Chapter 1117: Odds of Victory
"Magnetism!" Mr. Kang ignored his probing, pulling both hands toward him, and Xu Huo involuntarily slid in his direction.
The items that should have nullified the effects of other items and traits didn't activate. Seeing the man's hand directly pierce through the barrier of "Inviolable Domain," Xu Huo simultaneously retrieved "Three Seconds of Life" and "Angel's Fangs."
Time-space items had an incompatible trait. When a higher-level, larger-range space item was used, all lower-level time-space items within its range could fail or have their effects drastically weakened. "Three Seconds of Life" was a super item, its effect sufficient to cover an entire space...
"Angel's Fangs" blocked the stabbing fingers. Xu Huo shot backward under the impact, reactivating "Inviolable Domain" while continuous portals appeared behind him to absorb the momentum. But what caught him off guard was that Mr. Kang remained unaffected by the item, even breaking through the portals in the spiritual realm with an even more aggressive posture. He flashed before Xu Huo, a long-bladed decapitation sword appearing in his hand!
"When space didn't swallow you, I knew you were carrying a high-level space item!"
A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes, his desire for Xu Huo's items unwavering!
At the critical moment, "Cat's Triple Life Loan" allowed Xu Huo to dodge the blade, but his neck was forcibly twisted to the left, dragging his entire body sideways—the distance was too short to adjust his posture. So as he fell, he plunged headfirst into the Library Tower, simultaneously locking Mr. Kang inside the spiral staircase!
"Heh!" Mr. Kang sneered, dropping to one knee and punching the staircase with his fist. The infinitely deepening white steps shattered instantly!
The flying fragments signified the collapse of a corner of Xu Huo's spiritual realm. Not only was he severely injured, but the distance between them also closed again. Mr. Kang pressed in like a clinging bone, striking the item barrier once more, sending Xu Huo to the edge of the library floor!
Though repeatedly battered, thanks to "Inviolable Domain," Xu Huo wasn't too badly hurt. After landing, he quickly changed direction and opened a nearby door.
The entire Library Tower was a nested series of concentric rings. Doors within doors, each leading to rooms and spaces that shifted constantly. Once inside, it was like falling into an infinite looping maze.
Of course, this maze might not work on Mr. Kang.
Since "Three Seconds of Life" hadn't taken effect, if he was using a space item, unless it was of the same level, he couldn't be completely unaffected. But his state seemed closer to that of a Super Evolver.
This made Xu Huo begin to doubt his own judgment.
If Mr. Kang was a Super Evolver, his strength would far surpass Xu Huo's. Spatial Super Evolution, combined with resistance to mental interference, was enough to nullify the effects of the spiritual realm.
His vertical pupils roamed the Library Tower. Watching Mr. Kang relentlessly destroy rooms, Xu Huo quickly darted between doors, avoiding him while repeatedly reconstructing the rooms.
But seeing the man blindly wrecking the place, a different guess formed in his mind. Stepping into a room, he sent another personality out.
Xu Huo's spiritual realm housed four personalities: the shadow personality, whose materialized form was a black thin sheet, representing childhood; the teenage personality, whose materialized form was a playing card; the young adult personality, wielding a dagger; and himself.
On the surface, all four personalities were under Xu Huo's control. But from the Snow White Villa incident, the childhood shadow personality wasn't fully mastered. So he had deliberately locked him away, using the young adult personality, which was similar in build to himself.
"Boom!" With another heavy blow from Mr. Kang, the room shattered. The young adult personality, disguised as if just discovered, quickly fled. Mr. Kang followed without hesitation, showing no doubt about whether what he saw was real... This was clearly illogical.
If Mr. Kang's spatial evolution had reached the point where he could break through the spiritual realm bare-handed, he should know that what appeared before him wasn't real. Spatial evolution only made one more sensitive to all changes in the surrounding environment. He could even punch through the space walls created in the spiritual realm—could he not sense a living person standing just a few dozen meters away?
Xu Huo had the young adult personality lure him farther away. He used "Three Seconds of Life" at distances of fifty meters, one hundred meters, and one hundred fifty meters from Mr. Kang, but the item didn't slow him down. The afterimages trailing behind him like arcs of light were continuous, seemingly filling every space.
He looked at the stopwatch in his hand: Could there be a time-space item that bypasses the incompatibility trait of similar items?
Whether such an item existed was hard to confirm, but the best course now was to destroy Xiaohe City.
If Xiaohe City was a complete location item, the best approach was to move the battlefield outside the city.
But if Xiaohe City wasn't related to Mr. Kang's items, and one of the item's usage conditions was tied to buildings, destroying Xiaohe City might render the item useless.
If it was the former, Xiaohe City might not be destructible. If the latter, damaging Xiaohe City could lead to two scenarios: one, Mr. Kang could no longer use his space items; two, the items could still be used. Either way, he would still face at least thirty players. But if Mr. Kang's items remained functional, his odds of victory would be minuscule...
After a brief hesitation, he teleported the short-haired female player he had sent away earlier to his side and said bluntly, "You want to deal with Mr. Kang too?"
The female player was equally straightforward. "Our goals are the same. Whatever you want to do, I can cooperate."
"What's the relationship between the other two B-rank players and Mr. Kang?" Xu Huo asked.
"Strangers before we came. What relationship?" the female player said with a hint of sarcasm. "It's just a matter of whose odds are better."
"But even if they knew that the disappearances in Xiaohe City every so often were all because of Mr. Kang, they might not cooperate with you, as long as Mr. Kang is willing to back down."
Just now, with only a few people present, Mr. Kang would have thought about silencing everyone. But if everyone knew, it could turn into a different kind of balance. Mr. Kang would simply have to cede authority, no longer ruling Xiaohe City alone as before.
Or other players might also want to get their hands on Mr. Kang's items, leading to another chaotic battle.
Xu Huo understood this as well.
Uncle Guan and Lin Qiao had gone to great lengths to hold off the other two B-rank players, but they couldn't stall forever. If Mr. Kang's items failed due to Xiaohe City's destruction, those two B-rank players might be the first to strike him.
Whether it was competing with the two B-rank players for the kill or facing an unweakened Mr. Kang, neither was an easy task for him.
After a pause, he said to the female player, "Then please tell the others the truth about Xiaohe City. And add this: Mr. Kang plans to turn the entire Xiaohe City into a Chaos Space."