Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 591 - 554 The Desperation Above Desperation

Chapter 591: 554 The Desperation Above Desperation

These two mana fluctuations have both reached the realm of the Divine Demon, and are filled with a will of destruction.

One part conjures the heavy pressure of the deep sea, dark, cold, and heavy, reflecting the mana fluctuations of the Great Demon Xuanwu which I encountered not long ago; while the other part evokes the image of moist, decaying grave soil, filled with the scent of death, making breathing difficult, like being buried underground as a corpse while still alive, involuntarily giving rise to a feeling of despair.

The common traits of the two mana fluctuations are heaviness and suffocation. As No. 7 rushed to our front, his face immediately twisted in immense pain, unable to maintain his body’s balance. Little Bowl evidently sensed those transcendent mana fluctuations too, seeming to lose consciousness, falling backward.

At the first moment, I sensed the scene outside the Tai Sui Army’s base, and my awareness captured the source of the two mana fluctuations.

The Great Demon Xuanwu appeared without notice, only two kilometers from the Tai Sui Army’s base. For an entity of such dimensional power, a distance of two kilometers is no different from two centimeters. This creature likely did not move through regular means, but instead relied on chaotic space-time to transfer, thus appearing so suddenly.

As for the other source of mana fluctuations—though I identified its true identity upon sensing it at the very moment—and was quite aware that it might not truly be dead, yet upon genuinely seeing it, disbelief involuntarily surfaced in my heart. I saw a man, dead-looking in spirit, wearing a black Chinese formal suit, floating beside the Great Demon Xuanwu—none other than Huang Quan.

Laughter does not escape me. Such irony. Earlier, we were making plans with No. 7 to raid the Yellow Springs Evangelical Institute, and now, before we could even initiate any official operation, Huang Quan himself appears together with the Great Demon Xuanwu, launching an attack towards this place.

What unlucky fate—no, it’s not something that can be summarized as mere bad luck. This is possibly an inevitability. Just like Little Bowl’s prophecy, with the Unfortunate people’s power bringing misfortune, even if her strong luck suppressed it temporarily, it would only turn into a stronger backlash, serving our own downfall. The current situation is precisely its reflection, and I believe it.

The Great Demon Xuanwu, which should have cast murderous intent on all humans, seemingly ignored Huang Quan beside it and unleashed a deafening roar upon detection. I felt the Tai Sui Army’s base plunged into endless darkness and upon looking up, saw boundless black water appear from thin air above, cascading down faster than any industrial water jet.

The Tai Sui Army’s base resembled an anthill under a great waterfall, with its inevitable fate laid bare. It’s likely the Tai Sui Army will be expunged from the Post-mortem World. Due to the surprise attack, I didn’t have time to escape with Little Bowl from the Great Demon Xuanwu’s attack range, forcefully trying to preserve at least Little Bowl’s life.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, No. 7—as she had done before—burst forth with a speed unfitting her rank. She grabbed Little Bowl’s arm, and they both disappeared into thin air from the spot.

Indeed, she’s the woman who once led me to escape right from under the Great Demon Xuanwu’s eyelids, effortlessly leading Little Bowl into the ultra-deep layer of space-time, avoiding the Great Demon Xuanwu’s attack range.

Subsequently, the Tai Sui Army’s base was completely shattered by the black waterfall, along with the mountain they leaned on, fracturing like a sand-built fortress on a beach.

Because this attack wasn’t specifically aimed at me, but the region broadly, its power density was loosely spread. I straightforwardly endured the attack without any resistance, my body and soul shattered utterly, yet my True Spirit was unharmed. In an instant, I fully restored myself, hovering above the flooded land.

Huang Quan’s gaze immediately fixed upon me, and he uttered a voice of surprise: "...Zhuang Cheng? Aren’t you dead?"

"Same goes for you." I deliberately replied with unshaken calm.

Contrary to my calm tone, the thought that this adversary was simultaneously an esteemed teacher to both Ming Zhuo and Mazao filled me with a sense of irony of fate’s whims.

At the same time, I discerned his underlying message—it appears he wasn’t specifically targeting me.

The Tai Sui Army’s leader and highest battle force is merely No. 7 at Great Success Rank, while the rest are nothing but "shrimp soldiers and crab generals". Yet Huang Quan himself came, bringing the Great Demon Xuanwu along, likening it to shooting mosquitoes with a cannon. But this also reflects the Evangelical Institute’s importance of the Tai Sui Army; or perhaps, it demonstrates the institute’s concern for the possibly revived Tai Sui, suspected to be the Master of the Divine Seal.

