Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 548 - 546: The End of Immortality (Part 2)
This will have a significant impact on the future Emperor's personnel.
Some interested parties have already quietly thought to themselves, "Members of the Imperial Family are probably going to undergo a reshuffle."
「...」
In the prison of the Imperial Capital's Inspection Department, Lu Luo was bound by the strongest sealing chains of the Inspection Department and locked inside an experimental apparatus—a culture vessel filled with nutrient solution. Lu Luo was naked, with various types of tubes inserted all over his body. The Imperial Inspection Department, the Medical Division, and the Research Institutions were extracting blood, skin, hair, and even marrow from Lu Luo. They wanted to study Lu Luo's condition and, by the way, find out if Lu Luo was really dead or not!
This was a perplexing issue. Was Lu Luo really dead?
From a medical standpoint, he was already dead. No heartbeat, no brainwaves, not even the aura of the living. But strangely, Lu Luo's body seemed not to be dead. The blood drawn from him still showed vitality. But this vitality was no longer strong, and there was even a possibility of it dissipating. And at this time, Lu Luo, with not even a trace of Transcendent aura on his body, relied on nutrient solution to maintain his life force. He seemed to have truly become an ordinary person, as ordinary as one could be. The researchers could not sense the presence of Sequence in his body, nor any energy; his physique was no longer formidable. They even began to doubt whether this Lu Luo was the real Lu Luo at all.
"Minister Zhang has arrived!"
"Hmm, just having a look around."
Zhang Changming slowly walked to the front of Lu Luo's culture vessel, not doing anything out of line, such as preventing others from taking Lu Luo away or stopping Lu Luo from being put into the culture vessel. Because Zhang Changming knew very well that these people were the real professionals. He himself was merely a Transcendent, an amateur. They were more capable of saving people than he was. The current situation with Lu Luo was obviously problematic; even if he tried to take him away, he would be helpless. Perhaps he would even cause Lu Luo to die on the spot. Rather than that, it was better to leave Lu Luo here. Let them study him; maybe they would find a glimmer of hope for Lu Luo's survival.
"How's the situation now?"
"It's still the same, no effective improvement. His life force still needs the nutrient solution for maintenance. But we can now confirm one thing: Lu Luo's body has not yet died!"
"Can he wake up within ten days?"
"It's not clear right now; further observation is needed. However, in his current state, even if he were to wake up, it wouldn't mean much. He has lost all his power completely. We tried everything—his blood, muscles, hair, even his semen. No use; there's no reaction at all. He's done for."
The researchers' assessment left Zhang Changming somewhat helpless, but he also knew that what they said was mostly true. Lu Luo was done for; even if he could wake up at this moment, he was thoroughly ruined. This degree of energy loss, the dissipation of his Sequence, and a life force so weak it relied on nutrient solution for maintenance—in such a state, even if Lu Luo woke up, recovery was impossible.
"Is that so... Well, I understand."
Zhang Changming felt somewhat helpless and took out his phone after the researcher left. He dialed a number! This number was Bai Yuetong's, but his finger lingered on the call button for a while, and in the end, he didn't press it.
Better keep Lu Luo's situation under wraps for now!
But in his current state, once ten days are up, the Empire will definitely execute him. No one would keep providing for a man who was as good as dead. Using Lu Luo to soothe the people's pain from the war and boost morale was the best choice now. This was the only value Lu Luo held at this moment.
"Lu Luo, if you could wake up... Forget it!"
Zhang Changming left, only Lu Luo remained, floating in the culture vessel.
「...」
In the following days, the situation in the war became even more critical. Wu Ye Ji, just as she said herself, personally took up arms and charged into battle. And at the cost of serious injuries, she killed an Eighth Order Monarch-level Exotic Species. This military achievement had surpassed that of many professional soldiers. Everyone who went to battle was giving it their all. Behind them lay the Empire, their homeland. There were their wives, children, and families. They had no retreat. So, at this moment, humanity exploded with astonishing power.
