# Chapter 67: Victory?
The fallen deity was too powerful. There was only one method now — to fill the gap with lives.
In the battle, Ghost Shadow displayed extreme ferocity. He was the type who said nothing normally but struck with heavy blows at critical moments.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fallen deity slammed its single hand against the ground. Sword flowers bloomed one after another — it was Amuns, but compared to the fallen deity's sin flames, his death flames were beginning to weaken.
The fallen deity's massive claw swept toward Amuns. He leaped aside to dodge, but just as he steadied himself, the other giant claw grabbed at him. There was no escape.
"Get out of the way!"
A sturdy figure behind Amuns kicked him aside. Old gentleman Amuns was rarely so embarrassed, rolling sideways from the kick.
With a smack, the fallen deity caught the person behind Amuns — it was Executioner Wo.
"I've been annoyed by you for a long time, old man."
The moment Executioner Wo finished speaking, flames engulfed him. The fallen deity's claws tightened, crushing Executioner Wo's charred bones. Executioner Wo fell in battle.
The battle continued. Ghost Shadow charged forward with a diving sound, and almost simultaneously, an unusually massive azure-blue blade aura slashed toward the fallen deity, forcing it back a step.
The rumbling never ceased. Duke and Empress felt their hearts ache as they watched — only a little over a hundred of the elite pirates they'd brought remained. The rest were dead, not even leaving corpses behind. The ground was covered in black bone ash and half-melted metal weapons.
"ROAR!!"
The fallen deity bellowed, sending layers of spark-filled sound waves outward. It finally ended its continuous barrage of cupping fist techniques that had lasted a full 30 seconds. Alec, who was a dozen meters in front of it, collapsed to the ground with a thud.
A ball of light appeared above Alec — it was Guangmu's ability.
"Alec, get up and keep fighting. Look at Bai Ye, he's already slashed over a hundred times."
As Guangmu shouted, an azure-blue blade aura shot out, striking the fallen deity's head and leaving a shallow wound. A few gray-white hairs fell, still burning with flames.
"Alec, get up!"
Guangmu shouted again. Alec leaped to his feet.
"I really thank you for that."
Alec's face twitched. He had been playing dead just now, and the fallen deity had finally stopped paying attention to him. But after Guangmu healed him, the fallen deity looked at him again.
The rumbling never stopped for a moment. At the edge of the cavern, Black Rose had been crouching, her aura growing increasingly astonishing.
"Alec!"
Black Rose shouted. Hearing this, Alec gritted his teeth and prepared to charge forward.
"Take a rest first."
Nether Wolf walked past Alec. His hands were pitch black, and every step he took left a deep footprint.
Not far away, the fallen deity grabbed a pirate, flames burning him down to bone. It clenched its hand, easily crushing the bones.
The fallen deity seemed to sense Nether Wolf. Just as it was about to charge at him, Nether Wolf clasped his hands together.
Thud!
The entire cavern shook. Black gravity gathered in Nether Wolf's hands. On the other side, the fallen deity stood frozen in place, its entire body creaking under the pressure. Since the battle began, Nether Wolf was the first to suppress the fallen deity.
Seizing this opportunity, Black Rose, who had been building up power, stood up. Rose flower afterimages bloomed behind her. She raised her right hand, pointing her index finger at the fallen deity.
Pfft!
A golden spear suddenly appeared, piercing through the fallen deity's chest. The spear was about four meters long, with golden spiral patterns all over it and a black rose pattern at the end.
The gravity dissipated. The fallen deity staggered back several steps. After Black Rose's strike, the fallen deity's health dropped from 70.29% to 64.1%. The cost during this period had been enormous — only 57 elite pirates remained, and 83 cursed men were left.
The previous barrage of cupping fist techniques, explosive flame sprays, underground magma pillars, and so on had caused massive casualties among the pirates and cursed men.
The contractors weren't faring well either. Only 172 remained; the rest had died. Sometimes the fallen deity would randomly spew flames. There was no absolutely safe place in the cavern. Some contractors had just come to coast along, hoping to grab some benefits, but ended up on this pirate ship and had to tough it out.
The boss battle was nearly halfway through. Su Xiao crouched low, dried blood coagulated on his Black King Bracer. He had charged forward four times — twice to repel the enemy, once to save Guangmu, and once to cover Alec.
In the past, the lives or deaths of these two wouldn't have mattered to him. He wouldn't have cared at all. But now they were all on the same boat. Mutual sabotage or standing by while others died was very unwise. If anyone needed to be killed, it would have to wait until after defeating the fallen deity.
