Chapter 53: Don't Lower Your Head, the Crown Might Fall
Su Xiao was too severely injured. At most, two more hits, and even if the Abyssal King didn't shatter his skull with a bone tail, he would still die.
The tips of the Abyssal King's three bone tails converged, and a black sphere rapidly condensed. Just seeing that black sphere made Su Xiao's hair stand on end. If that black sphere touched him, he would die immediately, right then and there.
Su Xiao was still five meters away from the Abyssal King. Judging by the condensation speed of the black sphere, slashing out a blade aura was too late; even Azure Demon couldn't make it in time. The Abyssal King's move wasn't a charge-up; it was condensed in an instant.
Just then, ripples emerged from the ground beside the Abyssal King's feet. A monster with a mouth full of sharp fangs burst out from underground, lunging upward to bite at the black sphere above the Abyssal King.
This monster was about five meters long. Originally, its body length had been over thirty meters. After the core array exceeded its limit, its size had shrunk significantly, but its combat power had surged by a tier, reaching the seventh rank. Its speed, in particular, was faster than Su Xiao's, though other aspects were mediocre.
The creature, resembling a sea monster, brought up mud and water, swallowed the black sphere in one gulp, and then plunged back into the ground as if the earth had turned to liquid.
'Detach.'
Su Xiao's hand clenched in the air, severing his connection with that alchemical creature, sacrificing the thing he had tried to use to restrain the enemy.
Crimson biological tissue appeared on the Abyssal King's body, including the black sphere from before. The bone tails raised, but it was too late by a fraction of a second.
*Thud!*
Gravity struck. Blood seeped from the gaps between the Abyssal King's armor plates. He spat out a large mouthful of blood. Having his own ability hit himself was unpleasant both mentally and physically.
The armor plates on the Abyssal King's body were mostly undamaged, except for an area near the center of his back. The black sphere had been stuck there just now, causing the most severe damage in that spot, shattering many of the plates.
The Abyssal King was heavily wounded. Su Xiao had created this alchemical creature originally to guard against being surrounded by heavy-armored troops, but it had worked out this well.
Seizing the opportunity, Su Xiao closed in on the Abyssal King and slashed at his chest with his blade. He needed to know where the Abyssal King's heart was.
A smile appeared beneath the Abyssal King's shattered faceplate. Since becoming king, he hadn't fought anyone, let alone to this extent. The battles in his inherited memories were different from personal experience. Today was a memorable day.
The Abyssal King's three bone tails merged into one, and this single tail whipped out, leaving an afterimage.
*Crackle~*
Su Xiao stopped in his tracks. His right arm, which held the blade, had been snapped off.
The right arm flew a long distance before hitting the ground with a clatter. Dragon-Slaying Flash also fell to the ground.
The Abyssal King coldly stared at Su Xiao. Now both of Su Xiao's arms were broken. More critically, Dragon-Slaying Flash had been knocked away.
A sonic boom rushed toward him. The Abyssal King grabbed for Su Xiao's head with one hand while his bone tail stabbed at Su Xiao's chest. He intended not only to crush Su Xiao's skull but also to pierce his heart, aiming to kill him in the most reliable way possible.
The blood around Su Xiao turned into blood energy and surged toward him. Two arms formed from blood energy met the Abyssal King's claw and bone tail. The blood arms shattered on contact. This was essentially the Blood Beast ability; no one had decreed that Blood Beast had to take the form of a beast in battle.
Blood energy exploded between Su Xiao and the Abyssal King, exactly as when Blood Beast pounced on an enemy. Both Su Xiao and the Abyssal King retreated simultaneously.
*Pfft!*
A long blade pierced through the Abyssal King's right chest. There was no warning, no clash of ultimate moves, no furious charges at each other. In a true life-or-death battle, life and death truly were just an instant.
The Abyssal King's bone tail trembled. He looked down in disbelief at the blade tip protruding from his chest, then back at Su Xiao in front of him. The enemy had no arms—how could he hold a blade and stab through him?
Suddenly, the Abyssal King remembered that the armor plates on the center of his back were broken. The defense there was greatly reduced. Plus, this blade was too sharp, so it could pierce his body.