But all this changed nothing. Although Bai Mo and Gu Tianfeng, together with the remaining nine Eighth Order experts, could contend with the two Angel Envoys Meiqi and Leviathan, the stalemate between the two sides was not without cost. On the human side, two Eighth Order experts had been severely injured. The characteristic of humans, usually being potent in energy, couldn't compete with the Exotic Species in terms of Constitution. This was an issue of age, as well as an inevitable outcome. If it were a single wave of battle, then this characteristic wouldn't be much of an issue, as energy could suppress the physical aspect, and that would be the end of it. However, in the war against the Angel Envoys, whether it was energy or physical strength, they were unable to exert dominance. To the Angel Envoys, an attack that wasn't strong enough was merely a scratch. Therefore, every time they attacked an Angel Envoy, they had to give it their all. The consumption of energy left them without protection, and eventually, they were scattered by Meiqi and Leviathan. Although Leviathan also bore injuries, they were almost negligible. As for Meiqi, she was even more relaxed; from Gu Tianfeng's perspective, up until now, Meiqi had not used her full strength. In such a war of attrition, the disadvantages of the human side grew increasingly apparent!
「...」
In the conference room, Wu Ye Ji, gravely wounded, had come for a crucial strategy meeting. While the war had been going on for less than ten days, its brutality had surpassed many people's imagination. The Angel Envoys' objective had become very clear by now: they intended to annihilate the Human Race. Thus, this time, there was no retreat.
In the conference room, Gu Tianfeng also warned the military leadership present to avoid any rash thoughts at this time that could disturb the morale of the troops. "The goal of the Angel Envoys is very clear now: they will kill everyone. Those who had secretly gone over to surrender have all been killed and then strung up in front of the trenches. Now, is there anyone else who wishes to surrender?"
Turncoats are always present, even under the existential crisis facing humanity, and indeed, some had acted. They slipped away from the military camp under the cover of night, seeking to surrender to the Angel Envoys. But the end result was just as Gu Tianfeng had described: they were skinned and then hung in front of the trenches. This was an extremely cruel method. Normally, in human wars, whether it was a true surrender or a feigned one, this kind of situation would not occur. These individuals clearly did not understand the mentality of the Exotic Species. They had never intended to coexist peacefully with humans; from the beginning to the end, their sole purpose was one: to kill all humans. Under this premise, surrender and stratagems were meaningless. Because the Angel Envoys now believed they possessed absolute power!
In fact, such confidence was only natural. Although the two sides were currently at a stalemate and the human army was continuously arriving, the reality was that the human leadership had already discerned the situation. Unless someone could defeat Meiqi and Leviathan, the human Alliance forces were destined to fail! As for when they would fail... that depended on how long Gu Tianfeng and Bai Mo, two War God-level experts, could hold out.
"It's almost been ten days. Bring Lu Luo over. Right now, the soldiers need some morale!"
"Yes!"
Wu Ye Ji, upon hearing Gu Tianfeng mention Lu Luo, opened her mouth but, in the end, said nothing. She had been closely monitoring Lu Luo's situation. To say it was very bad would be an understatement, at least it was so for now. Without energy or Constitution, there was no possibility of recovery. Therefore, Lu Luo had to die; his death could be used to quell the fear in the soldiers' hearts and ignite their fighting spirit, to stir up the soldiers' hatred and ultimately, launch a final charge against the Exotic Species. This may sound cruel, but war has always been so!
「...」
In the Imperial Capital's laboratory, Lu Luo was still floating in the culture vessel. The researchers looked at him with some regret. If nothing unexpected happened, Lu Luo would be sent away today at noon. Having researched for so long and still coming away empty-handed was quite frustrating. If Lu Luo were as powerful as he had appeared to be that day, he should have had significant research value. Unfortunately, they had not found any breakthrough. Besides, the current state of the war did not allow them to continue doing so.
"Prepare to send the subject away," the lead doctor nodded, ready to let go.
However, Zhang Changming spoke at this moment, "Doctor, the Commander-in-Chief said that we can use the experimental weapon now."
The doctor was slightly taken aback, his expression turning unpleasant. "Is the front line that tight? Conventional weapons..."
"Conventional weapons still have an effect on Lord-level aberrations, but against beings at the Great Lord level, explosive weapons can hardly harm them. So now, we are at a point where we have no other choice!"
"I understand. I will prepare immediately. Start preparing the target lock-on!"
"Yes, Doctor. Everything is for the Empire."
"Yes, everything is for the Empire."
「...」
At noon, some members of the Inspection Department fished Lu Luo out of the culture vessel. They simply dressed him in some clothes, then placed him on a transport rack. Zhang Changming took another look at Lu Luo and seeing that Lu Luo remained unchanged, he finally chose to give up.
