Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 269 - 251 VS Impermanence 2

Chapter 269: 251 VS Impermanence 2

In some mythological beliefs, simply invoking the name of a deity one worships can bring their protective power. From a different angle, it could also mean that the gods may focus attention and exert power on those who call out their names.

Impermanence, being regarded as an existence akin to the gods, might possess the same mystic force—generating a responsive power when any related information is touched upon.

To rashly delve into the secrets of the gods is an act of taboo. Investigating the actions of Impermanence behind the Divine Spear is undoubtedly such a violation. It also implies that there must be information related to Impermanence inside the head of the Divine Spear; otherwise, they wouldn’t have revealed themselves now. Now, we must pay the price.

We were about to face the power of Impermanence.

The blurred face that emerged amidst the mosaic of information coldly observed us. It then focused its gaze on my face and uttered a name: "—Xuanming?"

"No, you are not Xuanming..." it continued, denying on its own before seeming to grasp my identity, "I see, you’re the young devil who killed the Divine Spear not long ago, then the one by your side must be the person who came back from the dead..."

"You are the Impermanence that directed the Divine Spear," I said.

It was as if he couldn’t hear me speak, continuing monologously: "—I do not need you. The girl stays, and you die here."

At the moment he uttered the death sentence, it wasn’t him who acted first, nor was it I, but rather Mazao.

A violent surge of mana fluctuations burst forth from Mazao—it was the Power of Return. The dream we were in suddenly blurred, and a sensation of detachment surged through me. I instantly realized what she was doing: she was using the Power of Return to disconnect us from our dream state, logging us out of this dream.

Almost concurrently, the dream became clearer, even more so than before. Mazao’s Power of Return barely began before it vanished without a trace. It was evident that the blurred face had, unknowingly, halted Mazao’s attempt to log out, eliciting a spine-chilling reaction from Mazao.

"This dream is now under my control; you cannot escape."

The tone of the blurred face didn’t carry a sense of haste; paradoxically, the information seemed to be instantaneously complete in our minds as if conveyed by thought. And as Mazao made her move and the blurred face spoke, I, too, acted out my own attack.

I should have struck first in attack, but if possible, I still hoped to retreat as Mazao would have wanted. Of course, it was shameful to consider fleeing from an enemy I had been pursuing for so long. Additionally, having previously issued a challenge to the enemy, this cowardly behavior was all the more embarrassing. Even though I had announced my intent to confront them, now that the enemy had approached me, how could I turn and run? Yet, this situation was truly disastrous.

Not only because Mazao was right by my side but also because this place was unfit for a battleground. This was Mazao’s Spirit World, the interior of her soul. To wage war against Impermanence here was akin to sentencing Mazao to death.

However, to do nothing was even more suicidal. I would be killed, and Mazao would also be taken and die. Inaction was not an option. It would be better to fight with all we had. With this thought, I stiffened my resolve and unleashed a massive fire, which I honed into a concentrated Flame Light Cannon and fired towards the blurred face.

The power of this Flame Light Cannon far surpassed the one that had defeated Yinyue before. Even confronted with the Divine Spear’s Guaranteed Hit and Kill move, it wouldn’t penetrate; the Divine Spear and its weapon would disintegrate before achieving such. Chen Long clad in "Teleportation Door Armor" would die upon contact.

But my flames would not harm allies; thus, using it inside Mazao’s soul should be fine as well. If by this attack, I could eradicate the blurred face before it could act, nothing would be more ideal.

It wasn’t a hopeless endeavor. The blurred face before us was clearly not the true presence of Impermanence but merely a temporary image crafted using the informational flood at the scene. What I needed to destroy was not the essence of Impermanence but just this temporary image. Even if I wasn’t capable of contending with Impermanence, surely I could extinguish this to some extent.

As it turned out, my thoughts were too idealistic.

The blurred face merely glanced in my direction, and before the Flame Light Cannon could hit, an invisible force materialized out of thin air and without ambiguity shattered it from the front, sweeping toward my body as well. Instantly, my body was struck into dust and bones, and my soul was damaged unimaginably, as if thrown into a shredder.

