Chapter 55: A Cut Above
Within the Scarlet Seal Land, amidst the dissipating mist, a towering figure stood ahead.
Su Xiao raised a hand to stop Amu, who was about to charge forward. While probing an enemy was important when facing a powerful foe, one must at least understand the general situation first.
The scarlet mist ahead surged and dissipated, revealing a stone platform a few steps high. A figure stood atop it—the Scarlet Monarch.
Over five meters tall, his imposing figure exuded an oppressive aura. He wore a golden-red battle armor that clung to him like it was soaked in blood. The blood-red cape behind him made him appear even more massive and majestic. The crown covering his face revealed only a pair of scarlet eyes.
The Scarlet Monarch held a five-meter-long scarlet scepter in one hand. When Su Xiao had sealed it earlier, the scepter hadn't been this long—it seemed to have adapted to its wielder's size. The scepter was thicker at the top and thinner at the bottom, with the thickest end being about 15 centimeters in diameter. An ordinary person naturally couldn't grip such a thick scepter, but with the Scarlet Monarch's five-meter frame, his large hand fit perfectly around it.
The entire scepter looked like it was formed from twisted tree roots. However, having touched it before, Su Xiao knew it was exceptionally heavy. At the tip of the scepter was a spiral blade shaped like a tangled knot, giving off a strong sense of foreboding—its penetrative power was beyond doubt.
"Unexpected. It was a Law Destroyer who helped open my seal."
The Scarlet Monarch tapped the tip of his scepter against the stone platform beneath him.
Boom!
The surrounding scarlet liquid matter erupted, splashing upward before freezing in midair like stretched threads. The scarlet erosion in the area suddenly intensified severalfold.
[Prompt: Successfully detected 50% of enemy data.]
Name: Scarlet Monarch · Euyishur
Category: Original Sin Object User / World-Destroying Existence / World-Destroying Monarch (Ability cap sealed due to current world restrictions)
Health: 350%
Immortal Source Blood: Depleting (Temporarily loses immortality trait until replenished)
Scarlet Power: 230,000/230,000 points (Ability cap sealed, this trait reduced)
Strength: ???
Agility: ???
Stamina: ???
Intelligence: ???
Charm: None
World Debuff, Super-World Level Sealing Technique (Passive): While in this world, overall ability cap is limited to Absolute Strength at maximum.
Skill 1, Scarlet Controller (World-Destroying · Passive, X): Can absorb World Force to permanently increase the quantity and quality of Scarlet Power.
Skill 2, All Things Silent (World-Destroying · Passive, X): After the Scarlet Monarch invades a world, it causes the World Will of that world to fall into deep slumber.
Skill 3, Fanatical Worship (World-Destroying · Passive, X): After the Scarlet Monarch invades a world, it invades the consciousness of all living beings, gradually making them fanatically devoted to the Scarlet Monarch · Euyishur.
Note: High Willpower can temporarily resist this trait, but erosion will still occur.
Note: This ability is temporarily ineffective due to being sealed.
Skill 4, Monarch's Majesty (Passive, X): This unit ignores all control-type abilities. Health +350,000 points, Physical Defense +270 points, reduces 40% of physical damage, reduces 40% of energy damage.
???
Skill 6, Original Sin Holder (Original Sin · Passive, X): While wielding the Original Sin Object · Scarlet Scepter, the Scarlet Monarch continuously recovers his Scarlet Energy.
Skill 7, Immortal Monarch (Passive, X): Recovers 1.5% Health per second until the Scarlet Monarch's Scarlet Power is depleted.
???
Skill 9, Scarlet Erosion (Passive, X): All attacks by the Scarlet Monarch inflict the "Scarlet Erosion" effect. Each stack of "Scarlet Erosion" reduces the enemy's maximum Health by 5%, until the enemy's maximum Health is reduced to 30%. At that point, this ability changes to a beheading trait.
Note: When maximum Health is below 30%, taking an attack from the Scarlet Monarch has a 50% chance of being beheaded. If the judgment fails to trigger the beheading effect, you will receive another stack of "Scarlet Erosion."
???
Skill 11, Death Sentence (Active, Lv.90): The Scarlet Monarch pronounces a death sentence with supreme majesty. Over the next 30 seconds, a total of 10 "Heavenly Punishment · Blood Lightning" strikes will fall, dealing high damage while also accumulating stacks of "Scarlet Erosion."
Note: The damage intensity of "Heavenly Punishment · Blood Lightning" is based on Soul Strength. This is the strongest lightning in the Soul Lightning system.
???
???
Skill 14, Blood Giant Tide (Ultimate Ability · Active, Lv.95): The Scarlet Monarch immediately consumes 5,000 points of Scarlet Power, dealing 15,600 base damage + 10% of current Health as impact damage to all enemies within range. This also inflicts strong knockback, blunt force, and stun effects. If the enemy collides with an obstacle during the knockback, they will enter a 0.5 to 5-second stun state.
