Chapter 56: Formidable Enemy
The dim sun hung high above. In the central district of Twilight City, a thunderous boom rang out as two auras collided. A massive blood beast phantom and a sun lion phantom clashed violently. The lion lunged forward to bite, only to have its throat seized by the blood beast's claw. The scene was nothing short of spectacular.
A crimson cape fluttered violently in the wind pressure. Blazing Sun Lord·Ashlotte walked forward step by step, holding a greatsword. Wherever he passed, scorching red footprints were left behind, soon filling with magma.
With a thunderous crash, the earth trembled. Su Xiao and the Blazing Sun Lord vanished simultaneously, reappearing mere inches apart. A heavy slash from the long blade met a powerful strike from the greatsword.
*Crack!*
The blood-red lightning in the sky, cast in the dim sun's glow, was drowned out by the deafening clash of weapons. The shattered space within a dozen kilometers around them seemed to be torn apart by the heavenly might of that blood-red lightning. In reality, it was the result of the slashing force generated by their collision.
Scorching heat rushed toward Su Xiao. He smelled the acrid stench of burning. At the same time, the durability of Dragon-Slaying Flash plummeted sharply. This was clearly a powerful ability of the Blazing Sun Greatsword. When the false king had wielded this blade before, he couldn't unleash even a tenth of its power. Even Ashlotte, the final Blazing Sun Lord, could only bring out fifty to sixty percent of its capabilities.
Even so, Su Xiao felt immense pressure. His 732 points of true strength attribute were already inferior to Ashlotte's 800 points. Moreover, this was under the strength-suppressing effect of the "Dark Moon Ritual." Without it, Ashlotte's physical attributes would be even greater. After all, he was a Supreme Being.
Even an early-stage Supreme Being was not something an Absolute Strength could handle. That was precisely why Su Xiao hadn't chosen to enter the central district before activating the "Dark Moon Ritual." Bravery and suicide were two different things.
*Clang!*
The greatsword knocked the long blade aside. Ashlotte roared, and a golden flame shockwave erupted from him. This caused Su Xiao, whose weapon had just been deflected and who was in a state of slight imbalance, to be forced back a large step, leaving a wide opening.
On the wide, flat battlefield, sparks flew. Ashlotte's greatsword came crashing down, as if intending to cleave Su Xiao's torso in two diagonally. This situation instead made Su Xiao suspicious. How could Ashlotte be so inexperienced in combat? Was this a trap? Yes, it had to be.
However, Su Xiao's speculation didn't come true. This heavy slash descended with terrifying power, but for someone like Su Xiao, a triple technique grandmaster, it was a flaw.
*Pfft!*
Blood splattered as Su Xiao's torso was slashed diagonally in two. As the blood sprayed, it gradually turned dark blue. Before that, a few drops of blood had already stained the Blazing Sun Greatsword, quickly vaporized into smoke by the blade's intense heat.
What the Blazing Sun Lord had cleaved in two was, of course, the Blade Demon Spirit. Su Xiao himself was ten meters behind the spirit.
"Demon Spirit: Extreme Blade."
Su Xiao assumed the starting stance of "Extreme Blade: World" on the spot. Almost simultaneously, the Blade Demon Spirit appeared behind Ashlotte, slashing out with "Extreme Blade: World" at the same time as Su Xiao.
This technique had a prerequisite: the demon spirit must first be attacked by the enemy. It was a counter-slash type. Once successfully activated, there was no way to avoid it except by tanking it head-on. For the next 1.5 seconds, the Blade Demon Spirit would continuously appear behind the enemy, whether they hid in an alternate space or became energy. The demon spirit would maintain synchronization.
Due to the "Transmission" characteristic of the Blade Demon Spirit, Su Xiao could transfer the blade techniques he used to the spirit. This created an unavoidable "Extreme Blade: World."
Centered on Ashlotte, a sharp, metallic clang of slashing suddenly erupted. Every dozen or so centimeters, a grain-of-rice-sized flash of slashing light appeared. This forced him to immediately thrust his greatsword into the ground, unleashing the golden power representing the Sun God Clan from his body.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
The slashing sounds were as dense as a rainstorm. The golden power on Ashlotte's body shattered like an eggshell. Though called golden power, it was actually a euphemism for weakened solar power.
The early generations of Sun God Clan monarchs used a golden-red solar power, scorching hot like the sun itself. But as the Sun God Clan declined, by Ashlotte's generation, the solar power could no longer manifest as golden-red. It was simply gold, and its characteristics shifted from scorching and explosive to defensive and golden.
In such a situation, continuing to call it solar power would be like slapping one's own face to appear tough. So it was renamed golden power, sharing a name with the "Supreme Source Matter: Golden Power" to salvage some dignity.
Ashlotte, whose golden power had suddenly erupted, channeled it all into his greatsword and brought it down in a single heavy slash.
*Clang!*
This fierce strike was blocked by Su Xiao, who wielded his blade with one hand. This was the strength of a perfect block, after all, the most iconic ability of the Moon Wolf Clan. As the greatsword was blocked, the golden power on it exploded, scattering countless golden particles between Su Xiao and Ashlotte. The scene was spectacular.
"Perfect Counter."
Su Xiao first yielded slightly, allowing the greatsword to press down a little. Then, he suddenly pushed back with immense force. Ashlotte, who had just unleashed a powerful technique and was in the midst of recovering his breath, was hit by this push. Reversed blood surged straight to his heart. Despite his imposing aura, just a few days ago, he had been lying weak on his sickbed.
