Chapter 927 The Reckoning (4)
Another energy bolt whined through the air.
Like a huge mound of flesh, the new Abomination, exuding the emanation of powers that exceeded Cla.s.s XII, shuddered when the energy both scythed through its muscles and tissue like slicing through a ripe watermelon, leaving a smooth and s.h.i.+ny surface at where it pa.s.sed through.
“It’s useless; my body is dead. What lives is a sliver of my consciousness… Cut me a thousand times and I’ll still…” The slow, emotionless, and synthesized voice that sounded like a machine despite its choral blend reverberated through the maimed hunk of putrid flesh.
But before the monster could finish, a swirl of frost wafted from its wounds the next second and before it could react further, ice appeared out of nowhere to engulf its ma.s.sive girth whole.
Crack!
That was the sound of gla.s.s, or rather, ice shattering.
“Ice elemental?! But how?! How could you have grasped the power of the Force!?”
Another voice, sounding both shocked and horrified, resounded from somewhere deep inside the Abomination.
This time, it no longer sounded emotionless or synthesized. It sounded real, fraught with churning emotions.
Rumble!
The dissected halves of the Abomination erupted amid the explosion.
b.l.o.o.d.y sc.r.a.ps of flesh and viscera fell from the sky like a morbid display of red snow.
The being he recognized from the dungeons of Arcusstone more than ten years ago appeared at last from the midst of the falling deluge of blood, carrying his trident.
“You are no common demon or monster from another world! What are you?!” Still wearing his mask furnished from bra.s.s, Li Mu could detect disbelief and astonishment in the eyes of the being, “You mastered the power of the Force! That is proof enough that you are no mere spy of the Infernal Realm! A monster of your might could have never been able to pa.s.s without incurring an Imperial Lord’s notice!”
Lurking inside the Abomination at first, the being was now forced to come out into the open.
Li Mu tried to dissect what the being meant while he kept the conversation going. “After ten long years, we meet again. Let’s not disappoint me this time; you’ll never get away.”
“Hmph, as if I cared for the likes of you. For ten years I’ve been toiling to break free of the confines of this dimension. But since you’re in my way, I might as well dispose of you before I ascend,” the being snorted. Brandis.h.i.+ng his trident, he threw himself at Li Mu.
Li Mu swung his weapon in a flourish and charged forward to meet him as well.
The battle that would rock and change the whole continent of Molderad has finally begun.
Men and women of the Great Five coalition were all left speechless by the masterful and complex techniques they performed, never mind the rippling shock waves of force from the collisions of their weapons that was enough to defeat even the collective power of the heads of the Great Five.
“Those are the techniques of the Tower of G.o.dly Blades!”
“And that’s the signature pattern of the spearmen of the Twenty-Seven Forts of Clearwater!”
“I know that move! That’s the Amethyst Sword Dance of the House of n.o.ble Aspirations!”
“Is that the Seven Deadly Strokes of the Tower of the Holy Radiance!?”
“How on earth is Li Zhiyuan skilled in the Supple Undulations of Destruction?! That’s the lost technique of my order!”
As the duel prolonged, more and more warriors began to realize that both the being and Li Zhiyuan were using complex techniques that belonged to different sects and orders from all around the continent. Some were even techniques that have been lost through time. Yet here in this fight, these skills were being demonstrated most purely and perfectly and the strength and power they embodied were what no mere mortals could emulate.
“Hahahaha, Li Zhiyuan! I see that you’re also here for the combat techniques of this world! Looks like you’ve been busy! But I am now sure that you’re here for a bigger and more sinister purpose! Just wait till I defeat you! I’ll strip you of your powers and remove your limbs! Then I’ll bring you with me when I break through the confines of this world! I’m sure the Imperial Lords shall reward me greatly for this! What a prize you’ll become!”
The being’s trident whipped around the air like a true instrument of death belonging to a G.o.d, looking so intimidating that everyone cowered at the mere sight of it.
In the meantime, the being was sorely mistaken about Li Mu’s provenance.
But Li Mu was nowhere near interested to correct him.