Note: Cooldown for this ability is 5 seconds.
Skill 15, Power Torrent (Arcane Level · Passive, Lv.70): The Scarlet Monarch activates the Blood Moon above, forming a total of 120 to 150 Scarlet Pillars that crash down around him. During the 5 seconds this skill is active, the "Immortal Monarch" ability will be overloaded, recovering 15% Health per second until the 5-second channeling ends.
???
Skill 17, Blood Moon · Stars Fall Silent (Arcane Level · Passive, X): Activates the power of the Scarlet Moon, causing nearby stars to be assimilated by the scarlet and, under the Scarlet Monarch's command, fall to the ground with immense force, dealing massive area-of-effect damage.
???
Skill 19, Supreme Scepter (Supreme Level · Passive, ???): This ability has been sealed by the current world.
Skill 21, Ascension · Blood Moon Monarch (Supreme Level · Passive, ???): This ability has been sealed by the current world.
...
Unparalleled survivability, jaw-dropping continuous health regeneration, and—this was not a pure melee fighter. He was equally adept at mid-range combat, and most of his abilities were area-of-effect killing moves.
Not to mention anything else, just the "Scarlet Erosion" ability alone was extremely difficult to deal with. Su Xiao was never afraid of being injured by a powerful enemy or having his health drained, but having his maximum Health reduced was a different matter entirely.
With a powerful enemy before him, this was no time to dwell on such thoughts. Su Xiao gripped the hilt of Dragon-Slaying Flash and drew his blade. At that moment, gray-white smoke rose from the Scarlet Monarch, causing all his resistances to plummet sharply. Not only that, but all his resistances began to continuously decline—it was Shenfu making his move.
But looking around, there was no trace of Shenfu. However, the Scarlet Monarch raised his large hand, and Shenfu, who had been hiding in a spatial crevice, was suddenly forced into view. An irresistible suction force pulled Shenfu in front of the Scarlet Monarch.
With a *smack*, the Scarlet Monarch's large hand gripped Shenfu's head. Then, with a squeeze, Shenfu's head was crushed, his life force instantly extinguished—a one-hit kill.
Shenfu's headless corpse fell to the ground with a *splat*, landing in the scarlet liquid matter before being rapidly eroded away. At the same time, the brain matter on the Scarlet Monarch's hand also displayed its formidable corrosive power. As a result, the Scarlet Monarch's overall resistances dropped even further, and the recovery effect of "Immortal Monarch"—1.5% Health per second—was reduced to 0.5% per second.
This was a significant weakening. Previously, the Scarlet Monarch only needed 234 seconds, or about 4 minutes, to recover 350% of his Health. Now, it would take at least 700 seconds, or 11 minutes and 40 seconds, to recover the same amount. While still absurd, it was at least more manageable than before.
Shenfu was killed instantly, but Su Xiao didn't believe Shenfu was truly dead. That wasn't the point, though. Beside him, Amu's body erupted with cold mist as he charged toward the Scarlet Monarch.
Amu was now vastly different from before. The two food trials at the Watcher's Tower had skyrocketed his stats, and with the newly acquired Bloodthirsty Battle Axe, his improvement was immense.
"Moo!"
Amu roared, leaping into the air from over a dozen meters away, executing a classic Amu jump-slash.
The Scarlet Monarch raised his scepter, the metal ornaments on his body clinking. As red light emanated from the scepter, a blood-red energy pillar crashed down from above, interrupting Amu's jump-slash and slamming him to the ground.
But Amu was no ordinary bull. When it came to experience in taking hits, few could match him. He immediately bounced up from the ground, completing the jump-slash he had failed to execute.
The Scarlet Monarch seemed to frown slightly. A giant hand formed from scarlet energy appeared beside him, grabbing Amu. With a squeeze that elicited a pained moo from Amu, the hand casually tossed him aside like trash. Amu slammed hard into the dark seal before crashing to the ground.
Although it seemed the Scarlet Monarch had quickly dealt with Amu, the truth was that Amu had successfully absorbed one of the Scarlet Monarch's long-cooldown ultimate abilities. Any experienced powerhouse facing Amu's charge would choose to use an ultimate on him to take out this war bull, because Amu's slowing ability was indeed troublesome.
Don't underestimate Amu's ice abilities. Despite being a bit simple-minded, Amu was persistent and diligent. His "Elemental Constitution" ability allowed him to absorb natural elements and then release them, creating a good cycle with the natural elements. This not only earned him the favor of natural elements but also enhanced his own power.
Over time, Amu's ice abilities had evolved from their original "Frozen Origin" to "Elemental Origin." The former was at most a mid-tier energy system, while the latter was one of the two strongest energy systems.
Therefore, Amu's slowing abilities worked regardless of the enemy's strength. Once he charged forward, the enemy would prioritize dealing with him, even if it meant using a trump card. In a slowed state, facing a Law Destroyer who was a triple Technique Grandmaster would be a massive disadvantage.
