Chapter 20: Getting Used to It
The next morning, at eight o'clock sharp, the weather on the Atonement Heights was pleasant and sunny.
Click-clack, click-clack...
A very discordant sound of a crossbow being drawn came from somewhere, loading, aiming, ready.
Twang!
A nearly three-meter-long bolt, shaped like a missile, was fired. Watching the bolt fly further and further away, Su Xiao couldn't deny it pained him. One Apollo cost 100,000 Paradise Coins + Soul Crystal (Medium) x1 + 1000 Mana Points.
The bolt tore through the air, breaking through layers of airwaves mid-flight. This time, the target was a mountain range in the central area. These hollow mountains contained a large number of Assimilators.
After flying nearly three kilometers, the bolt's momentum slowed, its tip gradually tilting downward, eventually piercing a mountain wall.
With a crisp crack, the mountain wall was punctured, revealing a large, pitch-black hole. Within that darkness came the clear sound of metal clashing.
A flash of orange-yellow firelight tore through the darkness, illuminating the surroundings. Faces, numb and vacant, appeared. Their pale, vertical pupils twitching occasionally were enough to send chills down anyone's spine.
The firelight grew more intense, shifting from orange-yellow to blue, finally turning into white-hot flames. All of this happened in an instant.
Solar Flame spread within the mountain, instantly incinerating tens of thousands of Assimilators there into a gaseous state, reducing them to nothing.
Boom!
A fireball at least two kilometers in diameter engulfed a mountain range. The scene was spectacular. Many residents of the Atonement Heights witnessed it, no longer as dazed or terrified as the day before, having seen it once already.
Central Area, Soul Altar.
With a clatter, the clay bowl in Saint Zachariah's hand fell to the ground. Inside, one could vaguely see chopped pieces of Soul Vine.
Saint Zachariah's mouth opened and closed a few times. This time, although the explosion wasn't at his ancestral graves, it was his 'barracks,' and the Assimilators inside were his strength.
"Demon Clan... Feather Clan... you go too far..."
Brother Saint Zachariah was trembling with rage. Never in his life, from birth until now, had he felt such fury. He wasn't afraid of powerful enemies, but this kind of attack, where he didn't even know where it came from, left him feeling helpless.
At the edge of the central area, Su Xiao stood on a treetop, observing the situation near the explosion point through a telescope.
Given the current situation, the central area was extremely dangerous. Entering recklessly would be suicide. So Su Xiao simply didn't go in. The mission time limit still had over ten days. He would throw one Apollo over every day and see if the leader of the Ancestors, Saint Zachariah, could keep hiding.
After observing for a while, Su Xiao brought Bubu Wang and Lilith back to their residence.
Early the next morning, a sleepy-eyed Bubu Wang squatted on a large rock. His expression seemed to say, "Master, doing this... isn't good, right? My conscience was even hurting a little last night."
"Then go steal the Ash Sprout?"
"Woof! (Blow him to hell, I support you!)"
Bubu Wang's expression was firm and righteous.
Different location, same launcher, same Apollo. The victims were still the Assimilators. With Apollo's power, it probably wouldn't take many more shots before over 90% of the Assimilators were blown to bits by Su Xiao.
The sun fell upon the world, white firelight shot into the sky. This seemed to have become a daily morning ritual on the Atonement Heights. The commoners were starting to get used to it; some even prayed to that 'sun.'
On the Soul Altar.
Crack, crack, crack...
Saint Zachariah nearly ground his teeth to powder. Yesterday, he had turned his territory upside down but found nothing. And this morning, his territory was bombed again. This was the third time, the third time!
Saint Zachariah had observed the explosion sites multiple times. He was certain it wasn't high-tech weaponry but a mystical explosive, likely an alchemical product.
At first, Saint Zachariah suspected the Black Marsh forces were behind it, then the Demon Clan or Feather Clan. But after thinking it over, he found none of these conjectures held water.
The most frustrating thing in the world isn't being defeated. It's getting a hard slap across the face and not knowing who did it. What's even more maddening is that this slap comes once a day, more punctually than breakfast.
Saint Zachariah was so frustrated he felt like he might explode on the spot. Su Xiao wasn't in a great mood either. The opponent was simply too patient. After three consecutive days of attacks, the other side hadn't even sent out a single Assimilator. In this kind of invisible chess game, it was hard to say who was winning or losing, but Saint Zachariah's losses were certainly heavier.
There's an old saying: things don't go beyond three. However, the next day, the fourth Apollo exploded in the central area.
Boom!
After a violent tremor that shook the mountains, Saint Zachariah, his face extremely grim, appeared near the explosion site. Looking at the blazing white flames before him, his heart actually calmed down. Because... he was getting a bit used to being bombed.
Sss, sss, sss...
Walking barefoot on the scorching ground, Saint Zachariah was like a lion in his prime: fierce, strong, unstoppable.
However, this lion was now a bit dazed from the bombing. Questions like: Who the hell is bombing me? What is their goal? Why are the attack locations so precise? kept popping into Saint Zachariah's mind.
"This is... forcing me to leave this place?"
Saint Zachariah muttered to himself. Just then, his eyes suddenly sharpened.
"Who!"
The veins on Saint Zachariah's arms bulged, looking as if they were about to burst out of his body.
"Saint Zachariah, it seems you need a commission."
A man dressed in the standard black robe of Asaka, wearing a white alloy mask, appeared.
"Someone from Asaka?"
Saint Zachariah's expression relaxed a little. Although the Ancestors and Asaka had no real friendship, they were neighbors and had no grievances between them.
"Seeing you get bombed so badly, as a neighbor, if you're willing to pay a fee, I'll find out who the culprit is."
The person negotiating with Saint Zachariah was none other than Su Xiao. He didn't want to drag this out any longer, so he came near the explosion site.
"You know who did it?"
Saint Zachariah frowned, his expression unreadable.
"Not yet, but Asaka never lacks intelligence channels."
"..."
Saint Zachariah fell silent. Honestly, he was somewhat tempted to hire Asaka to investigate. But for some reason, he felt this guy in front of him was very suspicious.
"Not interested."
"Is that so? Forget it then."
Su Xiao turned and left without hesitation, looking like a killer just passing by to try his luck, seeing if he could score a job.
"Wait."
"..."
"What fee do you want?"
"For the fee, a Soul Fruit would be nice."
"Hmph. If you want it, the Soul Fruit will ripen in five days. That thing has no use other than being destroyed."
Clearly, Saint Zachariah already knew he couldn't keep this Soul Fruit. If he were more extreme, he might even destroy the Soul Vine. The reason he hadn't was simply because neither the Demon Clan nor the Feather Clan would push things to the extreme. Saint Zachariah could actually gain a lot of benefits after the Soul Fruit ripened.