Chapter 86: The First Generation and Second Generation
After Sili's single shot, the entire world fell silent. Outside the door, Ring 8·Waltzworth stood up from the ground; he had nearly been blasted into a sieve, his body covered in blood holes the size of soybeans.
"The Mechanized Legion Commander has been parasitized by the Supreme Insect! Quick, cut off his head!"
Ring 8·Waltzworth shouted, and immediately a dozen Eclipse members charged into the cathedral, while the others hesitated.
"Make your move."
Kingsley's voice came through. Hearing this command, the Eclipse members outside the cathedral no longer hesitated and surged inside.
Inside the cathedral, a series of booming sounds came from ahead, as dense buckshot carrying sparks blasted through the walls.
With a whoosh, a red-hot triangular metal fragment spun past Su Xiao's cheek.
Click!
A wooden-handled folding saw blade snapped open in the hand of an Eclipse member, charging straight at Sili.
Within seconds, the cathedral descended into chaotic melee. Above, finger-thick beams of light continuously fell, riddling the cathedral's roof with holes.
Clang.
Su Xiao blocked a descending beam of light with his longsword, causing the ground beneath him to crack.
Rapid footsteps came from behind Su Xiao. A nimble figure in white rushed toward him.
The longsword flipped in Su Xiao's hand. He pressed the pommel with his thumb and index finger, pushed it down, and the tip of the blade stabbed into the ground.
Though it was a very light thrust, it produced a heavy thud. A shockwave spread from the point of impact, sending crushed stone flying in a ring, slowing the white-clad assassin's momentum.
Su Xiao gripped the hilt, and the blade suddenly let out a sharp ring.
Clang!
A slash mark appeared out of nowhere before the white-clad assassin's neck. This was Su Xiao activating his Blade Domain for an instant, forming only a single slash.
Blood sprayed. The white-clad assassin growled and continued charging at Su Xiao. A blur streaked past, piercing through her forehead, dragging a trail of brain matter and bone fragments behind her head.
Su Xiao scanned his surroundings. He was surrounded by Eclipse members, but that didn't matter. His own forces were converging here from all over Kodu.
A brutal battle began. The fighting quickly spread from the cathedral to three surrounding blocks. The Mechanized Legion and Eclipse hadn't started their war in Garman City, but they were now clashing in Kodu.
Previously, because Su Xiao had kidnapped Kingsley's wife and children, and Kingsley had launched a surprise attack on the Mechanized Legion's headquarters, both sides harbored grudges. Now, that resentment had fully ignited.
At first, it was a chaotic brawl of over a hundred people. Within minutes, the numbers grew, escalating into a thousand-man team battle. After 20 minutes, there were 4,268 on one side and 4,310 on the other, resulting in a firefight among over 8,000 Transcendents.
A massive fireball streaked across Kodu's night sky, howling as it flew. Midair, it shattered into thousands of pieces. This wasn't a fireball but a meteor shower.
The fragmented meteors accelerated again, raining down on an area with unceasing explosions.
Thud!
A dazzling beam of light fell from the sky. Initially ten meters thick, it rapidly thinned upon impact, eventually becoming a hair-thin line of fire that dissipated into the night.
The explosions never stopped. Looking down from above, countless figures were locked in melee across the buildings and streets. Large swaths of structures were engulfed in green flames or black-red fire. A massive 'angel' silhouette appeared in the sky, spreading its arms as if embracing the heavens, scattering countless gold-white light particles.
"Save me..."
The cry faded into the distance as a Mechanized Legion member shot into the sky. Moments later, an explosion echoed from above, a brilliant burst of fireworks. He had been launched like a firework.
Under the pale moonlight, Su Xiao stood on a fountain flower bed in a park. The ground was littered with mutilated corpses, many missing limbs, and even more without heads.
Su Xiao specifically targeted the mid-level Eclipse members controlled by the Supreme Insect. Killing these enemies yielded higher-quality treasure chests. So far, he had obtained five [Holy Spirit Chests], with gold content ranging from 60% to 92%.
The reason Su Xiao chose to initiate this melee was simple: to eliminate the Eclipse members controlled by the Supreme Insect.
Going directly to Kingsley and killing him might seem like the best choice, but it wasn't. The situation was far more complicated than it appeared.