Su Xiao exhaled a breath of hot air. Now wasn't the time yet. Balance had to be maintained. The contractors' relentless bombardment barely offset the fallen deity's health regeneration.
A figure flew over, landing a few meters in front of Su Xiao. It was Nether Wolf. His entire body was covered in sparks, his body scorched black, but he wasn't dead.
"Ghost Shadow, release the dog."
Hearing Su Xiao's shout, Ghost Shadow retreated from the battle group. After entering a cave tunnel, he stopped in front of an iron cage.
"Ghost Shadow, wait..."
Before Mad Dog Quike could finish, Ghost Shadow opened the cage door. He grabbed Quike's hair and stabbed repeatedly with his hooked dagger.
After finishing, Ghost Shadow vanished into stealth. Mad Dog Quike's body began to swell. He transformed into a mad dog and charged out of the cave tunnel.
When Mad Dog Quike entered the cavern, his trembling pupils looked around. When he saw the fallen deity, his tail tucked between his legs, and he began backing away step by step.
"Cowardly Quike."
Amuns spoke from another side, his tone dismissive. Mad Dog Quike bared his fangs, his fur standing on end, and charged at Amuns.
As Mad Dog Quike passed near the fallen deity, the deity's claw slammed down, pinning Quike to the ground. At the same time, the fallen deity spewed flames from its mouth, filling half the cavern.
The contractors had considered blasting the cavern apart, but this was where the fallen deity was sealed. It was very difficult to destroy. Moreover, fighting here was the wisest choice. If they went outside, with the fallen deity's speed, attacks would be hard to land.
The melee continued. Flames surged wildly. When the battle approached one hour, all contractors felt exhausted. This hour felt longer than a year — the battle intensity was too high.
The fallen deity rammed left and right in the cavern. It crashed its head into the rock wall, its tangled horns piercing or trapping three contractors. Flames surged, and the Jailer among them was instantly burned to ash.
The fallen deity was equal to everyone. Pirates were basically one-hit kills. Cursed men were similar. For contractors, unless they were melee types, they could withstand one or two attacks before dying. If it grabbed them, it was one hit, regardless of their type — unless they had life-saving items.
A summoner from Sanctuary Paradise turned to leave. An energy warhammer swung toward him, and a nearby long-legged mature woman kicked him flying toward the fallen deity.
No one was allowed to leave now. The central area was sealed. Either the fallen deity died, or everyone was wiped out here. Wanting to temporarily step away and come back to grab treasure chests after victory? Absolutely impossible.
The fallen deity stood at the center of the cavern, stepping on two pirates. Flames exploded. With that, all the pirates under Duke and Empress were wiped out.
Su Xiao looked at the fallen deity ahead. After scanning, he found that this ultimate boss's health was only 36.85%. It had entered its second phase. The sparse fur on its body had grown longer, and intense firelight shone through the ribs in its chest, as if the core there was about to awaken — that would be the third phase.
They couldn't even withstand the second phase. If the fallen deity entered its third phase, everyone here would be wiped out today.
Looking around, only about a hundred contractors remained. On the pirate side, Duke was severely wounded. Empress's combat ability was surprisingly impressive — many of the fallen deity's injuries had been caused by her flintlock pistol.
On the cursed men's side, only Amuns, Ghost Shadow, and Sea Fury remained. Everyone else had turned to ash.
"Bai Ye, this is the final push. If this thing enters its third phase, everyone here dies."
Alec stood near Su Xiao, glancing at Guangmu as he spoke. Guangmu looked away somewhat sheepishly — she had been using Alec as a tank the whole time.
"Let's go!"
Sweet Orange shouted with the spirit of a tomboy. She was frustrated. Since the battle began, she had been smashed into the wall three times. Though she hadn't died, four pieces of her equipment were permanently damaged. She had silently decided that between her and the fallen deity, one of them had to die today.
Bang! A crater appeared under Su Xiao's foot. It was time. He needed the strongest few to use their trump cards. These people wouldn't act without seeing a rabbit — they were all waiting for an opportunity.
"Bai Ye, don't charge in alone. Those noobs can't be trusted."
Sweet Orange's words stung the nearly hundred contractors fighting the fallen deity. Their skulls were about to be crushed by the fallen deity, and someone was still making sarcastic remarks.