Unable to recover his breath and with reversed blood rushing to his heart, Ashlotte nearly suffered a relapse of his old injuries. Yet he pushed his greatsword back. The surging reversed blood made his pupils turn red.
"Ha!"
Ashlotte roared, swinging his greatsword in a sweeping slash that sent Su Xiao flying. Though Su Xiao appeared to be knocked away, in terms of injury, Ashlotte was undoubtedly worse off.
Ashlotte held his greatsword with one hand, thrusting it into the ground. A massive amount of golden power was injected into the earth, forming a golden battle formation several kilometers in diameter. As he pulled out the greatsword, the golden formation surged up from the ground, blasting away Amu and Baha, who were preparing to attack, along with Bubu Wang. Judging by their flight speed and trajectory, they wouldn't be landing for at least a dozen minutes.
Su Xiao didn't fly into the sky. He rose a few meters before being bound by a mass of golden battle runes. On the opposite side, Ashlotte, holding his greatsword, was continuously charging it. If this strike landed, Su Xiao would either die or be severely injured.
"Blood Smoke Cannon."
A large amount of blood energy gathered at Su Xiao's fingertip and shot out. Logically, this angle couldn't hit Ashlotte. Just as the blood smoke cannon was about to miss, it split apart, transforming into dozens of miniature blood beasts. As the blood light in Su Xiao's eyes intensified, these dozens of miniature blood beasts traced tracking arcs, pouncing toward Ashlotte.
A series of blood energy explosions interrupted the charging of Ashlotte's golden greatsword. This was the weakness of this technique. If hit, death was almost certain, but it required sufficient charging time.
Su Xiao pierced through space, escaping the binding of the golden battle runes. A crystal shell was left at his original position; otherwise, these golden runes would have tracked and bound him.
With a whoosh, Su Xiao suddenly appeared before Ashlotte.
*Clang... Clang.*
Though he only slashed once, two crisp sounds rang out. The demon spirit had attached itself behind Su Xiao, entering "Dual Blade" mode.
"Blade Path Sword: Extreme."
*Clang! Clang!*
"Extreme" was already among the top-tier abilities in Su Xiao's blade techniques in terms of slashing power. Two consecutive "Extreme" slashes forced Ashlotte to stagger back a large step.
Don't forget, Su Xiao had advanced to Absolute Strength through an extraordinary promotion. While most could only obtain 5 primordial skill points, he had gained a full 11. Six of those were used to upgrade his Blade Grandmaster skill, bringing it to Lv.95. This granted "Blade Weapon Damage Rank +110, Blade Weapon Slashing Power Judgment Rank +110."
The former increased attack power upon hit, while the latter was pure slashing power. As a result, Su Xiao's normal attacks were exceptionally hard-to-block heavy slashes, and they were also fast heavy slashes. These two traits were usually mutually exclusive, but with enough passive stacking, they coexisted.
*Clang!*
Another heavy slash suppressed the enemy. The next moment, a blood beast phantom appeared behind Su Xiao.
"Roar!"
The blood beast pounced and exploded with a bang, causing Ashlotte, who was on the defensive, to freeze for a very brief moment. But for Su Xiao, that was enough.
"Blade Path Sword: Swift."
Su Xiao vanished, moving forward at ultra-high speed for about three meters. Three consecutive forward slashes rang out, all hitting the greatsword. This was a newly developed technique, characterized by the fastest blade speed and mid-to-close range displacement.
Additionally, "Blade Path Sword: Swift" had a powerful trait called "Electrocution Infusion." This trait was related to Su Xiao's "Soul Electrocution" ability.
"Soul Electrocution: Greatly enhances the control characteristics of Cyan Steel Shadow Energy. When Cyan Steel Shadow Energy burns the enemy's body energy, there is a 25% chance to trigger a paralysis state (this is an absolute control effect, cannot be avoided by any means). The abnormal state lasts 0.2 to 3 seconds."
The characteristic of "Blade Path Sword: Swift" was that even a clash of weapons had a chance to trigger Soul Electrocution. However, the resulting control effect was less than one-tenth of hitting the enemy's body directly. The paralysis was extremely brief, but "Blade Path Sword: Swift" was a three-slash combo after a charge, so the trigger probability wasn't low.
*Zzzt~*
Blue electric arcs appeared on Ashlotte's greatsword, causing him to be paralyzed for an instant. At that moment, his confidence that a Supreme Being would surely defeat an Absolute Strength began to waver. He also realized something: having long resided in the palace and inherited the Blazing Sun Blood, his combat experience truly couldn't compare to the Dead Silence White King, who had fought his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Just as Ashlotte was paralyzed by Soul Electrocution, Su Xiao, who had closed the distance with "Blade Path Sword: Swift," delivered a straight kick. It was important to note that this straight kick was no longer what it used to be. It had been enhanced by "Strength Fragment: Golden Annihilation."
Originally, the straight kick received attack power bonuses from strength and agility attributes, with a base attack power of around 878 points. Now, it was boosted by strength, agility, stamina, and soul strength, raising the base power to 1654 points. The increase in the straight kick's power was like adding supercharging to an already inhumane level.
Faced with this straight kick, Ashlotte initially tried to block with golden power while planning a counterattack. But when the golden power barrier showed cracks like broken glass before the kick even landed, he knew things weren't simple. Unfortunately, it was too late to do anything else.
*Boom!!*
As the kick landed, a shockwave spread from the point of impact. The ground below shattered violently, with cracks spreading outward in rings, forming a stepped basin with the center as the lowest point. Ashlotte himself turned into light, a golden beam.