"Who would have thought that you'd end here!"
"Let's go."
He turned around to issue the command to move out, and with Lu Luo's transport rack in tow, boarded the troop carrier headed for the front lines. When members of the Inspection Department put Lu Luo into the troop carrier, Lu Luo's fingers suddenly twitched. The sharp-eyed member of the Inspection Department seemed to have noticed Lu Luo's movement. He stared at Lu Luo's finger, wanting to confirm whether he had seen it wrong or not. But after a long time, Lu Luo did not move again. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
"Hey, what are you looking at?"
"He seemed to have moved just now."
"Moved?" Members of the Inspection Department were not like those who took money for nothing. The caliber of Inspection Department personnel, who were Transcendent, had always been among the best in the Empire. So upon hearing his teammate say this, they immediately took it seriously.
"Inform the minister!"
"Minister, Lu Luo seems to be showing signs of revival."
"Revival?" Zhang Changming was startled and immediately jumped down from the vehicle, flying over. Walking briskly to the side of Lu Luo's transport rack, Zhang Changming looked at him intently and then pinched Lu Luo's arm. "Lu Luo, if you're awake, stop playing dead. This country, your family, they all need you. Wake up!"
The Lu Luo in front of him had no response whatsoever. However, in the unconscious realm of Lu Luo's mind, he had already heard Zhang Changming's voice.
"Old Zhang, huh..."
At this moment, Lu Luo was arranging toy blocks within the Doomsday Disc, which would have made an Angel Envoy drop their jaw in astonishment if any were present. The toy blocks Lu Luo was arranging were, in fact, blocks made of Sequence particles. Destroyer, Devourer, Fusioner, and others were all in the list. These powerful Sequences were manipulated at will in his hands, utterly compliant, as if created objects would respect the will of their creator.
"It's about done!"
Lu Luo reassembled the blocks, and all the Sequences returned to their places at the same moment. The Doomsday Disc, like a clock, started to slowly turn.
"Leviathan, Meiqi... I never thought this moment would come so soon. But since it has already arrived, then... Let's start!"
「...」
In reality, Zhang Changming shook his head disappointedly; Lu Luo had not awakened. He seemed to have lost all hope, appearing somewhat irritable and despondent. The existence of Lu Luo was no longer just about providing an explanation for the Emperor's death. If Lu Luo were alive, his existence could give great confidence to others. Because Lu Luo was incredibly strong, his strength and his rate of growth could give Zhang Changming solid ground—the foundation to fight against the Angel Envoys, to drag the conflict out. Gu Tianfeng and Bai Mo were too old; their age would not support them through a complicated and fierce battle.
Just as Zhang Changming was about to leave again, Lu Luo, lying in the rack, suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed Zhang Changming's hand.
"How many days has it been?"
"Eh! It's been ten days," Zhang Changming replied honestly.
"That long, huh... What's the situation now?"
"Exotic Species have already begun attacking the Western Suburbs; you need to think of something."
When Lu Luo awoke, Zhang Changming, amidst his joy, felt even more bewildered. Because it felt entirely natural for Lu Luo to be asking him questions at this moment, even though the situation itself was hugely incongruent. Especially in the eyes of the other people in the transport team, who saw Minister Changming actually conversing with Lu Luo, a criminal of the gravest crimes. And he appeared quite obedient, even asking Lu Luo to think of a solution. What on earth was going on with the world?
"Minister, isn't this man a criminal? Our current mission is to escort him to the front lines. The Commander-in-Chief needs his death to quell the soldiers' fear..."
The Inspection Department member stopped mid-sentence, unable to continue, because both Lu Luo and Zhang Changming were staring at him intently. Being stared at by the world's top criminal, even an excellent member of the Inspection Department would feel a bit frightened. After all, this man before them had killed their Emperor just a few days ago.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Don't you see I'm discussing matters?"
"Ah, understood."
After getting scolded by Zhang Changming, the person finally fell silent.
Lu Luo, unexpectedly, was somewhat relentless. "Old Zhang, your team-leading skills seem to have deteriorated recently!"
"It's chaotic now. This person isn't one of mine; later, he'll be sweeping toilets."
"Fine by me!"
