Chapter 12: Ultimate Four Protect One
At the bottom of the great tree hollow, within the Queen's bedchamber.
The Queen was now clad in silver-white light armor that clung to her skin like a second layer, with exquisite craftsmanship at the neck, joints, and other areas. Such refinement was clearly the work of a master blacksmith.
Moments ago, the Queen's demeanor had been gentle and kind, but after revealing her battle armor, gripping her black-and-white twin blades, and rising from the bed, her warmth and kindness vanished. In their place was the oppressive presence brought by her physique and dual grandmaster abilities.
From what was known, once the Queen gained even a slight advantage, she would relentlessly suppress a defending enemy until their defenses broke, allowing her light-and-dark blades to shred them apart.
As the Queen straightened her posture, her vertical pupils, faintly glowing white, swept forward. Due to the size difference, she had to lower her head slightly to meet Su Xiao's gaze.
To avoid cutting air, the Queen crouched low, her legs slightly bent.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The Queen advanced, her metal-booted legs striding forward. With her long legs and narrow waist, her armor hugged her figure gracefully. As she walked, her twin blades casually scraped across the ground, leaving black-and-white scratches on the stone floor.
The Queen approached Su Xiao, not fast, but the pressure she exuded sent chills down one's spine and made palms sweat.
She didn't charge directly. Though she had lost her reason, she hadn't lost her mind. Something else had replaced her consciousness—the depth and darkness of the Abyss.
Because of this, even without reason, the Queen didn't rush at Su Xiao. As a fellow blade grandmaster, he stood still with his longsword drawn, giving her a sense of danger.
Just as Su Xiao and the Queen faced off, waiting for the other to reveal a flaw to seize the initiative, a black hole appeared several dozen meters away.
This black hole materialized in midair, facing downward, and over a dozen figures tumbled out. Without a doubt, this was Wood's doing, using the Abyssal Jar to drag them here.
After landing, Wood calmly took off his suit jacket, revealing a black-red shirt underneath. His head was a skull studded with rice-sized black gems, but his body wasn't—it looked withered but had skin and flesh.
Besides Wood, Ona had also arrived. In the current situation, she, as an Ancient God system contractor, needed to take the front line.
The Three Brothers of National Football, Gulu, Sacred Hymn, the Ghost Brothers, and others were also dragged in.
Not only them, but Su Xiao also spotted a familiar face—Tyrant, whom he'd encountered across several world progressions.
Su Xiao remembered that in the Dark Star world, Tyrant had been surrounded and killed by the execution squad. Then in Alliance Star, Su Xiao met him again.
During the bombardment of the Western Continent in Alliance Star, Tyrant was hit by naval cannon fire and then blasted by Apollo. Yet during the world war in Ser Star, Su Xiao learned from Hao Mei that Tyrant was still alive and had participated in that war.
Later, Tyrant was surrounded and killed by the Vassal Military Police, but he revived through his own ability and came to the Treeborn World.
Calling Tyrant's revival "blood rebirth" was an exaggeration, but as long as some of his flesh tissue remained, he could regenerate.
This came at a cost. Tyrant's survivability was freakishly high, but under this ability's influence, his brain didn't work well. Calling him a bit "slow" wasn't an insult—it was the price of near-immortality.
Standing nearly 3 meters tall, with muscles like steel and dark bronze-black skin, Tyrant gave off an immovable mountain vibe. As a tank from Apocalypse Paradise, his durability was unquestionable.
Usually, someone who had "died" multiple times and come back would feel like a major threat. Not Tyrant—he gave off the vibe of: "Look, Tyrant died again."
Tyrant crossed his arms, looking around arrogantly, but when he saw Su Xiao, his expression froze. He wasn't stupid, just not sharp. Multiple "deaths" caused by Su Xiao had taught him one thing: if he couldn't win, he'd avoid.
Besides Tyrant, there were other participants: a Viking-styled double-axe man and the long-unseen Ascension Brother.
Ascension Brother still had a green halo over his head, as unique as ever. From his expression, he was utterly confused.
The other four participants were strangers to Su Xiao. They covered each other, forming a small team.
Counting Wood, there were 16 participants present. Adding Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Baha, that made 19 combat units.