On the other hand, Li Mu had learned enough by now to deduce that in the past ten years, he and this mysterious and evil being had been doing exactly the same thing: traveling all around Molderad to master each and every famous and powerful combat technique known to the world of warriors on this continent. According to what he just said, he had come all the way to this world just so that he could study the combat techniques here. Would that mean that the combat techniques of this world are also rare and highly coveted in the homeworld from whence he came?
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Both man and monster exchanged countless blows, eliciting a pair of whirlwinds of blur engendered by the deluge of afterimages from their weapons that the gleams of steel flashed like the stars up high in the skies. The onlookers of this furious battle could barely keep up with their pace. All they saw was a pair of metallic cyclones banging into each other again and again and the sheer force of their blows was ripping at the fabric of Time and s.p.a.ce, causing the air to warp and distort before cracks began to appear out of nowhere.
Cracks. Cracks so real like the ones on a battered and decrepit wall. The fissures yawned open and from inside, a deadly darkness beckoned and its mysterious force and gravity that permeated from inside the cracks terrified every single warrior that witnessed them.
Everyone in Molderad knew about ascending.
It was said that anyone who was able to reach Cla.s.s XII would be within sight of breaking through the confines of this world and ascending to the fabled utopia of the G.o.ds and be a deity. But few have ever heard of anyone ascending in a thousand years since even Cla.s.s XII itself was already a rare, if not impossible, feat.
“Wait, is that what they mean by breaking through the confines of this world?!”
“I could feel the force of another world trying to draw me near!”
“That s.p.a.ce at the other side of the cracks is that the legendary world of the G.o.ds?!”
Amongst the Great Five coalition force, champions who have achieved Cla.s.s XI felt unbearably parched as if this sudden and baffling thirst that came from nowhere could only be fulfilled by diving straight into these Time-s.p.a.ce fissures. The fight between the two monstrosities had opened up the portals that could lead straight into the realm of the G.o.ds and this was a chance — or a shortcut — for them to achieve G.o.dhood.
It took every ounce of what remained of their rationale to hold themselves back from making such a foolish attempt.
The shock waves emanating from each and every blow traded in the fight alone were enough to pummel any one of them into dust before they even got close to entering the Time-s.p.a.ce fissure.
The skirmish lasted for a half-hour.
In the end.
Whoos.h.!.+
A jet of light — a blast — LI Mu fired using his saber and wailed all the way up into the skies like a fleeting banshee.
Bang!
The being staggered backward with blood spraying out of a gash on his head. The blast had chipped him on the side of his head, effectively damaging his mask enough for it to crack and shatter, revealing a handsome face with exquisite features which Li Mu could barely tell if the being was male or female.
“Y-You!” Blood could not stop gus.h.i.+ng out of the wound. But that was the least of the being’s worries. Utterly astounded beyond belief, the being gasped, “I-Impossible! H-How?! How could you have such power!? How?!” He tottered again and fought to keep himself steady. “No matter,” he gasped weakly with frail laughter, “You won’t be alive for much longer… Hahahahaha, I’ve done it, my trident…”
Sticking out of Li Mu’s abdomen was the being’s trident, impaled through Li Mu like a skewer and blood too was pouring out, uncontrollably and unstemmed. The sickening sight of it could have had anyone wonder if his spine was ruptured as well.
“I might be wounded, but you’re dead… So long as I live, I triumph.”
Li Mu seized the handle of the trident and exerted strength. He snapped the long polearm into pieces front and back, leaving only a twenty-centimeter shaft still inside him still unremoved. Still, his aura and the emanation of his power ebbed and waned not one bit at all. Still robust and very much mighty, he was still able to fight, unlike the evil being.
“Heh, Heavens be d.a.m.ned… This was supposed to be my chance… Yet why… Why of all people must I encounter you!” the evil being thrown his head back and let loose a long and b.e.s.t.i.a.l howl of frustration. The trickle of blood from the wound on his head turned into a forceful deluge; a broken dam of slick reddish ooze that could not stop gus.h.i.+ng out. Then a crack appeared on the top of his forehead. It grew larger and longer, spreading all over him like spider webs on a rampage as life began to seep quickly out of him at a noticeable speed, a leaf of gra.s.s frantically trying to stay alive in a raging storm — vainly.