The two briefly discussed the current situation in the Empire, and learning that Meiqi had already made her move against the Empire, Lu Luo sighed deeply. "She wants my body, which is normal because my body hides things she likes. Even so, I have to go there. If I don't, your defeat is certain."
"Then you... be careful." Zhang Changming thought for a long time but still didn't know what to say. He could only give some admonitions to Lu Luo here, which were of little use, but for himself, they were a kind of mental comfort.
"Alright, I'm off. Everyone, take care."
Lu Luo slowly stood up, and at the moment he rose, vitality, power, endless Dark Energy, all flowed into his body. This scene completely shocked the other members of the Inspection Department. Lu Luo's strength was visibly increasing. First Tier, Second Tier, Third Tier... By the time he left the camp, he had already reached Fourth Tier. And he was still absorbing the power around him, still devouring the life around him. This power was more heart-shaking than facing an Eighth Order.
"Minister, he's gone."
"I know, but he is the one the Commander-in-Chief wants. Is it really okay to let him go like this?"
Zhang Changming glanced at this person. "He is supposed to go to the front lines. What difference does it make if we let him go or not? Besides, even if I say no, do you think we could win against him? Why bother giving up our lives for nothing?"
"Even the Minister can't beat him?"
"I haven't been able to beat him for a long time now. His growth rate is too outrageous!"
"But he killed the Emperor, this matter..."
"You don't understand at all. He's not a criminal; he is the savior of the Empire."
「...」
On the battlefield at the front line, Gu Tianfeng faced off against Meiqi in person. His hunched body seemed very weak, while Meiqi, in her Medusa form, did not seem to take Gu Tianfeng seriously at all.
"Kid, the limits of the human body are holding you back. If you were an Exotic Species, maybe you could go even further. Such a talent, what a pity!"
Gu Tianfeng being called a kid sounded a bit odd, but if you consider Meiqi's age, it was not strange at all. Gu Tianfeng was only 103 years old, while Meiqi was over 1,500 years old. There was simply no comparison between the two of them. Despite being at a disadvantage, Gu Tianfeng had no intention of bowing his head. He would never compromise with an Angel Envoy.
"You won't win."
"Why are you so confident?"
"The Human Race will prevail, as it always has."
"Is that so!" Meiqi's eyes suddenly opened wide, and the petrifying light instantly shone on Gu Tianfeng. The iron staff in Gu Tianfeng's hands began to petrify, and he himself was struggling to stand in front of Meiqi. He couldn't close his eyes, nor could he turn his body away. When facing a Ninth Tier Angel Envoy, if you dare close your eyes, you must then face her merciless onslaught. So, Gu Tianfeng had to use the energy in his body to resist the Angel Envoy.
While a War God-level expert was indeed the pinnacle of humanity, in one-on-one combat, they could no longer contend with an Angel Envoy. Not to mention that the current Meiqi was no ordinary Angel Envoy. She was more violent and much more powerful than a normal Angel Envoy.
"Still holding on? Hahaha, die then!" Around Meiqi's eyes, black scales began to emerge, her pupils turned red, and patterns like eye shadow appeared at the corners of her eyes. At the same time, Gu Tianfeng also felt a much stronger impact. He felt both his body and spirit burning with a special kind of flame. But he couldn't let this flame really ignite him. Gu Tianfeng had a premonition that if he were truly ignited, he would undoubtedly die.
"I told you, the Human Race will prevail!" Gu Tianfeng violently thrust his iron staff, which gradually turned to stone as it flew toward Meiqi, then shattered into ash, dispersing in the air. This counterattack had no effect on Meiqi. Gu Tianfeng, enduring both the Netherflame and the petrifying light, began to walk toward Meiqi. This kind of energy clash was meaningless; the Human Race's advantage in skill could not be brought into play. That's why, at this moment, he had to get close to Meiqi and engage in close combat in order to have a chance!
"I was originally planning to delay you a bit longer, to wear down the vitality of your human army. Now it seems there's no need. The Empire's experts have almost all arrived, right? There are so few of you. In these years, it seems the Human Race has appeared strong but is actually waning! Even the instrument for sealing Angel Envoys has been abandoned. Your defeat is almost certain. If you wish for death, then I will grant it to you. Obsidian Sun!"