Bubu Wang and Baha had already disappeared beside Su Xiao—one blending into the environment to provide auras, the other hiding in an alternate space, waiting for an opportunity.
Thus, within the seal land, it became a one-on-one standoff between Su Xiao and the Scarlet Monarch. But the standoff lasted only an instant before scarlet energy erupted from the Scarlet Monarch as the epicenter.
*Boom!* The scarlet energy surged forward. Su Xiao lowered his stance, his coat fluttering. His left hand, wearing the Black King Bracer, shielded his face. But in the next instant, an even stronger wind pressure rushed toward him.
'Perfect Block!'
Su Xiao blocked with his blade. Amidst the surging scarlet ahead, the Scarlet Monarch moved at a speed that defied his massive frame, swinging his scepter with tremendous force.
It might seem wrong to use the scepter this way, but considering that this Original Sin Object was indestructible, over five meters long, and exceptionally heavy, there were fewer than five weapons across all realms that could match its weight.
More importantly, using it as a melee weapon inflicted high scarlet damage. Combined with the Scarlet Monarch's own Scarlet Power's melee enhancement, it created a double scarlet effect—making it the perfect melee weapon for him.
*Clang!*
A deafening sound rang out as the scepter and blade clashed. The space within this seal land cracked like a broken mirror, fissures spreading instantly.
Taking this blow even in a Perfect Block state, Su Xiao felt his chest churn with blood and energy, and he was forced back a full step. To be pushed back a full step while in Perfect Block—the Scarlet Monarch was the first.
[Perfect Parry (Core · Passive): Your parries with melee weapons are considered Perfect Parries. Each level of Technique-type ability you possess increases Block Correction by 1 point. Current Block Correction: 242 points.]
Su Xiao's current Strength attribute was 397 points. Adding the 242-point Block Correction gave him a total of 639 points of Strength attribute Block Correction. If the Scarlet Monarch, even after being restricted by the "Super-World Level Sealing Technique," still possessed such Strength, then there was no way to fight him.
This sealing technique was comprehensive. For example, if the sealed peak combat power was 100, then the sealed entity would either have all abilities restricted or all attributes suppressed. From the Scarlet Monarch's data, his ability restrictions weren't as severe as expected, which meant his attributes must have been heavily suppressed—likely around 400 points, averaging only about 20 points higher than Su Xiao.
Yet, under these circumstances, the Scarlet Monarch had knocked Su Xiao back with a single scepter strike. This must have been caused by the Scarlet Scepter as an Original Sin Object.
A force coursed through his entire body. Just as Su Xiao was knocked back a full step, a shadow loomed over him—the massive silhouette of the Scarlet Monarch. The monarch raised his scepter high for another devastating strike. Su Xiao immediately used Dragon Shadow Flash to enter a spatial penetration state.
*Thud!*
The ground trembled. The scarlet liquid matter beneath surged like tidal waves. At the edge of the battlefield, Bubu Wang, feeling the impact of this strike, shrank his dog head in fear, his expression clearly saying, "I was so scared right then."
Having just dodged the attack with Dragon Shadow Flash, Su Xiao exited the spatial penetration state and slashed at the Scarlet Monarch.
*Clang!* Blade met scepter. To Su Xiao's surprise, this time the enemy's scepter didn't carry that terrifying force.
The Scarlet Monarch looked down at Su Xiao from his towering height. Then, he stepped forward with his massive foot, and as it slammed down, the knockback ability "Blood Giant Tide" activated.
*Boom!* Su Xiao was blasted back by the surging blood waves. Mid-air, he felt like his bones were about to shatter. Fortunately, his physique was strong enough. He stabilized himself and landed, but in the next moment, a gust of wind rushed toward him again.
'Perfect Block!'
Su Xiao blocked again. Once more, that terrifying force struck. This time, he was sent flying backward, landing in a crouch a few meters away.
Everything around him seemed to slow down as Su Xiao's "Grandmaster Instinct" activated. He "saw" the Scarlet Monarch's next attack. Maintaining his crouched position, he leaned back and leaped. In the next instant, the Scarlet Monarch's scepter passed just inches from his arched chest, creating a terrifying shockwave in the air.
While evading this strike, Su Xiao backflipped to stabilize himself. After landing, he stood and blocked with his blade again. *Clang!* The scepter struck, but this time, the force was normal again.
Su Xiao now understood the pattern. Every three attacks formed a cycle for the Scarlet Monarch. Two of the three were heavy strikes that could only be endured with Perfect Block. A normal block would instantly break his parry and result in severe injury.
'Blade Path Sword: Flow.'
Su Xiao slashed out an elegant wind trail. The charging Scarlet Monarch struck with his scepter, *clang* shattering the "Flow" slash. This halted his advance but didn't interrupt his pressure.
The Scarlet Monarch raised one hand. The scarlet liquid matter in Su Xiao's area surged upward, then exploded violently. Blood flames spread, igniting all the scarlet liquid matter in the area.