At long last, he tottered unsteadily and fell off the rocky cliffs, plummeting down into the abyssal chasm below. Farther and farther he fell until he was nothing but just a speck in the distance.
No one cared.
Silence pervaded the whole area.
Li Mu allowed himself to sit down on the smooth slope of Dawncrest.
Drip. Drip.
Blood dribbled out of the rear end of the stub that stuck out of his back and fell onto the slope, flowing down the surface as smooth as a mirror’s, a tiny course of deep red contrasting prominently against the ochre of the ground.
Seconds turned into minutes until finally, a voice called out from amongst the Great Five coalition army.
“He’s wounded now. How powerful do you think he still is?”
The call sounded uncertain and shaky, but everyone could hear him in the silence.
Hopes which have long been crushed all of a sudden began to show signs of life. The fervor of ambition, long extinguished before the terrible duel, was no longer fading embers waiting to die out but rather a flame that was rekindled.
“Li Zhiyuan holds many secrets! The carefully guarded secrets of all our many sects and orders, even techniques that have long been lost in time!”
The same voice resounded once more.
Greed and hunger blazed in the eyes of the warriors.
Slowly and quietly, they inched toward Li Mu like a pack of ravenous wolves.
Lu Chuan and his retinue grew anxious.
“What is the meaning of this!? Brother Zhiyuan here has won the duel fair and square! Is this what you are?! A bunch of villains who reneged on their promise?!” Lu Chuan demanded loudly while he and his men stood around Li Mu protectively.
Li Mu looked up and gazed at the approaching champions and warriors with cold steely silence.
“This is a coalition on a crusade to eradicate the evil Li Zhiyuan, not some excursion to a park. Call us whatever you want, but Li Zhiyuan’s not leaving this place!” the Champion of the Western Wilderness smirked with glee.
“That’s right! Li Zhiyuan’s not leaving this place alive or Molderad will forever be engulfed in death and carnage!”
“We’re doing this in the name of good! We’ll do whatever it takes to decimate all evil!”
The Pandora’s Box of the coalition’s ambition, greed, hunger, and self-satisfaction had been thrown open and there no longer was any way to close it back again. Li Zhiyuan must be killed right here and right now for every member of the coalition knew very well that a second chance like now would never once again be visited upon them. He was just too omnipotent beyond comprehension and everyone was only too eager to unravel what secrets Li Zhiyuan guarded and h.o.a.rd them for themselves.
“STAND BACK, I’M WARNING YOU!” Lu Chuan bellowed as he tried to help Li Mu up.
But there was no way out and the enemies were coming.
“None of you are leaving this place alive. Li Zhiyuan is going to die today and the Creed of Divinity shall be going down into the grave with him!” the Champion of the Western Wilderness sneered.
Seething and frustrated, Lu Chuan could barely respond.
All of a sudden, the unexpected happened.
A figure dove out of nowhere. Barreling through the air enveloped by the image of a slithering dragon, he broke through the crowd and the ring of warriors surrounding Li Mu, Lu Chuan, and his men and stood in front of them. “We are forces of the good! What difference would there be between us and the forces of evil if we break on our own word?!”
His argument came as loud and forceful as a sledgehammer.
The Dragon of Arcusstone Nie Renlong had finally decided to act.
Sternly, he stood in front of Li Mu and s.h.i.+elded him. “So long as I am here, Arcusstone will never sit back while you commit something as treacherous as this!”
Lu Chuan was beyond words.
He did not expect that the Nie Renlong that he had always held with contempt would spring out and defend them in their hour of need. Nie Renlong really had proved what a great and trusty friend he was.
The warriors all stirred uneasily.
None of them had expected this. The prize that they could practically taste had just slipped out of reach.
“We knew for a long time that you have been in league with the evil monster Li Zhiyuan, Nie Renlong,” thundered the Champion of the Western Wilderness imperiously, “But we’ve been nothing but forthright with you! Have you been so wantonly corrupted that you can discern good and evil anymore? Or do you think that you alone could defy the power of the whole coalition?”