In Meiqi's fingertips, a black sun slowly rose. This sun blazed with the rolling Netherflame, and under its glow, all the corpses on the battlefield began to burn. The remnants of energy within these corpses became the best fuel for the Netherflame. And those who were fighting, if touched by the Netherflame, would also be ignited. The burning of Netherflame was almost impossible to resist unless your power was above the Netherflame; otherwise, you simply couldn't contend with it. After the Obsidian Sun came to life, the entire battlefield was filled with lamentation!
The Leviathan, flying in the sky, was entangled in a battle with several Eighth Order experts. After the rise of the Black Sun, it too let out a loud laugh. Before the Eighth Order experts realized what was happening, the Leviathan suddenly spewed out a mouthful of black water, spraying it into the sky. The black water was also ignited by Netherflame. In an instant, all the Eighth Order experts fighting the Leviathan, including Bai Mo, were contaminated by the Netherflame.
"The power of Netherflame is the true terror! With Meiqi's help, I can effortlessly wipe you all out!" The Leviathan had also been fighting frustratingly these past few days, and Meiqi's dominance had already caused it to become dissatisfied. However, there was no helping it, as it wasn't as strong as Meiqi right now. On its own, it didn't have sufficient organizational capabilities either. Even with its original strength, it couldn't contend with the numerous human experts. It had no choice but to give up some things to receive Meiqi's help. But the Leviathan wasn't without a brain; it could use Meiqi's power to ease its own pressure during battle, just like it was doing now. "Hahahaha! Burn them to death!"
The destructive power of the Netherflame plunged everyone on the battlefield into despair. Even Gu Tianfeng and Bai Mo knew very well that if they allowed the Netherflame to keep burning like this, they would undoubtedly collapse! And it would be a rout in a single battle, with absolutely no chance for a turnaround. But now, the problem was that they seemed to have no means to counter the Netherflame!
"Are we going to lose?" As Gu Tianfeng struggled, doubts arose in his heart!
But just then, he suddenly felt that object in his embrace!
That object... was it the Mechanical Heart? This thing was given to him by Lu Luo.
"No, we haven't lost yet!"
Suddenly, amidst the Alliance forces, a large missile launcher device stood upright. The electronic glow flickered in the pinpoint eyes it formed, its view scanning back and forth between humans and the Exotic Species, finally settling on those Exotic Species rushing towards the humans.
[Angel Envoy presence detected, executing Mechanical Heart's final defense command: Expel!]
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
Dozens of missiles shot out from its back, instantly repelling the Exotic Species that were in front. Behind this Mechanical Species, more and more Mechanical Species stood up. Like waiting for their final mission to arrive, they rose again here. Cannons, missiles, lasers, and the Mechanical Heart species, as humanity's last resort, began to battle the hordes of Exotic Species. Their bodies of steel provided the finest protection for the Human Race. The bodies of Mechanical Species could also withstand the burning of Netherflame for a short time—indeed the best countermeasure at this moment!
"For the Empire!" A person, engulfed by Netherflame, stood up. After he stood up, more and more people also stood up. "For the Empire!"
Their bodies were already ignited by Netherflame, beyond healing, a nearly certain death situation. Yet under such circumstances, they charged directly into the Exotic Species' ranks, spreading the Netherflame on their bodies onto the other Exotic Species. The indiscriminate attack effect of the Netherflame was also displayed at this moment. With the Human Race's suicidal charge, more and more Exotic Species were set ablaze by the Netherflame. The discipline of the Exotic Species was almost entirely based on fear of superiors; they could hardly be said to have willpower. Fear, dread, retreat—all these situations emerged among the Exotic Species. While humans, spurred by a strong will born from despair, burst forth. Exotic Species fell in droves, whereas humans were gaining ground. At this moment, the battlefield almost saw a tendency to turn around.
Wu Ye Ji, holding a war sword and wrapped in numerous bandages, led the charge. "For the Empire! Today, we must prevail!"
"Victory!"
The Human Race launched another assault, relying on teamwork, exquisite skills, and formidable energy, along with the assistance of a large number of Mechanical Species. For the first time, they broke through the Exotic Species' army. Out of control, the Exotic Species were close to a rout, being wantonly slaughtered by humans. They couldn't even muster the will to resist. In the face of life and death, even the pressure from Meiqi, the Tenth Angel Envoy, was futile.
"Do you see that, Orochi? I told you, the Human Race will be victorious!"