This meant the effect of [Betrayal's Resentment] was maxed out. The Queen would overdraw her body's energy, plus the potential of her black-and-white blades, gaining a 167% damage intensity boost.
The Queen's attack power was already terrifying; the situation now was unimaginable.
"Not good."
Gulu backflipped while fading into the air. After facing the Queen directly, her entire perception stung. With her small frame, going head-to-head with the Queen was suicidal.
"Wood..."
Ona gritted her teeth audibly. She had already guessed where this was and that Wood had dragged them here.
"Don't panic. In this situation, we need unity."
Sacred Hymn shouted, summoning 12 dual-blade mad dogs. As the leader of a large adventure group, her leadership was outstanding.
The Ghost Brothers, originally Sacred Hymn's trusted aides, stood by her sides.
"This lady is right. We need to unite."
Ascension Brother also chimed in. Compared to cooperating with Su Xiao or Wood, joining Sacred Hymn's team seemed more reliable. Seeing this, Tyrant, the double-axe man, and the four-person team stood to Sacred Hymn's left and right.
The Three Brothers of National Football exchanged glances and, going with the flow, chose to temporarily join Sacred Hymn's team.
Sacred Hymn became the on-site commander. She winked at Ona with her left eye. Ona said nothing but stood beside her. Clearly, Sacred Hymn and Ona had reached some level of cooperation before arriving.
"And you, Demon Clan member? Want to join us? Time is short."
Sacred Hymn spoke while staring at the Queen. Though she didn't know why this ultimate boss hadn't charged, she was glad for it. The situation was too sudden; Sacred Hymn needed to cherish every second to build combat power suitable for the situation, leveraging her advantage as a top-tier healer.
Wood didn't speak, showing no intention of joining Sacred Hymn's team. She didn't press further.
Sacred Hymn glanced at Su Xiao then looked away. She wouldn't invite Su Xiao or Gulu to join. The reason was clear: her hostile relationship with Su Xiao, and her fear that if they became temporary teammates, she'd be decapitated after victory.
As for not inviting Gulu, that was entirely because of Gulu's "my father" shout on the spaceship.
Sensing that Sacred Hymn wouldn't invite Su Xiao and Gulu, the Three Brothers felt uneasy. Ona's expression shifted slightly. As Su Xiao's "good teammate," she knew Su Xiao and Wood better than Sacred Hymn did. If they didn't join the team, Ona genuinely worried something would go wrong.
Just as Ona was about to speak, Wood was enveloped in black smoke, the Abyssal Jar floating above him. This guy was about to pull some dirty trick.
Why hadn't the Queen attacked yet? Because she feared Sacred Hymn's team? No. Earlier, it was Su Xiao, a fellow blade grandmaster, who gave her a sense of danger. Now, it was the sudden appearance of the Abyssal Jar.
Baha swooped to Su Xiao's side, its wings spreading to open an alternate space. Su Xiao and Bubu Wang retreated into it.
Seeing this, Sacred Hymn narrowed her eyes. She was about to take action.
Buzz!
A buzzing sound echoed in everyone's minds. After Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Baha, Wood also vanished. Not only did he disappear, but the bedchamber's walls were covered in root-like black threads. Wood had used the Abyssal Jar to seal the place. When it came to being underhanded, Wood was unmatched.
This guy had completely trapped the bedchamber. Sacred Hymn's team had no choice but to fight the Queen to the death.
Without needing to communicate, Wood understood that Su Xiao had him drag in more participants not because some enemy ability required multiple people to counter, but because they needed cannon fodder.
Su Xiao and Wood vanished from the bedchamber, leaving no one to face the Queen.
Boom!
Darkness erupted within the bedchamber. The Queen advanced through the shadows.
"Block her!"
Various buffs radiated from Sacred Hymn. Tyrant, standing at the front, looked like he'd been injected with stimulants—veins bulging, a feeling of invincibility washing over him.
The 12 dual-blade knights drew their swords and charged, armor clashing, blades gleaming. But what met them was the Queen bursting from the darkness.
The Queen still crouched low, the Abyss's erosion driving her toward a beast-king transformation.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Queen's twin blades spun like a tornado, carrying terrifying cutting force and a howling wind pressure.
