Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 837 - 836: Earthly Branches

Crash!

The ground shattered, walls cracked, and the dome shook.

A flaming longsword, stretching over a hundred meters, illuminated the dim underground space like a torch. Everywhere it passed, metal melted like hot wax,

and the number 39 printed on the wall dissolved and peeled away.

Covered in bright silver armor, Michael hovered mid-air, with a halo above his head and pure white wings on his back,

like… no, it was indeed an angel, wielding the sword of flames, annihilating the enemies before it.

And its opponent...

The Side Truth,

the president of the Demon Scientist Alliance, cloaked in a yellow robe, with a face shrouded in the shadow of a hood, stood atop a carnivorous vine monster made of stardust (ordinary vine monsters appear as sluggish carnivorous plants, their bodies covered in plant tentacles),

a crystal shield floating nearby,

utilizing psychic abilities to control the starry vine monster, overcoming its instinctive fear of raging flames, extending its tentacles to restrain the angel's flaming sword.

Hoenhem,

a Clock Tower Mage, wearing a brown trench coat with a pen tucked into the breast pocket, and holding a thick book, appeared to be a very ordinary university professor.

The only difference was that from the gaps in the pages of the book in his hand, endless light, like dust, continuously seeped out,

If any player skilled in Otherworldly languages were present, they would surely recognize the book's cover and title.

The Book of Sand.

"Kadeesh mal, Kadeesh mal. Pared oss, Pared..."

The irresistible sword of flames slashed obliquely forward,

prompting the instantaneous shattering of dozens of layers of invisible barriers before Hoenhem, forcing him to halt his incantation and close the Book of Sand,

merging into the ground and reappearing hundreds of meters off at another site.

Swish—

Two afterimages streaked through the air, converging from left and right towards the airborne Michael,

However, Michael merely flapped its wings, conjuring a powerful repulsion seemingly out of nothing, repelling the two afterimages, shaking them off as they gouged long marks into the ground upon landing.

The figures braced their hands against the ground, halting their retreat, revealing themselves to be Lose Control and Tai Hao.

In the small 39th floor, four out of the top five ranked individual warriors appeared, with Tai Hao included, the pinnacle strength of the entire kill game assembled here.

And observing the battle, it shockingly was Lose Control, Tai Hao, Hoenhem, and the Side Truth jointly attacking Michael...

Of course, calling it a joint attack would be inaccurate since the four were mutually guarded against each other as well.

The Side Truth, focusing on the Mental Ability Creation System, constantly released formless and intangible spiritual energy tentacles, extending them around,

inadvertently or otherwise, invading regions where the other three stood;

every time Hoenhem merged into the ground, he appeared in a different location, trying to maintain distance from the others.

Subtly connected by threads between various points, forming masses, covering the entirety of the area;

"Heh—"

Lose Control slowly stood up from the ground, exhaling a dense electric-light laden breath, twisting his neck with crisp cracking sounds.

"Cough, cough!"

Tai Hao coughed while brushing off the dust from his body, looking up into the air,

Michael casually wielded the sword of flames, slicing the giant starry vine monster's vine limbs like chopping vegetables.

Tai Hao sighed deeply, saying to Lose Control: "If things keep going this way, it won't work. Its spiritual power is almost inexhaustible.

The other two keep only going through the motions, guarding against us."

"Time is on our side."

Lose Control said expressionlessly, flexing his wrist: "We can wear it down eventually."

"But the other two don't think so."

Tai Hao chuckled bitterly: "Forget it, I'll give it a shot."

Taking a deep breath, a gleam flickered in his eyes as he murmured: "In the Year of Kun Dun, fog arises, great waters emerge..."

A clear spring quietly appeared in Tai Hao's palm, the water rapidly evaporating, transforming into a vapor which coiled around his arm like an air dragon.

Kun Dun, Kun, Chaos; Dun, Murkiness. It speaks of the primordial chaos of yang energy, the sprouting of all things.

Known as an alternate name for the Twelve Earthly Branch "Zi."

"Taiyin is in Chou, named Akefenruo, Jupiter dwells in Wei, Ji..."

The Misty Qilong grew rapidly with the wind, slowly ascending in Tai Hao's murmured chanting, filling the air.

Chi Fen Ruo, born of the clear, bright wind.

Another name for the Twelve Earthly Branches "Chou".

Chou, the knot, Yang energy above, not yet descended.