Meiqi glanced at the ground; the retreat of the vast Exotic Species army was indeed beyond her expectations. The number of the Exotic Species army could be said to be several times that of humans; unexpectedly, they were so easily defeated. It was no wonder the Exotic Species couldn't establish kingdoms. However, she didn't care much about the death of these Exotic Species. As anything—any product or living creature—exposed to Dark Energy could mutate into a bunch. Just give them a bit of nourishment, and they can grow rapidly. So, Meiqi didn't care how many Exotic Species died.
"Hmph, they are just cannon fodder after all. Isn't the value of cannon fodder to die?"
Meiqi suddenly grabbed Gu Tianfeng, who had been approaching her, in her hand. "Didn't you want to get close to me and fight me at close quarters? Now I've given you the chance, but sadly, you're not up to the task!"
Meiqi's strength had utterly surpassed Gu Tianfeng's expectations. He couldn't understand why her energy was nearly boundless, which should mean her body was quite weak. But why was her physique now also so formidable?
"Ugh!" Gu Tianfeng was unable to speak, about to be crushed to death in Meiqi's grip.
However, the next second, a steam giant appeared in front of her!
Deliberate Bombardment Fist!
The punch's force repelled Meiqi and also saved Gu Tianfeng. When Gu Tianfeng looked at the newcomer, he found to his surprise that it was a girl about 14-15 years old!
"Who are you?"
"My name is Lu Xiaotian. You can call me Nightmare Demon!"
Lu Xiaotian clenched her fist sharply, and the steam giant in the sky clenched its fist as well. With one punch from her, she struck right in front of Meiqi, but it was again blocked by Meiqi's Netherflame.
"My goddaughter! Why betray Mother? Was I not good to you before?"
"Hmph, good my ass, you snake spirit! You should've died long ago!"
Lu Xiaotian's foul mouth should probably be largely blamed on Lu Luo. However, at this moment, Lu Xiaotian indeed possessed the Eighth Order human purple Sequence and the power and physique of an Eighth Order Exotic Species Monarch. Just like Lu Luo, she was a true dual-power wielder. This gave her the ability to confront Meiqi at this moment. But Meiqi was utterly unconcerned about Lu Xiaotian's arrival.
"Naïve little girl!" She suddenly yanked on the Obsidian Sun in the sky! This object, akin to a black sun, began to fall from the sky. As the Obsidian Sun descended, the Netherflame on the ground blazed hotter than ever!
Lu Xiaotian looked at the black sun, struggling internally. But in the end, she still stepped forward. The steam giant's feet hit the ground, its hands raised, bracing the black sun with brute force. Lu Xiaotian suddenly opened her mouth wide, and the Netherflame from the Obsidian Sun began to be siphoned away, flowing bit by bit into her mouth. The power of Nightmare Demon was also to manipulate Netherflame. Although it wasn't as potent in controlling life and death as Meiqi, it could unravel Meiqi's techniques.
However, with Lu Xiaotian resisting the black sun, there was nobody to confront Meiqi. The outmatched Gu Tianfeng could only call for help from Bai Mo! And Bai Mo, this fellow utterly mismatched with Gu Tianfeng, actually came!
"You old geezer, how come you're not dead yet?"
"How could I die if you're still alive?"
When they met, they first hurled insults at each other, and then, regrouping, they started to fight Meiqi together. Their contradictions, hatred, and grievances were internal affairs. But the invasion of the Angel Envoy was an external matter. Now that humanity was at a moment of life and death, internal hatred was irrelevant. Because today, they both might die here.
"Maybe this time, I really will die!" Gu Tianfeng suddenly said.
"Hmph, dying alongside a bastard like you, that's truly unlucky."
Though they continued to insult each other, they charged at Meiqi together! As War Gods of the Human Race, they represented humanity's last glimmers of glory!
But as they joined forces against Meiqi, a new problem arose with Leviathan. Leviathan's body was already massive, and the remaining group of Eighth Order experts were either injured or crippled. Now, scorched by another wave of Netherflame, their condition became even more desperate. Leviathan wreaked havoc within the group, quickly killing an Eighth Order expert. The reduction in their numbers made their struggle even harder! And they were on the verge of collapsing.
Hei Ya finally spoke up, "It wasn't used against Lu Luo last time, this time..."
"This time it's not needed either!" Lu Luo's voice suddenly rang out behind him. A Swift Shadow with a black and red greatsword charged towards Leviathan.
