Chapter 13: Battle Angels
A figure rushed across the grassland, then suddenly stopped.
The man who halted seemed puzzled about something, tapping a few times in the air before him. This man was a Battle Angel from Apocalypse Paradise, named Victor, a drunken Victor.
Victor exhaled a breath of alcohol. The reason he stopped was that his target had suddenly ceased moving. The target was a high-risk Violator, so Victor naturally had to be cautious.
From the second rank to the fifth rank, Victor had become quite skilled at dealing with Violators. He looked toward the low hill half a kilometer away and had already spotted the Violator there.
On the low hill, Su Xiao received feedback from Baha that there were no other Contractors nearby.
"Hey, Violator over there!"
A loud shout came from the foot of the hill. Victor, wearing a brown leather coat and sporting a crew cut, walked over. His expression was grim and seemed somewhat angry.
"As a fellow Contractor, why break the rules? Isn't it better to stay alive? I'll give you a chance now. Go mine for ten worlds, and you can become a Contractor again. Life as a hunted man isn't easy, always living in fear."
Victor's speech was extremely smooth, clearly something he did often. As for his claim that mining ten worlds would allow one to become a Contractor again, it was half true and half false.
"..."
Su Xiao's expression was clearly surprised. From the first rank onward, he had been a Hunter and had never negotiated with Violators like this. In most cases, either the Violator wanted to kill him, or he wanted to kill the Violator. There were no pointless words when they met—just a direct fight to the death.
"This is your only chance now. I don't want to kill you."
Victor spoke with a slightly sorrowful expression.
Clang~
Su Xiao drew the Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist.
"Why bother? We..."
Boom.
Blood energy spread, and the sorrow on Victor's face froze, turning into a blank expression.
"With such heavy blood energy, you should have released it earlier. I wouldn't have had to waste words."
Victor raised his arms, and a layer of liquid metal climbed up them, eventually forming two bracers that wrapped around his hands and extended to the ends of his forearms.
The strength of the liquid metal arm guards rapidly increased, finally forming two angular metal gauntlets.
"One last time, are you willing to go mining or not!"
Victor slightly lowered his body, expelling the alcohol from his pores.
"..."
Su Xiao held his longsword horizontally in front of him. He had never encountered this Battle Angel in the fifth-rank arena.
With a loud crash, gravel flew from beneath Su Xiao's feet. Victor also charged forward. Both were melee fighters, which meant the battle would be more intense and could be decided in a shorter time.
The longsword cut through the air, drawing a white line before heading straight for Victor's neck.
Victor's combat experience was clearly rich. He sidestepped as he charged, raising his left arm to block his neck.
Clang! The longsword struck the metal guard. Victor leaned forward as the force came through.
Crack, crack, crack...
The ground behind Victor's feet cracked extensively, the fissures spreading nearly a hundred meters before stopping.
"Huff~"
Victor exhaled a stream of hot air. His face was tense now. The blow he had just taken nearly sent him flying, making him judge that the enemy was strength-type.
The longsword struck the metal guard but didn't cut through. The recoil traveled along the hilt to Su Xiao's hand. Using this force, he lightly leaped backward—not because he couldn't withstand it, but because there was no need.
Midair, Su Xiao's eyes locked onto Victor. The moment he landed, he lunged forward with a horizontal slash, the longsword turning into a blur of light.
Sensing this incredibly fast strike, Victor gritted his teeth. He had no choice but to take it head-on. The enemy was specialized in both strength and agility.
Clang!
A shockwave spread, sending gravel flying from the surrounding ground. Fine cracks appeared on the low hill.
A faint, sweet taste of blood appeared in Victor's mouth, telling him his internal organs had been shaken.
The second strike was also blocked by the enemy. Su Xiao clearly felt the recoil traveling from his arm into his torso.
If this had been before he mastered Melee Grandmaster, Su Xiao would have had to retreat or endure the force. But now, things were different.
Su Xiao tensed all his muscles. The force entering his torso was transferred to his waist, eventually spreading to his left calf.
He crouched and delivered a side kick.
Boom!
Victor broke through a layer of air, sent flying directly.
Zing~
Metal wires extended. Su Xiao pulled his arm, grabbing the Realm Severing Thread with his metal-guarded hand.
Victor, still midair, suddenly stopped and began to fall.
The spool inside Su Xiao's sleeve spun rapidly, retracting the Realm Severing Thread without pulling the enemy back. Given the thread's strength, forcibly dragging the enemy back would likely break it.
Su Xiao leaped off the low hill and charged into the grassland.
On the grassland, Victor climbed to his feet, vomiting a large mouthful of blood. He pressed his hand to his side. The armor beneath his clothes was completely shattered. The organs near his side were severely damaged, and a large patch of muscle had been torn.
Victor felt that without the passive ability at Lv.49, that kick would have brought him to the brink of death.
Without a second thought, Victor turned and fled. Although his mission was to eliminate Violators, he couldn't fight someone he couldn't beat. It wasn't like he had to throw his life away.
Whoosh~
A sound of something cutting through the air came. In a critical moment, Victor tilted his head, and the longsword thrust past his ear.
With a crack, the longsword burst apart. This wasn't the Dragon-Slaying Flash at all—it was Banishment.
"Holy Blood."
Victor's eyes turned golden. He knew there was no escape today.
With a thunderous boom, Victor shot forward like a cannonball, instantly reaching Su Xiao. His fists unleashed a flurry of afterimages.
Clang, clang, clang...
Metal clashed. Victor's eyes bulged. He had thrown over a hundred punches, but not one had landed.
Pfft.
A few drops of blood traced a line through the air as an arm wrapped in a metal guard flew up.
Victor staggered back a few steps, pulled a scroll from his hand, and crushed it.
Thud~
It was like a hammer striking the air. Everything around them froze. Victor rushed to Su Xiao in a few steps and punched toward his head.
It should have been a sure hit, but Victor struck nothing, passing straight through Su Xiao's head. Su Xiao's figure gradually faded.
"Penetrated space..."
Pfft~
The longsword pierced through Victor's throat and slashed sideways.
Victor's body began to weaken. He took one last look at Su Xiao. Now he just wanted to know—what attribute was the enemy specialized in?
With a thud, Victor, full of regret, fell to the ground.
Due to the unique mechanism of Battle Angels, Su Xiao couldn't sense Victor's strength without engaging in combat. After fighting for a while, Su Xiao understood why he had never encountered Victor in the Paradise arena—the guy was probably not in the top hundred.
Su Xiao frowned. Because the enemy was a Battle Angel, he had considered using Blood Beast to greet him at the start of the fight. But the enemy's strength was vastly different from what he had imagined.
[Tip: The Hunter has killed an enemy Battle Angel.]
[You have obtained a Scarlet Card (★★★★★).]
[Invasion level increased by 5%, now at 13%.]
[Because the invasion level has exceeded 10%, the Hunter has successfully invaded the world channel. Remaining speech count: 20/20.]
[Due to the Hunter's act of killing a Battle Angel, it is highly likely to attract more Battle Angels.]