A blur shot out from the explosion, the long blade aimed straight for the Scarlet Monarch's throat. But the Scarlet Monarch remained remarkably composed. He slammed his scepter down, smashing the mid-air Su Xiao to the ground.
The Scarlet Monarch switched to a reverse grip, aiming the spiral blade at the end of the scepter at Su Xiao's head.
*Pfft~*
The spiral blade pierced through Su Xiao's head. As blood splattered, the bloodstains in the air turned into black smoke—it was the Demon Spirit.
'Blade Path Sword: Slay.'
From behind the Scarlet Monarch, Su Xiao slashed diagonally. With the Blood Soul enhancement, the blood-red chain unleashed by "Slay" appeared dark red, filled with scattered sparks.
The slashing chain enveloped the Scarlet Monarch. Blood flames erupted on his body with a *whoosh*. Almost simultaneously, a deafening *crack* came from above as Realm Lightning struck the outer seal.
'Blade Path Sword: Extreme...'
Su Xiao followed up with another slash, but unexpectedly, the Scarlet Monarch gripped his scepter with both hands and thrust it downward, unleashing an especially violent "Blood Giant Tide."
Su Xiao's ears rang. When the weightlessness from being knocked back faded, he was face-up in mid-flight, watching a blood pillar dozens of meters thick fall toward him. He used Dragon Shadow Flash to disappear from the spot.
A deafening crash came from beside him as blood-like energy splashed. Su Xiao stood motionless, his gaze fixed on the Scarlet Monarch a hundred meters away.
Though he still had many trump cards, Su Xiao was certain that continuing to fight the Scarlet Monarch like this would lead to certain defeat.
A dull thud came from above. The dark seal that had surrounded them was now covered in cracks, like a giant eggshell about to shatter. This was the cost of opening the dark seal—once activated, its stability was compromised, causing it to break down quickly.
*Boom, boom, boom...*
Pieces of dark matter fell like building debris. Amidst the falling dark matter, the Scarlet Monarch raised his scepter with one hand and lifted the other, as if savoring what was happening. After being imprisoned here for so many years, he was finally about to break free, so naturally, he would enjoy the process of the seal crumbling.
First, the dark matter scattered, then the outer scarlet seal dissipated, and finally, the outermost nightmare seal faded. The giant skull that had covered the area shattered, its upper half falling. Now, the giant skull resembled a circular wall of bone surrounding the battlefield.
A blood moon hung in the sky. Seeing it, the Scarlet Monarch seemed to smile slightly beneath his faceplate. But the smile quickly faded. He tapped his scepter on the ground with a dull thud, then looked down at Su Xiao from his towering height and said:
"A Law Destroyer who hasn't even reached Supreme dares to challenge me?"
*Thud!*
The Scarlet Monarch slammed his scepter into the ground again, causing the entire Bone Island to tremble.
"Kneel before me!!"
The Scarlet Monarch gripped the tip of his scepter with both hands, grasping the part above the spiral blade. Scarlet Power gathered at the top of the scepter, forming a hammer shape, then crashed down.
*Thud!!!*
Scarlet energy spread across Bone Island. But that wasn't all. The shockwave reached the surrounding sea, causing waves thousands of meters high to surge outward.
Amidst the fierce scarlet wind pressure, Su Xiao shielded his face with one hand. His Instinct warning reached its limit, and he slashed forward with his blade.
'Blade Path Sword: Extreme.'
*Clang!*
Blade met scepter. But in the next instant, a pillar of blood crashed down on Su Xiao.
Su Xiao's ears rang. As he was sent flying backward, a tremendous force suddenly pressed in from all sides, like an invisible giant hand gripping him. Then came the scarlet explosion.
As he was blasted away, Su Xiao felt a piercing pain in his right arm. Sensing the situation, he found a scarlet mark on his forearm, crackling with blood-colored arcs of electricity.
Su Xiao stabilized and landed. But the moment his feet touched the ground—
*Crack!*
A bolt of blood lightning struck down. Fortunately, Su Xiao had sidestepped. But this seemed to trigger a chain reaction. One after another, blood lightning bolts chased his path, striking down. After ten bolts, the situation finally calmed.
The Scarlet Monarch wasn't about to let Su Xiao evade attacks. The moment Su Xiao stopped, a blood pillar dozens of meters thick crashed down on his position. Under the impact of the liquid energy, his vision went dark.
Without giving Su Xiao any breathing room, the Scarlet Monarch had already closed in, swinging his scepter down.
'Perfect Block.'
*Clang!*
Enduring another blow, Su Xiao felt his blood and energy churn. If he weren't an Absolute Strength powerhouse with over 1.4 million Health, an ordinary Absolute Strength would have been shaken to death after two or three such attacks, even while blocking.
This ferocious strike wasn't the real killing move. The Scarlet Monarch opposite him exploded into blood energy—the one unleashing such powerful attacks was actually a clone!
