Chapter 25: Ten
Kubaru Ruins, Underground.
The spatial rift expanded, and three sharp spikes shot into it, attempting to prevent it from fully opening. After the three energy spikes vanished into the rift, they fell silent, as if swallowed by darkness. Seeing this, a female contractor with pointed ears took a step back. The bloodlust that had struck her earlier had already planted the seed of retreat in her heart.
This female contractor was named Biyoulei. The man standing beside her was called Ice Demon, and nearby, a completely transparent figure stood there—this translucent person was Enka.
Biyoulei, Ice Demon, and Enka were the temporary leaders of this squad. None of them could command absolute authority, so decisions had to be made jointly by the three.
The World War was about to begin, yet these 19 contractors from the Apocalypse Paradise were searching for a stone tablet within these ancient ruins. This made their attitude toward the World War clear: they wouldn’t head to the Ancient Capital until the very last moment.
"Enka, what’s going on? You’re a space-type, aren’t you? Hurry up and find a way to stop this."
Ice Demon spoke coldly. Hearing this, the fully transparent Enka snorted.
"I suggest you retreat."
Enka’s attitude was obvious—this wasn’t his concern. As a space-type, having this mindset was normal.
The spatial rift fully opened. Several contractors who had been attacking it from a distance hesitated in their actions.
With a crackling sound, the crystal layer on Beini shattered. Su Xiao stepped out of the spatial rift, glanced at the blood on his hand, then surveyed the group of contractors before him.
"Only… one person?"
"He’s a contractor, just stronger. Stay calm—we can handle him."
Ice Demon’s words reassured the contractors nearby. The bloodlust from earlier had made them want to flee, but the enemy was already here, so they had to fight. Besides, there were 19 of them.
"Friend, is that your summon?"
A curly-haired man spoke with a smile. He was a charm-specialized contractor.
"We’re a mining team. We won’t participate in the upcoming World War, so we’re not really enemies. We didn’t know that cat was a summon earlier. Misunderstandings happen, but what matters is how we resolve them—"
Clang!
Blade Path: Flowing Slash swept through. Su Xiao had no habit of listening to an enemy’s nonsense.
A bloodstain appeared diagonally across the curly-haired man’s face. The upper half of his head slowly slid off sideways, finally thudding to the ground.
"Attack!"
Ice Demon roared. He slapped the wall beside him, and ice spread along it, instantly freezing Su Xiao.
Bang! A metal rod smashed into the ice sculpture. The upper half of the frozen figure shattered—it was empty inside.
"Behind you!"
Biyoulei shouted. She felt her blood run cold. The enemy’s attack was too sharp—one slash, and he had instantly killed their summoner.
Energy threads spread from Biyoulei’s body. She had detected the enemy’s position. The moment he was frozen, he had already appeared behind them.
A long blade pierced into the ice-sealed wall, stained with blood. A transparent figure gradually emerged.
"Guh, guh—"
Enka, the space-type, made strange sounds from his throat. His eyes were wide open. At some point, a long blade had pierced through the side of his head, pinning him to the wall. It was too fast—too fast for him to perceive.
With a scraping sound, the blade was pulled from the wall. Enka, his head pierced, thudded to his knees. With his last strength, he clasped his hands together, trying to activate his space ability to escape.
Pfft.
The blade swept across Enka’s neck, a trail of blood droplets flying from the edge. Enka remained motionless, kneeling with his hands clasped.
The Apocalypse contractors leaped back or rushed forward, distancing themselves from Su Xiao. Forced to the spot where Beini had been, these 17 people stood with their backs to the bloodstained wall. No one dared to act rashly, afraid of becoming the next target.
Drip, drip—
Blood dripped from the blade’s tip. Su Xiao flicked his finger, tossing a potion bottle to Beini. She hugged it, leaping from his shoulder to behind him.
"Ice Demon, let’s fight him to the death."
Biyoulei spoke coldly. Ice Demon beside her nodded.
"Everyone, show your true strength, or we’ll die here today."
Hearing Ice Demon’s words, the remaining dozen or so contractors responded. Some took out Holy Spirit-grade items, others pulled out a few gems.
"The enemy is a melee-type. Find a way to suppress him."
