Chapter 20: The Struggle
Outside the Alliance, Great Swamp Region, Soul Ghost City.
In the dead of night, Soul Ghost City inevitably had a somewhat eerie feel. Under this atmosphere, a young girl in a hooded cloak with her hood pulled low walked quickly down the street. She held a flat wooden box in her arms, within which the fluctuations of Soul Stones faintly emanated. Adding to this, the girl occasionally glanced around in panic.
A young girl, at midnight, carrying a wooden box filled with Soul Stones, walking briskly down a side street in this lawless place of Soul Ghost City—this was very dangerous.
Sure enough, after the young girl hurried past, several figures faintly emerged from the darkness behind her and from the narrow alleys on both sides of the street, following behind.
Seeming to sense the several villains trailing her, the young girl's pace quickened, eventually breaking into a run. By the end, as she sprinted with all her might, helpless tears streamed from her eyes. To make matters worse, in her panic, she rushed into a pitch-black alley—a dead end.
The several villains following behind immediately quickened their pace, charging into the dark alley like hyenas scrambling for food. Soul Stones were rare valuables in Soul Ghost City, so naturally, they couldn't be let go.
After the villains rushed into the alley, they finally saw the situation inside. The young girl who had been panicking moments ago was now sitting cross-legged on an old wooden crate at the far end of the alley. Beside her stood a young man with a short ponytail, wearing a twisted cross.
"Black A, let's call it a day. I'm sleepy and really want to go back and get some rest. Besides, you've almost devoured all the gang members in the city. Now when they see a little girl walking at night, they look like they've seen a ghost."
The girl named Weiwei yawned as she spoke. The young man beside her said nothing. He suddenly vanished from his spot and reappeared behind the few villains who were about to retreat. His arms wrapped around the shoulders of the two on either side. He grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.
The next second, a series of piercing screams echoed from the alley, along with tearful, trembling pleas for mercy.
Inside the alley, the Dark Saint—no, it should be Black A—flicked a Soul Stone into the air, tilted his head back, caught it in his mouth, and crunched it with a crackling sound. This symbiosis was the most perfect Black A had ever experienced; he had completely taken over this body.
As for the Dark Saint, when Black A took over the body, the Dark Saint had been locked in a life-and-death struggle with his enemies. Though he ultimately won, he was also on the verge of death. Additionally, the Dark Saint's compatibility with Black A was extremely high, which led to Black A devouring most of the Dark Saint's soul as he lay dying.
Overall, this was the greatest boost Black A had ever received. In these past ten-plus hours, Black A had gained something he never had before—transforming from a parasitic entity with some thinking ability into an independent Devourer with complete cognitive abilities.
Black A's biggest change was this: before, he would never have let a little girl he saved in the underground arena follow him. Now, although he still didn't care about her life or death, having this bait around felt not bad—or rather, neither good nor bad.
"Black A, why are you standing there daydreaming again? Where are we going next? Back to rest?"
"No, we're going… to the Alliance."
Black A didn't speak often, so his words came out somewhat disjointed.
"The Alliance? What for? Calm down. Even though we've made a bit of a name for ourselves in Soul Ghost City, if we dare to cause trouble in the Alliance, we'll be dealt with in less than a day."
Weiwei's voice carried a hint of anxiety, though she knew she couldn't change Black A's decision.
"No, our creator… is there. My 'younger siblings'… are also there."
Hearing Black A's words, Weiwei was shocked. She urgently asked, "Your creator? You have younger siblings?"
"Yes, but… my creator is… powerful. I still… cannot defy him. He… created… us."
Hearing this, Weiwei gulped nervously. She tentatively asked, "Compared to our Soul Ghost City's Abyss Leader, Silvis?"
"Creator… is stronger, more… terrifying."
"Sigh~"
Weiwei's heart began to race with panic. She swallowed again and asked, "Then what's your relationship?"
"One day… I will… devour… the creator."
"!"
Weiwei's forced smile turned bitter. She let out a long breath and asked, "Are we going to the Alliance this time to fight your creator?"
"Of course… not," Black A looked at Weiwei with a slightly strange expression before continuing, "We're going… to deal with my 'younger siblings.' They are strong. Right now, the most dangerous one is Boiling Red. We need… to determine the final victor."
Hearing this, a different light flickered in Weiwei's eyes. "So your creator treats you all the same?"
"No, he… favors… Boiling Red more."
"Why? That's not fair!"
"Because… Boiling Red… used to… follow the creator's orders more."
"Oh, then I'd favor Boiling Red too. By the way, what does your creator usually call you? Black A? Or something else? From the nickname, you can roughly tell what the creator thinks of you. What does he usually call you?"
