Chapter 13: Truly Apocalypse
In the central zone of the swamp region, over thirty contractors surrounded two giant apes. Strangely, these contractors did not launch a siege against the two apes.
The Illusionist stood on the black ape's shoulder. Upon closer inspection, a translucent pocket watch floated beside him, its only second hand ticking steadily.
Tick, tock, tick, tock~
With each tick of the second hand, the expressions of the two giant apes grew increasingly ferocious. The Illusionist couldn't influence them much longer.
A blur rushed in from the distance—it was Mu Xiao. Her attire had completely changed now; she wore a long hooded coat, with locks and buckles binding her arms and waist, and her hood was pulled low.
'Original Sin: Execution Scythe.'
Mu Xiao's right hand clenched empty, and a large amount of blood surged from the wound on her palm, forming a massive blood-red scythe.
Mu Xiao gripped the blood-red scythe with both hands, flipping her body as she charged forward, and swung a phantom slash toward the white ape ahead.
With a whoosh, a massive blood-red crescent struck the white ape's chest. The confusion in its eyes vanished instantly, but the searing pain from its chest nearly sent it crashing to the ground.
With a thunderous crash, the white ape collapsed to sit, its massive hand shielding its front as it let out a deafening roar.
After delivering that slash, Mu Xiao's face turned pale. She backflipped several times and vanished into the air, clearly having used an ability beyond her body's limits, requiring time to recover.
Though Mu Xiao retreated, the contractors surrounding the two apes didn't just watch. The first attack to arrive was a beam of energy like a laser, slamming into the white ape's head.
Thud.
Energy pulses radiated outward. This blindingly white energy beam seemed locked onto the white ape's head, beginning a sustained burn.
The smell of scorched fur instantly spread. The white ape writhed on the ground in pain, one hand clutching its head while the other swung its war hammer wildly.
Various attacks rained down on the white ape. Deep blue flames spread across its entire body, beginning a continuous scorching. A five-meter-long harpoon pierced through its body, and the contractor holding the fishing rod leaned back with all his strength, stepping back one footprint at a time.
Under normal circumstances, Mu Xiao's blood scythe should have at least severely wounded this extraordinary white ape, second only to a overlord creature. Moreover, 'Sin of Jealousy' would deepen the damage the white ape took over a certain period. By now, the white ape should have been dead.
Not only was the white ape not dead, but it was thrashing on the ground, splashing mud and water everywhere. Judging by the force, it didn't look like it was about to die at all.
Bang. The white ape's wildly swinging war hammer struck the black ape's back. The Illusionist, standing on the black ape's shoulder, felt a wave of dizziness.
"Not good."
The Illusionist's words barely left his mouth when a massive, black-furred hand grabbed him. The hand squeezed hard, then hurled the Illusionist in its grip viciously into the muddy water below.
Thud.
Like a cannonball hitting the ground, the contractors who witnessed this all winced. They wondered if the Illusionist would just kick the bucket like that.
With a crash, the black ape stomped one foot into the muddy water where the Illusionist had landed. Seeming unsatisfied, it jumped up and stomped again.
Thud!
The ground trembled. The splashing mud slowly settled, and within the falling mud, the black ape's body trembled. It grabbed the white ape with one hand and pulled it up from the ground.
"Roar! x2"
Both apes roared simultaneously. The contractors nearby felt a buzz in their heads, and the shallow water at their feet vibrated, sending droplets flying.
After completing 'Combination Technique: Couple's Roar,' the black and white apes both leaped, their war hammers swinging toward the contractors ahead.
"Sacred Dragon Mountain."
A roar echoed as a massive golden energy shield appeared, blocking in front of several contractors.
The two giant hammers crashed down, and the next moment, silence fell. It wasn't that there was no sound, but because the noise was so loud, the nearby contractors experienced temporary deafness.
The energy shield shattered. The black and white apes were knocked back, with the white ape nearly collapsing. It was already at its last gasp, kept alive only by the life force the black ape provided.
The white ape dropped its war hammer and thrust one hand into its own chest. Blood splattered as it tore out its own heart and tossed it to the black ape.
