# Chapter 37: Strategic Retreat
The giant axe mutant spun toward Su Xiao, crushing corpses and stone fragments in its path.
If it were only the giant axe mutant, Su Xiao had hundreds of ways to kill it. But near the giant axe mutant was a large group of heavily armored mutants frantically pounding the ground. They didn't need to directly injure their enemies—just continuously blasting out earthen-yellow shockwaves was enough. After being swept by the shockwaves, debuff effects would rapidly accumulate.
[Warning: You have received the 'Earth Tremor' effect. This debuff has stacked to 49 layers. Your stamina consumption increases by 67%, movement speed is greatly reduced, 15% chance of dizziness, 12% chance of paralysis, 7% chance of weakness, 5% chance of ability interruption.]
[You are about to receive 0.27 seconds of dizziness. Resisted.]
[You have been paralyzed for 0.12 seconds.]
[You have moderate weakness. This abnormal state is accumulating.]
[Warning: If Earth Tremor accumulates to 100 layers, you will be forced into a 0.5-second dizziness state.]
[Warning: If Earth Tremor accumulates to 200 layers, you will be forced into a 1.2-second paralysis state.]
...
These weren't judgment-type control effects, but side effects from energy vibrations. Su Xiao could resist some control effects, but movement speed reduction, paralysis, and weakness were harder to deal with.
The heavy armor unit was essentially a bunch of iron lumps with a spinning top in the middle. It sounded amusing, but actually facing them was anything but.
The giant axe mutant's spin was nearly unstoppable. The heavy armor mutants nearby were responsible for limiting the enemy's mobility, giving him the chance to shred them apart.
If this were an open battlefield, these iron lumps would eventually be worn down. But inside a building, it was different.
A second giant axe mutant dropped from above. After landing, it immediately started spinning in place.
Boom, boom...
The corridor thundered continuously as waves of earthen-yellow shockwaves spread. Su Xiao dodged heavy weapons swinging toward him. When he was within five meters of a giant axe mutant, he slightly lowered his body.
'Blade Path: Azure Demon.'
The Azure Demon enhanced by Azure Shadow King was unleashed. Its speed and cutting power were on a completely different level from normal. After delivering this slash, Su Xiao's weakness state worsened.
With a tearing sound, a large head wrapped in a metal helmet flew up. The giant axe mutant's spinning slowed, eventually crashing to the ground with a thunderous boom. This massive creature with three hearts finally stopped.
Thump, thump.
Two more giant axe mutants dropped from above. Su Xiao wasn't having an easy time, and neither were Tasha and Venom Claw. The heavy armor unit's attacks were indiscriminate—besides the heavy armor mutants themselves, all other mutants were affected by those earthen-yellow shockwaves.
Tasha was on the verge of collapse, leaning against the inner wall of the corridor. Beside her lay Venom Claw, severely wounded on the ground. A large group of heavy armor mutants blocked their path like an iron wall.
Among the methods the mutants used to deal with powerful enemies, Tasha, Giant Ape, and Venom Claw weren't the strongest. The heavy armor unit on the fourth floor was the true trump card.
The main reason they were stationed on the fourth floor was to prevent them from accidentally injuring that special mutant. Their fighting style was too brutal—they could easily demolish the entire fortress. In fact, the fourth floor's construction was sturdier than the fifth.
As the hole in the ceiling grew larger, more heavy armor mutants jumped down. They didn't care whether they landed on their own allies, continuously blasting out earthen-yellow shockwaves.
Clang, clang, clang.
The spinning giant axes repeatedly struck Dragon-Slaying Flash. Su Xiao held the blade horizontally in front of him, now cornered. Several heavy armor mutant corpses lay before him—not killed by Su Xiao, but torn apart by three giant axe mutants spinning together, their bodies shredded, blood carried away by the whirlwind.
Su Xiao's long blade slashed repeatedly, sending intersecting blade auras flying. The nearest giant axe mutant had armor fragments scattering everywhere, blood and shredded flesh mixed among the broken armor.
If anyone else were holding the rear right now, they'd already be minced meat from the giant axe mutants' spins. The heavy armor mutants had almost no tactics—they just charged forward blindly, combining with those earthen-yellow shockwaves to attack wildly, completely indifferent to friendly fire or their own survival. Their only goal: kill the enemy by any means necessary.
Boom~
Over a dozen earthen-yellow shockwaves swept through. Su Xiao's body went numb as the spinning giant axe came at him.
Crystal fragments flew everywhere. Caught in the giant axe storm, the crystal layer on Su Xiao's surface rapidly shattered. In an extremely short time, he was slashed over a dozen times by the giant axes.
With a cracking sound, the crystal layer on Su Xiao's body broke apart. A cold sensation first came from his shoulder—the feeling of being cut—then from his side waist and calf.