Weiwei felt quite clever for asking this.
"Rebellious Son."
Hearing Black A utter these two words, Weiwei nearly lost her balance and fell off the wooden crate. She looked at Black A and suddenly felt that this trip to the Alliance would be far more dangerous than she had imagined.
Meanwhile, in the Alliance, Sotto City.
A night owl flew over the city, entering a guest room on the top floor of a luxury hotel. The top several floors of this hotel had been booked by an honored guest—for an entire month.
Inside the guest room, the Northern Princess, clad in a bathrobe, emerged from the bathroom. The tips of her white hair, tinged with a faint light blue, still had water droplets. The swooping night owl landed on her shoulder, its beak holding a letter.
After opening the letter, the Northern Princess gradually furrowed her brows. The journey was long; the reinforcements she had summoned wouldn't arrive until at least the day after tomorrow.
Crack, crack, crack~
The letter in the Northern Princess's hand crystallized, eventually shattering with a pop. Just then, a whistling sound came from afar, growing closer and closer. The Northern Princess looked toward the source.
Bang!
A figure leaped from a distance, slamming against the floor-to-ceiling window outside the guest room. The reinforced glass, nearly 10 centimeters thick, was now covered in cracks.
Outside, a muscular man with a bare upper body and wildly disheveled hair stared at Crystal Princess. This muscular man was nearly 4 meters tall, his muscles sharply defined.
"Do you really think I'm easy to bully, Dark Sun!"
The Northern Princess's long hair fluttered as crystals materialized around her, encasing her within.
With a boom, crystal and flame erupted on the top floor of the hotel.
On the street below the luxury hotel, a man wearing sunglasses at night, his hair slicked back, looked up with a grin at the battle on the hotel's top floor.
"Boiling Red, or should I call you Alisa? Are you planning to kill me now? As the first to enter the third stage, you can certainly defeat me and devour me. But… are you really a match for Black A?"
The sunglasses man's words made Alisa's hand stop just before his nape.
"Black A is the first-generation Devourer. Its growth speed is indeed a weakness, but if it reaches the fifth stage, even if you devour me, Dark Sun, and Crystal Princess, you still won't be Black A's opponent."
Saying this, the sunglasses man pulled out a photo. It clearly showed Black A and Weiwei, with the high walls of Soul Ghost City in the background.
"Black A is rapidly growing stronger by devouring Abyss energy. If we four waste too much time fighting here, even if you ultimately win, can you truly defeat a fifth-stage Black A? Don't forget, obtaining the [Life Source Aggregate Crystal] is what determines the final victor—not killing all the other Devourers…"
Before the sunglasses man could finish, Boiling Red's host, Alisa, interrupted, "So much useless talk."
With that, Alisa prepared to strike.
Puchi~
Blood splattered. Alisa leaped back to avoid the scattered blood droplets.
"You…"
Alisa's brows furrowed tightly. A few meters away, the sunglasses man had plunged his hand into his own chest and ripped out his heart.
"Cooperation requires sincerity. This is part of me and my host. Take it and let Boiling Red devour it. Reach the late third stage as soon as possible to gain a temporary advantage against Black A. My host and I have always believed that if you win, we might not necessarily die. But if Black A wins, none of the other Devourers will survive."
With that, the sunglasses man—the Sun Apostle—tossed the still-beating heart to Alisa. Alisa was slightly stunned; she truly hadn't expected such sincerity from him.
The Sun Apostle turned and walked toward the street corner, keeping his back to Boiling Red's host, Alisa, the entire time. This left Alisa, holding the still-beating heart, momentarily hesitant. But her hesitation was brief; she decided to strike. The sincerity he showed felt more like a trap.
Just as Alisa prepared to act, the Sun Apostle, who had already walked a dozen steps away with his back to her, seemed to remember something and stopped.
"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you something. Recently, those people from the Dark God Cult are planning to retaliate against your sister, the leader of the Hunter Unit, Tessa, and your family. Probably tomorrow night, the Dark God Cult's assassins will strike. Your sister naturally isn't afraid of that, but whether your other family members will be safe is anyone's guess. I need a bit more time for more detailed intelligence. Probably by tomorrow morning, I'll have that information for you. See you."
Tossing out a miniature recording device, the Sun Apostle walked away. After hearing its contents, Alisa could only suppress her urge to deal with the Sun Apostle first.