Amid the crowd's siege, the fallen deity's claw clenched into a fist and slammed into the ground. With it as the center, magma erupted from cracks in the surrounding rock. The contractors had no choice but to retreat temporarily. Several more were burned to death by the magma. This magma was terrifying — once it touched you, it immediately burned through flesh and bone.
The surrounding contractors were retreating, but Su Xiao advanced instead.
"Main force, don't throw your life away!"
A shieldless tank-type shouted. The reason he called Su Xiao the main force was simple — almost all the slash marks covering the fallen deity's body had been made by Su Xiao.
Amid the splashing magma, Su Xiao's pupils gradually contracted. He was charging at high speed.
'Blade Path Sword: Time.'
Thud~
An impact spread outward. Everything slowed down. Su Xiao, holding his longsword, slightly tilted his head, dodging a slowly rising glob of magma.
After a series of evasions, he reached the fallen deity. He suddenly stopped, slightly looking up at the towering enemy before him.
The fallen deity's hands spread to both sides, making a slow-motion roar to the sky. A tide of fire spread outward from it.
Su Xiao leaped with a boom, entering Space Penetration state. But even so, he still felt the surrounding heat. The enemy's flames were partially burning through space.
Exiting Space Penetration state, Su Xiao delivered a well-prepared straight kick to the fallen deity's abdomen.
Thud!!
A dull, massive sound spread. The fallen deity staggered back several steps before finally dropping to one knee, its left arm's claw blocking in front of it.
"This, this actually works?!"
Sweet Orange from afar was stunned. Guangmu nearby hadn't recovered either. Neither of them attacked. This was the benefit of fighting alongside an Eighth Rank contractor. They both saw that if they attacked the fallen deity now, the most likely outcome was that the impact would also push Su Xiao back, turning them into useless teammates who would get him killed.
Su Xiao landed in front of the fallen deity. He sheathed his longsword, assuming the posture for a drawing slash.
'Blade Path Sword: Extreme.'
Clang.
A slash mark cut across the fallen deity's neck. The kneeling fallen deity fell backward, finally crashing to the ground. Its neck was cut open by about one-fifth.
'Opportunity!!'
Sweet Orange charged forward at full speed. Alec, Nether Wolf, and the others were even faster, reaching the fallen deity in an instant.
It was time to snatch the kill reward. So many had died, and they finally saw hope of victory. If they didn't finish off the fallen deity immediately and let it enter its third phase, it was all over.
Not only Alec and the others, but several dozen other contractors also pounced forward. Some ranged types even forcibly used hidden killing moves at the cost of consuming their life force.
Su Xiao vanished from his spot. He forcibly used his Dragon Shadow Flash ability, which meant he would have to wait a long time before using it again.
A dragon claw pierced into the fallen deity's chest. Fluorescent green flashed nearby. A gravity spear cone fell from above.
For a moment, Alec, Nether Wolf, Black Rose, Guangmu, and others unleashed their trump cards all at once. As for the Jailer, Carnival, and others, they had died long ago, their bodies turned to ash.
That was how fighting the fallen deity was. Some outstanding contractors died in an instant. Nether Wolf had almost died here just moments ago.
Various attacks rained down on the fallen deity. It lay on its back, the flames inside it seeming ready to burst out. It was about to enter its third phase.
Su Xiao appeared directly above the fallen deity's face. He held his sword in a reverse grip, the blade wrapped in dark blue smoke.
Pfft.
The longsword pierced through the fallen deity's brow bone. This thrust was extremely vicious — the entire blade sank in. After this thrust, the flames inside the fallen deity scattered in all directions.
"ROAR!!"
The fallen deity let out its final roar. The flames in its eyes gradually faded, leaving only scorched, cracked eyes.
The cavern suddenly fell silent. Everyone's gaze was fixed on Su Xiao.
Su Xiao changed to a single-handed forward grip, pulling the longsword out of the fallen deity's skull. Dark blue smoke rose with it, eventually sinking into Dragon-Slaying Flash.
A flood of notifications appeared. A treasure chest that had just landed vanished instantly — Bubu Wang had been preparing for this moment.
Su Xiao had slain the fallen deity. According to "convention," he would become the new "ultimate boss," facing the siege of all contractors.
The atmosphere was suffocatingly silent. Su Xiao's longsword pointed diagonally at the ground. Blood energy spread around him, causing a blood-red gleam to appear in the center of his pupils. Death energy drifted from the bracer on his left hand. He spoke:
"Continue then. I haven't killed enough yet anyway. Anyone who wants to die, just step forward."
Su Xiao looked around at everyone present. No one dared to step forward.