Leviathan saw Lu Luo and opened its massive eyes. "Lu Luo, you've finally shown up!"
"Oh, ready to die? Don't worry, I'll make sashimi out of you."
To the people of the Wasteland Alliance, the Sky Behemoth was like a lucky fish. Perhaps it wasn't truly a lucky star, but to most in the Alliance, spotting the Sky Behemoth meant a lucky day. Lu Luo considered himself an Alliance man too, so...
From now on, his luck had maxed out.
Sword Heart Four Styles—Soul Breaker!
Lu Luo drew his sword and charged forward, stepping on the massive head of Leviathan and rushing forward. The sword's blade sliced along Leviathan's body, with destructive power bursting from the tip of Lu Luo's sword. The powerful force split Leviathan in two with this single blow. Massive amounts of blood spilled into the sky!
The onlookers were completely astonished by this scene!
Lu Luo killed an Angel Envoy with a single sword strike? He killed a Ninth Tier Angel Envoy with one strike? Then... should they still hold him accountable for his crimes? Or, wait until he has killed all these Angel Envoys before tallying up anything else?
The people below were optimistic, but Lu Luo, flying above, wasn't especially optimistic.
If Angel Envoys were really that easy to kill, would they still be called Angel Envoys? Of course not!
After Lu Luo's sword had cleaved Leviathan, the giant fish's body, although spurting a large amount of blood, did not completely split in two. Its ruptured muscles and blood vessels began to twitch incessantly. They were fusing the severed body back together. Following that, the whiskers on Leviathan's body began to glow; intense energy started swirling around its body.
"Damn it! Of course it wouldn't die so easily." This kind of wide-range attack, even Lu Luo wasn't able to dodge purely with speed. He casually unleashed a few Sword Qis, though they damaged Leviathan, it seemed unlikely that he could interrupt its move at this point.
Whale Fall!
Layer upon layer of halos burst forth from Leviathan. Every single one of its whiskers was a point of energy outburst, signifying that Whale Fall is yet another indiscriminate wide-range attack. It appears that every move of an Angel Envoy shares similar characteristics. Their purpose seemed to be solely for slaughter—to kill other life forms, humans, and even Exotic Species themselves. Whether it is Meiqi or Leviathan, they didn't seem to care about the lives of other creatures. Killing was basically their only choice.
HUM!
Eighth Order beings fell from the sky, unable to withstand such a powerful move. After this wave of Whale Fall, only Lu Luo and Leviathan remained in the sky! Lu Luo had steadfastly withstood the wave with his formidable defenses, along with the damage reduction of an Unbeliever. However, in this passive defense, he found himself in a situation where he was on the receiving end of the beatings.
Lu Luo slowly opened his eyes, only to be met with an eclipse-like shadow. An enormous maw, seemingly without bounds, was swooping down towards him!
Is this... Leviathan's mouth?
Lu Luo had no time to turn tail and run before he was swallowed whole.
BOOM!
As the massive jaws clamped shut, Lu Luo instantly felt a powerful sealing force coming into effect.
"Inside its stomach... there's a sealing power? Whale Swallows All?"
Lu Luo followed Leviathan's esophagus into its stomach. Here, there was actually a hidden town! And judging by the architectural style, it must be a place similar to Sky City! Seeing this, Lu Luo finally understood why Sky City was so small!
Because all the other parts had been swallowed by Leviathan! It had been digesting the Floating City with its gastric juices. This city must be related to its seal! The reason he was swallowed was straightforward—Leviathan wanted to use Lu Luo's hand to completely break the seal. As long as Lu Luo destroys this city from within Leviathan's belly, a large part of the seal burdening Leviathan would be lifted. A simple but effective strategy.
"So the Angel Envoys don't get along perfectly with each other after all!" Lu Luo chuckled. Lifting seals like this could completely be left to Meiqi. But Leviathan hadn't lifted its seal, implying there was not complete trust between it and Meiqi. If it had been before, Lu Luo might have tried to instigate a conflict between the two. But now, there was no longer any need for that. To use Lu Luo to lift the seal? An excellent idea, but the mistake was in swallowing Lu Luo into its belly. Because the Lu Luo of now possessed the power of both the Destroyer and the Devourer!
Sword Heart Second Style, Cover the Rain—Tombstone of Death!