The Great Demon Xuanwu seems to also belatedly realize my existence. I sensed its spirit solely focusing on me, filled with the inexorable will, akin to that of the past Water Master Xuanwu, holding a relentless murder intent towards the Vermilion Bird Inheritor. There’s also urgency to finally hunt down the prey that escaped under its nose last time.

It still ignores Huang Quan beside it. Although the priority of me on the Great Demon Xuanwu’s kill list might be higher, it still can’t fully explain this discrimination since its appearance. Huang Quan appears like an invisible person in its eyes.

Could it be that the Evangelical Institute truly manages to controlling methods for the Great Demon?

A black water cannon that seemed to penetrate everything shot towards me, and at the same time, I summoned the Furnace Slag Straight Sword, transforming into the Third Form light body.

For the Great Demon Xuanwu, whether I’m in the Second or Third Form doesn’t make much difference. Therefore, even after completing the transformation, at this stage, I can only dodge.

Unlike last time, this time, dodging the opponent’s black water cannon has clearly become less difficult.

Affected by chaotic space-time, the attack accuracy of Great Demon Xuanwu cannot enjoy the bonus from attribute restraint; as the king of oddities in the "Doomsday Era," it can reconstruct the super bonus for accuracy with its own power. However, in this area, I am not far behind. Thanks to Little Bowl’s blessing, I have completed most of the analysis of chaotic space-time order, being able to exert the super dodge bonus as the Impermanence.

In the language system of demon hunters, it’s equivalent to Great Demon Xuanwu adding the "must-hit" status for itself, while I added the "must-dodge" status for myself. With this back and forth, we’re equal in that neither of us receives a bonus. Let’s not talk about attack power and defense power; at least in terms of accuracy and dodge rate, our confrontation is equal.

Of course, since it’s equal, I can’t dodge all attacks from Great Demon Xuanwu like avoiding attacks from weak characters. Once the battle time is prolonged, before the combat time of the Third Form runs out, I would be truly killed first.

The more pressing issue is not here. Remember, now I’m in a one versus two state.

Great Demon Xuanwu let out a volcanic eruption-like earth-shattering roar, and black water cannons fired densely like a Gatling gun. Almost simultaneously, Huang Quan approached like a ghost behind me.

Yellow-black mana, like a spiral, wound around Huang Quan’s right arm, transforming into an insidious attack aimed straight at my True Spirit.

Having prepared earlier, I evaded his sneak attack, yet inevitably couldn’t avoid attacks from Great Demon Xuanwu’s side. One black water cannon hit me, shattering half my body. The True Spirit, which was just fully repaired, again suffered damage. A dizziness like being hit on the head spread within my consciousness.

A single Great Demon Xuanwu is already an unbeatable foe, I thought this was the greatest deadlock, yet now Huang Quan joins in—disasters never come singly. Even I, who never cares for fair fights, can’t help but marvel at how unfair this battle is.

"Such a marvelous movement technique... adapting so quickly to the ’Doomsday’ rules?" Huang Quan observed me calmly.

"Last time it was with Xu Gou, this time with Great Demon Xuanwu. You really never fight alone." I said, "Considering this cowardice aspect, it’s evident you’re Ming Zhuo’s teaching master, truly an inheriting trait."

"Even such things you know?" Huang Quan said breezily without wavering, "But don’t forget, I’m not only Ming Zhuo’s teacher, but also Mazao’s. Did you include your little girlfriend in your scolding?"

I countered: "It’s because Mazao’s character is completely different from your old harmful ways that she abandoned you heartlessly, isn’t it?"

"Mazao defected from the sect, indeed I didn’t educate her properly. I never expected her to make such shortsighted choices, unable to distinguish between ’temporary bleeding’ and the ’race’s continuation’." Huang Quan said plainly, "And now you’re just flaunting your wit. Though I don’t know how you escaped from the void, it’s simply a matter of killing you again."

After saying this, he closed in again, seemingly wanting to tangle with me. At this point, another black water cannon blasted in. We split instantly, the black water cannon flying through the space between us.

The attack from Great Demon Xuanwu clearly does not distinguish between friend or foe. Although there’s no hostility towards Huang Quan, there’s also no concern about hurting him.

Huang Quan isn’t the same as Great Demon Xuanwu; there exists no attribute restraint between us. In the Third Form, I can be said to be a humanoid sun, to penetrate this layer of defense and harm my True Spirit, he must attack at zero distance, long-range attacks mostly scratch an itch through a boot. Once the distance is too close, he’d inevitably enter Great Demon Xuanwu’s attack range.

To avoid collateral damage, his actions became particularly cautious, prowling around me, seeking opportunities to launch an attack on me.

And this tactic exposed his other shortcomings.