Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 501 - 471 VS Xu Gou 3

Chapter 501: 471 VS Xu Gou 3

Xu Gou’s reaction was like that of a killer about to leave the crime scene, discovering that the decapitated victim suddenly stood back up. If his combat form weren’t encased in this full-body armor, but rather transformed into a werewolf or something similar, it’s likely all his fur would’ve stood on end.

I, on the other hand, mentally wiped away a cold sweat. When reshaping my body just now, I almost slipped and crafted my appearance into my true likeness. Thankfully, I reacted quickly and midway through shifted into my disguised form.

"You’re still alive... and completely unscathed?" Xu Gou said incredulously. "That’s impossible. Even an Impermanence caught by that strike just now couldn’t possibly survive..."

He spoke with such conviction that it was difficult to deny his confidence. Unless one possesses traits like mine—where the True Spirit remains undying—or has something akin to Ming Zhuo’s Naraku Undying Body, his attack just now really could universally guarantee victory upon execution.

More than ninety-nine percent of the force in his previous assault had crashed elsewhere rather than focusing entirely on me. It’s clear that even he couldn’t fully control that power. Be that as it may, even relying purely on defense to endure such an assault—is there any Impermanence capable of withstanding it? Not one I’ve ever seen in action.

Although Xu Gou appeared somewhat fatigued after ending his attack, this likely wasn’t his limit yet. Furthermore, if his goal focused merely on expanding the scale of destruction, he might be able to double the range again. Under conditions where no other Impermanence obstructs him, he could very well be the fastest person in this world capable of pushing the planet into a Doomsday scenario.

Having witnessed so many of his attacks, I’ve more or less deduced his actual characteristics—or rather, his unique ability.

It’s likely the power of "Cutting."

His Mana bears a distinctive "Cutting" property, allowing it to sever space-time itself. While it’s not surprising for an Impermanence to impact space-time, what he achieves goes beyond imagination. The Different Space we’re currently in seems to be a product of his Cutting power. The independent dimensional spaces invented by Ying Lingyun in the past were also referred to as "Cutting Reality."

What’s more, he doesn’t just skillfully cut through space; he can effortlessly slice through time as well. The reason his attack moves accelerated earlier wasn’t due to an actual increase in speed but because he cut pieces out of his attacking process—skipping the time between preparation movements and full execution. This phenomenon, known as "Time Deletion," is achieved through Cutting power.

The principle operates as stated, but for another Impermanence with similar abilities, it likely wouldn’t yield the same results. Even if another could drastically accelerate physical speed, their soul’s output couldn’t unconditionally keep up. Forcibly speeding up would likely cause soul collapse as a consequence. There’s undoubtedly a "chemical reaction" here involving the Power of Divine Seal Fragments.

"You haven’t forgotten, have you? Killing other Void Envoys to seize Divine Seal Fragments deducts your contributions within the Void Realm. While I don’t particularly care about such things, do you?" I said. "Until you’ve balanced that negative value, the Master of Divine Seal might refuse to trade with you again.

"So, have you abandoned your plan to trade with the Master of Divine Seal? Also, why are you fighting me here? Are you allied with those extremist Extraordinary Fanatics?"

Xu Gou appeared to have genuinely forgotten; the slight hesitation in his expression gave it away. But soon he reaffirmed his resolve, unsheathing the two Big Blades once more, initiating a rapid assault on me.

"Don’t try to muddle the truth... I refuse to accept that I can’t kill you!"

The two Big Blades crossed like a pair of scissors, slicing toward me. For someone like me, who can freely transform shapes, such close-range attacks are the easiest to evade. Currently, I can even assume the form of light, weaving through the battlefield like unpredictable lightning over a hundred-kilometer radius, entirely untraceable.

Meanwhile, Xu Gou activated his Cutting power, deleting the time from his movements, appearing in various locations across the region as though he were teleporting. Due to the high frequency of his flashes, it seemed as if countless versions of him existed simultaneously. His slashes, infused with destiny-locking and cause-and-effect targeting akin to Impermanence, occasionally managed to land on me.

Unfortunately, he still hasn’t realized he must attack his opponent’s True Spirit.

His movements are exceptionally skilled, showcasing battle experience far surpassing mine. Yet, his understanding of Mysticism seems to lag behind even me. It’s the first time I’ve encountered such a situation, as battles within the abnormal world consistently see my opponent’s knowledge exceeding mine.

