Chapter 43: Death Knell
The area around Su Xiao turned blazing red from the high temperature. He held Duke of Annihilation level, but the lock-on function quickly failed as Death Omen had exceeded the maximum range.
After attempting to pursue for half a kilometer, Su Xiao stopped. Death Omen, who was fleeing, noticed Su Xiao was no longer chasing and slowed down.
It seemed Su Xiao had given up, but that wasn't the case. Bubu Wang had already disappeared without a trace.
Based on experience from their last encounter, engaging Death Omen in a chance battle was the least wise choice. This guy would run if he couldn't win, and he fled at an incredibly fast speed.
The best way to eliminate Death Omen was to set an ambush, arrange a terrain from which she couldn't escape, and fight her there. In a direct confrontation, even if Death Omen went all out, she wouldn't be Su Xiao's match.
Two hours later, in the Rukongai, District 27: Gang Guan District. It was now five in the morning, and the sky was beginning to lighten.
Inside a thatched hut in Gang Guan District, Death Omen sat on a pile of weeds, holding a piece of dripping fresh meat. A creature that looked like a preserved egg jumped in front of her, attracted by the meat.
"Little Preserved Egg, I'll say when you can eat, and only then are you allowed..."
Before Death Omen could finish, Little Preserved Egg suddenly opened its blood-filled mouth full of sharp teeth and bit toward her hand.
Death Omen quickly withdrew her hand. Little Preserved Egg swallowed the raw meat and chewed loudly.
"That was close~"
Recovering, Death Omen grabbed Little Preserved Egg, held it in her hand, and squeezed hard.
"Shayenord, how long will it take for this little thing to grow up? And, I have a strange feeling, as if..."
Before Death Omen could finish, Shayenord interjected, "As if being tracked?"
"Bingo."
Death Omen snapped her fingers, a smile appearing on her face, though it was somewhat bitter.
With a crackling sound, blue-white light streamed in through the window of the thatched hut. Outside, Bubu Wang, blending into the environment, held a two-meter-long metal rod. The rod was entirely silver-white.
Ding!
A crisp sound rang out as the metal rod pierced the ground, activating the forty-seven other rods already arranged nearby.
Bubu Wang pressed his dog paw onto the metal rod, and blue-white plasma chains connected all forty-eight rods, forming a circle.
[Negative Ion Plasma Superconducting Device], produced in the Void, crafted by the Bana Dwarf Clan. It was mainly used to imprison Star-Crabs, Demon Clans, and the like. The Bana Dwarf Clan once used 78,542 [Negative Ion Plasma Superconducting Devices] to seal off half a planet for 163 years, starving the 'Black Meteor Devourer' inside to death, shocking countless Void races.
The reason Bubu Wang had the [Negative Ion Plasma Superconducting Device] was that he was friends with the Bana Dwarf Clan. When Su Xiao entered the Demon Castle last time, Bubu Wang befriended them. The two sides hit it off immediately and agreed to take Bubu Wang to their home planet next time they met.
Crackle~
Plasma carrying terrifying temperatures surged, forming a circle that surrounded the area where Death Omen was. Everything inside the plasma net was rapidly decomposed.
"What is this?"
Death Omen crossed her arms in front of her, a pained expression on her face as a layer of black energy isolated the plasma.
"[Negative Ion Plasma Superconducting Device], a masterpiece of a group of 'groundhogs'."
Shayenord's tone was somewhat low, as if the surrounding plasma net brought back bad memories.
"Death Omen, from now on, shut up and listen to me..."
Hearing Shayenord's unusual tone, Death Omen's expression turned serious, her eyelids drooping.
"Is that so? Something from the Void too? Meaning, there's no escape now?"
"You could... put it that way."
"I see."
The smile on Death Omen's face gradually twisted, and she became somewhat excited.
Outside the [Negative Ion Plasma Superconducting Device], Su Xiao slowly walked up to the plasma net. Bubu Wang tossed him a thick metal piece the size of a poker card.
Su Xiao raised his left arm, and the metal piece was attracted to the bracer on the back of his hand.
Hum~
The center of the metal piece opened in a spiral, revealing a blue crystal.
Su Xiao walked toward the plasma net. This thing wouldn't last long. The environment of the Bleach world was different from the Void, and with the limited number of [Negative Ion Plasma Superconducting Devices], it could only last about an hour at most.
This item was a consumable. As for recharging, it wasn't worth it. The price of negative ion plasma fluid was so high it made people question life. This was a technology monopolized by the Bana Dwarf Clan, the foundation of their existence in the Void.
Originally, Su Xiao didn't plan to have Bubu Wang use this thing, but that previous aura was too strange. Letting it develop unchecked could lead to unknown consequences.
Su Xiao stepped into the plasma net. The blue crystal on the back of his hand flashed, and the surrounding blue-white plasma was immediately repelled.
The inner diameter of the plasma net was about 30 meters. If it were any smaller, Bubu Wang might have been detected by Death Omen while setting it up.
Within the surging plasma, Death Omen had changed from her usual erratic personality, standing silently in place.
"Death Omen."
Shayenord, in its glove form, had just spoken when Death Omen bit off one of the black gloves. The glove quickly transformed into a short dagger.
"Take as much blood as you need. Don't remind me until I'm on the verge of severe blood loss and unconsciousness."
Pfft!
A few drops of blood splattered as Death Omen stabbed the short dagger into her chest, piercing her heart. The dagger quickly dissolved, eventually turning into a black gelatinous mass that sealed the wound. This black mass climbed up her neck, eventually covering the lower half of her face, leaving only a row of breathing holes.
The glove on her other hand also began to deform, eventually turning into a black revolver. The revolver was slender overall, with a five-round capacity.
"Shayenord, load."
As soon as Death Omen finished speaking, a long blade slashed toward her face.
"World, Engrave."
Bang!
Death Omen pulled the trigger. No bullet left the chamber, but the surrounding world turned black and white.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The death knell tolled from above. The revolver in Death Omen's hand was called Death Knell, one of Shayenord's ultimate forms: the World-Shattering Gun.
As soon as the gunshot rang out, Su Xiao felt resistance around his body. He initially thought it was a force-field type ability, but after glancing at Bubu Wang outside the plasma net, he realized it wasn't.
Bubu Wang's fur was being blown by the night breeze, and Su Xiao could even see the fur slowly floating. This meant only two possibilities: either Bubu Wang was slowed down, or he was sped up.
Judging by the black-and-white world around him, it was clearly the latter. This was a time-based ability.
The tip of Dragon-Slaying Flash slashed past the bridge of Death Omen's nose. Her backward-leaning movement left afterimages.
"In my world, no one is faster than me."
As she retreated, Death Omen raised the revolver, aiming the muzzle at Su Xiao's head.
Bang, bang.
One black and one white bullet flew out of the muzzle. Death Omen's face grew paler, clearly due to massive blood loss.
With his instinct ability, Su Xiao naturally detected the incoming bullets. These two bullets didn't give him any special feeling, just very strong kinetic energy, with destructive power not inferior to Duke of Annihilation.
Su Xiao crouched low, slashing his long blade forward. The black bullet grazed his cheek, and the white bullet was cut in two, exploding from the kinetic collision.
Seeing the exploding bullet, Death Omen's eye twitched. She no longer wanted to engage Su Xiao in close combat. The memory of being freely toyed with by a Blade Grandmaster last time was still fresh.