When the Sun Apostle reached a secluded spot, a smile gradually spread across his face. But the next second, he exploded with a pop into a large mass of flesh and blood, splattering everywhere. Then, these fragments began to evaporate. This wasn't the Sun Apostle's true body; he wouldn't give Alisa a chance to find it. As for the heart he had ripped out, it was real, containing a part of the Sun Apostle as a Devourer.
Inside an alternate space, Baha crouched on Amu's shoulder, having witnessed everything that just happened.
"Thought it was the real body. That disguise has some skill. Amu, don't you think it has a bit of that Priest's vibe? But it makes sense; the Priest took the Sun Apostle away for a while."
"Moo."
Amu hung the Dragonheart Axe back on his back.
"Let's go back. Four have entered now. Black A should be arriving soon."
Baha spread his wings, and he and Amu gradually faded within the alternate space.
……
Third floor of the Madhouse, Director's Office.
A muffled boom came from the bedroom—the sound of the teleportation array being activated. A few seconds later, Amu and Baha emerged from the bedroom.
"Boss, things went smoothly."
Hearing Baha's words, Su Xiao behind the desk said nothing. He was staring at the [Golden Jar] on the table. After obtaining this item, he had thought of many ways to open it, but unfortunately, the lid seemed fused with the jar itself, without even a crack.
Su Xiao put away the [Golden Jar]. There was no rush for this; as long as he opened it before leaving this world, it would be fine. There were two pieces of good news. First, after inquiring with the Platinum Archbishop, Su Xiao learned something.
To the west of the Desert Kingdom, there was a scorching desert. It was called this because the daytime temperature there reached 4500 to 5000 degrees—enough to vaporize metal. To be precise, that desert wasn't composed of sand grains but of crystalline particles resembling sand that remained after the extreme heat.
The reason for such terrifying temperatures was that at the center of this scorching desert lay a giant meteorite crater, where Solar Flame burned perpetually.
Some had tried to explore toward the desert's center, but even the fastest among them could only fly near the giant crater before hastily turning back. Once the sun rose, the desert's temperature would soar to 4500 to 5000 degrees. But when the sun set, the temperature would plummet to normal levels in a short time.
Su Xiao was very interested in this place—or rather, he was very interested in any location with a massive amount of Solar Flame. However, that desert held too many unknowns. Venturing deep into it was highly risky. Even with his current strength, Su Xiao couldn't stay for long in temperatures of 4500 to 5000 degrees.
Su Xiao's plan was this: after dealing with the Black Rose of the Saint Lan Kingdom and before heading to the Desert Kingdom to find the Sand King, he could make a trip to that scorching desert. If there really was a massive amount of Solar Flame at the desert's center, he could use the [Blazing Sun Disk] to absorb it and see if he could activate the [Blazing Sun Disk].
Moreover, maintaining such a vast amount of Solar Flame for so long might mean there was something good inside that giant meteorite crater.
Besides this, there was another piece of good news. A few minutes ago, the [Azure Blue Furnace] had completed its fusion, combining the World Three-Piece Set + Fate's Blood + Precipitated Glass + World Ink into a single piece of equipment.
[Prompt: This fusion has been completed.]
[You have obtained the World Ring.]
[World Ring]
Origin: Reincarnation Paradise / Apocalypse Paradise.
Quality: World-Class
Type: Ring.
Durability: 150/150 points.
Basic Bonus: While wearing this equipment, you will temporarily become a World Child (Pseudo), granting approximately 85% of a normal World Child's luck bonus and a World Blessing status.
Note: This bonus has priority.
Equipment Requirements: Willpower 50 points, Luck Attribute 10 points, Charm Attribute 15 points (Hunter does not meet the wearing requirements but can forcibly wear it).
Note: As the Hunter's Charm Attribute does not meet this equipment's requirement by -16 points, forcibly wearing it will cause irreversible attribute changes to this equipment, as well as significant reductions in durability, rating, etc.
Equipment Effect 1: The Protected (Passive), while wearing this ring, increases Luck Attribute by 35% of your Charm Attribute (maximum increase of 35 points).
Equipment Effect 2: Hunt (Passive), after killing someone who threatens the world's safety, you will gain a certain amount of World Force, which will be stored within this ring (the amount gained depends on the enemy's overall strength and danger level).
Currently Stored: 0 ounces of World Force.
Equipment Effect 3: World Force (Core·Passive), when the World Force stored in this equipment reaches its maximum, this ability will activate, granting the wearer a phased comprehensive strength boost (all attributes including Luck +10 points, all ability levels increased by Lv.9 to Lv.12).
Note: This boost can be triggered multiple times.
Warning: This boost has limitations. Upon leaving the world where the boost was obtained, the effects of this ability will be significantly reduced.
Rating: 3280 points.