"She Ti loses its place, Meng Zou has no record..."

The Air Dragon rapidly evolves, gradually transforming into the sun, moon, stars, mountains, oceans, flying birds and beasts, fields and palaces, peddlers and laborers...

She Ti, Kàng Su, one of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions.

Another name for the Twelve Earthly Branches "Yin".

Yin means moving, all things begin to sprout at Yin.

Tai Hao's power system is named "Ten Heavenly Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches", corresponding to the Ten Heavenly Stems: Yi Feng, Zhan Meng, Rou Zhao, Qiang Yu, Zhu Yong, Tu Wei, Shang Zhang, Zhong Guang, Xuan Yi, Zhao Yang,

and the Twelve Earthly Branches: Kun Dun, Chi Fen Ruo, She Ti Ge, Dan An, Zhi Xu, Great Wilderness Fall, Dun Zang, Xie Qia, Tun Tan, Zuo E, Yan Mao, Da Yuan Xian (later simplified to Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, etc.).

A total of twenty-two levels and twenty-two types of spells.

Containing the principles of Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, the sequence of the sun and moon, and the cycle of life and death.

At this moment, Tai Hao only used the Earthly Branches Kun Dun, Chi Fen Ruo, and She Ti Ge,

summoning a sea of clouds resembling the sun, moon, and stars, descending sweet dew,

the underground space, which had been scorched unbearably hot by the Sword of Flames wielded by Michael, rapidly cooled,

the metal stopped melting, the ground ceased to crack, and the dome calmed its shaking.

Hoenhem's expression remained unchanged, the stardust from the Book of Sand in his hands seemed to stagnate in the air, frozen still.

Upon the Carnivorous Vine Monster's back, the Speed of the Side Truth's movements suddenly slowed down, as if stepping into semi-solid gelatin.

Of course, this wasn't Tai Hao's power alone — his uninhibited left hand turned from a fist into an open palm, a massive Metal Shield appeared in his grasp, shielding him and Tai Hao both,

while his right hand rested on Tai Hao's shoulder, providing an endless flow of Spiritual Power.

With their combined strength, Tai Hao swiftly chanted the Earthly Branches Dan An, Zhi Xu, and Great Wilderness Fall,

The dense mist grew and expanded, filling the entire underground space,

The gentle rain descending from the clouds drenched the Flaming Sword in Michael's hand, surprisingly softening the eternal blaze, stripping away its previous aggression.

Tai Hao's face quickly turned pale and bloodless, his voice strained, "All things flourish, their branches luxuriant... This is Dun Zang."

The flames on the sword gradually extinguished,

the Flaming Sword shrank and shrank, until it became a simple iron sword over a meter long, gripped in Michael's hand.

"The Yin desires transformation, all things harmonize... This is Xie Qia..."

From the iron sword blossomed clusters of flowers, the metal-paved ground sprouted fresh grass and vibrant flowers, thriving and full of life.

Yet amid this vibrancy lay hidden deadly intent — within the fields of blooming flowers lay not buds, but clusters of lightning flashes.

The Side Truth rapidly retreated, in an instant flashing to a kilometer away,

He stomped on the back of the Carnivorous Vine Monster, giving the order to persistently entangle others,

he flew backward, only to collide with an invisible wall.

The Side Truth looked up, seeing Hoenhem far away, his hand gently rubbing a silver pocket watch, the corner of his mouth slightly curved in a triumphant smile.

The [Coordinate Anchor Malfunction Program] creates a sealed space, restricting most teleportation spells, and prohibiting anyone besides the user from leaving.

Farewell everyone, you fight first.

Hoenhem waved his hand gracefully, as if bidding farewell,

just about to leave the stage, only to find in surprise that his palm also touched an invisible wall,

He quickly looked up at the Side Truth,

only to see the latter, hands clasped together, a surge of Spiritual Energy exploding from his body — forming crystalline shields around himself and creating a Mental Ability Creation System wall behind Hoenhem that prohibited teleportation.

"..."

Michael looked down at the field of lightning flowers, gazing at the pale, nearly exhausted Tai Hao below,

From the bright silver armor seemed to come a long, faint sigh.

Boom!

Another pair of wings sprouted from his back,

Flames ignited once more upon the sword.

The Four-winged Angel Michael hovered above the flower sea, both hands raised high with the Flaming Longsword,

His pure white hair pierced through the helmet, cascading like a silver waterfall down his back, moving freely without wind.