Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System
Chapter 195: Stage Five Core

Chapter 195: Stage Five Core

My fist crashed through scale, flesh, and bone, slamming the monster’s head into the tunnel wall. Concrete shattered on impact. The fragments pelted my shoulders as the beast let out a guttural shriek, its skull nearly splitting beneath my knuckles.

The blow’s backlash reverberated through my arm, the explosive rush of qi in my veins muting the intense pain. My Primordial Tyrant Scripture devoured every fragment of elemental Qi around us, flooded my muscles, and sharpened my senses, making each heartbeat an explosive thud.

I breathed in sharply.

The monster reeled, massive body thrashing, tail whipping violently.

Its jaws snapped shut inches from my face, breath searing hot, venom sizzling as it splashed across my chest and arms.

The Qi surged across my skin, shielding me from the worst of it. I moved faster, each step closing the gap before it could fully recover. It swung at me again with a massive claw, slicing the air, but I ducked beneath it, fist driving up under its jaw.

The impact lifted cracked its teeth, sending them skittering across the flooded floor.

The beast stumbled back, disoriented.

I controlled each breath—calm, focused, ready. The hunt had begun.

"Is that it?" I spat blood, stepping forward through clouds of settling dust, cracking knuckles already healing from the fracture. "I thought Stage Five would mean something."

I hit it with everything. My arm throbbed, but I kept steady and pushed forward without hesitation because Qinglan’s signal came closer.

She must have taken the cores.

[Mu Qinglan has reached Stage 4]

[Mu Qinglan has entered a berserk state!]

The monster adjusted itself, red eyes burning with fury, intelligence inside its gaze.

I laughed with a grainy, low sound.

’Good. I want to see everything you’ve got.’

The beast drew a heavy breath, gathering Qi in its maw. I braced, gauntlets humming with anticipation.

The boss mutant’s mouth glowed a vivid crimson, heat shimmering through the surrounding air. My gauntlets surged while feeding off the rising Qi. My pulse slowed, and so did the world.

I found clarity sharpened every detail.

Fragments of bone on the floor, droplets of venom evaporating, the muscles rippling along the beast’s flank as it charged its breath attack.

A bolt of savage energy erupted from its jaws.

I sidestepped at the last instant.

The blast grazed my shoulder, leaving a scorch-marked gouge. My Qi rushed inward, knitting the wound. The tunnel wall exploded behind me, stone and metal vaporising instantly. Steam filled the chamber, heavy and choking.

The mutant lunged through the mist, mouth open wide. Sharp teeth glinting with acidic venom, it slashed blindly with its claws.

I avoided the blow, planting my feet on an outstretched rock and delivered a crushing blow to its soft underbelly. Its scales cracked from the impact, my fists sending the beast to the ground with a crash.

It didn’t stay down.

The monster spun around, whipping its tail in a blurred arc. Too fast for me to evade, I tried to brace while blocking my ribs.

Bang!

The force sent me flying backwards, skidding along the rocky, corpse-filled ground until I slammed into the far wall.

Stars flashed in my vision.

A sweet taste of blood filled my mouth.

The beast advanced, scales rasping across concrete, red eyes blazing through the gloom.

My HUD pinged sharply, a message piercing the haze:

[Mu Qinglan approaching rapidly]

[Warning: Qi signature dangerously unstable!]

I spat out blood, grinning fiercely. "Took your damn time, Lan’er!"

A howl echoed through the tunnel—familiar, furious, unmistakable.

Mu Qinglan’s figure burst from the darkness, blade trailing a crimson mist. Her eyes blazed scarlet, pupils narrowed to needle-thin slits, hair wild as a thundercloud. Ice Qi erupted around her, chaotic and thick, each step freezing the ground.

She shot toward the mutant in a blur, sword cleaving through the air. The beast turned, massive jaws snapping toward her, far too late. Her strike connected, an explosion of energy rippling outward, shattering scales and gouging deep into bone.

The mutant recoiled, roaring in agony.

Mu Qinglan didn’t pause, instead launching herself after it, blade weaving vicious arcs that sliced through its defences, freezing each scale. Her Qi burst outward—violent, unrestrained, and berserk.

"Lan’er, careful!" I shouted, rising to my feet. "Don’t let it take you over!"

