Chapter 4: Fear
"Kill them!"
A Reincarnation Paradise contractor, already on the verge of death with over a dozen energy arrows embedded in his body, let out a furious roar. The next moment, a bullet drilled into his forehead, blasting his skull to pieces.
At this moment, within the chaotic battle zone, over a thousand contractors were locked in a massive free-for-all. Heads were beaten into dog heads. If not for the stark differences in their marks, the four factions slaughtering each other would have been unable to distinguish friend from foe.
Boom, boom, boom...
Ghastly green flames surged. A contractor free-for-all was far more dangerous than a battlefield of ordinary soldiers. In a war led by soldiers, their abilities were relatively singular. As for contractors, they possessed all kinds of powers, and being ambushed to death by bizarre abilities was a common occurrence.
At this moment, Su Xiao was enduring a very peculiar ability. It was called "Grul's Mark." The faster he moved, the faster his health points drained. If not for his relatively high "Abnormal Attribute Resistance," he might have already been killed by this ability, especially since he was surrounded by enemies.
Five contractors from the Death Paradise faction surrounded Su Xiao. These five were quite troublesome. Their appearances were identical, and preliminary judgment indicated they were quintuplet brothers. They shared vision, shared abilities, and their minds were linked, requiring no communication during battle.
"You are a worthy opponent. We are Ice Star, Electric Star, Light Star, Wind Star, and Soul Star. You may refer to us collectively as, Elemental Stars."
The five Elemental Stars spoke in unison, staring at Su Xiao with grave expressions. They had experienced his blade techniques firsthand. If not for their shared minds, two of them would have already died by Su Xiao's sword.
The fragmented form of Banishment floated around Su Xiao. He was receiving virtually no reinforcements at the moment. Bubu Wang had infiltrated the enemy's rear. Amu, as the tank, was at the very front of the melee. Baha had gone to assassinate the enemy's support and healing units. Beini was unsuited for this kind of battlefield; entering the fray rashly would result in a mortality rate of over 90%.
A breeze mixed with the scent of blood blew past. Su Xiao tightened his grip on Dragon-Slaying Flash. The five Elemental Stars around him also lowered their bodies.
Just then, golden light enveloped the entire battlefield. The golden light clung to the five Elemental Stars. They were somewhat surprised, but then their faces lit up with joy.
"The healing system of Holy Light Paradise lives up to its reputation."
As the Elemental Stars finished speaking, an incomprehensible song came from above. A woman with six golden wings on her back and a slender staff in her hand floated high in the sky. The song was coming from her mouth.
The entire world was dyed golden, holy and full of hope. Some of the three-paradise alliance contractors who were lying on the ground wailing found that their fatal wounds were recovering at a visible rate. Some less severe severed limb injuries also began to regenerate and heal.
Golden particles scattered from above. The muscles on the five Elemental Stars bulged noticeably, and their auras grew stronger.
Su Xiao looked at the healer in the sky. Without a doubt, this was the strongest healing-type he had ever seen, capable of buffing over a thousand people simultaneously.
"God will guide us."
The healer in the sky spread her arms horizontally, her huge golden wings fully extended.
"By God's will, I grant you protection."
As the healer in the sky finished speaking, the golden light on all members of the three-paradise alliance condensed and gradually sank into their bodies, enhancing their defenses.
A dense barrage of bullets and other long-range attacks flew toward the healer, but they were all blocked by a golden light membrane, only producing a series of booming sounds.
The three-paradise alliance, which had been gradually retreating, stopped. They actually managed to push back the Reincarnation Paradise side.
"Death... Hatred... Madness."
The purple-haired witch who had spoken with Su Xiao earlier raised her arm. After a moment of preparation, she pointed into the distance at the healer in the sky.
The golden wings behind the healer exploded. She fell like a bird with broken wings. A figure shot into the air and caught the super-massive healer who was in free fall.
The purple-haired witch was clearly not in good shape either. She crouched on the ground, one hand covering her forehead, drops of purplish-black nose blood falling.
Although the super-massive healer from the Holy Light Paradise side had been dealt with, the buffs she had applied remained. For a time, the Reincarnation Paradise side was beaten back step by step.
The Holy Light Paradise and Apocalypse Paradise sides, which had been somewhat demoralized, regained their fighting spirit. That buff not only enhanced their overall attributes but also gave them unwavering courage.
With a whoosh, the five Elemental Stars rushed to Su Xiao's side. Their speed had increased by at least 30%.
Crack, crack, crack...