No sooner had Biyoulei shouted than she saw the enemy sheathe his long blade.
‘Blade Path: Ring Break.’
A circular blade aura spread through the underground passage. The walls on both sides were cut through. On the opposite side, several layers of barriers or energy walls appeared.
With a screech, like a sharp blade scraping glass, one layer of energy wall was sliced open.
Behind the energy wall, a contractor wielding a heavy hammer had already set his stance. He swung the hammer, creating a whistling sound, and smashed it into the incoming Ring Break.
The Ring Break was shattered. The hammer-wielding man planted his weapon on the ground, hiding the cut on its front from others. He planned to flee while the others charged forward. That single strike had numbed both his arms.
"Nothing special. Technique-types don’t have strong survivability. Now’s the chance!"
The hammer-wielding man shouted. But in the next instant, a chill rose from the soles of his feet, shooting straight to his crown. Because across from him, Su Xiao had sheathed his blade again.
‘Blade Path: Ten · Ring Break.’
Clang, clang, clang—
Countless Ring Breaks spread outward. Behind Su Xiao, Beini splayed her four paws, her chin pressed to the ground, her tail flat, trying to keep her body as low as possible.
Ring Breaks radiated outward. The hammer-wielding man bore the brunt of it. Facing the Ring Break’s slashes, it wasn’t that he was brave enough to stand in front—he had no chance to retreat.
Clang!
A Ring Break struck the upright hammer in his hands. He gripped the handle with both hands, using this Holy Spirit-grade weapon as a shield. After blocking the first Ring Break, the weapon’s durability dropped to 127/140.
Then came the second Ring Break. The hammer-wielding man had no choice. He let out a low shout, activating some ability that made his body emit white light.
The second Ring Break hit the hammer, dropping its durability to 102. When the third struck, the durability plummeted to 27. The weapon’s exterior was completely ruined.
With a crack, fragments of the hammer scattered. The hammer-wielding man’s eyes widened. His numb hands pushed forward. Survival instinct made him sacrifice his arms, trying to block the fourth Ring Break.
The fourth Ring Break first sliced through his palms, then cut into his arms, finally emerging from beneath them, cleaving his chest in two. As his upper body fell, his head was split in half by the fifth Ring Break.
When the ‘Ten · Ring Break’ slashes subsided, only seven Apocalypse contractors remained alive. Two had their arms severed, leaning against the blood- and cut-covered wall. The other five also bore bloodstains.
The entire underground passage was on the verge of collapse. Su Xiao had never given the enemy a chance to surround him.
"He just used his ultimate ability. He’s recovering his energy. Attack!"
Ice Demon pressed his hands to the ground. Biyoulei beside him stepped forward to charge. She had no other choice. She had thought the enemy was a melee-type, but that wasn’t the case. He hadn’t even gotten close to them, yet he had already killed 12 of them.
Biyoulei lunged forward. Mid-air, the nails on her right hand became exceptionally sharp. As they cut through the air, they even left a few black streaks. If hit by this ability, even Su Xiao would pay a certain price. Seventh-rank contractors all had their trump cards.
‘Blade Path: Ten · Ring Break.’
Su Xiao sheathed his blade. Seeing this, the few charging toward him felt their minds buzz. Two of them turned and fled.
Clang.
Circular blade auras spread out. When the ‘Ten · Ring Break’ slashes subsided, only Biyoulei remained, her legs and one arm severed. Around her on the ground were scattered limbs and broken arms.
Su Xiao held his blade with one hand, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground. He stepped toward Biyoulei. Her face covered in blood, she sat on the ground, struggling to crawl backward.
"I, we didn’t know it was a summon. We never meant to kill it. Really, please believe me."
Biyoulei shuffled backward. Soon, her back hit the wall. There was nowhere to retreat.
"Wait, wait—I can give you 50%—"
Before Biyoulei could finish, a slash flashed across her neck.
Su Xiao flicked the blood off his blade. Beini leaped onto his shoulder. Carrying her, Su Xiao walked out of the underground passage.
PS: (Five more chapters coming soon. Originally planned to update at 6, but only finished writing now. The remaining five will be posted after checking.)