Su Xiao slapped the ground with one hand, raising crystal walls in the distance. The enemy sent flying by the straight kick would inevitably suffer secondary or even tertiary damage upon hitting the crystal walls. After all, three crystal walls, each five meters thick and a hundred meters high, stood in the enemy's path.
Crystal fragments flew everywhere. When Ashlotte finally stopped, he had shattered all three crystal walls. He knelt on one knee. Moreover, starting from his right shoulder, large pieces of his armor broke off, revealing his gaunt frame, which only appeared imposing due to his large bone structure.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Violent coughing caused blood to seep through his fingers. In his life, Ashlotte had once led the Sun Warriors to campaign against the dark clans of the Northern Continent.
But now, he deeply felt his own lack of power. The strength built up through various rare treasures and secret techniques felt useless in this one-on-one deathmatch. It was like his ornate battle axe—impressive to look at but not meant for actual combat. In contrast, the greatsword passed down from his ancestors, though simple in appearance with a few small nicks on the blade, was immensely powerful in use. Even though this was his first time fighting with it, he could still feel the greatsword's recognition and acceptance of the Sun God Clan.
Ultimately, as the final Blazing Sun Lord, Ashlotte's divine blood was too thin. His promotion to Supreme Being wasn't meant to intimidate with combat power. Nuns, old monsters, and the like were the true powerful guardians of Twilight City. Ashlotte's forced promotion to Supreme Being was mainly to inherit the "Blazing Sun Blood" and to endure its erosion for a long time, maintaining the sun above.
Tragically, the "Blazing Sun Blood" had once been the source of power for successive Blazing Sun Lords. There was no issue of it eroding its inheritors. It was the supreme secret treasure of the Sun God Clan's inheritance. But by the last dozen or so Blazing Sun Lords, their divine blood was too thin, making them unable to bear this power. Power they couldn't bear became erosion.
"Ah~! The power of my ancestors!"
Ashlotte grabbed his chest with one hand, leaving five bloody scratches. What seeped out wasn't blood, but golden-red Blazing Sun Blood.
*Boom!*
A burst of flame erupted from Ashlotte as the center. His gaunt frame grew slightly stronger. Golden-red patterns spread, causing the armor on his body to explode. These patterns extended to his back, forming a sun mark on his spine.
Kneeling on one knee, holding the greatsword's hilt, Ashlotte looked up. He charged forward, flames igniting wherever he passed. The greatsword in his hand turned blazing red.
*Clang!!*
This heavy slash came down. Even with a perfect block, the ground beneath Su Xiao's feet cracked extensively. Ashlotte roared, forming a magma battle axe in his left hand, aiming to cleave Su Xiao's head.
"Extreme Blade: World."
*Zheng!*
Crisscrossing slashing marks flashed around. The magma battle axe in Ashlotte's hand shattered, along with half of his left arm.
"Blood Smoke Spear."
A blood spear formed in Su Xiao's left hand, thrusting forward. It felt less like Su Xiao was thrusting the spear and more like the spear was pulling him forward. The sense of penetrating power was exceptionally strong.
*Pfft!*
The blood spear pierced through Ashlotte's chest. Don't underestimate this blood spear. This technique was the melee version of the Blood Smoke Cannon, with particularly fierce explosive power. The enemy either dodged, leaving Su Xiao open, or if they tried to tank it, they would inevitably have their guard broken and be pierced through.
The reason was that this ability, named "Blood Smoke Spear," combined the dual bonuses of Melee Grandmaster and Blood Spear Grandmaster. Previously, when Su Xiao formed a blood spear, it was a wide, sweeping swing that wasn't very effective. After being taught a lesson by powerful enemies... ahem, after being countered by strong foes, he improved the manifested blood spear.
Why was the straight kick so strong? Because of focus. Since he wasn't skilled with spears, he focused on one point. Thus, the only characteristic of "Blood Smoke Spear" was thrusting penetration, sacrificing everything else to maximize this trait.
As for the opening left if this technique was dodged, that was a trap. After the demon spirit's "Substitution," the enemy would enjoy a heavenly combo: a blood beast pounce + one heavy slash + one straight kick.
*Boom!*
The "Blood Smoke Spear" embedded in Ashlotte's chest exploded. As he staggered back, blood gushed from his mouth and nose. This only happened when various organs were pierced. If only the stomach, airways, or lungs were severely damaged, the amount of blood sprayed wouldn't be this much.
Ashlotte raised his greatsword high. With a hum, golden power shot into the sky, forming a colossal golden greatsword that stood between heaven and earth, poised to strike down.
A blood energy phantom appeared behind Su Xiao. It drew a soul greatbow and fired a black smoke arrow. The next instant, the black smoke arrow appeared before Ashlotte, transforming into the Blade Demon Spirit.
"Demon Spirit: Slay."
*Whoosh!*
A dark red chain slashed diagonally, enveloping Ashlotte. Within the slashing chain, countless tiny sparks flickered. Su Xiao had charged "Blade Path Sword: Slay" on the spot, then transmitted it to the demon spirit, which unleashed it.
The moment the demon spirit slashed out "Slay," Su Xiao made a virtual slash, sending out a circular blood-red blade light. This blade light was over three meters in diameter. After flying a dozen meters, it suddenly accelerated and spun.
"Blade Path Sword: Blood Vortex."
A blood blade vortex formed, unleashing powerful suction that trapped Ashlotte at the center. Combined with the grinding of thousands of blood blades, large bloody wounds appeared on his body.
Su Xiao swapped positions with the demon spirit, appearing before Ashlotte. At the same time, he slashed out.