*Pfft!*
The spiral blade of the scepter pierced through Su Xiao's chest. The Scarlet Monarch, now behind him, lifted Su Xiao high with the scepter. Scarlet energy converged instantly.
*Thud!!*
The scarlet explosion was both brutal and somewhat beautiful. Shards of translucent blue crystal scattered. At the moment of the explosion, Su Xiao swapped positions with the Demon Spirit.
Dozens of meters away, blood gushed from the wound in Su Xiao's chest. The piercing wound was as thick as an arm. Fortunately, his powerful life force generated enough recovery to suppress the injury against the scarlet erosion. While it couldn't fully heal, at least the blood wasn't gushing anymore.
Compared to the injury, Su Xiao's original 100% maximum Health had dropped to 55%. That was far more deadly. As for using recovery potions, his current health was full—potions were useless.
The enemy before him, the Scarlet Monarch, was truly worthy of being a former top-tier Supreme in combat methods, experience, and ability usage. Even though he had just emerged from the seal and his power was suppressed to Absolute Strength, he was still beyond what Su Xiao could handle now.
Of course, as a Blade Grandmaster, if Su Xiao were given an opportunity, he could make the Scarlet Monarch pay a heavy price. The problem was that the enemy showed no openings.
The Scarlet Monarch raised his scepter high. A pillar of blood light crashed down from above, hitting Su Xiao as he charged forward. That wasn't all—the Scarlet Monarch struck with his scepter, sending Su Xiao flying.
Su Xiao broke through a blur, crashing a hundred meters away. As dirt and broken bones scattered, he blocked with his blade.
*Clang!*
Before Su Xiao could stabilize, he was sent flying again. Mid-air, he pointed at the Scarlet Monarch.
'Blood Smoke Cannon.'
The Blood Smoke Cannon was blocked by the Scarlet Monarch with one hand. He casually slammed that scarlet-energy-coated hand into the ground, wasting none of the released Scarlet Power.
Just as Su Xiao was about to land, one foot touching the ground, he was pushed back a full step by the spreading scarlet shockwave. He had to block again.
Fierce wind pressure rushed toward him. The scepter crashed against his blade with a *clang*. Su Xiao was pushed back another half step. Then, a blood pillar crashed down. Blood burst from his body. His long leather coat was severely damaged, hanging in tatters. If not for the belt tied around his waist before the battle, the coat might have fallen off entirely.
*Drip, drip~*
Blood flowed down Su Xiao's right arm onto his blade, then dripped from the tip. Bare-chested and covered in blood, Su Xiao's figure didn't stoop from his severe injuries. He stood upright, holding his blade in one hand, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground.
Seeing this, the Scarlet Monarch narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering inwardly how this Absolute Strength-level Law Destroyer was still alive.
In reality, Su Xiao's maximum Health should have dropped below 30% by now. In that state, every attack had a 50% chance of being beheaded.
The good news was that he had already prepared an antidote for "Scarlet Erosion." During his exploration of the underground world, the Scarlet faction had used similar methods, though not as strong. When facing the Scarlet Monarch, Su Xiao naturally took precautions against such a deadly ability.
The bad news was that the antidote, while highly effective against ordinary scarlet erosion, only achieved about 80% of its expected effect against the Scarlet Monarch's "Scarlet Erosion." However, it was easy to use—just crush it and let it touch the skin.
The problem was that this secret medicine had strong resistance. After one use, at least a few hours were needed before the next use would be effective. In other words, if this dragged on, Su Xiao would surely die.
Looking at Su Xiao, whose body was radiating blood energy, the Scarlet Monarch suddenly felt a pang of unease. This made him increasingly furious. In the past, even Supreme-level Law Destroyers had to use every means and risk their lives to deal with him. Now, a mere Absolute Strength-level Law Destroyer dared to come for his life.
'Stars!'
The Scarlet Monarch raised his scepter high. The blood moon in the sky grew even redder. Whistling sounds came from above.
Dozens of nautical miles from Bone Island, Yousha climbed onto a small wooden boat, coughing up seawater. She looked at the other two on the boat. Her forcibly accepted master was severely injured from killing a powerful ghost shadow, while the beautiful big sister called the Dark Woman was in a deep coma for unknown reasons.
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang climbed onto the wooden boat. He had taken a hit from the Scarlet Monarch's massive area attack earlier. Even though it was just the shockwave, Bubu Wang had nearly died.
"Damn it!"
Baha also flew onto the small boat, dragging the severely injured Amu aboard. Baha's condition was worse than Bubu Wang's. He had ambushed near the Scarlet Monarch and taken that impact. When he regained consciousness, he was already in the seawater over a dozen kilometers away.
In truth, Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha had done well to reach this point. None of them had undergone the "Follower Promotion Qualification," which was available to followers Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, and Beini after Su Xiao's promotion to Absolute Strength. This would be the greatest single enhancement for them as followers.
"What... is that?"
