fog, and the severed arm stopped bleeding. "I was going to kill you anyway... Yes, I don't hate you, I just want to destroy this world."
"Do you want to die with us in the final World Ender...?"
"Yes, yes... I can no longer bear this pain... Our glory... We have become like this, Rhaast ... It's all pointless now..."
"Sometimes accepting reality is a wise choice... You value honor too much, Aatrox ..." Rhaast's breathing grew weaker, as if he might die at any moment. "This isn't pride anymore... it's arrogance..."
"We have different ideas."
Aatrox was about to cross the last patch of fog, and he slowly raised the Darkin Blade.
"I don't want to discuss right or wrong with you. I only have this one goal now... Goodbye, my brother."
"Hmm..." Rhaast raised his head with difficulty.
The last wisp of fog dissipated between them, and they could see each other clearly.
Then, Rhaast gave a mocking smile.
Aatrox frowned.
He saw it clearly... the "Darkin" before him...
This Rhaast... is different from the previous ones...
Shriveled, hollow, with very little flesh...
He quickly turned around to look.
His severed arm, which had been cut off and fallen to the ground, was indeed gone.
And the body of Rhaast before us... this withered form was made from his severed arms.
With little flesh and bones, merely an empty shell unable to move—it was the Darkin Scythe and blood magic that sustained his aura, making him invisible in the thick fog and also "interfering" with the mutual sensing among Darkin.
This is his true form, but his other body has long since vanished...
Aatrox realized he had been tricked.
He finally understood the true intention behind that "little trick".
But it was all too late.
"Hello..." A mortal's voice rang in my ears, and a tiny figure broke the invisibility.
A silver longsword fell swiftly.
Aatrox's sword had already slashed at Rhaast, and there was no time to retract it—not even his outstretched hand.