Chapter 60: The Might of an Emperor?
Inside the inner hall, Emperor Taiyatu sat on his throne, looking down at the group of veteran soldiers below. His pale white eyes were filled with boundless wrath and authority.
"The ants on the ground will never understand what the eagles in the sky are thinking."
Emperor Taiyatu's voice was deep but piercing, capable of penetrating eardrums and causing a ringing in one's mind.
The throne beneath Emperor Taiyatu was entirely dark gold. He wore full-body armor that seemed fused with his body, like semi-molten petroleum.
Emperor Taiyatu's aura was imposing, yet at first glance, one could sense that he was decaying, rotting from the inside out.
"What are the eagles in the sky thinking? Coincidentally, I am an eagle, a demon eagle at that. I was thinking, after the imperial palace was blown spinning so many times, is your rear glued down? You're still sitting there."
Baha's words successfully drew Emperor Taiyatu's gaze. When it came to drawing aggro, Baha never held back.
"Get him!"
Baha pointed forward with his wing. A gunshot rang out, and a bullet shot straight toward Emperor Taiyatu's brow.
Clang!
The bullet struck an invisible iron plate, the warhead twisting and deforming before rebounding and embedding itself into the brow of the veteran soldier who had fired it.
"Moo!"
Amu charged forward with his Dragonheart Axe. Ge Zewu beside Su Xiao crouched low, setting up his sniper rifle.
Lie Chao leaped backward, nocking an arrow mid-air.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three long arrows shot out in succession. The first two exploded before reaching Emperor Taiyatu, while the third was entangled by black smoke, about to be shredded. Then, water-attribute source power appeared on the arrow.
With a thud, the arrow embedded itself in Emperor Taiyatu's shoulder. Ignoring the hail of incoming bullets, he glanced down at the arrow on his shoulder.
The seated Emperor Taiyatu raised his hand and pushed forward. Lie Chao was sent flying backward, crashing into the metal wall behind.
Mid-air, Lie Chao twisted her body, landing in a half-crouch on the wall. Her earrings swayed as she drew her bow and fired another arrow.
It could be said that Lie Chao was not only formidable in combat but also graceful.
Boom!
Amu was slammed to the ground by a massive black hand, shockwaves scattering in all directions. From start to finish, Emperor Taiyatu remained seated on his throne, not even rising.
Su Xiao exhaled a puff of blue smoke. He turned and walked to the doorway of the inner hall, sitting down on a pile of rubble. Emperor Taiyatu was indeed powerful. So what? There were over 50,000 veteran soldiers and more than 400,000 regular troops. Amu was tanking at the front, while Lie Chao provided ranged support.
Lie Chao's Drowning ability was a true powerhouse killer. It wasn't as obvious in one-on-one combat, but with someone providing cover, it was a different story entirely.
Besides Lie Chao, there was Ge Zewu, who was slightly weaker. As a sniper, he could bombard from mid-range.
The inner hall ahead was filled with continuous explosions. After observing the battle, Su Xiao waved his hand. Over a hundred of the 10,000-plus transcendent beings waiting outside rushed into the inner hall. The hall wasn't large enough for more.
The battle was intense. Su Xiao couldn't see the specifics because too many transcendent beings surrounded him. Although they were trying to protect him, they severely obstructed his view.
Boom!!
A deafening sound, enough to render an ordinary person unconscious, erupted. Su Xiao saw the black patterns on the walls fading at a visible rate. Due to the fighting inside the inner hall, some formation or barrier of the imperial palace had been destroyed. The palace was no longer reinforced by Abyss power, losing its durability.
As a result, the overflowing energy and dense gunfire from the battle riddled the palace walls with holes.
Ice spread, followed by a dark-tinged shockwave. With a crash, the imperial palace shattered. Metal fragments and rock debris scattered like petals in the wind.
Moonlight streamed down from above. The artillery bombardment had been so prolonged that the sky had darkened. Su Xiao dodged a massive boulder falling from above. The situation had become interesting. Without the imperial palace, more people could join the siege.
"How dare you!"
Emperor Taiyatu soared into the air. A dark ring appeared at the center of his chest. The ring was deep, with a faint white glow inside.