Dragon-Slashing Flash was embedded in the ground. Su Xiao raised his left arm, and Banishment attached itself to his left hand. Banishment's durability was far higher than the crystal layer, though its protection range was smaller.
With a crash, Su Xiao's left hand caught the spinning giant axe. He had won—10 minutes had passed.
In the first 5 minutes, Su Xiao had been hammering three sixth-rank boss-level enemies. But in the last 5 minutes of dealing with the heavy armor unit, he had sustained considerable injuries. Fighting the heavy armor unit head-on inside the fortress building was unwise.
Crack~
Su Xiao's hand crushed the giant axe. The giant axe mutant didn't stop, grabbing an iron rod and continuing to spin. Having lost its axe head, it lost its balance and actually spun backward toward the heavy armor mutants.
If trapped here, Su Xiao would be worn down by the heavy armor mutants and giant axe mutants. There were tens of thousands of them. Even though Crazy Doctor had lured many away, over three thousand remained. These heavy armor mutants weren't meant to be fought inside a building—their clumsiness and slow movement speed were perfectly compensated by numbers and terrain.
Taking advantage of the giant axe mutant spinning backward, the blue flames on Su Xiao's surface dissipated as Demon Hunting Hour activated.
Su Xiao vanished from his spot. The next moment, he appeared in front of Venom Claw, decapitating him with one slash. In Su Xiao's view, whether that female fission mutant died or not didn't matter—Venom Claw had to die.
Blood splattered. Venom Claw's arm raised, and a wave spread toward Su Xiao—that annoying restraining ability again.
Before being affected, Su Xiao had already pierced through space, moving atop a giant axe mutant's corpse.
Turning his gaze, Su Xiao looked at Crimson Tasha. Their eyes met, and Tasha's breath caught.
Using Dragon Shadow Flash to pierce through space, Su Xiao successfully retrieved the 9 Epic Chests on the ground. There were 12 Epic Chests total, but 3 were among the heavy armor mutants and couldn't be retrieved.
Fortunately, Su Xiao had picked up the 2 Holy Spirit Chests dropped by Giant Ape. Adding the merits gained, this rear-guard action, though dangerous and costly in injuries, was very profitable.
If the Dean and the others knew Su Xiao's situation right now, they'd be completely dumbfounded. Holding the rear—surviving was already good enough. Making a profit on top of that was simply unbelievable.
This was the combat power Su Xiao had only after awakening Azure Shadow King. Otherwise, just dealing with the three sixth-rank boss-level enemies like Tasha would have left him no spare strength. When the heavy armor unit arrived, he'd have an 80% chance of dying here.
The stronger one became, the more resources one obtained, leading to even greater strength—a virtuous cycle.
Using Dragon Shadow Flash repeatedly, Su Xiao reached the fortress's underground first floor. He didn't retreat immediately—in his weakened state, continuous use of Dragon Shadow Flash would worsen the condition.
The only thing Su Xiao couldn't understand about this battle was that Venom Claw, as a boss-level enemy, didn't drop a chest. After killing Venom Claw, Su Xiao obtained a black fleshy lump called [Unknown Biological Tissue], its specific function unclear.
Moreover, after killing Venom Claw, Su Xiao only gained 85 merit points—far less than from Giant Ape. In Su Xiao's perception, Giant Ape was indeed stronger than Venom Claw, but not by that much.
Venom Claw's aura was different from Giant Ape and Tasha's. It felt like its potential had been severely overdrawn.
Despite his doubts, Su Xiao's escape speed wasn't slow. A few seconds later, through continuous spatial penetration, he reached the base of the fortress wall, where Bubu Wang and Baha were waiting to receive him.
Inside the fortress's underground fifth floor, the battle had stopped. Tasha sat silently against the wall, her eyes vacant. The heavy armor mutants stood in place like cold machines.
"Defeated..."
Tasha lowered her head, her hands trembling. She, Ankidu, and Venom Claw had confidently assured the King that the 'Doom Star' would be safe. Now...
Three commanders, over a hundred elite fission mutants, and over ten thousand heavy armor troops guarding it—and the result was two commanders killed, over 70% of elite fission mutants dead. The heavy armor unit's interception had indeed injured the enemy but hadn't played a decisive role. All 9 Doom Stars were lost.
Crimson Tasha couldn't imagine how she would report to the Mutant King.
"Too complete a defeat. What face do I have to see the King?"
Tasha raised her hand holding the blade, pressing the chipped edge against her neck. She had no face left to see the Mutant King. This body she would leave to the clan for other parasitic mutants to use. As for herself, she would pay the price for this failure.
"Tasha, what are you trying to do?"
A voice appeared in Tasha's mind. Her body trembled.
"King."
Tasha lowered her head. Complete defeat was an undeniable fact. No amount of verbal sophistry could cover up this truth.