"Blade Path Sword: Extreme."
The blade traced an elegant blood trail that gradually dissipated in the air. As the blood vortex dissipated, Ashlotte, clutching his throat with one hand, stumbled back a few steps. He vomited a large amount of blood, unable to stop the bleeding between his fingers.
"Yes, how could a final-generation royal like me, who has long resided in the palace's sickbed, possibly be a match for a Law Destroyer at the same level?"
Ashlotte was very calm. He had used all his strength to ensure that the final Blazing Sun Lord didn't lose his dignity and composure. Unfortunately, his body, eroded to the point of terminal illness by the "Blazing Sun Blood," could no longer fight.
Ashlotte looked up at the dim sun above. Holding the greatsword with one hand, he could only raise his other broken arm, making a gesture of praising the sun. He seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps to Su Xiao:
"My sun is about to set... I also want to... bathe under the sacred blazing sun of the First Era."
With that, Ashlotte knelt on one knee, supporting himself with one hand on the greatsword to avoid falling. The light in his pupils completely dimmed. He hung his head, leaning on the Blazing Sun Greatsword, and died.
At the same time, the golden-red patterns on Ashlotte's body began to fade. This meant the "Blazing Sun Blood" within him had become masterless. A wave spread from the "Blazing Sun Blood," sweeping across the entire Blazing Sun Star like a tide in a short time. However, there were no Sun God Clan members left on the entire star.
No, there was one more.
At this moment, cracks appeared on the dim sun above. Liquid representing the darkness of the abyss flowed out from the sun's cracks. As the cracks widened, the sun's surface seemed to peel off a layer.
Looking down from above, one could see a darkness spreading beneath the dark red sun. Fragments fell, appearing small from a distance, but when they actually landed, each was the size of a city. They crashed into the distant earth, causing continuous booms and sending shockwaves spreading outward.
Falling along with the sun's shell fragments and dark liquid was a towering figure. This figure descended like a meteor. When it was a hundred meters from the ground, its speed suddenly decreased. Though it landed like an arrival, its aura was so strong that the surrounding space and earth cracked and shattered with a crackling sound.
This towering figure was over four meters tall. Among the Sun God Clan, whose average height was 2.9 to 3.2 meters, he was definitely among the tallest and most imposing. He wore a War King Crown, which served as both a headpiece and a crown. His gray-white hair was disheveled, his grizzled beard braided into thick strands. He was clad in pitch-black armor, with a dark red cape. The sun ring pattern on the cape hung down, spreading to the tattered hem.
This Sun God Clan member, who had sealed himself within the sun, was none other than the first-generation Sun King of Blazing Sun Star. Now, he had been awakened from slumber. Or rather, after the "Blazing Sun Blood" could no longer be passed down, he was awakened.
The Sun King stopped beside the final Blazing Sun Lord, Ashlotte. He raised a hand covered in wrinkles and calluses, gently placing it on Ashlotte's head. He could feel that this was his final descendant, one who, despite such thin divine blood, still carried on the "Blazing Sun Blood."
The Sun King removed his own crown, this symbol of the Sun King, and placed it on the head of this final descendant. What outsiders didn't know was that, aside from the first-generation Sun King, all subsequent Sun God Clan monarchs could only call themselves Blazing Sun Lords or Blazing Sun Monarchs. All divine clans and old nobles tacitly agreed that only the first king, who founded the Sun Faction, was worthy of being called the Sun King.
And now, the Sun King bestowed his crown upon his final descendant. Even though this descendant was not powerful and hadn't saved the Sun Faction from decline, he had still chosen to inherit the "Blazing Sun Blood" with such thin divine blood and maintained it until this very moment.
The Sun King grasped the hilt of the Blazing Sun Greatsword. In that instant, the greatsword was awakened, releasing an aura that made one's heart pound with fear.
At the same time, the dim sun above suddenly returned to its peak state at noon, instantly dispelling darkness and gloom. In fact, it scorched the earth excessively.
Su Xiao and the Sun King stood a hundred meters apart. Without a word, Su Xiao vanished, his blade tearing through space.
*Clang!!*
The long blade clashed with the greatsword. When Ashlotte used the Blazing Sun Greatsword, it felt somewhat like using a giant sword. But in the Sun King's hands, it was a proper greatsword. After all, it had been forged for the Sun King by the Molten Giant.
The moment the blade and greatsword clashed, Su Xiao felt a heat that could melt his soul rushing toward him. His health plummeted. If he continued to parry, he would be burned to ashes by this solar heat within ten seconds.
A whoosh came from above. It was Amu, who had been blasted into the sky earlier. Holding the Dawn Shield in one hand and a bloodthirsty battle axe in the other, he came crashing down toward the Sun King's head.
Faced with this situation, the Sun King merely glanced at Amu.
*Boom!*
A solar pillar struck down. Amu was instantly charred all over, falling to the ground with a thud. One of his legs twitched. Even Amu, whose survivability had been greatly enhanced, was nearly killed in one hit by the Sun King.
Logically, the power cap of this world had been sealed at the Absolute Strength level. But the first-generation Sun King was too powerful. Even with this seal, his combat power hovered between the peak of Absolute Strength and Supreme Being.
The Sun King's greatsword continued its forward slash, ignoring Su Xiao's parry and block. It broke through his guard and sent him flying. As Su Xiao flew backward, the Sun King extended one hand forward. A whistling sound came from above as hundreds of blazing red meteors, each a kilometer in diameter, rained down with trailing flames.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The earth trembled under the impact of the fire meteors. The sharp clang of a blade tore through the roaring sounds. With a metallic clash, all the falling blazing red meteors were sliced into sugar-cube-sized pieces, falling as a rain of fire.
