Chương 118: Divine Falls and the Spoils
Boom!
In the distance, a collision erupted, blending black and red in a chaotic dance. Bai Yi glanced at the half-finished A-031 in his hand, his thoughts silent but heavy. It was undeniably powerful. Despite launching only two ranged attacks, his health had plummeted from 70% to 54%. Losing 8% of health per second was outrageous.
He quickly downed several bottles of spirit and physical recovery potions, feeling a surge of energy course through him. A thin shield materialized—his special mental defense—quickly replenishing itself after being depleted. With a mental power of 675, he was still stronger than Cersis, and despite the recent blow, he could easily recharge the shield four or five times.
As he charged, Bai Yi realized his own shortcomings. The dark side of his abilities needed refinement. If he couldn't awaken its true potential, he'd be at a severe disadvantage against powerful foes. Originally, White Plague had envisioned the dark side as a stronger form, and while its evolution was progressing rapidly, it felt superficial. Besides the panel data, there was little to show for it; he still had to rely on his bright-side abilities to compensate.
In this brief encounter, Bai Yi's opinion of his dark side had sunk. He could overpower the weak, but against the strong, he was merely a punching bag.
"My Lord, the curse on that god is gone. Should we retreat? We can't defeat him," Pu Sheng's weak voice echoed. Despite having just summoned a tiger that was instantly killed, his contributions were not insignificant. Without his curses and weakening spells, Bai Yi wouldn't have been able to approach Cersis, let alone bring the Embrace of Pain to him.
Thanks to their combined efforts, Charles had nearly triumphed. In the original course of events, he might have summoned the [Evil Secret: Black Death]; otherwise, there was no way to defeat a third-stage ancient god.
Ignoring Pu Sheng, Bai Yi focused as his mental defense hit 100%. Now, when he entered the ancient god's realm, he would not only halt health loss but gain shield value from his mental defense. Although the dark and light sides were nearly separated, they still shared the same soul, meaning many of White Plague's abilities were common between them.
As the darkness loomed closer, Bai Yi watched as the remaining ten thousand magnetic mechanical bodies assembled into three giant mechanical hands. He directed them to launch the last three missiles into the sky—each infused with the attributes of ice, thunder, and fire.
The scan initiated, and this time, Bai Yi disregarded Charles's status.
[Charles, HP: 65% → 57% → 71% → 32%]
[Cersis, HP: 81% → 100% → 95% → 100%]
It was clear: Charles, even in his second stage, couldn't contend with Cersis. The level disparity was insurmountable.
Bai Yi retrieved a thousand milliliters of blood essence from his space ring and soaked the Embrace of Pain in it. The immense energy revitalized the weapon instantly. After tossing the mask aside, he sensed the terrifying mental power penetrating the battlefield, locking onto Cersis.
Ding ding ding.
The metallic rhythm of a storm surged again. Ten gold-eating insect cones shot forth, trailing scarlet behind them. Sensing the threat, Cersis prepared to dodge, but an arm of darkness emerged, gripping the back of his sickle.
Part 2
Cersis's movement was halted.
Ding ding ding.
The relentless metallic rhythm closed in. Despite the damage the gold-eating bugs sustained, the strength of their material allowed them to maintain a speed multiplied over three million times.
Puff!
A sound like a bullet striking flesh rang out, and Cersis felt miniature explosions erupt from the numerous small holes on his back. In an instant, his health plummeted to 30%.
Yet, even as he realized he couldn't evade the attack, Cersis wrenched the sickle free.
Clang!
The rapid slicing sound echoed as he severed one of Charles's arms, blood spilling freely—divine and mortal blood mingling as the lines on the ancient god's thin body twisted into grotesque patterns.
Ding ding ding.
The life-threatening metallic music crescendoed. Cersis turned, glaring at Bai Yi. From the beginning, Bai Yi had inflicted the most significant harm on him; had he not been killed before reaching his second form, things would have played out differently.
Clang!
The sickle slashed sideways, cleaving through the darkness that sought to envelop him, momentarily pushing Charles back. With a burst of speed fueled by his 650 agility and strength, Cersis ascended rapidly. Unless faced with an overwhelming number of gold-eating beetles, he could dodge even their spikes.
