Chapter 47: I Suggest Surrendering
The black water on the ground evaporated into a gaseous state, emitting a pungent acidic smell. The metal skeleton of the 'CHO-9529 Pseudo-Life Mech' remained in a kneeling position, covered with crisscrossing slash marks.
Su Xiao flicked the blood off his blade. Killing Tian Shen hadn't dropped a Scarlet Card, which was genuinely regrettable.
He looked into the distance. Over where the plant-summoning Nidia was, she was being besieged by the old knight, Moon Spirit, Amu, and Baha. It didn't look like she could hold out much longer.
The battle between Insect Lord Hash and Pepexi had already ended. Both sides had fought to the end, turning into monsters. It had to be said, Pepexi from Holy Light Paradise was quite strong. With the support of several healing-type contractors, he had clashed head-on with Hash for a long time.
The final result was that Hash severely wounded Pepexi, who had transformed into a 'Bloodthirsty Wolf Girl,' then bit her apart and swallowed her.
Right after devouring Pepexi, Insect Lord Hash went berserk and nearly charged at the old knight and Moon Spirit to backstab his allies.
Currently, Hash had been lured away by Bubu Wang to the south side of the Beacon. Occasional rumbles and roars came from over there.
'Ruined City: Beacon' wasn't small. It was slightly smaller than 'Old Royal Capital: Taro,' a bit larger than 'Dank City' controlled by the Kodo School, and similar in size to 'The Last Green Land.'
There was no need to deal with Insect Lord Hash for now. Su Xiao checked the time. The confrontation and battle with that mech guy on the enemy side had taken a total of 12 minutes and 39 seconds. There wasn't much time left; it was time to break through the barrier.
With a crackling sound, a great sword dragged across the ground, kicking up sparks as it slashed upward, sending the Tyrant flying again.
Su Xiao saw this as he passed by and casually slashed out a blade aura. A bloodstain appeared on the Tyrant's neck. The wound wasn't deep, just barely cutting into the skin.
Seeing this, Su Xiao knew why this tank-type contractor hadn't died yet. It wasn't that the Heretic Execution Squad's attack power was weak, but that this tank contractor had a 'Combat Adaptation' ability.
The so-called 'Combat Adaptation' ability was one where, as the number of attacks received increased, or based on the drop in one's own health, physical defense and health recovery speed would improve. Simply put, the more you got hit, the tougher you became.
Su Xiao estimated that the tank contractor being surrounded and chopped by the Heretic Execution Squad had this ability. At this point, the guy's physical defense was absurdly high.
Su Xiao didn't linger. That tank couldn't even move anymore; being alive or dead made little difference.
Boom!
Black flames spread from a distance. Su Xiao raised his hand, and a crystal layer formed beside him.
When the black flames dissipated, Su Xiao looked to his left. Goddess Shatai was fighting that eight-winged archangel named Li Yu.
A black pillar of fire shot into the sky, then bloomed like a flower, spreading outward. Li Yu flew high above, her eight light wings fully spread, as golden light cones like divine punishment continuously rained down, tracking Goddess Shatai.
Among the two teams this time, the strongest wasn't Tian Shen, but Li Yu from Holy Light Paradise. If Tian Shen was a powerhouse built with resources, Li Yu was one forged through slaughter.
The area where Goddess Shatai and Li Yu fought had been blasted into a mess. It looked like this battle wouldn't end anytime soon.
Su Xiao tried to activate Blood Feather, but unfortunately, that female contractor named Li Yu was flying too high, beyond the range of Blood Feather.
The crystal layer beside Su Xiao shattered. He wasn't surprised by the situation. In fact, this fight for Space-Time Power involved a bit of luck—not good luck in the battle itself, but the fact that the Dark Star World had an Ancient God.
Worlds with Ancient Gods almost always had many strong individuals. This was almost inevitable.
While an Ancient God was sucking the life out of a world, there was no shortage of people rising up to resist. They had to face the Ancient God; if they weren't strong enough, even seeing the Ancient God would be a disaster.
The Dark Star World was like this, which was why it had so many strong people. This also gave Su Xiao an opportunity, allowing him to temporarily rally so many allies.
Su Xiao stopped. A semi-transparent barrier stood before him. There were over a dozen layers in total, each very sturdy.
