Chapter 57: The Reluctant Ally
When Su Xiao reappeared, he was already behind the small giant, his Dragon-Slaying Flash slashing repeatedly.
Puchi, puchi...
Dense slash marks appeared on the small giant's back, shattered armor fragments and blood splattering everywhere as large amounts of Cyan Steel Shadow energy invaded the small giant's body. After Su Xiao delivered over a dozen slashes in an instant, the Soul Electrocution effect triggered.
His figure flickered, the sand forming a crater from the impact as he appeared in front of the small giant.
Su Xiao held his blade with both hands, raised it, and slashed down. Blood sprayed as a massive head flew into the air. The entire sequence was fluid, clean, and decisive.
After the small giant took Su Xiao's full-force kick, what followed was no longer a battle but a one-sided slaughter.
Thud. The small giant's head hit the ground. Blood gushed from the neck of the headless body, saturating the yellow sand and causing it to clump together.
Blood slid down the edge of Dragon-Slaying Flash. Su Xiao flicked his long blade, sending droplets of blood flying, then sheathed it and walked toward the competitor viewing area.
After a moment of dead silence in the audience, deafening cheers filled the arena. Large sheets of paper flew into the air, thrown by disgruntled spectators. The arena had set up a betting pool. Su Xiao's odds were 1:0.2, while the small giant's were 1:10. Spectators could only rely on luck when choosing which contestant to bet on. Before the match began, the organizers did not provide information on the participants unless special circumstances arose—like with Su Xiao, where they revealed a small amount of information to boost the arena's reputation for this season. Additionally, contestants were strictly forbidden from participating in any form of betting.
"So this is a Law Destroyer? Lives up to the reputation."
"Their basic abilities are similar, yet the battle was completely one-sided. Those slashes were pure butchery—elegant butchery."
"No wonder. Law Destroyers pioneered an entire era."
The cheers gradually faded as the audience began discussing the match.
"No wonder they're allies of our Demon race. That decapitating slash was satisfying."
"Even so, this Law Destroyer is still in his growth phase. Why is he participating in the arena? It'll expose his identity."
"Not sure. Before this, only we received news of a new inheritor of the Shadow of Law Destruction."
Leaving aside the audience's reactions and the commentator Hark's analysis of the match, Su Xiao pondered a question as he walked toward the competitor viewing area: how much had his combat power increased?
The boost from the Demon Hunter Set and the Instinct ability to melee combat was obvious. Thinking of the Demon Hunter Set, he checked its set bonus 3.
Set Bonus 3: Spoils of the Hunt (Passive), Spoils Value 1.4%.
The Spoils Value had increased by 1.4%, not much but not negligible. Given his combat frequency, it wouldn't take long for the Spoils Value to reach 100%. At that point, by consuming Soul Crystal (Large) x5 + Origin of Life (Gold) x3, the Demon Hunter Three-Piece Set could be upgraded to Gold quality. The enhancement would likely be astonishing.
If he hadn't obtained the Demon Hunter Set and the Instinct ability, Su Xiao might have still won against the small giant, but not so easily. Throughout the entire battle, the small giant hadn't managed to land a single hit on Su Xiao. As the audience put it, it was an elegant slaughter.
The small giant had immense strength and rich combat experience, but his speed was insufficient. With Su Xiao's Instinct ability enhancing his perception, the speed gap proved fatal. The small giant simply couldn't hit Su Xiao, and as for a war of attrition, Su Xiao wouldn't give him the chance.
The Demon Hunter Set's boost was also evident. Su Xiao's attacks directly bypassed armor and defenses, with the 40% increase in melee attack power clearly reflected.
No wonder so many fought over the Demon Hunter Set. With such high ability bonuses, any melee fighter would covet it.
Moreover, with the 20% increase in maximum health, Su Xiao could fight more aggressively. As long as his vitals weren't struck, most enemies couldn't kill him instantly. For instance, during his fight with the small giant, he repeatedly exposed himself to the small giant's optimal attack range. Without the 20% health boost, he wouldn't have taken such risks.
Overall, Su Xiao's evasion had greatly improved, his attack power had surged, and he now had higher health than most main tanks. This laid a solid foundation for his melee combat.
Su Xiao returned to the spectator area. Lilim beside him smiled, while other contestants eyed him warily. Some had already noted his number, silently praying they wouldn't be matched against him.
"Gods protect me, don't let me face this freak. Amen."
The detective loli sat not far away. Though she knew Su Xiao was no pushover, she hadn't seen him fight before. Minutes ago, she witnessed it firsthand.
The detective loli now understood clearly: even with her hidden trump cards, if she faced Su Xiao head-on, he'd grind her into the sand—sparks flying from the friction.
"Congratulations on winning the first round."
Lilim spoke. Though she suspected Su Xiao had inherited the Law Destruction will or held extreme beliefs, she genuinely congratulated him on his first victory.
"What is the Black Abyss? I've only heard of it before—a dangerous natural formation in the Void?"
"The Black Abyss..."
Lilim hesitated, then shook her head.
"You don't need to know for now. Actually, you absolutely must not know."
"Why?"
Su Xiao was puzzled, turning to look at Lilim.
"Uh... well... how should I put this?"
Lilim began considering her words. She wasn't trying to brush Su Xiao off but wanted to phrase it tactfully.