Standing on the small boat, Yousha pointed in shock at the distant sky. In the direction she indicated, meteors trailing scarlet flames were falling from above. Even from this distance, Yousha could feel the increasingly intense tremors in the surrounding world caused by those scarlet meteors.
After the scarlet meteors, over a hundred kilometers away, landed on Bone Island, a massive tsunami spread outward. The impact was so strong that the seawater within a large area around Bone Island was cleared, revealing the bare Bone Island.
Despite such an impact, the island didn't break. It made sense—this was the place used to seal the Scarlet Monarch, so numerous techniques must have been set up to stabilize it.
In the central area of Bone Island, blazing blood flames burned. Su Xiao stood in the flames, his deformed left arm hanging limp. He pressed Dragon-Slaying Flash under his armpit and cut off the entire left arm. A life-support device appeared, storing the arm inside before being put back into storage space. The entire process took less than 1.2 seconds.
*Crack, crack, crack~*
A crystal left arm formed. The Black King Bracer was equipped. Semi-energized Spirit Shadow Threads replaced nerves inside the crystal arm, allowing Su Xiao to control it freely.
Su Xiao checked his remaining maximum Health—25%. That meant every attack from the Scarlet Monarch could potentially behead him.
Looking at the approaching Scarlet Monarch, Su Xiao pointed at him and fired a Blood Smoke Cannon.
*Boom!* The Blood Smoke Cannon was blocked by the Scarlet Monarch with his bare hand. He had experienced this move once before. But in the next instant, a golden Realm Lightning bolt struck down.
*Crack!!*
The lightning was too fast and too sudden. The Scarlet Monarch was enveloped in golden arcs, his entire body momentarily paralyzed. Su Xiao knew—the opportunity he had been waiting for had come.
From the start of the battle until now, Su Xiao had barely injured the Scarlet Monarch. He had only landed one "Blade Path Sword: Slay," but with the Scarlet Monarch's recovery, that wound had long healed.
Su Xiao had done this intentionally. The Scarlet Monarch had a massive 320% health bar and absurd passive recovery. Su Xiao's plan was either not to use his killing move, or to ensure the Scarlet Monarch had no chance to turn the tables once he did.
A blood energy phantom appeared behind Su Xiao, drawing a soul greatbow to its full extent and firing a black smoke arrow. When the black smoke arrow reached the Scarlet Monarch, Su Xiao swapped positions with it. As for why he didn't use Dragon Shadow Flash to move—he had one use left before it entered a long cooldown from overuse. That remaining use was crucial.
Before swapping positions with the Demon Spirit, Su Xiao had already begun charging "Blade Path Sword: Slay." When the swap was complete, the blood-red chain slashed out, enveloping the Scarlet Monarch. This time, "Slay" consumed a full 25% of his blood energy.
Another golden Realm Lightning bolt struck down. The Scarlet Monarch, just about to recover from the lightning paralysis, was paralyzed again.
Su Xiao leaped back slightly, just avoiding the lightning's range. The next moment, he surged forward, his blade coated in Cyan Steel Shadow Energy.
'Blade Path Sword: Extreme.'
The blade slashed through. The Scarlet Monarch's throat was cut open, blood spilling out. Almost simultaneously, he recovered from the lightning paralysis.
'Blood Giant Tide.'
*Thud!* A blood tide erupted from the Scarlet Monarch as the epicenter. Su Xiao entered Dragon Shadow Flash, perfectly evading this strong knockback.
*Clang!*
Blade met scepter. Unexpectedly, Su Xiao's blade shattered, and the scepter struck him. Black smoke like iron sand scattered. As for where Su Xiao himself was—behind the Scarlet Monarch, of course.
The Sun Holy Sword container shattered. The liquid Sun Holy Sword coated Su Xiao's right calf as he delivered a Sun Straight Kick to the Scarlet Monarch's lower back.
At first, there was silence. After a brief stillness, a deafening crash erupted. The Scarlet Monarch turned into a blur, about to fly out of Bone Island's range when his large hand tore ripples in the air, stopping his flight.
After landing, the Scarlet Monarch nearly stumbled. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his widened eyes seeming to question when the Law Destruction faction had acquired this move.
Facing such a powerful enemy, having taken a Sun Straight Kick, the Scarlet Monarch didn't retreat. Instead, he closed the distance in a few flashes, certain that after using such a powerful ability, the Law Destroyer's movement speed would be reduced for a while.
Wind pressure rushed toward him. Su Xiao watched the approaching Scarlet Monarch. His right foot and calf were numb, his movement speed would certainly drop sharply. This enemy's survivability was truly too high.
Just as the Scarlet Monarch was about to strike with a blood tide, he suddenly stopped. The blood tide at his feet halted. He looked at the sky. Unbeknownst to him, a massive vortex of dark clouds had formed above, with golden Realm Lightning surging within, reaching a critical point.