Eight contractors were inside the barrier. Aside from Molei, the others were unfamiliar faces, but that didn't matter. Even if they weren't trembling in fear, they were extremely tense.
"He's, he's coming over. What do we do?"
Little Fairy was a bit flustered, but as an eighth-rank contractor, she didn't show outright panic.
"How about... trying to surrender?"
Big Eye Brother spoke with averted eyes. As an eighth-rank contractor, saying this was truly embarrassing.
"That's not good, is it?"
Little Fairy was tempted, but since Su Xiao was a Hunter from Reincarnation Paradise, she suspected that even surrendering would be useless. She'd have to die anyway.
"Dying means losing everything. Look closely at the mission change. This is a world invasion, not our fault."
Big Eye Brother started working on Little Fairy's mindset. In fact, the two were playing off each other, giving others a way out. The surrender duo's tacit understanding was so good, they almost felt like they'd found kindred spirits.
"Should we try it?"
Little Fairy seemed tempted by the surrender suggestion. Her gaze swept over the others.
"Don't look at us. We're all healing types."
Among the four healing-type contractors from Holy Light Paradise, Warm Light spoke up, acting as their representative.
"It's useless. If you want to sign a Reincarnation Paradise contract, you can surrender."
Molei spoke. Hearing her words, everyone's attention focused on her.
"Listen carefully. That guy outside... uh~, I'm kind of familiar with him. Probably."
Molei's words made the other seven's gazes shift. Some even suspected Molei was a traitor.
"Later, we'll drop the barrier, then do this, and then..."
As Molei spoke, a smile actually appeared on her face. The other seven were initially stunned, then showed expressions of sudden realization.
"Molei, why are you so skilled at this?"
"Uh~, it's a long story."
Molei couldn't exactly say she'd run into Su Xiao several times, been 'educated' N times, and even unlocked the 'Leg-Breaking Achievement.'
"Are you sure this will work?"
"It will. That guy actually can't be bothered with us. As long as we don't actively seek death and do what I say, among the eight of us here, maybe four will survive? Uh, probably."
"!"
"So even if we do that, half of us will die? Each person has a 50% survival rate?"
"Yes."
Molei's answer was exceptionally certain. Having cooperated with Su Xiao before, she knew one thing very clearly: surrendering was completely useless.
"Then why don't we try fighting? All eight of us use our trump cards. Maybe we can make a desperate stand?"
"No, we can't. We'd all die."
Molei's answer was absolutely certain. She had witnessed Su Xiao's fight with the Blood God and guessed he had several very powerful abilities, none of which he had used in the previous battle.
"Nothing else matters, but... wouldn't doing that be too embarrassing?"
Little Fairy seemed hesitant, but she was actually ready.
Crack!
The first barrier layer was shattered by the long blade. Little Fairy's expression changed slightly. The enemy's attack judgments were too numerous. The first layer she set could withstand a very strong single attack, but against multiple attack judgments, there was no good solution.
"I'll count 3, 2, 1, then drop the barrier."
Molei took a deep breath, gripping the 'Space-Time Power Storage Device' in her hand. She began the countdown. When she finished counting 1, she shouted, "Now!"
All the barriers opened. Molei and the other seven simultaneously raised their arms, making a pose as if embracing the sun. It seemed they were performing some kind of 'ritual.'
"Ah~! (×8)"
Molei and the others, as if struck by chuunibyou, let out a strange chanting sound. A mysterious wave began to brew.
Su Xiao, who was about to launch a surprise attack, paused and frowned. This was a habit formed from long battles. When encountering unexpected situations, his first reaction was to avoid risk + observe + find an opportunity to counterattack + cut off the enemy's head.
'Just as I thought!'
Molei cheered inwardly. She had guessed that Su Xiao's combat instincts were terrifying. Their confusing behavior would make him stop for a moment.
Molei tightened her grip on the 'Space-Time Power Storage Device,' took a deep breath, focused her mind, and assumed a throwing posture.
"I throw~"
Molei tossed the 'Space-Time Power Storage Device.' This was a very wise decision. Not only her, but the Holy Light girls beside her also threw out a supply crate.
That wasn't all. Green Dog and the others took out a large number of Soul Coins and scattered them into the distance. Truly, a group of coin-slingers.