……
Su Xiao looked at the ring pinched between his fingers. The strength of this item was astonishing. Not only did it provide a high boost to the Luck Attribute and a cheat-like method of rapid power increase, but simply wearing it granted the status of World Child (Pseudo)—a truly jaw-dropping feature.
However, this item wasn't without drawbacks. It seemed like a cheat-like way to get stronger quickly, but once you left this world and entered another, the power gained would diminish by more than 90%. Conversely, the greater the limitation, the higher its strength within this world.
Of course, if Su Xiao entered another world, this item's characteristics would remain the same. It's just that the wearer would become stronger in that world but couldn't leave it. It wasn't that the ring was bound to this world, but rather that the ring would temporarily bind to whichever mission world it entered.
After Su Xiao put away the [World Ring], a prompt appeared.
[Prompt: The notarization rights you applied for have been approved, but you need to provide a sufficient amount of Space-Time Power yourself to complete this notarization.]
[Notarization Content: Devourer Struggle.]
[Notarization Functions: Communication Platform, Material Deployment Authority, Temporary Brands (these nine temporary brands will be reclaimed after the Hunter leaves this world).]
[Brands are as follows: Creator Brand (controls all permissions of the Devourer Struggle), Supplier Brand (exclusive to Bubuteni), Arbiter Brand (exclusive to Baha), Executor Brand (exclusive to Amu), Devourer Brand ×5 (information reception and designated material positioning functions).]
[To establish a temporary communication platform, you need to pay 85 ounces of Space-Time Power. Material deployment authority requires 18.6 ounces of Space-Time Power. Temporary brands have no cost (the Hunter's current authority allows borrowing without charge; they will be reclaimed after use).]
[You need to pay a total of 103.6 ounces of Space-Time Power to proceed with this notarization.]
[It has been detected that during the course of this notarization, if the Hunter sets part of the struggle stages to obtain the [Ancient Crest], and any Devourer successfully obtains it and hands it over to the Hunter, the Hunter will ultimately receive 270 ounces of Space-Time Power from this struggle, and the Hunter's authority level cap will increase by Lv.2.]
[According to your plan, this Devourer Struggle will be divided into the following four stages.]
Stage One: Growth Period. During this time, all Devourers will grow their overall combat power to the second to third tiers (Devourers have a total of five growth tiers). The Hunter will use the Material Deployment Authority to deploy [Concentrated Vitality Potions] to various regions of this world, which are resources needed for the Devourers' rapid growth.
Stage Two: Struggle for the [World Ring].
Stage Three: Struggle for the [Ancient Crest].
Stage Four: The victor brings the [Ancient Crest] to the Hunter to exchange for the exclusive resource you provide, the [Life Source Aggregate Crystal].
[Prompt: After completing the above stages, the Hunter can choose to keep or sell the obtained [Ancient Crest]. If sold, you will receive 103.6 ounces + 270 ounces of Space-Time Power, and the Hunter's authority level cap will increase by Lv.2.]
……
Seeing these prompts, Su Xiao felt that the 103.6 ounces of notarization fee was well worth it. After the notarization, the completeness of the Devourer Struggle immediately improved by several levels.
[You have paid 103.6 ounces of Space-Time Power.]
[You have obtained the Creator Brand (will be reclaimed upon leaving this world).]
[Bubuteni has obtained the Supplier Brand (will be reclaimed upon leaving this world).]
[Baha has obtained the Arbiter Brand (will be reclaimed upon leaving this world).]
[Amu has obtained the Executor Brand (will be reclaimed upon leaving this world).]
[The five Devourers have each obtained their corresponding Devourer Brands.]
[Material Deployment Authority has been activated. Using the Creator Brand, you can deploy designated materials to most areas of this world. After deployment, all Devourers and their hosts will know the time, location, and material information of this deployment through their respective brands.]
……
After this prompt appeared, Su Xiao's brand temporarily gained a new function. He activated it, took out a bottle of [Concentrated Vitality Potion], and released it. The [Concentrated Vitality Potion] was sucked into the material deployment slot, followed by a list of options for selecting deployment time, location, and more detailed coordinates.
[Prompt: Temporary Communication Platform has been activated.]
[Bubuteni (Supplier) has entered the communication platform and obtained corresponding permissions.]
[Baha (Arbiter) has entered the communication platform and obtained corresponding permissions.]
[Amu (Executor) has entered the communication platform and obtained tracking and killing permissions.]
[Beini has entered the communication platform and obtained speaking and partial permissions.]
