Chapter 97: The Roar of Rc Cells
After Su Xiao pressed the detonator, the green light on the bomb in Mars's hand lit up.
Boom.
A powerful shockwave rushed straight toward Mars's face. Thick smoke rose, and a blast of air swept forward. Su Xiao raised one arm to shield his face, staring ahead.
Even for an SSS-rank ghoul, enduring an explosion at such close range would surely blow them to pieces. But Mars might not necessarily die—this guy had far too much stamina, and more importantly, Su Xiao hadn't received a kill notification.
As the smoke dispersed, Mars appeared at the center of the explosion. One of his forearms had been blown off, his entire suit of armor was scorched black over a large area, some joints were damaged, and the faceplate on his helmet was dented inward, looking especially ridiculous.
"You—"
Mars glared furiously at Su Xiao, as if about to curse, but the aristocratic education he had received since childhood was deeply ingrained in his very bones.
In the end, Mars didn't shout any insults. Instead, he acted immediately, charging at Su Xiao with terrifying speed.
Thanks to the earlier explosion, Arima Kichou and Takatsuki Sen had already reached Su Xiao's vicinity.
"Attack together, or we'll all die."
Su Xiao met Mars head-on with his blade. Against an enemy with such overwhelming speed and terrifying strength, constantly retreating would only hasten death.
The other three understood that this was no time to hold back, so they charged forward alongside Su Xiao.
The explosion had been remarkably effective; the health bar above Mars's head had already been drained by more than half.
Su Xiao reached Mars first. He now understood what Takatsuki Sen had felt earlier—facing this steel-clad powerhouse was an immense pressure. Though the man was merely wearing a suit of steel armor, it felt as if molten iron had been poured inside: heavy, solid, and ferocious.
Mars reached out with his massive hand, grabbing for Su Xiao's head. Su Xiao only sensed a dark shadow rushing toward him, unable to even see the hand clearly. He jerked his head back as far as possible—if his head were caught, it would be over.
But Mars feinted, suddenly changing direction and grabbing for Su Xiao's shoulder.
Su Xiao couldn't dodge this grab. His shoulder tightened and went numb, then half of his body lost sensation.
Crack.
Su Xiao's shoulder was crushed, and his left arm hung limp.
He stomped hard against the ground, ignoring the piercing pain in his shoulder, and forcefully retreated a few steps.
With a tearing sound, a chunk of flesh was ripped from his shoulder, and blood instantly soaked his chest.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Mars was undeniably the strongest enemy Su Xiao had ever faced.
After Su Xiao temporarily withdrew, Arima Kichou and the other two charged at Mars, their attacks clanging against his armor.
None of them were weak. Mars was knocked back a few steps, and his health bar dipped slightly.
Arima and the others naturally wouldn't miss such an opportunity. They unleashed their strongest attacks, sparks flying everywhere as they barely managed to hold Mars at bay.
Not far away, Su Xiao hadn't lost his fighting spirit. His right hand could still grip his blade. As long as he hadn't fallen, he would continue to fight.
Using the opportunity while the three held Mars back, Su Xiao gradually circled behind him. After the initial exchange, he had formulated a feasible plan—one that didn't rely on the others.
After enduring multiple attacks from Arima and the others, Mars began to grow impatient.
"You ants!"
Mars roared, ignoring their attacks entirely as he charged headlong toward Shenfu.
At that moment, Shenfu must have had a curse on his lips, but time was too short for him to utter it.
Mars's hand pierced through like a blade, leaving an afterimage as it drove straight through Shenfu's chest. He lifted Shenfu up, and the gelatinous substance inside Mars's armor began to stir.
"Ahhh—save me!"
Shenfu's body visibly shriveled, and the sharp cone of his kagune instantly turned to dust.
Mars was absorbing the rc cells from Shenfu's body, and the health bar above his head was rapidly recovering.
Su Xiao, who had circled behind Mars, felt a surge of frustration. All the hard-won gains from their desperate struggle had been completely undone.
Though Arima Kichou and Takatsuki Sen were attacking Mars with everything they had, the damage they inflicted was slower than Mars's recovery.
Seeing this, Su Xiao's vision darkened. Why didn't they just chop Shenfu to pieces? Wouldn't that have been more effective?
Takatsuki Sen hadn't thought of it, and Arima Kichou had some connection with Shenfu.
Taking a deep breath, Su Xiao prepared to execute his plan—a desperate gamble.