His earlier reaction solidified it—had he truly suffered through prolonged trials in the abnormal world, he wouldn’t be so shocked at the sight of "an enemy killed but not dead." Such outcomes might not be everyday occurrences, but they shouldn’t appall him to the extent of discovering a giant cockroach in his coffee.

Out of no goodwill, I refrained from enlightening him with the proper combat methods. Though I enjoy providing pointers when holding an absolute advantage, ultimately, what I seek are challenges formidable enough to strip me of the veneer of feigned posturing entirely. In facing truly insurmountable obstacles, I lean toward navigating breakthrough tactics with unrelenting resolve as a challenger.

Moreover, attacking the True Spirit and attacking the soul differ fundamentally—it’s not something achievable merely by recognizing it. I’d wager Xu Gou might rationally grasp the concept if I explained True Spirit to him, but in practical terms, he’d remain clueless.

In Mysticism terms, the True Spirit is analogous to the "Dao"—a thing understood intuitively but ineffable.

Amidst my evasions, I occasionally fired beams of light to counterattack, yet all were severed by his Big Blades. These actions were merely feints; secretly, I gathered destructive light, its density finally achieving critical mass.

Previously, this energy-gathering process had been interrupted by the devastating storm-like terror of his moves. But now, at last, it was complete.

When Xu Gou’s Big Blades simultaneously pierced toward me, I intentionally refrained from dodging, allowing them to penetrate my face and heart. Such an unexpected triumph stunned even Xu Gou himself. Seizing the moment, I raised my left hand, revealing a miniature black murky sphere in my palm.

Using principles akin to "Eclipse," this was Mana of light compressed to a nearly ultimate degree. Compared to flame, light seems more suited for compression—unleashing an aura surpassing that of "Eclipse."

Light, which shouldn’t possess weight, now seemed to crush the surrounding space entirely. As the black murky sphere radiated its influence, the ground crumbled into dust, which gathered furiously toward our position. Xu Gou, seemingly realizing he was about to be struck, hurriedly tried to retreat with his two Big Blades.

His Mana surged—I sensed his attempt to activate Time Deletion to accomplish immediate withdrawal. However, the overwhelming gravity emanating from the sphere seemed to distort time itself, likely disrupting Cutting power’s time-deletion mechanism. Xu Gou’s actions lagged for half a beat, giving me the opening to slam the black murky sphere directly into his massive Power Armor.

"—Black Destruction Beam."

Casually naming it, I unleashed the power contained in the black murky sphere at point-blank range.

In a sensory range spanning a hundred kilometers, I saw an extraordinary pillar of orange flame shoot skyward. The dust clouds that had previously gathered erupted into waves resembling tsunamis, highlighting the flaming pillar as though it were the jet erupting from the accretion disk of a black hole.

This mutated version of "Eclipse," much like its original counterpart, deviates from the theme of Flame Power as a Killing Move. It seems the manipulation of light itself constitutes a thematic deviation, making joint use of such powers even harder to control.

Both exhibit gravity-like properties unrelated to my innate capabilities, possibly contributing to difficulties in their manipulation. While I can use the Power of Word Spirit indirectly to affect gravity, it remains just that—indirect.

Fortunately, since it’s my ability manifesting from my Spirit, the released power won’t harm me as the origin. I drifted backward with the shockwave before glancing toward the explosion site.

Xu Gou still wasn’t dead.

His Power Armor bore a significant crack, from which blood and fragments of flesh spilled, exposing the grotesque wounds on his body hidden within. However, the injury rapidly regenerated with unbelievable speed.

The external metal armor, seemingly crafted from self-replicating nanobots, promptly restored itself, leaving no trace of damage save for the lingering bloodstains on its surface.

It’s truly outstanding—a simulation of the Gold and Killing Power integrated into the White Tiger Inheritor’s essence. Despite this armor’s Magic Density being negligible compared to my attack, its sheer hardness reduced over eighty percent of the damage.

Given enough time for Xu Gou to grow and develop his techniques in Mana manipulation to the level of an Impermanence, his killing prowess alone might rival powerhouses like Xuanming or the Taoyuan Village Master. He could even surpass them.

Yet, since the mutated "Eclipse" failed to settle the duel, it’s clear that the current Light Form I’ve assumed stands no chance of defeating Xu Gou outright.