If Garman City in the Southern Continent was the Mechanized Legion's first wife, Youke City the second, and Shengyang City the third, then Kodu in the Eastern Continent was the Hunter Company's first wife.
The Mechanized Legion and Eclipse waging war in Kodu was like doing whatever they wanted with the Hunter Company's first wife. Could that be tolerated? Of course not. It was like gouging out someone's eyes. Even a clay figurine has some temper, let alone the infamous Hunter Company.
At 7 PM, when the sky was half-dark, a large group of Hunter Company Transcendents entered the fray, only to nearly get their brains bashed in.
The first wave sent by the Hunter Company consisted of Transcendents they controlled through biotechnology. These Transcendents dared not resist the Hunter Company, as that was worse than death.
When they faced the Mechanized Legion and Eclipse members, they were like domesticated beasts encountering wild predators, getting thoroughly schooled.
Then the Hunter Company deployed their 'trump card': a batch of Transcendent warriors loyal to the company, their bodies modified. They were very strong, just... lacking in practical combat experience.
These Transcendent warriors were either beneficiaries of the Hunter Company or descendants of such beneficiaries. Their lives were precious. Previously, dealing with dangerous objects was left to the slave prisoners, while they acted as leaders, rarely taking risks.
Perhaps after handling so many dangerous objects, they had convinced themselves of their own strength. So they volunteered to confront the Mechanized Legion and Eclipse.
What no one expected was that the Hunter Company, which had dominated the Eastern Continent for so many years, was a paper tiger. Were they strong? Very strong. An ordinary first-rate force couldn't shake them at all. But going head-to-head with the Mechanized Legion and Eclipse put them at a severe disadvantage.
The melee didn't subside until the dead of night. Most of Kodu lay in ruins. A strange thing happened: the Mechanized Legion and Eclipse both suffered heavy losses, severely weakening themselves. In comparison, the Hunter Company's garrison in Kodu was completely wiped out, and their headquarters building was split into three sections.
Worse was yet to come. The Hunter Company's high-ranking members had learned of the Supreme Insect's existence. Instead of fear, they wanted to capture it for research—first stripping it of its intelligence, then using its abilities to better control Transcendents, which was far more convenient than their current methods.
In response, the Supreme Insect returned the favor. It led its subordinates and many elite Eclipse fighters to visit the Hunter Company's high-ranking members.
While the Hunter Company's executives were holding an emergency meeting, Kingsley, parasitized by the Supreme Insect, arrived with his forces. After the battle, only Jazz escaped among the Hunter Company's high-ranking members.
An even more surprising event occurred in the latter half of the night. After the Hunter Company suffered such a devastating blow, one person stepped forward. He was called Beast·Ke. After being imprisoned by the Hunter Company, they tried various methods to control him, all of which failed. Taking advantage of the night's chaos, Beast·Ke broke free. Hatred wouldn't let him fall. The scene was one of rallying support.
Led by Beast·Ke, a new group of Hunter Company leaders emerged. Everything was too smooth, too natural. Overnight, the Hunter Company transformed from a half-slave company into the Beast Company.
That's right, the Hunter Company changed its name to the Beast Company. They had once been slave prisoners, living like beasts, aligning with the beast philosophy, which suited them better.
No matter how you looked at it, this had become a force similar to the Mechanized Legion and Eclipse, just with slightly different ideologies. The Mechanized Legion was repressed madness in the darkness, Eclipse was coldness under the blazing sun, and the Beast Company was about unleashing the wildness within.
Su Xiao absolutely didn't believe this had nothing to do with the Eastern Alliance. The Eastern Alliance certainly knew the Hunter Company's model couldn't last. Too much oppression would lead to a strong backlash. If mishandled, the Eastern Alliance itself could suffer severe consequences.
The Eastern Alliance had definitely been planning this for a long time. Tonight's battle between the Mechanized Legion and Eclipse was just the spark that lit the powder keg.
In simple terms, the Mechanized Legion and Eclipse fought, and the Hunter Company got wiped out. How wonderfully absurd.
...
The next morning, Wind Smoke Port.
Laborers bustled about the port, with cargo ships lined up at the docks, waiting to load and unload. Matters of Transcendents didn't directly affect them; their lives went on as usual.
"Finally here. After a night on the boat, I'm about to throw up."
Nainai stretched, fully displaying what she thought was her graceful figure. Behind her were Aiqi and the white-haired youth, both still wrapped in bandages.