I immediately realized the source of this power. It was the gaze—the blurred face channeled immense mana into its sight, merely a glance resulted in severe injury to me.

I can use the same skill too, and I used to use it quite often. However, in battles among those of the same rank, such minor skills are utterly useless. It is a skill I employ against the weak; in a sense, it’s also a "quality checker" against the enemy. If an enemy can’t even withstand a skill of this level, it means they’re fundamentally not on my level.

Could I really be seriously injured by such a skill?

I’m actually quite sure about my current level. Right now, I should be exceeding the Great Success Rank, yet beneath Impermanence. I’m very clear about the possibility of losing in a head-on fight. However, to be this vulnerable in front of the true Impermanence...

Fortunately, the counterattack from the blurred face did not affect Mazao nearby. This gaze attack is similar to my skill of igniting enemies with a look; it’s a "single-target skill" that only damages the locked-on target. Perhaps he didn’t want to kill Mazao right here; otherwise, Lu Youxun and Divine Spear from the past wouldn’t have just tried to kidnap her but would have tried to execute her on the spot.

However, the shattering of the Fire Element body still produced a violent blast, and the surrounding mosaic information flow seemed to be greatly disturbed, scattering in all directions like a gust of wind blowing away paper scraps. At the same time, the blurred face underwent further transformation, the vessel formed by the mosaic information flow gradually changed into a humanoid appearance with a torso and limbs. The area that was originally tightly wrapped in the mosaic information flow now cleared up, revealing the scenery of this dream.

The oppressive night sky like black iron, the decaying and withering courtyard, the vague silhouettes of buildings in the distance—all were exposed to our sight, and, of course, to the eyes of the blurred humanoid.

He seemed to be about to do something to Mazao, but upon seeing this scene, he stiffened abruptly, looking up at the night sky with disbelief.

"This place is—"

His voice was filled with intense shaking, confusion, and shock.

I didn’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity. In an instant, I controlled the scattered flames to re-form my body and rapidly healed my grievously wounded spirit. At the same time, I raised my arm towards the direction of the blurred figure and ferociously unleashed a more intense Flame Light Cannon than before, putting all my strength into it.

It wasn’t that I had held back earlier, but facing this terrifying enemy, far beyond any foe from the past, my consciousness too felt an unprecedented crisis of life and death. Driven by danger, the power that was in automatic release state grew stronger at a rapid pace, radiating with the light of despair.

My battle mindset remained unchanged. No matter how powerful the essence of this Impermanence was, he was still using a fragile vessel formed by the mosaic information flow. Whether he was captivated by the Doomsday Era scene or just couldn’t react in time, he failed to parry or dodge and was completely engulfed by the Flame Light Cannon.

Yet, I didn’t feel any sense of inflicting damage on the target. He clearly took my full-powered, desperate blow without any dodging, but it only seemed like he was being shoved while standing dazed on the ground. I couldn’t even tell if the shake of his body was caused by my power or if his consciousness was pulled back by the sudden disturbance, causing him to change his stance.

And at that moment, Mazao made her move again—she pressed down on my shoulder, and the Power of Return wave burst forth from her body.

"Return!" she shouted.

—What?

My vision suddenly shifted.

Impermanence, Doomsday Dream, mosaic information flow... all of it vanished, replaced by the room at Fufeng Base.

Mazao was sitting on the edge of the bed, with the head of Divine Spear on her lap. And I stood in front of her, holding the Fake Water Moon. Everything that had just happened felt like a false dream, as if nothing had happened.

Of course, that’s impossible. How could Impermanence’s invasion be escaped so easily? If Impermanence had merely invaded something external to Mazao, then abandoning it and fleeing would suffice, but his power directly invaded her spirit world. Now, shifting back to the real world only made the crisis invisible to the naked eye; the power of Impermanence could still wreak havoc inside her soul as usual.

But Mazao paused for only two or three seconds, then let out a big sigh of relief.

"We should be safe now," she said.

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