A series of metallic clashes rang out. The original 12 dual-blade mad dogs were instantly reduced to 12 dual-blade lapdogs, forced to crouch low and defend with their weapons.
Clang! Clang! Clang...
Weapons clashed repeatedly, sparks flying. The Queen's black-and-white blades displayed the beauty of combat. If Su Xiao's fighting embodied grandmaster prestige, the Queen showcased the ultimate attack frequency of a blade grandmaster.
The 12 dual-blade mad dogs, usually capable of surrounding enemies, were now being pushed back. This wasn't the worst.
Crack!
The light blade severed an enemy's weapon. One of the 12 dual-blade mad dogs had his blade break, triggering a chain reaction.
After a series of weapon snaps, the 12 dual-blade mad dogs were cut into scattered limbs and torsos. Six died instantly, and the remaining six were injured.
Seeing this, the Three Brothers of National Football, who had been about to swarm and beat the Queen, felt their scalps tingle and bladders tighten. They had sensed the combat power of the 12 dual-blade mad dogs, yet such strong reinforcements were being slaughtered like vegetables, half dead in no time.
Blood and severed limbs splattered everywhere. The Queen pressed her light and dark blades together, then sliced outward with a sharp shriek, leaving an X-shaped blood mark in the air.
After killing six dual-blade mad dogs, the Queen's [Betrayal's Resentment] and [Daughter of the Abyss] abilities didn't enter a dormant phase. The 12 dual-blade mad dogs were summons, not considered betrayers.
The Queen had butchered the 12 dual-blade mad dogs down to six, making Sacred Hymn and the others gasp. The Queen was absurdly strong.
Of course she was. In a one-on-one fight, the Queen was stronger than Su Xiao. With [Betrayal's Resentment] fully stacked, her attack power was explosive. Not even an eighth-rank top-tier tank, wearing a full set of Immortal-rank armor and holding an Immortal-rank +13 heavy tower shield, could withstand her spinning combo.
For a moment, no one dared to act. But the Queen didn't give Sacred Hymn's team a breather. She strode forward. With her long stride and swift movements, she seemed to walk quickly, but it was faster than the participants' running speed.
Clang! Clang!
Two crisp sounds rang out. A masked brother from the four-person team stepped up, blocking two strikes. His eyes bulged as his shield's durability plummeted by 70%.
Pfft!
The dark longsword pierced through the shield and the masked brother, lifting him like a candied fruit on a stick. His scream was cut short.
Boom!
Black flames exploded on the dark blade, shattering the masked brother and his shield. A red-hot shield piece spiraled to land at the feet of the Second Brother of National Football.
"My dear granny."
The Second Brother's cheek twitched. He had sensed that the masked brother wasn't weak, yet he was killed like a chicken.
After killing one, the Queen absorbed their soul energy. Black flames rose on her right dark blade, and light flames ignited on her left light blade. The spectacle was breathtaking. If one weren't her enemy, watching her fight would inspire genuine admiration—a fusion of combat and beauty.
Unfortunately, Sacred Hymn and the others didn't feel that way. The blood scent in the air told them that one mistake meant death.
The double-axe man knew this couldn't continue. He hurled his short axe with all his might.
The wooden-handled axe tore through the air, spinning toward the Queen. Her dark blade sliced up, catching the spinning axe. But the axe suddenly phased, solidifying just before hitting the Queen.
As the axe was about to strike her shoulder, whoosh—the Queen spun in place. When the participants saw clearly, she had used her blade's pommel to smash the incoming axe. Remember, the Queen was a melee grandmaster with agility rated as ???.
Bang!
The axe flew back along its original path. By the time the double-axe man reacted, it was already at his forehead. The bearded man's eyes widened, his body turning slightly translucent. As an eighth-rank contractor, he naturally had more survival tricks.
The axe passed through his head. The double-axe man sighed in relief, but suddenly, a chill exploded behind him. Worse, the Queen used the cold mist from the axe to appear behind him.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
After three consecutive cross slashes, the double-axe man was cut into four pieces. His flying head had its mouth wide open, as if trying to scream but failing.
Blood and broken flesh scattered. In the empty bedchamber, the Queen advanced at a moderate pace, choosing her next target.