Emperor Taiyatu floated several dozen meters above the ground. With the destruction of the imperial palace, black thread-like worms burrowed out from all over his body, as if trying to break free from his physical constraints and spread toward his head.
Under the moonlight, Emperor Taiyatu's body emitted a hissing sound. Blue smoke rose, accompanied by a foul odor.
Emperor Taiyatu's disheveled hair flew wildly. His pale white eyes made him look like a vengeful spirit, devoid of any imperial dignity.
"So you can fly too. But... in this era, there's something called a ship's main cannon."
Baha laughed with particular delight. Shaking off the stars in its vision, it took a deep breath and shouted:
"Fire!!"
Boom, boom, boom...
One by one, the ship's main cannons opened fire. Blue-powder rifles, heavy machine guns, and sniper rifles all joined in. If Emperor Taiyatu hadn't floated several dozen meters high, he wouldn't have been subjected to such concentrated fire.
Firelight illuminated the night sky. Dense gunfire engulfed Emperor Taiyatu. Layers of dark shockwaves spread outward, deflecting many attacks. He descended, returning to the ground. Then, tens of thousands of transcendent beings swarmed him. They had been waiting for him to come down.
With a bang, a muscular arm wrapped in semi-molten armor flew near Su Xiao. Several transcendent beings rushed forward, slashing and stomping.
At the center of the melee, the clanging of metal was incessant. Blades struck Emperor Taiyatu's body. A short shotgun was pressed against the back of his head, and with a bang, sparks mixed with buckshot sprayed everywhere.
Emperor Taiyatu stumbled forward half a step amid the crowd. The fury in his eyes was almost tangible. He was a king, an emperor, yet now these lowlifes were besieging him in the crudest manner.
A shockwave erupted from Emperor Taiyatu. He launched himself straight into the sky.
Boom!
Over a dozen shells struck Emperor Taiyatu in succession. He fell from the sky, and before he even hit the ground, countless transcendent beings were waiting below.
Putting aside everything else, after being corrupted by Abyss power, Emperor Taiyatu's durability was absurdly high. But in this situation, the tougher he was, the more viciously he was ganged up on.
Pfft!
A spear pierced through Emperor Taiyatu's back, emerging from his heart. He could no longer hold on. With a thud, he dropped to one knee.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
One long weapon after another pierced through various parts of Emperor Taiyatu's body. Drops of black blood splattered. The armor on his body, resembling petroleum, cracked extensively.
The ground around him was littered with corpses. Some were transcendent beings, but more were soldiers who had died from darkness and insect erosion. Even under siege, Emperor Taiyatu had unleashed terrifying combat power.
Skinny Monkey Xili stepped forward, driving six spears into Emperor Taiyatu's chest and shoulders.
Seeing this, Su Xiao rose from his seat and walked toward Emperor Taiyatu. Killing the enemy personally yielded higher rewards. As he walked, he slowly drew the long blade at his waist.
"Who... are... you?"
Kneeling on one knee, Emperor Taiyatu raised his head, his pale white eyes fixed on Su Xiao. He couldn't move at all, pinned in place by the long weapons, forced to remain in his kneeling position.
Su Xiao stopped in front of Emperor Taiyatu, ignoring the question. The tip of his long blade pointed diagonally at the ground. The muscles in his sword arm bulged slightly.
Clang!
The blade tore through the air, severing Emperor Taiyatu's neck.
Under the moonlight, Emperor Taiyatu's head was cut off. Black blood spurted high from the severed neck. His head thudded to the ground, rolling a few times. His eyes were wide open, a perfect portrayal of dying with eternal regret.
[Notification: You have killed Emperor Taiyatu.]
[You have gained 12.55% World Source.]
[You have gained an Immortal Chest (72%).]
[You have gained Dark Corrosion Worm: Imperial Hatred (Special Item).]
...
Su Xiao flicked his long blade. The black blood on it splattered to the ground, forming a semicircular spray pattern.
Whether it was an illusion or not, after Emperor Taiyatu's death, the moonlight streaming down seemed a bit brighter than before.
Emperor Taiyatu had been slain.