Seeing this, the Sun King wasn't surprised. Once upon a time, he had fought alongside several old Law Destroyers from the First Era. But now, facing a Third Era Law Destroyer who had slain the final Blazing Sun Lord of the Sun God Clan, he would show no mercy. Moreover, this enemy had come to take the Sun God Clan's supreme secret treasure, the "Blazing Sun Blood." If so, let's see if he was worthy.
The greatsword was thrust into the ground. Ashlotte had used a similar technique earlier, but when the Sun King used it, it was on an entirely different level.
A golden-red battle formation appeared, covering the entire Twilight City. As the Sun King pulled out the greatsword, golden solar flames surged upward. If not for Baha, sensing the danger, quickly opening a space passage to send Amu and Bubu Wang far away, they would have been finished off by this move.
Speaking of which, Amu, as Su Xiao's follower, was both fully utilizing his talent for taking hits and somewhat underutilized. In any other Absolute Strength team, Amu would be the core main tank. Unfortunately, the enemies Su Xiao faced were increasingly absurd. Amu's main task had become eating skills, taking one enemy ultimate move for Su Xiao in every life-or-death battle.
Within the golden-red solar flames, Su Xiao's health dropped segment by segment. This was despite him having:
"Inscription Base: Divine Sacrifice: Supreme Blazing Sun (Core: Passive: Overloading), Immune to 85% of solar flame damage."
"Fierce Winter Will: Protective Fierce Winter (Core: Passive), When activated, this equipment grants a protective aura to you and allied targets within 1000 meters, reducing the solar-type damage you take by 50% (including true solar damage, this is a faction mutual-restraint characteristic)."
These two damage reduction effects couldn't stack. First, [Fierce Winter Will] reduced the damage, then [Inscription Base: Divine Sacrifice] further reduced it. But even with this double reduction, Su Xiao's health was still dropping segment by segment. His entire body was in excruciating pain, and his soul felt a burning agony. One could imagine how absurd the solar flame damage would be without these reductions.
Wind pressure rushed toward him. Within the golden-red solar flames, Su Xiao sensed a greatsword slashing at him. He raised his blade to block.
"Perfect Block."
*Clang~!*
Su Xiao was sent flying backward. The Wild Hunt Night long leather coat on his right arm tore into irregular strips. The flesh on his right arm was covered in cracks. The durability of Dragon-Slaying Flash plummeted by 10%.
After flying ten thousand meters, Su Xiao landed in a half-crouch. As he slid backward, his crystal left hand turned into claws, digging into the ground, kicking up dust before he finally stopped. But the next instant, the towering figure appeared before him again, still with that simple yet unblockable heavy slash.
*Pfft!*
Su Xiao was shattered. The splattered blood turned into dark blue smoke, attempting to cling to the Sun King's body. But it was vaporized into a dark blue gaseous state by his high temperature. The demon spirit had no choice but to return, appearing behind Su Xiao. One arm wrapped around Su Xiao's shoulder and neck, its long dark blue hair flying wildly. Su Xiao's soul strength was temporarily unable to fully suppress the demon spirit, which had been getting a bit unruly lately.
Blood dripped from Su Xiao's chin. Before it could hit the ground, it was evaporated by the surrounding golden-red solar flame environment. He couldn't help but suspect that these solar flames weren't temporary but rather a kind of aura that would persist until the battle ended.
A sense of crisis came from above. Su Xiao sidestepped. A thunderous boom made his left ear ring, and the left side of his face felt the scorching heat first. A solar pillar fell beside him. If he hadn't dodged in time, he would have been hit.
Wind pressure rushed toward him again. The oppressive feeling of fighting the Sun King was like having an invisible giant hand tightly gripping his heart. If not for Su Xiao's experience battling numerous powerful enemies, he would have been overwhelmed. As the saying goes, karma comes quickly. Less than five minutes ago, he had been hammering Ashlotte, and now the other's ancestor was hammering him in a similar fashion.
"Perfect Block."
Su Xiao entered a space-penetrating state while performing a perfect block. He was certain that it wasn't that the perfect block had become ineffective. Rather, the Sun King knew how to counter it. This wasn't surprising. The Sun King had destroyed the Dark Moon Faction. During the Dark Moon Faction's peak, the Moon Wolf Clan was one of its main combat forces.
*Clang!*
The greatsword came down. Su Xiao was forced back a large step by the slash. Why was this? The reason was that during the First Era, there were already Law Destroyers using the initial version of Dragon Shadow Flash. Though that version was far inferior to the current one, the principle was similar.
The Sun King, who had fought alongside several First Era old Law Destroyers against the abyss, instantly saw through this. He used high temperature to scorch the surrounding space. Without space, penetrating space became ineffective. It just went to show that the simpler the ability, the more powerful it became when pushed to the extreme, like the sun's scorching heat.
As Su Xiao took this large step back, the Sun King opposite him delivered a straight kick. This made one wonder if the Sun King had been watching the previous battle.
*Boom!*
Su Xiao was sent flying again. Fortunately, the [Blood Moon Queen] necklace's Scarlet Blood Moon ability had been activated.
"Scarlet Blood Moon (Core: Active): Immediately consume 95% of current soul energy, converting it into 'Primordial Life Force.' For the next 10 seconds, your maximum health is increased by 400%. This is 'bonus maximum health.' During this period, all damage you take will only consume this 'bonus maximum health' until it is depleted."
The blazing sun above was now covered by dark clouds. Within the vast cloud vortex, golden world thunder surged.