Now ten thousand meters above the ground, Cersis held his sickle aloft, its massive size stark against his frail form. The sky darkened, shifting from red to pitch black as he raised the weapon, releasing an aura sharp enough to cut through reality itself. Tiny black lines flickered in the air, opening and closing like watchful eyes.
He peered down at the mortals below, his calm voice resonating through the ruins, signaling a moment of reckoning.
"Have you ever seen a real god?"
Charles, who was chasing closely behind, stopped abruptly and began to retreat, running away without hesitation. Bai Yi gathered the remaining gold-eating bugs and frantically rushed ahead.
"Fuck! I'm about to use my ultimate move! Ahhhh! Wait for me!" Pu Sheng's panicked voice echoed as he transformed into a beam of light, lagging slightly behind but clearly conveying his fear.
The three of them scattered in three directions, a strategic move to avoid being wiped out all at once.
In the sky, three magnetic mechanical arms moved in the opposite direction, creating a clanging sound as they activated their missiles. With a sudden burst of speed, they launched towards Cersis.
Cersis's gaze locked onto Bai Yi, and he swung down the massive sickle in his hand, which had grown to several dozen meters long. A giant black crescent-shaped blade, hundreds of meters wide, descended, accompanied by a cluster of tiny twinkling stars.
It was stunningly beautiful.
Hiss~
A faint sound pierced the air as a long tail formed behind the black crescent, as if the very fabric of space was being torn apart. From the tail, a gray figure could be seen wandering aimlessly outside—S-002, lost in Sunset City.
Boom!
A blazing flame erupted in the sky as a fire missile exploded prematurely, unable to halt the black crescent's descent. The flames were swallowed whole.
Boom, boom!
Two consecutive explosions followed, as ice and thunder intertwined, creating a breathtaking firework display in the sky. Though it had the power to obliterate a city, it paled in comparison to the black crescent moon.
The shockwaves from the blasts knocked gods aside, yet they couldn't stop the crescent's advance; they merely diminished its size from several hundred meters to a few dozen.
A fatal sense of crisis washed over Bai Yi. He turned around, realizing the black moon had closed in behind him. His mental defenses crumbled even before the crescent touched him. He couldn't withstand this attack!
He halted, feeling the overwhelming power build within him, and summoned a golden sphere half his height from his space ring.
This is the Sun Salute.
[Name: Ode to the Sun.]
Attributes: Explosive.
Effect: Explosives made with solar energy have a high restraint bonus against undead, filthy, deformed, and dark creatures. The more solar energy added, the greater the power and size of the Sun's Tribute will be.
Current power: 120%
Introduction: Praise the sun as much as you can. All darkness dissipates when the sun shines, right?
Price: 8,000 gold coins.
This solar tribute, formed from two months of sunlight, represented the limit of his power. Solar energy, while formidable, had its constraints; two months' worth could only reach the lower gold level at best.
Yet, Bai Yi knew that the sun's energy was inherently overpowering, particularly against darkness. How could light, the bringer of life, be subdued by shadows?
As the black crescent descended, Bai Yi detonated the Sun Salute without hesitation.
Dong~
It resonated like a temple bell, and golden light erupted. The intense heat pushed the White Plague aside, while the crescent moon, which had defied intercontinental missiles, was halted by the small sun.
The golden flames swirled, attempting to expand but met the resistance of the black crescent. The solar energy surged, fiercely battling against the darkness.
Ding ding ding.
The metallic rhythm of collision echoed as the sun's barrier was struck hard by the crescent moon.
Bang!
At that moment, the black crescent shattered into star-like motes, dissipating and leaving pits on the ground below.
Bai Yi stood, somewhat disheveled. The Apocalypse Curtain equipment had been thoroughly damaged, the sun's energy proving to be too much for it to withstand. His upper body was mostly bare, with only tatters remaining on his lower half.
From the remnants fell his beehive, demon-hunting revolver, and a medicine box, miraculously undamaged.
He grabbed two bottles of life-restoring potion from the box and drank them quickly before stowing the equipment into his space ring. Though slightly damaged, the ring remained sturdy enough to hold its contents.
Looking up, he saw Charles and Pu Sheng rushing back just as the crescent moon locked onto him. Darkness and scarlet intertwined once more as Pu Sheng began casting curses from a distance.