"Though we haven't known each other long, I've noticed you have a strong curiosity about the unknown—no, it's more like an urge to explore. If I told you what the Black Abyss is, you'd likely try to go there. With your current combat power, you'd be fine at the outermost fringes of the Black Abyss's shallowest layer, but if you ventured a hundred meters deeper, you'd definitely die."
Lilim glanced around, and seeing no one watching, she quietly unzipped her cropped leather top. A black snake tattoo stretched across her chest. On closer inspection, it concealed a scar.
"This is from my time in the Black Abyss. My father and brother were right beside me. Without them, I would have died for sure."
Lilim's eyes scanned the surroundings. Just as someone began to look her way, she quickly zipped up her top. This female demon seemed open, but she actually had a strong sense of shame.
"Let's not even mention my father and brother's strength. I was stronger than you are now back then. Don't judge me by my current appearance—I'm a high-ranking demon, very powerful. The kind that could hang you up and whip you."
Lilim puffed out her chest. Indeed, 'very powerful.'
"If your strength increased several dozen times, you could probably explore the Black Abyss on your own. How to describe it... different people who enter the Black Abyss gain different things. Yeah, that's a fitting description."
Su Xiao fell into thought. From this initial understanding, he learned a bit about the Black Abyss.
"I won't stay here long. Once this arena season ends, I'll leave."
Su Xiao took out an apple and bit into it with a crunch, the sweet and sour juice bursting in his mouth. Apples were one of his favorite fruits.
"Is that so? Then you'll leave in about three to five days. The arena's pace is tight, especially in the later stages. Oh, by the way, my father instructed me about something before I came. When he fought alongside a Law Destroyer, one of them saved his life in battle. He's always wanted to repay that Law Destroyer, but never had the chance. The Law Destroyers vanished too quickly—so fast that the Demon race couldn't even send support.
Now that you've appeared, my father asked me to inquire: do you have any requests? Like a certain ability? Or valuable resources? Though these things aren't enough to repay that life-saving debt, you're also not that same Law Destroyer."
Lilim's words caught Su Xiao off guard. In all his battles, he'd never had an ally offer him treasures. His first instinct was to suspect some scheme.
But then he thought: the Demon race was one of the major races in the Void. If they harbored ill intent toward him, they wouldn't need to beat around the bush like this.
From Lilim's fragmented words, Su Xiao understood that he could make a request to the Demon race. This seemed like an opportunity to demand treasure, but it was actually a test of his character.
If Su Xiao demanded a specific treasure, the Demon race would certainly try to obtain it. But then, his relationship with the Demon race would gradually cool—not the relationship between Law Destroyers and the Demon race, but between him and them.
As for eternal allies, that was the Demon race's way of honoring their promises. They were eternal allies with the Shadow of Law Destruction, but the Shadow of Law Destruction was an organization, not an individual. Law Destroyers were also people with different personalities. The Demon race wouldn't treat every Law Destroyer as an ally. If they did, they'd be foolish or overly rigid.
The Shadow of Law Destruction and the Demon race were allies, not in a superior-subordinate relationship. The baseline for allies was non-aggression; good allies cooperated.
Su Xiao's choice would determine whether the Demon race saw him as someone to avoid conflict with or someone to cooperate with in the future.
"Help me advance my Alchemy."
"Alchemy? Which branch?"
"Biological Creation."
Su Xiao made his choice.
"You don't want some treasure? We're sincere."
"As for treasures, I'll just take them myself later."
"Take..."
Lilim was speechless. Shouldn't he have said 'obtain them myself'? That casual 'take' was bizarre. Law Destroyers really were a bunch of 'bandits.'
"Uh... this..."
Lilim hesitated. It wasn't that the request was too high—it was too simple.
"If you can't do it, forget it."
Hearing this, Lilim's heart sank. Clearly, Su Xiao wasn't the greedy type. But she almost wished he were. The feeling he gave her was too dangerous. Words like 'peace' had nothing to do with this human male.
"Of course... we can do it. But it still depends on your own effort. Advancing Alchemy is about accumulating knowledge. At most, I can provide an environment to quickly improve your Biological Creation Alchemy."
"As repayment, what do I need to do for the Demon race?"
"Huh? I said before, this is a one-sided thanks. No repayment needed."
"You also said before that I'm not that Law Destroyer."
Su Xiao tossed away the apple core. There was no free lunch in the world, and even if there were, it would be a cheap one. He didn't want it.
Lilim sighed inwardly. This ally was more reliable than she'd imagined. Yet, she didn't want such a reliable ally. His thought process was hard to follow, and that casual 'take' bothered her.
"Follow me. You should have some time before your next match. Oh, and don't steal anything later."
"Do you think I'm a bandit?"
"You are."
"You seem to have some misunderstanding about me."
"You just blurted out that you'd take treasures."
"Don't you take treasures from your enemies?"
Lilim had no retort and let out a long sigh.
Recent irregular schedule
I might not be able to update today. My spinal condition has flared up again. If I sit for more than an hour, I feel dizzy. I'll sleep early tonight and try to get back to a normal schedule.
Lately, even when I take breaks, I've been maintaining three chapters a day. Even if I take a day off, I make up for it with six chapters the next day. This time, I might genuinely need to take a break—meaning tomorrow might only have three chapters. Sorry.
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