[Black A has been added to the communication platform. Alisa (Boiling Red) has been added to the communication platform. Dark Sun has been added to the communication platform. Sun Apostle has been added to the communication platform. Northern Princess (Crystal Princess) has been added to the communication platform.]
[Communication Platform has been fully activated.]
……
Seeing these prompts, Su Xiao opened the communication platform and immediately saw someone posting inside.
Alisa (Boiling Red): "This is?"
Sun Apostle: "More convenient for intelligence gathering."
Northern Princess (Crystal Princess): "In the end, you still remembered me."
[Prompt: Northern Princess (Crystal Princess) has been muted by the Creator for 12 hours.]
Alisa (Boiling Red): "Hahahahaha…"
Arbiter: "As expected of you, Crystal Princess."
……
Su Xiao closed the communication platform. The Devourers were still in the first stage of their conflict. There was no need to interfere for at least a few days; he would let them do as they pleased.
Su Xiao left the Madhouse and headed to the wilderness. The outskirts at night were desolate. A dark shadow swooped down from above, carrying a suffocating sense of pressure. Finally, this shadow, with a wingspan exceeding 10 meters, swooped down and landed behind Su Xiao.
"Roar!!"
A dragon's roar pierced the night sky. It was the Storm Flame Dragon, having completed its transformation. Its body was no longer covered in rough dragon hide or scales but in large, dark blue feathers. Its vertical dragon pupils held both the majesty of a wyvern and a sharp, aloof pride.
Initially, this Storm Flame Dragon had tried to break free from the soul brand. As a ninth-rank Overlord-level creature, even though it had just entered the Overlord stage, it didn't want to be bound, let alone ridden.
Upon noticing this, Su Xiao used the [Thunder Spirit] to draw down World Thunder, tempering the Storm Flame Dragon's resistance to World Thunder. After this enhancement, the Storm Flame Dragon became noticeably more obedient.
Su Xiao leaped onto the dragon's back. With a roar, the Storm Flame Dragon spread its wings and took off. The night wind whistled past Su Xiao's ears as he commanded the Storm Flame Dragon to fly at full speed. With a boom, the Storm Flame Dragon broke through layers of airbursts, flying at high speed within the clouds.
On the dragon's back, Su Xiao's clothes fluttered noisily. He slowed the Storm Flame Dragon down and sat cross-legged on its back. It had to be said, a feathered dragon was much more comfortable to ride. When he had ridden the Demon Flame Dragon, Barbatos, before, the dragon's hide was hard enough, but the problem was that Barbatos had bone spurs in many areas on its back.
Now, sitting cross-legged on the Storm Flame Dragon's back, the feathers, though extremely tough, felt quite comfortable. Additionally, the Storm Flame Dragon was a medium-to-large dragon, making it easier for Su Xiao to attack enemies with Thunder Spears from its back.
Early the next morning, Su Xiao planned to head to the Saint Lan Kingdom to deal with the Black Rose. However, there was a problem: that was the Black Rose's territory. Once there, he would have to face three forces simultaneously: the royal family of the Saint Lan Kingdom, the Black Rose's secret forces, and the Dawn God Cult.
As soon as Su Xiao arrived in the Saint Lan Kingdom, the royal family, the secret forces, and the Dawn God Cult would surely swarm him and fight to the death.
Su Xiao was certain that if such a situation arose, he would be defeated. On enemy turf, facing the royal family, secret forces, and Dawn God Cult all at once, even if he won, it would be a narrow victory after a string of luck—not the result Su Xiao wanted.
This made Su Xiao change his approach. His goal in going to the Saint Lan Kingdom was never to eliminate the three major forces there but to kill the Black Rose. The Black Rose, his enemy, surely knew this as well. With the Deceiver and the Informant both dead, it was safe to assume that the Black Rose now had many strong individuals gathered around her, waiting for Su Xiao to come.
Some of these strong individuals came from the royal family, but more should come from the Dawn God Cult. Su Xiao's idea was this: since he couldn't fight the royal family, secret forces, and Dawn God Cult all at once, he would deal with them one by one. He would start with the most troublesome—the Dawn God Cult.
Following the usual procedure, he would start by dealing with the Dawn God Cult's priests, then the High Priest, and finally turn the Dawn God Cult into a chaotic mess. However, the problem was that the Black Rose was unlikely to let this happen.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao had a reverse thought: instead of directly clashing with the Dawn God Cult, why not hunt down the Radiance God they worshipped? That would solve the problem much faster. As a deity, the Radiance God was also the strongest combat power in the Saint Lan Kingdom and likely had no protectors around.
Su Xiao glanced at the nine-star title [God Hunter] in his title list and felt that this plan was probably feasible.