The black ape swallowed the massive heart in one gulp. Its left hand reached out, grabbing the war hammer on the ground. The glossy black fur on its body began to change, the tips turning a grayish white.
Holding both hammers, the black ape let out a roar and charged at the contractors. The contractors' heads were still spinning. The other abilities of the twin apes weren't too terrifying, but every roar was a large-scale, no-judgment control effect, which truly disgusted them.
Only then did the contractors realize that the overlord battle had just begun.
"Brothers, it's heavily injured. Charge with me!"
The tank-type tough guy who had summoned the golden energy shield bellowed. As his shout faded, three contractors near him turned and ran.
The shield tank's heart felt like ten thousand wild donkeys were stampeding through it. The overlord battle had just started, and several of his teammates had already fled. Preliminary estimates suggested that the ones running were mostly contractors from Apocalypse Paradise and Holy Light Paradise.
"This is truly Apocalypse."
The shield tank cursed loudly, then resolutely charged at the black ape. The melee began. Before long, the contractors who had fled returned and rejoined the fray.
On a low hill not far away, the Illusionist sat covered in mud, his expression not too pleasant. The black ape was stronger than expected, but with things having progressed this far, if they didn't kill the black ape today, the plan for a hundred-man squad would be nothing but a fantasy.
"Mu Xiao, that guy is yours. Don't fight him to the death; just drive him back temporarily. If you die, I won't be able to control these people with their own agendas."
The Illusionist spoke. After using his previous ability, he had sensed Su Xiao nearby. This was actually a borrowed ability, with a heavy cost, but now it seemed worth it.
"You trust me that much?"
A female voice appeared near the Illusionist.
"No, it's him who said you're trustworthy."
"Hmph~ Being trusted by him means death. I don't want any connection with him."
Leaving behind an ambiguous remark, Mu Xiao entered a stealth state and approached Su Xiao's direction.
What neither Mu Xiao nor the Illusionist noticed was that Bubu Wang, blending into the environment, was right near them.
Behind a stone pillar a hundred meters away, Su Xiao slowly chewed the Soul Crystal Fragment in his mouth. He had learned from the intelligence sent by Bubu Wang that he had been exposed. As he had guessed, the Illusionist had a large-scale detection ability that could distinguish between contractors and native creatures of this world. This was likely the main reason the Illusionist could recruit so many contractors in such a short time.
That ability not only detected but had also confused the twin apes for at least a dozen seconds. However, once the apes were attacked, the ability was immediately lifted.
Su Xiao hadn't come this time to snatch the treasure chest and the black ape's heart at the last moment. Everyone present was a seventh-rank contractor, and they would be on guard against such a move.
Su Xiao wasn't here to steal the treasure chest this time. He was here to 'help' the Illusionist and the others deal with the overlord creature. However, the 'helper' he summoned was indiscriminate in its attacks.
A pitch-black key appeared in Su Xiao's hand. He made a throwing motion and tossed the black key near the black ape.
As soon as Su Xiao threw the key, his location was completely exposed. The black key flipped in midair, eventually stopping a few meters above the ground.
A massive, grime-stained metal door appeared. The black key fit into a slot on the door, and black smoke poured from the gaps around the metal door's edges.
The metal door swung open, and a large cloud of black smoke surged out. Vaguely, a pair of black-red eyes could be seen within the smoke.
Su Xiao had fought many powerful enemies, but the only one who had ever cut him to the point of frustration was the Butcher of Life. That's right, he had summoned the Butcher of Life.
This summoning was different from previous ones. In the past, when using items to summon powerful beings, the summoner's high intelligence or charm attributes would provide a boost to the summoned creature.
Not so with the Butcher of Life. When summoning it, the higher the summoner's charm attribute, the weaker the Butcher of Life's combat power. Conversely, the lower the summoner's charm attribute, the stronger the Butcher of Life, potentially reaching the peak of seventh-rank combat power. However, the Butcher of Life had a flaw: it was indiscriminate in its attacks.
Su Xiao wanted to know what kind of combat power the Butcher of Life would have when summoned with his 0.2 charm attribute.
Wonderful House