Su Xiao was using [King's Crown] to enhance [Thunder Spirit]'s ability to summon world thunder. This directly resulted in the intensity of the summoned world thunder being determined by his elemental affinity + soul strength. With 1130 points of soul strength and 1290 points of elemental affinity, he summoned the thunder.
*Boom!!!*
A golden thunder pillar, hundreds of kilometers thick, came crashing down. The golden-red solar flames burning on the ground were instantly evaporated by the world thunder. As the thunder pillar fell and spread, the buildings of Twilight City's inner and outer districts, and even the outermost high walls, were shattered in an instant. The central and inner districts were the worst hit. Layer after layer of ground was evaporated by the excessively powerful world thunder.
Within the central hundred-meter diameter area, the ground was blasted through. Groundwater surged up, and the spreading water further conducted and amplified the world thunder.
At this moment, on the high wall of Dawn City, the city lord, Sharlene, who was watching this scene, twitched at the corner of her eye. The heads of several merchant guild families beside her looked at her with respect... no, reverence. It was truly the right decision for the city lord not to seek revenge against that Law Destroyer.
However, Sharlene's own thoughts were, "Close call. Good thing I decided to play it safe. It would have taken half a month to gather forces for a revenge operation. Now it seems better to just forget about revenge."
...
Within the world thunder, even with Su Xiao's base lightning resistance of 674 points, plus various temporary lightning resistance enhancements and temporary health, he still felt excruciating pain all over. The health that had been recovering thanks to the "Wild Hunt Night" long leather coat began to decline.
"Equipment Effect 2: Warm Healing (Core: Passive): The 'Ember Fire' within this equipment will nourish your life force, restoring your health. After you are injured, this recovery effect will increase. Each time you are injured, as long as the damage intensity exceeds 5% of your maximum health, this recovery effect will stack (up to five stacks, with each stack increasing recovery intensity).
Equipment Effect 3: Ember Power (Core: Passive): In battles against enemies of the same tier, when this equipment is damaged by attacks, it will stimulate the 'Ember Fire' within, permanently increasing the equipment's strength cap.
Ember Power Absorption: 75.6% (For every 1% of Ember Power absorbed, this equipment's rating will increase).
Tip: Only life-or-death battles can slightly ignite the 'Ember Fire' within this equipment, triggering this trait. Sparring or non-lethal matches will not gain the recognition of the 'Ember Fire' and cannot trigger this trait."
From the time [Wild Hunt Night] was upgraded to Eternal Rank until now, the Ember Power absorption had only reached 6.2%. But this battle wasn't over yet, and the absorption had already reached 75.6%.
A golden thunder domain formed, with Su Xiao and the Sun King inside. Even the Sun King found it difficult to move within the continuously pouring world thunder pillar. His armor began to crack, and his health steadily declined.
Su Xiao was certain that whether he could defeat this world's final formidable enemy depended on the next ten seconds.
"Blade Path Sword: Swift."
Su Xiao vanished, charging forward at ultra-high speed until he was in front of the Sun King.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Three consecutive slashes were all met by the Sun King's greatsword. Moreover, within the world thunder, the Sun King showed signs of counterattacking.
Su Xiao leaped backward while making a virtual slash, sending out a circular blood-red blade light. A blood blade vortex formed, trapping the Sun King. Due to the powerful suction of "Blade Path Sword: Blood Vortex," the surrounding world thunder was drawn in, intensifying the thunder around the Sun King. This turned the blood vortex into "Blade Path Sword: Thunder Vortex."
Just as the thunder vortex showed signs of dissipating, a blood energy phantom appeared behind Su Xiao. The phantom pointed its index finger forward, gathering blood energy. Because this attack was boosted by the full "Rage Blood Value" of "Blood Beast," the compressed blood energy at the tip of the phantom's massive index finger formed a shining cross of blood light.
"Super: Blood Smoke Cannon."
*Boom!*
A barrel-thick dark red blood smoke cannon struck the Sun King's chest. This caused several pieces of his armor to break off, and he staggered back a few steps.
Just as Su Xiao seemed to be gaining the upper hand, his heart constricted. A sense of crisis, as if being locked onto by the sun, struck him. The Sun King leaped into the air, his entire body seemingly transforming into the sun, crashing down toward Su Xiao. The scorching temperature caused Su Xiao's health to drop by 20% every 0.5 seconds.
"Blade Path Sword: Time."
*Thump~*
The domain of "Time" expanded, slowing everything around, including the falling sun. Su Xiao's pupils began to contract, not from fear, but to focus his vision for the most minute observation.
Dead silence power emerged. Su Xiao pulled out the Dead Silence Annihilation from the spreading dead silence. The five annihilation rounds within merged into a single "Super: Annihilation Round."
"Equipment Effect 2: Super: Annihilation Round (Core: Active): Instantly consume all 'Annihilation Rounds' in Dead Silence Annihilation. This attack's bullet flight speed is increased by 5.86 times, bullet power increased by 1500%. Upon hitting the enemy, this 'Super: Annihilation Round' will form an explosive attack rather than a bullet penetration attack. Therefore, this attack has a 'Guaranteed Interruption Trait,' capable of interrupting, stopping, or preventing the enemy's attack or ability that is about to be used or is in use.
Tip: If this attack successfully interrupts the enemy's attack or ability, the enemy will enter a state of guard-breaking body paralysis. The high-concentration dead silence energy exploded by this 'Super: Annihilation Round' will be immediately retrieved by your Dead Silence Annihilation, forming a 'Super: Annihilation Round' that can exist for up to 3 seconds. If not fired within 3 seconds, this 'Super: Annihilation Round' will dissipate.