Gulu, who had wanted to show off her "Pay-to-Win Assassin" style, was now pressed against a wall. It wasn't that she was scared, but this ultimate boss, Queen Yuro, was absurdly strong.
Sacred Hymn's hastily formed team had collapsed. No one dared to attack first. Against an enemy this strong, whoever struck first would draw her attention. The tank couldn't hold against this ultimate boss.
Clearly, no one present had experience soloing an ultimate boss. That wasn't surprising—except for technique-type contractors, few would try. It was too easy to die.
Each combat system had its strengths. Mages excelled at mass killing and looting, charm-type at negotiation and title acquisition, while technique-types had the qualification to duel bosses.
The scene froze. In this stalemate, a slender needle embedded itself in the Queen's outer arm. It was Gulu's attack.
Gulu, "standing in the corner," scrunched up her small face. Her probing attack had made the Queen's health drop a sliver, but in the next second, it recovered fully. This regeneration rate made Gulu, an assassin, despair. She decided to keep "standing in the corner" to avoid being one-shot.
Gulu's constant "pay-to-win" hadn't been wasted. After her hit, the Queen didn't immediately find her but looked at Tyrant.
"This is a misunderstanding."
Tyrant tried to explain, but the Queen ignored him.
"Charge!"
The First Brother of National Football shouted. If they didn't attack now, there'd be no chance later.
Numerous glowing white tentacles extended toward the Queen. Her twin blades danced, cutting the tentacles into flying pieces.
A white robe flew toward the Queen. She sliced it open with one strike. In the next instant, Ona appeared behind the Queen in a sleeveless fitted shirt, pressing both hands toward the Queen's back of the head.
The Queen suddenly arched backward, her body bending like a spring, her head hitting the ground.
Boom! Ona, behind the Queen's head, was smashed into the stone floor. Even with tentacles cushioning her, she was dizzy, internal organs bleeding, blood rushing to her throat. Her organs had shifted.
Before Ona could react, the Queen flipped up, stabbing down with both blades.
Thud!
The Queen, midair, was knocked flying by the First Brother of National Football. After that hammer blow, he felt his bones about to shatter. The enemy's knockback resistance was too high.
The Queen flew through the air. The participants present weren't pushovers. Tyrant, the Ghost Brothers, Ascension Brother, and others were already at her landing point.
Tyrant clasped his hands together. The moment the Queen landed, his tank domain pressed down on her. The Ghost Brothers simultaneously entered ghost rage. Ascension Brother charged a heavy punch with one arm. The five remaining dual-blade mad dogs prepared to surround her. Though everyone knew three more "betrayers" had to die before the real fight began, they couldn't scatter now—that would mean faster death.
Seeing this, Sacred Hymn, dozens of meters away, breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, things were stabilizing. They could start the boss siege, entering their rhythm.
Within the tank domain, the Queen's crouched form hunched further, seemingly suppressed. But her left hand flipped the light blade to a reverse grip.
The light blade stabbed into the ground. A burst of light energy exploded, dazzling Tyrant and the others. Their ears rang as they fell into a stun caused by the light tremor.
The Queen's area stun ability activated without warning. Her freed left hand slapped the ground. As a melee grandmaster, her power control sent a resonance wave, causing Tyrant, not far away, to crack all over, spitting blood as he was knocked prone by the force.
The Queen's right hand drove the dark blade into Tyrant, pinning him to the ground. She gripped the hilt with both hands and twisted clockwise.
Thud!
Tyrant exploded into pieces, black-flame-burning flesh scattering everywhere.
Before the Ghost Brothers and others could recover, the Queen had already re-gripped her light and dark blades, performing a spinning slash dance on the surrounding participants. Ruthless but beautiful.
Blades cut through flesh. As the Queen spun, black-and-white slash marks traced through the air.
Clang, clang, clang...
After the blade whirlwind, minced flesh and blood rained down like a curtain. The Queen stood upright, proudly amidst the blood rain—cruel yet beautiful.
Sacred Hymn's team collapsed in just 4 seconds. Tyrant, the Ghost Brothers, Ascension Brother, and three other participants all died. If not for a life link, the Third Brother of National Football would have died too. As a cost, his two brothers' health dropped below 20%, showing how much slashing damage the Third Brother had endured.
