Chapter 14: Slash Everything to Pieces
A surge of thick black smoke poured out from within the metal door. Soon, a tall figure stepped out, wielding a long-handled greatsword. This weapon was nearly three meters in total length, with a handle alone measuring one meter and a blade close to two meters—sharp and unstoppable.
After some heavy footsteps, the Butcher of Living Beings emerged from the black smoke, and the massive metal door behind him slowly dissipated.
The Butcher of Living Beings had skin of a dark red hue, with visible cracks where the flesh within had dried and withered. His tattered clothing hung in strips, and fragments of broken armor clung to some parts of his skin.
"What the hell is this thing!"
A female Perception-type contractor stepped back half a pace. For some reason, she felt that this temporary summon, conjured by an unknown caster, seemed even stronger than the Black Ape.
"The Illusionist is awesome! Why didn't you bring out something this good earlier?"
A shout rang out from somewhere. Hearing this, the contractors besieging the Black Ape and bearing immense pressure all breathed a sigh of relief. The Black Ape's two warhammers were too long; if not for the Shield Tank being incredibly tough, along with four Healers, no one could have held the Black Ape back.
"Had to wait until now to use it."
The Shield Tank extended one hand forward, maintaining his Energy Shield Wall while muttering under his breath.
"That's not my summon!"
The Illusionist shouted, unable to maintain his composed expression any longer. He now wanted to know which bastard had yelled that earlier line—that "The Illusionist is awesome."
Inside the alternate space, Baha cleared his throat. He had shouted too loudly earlier, and his throat was a bit sore.
As the Illusionist's shout faded, the Shield Tank suddenly froze in place. Strangely, the hammer strikes that had been like a storm ceased. The Black Ape's fur fluffed up slightly, and its eyes seemed to hold a hint of... wariness.
The Shield Tank swallowed hard. The contractors behind him also stopped attacking.
"Hey, is there something standing behind me? I'm feeling... cold."
The Shield Tank dared not move. With the seventh-rank Overlord creature, the Black Ape, in front of him and an unknown existence behind, he could sense that even moving a finger might cause him to die on the spot.
"Yeah!"
A female Healer nodded emphatically, confirming the Shield Tank's suspicion. Her small face was somewhat pale.
"Save me!"
Pfft, pfft, pfft...
Over a dozen slashes appeared across the Shield Tank's body. His hands grew weak, and the spatial-type item in his grip fell to the ground, splashing water.
The Shield Tank's body, severed into dozens of pieces, scattered on the ground. In an instant, the tank who had held off the Black Ape for so long was killed.
"Run!"
An Agility-type contractor screamed hoarsely, turned, and fled. Hearing this, the pale-faced little Healer also started running.
Whoosh—the gloomy-faced Agility-type contractor sped past the little Healer. This Healer from Holy Light Paradise nearly burst into tears from grievance. She had just saved his life, preventing him from dying at the Black Ape's hands, and now he was trying to get her killed. She could only think, "You bastard from Sanctuary Paradise!"
Boom! Boom! Boom...
Heavy footsteps came from behind the little Healer. Her face filled with terror as she knew she was done for. The Black Ape had caught up, and its speed was absurdly fast.
The giant ape, running at full speed, leaped over the little Healer. The wind pressure swept over her, lifting her clothes and the tears at the corners of her eyes.
"Huh?"
The little Healer froze, bewildered in the wind. Just moments ago, she and the gloomy-faced contractor had been fleeing one after the other, with the Black Ape chasing from behind. Under normal circumstances, the Black Ape would have caught the little Healer first, and the gloomy-faced contractor would have used the brief moment of the ape killing her to escape successfully.
But things didn't go as imagined. The Black Ape lunged forward, its over-ten-meter-long arm sweeping in a fan shape horizontally, grabbing the gloomy-faced contractor in its grip.
Using the momentum of its charge, the Black Ape rolled on the ground to steady itself. It clenched its hand, and with a crisp crack, it tossed the now-crushed gloomy-faced contractor into its mouth.
The gloomy-faced contractor didn't die unjustly. He had just sneak-attacked the Black Ape by kicking it in the balls—how could the ape not hate him?
The battle group, which had been orderly in advance and retreat, instantly collapsed. It was like pouring a ladle of cold water into a pot of boiling oil—complete chaos.
The Illusionist and the Crow Man had long since vanished, and the hidden Shepherd Owl was nowhere to be seen. Originally, this ambush was a trap, waiting for Hunters to come and reap the benefits.
The Illusionist, Shepherd Owl, and Crow Man had prepared everything. As long as no more than five Hunters showed up, everything was under control. They even had a trump card.
But things never reached that stage. Wait for the giant ape to die and then grab the treasure chest and heart? No need for such trouble. Su Xiao 'helped' them deal with the Black Ape. As for whether the Butcher of Living Beings would cooperate, that was beyond Su Xiao's control. The Butcher was indiscriminate, attacking anyone it saw.
Within about a minute, the battlefield fell silent. A few bodies, either crushed or sliced to pieces, lay on the ground. Two warhammers rested quietly, and the Black Ape was smart enough to know that these heavy weapons would slow it down if carried.
Rumbles echoed from various parts of the swamp. Poisonous insects, snakes, and rodents scattered in panic. It took over ten minutes for the swamp area to quiet down.
The Black Ape, stained with blood, returned to the center of the swamp. It stood on one foot on a rock, beat its chest with both hands, and roared—a victory pose typical of apes.
Su Xiao sat cross-legged on a stone pillar a hundred meters away. He hadn't acted from start to finish, avoiding drawing the attention of the Black Ape and the Butcher of Living Beings. If he engaged both, he would only be buying time for his enemies.
The Black Ape turned its gaze, picked up a warhammer from the ground, and strode toward Su Xiao.
"Hey, over here."
Baha's shout came. The Black Ape turned its head. For some reason, though it couldn't understand what was being said, anger surged within it.
"Big monkey, I've brought you a daddy."
As Baha spoke, he immediately shuttled into the alternate space.
Boom.
A long-handled greatsword stabbed forward, missing its target. The severed-head greatsword plunged into the muddy water, sending murky water splashing everywhere.
The Butcher of Living Beings had been lured back by Baha. After killing eight contractors, it returned. If the contractors hadn't scattered and fled, the Butcher would have slaughtered them all.
Sitting on the rock pillar, Su Xiao looked at the Butcher a hundred meters away. His whole body seemed to ache faintly. No one knew better than him how sharp that severed-head greatsword was.
"Roar!!"
The Black Ape roared at the Butcher. The shallow water layer beneath the Butcher's feet was shaken into a spray of droplets. Then, the Butcher showed no reaction, its dark red eyes fixed on the Black Ape.
The Black Ape and the Butcher locked eyes. The battle began. The over-ten-meter-long warhammer swung down, and the severed-head greatsword met it.
Thud—
The shockwave rolled across the ground, churning the murky water and exposing the gravel layer beneath.
Fifteen minutes later, the Butcher of Living Beings stepped on the Black Ape's head. The Black Ape, its mouth and nose bleeding and its legs severed, let out a low growl. The Butcher paused its descending greatsword, then lifted its foot, no longer stepping on the ape's head.
The Black Ape crawled up from the ground, wiped the blood from its face, and propped itself up with its hands on the ground, lowering its head. The Butcher now stood on its back.
"Roar!"
The Black Ape raised its head and let out one final roar. The severed-head greatsword swung through, severing the Black Ape's head cleanly. The headless body crashed to the ground with a thud.
After killing the Black Ape, the Butcher held the bloodstained severed-head greatsword in one hand and turned its gaze toward Su Xiao.