If it succeeded, great rewards awaited. If it failed, he would either die or be forced to return to Reincarnation Paradise, suffering the harsh penalty of -3 to all attributes.
Su Xiao bit down on Dragon-Slaying Flash, holding it in his mouth, while a bomb shaped like an aluminum can appeared in his hand, with a pull ring on top.
Flicking the ring open with his thumb, Su Xiao tossed the can-shaped bomb toward Mars.
This wasn't a bomb. Bombs couldn't deal fatal damage to Mars—the earlier explosion at such close range hadn't killed him, let alone one thrown at his feet.
"Clink, clink, clink."
The can-shaped bomb rolled to Mars's feet. With a hiss, a large cloud of white mist spread out, enveloping Takatsuki Sen and the others.
As soon as the mist touched her, Takatsuki Sen's kagune disintegrated into fragments, and her body went weak.
"Rc cell suppression gas."
Takatsuki Sen, Shenfu still suspended in midair, and even Arima Kichou were all affected.
Not just the three of them—Mars was also affected. The red glow inside his armor dimmed, the health bar above his head turned gray, and all his attributes dropped significantly. After all, Mars was also a ghoul.
After throwing the rc cell suppression gas, Su Xiao activated his ring's skill: Roar. He was too severely injured; the pain from his shoulder was overwhelming his nerves, numbing half his body. He desperately needed Roar's effect of ignoring pain.
Once Roar was activated, the searing pain in his shoulder vanished. Gripping his blade with one hand, he charged forward.
In a few steps, he closed the distance to three meters behind Mars. The slowed Mars barely had time to fling Shenfu away.
Su Xiao leaped into the air, the arcs of electricity on Dragon-Slaying Flash blazing brightly. The muscles in his sword-wielding arm bulged slightly.
Use the bomb to damage Mars's armor, use the rc cell suppression gas to weaken the rc cells inside him, use Roar to ignore pain, and then deliver his strongest slash.
Weaken the enemy, strengthen himself, and strike with full force—that was Su Xiao's plan. Simple, brutal, and effective.
If this slash didn't kill the enemy, Su Xiao would have to either wait for death or choose to return. The cost of returning was too severe: -3 to all attributes would drastically reduce his strength.
The blade cut through the air, forming a pale blue streak.
Clang!
The blade sang, blood burned.
With one slash, Mars's head flew high into the air.
It worked!
Mars had been decapitated. Takatsuki Sen and the others stared at the scene, letting out a long sigh of relief as they watched Mars's head soar.
The others relaxed, but Su Xiao did not. Mars wasn't dead yet—at least, he hadn't received a kill notification.
Twisting the blade in his hand, Su Xiao switched from a forward grip to a reverse grip. If anyone could see the muscles inside his right arm, they would notice that some fibers in his forearm and upper arm had already torn.
But under the effect of Roar, he temporarily ignored this.
Dragon-Slashing Flash plunged into Mars's torso through the severed neck. Under the influence of the rc cell suppression gas, the blade sank in more than halfway.
Su Xiao straddled Mars's shoulders, using his sword to stir the gelatinous substance inside the torso. He could clearly feel Dragon-Slashing Flash cutting through some harder organs.
Mars's headless body convulsed violently, like someone having a seizure.
"This... this guy has gone mad."
Takatsuki Sen watched Su Xiao, who was stirring the enemy's internal organs with his blade, and instinctively stepped back. She was afraid he might lunge at her—at that moment, Su Xiao was indeed somewhat brutal.
After stirring for a few seconds, Su Xiao clearly felt Mars's body go limp, collapsing to the ground along with him.
After Mars's death, a brilliant blue treasure chest floated above his corpse.
Su Xiao immediately sheathed Dragon-Slashing Flash, picked up the blue chest, and without any pause, reached his still-functional right hand into Mars's torso. Soon, he felt a hard crystal, pulled his arm out, and found himself holding the Source.
Su Xiao chose to complete the mission. Time was running out. The withered Shenfu began to approach but seemed wary of the lingering rc cell suppression gas.
The Source in Su Xiao's hand disappeared. This time, not only Shenfu but even Arima Kichou and Takatsuki Sen showed a hint of killing intent in their eyes.
"Return."
Su Xiao murmured softly. The space around him began to churn. A sensation like being hit on the head with a stick washed over him, his vision went dark, and his derivative world ended.
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