The Queen's aura changed amidst the blood rain. Though sharper, her Abyss aura weakened, meaning [Betrayal's Resentment] and [Daughter of the Abyss] were temporarily inactive, unable to recover for hours.
The Queen stood proudly. The Three Brothers of National Football followed Gulu's lead, pressing against another wall. Their expressions screamed: "This is damn terrifying."
The First Brother sighed, his face seemingly written with "My fate is sealed."
There were only four walls. Gulu took one, the Three Brothers another, and Sacred Hymn a third.
Black-and-white slash marks crisscrossed the bedchamber. Glowing white tentacles surged everywhere. Without teammates' support, but with Sacred Hymn's buffs, Ona grew stronger instead of weaker, blocking the Queen's black-and-white blades, though her tentacles were being cut off.
"Wood, do you want to fight to the death with my elderly self?"
From the cross on Ona's neck came Zuiyasi's voice. Hearing this, Wood, watching from the darkness, narrowed his eye flames. Honestly, he didn't fear Ona—she clearly wasn't a combat specialist. But facing Zuiyasi, Wood was wary. If he fought elderly Zuiyasi, even if he won, he'd likely die.
The black patterns on the walls spread, covering the entire bedchamber's walls and floor, naturally touching Gulu, the Three Brothers, Ona, and Sacred Hymn.
Ona vanished. Gulu, the Three Brothers, and Sacred Hymn appeared before the Queen. Clearly, Wood was screwing them over.
Gulu, as the space seal disappeared, her necklace pendant glowed faintly, and she vanished.
The Three Brothers struck different poses: First Brother like an eagle spreading wings, Second Brother like a small eagle spreading wings, Third Brother like a hen taking off. They instantly turned into golden statues, each emitting a ding sound. The Paladin's invincibility—so confident.
Clang! The light blade struck them but only left a spark in the air. Though their poses were funny, they had activated the Paladin's ultimate: invincibility plus random teleportation item.
The strong impact from hitting an invincible target sent Sacred Hymn flying. Fortunately, one of the 12 mad dogs still survived.
Shlick! A head flew. The last dual-blade mad dog was killed, meaning Sacred Hymn was no longer an elemental immortal. Aside from her top-tier healing, she was temporarily not a combat healer.
On the other side, Gulu, who had suddenly vanished, escaped into the alternate space. But there was a problem: the entire bottom of the great tree hollow, except the bedchamber, was filled with darkness. Traveling through the alternate space to leave the bedchamber was unrealistic.
This meant that after entering the alternate space, Gulu appeared before Su Xiao. Before she could see clearly.
Bang.
A heavy punch hit Gulu's stomach. She curled up like a shrimp, specks of blood flying from her mouth.
Using the punch's momentum, Su Xiao swung his arm forward, throwing Gulu. She crashed into the space barrier ahead, dazed.
Su Xiao looked outside the alternate space. Wood and Ona had appeared, stalling the Queen.
After being attacked, Gulu wasn't panicked. As an assassin, was she afraid of a blade grandmaster who hadn't drawn his sword? Impossible.
A few seconds later, Gulu was pinned face-down, with Su Xiao sitting cross-legged on her back. He hadn't drawn his blade, but he was also a melee grandmaster. An assassin caught in melee range by a melee grandmaster? The result was predictable.
"Shameless melee grandmaster."
Gulu had just spoken when a serrated short blade appeared in Su Xiao's hand, pressed against her neck.
"Kill me, and you'll be awkward meeting the Regiment Leader later. I've run plenty of errands for him."
"..."
The serrated blade cut into Gulu's neck, blood flowing. He started bleeding her out.
"Face me, and I'll spray you with blood."
Gulu tried to turn her head. She didn't care about her neck being cut. Few Brigade Group members were mentally stable; most weren't afraid of death.
"Just give me a clean cut. Bleeding to death is too slow and painful. And are you really trying to kill me? Feels like you're just letting blood."
Gulu licked some blood from the ground, using it as lipstick on her lips.
After bleeding enough, Su Xiao said, "Help me control that healer. Be ready to kill her at any time. I need her buffs during the fight. After this, you get 10% of the spoils."