Representing the Destroyer, a dark mist suddenly appeared, mixing with Lu Luo's Sword Qi, starting to drift inside Leviathan's stomach. More and more Sword Qi accumulated. In an instant, Lu Luo released all his power, then concentrated all that power into Sword Qi. The black sword rain, dense and abundant, began to press incessantly on Leviathan's organs.
Lu Luo knew what Leviathan wanted to achieve, and indeed, to get out, he needed to destroy everything here. Because without destroying the city, the sealing power could not be lifted. It meant that he would be sealed within the city just like Leviathan, and he would have to constantly resist the acid inside Leviathan's belly. The city was able to exist inside Leviathan's belly all this time thanks to that layer of sealing power.
"Since you wish to destroy this place, then I shall fulfill your wish." Lu Luo was set on destruction, but his target was not limited to this devoured city. It was everything. "Be destroyed!"
With a gentle swing from Lu Luo, all the Sword Qi chirped like birds.
HUM!
The black rain of swords exploded in an instant, countless strands of Sword Qi piercing through Leviathan's body. How terrifying could Sword Qi containing destructive power be? So terrifying that each strand could strip away meters of Leviathan's flesh. At this moment, Leviathan finally understood what Lu Luo had obtained, what he possessed! The power of destruction! It was a power even more dreadful and outrageous than the Devourer's.
"You've obtained... Yang?" Whether it was a gasp of astonishment or a final testament. As soon as the words left Leviathan, its hundred-thousand-meter body burst apart in mere moments. Massive amounts of flesh floated in the air, raining blood upon the people on the ground! Netherflame scattered here and there ignited that flesh.
But Lu Luo didn't care. He simply stretched out his right hand, gathering all his Netherflame in his palm. Then, the Netherflame from the ground began to converge there. A tearing sensation appeared on Lu Luo's right hand.
This was a side effect of stripping away the Netherflame. Netherflame was Meiqi's power, and if it were any other time, he might have been able to make use of it. But now, Lu Luo could no longer afford to use it! Moreover, he now possessed a far more powerful destructive energy: Destruction! Therefore, the presence of Netherflame had become an obstacle to him killing Meiqi! Now was the time to strip it away!
RIP!
Lu Luo directly tore off his own right arm, no longer needing the limb as a vessel. The rampaging Netherflame immediately devoured Lu Luo's arm. This orb of Netherflame had absorbed all of the surrounding Netherflame, causing a violent explosion right next to Lu Luo!
BOOM!
Anyone close to Lu Luo perished in this blast.
It was only at this moment that Lu Luo understood why the Angel Envoys' powers were all indiscriminate, wreaking havoc on friends and foes alike. Because when it really came down to it, even he couldn't control the unruly power. Any power that reached a certain extent inevitably resulted in destruction.
Lu Luo walked out from the center of the explosion. The severed arm rapidly regrew! The Fusioner's will had infused into his being, and not long after, a brand-new arm appeared before everyone else.
All of them looked at Lu Luo, exclaiming in astonishment. What amazed them was not Lu Luo's regenerating arm, nor Lu Luo's startling endowment, but rather the countless fine tentacles extending from Lu Luo's back. These tentacles pierced into the shattered flesh, absorbing and devouring in bursts. Any perceptive person could see that Lu Luo was devouring the flesh of Exotic Species. Even Wu Ye Ji, who had always been favoring Lu Luo, had disbelief filling her eyes.
"Lu Luo… are you really an Exotic Species?"
Although they were far apart, Lu Luo's perception was now too strong. He turned around, speaking to Wu Ye Ji, "Does it still matter whether I am or not?"
Having said that, he suddenly accelerated the absorption. The bodies of Leviathan and hundreds of thousands of dead Exotic Species were at that moment assimilated into Lu Luo's body. His body began to swell, to grow larger. The black-red skin and muscles, and that pair of demonic horns, all showed Lu Luo's current state. Before, Lu Luo was only four meters tall. But now, he stood at seven meters!
Although this height was nothing compared to Meiqi's Doomsday Orochi form, it was on par with Meiqi's complete Medusa form. This state was exactly what he wanted. It is time!
Endless energy kept flowing toward Lu Luo, and he himself was already charging towards Meiqi. His body shattered the space, and in the blink of an eye, he was in front of Meiqi.