Ice froze. A cyan storm erupted, shattering the frozen crystals and forming an icy vortex. The ice shards were like high-speed flying blades.
When the ice vortex dissipated, Su Xiao had already disappeared from his spot. Soul Star clasped his hands together. A moment later, the five Elemental Stars vanished simultaneously. They didn't need verbal communication.
At the forefront of the Reincarnation Paradise camp, Amu and several main tanks were drenched in blood. To get past them, one would have to step over their corpses. That was the dignity of a tank.
Amu knelt on one knee, the ice shield in his hand covered in cracks.
"Barbarian!"
With a rumble, a tower shield was planted beside Amu. The enemy contractors in front of Amu were knocked back a few steps.
A man so muscular he looked somewhat Spartan looked at Amu and nodded. The next moment, a high-pressure flame roared in, quickly turning this main tank into charcoal.
"Whoosh~"
Among the Death Paradise crowd, a man with jet-black hair and an upper body replaced by machinery exhaled a stream of hot air. The flame just now had erupted from his open arm. His gaze fell on Amu.
Four hundred meters from the mechanical man, Su Xiao appeared out of thin air in the crowd. Around him were contractors from the Apocalypse Paradise, Holy Light Paradise, and Death Paradise factions. These people were gathered together, intending to break through the Reincarnation Paradise defense line.
Su Xiao's sudden appearance stunned the surrounding contractors. Su Xiao ignored them. He held his sword in his right hand, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground. He raised his left arm, which was wrapped in a metal bracer.
"Dead Silence."
As Su Xiao spoke, he clenched his left fist. A wave of energy spread from the [Black King's Fall Sacrifice] bracer.
Everything around seemed to fall silent. The contractors within a 300-meter radius of Su Xiao felt a chill run through their bodies, as if something extremely terrifying was about to arrive.
These people tried to flee, but found their bodies as heavy as lead, making it difficult to even take a step.
Whispers came, unintelligible to anyone.
Within the 300-meter radius centered on Su Xiao, the world turned gray and black. Cotton-like substances drifted across the ground. The grass on the ground withered and rotted rapidly. The soil turned yellow and cracked.
This area seemed abandoned by the world. The only thing it was filled with was death. Everyone was going to die!
Rows of inverted, pointed buildings appeared in the sky, like an upside-down mirage. Anyone who saw these buildings felt a chill in their hearts.
"What... is this..."
A contractor raised his arm. His skin was weathering at a visible rate. What was even more terrifying was the notification that appeared afterward.
[Notification: You have been invaded by an unknown ability. Your movement speed is reduced by 99%. Your nerve reflex speed and dynamic vision are reduced by 80%. You are taking 19% of your maximum health as erosion damage per second. Effect lasts 10 seconds.]
This contractor tremblingly pulled out a bottle of recovery potion. As soon as he poured the potion into his mouth, the strange taste almost made him vomit. After forcing himself to endure the discomfort and drink the potion, the notification that appeared made him even more desperate.
[Notification: You have consumed a severely expired potion. You have entered a state of drug poisoning, losing 15 health points per minute.]
The contractor opened his mouth in shock. Suddenly, he felt his arm become light, as if it had broken free from some restraint. He slowly raised his arm. It was now a grayish-black color, like weathered rock.
"Save... save me!"
"What is this, my body..."
"Don't come near!"
Clearly, the last roar came from a Death Paradise contractor. As soon as he shouted this, his whole body went limp.
With a thud, a contractor fell. His pupils lost their luster, and his clothes turned grayish-black.
More thuds followed. These contractors had tried to attack Su Xiao, but they were too slow. And while being eroded by Dead Silence City, their bodily functions rapidly declined.
After 10 seconds, except for a few who had escaped using spatial abilities, all the contractors within 300 meters of Su Xiao had fallen. No one was left alive.
The illusion of Dead Silence City disappeared. The area returned to its original color. With Su Xiao as the center, the ground was almost covered with corpses.
In a ring 300 meters out, the contractors there had all stopped charging forward. Their expressions were somewhat dazed. Over a hundred contractors had died so suddenly. For a moment, no one dared to approach Su Xiao.
A roar of anger came. It was Ice Star. Three of his quintuplet brothers were dead: the fastest ones, Wind Star, Electric Star, and Light Star. They had charged in fast, and they had died fast.
At the edge of the area eroded by Dead Silence City, several contractors from the Apocalypse Paradise side exchanged glances. They simultaneously retreated, in an unusually synchronized manner.