"Let me think."
Gulu, with blood still flowing from her neck wound, seriously considered it. Her life plus uncertain gains clearly outweighed maintaining dignity. Besides, after shouting "my father" long ago, she had abandoned any dignity toward Su Xiao.
"Save me quick, I'm getting dizzy."
"..."
Su Xiao formed spirit shadow threads, using them to stitch Gulu's neck wound. After a moment, only a faint red line remained.
"You moonlight as a tailor too?"
"..."
Su Xiao didn't respond. Sensing this, Gulu took a small step back to avoid another beating. Su Xiao never considered whether she might die during his beatings.
"My father, you know, my real dad died when I was 2. You left so early."
After pulling off a "one-for-one" verbal jab, Gulu felt much better.
"Baha."
"Got it."
Baha opened a passage in the alternate space. Su Xiao stepped out. Back in the bedchamber, a shockwave hit him, followed by a boom. Ona, wrapped in glowing white tentacles, slammed into the wall.
The Three Brothers of National Football were gone. Their "invincibility + teleport" teleport was high-tier, breaking through the darkness outside. It was likely similar to [Drifting Bait].
"Bai Ye, ready to fight alone?"
Wood spoke. Fighting the Queen with multiple people was unwise. In Wood's view, only "four protect one" could win.
"Four protect one" meant: first, Gulu controls Sacred Hymn with a dagger to her throat, forcing her to buff everyone. Then, Ona invades the Queen's body—Zuiyasi's specialty. As spouses, Ona naturally shared this skill. Couples sharing transcendent knowledge and trump cards was normal.
Wood would transform into another state. Though unable to attack in that state, he could continuously reduce the enemy's combat power. This ability had been key in defeating the Blood Qi Avatar and Sun Bird.
Finally, Bubu Wang would buff Su Xiao with aura abilities.
Sacred Hymn and Bubu Wang boosted Su Xiao's combat power. Ona and Wood reduced the Queen's. That was the ultimate four protect one.
Inside the chamber, the Queen's black-and-white blades had cut Ona to pieces. The dark blade pierced Ona's remains into the ground, followed by the black flame explosion that had killed multiple participants.
Boom! Ona's body shattered. Some of the blood and flesh splashed onto the Queen, silently invading her body.
In the corner near the chamber's outer wall, Gulu and Sacred Hymn stood. Gulu's eyes roamed over Sacred Hymn, clearly choosing which parts to cut off.
Sacred Hymn had no doubt that Reincarnation Paradise's madmen would do such things. She naturally knew Gulu's purpose in holding her hostage. Helpless, she applied various buffs to Su Xiao and the others.
Compared to Gulu and Sacred Hymn's spot, Bubu Wang had more experience with such situations.
Bubu was at the chamber's innermost part, where a statue was half-embedded in the wall. Blending into the environment, Bubu stood on one leg on the statue's head, front paws extended to both sides, dog face solemn. For his skeletal structure, this move had a difficulty rating of at least 8.0. Though tiring, it was safe.
Wood, transformed into a black mist demon, floated midair. He was fully energy-based, looking like a "tortured soul" draped in a black mist robe.
Su Xiao didn't look at Wood floating behind him but stared at the Ghost Clan Queen ahead. After all the scheming, he could finally fight her to the death.
In the empty bedchamber, faint murmurs seemed to arise. The light had dimmed. The chandelier above, filled with candles, lit on its own, swinging slowly back and forth. This caused the illuminated area below to shift.
As the chandelier swung outward, the candlelight illuminated Su Xiao below, holding his longsword, a faint blood gleam in his eyes. As it swung inward, darkness covered him, and the light revealed the Queen holding her black-and-white blades.
When the chandelier stopped, the illuminated area fell between Su Xiao and the Queen, not touching either.
In the darkness, the facing Su Xiao and Queen vanished simultaneously. The next moment, they appeared at the center of the illuminated area.
Clang!
Sparks flew. The longsword clashed with the light blade. The blood spear blocked the dark blade slicing sideways. Weapons collided, sending a shockwave that lifted the stone floor's top layer. The next instant, the flying debris shattered into dust.
The deathmatch had begun!