As the dark energies erupted, blood gathered in the sky, forming a massive blood-red cocoon around Cersis. The atmosphere thickened with an ominous aura; the third stage of the Ancient God was imminent.
Pu Sheng, sensing the danger, shouted, "It's started! He's going to explode! Run!"
Bai Yi remained still, observing Charles, who had stopped a thousand meters away. Charles, covered in scars and visibly weakened, appeared helpless.
"There's no other option. We must use every trump card we have left. Ancient gods have many lives but are often weak without their powers. We'll have to grind him down," he said.
Part 2
Boom!
Suddenly, Bai Yi sprang into action, rushing towards the blood-red cocoon in the sky. At the same time, Charles, who had been speaking helplessly moments before, surged ahead. A violent aura of disaster crackled around him.
Pu Sheng, who had been running from the danger, found himself near the giant cocoon alongside the two.
An overwhelming aura surged through the air.
The blood-red cocoon, towering tens of meters high, suddenly shattered, interrupting Cersis's transformation. His body plummeted to the ground like a discarded sack.
A white mask adorned his face, with soul roots deeply embedded in his brain. A pitch-black dagger protruded from his chest, and his skin had taken on a strange black hue.
Bang!
Cersis hit the ground hard, his condition dire. His scarlet eyes peered through the mask's eye sockets, murmuring, "Ants kill gods. I... I don't seem to be... Cersis. Who am I?"
The three ignored the ancient god's last words, forming a triangle around him and exchanging silent glances.
When the Embrace of Pain first pierced Cersis's body, it had introduced a swarm of dormant gold-eating insects, laced with potent alchemical poison from the White Plague. This poison was designed to paralyze the senses, making it difficult for the god to notice the invaders.
Although many of the gold-eating bugs had perished during Cersis's second stage, Bai Yi had noticed the god's momentary relaxation during his transformation—a fleeting sense of rebirth.
While feeding the mask with blood essence, a deal had been struck between the White Plague and the Embrace of Pain: the soul of Cersis for more alchemical poison and gold-eating insects.
Now, the ancient god's body was teeming with these creatures, and he had no hope of completing his transformation. The incessant gnawing of the gold-eating bugs would trigger microscopic explosions, especially in vulnerable areas like the brain. While these blasts might not be fatal, they would certainly inflict severe damage.
Yet, Pu Sheng seemed on the verge of collapse, holding himself together with great effort.
"You've breached the contract," Bai Yi said, eyeing Pu Sheng coolly.
Confirming Bai Yi's words, an overwhelming aura of the abyss darkened the sky, radiating a threat greater than that of the god. Pu Sheng glanced between Charles and Bai Yi, feeling the pressure build.
"Sorry, I still have some time left. Let's discuss our terms. I want his soul," he said, spreading his hands in resignation.
Charles sighed, "You're not going to die; that's outrageous. Fine, I want the ancient god's body."
Both turned their gazes to Bai Yi.
After a moment of thought, Bai Yi calculated their chances. With 70% of the gold-eating bugs consumed and the magnetic mechanical bodies obliterated, he realized he couldn't compete at this moment.
"The sickle, the core of the world," Bai Yi stated calmly.
"Perfect, no conflict," Pu Sheng replied with a smile. "Everyone's happy, right, my friends?"
Charles nodded in agreement, recognizing the value of a complete body. As for the god's mission, he cared little. When interests clashed, he would protect his own.
Bai Yi raised his hand.
Ding ding ding.
The metallic rhythm resonated, and three mechanical cones shot towards the ancient god's forehead, heart, and neck with incredible speed.
[Ding, you killed the ancient god by surpassing your level.]
As the notification echoed, the three exchanged glances and vanished simultaneously.
Cersis's form fractured rapidly as Bai Yi snatched a purple orb with red lines and a three-meter-long sickle from the remnants of the ancient god's body.
Only Pu Sheng's voice echoed in frustration: "Bai Yi, you're trying to trick me? Take off that mask!"
Bai Yi and Charles turned to leave, ignoring Pu Sheng's furious shouts.
"Don't eat that mask! I told you it's mine! I'll use the soul of an ancient god as a sacrifice to join the abyss!"
"Wait, 70% of the ancient god's soul! No, 60% of the soul!!"
"Abyss, I—"
Boom!
A blood-red lightning bolt struck from the sky, plunging the scene into silence.
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