Even so, they had rushed to the Eastern Continent as fast as possible. The Hunter Company was too evil; they were irreconcilable enemies with it.
"Geya is back."
The white-haired youth's words made Aiqi and Nainai turn their gazes. Aiqi's eyes held a hint of coldness, ready to strike at the Hunter Company today.
Nainai's eyes showed some worry. The Hunter Company was a behemoth; she felt the four of them trying to shake it was like ants trying to move a tree.
Geya stopped in front of the three, her expression somewhat dazed.
"Geya, did you buy the intel? Where should we start?"
The white-haired youth's words made Geya's expression turn strange.
"Uh~, this~, the situation is very complicated..."
"Just say it directly."
The white-haired youth turned serious. His worst fear had come true: the enemy was stronger than expected, and even Geya was starting to back down.
"The Hunter Company was destroyed last night. The Transcendents they enslaved rose up in revolt. So~, there's no more Hunter Company now. That force has been renamed the Beast Company, responsible for sheltering the homeless and dealing with dangerous objects in the Eastern Continent."
Geya scratched her head as she spoke. Even with her acting skills, facing this situation, she couldn't keep up the act. She wanted to say, Director Bai Ye, what script did you give me? I can't understand it. The story is too complicated. Please add subtitles, I beg you.
"The Hunter Company... was destroyed?"
Nainai's eyes started to glaze over again.
"De... destroyed?"
The white-haired youth's expression went blank as he muttered. Aiqi, meanwhile, was full of question marks. They had experienced the Western Continent war, the death of a close friend, internal suspicion, and even a decisive battle. After all that, they finally learned their enemy was the Hunter Company. But just as they arrived in the Eastern Continent, they found out the Hunter Company had been destroyed.
It was like someone training in martial arts for 30 years, then going to take revenge on their enemy, only to learn upon descending the mountain that the enemy who wiped out their family had died of old age at 96.
"What... should we do now?"
Nainai asked, feeling even more lost.
"How about we go get breakfast first?"
"Good idea."
The white-haired youth suppressed his confusion, and the four headed toward a small town by the port. Just then, a figure walked toward them. Even the emotionally oblivious white-haired youth couldn't help but glance at the woman approaching.
Among the four, Geya also saw the newcomer. Her body stiffened, and she almost instinctively lowered her head.
As the newcomer was about to pass by Aiqi, a blue light flickered in her eyes. This blue represented Source Power, from the Source·Divine Land.
The two brushed past each other. Aiqi instantly went limp. The Devourer inside him had suddenly disappeared, or rather, had been stripped away.
Tide Hunter walked through the crowd, holding the Devourer in one hand. The Devourer was currently in a dormant state, caused by the highest concentration of 'mixed inert gas.'
[First Generation Devourer]
Host: Aiqi.
Status: Successfully retrieved.
Traits: Darkness, Biting, Dark Element Erosion, Super·Devour, Host Protection, High·Potential Growth.
Current Maximum Growth: Aiqi had developed the First Generation Devourer to 21% of its peak. Only part of the Dark Eye's abilities were unlocked. It had not entered the 'Double Pupil' stage, nor had it shared the Dark Eye with the First Generation Devourer.
Destructive Power: A (E~A)
Speed: A
Precision: A (After Dark Eye and host's Double Pupil)
Growth: A+
Endurance: A
Range: A (Sky Hunting Form)
Best Adaptor: Male.
Controllability: Extremely difficult to control. The First Generation Devourer is too powerful, possessing a strong self-awareness. It was granted excessively high growth potential and almost constantly resists the creator's commands. If allowed to reach its peak, it will become a free, independent entity. Given the First Generation Devourer's various performances, consider weakening the Second Generation Devourer to shorten the host's growth time, allowing the Second Generation Devourer's host to possess combat power stronger than the First Generation Devourer·Aiqi's current stage within 7 to 15 days.
...
[Second Generation Devourer (Uncultivated)]
Host: To be determined.
Status: Preparing for cultivation.
Traits: Estimated as Water, Boiling, Blood, Medium·Potential Growth.
Below are the estimated values for the Second Generation Devourer:
Destructive Power: C
Speed: A
Precision: A
Growth: B+
Endurance: E
Range: B
Best Adaptor: Due to the Second Generation Devourer's advantages in speed and precision, the estimated adaptor is female.