Tip: If the enemy is hit by two 'Super: Annihilation Rounds' within 5 seconds, their body defense will be permanently reduced by 20%!"
...
Su Xiao's pupils contracted several times. He aimed Dead Silence Annihilation at the falling sun and pulled the trigger.
*Bang!*
The gray-black annihilation round left the barrel. The bullet spun slightly as it flew, leaving a trail of semi-transparent air vortices. This round was extremely fast, but it required sufficient predictive ability.
The falling sun shattered with a boom. A large amount of solar power dissipated. The Sun King within landed, causing the earth to tremble under his feet.
The dead silence energy that exploded on the Sun King's chest quickly gathered back into Dead Silence Annihilation, reforming a "Super: Annihilation Round." Within the pouring world thunder, the hem of Su Xiao's black leather coat fluttered. He aimed Dead Silence Annihilation at the Sun King's head and pulled the trigger again.
*Bang!*
The Sun King's body tilted back slightly. Though he didn't retreat, he nearly fell to one knee. Without giving him any respite, Su Xiao charged forward and delivered a straight kick with full penetrating power.
The impact spread. This straight kick didn't send the Sun King flying, as the penetrating power was maxed out. But it successfully forced the Sun King to one knee, sending his body into a state of paralysis.
The "Heavenly Wrath: Torrent Slash" ability was activated. All the surrounding world thunder instantly gathered and clung to Dragon-Slaying Flash in Su Xiao's hand. He thrust the blade forward, piercing through the Sun King's chest and heart. The next second, the powerful world thunder accumulated on the blade exploded.
With a loud bang, Su Xiao was blown back by the world thunder. The Sun King was blasted back several large steps, leaving a trail of golden-red divine blood.
The surrounding world thunder subsided. The good news was that the golden-red solar flames had been extinguished by the world thunder. The bad news was that the Sun King's health was still at 51.68%. The gap to the 30% execution line seemed small but was actually quite large.
*Boom!*
Blood sprayed from Su Xiao's entire body. In just an instant, most of the protective energy generated by his technique abilities was consumed. The tip of Dragon-Slashing Flash, pointed diagonally at the ground, burst forth with golden light. Unlike the golden light associated with gold or the sun, this golden light was more condensed and possessed formidable attack power.
"Extreme Blade: White Night."
Su Xiao charged forward silently. When his long blade clashed with the Sun King's greatsword, a thunderous sound that shook the entire Southern Continent spread out. Golden slashing power and scorching red solar power each occupied half the domain. As they subsided, a massive, endless spatial crack appeared in the sky with a crack. The heavens were split.
The greatsword swept horizontally. A blur was sent flying, crashing heavily into the only remaining pair of metal gates in the central district. A dark blue blur flashed past. Claws pierced into the back of the Sun King's neck. Just as they were about to pull outward, the Sun King's solar eruption sent the blur flying. Baha went from a demon hawk to a plucked eagle in an instant.
"Moo!"
Amu leaped down from the metal gate, his axe coming down in a heavy slash. *Clang!* The axe was blocked by the greatsword. Then came a heavy punch that knocked out more than half of Amu's teeth. Amu flew backward, crashing into the metal gate, and landed with a thud beside Su Xiao.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang, blending into the environment, pounced and bit the Sun King's shoulder. But the Sun King grabbed him with one hand, nearly snapping his neck with a crack. If not for Baha's renewed attack, Bubu Wang would have been cleaved in two by the greatsword, rather than being thrown as a weapon to knock Baha away.
Bubu Wang and Baha also crashed into the metal gate, landing with thuds. Beini, who had been lying in ambush, let out a "Meow" and pounced, jumping onto the Sun King's head to scratch. But before she could succeed, she was blasted away by the Sun King's aura. Her entire contribution was just that "Meow." After hitting the metal gate, she bounced comically before landing with a thud.
Thus, at the base of the metal gate, all members of Su Xiao's team were neatly assembled. The [Time Clock], which had been prepared long ago, appeared in Su Xiao's hand. Although the odds of victory were already very low, they had fought to this point. There was no retreat.
As for why he didn't seek help from Zuiyasi and Wood in this battle, the reason was simple. This wasn't a fight for his "good teammates." The three "good teammates" had been able to cooperate until now precisely because they didn't act as each other's babysitters. Each had their own goals.
A whistling sound came from afar. Su Xiao looked in that direction. A sharp spear light approached from a distance, accompanied by a shout:
"Haha, your godfather has come to save you, old friend."
A dark silver spear shot through the air like a rainbow, unstoppable, crashing down toward the Sun King. Logically, as an old noble, Lucius couldn't face the first-generation Sun King in battle. This was a blood oath established between his ancestors and the Sun King. Yet now, Lucius was doing just that.
*Clang!*
The greatsword blocked the dark silver spear. The Sun King, already heavily wounded by Su Xiao, was forced back two large steps.
Lucius, with black smoke faintly rising from his body, caused the dark silver spear to liquefy and transform into a sturdy shield. After blocking a powerful sword strike, he stabbed repeatedly with a short spear, leaving afterimages. He shouted, "King of the Divine Clan, our sun should have set long ago. We are merely remnants of the past. We cannot drag everyone down with us."
"Blade Path Sword: Flow."
*Clang!*
The wind trail was blocked. As he slashed, Su Xiao looked at Baha. Baha understood and opened an alternate space passage, taking Bubu Wang, Amu, and Beini to retreat first. Their current state would only increase the difficulty of the battle if they stayed. In Su Xiao's team, there was never a situation where someone stubbornly refused to leave at a critical moment, dragging the team down.