She couldn’t hear me, lost in the berserk frenzy, her eyes wild with reckless abandon. Every swing pushed the beast further back. Each strike stripped her defences and pushed her balance closer to collapse.

I ran in after her.

My chest was pounding, my heart palpitating, and Qi was surging to match hers.

"Lan’er!"

Mu Qinglan moved like a blizzard, each swing of her sword sending icy shards crackling across the tunnel walls. Her blade gouged deep and freezing flesh with every vicious arc. The beast roared, lunged, and missed, thick frost already spreading across its limbs.

Though it slowed down, the danger of a single blow was still deadly.

I dashed forward, channelling my Qi to match her rhythm. My gauntlets hummed as I hammered the beast’s underbelly, driving it off-balance. Our blows synchronised, each strike a harmony of ice and earth.

The mutant reeled, desperate, venom spilling from its jaws, sizzling into the ice forming underfoot. Its eyes flared, bright and furious, before its tail swung violently toward Qinglan.

"Lan’er, dodge!" I shouted.

She ignored my warning, meeting the attack head-on.

Her blade cut through the air vertically, slashing in an arc of shimmering frost, slicing cleanly through scales and sinew. The beast shrieked, a chunk of its tail severed and skidding across the floor.

Mu Qinglan didn’t stop.

Her eyes shone bright with a twisted smile, an almost feral grin as frost engulfed her entire body. Thick veins stood out under her pale skin, blue against porcelain white.

She leapt high, blade raised, descending like a comet of ice and fury.

The sword punched through the beast’s skull, cracking the bone plating wide open. Ice exploded outward, freezing chunks of gore mid-air. The boss mutant staggered, claws scraping helplessly against ice-covered stone before finally collapsing, twitching weakly in death throes.

[Stage 5 Mutant Slain!]

[15,000 ZKP]

[15,000 EXP]

[Acquired Stage 5 Core: Red]

[Congratulations!]

[Rank 6 (Enclave Chief) --> Rank 7 (Warlord)]

[Gained Ability to Place Defensive Structures]

[All Combat Troops Empowered]

[CURRENCY & EXP]

ZKP (Zombie Killing Points): 82,750

EXP: 7,910 / 200,000

I flicked the endless information from my view, because the fight wasn’t over.

Mu Qinglan’s rampage didn’t stop. Her breath steamed violently, red pupils narrowing into thin, predatory slits. Her Qi roared in chaotic pulses, turning sharply inward, twisting violently.

"Lan’er?" My voice was raw, chest tightening painfully as dread surged.

"Calm down. The fight’s over.

She spun towards me, thrusting Endless Night at my throat with a snarl; the next moment, her leg flew across my cheek as I stepped back.

"Qinglan!" My shout echoed uselessly.

Her eyes had changed entirely—now black, glossy pools dominated by vicious, glowing red pupils. Veins throbbed beneath her skin, branching dark and blue like frostbite consuming her.

Her lips curled back, teeth gritted with tension, and she lifted her sword again, pointed at my throat, trembling in her grip.

"No..." Her voice trembled with effort, eyes briefly flickering. "John—get away...!"

Her body moved against her will... the berserk Qi driving her forward, blade slashing wildly.

I barely deflected the blows, gauntlets sparking from impact.

Her power had surged uncontrollably, dangerously close to matching my own.

"Fight it, Lan’er!" I pleaded, desperate to reach her through the haze of violence. My Qi surged, defensive and controlled.

I needed to hurt her, to save myself.

Yet her swings grew faster, harder, each attack deadly precise despite her chaotic state. Her berserk Qi screamed in her veins, overwhelming her senses and consuming her sanity.

"John..." Tears streamed from those monstrous eyes. Her voice broke between begging and warning.

She lunged again, blade raised high, murderous intent flowing from her body despite Qinglan’s agonised face.

I braced myself, ready to do anything to save her.

Mu Qinglan’s blade halted inches from my throat, her hand trembling violently, red-black eyes wide and wild.

Her lips parted, voice fractured with desperation, each word a tortured whisper. "John... stop me... please..."

Ice crawled along my skin, her berserk Qi biting deep.

She leaned close, tears frozen mid-stream.

"Kill me... before I kill you."

The sword plunged forward, aiming directly at my heart.