Dragon-Slaying Flash had stabbed through the Abyssal King's chest from behind. Clinging to the hilt of Dragon-Slaying Flash was Banishment. Su Xiao had controlled Banishment to make Dragon-Slaying Flash pierce the Abyssal King's second heart.
First, the blood energy exploded, forcing the Abyssal King back. The spread of blood energy disrupted his perception, and then came the fatal blow.
When Su Xiao had decided to take the gamble earlier, he had split Banishment apart. After his right arm holding the blade was snapped off, Dragon-Slaying Flash fell into the distance. Was this a coincidence? Of course not. The blade in hand was his life. Under normal circumstances, even if his arm was broken by the bone tail, his severed arm would have been gripping Dragon-Slaying Flash tightly. He had deliberately let go of Dragon-Slaying Flash just before his arm was snapped off.
Using Dragon Shadow Flash twice, consuming the [Hourglass of Light +13], and sacrificing his left arm, Su Xiao had successfully destroyed the Abyssal King's first heart.
Sacrificing his right arm, nearly having his neck pierced, and almost having his skull crushed, he had successfully destroyed the Abyssal King's second heart.
Su Xiao was skilled in blade techniques. When both his arms were broken, he was at his weakest, which was also when the Abyssal King believed he had won.
When one believes they have won, the probability of losing is highest. The Abyssal King had to guard against Su Xiao's deathbed counterattack and against Bubu Wang, who was blending into the environment. The only thing he forgot to guard against was the blade that would truly take his life: Dragon-Slaying Flash.
Blue smoke rose from the blade tip. The light in the Abyssal King's eyes quickly faded. Beheaded, both hearts pierced, repeatedly burned by Azure Steel Shadow energy, heavily wounded by his own ultimate ability, he was finally killed by Demon Blade.
Ask yourself: what to do when your combat power is lower than the enemy's? The answer is to use your brain. Charging in with hot blood only leads to faster death. Calmly analyze the enemy's strengths and weaknesses, find a way to exploit their vulnerabilities, and only then is victory possible.
Banishment flew to Su Xiao's side. A crystal layer spread over the stump of his right arm, forming a crystal arm, with Banishment mixed in.
Su Xiao walked to the Abyssal King's corpse, stepped on his back with one foot, grasped the hilt, and pulled out the blade. He lightly flicked the blood off the sword and slowly sheathed it. His health was less than 6%.
[You have killed the Abyssal King.]
[The World Core is located within the Abyssal King's 'Inherited Heart.' The Hunter must retrieve it as soon as possible.]
[You have received 1200 Merit Points.]
[You have received 310 Soul Coins (Seventh Rank).]
[You have received a Holy Spirit Chest (27%).]
[Note: Only when killing seventh-rank elite/boss/lord-level creatures can you obtain Holy Spirit Chests with a numerical suffix. This suffix represents the initial probability of the chest producing Holy Spirit-rank equipment/bloodline items/gems and other rare items.]
……
Su Xiao dismissed the prompts. His crystal finger tapped the center of the Abyssal King's back. Part of Banishment entered the wound and quickly emerged, wrapped around the World Core.
Su Xiao grasped the World Core. For this thing, he had nearly died here.
Bubu Wang trotted over happily, with a bloody footprint on his back. He hadn't just watched the whole time; he had played a key role twice.
Opening the adventure group list, Amu was still the vice leader. This meant Amu hadn't died in battle. Confirming this, Su Xiao felt much more at ease. He took out a wireless earpiece and put it on.
"Dean."
"I'm here."
The Dean's voice was very weak. His situation must have been dire.
"Got it."
"King Kong, don't die yet. Bai Ye succeeded over here."
"I'm... not going to die yet. Loni, you... get off my back."
King Kong's voice was even weaker, on the verge of death.
"Bai Ye, King Kong can't hold on much longer. But since a while ago, the behavior of the Aberrant Beasts has been strange."
"I said, I'm not dying yet. I can hold on for a few hours. Probably. I won't die."
"A temporary coordinate will be generated in five minutes."
Su Xiao ended the communication. Using the World Core as a node, a temporary spatial coordinate was about to form. The moment the temporary coordinate formed, Reincarnation Paradise would be able to interfere with the nearby area.