With Lucius's assistance, Su Xiao's pressure decreased significantly, and his chances of victory increased greatly. Taking advantage of Lucius blocking the Sun King, Su Xiao made a virtual slash.
"Blade Path Sword: Blue Demon."
Blue Demon was the fastest. The goal now was to be so fast that even the Sun King...
*Clang!*
Blue Demon was slashed back by the greatsword, bouncing off Lucius's dark silver shield. This made Lucius look puzzled.
"Blade Path Sword: Flow."
*Pfft~*
A deep, bone-deep wound appeared on the Sun King's chest. After slashing Lucius back with a single sword strike, the Sun King's eyes narrowed slightly. Seeing the change in the Sun King's expression, both Su Xiao and Lucius had an extremely ominous feeling.
The Sun King raised the Blazing Sun Greatsword high. With a hum, solar particles surged on the blade. These particles fissioned and expanded on the sword body. In an instant, the Blazing Sun Greatsword's phantom became colossal, standing between heaven and earth. Ashlotte had used this technique earlier, and even the false king who had held the Blazing Sun Greatsword before had attempted it. One failed to use it, and the other succeeded in blowing himself up.
The Blazing Sun Greatsword, formed from solar particles, exploded. The sound echoed across the sky. Su Xiao felt an impact that could shatter everything. His ears rang, his vision went white, and he temporarily lost sensation.
A few seconds later, Su Xiao, in the "Blood Controller" state of his Blood Spear Grandmaster core ability, suddenly opened his eyes. The greatsword tore through the air, about to slash his neck.
*Clang!*
The long blade blocked the greatsword. A dark silver spear thrust forward, piercing the Sun King's shoulder and pushing him back. But the greatsword slashed down, shattering the spear. This weapon could liquefy, but the temperature of this slash was too high, causing the weapon to solidify and become brittle. This time, the shattering was irreversible.
Lucius, now with only one arm left, charged forward fiercely. But he was met with a sword pommel to the face, stunning him. Then, the Sun King stepped on him. With a fierce wind pressure, the greatsword was poised to thrust down, aiming to pierce Lucius's head.
"Blood Smoke Cannon."
Blood energy gathered at Su Xiao's fingertip, and he fired a blood smoke cannon. This technique, usually easy to use, nearly killed him this time. The world before his eyes was constantly double-visioned. His ears occasionally rang. The whole world swayed left and right like a ship in a storm.
*Boom!*
With a dull thud, the Sun King, who had been about to finish Lucius with one sword strike, was halted for a moment. Taking this opening, a dark blue blur pounced. It was Baha, who had teleported away earlier and was watching from a distance with his super eagle-eye vision. He had determined that the time was right and sneaked in.
Baha's claws pierced the side of the Sun King's neck. Spreading its wings, it tried to fly backward and drag the Sun King. But the Sun King grabbed it with one hand, nearly killing Baha.
Lucius wouldn't miss this opportunity. He leaped up, landing on the Sun King's back, and wrapped his remaining arm around the Sun King's neck.
"Strike!"
Lucius roared, meaning not to worry about him. This was the only chance.
"Blade Path Sword: Demon Blade!"
Su Xiao, finally no longer dizzy, charged forward. But the next instant, solar particles appeared on the Sun King's body. With a hum, these particles erupted with high temperature. Most of Lucius's body was instantly vaporized. More than half of Baha's body and all of its internal organs turned to charcoal.
*Zheng!*
The long blade, covered in dark blue smoke, slashed diagonally across the Sun King's chest. Almost simultaneously, Su Xiao crushed the [Time Clock] in his other hand with a crack. As a life-saving item from Apocalypse Paradise, the [Time Clock] could naturally select designated targets. He chose Baha and Lucius.
As the activated [Time Clock] was thrown, the fatal injuries that would have killed Baha and Lucius in the next few seconds were instantly healed. No, they were reversed. The effect of the [Time Clock] was to restore the designated target's state to what it was three seconds ago.
This life-saving item was naturally powerful. It was the ultimate reward given to Molei by Apocalypse Paradise for completing a designated mission.
Though restored to their state from three seconds ago, Baha and Lucius were only saved from death. Three seconds ago, they were already severely injured. Now, they collapsed to the ground one after another.
The Sun King didn't continue attacking. The demon spirit's dark blue smoke seeped into his wounds, rapidly turning the depths of his eyes dark blue. He looked up at the sun above. The sun, which had just emitted scorching light, was now dim again. Even the sun had its moments of dimness and end, let alone the Sun Faction, which had been fighting a life-or-death war with the Ancient Dragon Faction.
With a crack, cracks appeared on the Blazing Sun Greatsword. It shattered piece by piece. The Sun King's majestic body began to turn to ash from his shoulders and other parts, finally dissipating completely.
The Sun Faction was founded by this first-generation Sun King. And now, with his death, the Sun Faction would completely decline. It could be said that it was born because of him and died with him.
Su Xiao and Lucius leaned against the metal gate. Su Xiao drank a few potions, but the recovery potions beside Lucius remained untouched. He just watched the sun in the sky gradually set.
[Tip: You have killed the first-generation Sun King. You have obtained "Sun Fragment."]
[You have obtained "Moon Blood," "World Core (This World)," and "Sun Fragment." With all three, your main mission can be completed with the highest mission evaluation. However, because you hold all three simultaneously, you can choose the following method to complete the final stage of the main mission.]