This scene reminded the Scarlet Monarch of a rumor he had once heard—a Law Destruction Shadow had drawn Realm Lightning in the void, only to be struck dead because the lightning was too strong. Generally, there were two ways to draw Realm Lightning: through luck or elemental affinity. Clearly, the lightning above, so powerful, was caused by the latter.
The Scarlet Monarch looked at the Law Destroyer across from him. His only thought was that this madman wanted to die together with him.
Having been trapped in the seal for so many years and finally breaking free, the Scarlet Monarch naturally didn't want to die with Su Xiao. So, he released all his Scarlet Power, turning it into a crystalline layer that coated his entire body.
Deathly silence emerged around Su Xiao. As the Realm Lightning above was about to strike, he drew "Dead Silence Annihilation" from the silence. He aimed it at the Scarlet Monarch, who had entered a defensive state.
*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Five Annihilation bullets were all blocked by the scarlet crystalline layer. From within his defense, the Scarlet Monarch stared coldly at Su Xiao. But in the next second, Su Xiao activated "Dead Silence Devouring Explosion."
[Dead Silence Devouring Explosion (Dead Silence Annihilation's attached ability): If all five Annihilation bullets hit, a "Dead Silence Devouring Explosion" can be triggered, destroying all of the enemy's defensive effects.]
*Puff!* The Scarlet Monarch's impenetrable defense shattered. This shocked and enraged him. At the same time, he wondered why the Law Destroyer wasn't defending against the Realm Lightning. Wasn't he afraid of its devastating power?
The answer was: no.
*Boom!!!*
A lightning pillar over a hundred kilometers thick descended, standing between heaven and earth, continuously pouring down golden thunder. The entire Bone Island was instantly engulfed by Realm Lightning, which then spread to the surrounding sea.
Su Xiao and the Scarlet Monarch were submerged in the lightning. Within the electricity, Su Xiao's entire body went numb. Abilities like "Falling Thunder · Soul Core," "Extreme Physique · Heaven's Wrath," and others all activated. The "Immortal Physique" ability, which had been inactive, also activated, providing him with high physical defense.
Why was this? Because the Scarlet Erosion Su Xiao had been suffering was completely dispelled in an instant. The Realm Lightning drawn by 1,052 points of Elemental Affinity was more effective at purification than any item or potion. As long as he could stay alive, any debuff would be cleared by such Realm Lightning.
An eggshell-like shield appeared—the invincibility shield from [Intense Emblem]. This was Su Xiao's true means of resisting the Realm Lightning of this world. Unfortunately, this was the last use of [Intense Emblem], which was now destroyed.
When everything settled, Bone Island was charred black. The island hadn't collapsed because it was the center of the entire Sand Sea. If it collapsed, the Sand Sea would cease to exist.
The team skill "Vitality Awakening" triggered, rapidly restoring Su Xiao's Health to over half. He looked across. The Scarlet Monarch, his blood-red cape tattered, was kneeling on one knee, one hand gripping his scepter half-buried in the ground. The next second, he looked up. A golden arc of electricity flickered briefly on his broken faceplate.
"You Law Destroyers... all have... problems in the head."
The Scarlet Monarch stood up, but before he could straighten, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"You have the right to be my enemy, and the right to cut me down with your blade. So don't blame me for using an Original Sin Object against you, Law Destruction Shadow."
The Scarlet Scepter in the Scarlet Monarch's hand gradually activated. Blood-red tendrils extended from within.
Hearing this, Su Xiao didn't speak. He simply took out the Book of Original Sin and completely released its seal. Four Original Sin Objects appeared: the Collector, the Necronomicon, the Nether Bone Ring, and the Soul Crown.
Among them, the dark-golden vortex-like Collector merged into Su Xiao's back, forming a dark-golden ring on his chest.
Why was the Collector willing to actively help Su Xiao? The answer was simple. Among the four Original Sin Objects, the one with the best relationship with Su Xiao wasn't the Necronomicon—it was the Collector.
The Collector's main traits were "Satisfaction" and "Desire." When its collection urge was satisfied, it posed no threat to its surroundings. But once it entered "Desire," the Collector would continuously devour the World Force of its current world, causing the world to collapse in 20 to 50 natural days.
Therefore, the Collector's core was its collection urge. What could satisfy the Collector's collection urge more than collecting an Original Sin Object of the same tier? Especially when a fellow "Big Daddy"-level Original Sin Object was right in front of it. As long as the Scarlet Monarch was killed, the Scarlet Scepter would become a new sealed item in the Book of Original Sin, and thus a new addition to the Collector's collection.
Normally, even if Su Xiao were about to die, the Collector wouldn't care. But this time, the Collector was willing to actively help.
If this were all, it wouldn't be enough for Su Xiao to risk facing the Scarlet Monarch. The second key point was that he had previously let the Necronomicon devour the "Pale Lord." The thoroughly satisfied Necronomicon had promised to help him once.
The Collector's collection urge and the Necronomicon's promise still weren't enough for Su Xiao to take this risk.
Don't forget that the enemy, the Scarlet Monarch, was also an Original Sin Object holder. If he killed Su Xiao, he could use the Scarlet Scepter he already held to prevent the Collector, Necronomicon, Soul Crown, and Nether Bone Ring from latching onto him. But as a cost, the Scarlet Monarch would have to pay a huge price to infinitely strengthen the seal of the Eternal Light World, ensuring the four Original Sin Objects remained trapped there.
In other worlds, Su Xiao wasn't sure about the attitudes of the Nether Bone Ring and the Soul Crown. But in the Eternal Light World, even if these two Original Sin Objects wouldn't actively help like the Necronomicon, they wouldn't be stingy about releasing their power.
What was the Collector's Original Sin trait? The answer was in the Abyss Shop's description of the Collector.
[Collector · Original Sin Trait: The Collector can hold and use other Original Sin Objects without cost.]
At this moment, the Collector was empowering Su Xiao. Across from him, the Scarlet Monarch, holding the Scarlet Scepter and preparing to show Su Xiao what an Original Sin Object truly was, was momentarily stunned. But as a Supreme, he had seen much. Even though his experience was now under nearly devastating shock, he still pointed the Scarlet Scepter at Su Xiao.
Suddenly, a change occurred. Numerous semi-transparent tendrils wrapped around the Scarlet Scepter. Even the Scarlet Monarch felt his right arm go numb—the Necronomicon was suppressing the Scarlet Scepter.
Empowered by the Collector, Su Xiao gripped the Nether Bone Ring with one hand. His current situation clearly couldn't be considered using the Original Sin Objects; it was more like the situation forced the Original Sin Objects to fight for him.
The moment Su Xiao gripped the Nether Bone Ring, it imprinted on his right palm, forming a ghostly green ring.
Almost simultaneously, the Soul Crown appeared above the Scarlet Monarch, unleashing unparalleled mental suppression. Even the Scarlet Monarch's strength couldn't prevent him from entering a dazed state.
*Boom!* Su Xiao disappeared from his spot. When he reappeared, he was in front of the Scarlet Monarch. He wasn't holding Dragon-Slaying Flash. Instead, he clenched both fists, empowered by Nether Force, and punched the Scarlet Monarch's abdomen.
*Thud!!*
The entire Bone Island trembled. Such was the terrifying power of the Nether Bone Ring.
One punch sent the Scarlet Monarch to one knee. Su Xiao's left fist, wrapped in ghostly green Nether Force, struck the Scarlet Monarch's chest.
*Thud!!*
The golden-red battle armor on the Scarlet Monarch shattered. Moreover, under the simultaneous suppression of three Original Sin Objects, cracks spread across his body.
With his chest struck heavily, the Scarlet Monarch's head was forced down. Su Xiao released the last Sun Holy Sword. The container shattered, and the liquid Sun Holy Sword coated his right hand. This punch, imbued with Nether and Blazing Sun power, connected solidly with the Scarlet Monarch's chin.
*Thud!!*
The Scarlet Monarch was sent flying upward by the uppercut. But under the Soul Crown's suppression, he couldn't rise too high. This caused cracks to spread across his head.
Just moments ago, the Scarlet Monarch was about to suppress and kill Su Xiao. In an instant, the situation reversed.
As the Scarlet Monarch crashed to the ground, Su Xiao charged forward with his blade, dark blue smoke rising from it. He reversed his grip and stabbed downward at the prone Scarlet Monarch.
The Scarlet Monarch raised one arm, grabbing the blade with his bare hand. But that couldn't stop the blade. He had to release the Scarlet Scepter and grip the blade with both hands.
Empowered by the Nether Bone Ring, Su Xiao could unleash unparalleled strength. He stabbed downward with a reverse grip. The blade broke through layers of wind pressure, shattering the surrounding space, before piercing through the Scarlet Monarch's throat.
With the Demon Blade piercing his throat, the Scarlet Monarch's eyes widened. His large hands, which had been gripping the blade with a *crack*, gradually lost their strength.
"In the end... I die... at the hands of a Law Destroyer."
With that, the Scarlet Monarch suddenly erupted with immense force, forcing Su Xiao to withdraw his blade and retreat. The Scarlet Monarch trembled as he tried to stand, but ultimately could only kneel on one knee, unable to rise any further.
At this point, the Scarlet Monarch finally lowered his head. He knew he had lost.
*Pfft!*
The blade slashed through. The Scarlet Monarch's head was severed. He died in a posture as if trying to stand.
Su Xiao flicked the blood off his blade and sheathed it. He immediately pulled the Nether Bone Ring from his palm, then quickly stripped away the Collector. Following the order of Collector, Necronomicon, Nether Bone Ring, and Soul Crown, he resealed the Original Sin Objects back into the Book of Original Sin.
At this moment, a wave of dizziness hit Su Xiao. He nearly collapsed. But...
The Scarlet Monarch had been slain!