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Chapter 57
🕑 Added 2023-12-28 03:27:54 +0000 UTCThwack—
The legendary-level Nightfiend Blade swiftly plunged into the nearly molten neck, charred by dragon's breath.
[Ding! You've slain a Hunter. Experience Earned: 500]
Almost before the other Hunters could react, Lynne's left hand suddenly widened into a gaping maw, expanding to the size of several men. With one swift motion, it engulfed another Hunter.
Zzzt-zzzt-zzzt-zzzt-zzzt—
The near-melted Hunter emitted constant sparks but to no avail.
[Ding! Your left hand devoured a Hunter. Friendship Experience Earned: 100]
Little(✪﹏✪) lamented, "That was mine—my treat—wah—"
[Ding! Little's Favorability for Hidari -1]
[Ding! Hidari's Fear of Little +10]
The left hand promptly(✪x✪) shook its head at a frenetic pace. It then decisively sealed its mouth and, in a heartbeat, contorted, transforming into a lengthy blade.
Lynne exclaimed in astonishment, "You can turn into a sword?!"
The left hand frenziedly danced, inflicting deep gashes upon the Hunters.
"All those Hunters I consumed earlier have been digested. I've integrated a portion of their usable traits. Plus, you seem to have grown significantly stronger all of a sudden, which naturally broadens the array of things I can transform into!"
Thwack—
Thwack—
The agile left hand, now a blade extending over ten meters, skewered the Hunters as if they were mere cheeses.
Lynne, filled with awe and refusing to be outdone, unleashed his Flesh Catastrophe, biting down on Hunter's head as a torrential dragon's breath burst forth.
Indeed, his left hand was extraordinary! Possessing such a kickass trait! He felt as though he was reliving the thrills of the game, Prototype! If the weapon could transform, what about other things? Perhaps...
Ah!! No more words for now. If given the chance, he'd surely delve into the versatility and potential of Hidari!
Lynne was utterly invigorated!
Thwack—
Thwack—
[Your Combat Ability +1]
[Your Combat Ability +1]
In the very next moment, with Little's entrance, those Hunters, already nearly incapacitated under the dragon's breath, swiftly became a feast solely for Little.
Seizing the opportunity, Lynne fervently boosted a massive wave of combat abilities and firearm proficiency!
...
"That damned human!"
The Heart Eater gazed furiously down the corridor at the pitch-black scene, nearly consumed by his rage.
The entire hallway's surveillance had been thoroughly destroyed by the roaring flames earlier. Yet the constant notifications of his Hunter troops' annihilation in his consciousness kept informing him that the intruder had already breached their defenses and penetrated deep into their base. But he had no time to deal with this intruder anymore!
For the two leading Headhunters on the ground had nearly devoured the Hanged Tower. They could join the battle at any moment! However, it was almost over! The data meant for transfer had already been sent to a safe location! This place had lost its value!
"If you're so keen on breaking in, then perhaps you should remain here forever!"
The expression on the Heart Eater's face was twisted in malice. He rapidly connected his consciousness to the main control panel of the entire base.
"Prepare to initiate the base's self-destruction!"
"Authorization verification... Supreme authorization successful... Command transmitted... Base self-destruction sequence initiating... Countdown begins at 10 minutes... All personnel must evacuate immediately!"
The shrill alarm instantly resounded throughout the base. Every panic-stricken soul inside the base heard the synthesized explosive sound from above. The faces of every member were painted with horror and shock.
"Self-destruct?!"
"This has to be a joke!! We haven't evacuated!! We haven't evacuated yet!"
"Quick! Head to the teleportation hall! Hurry!"
Many members began to scream. In this critical moment, they couldn't care less about disobeying orders. For if the self-destruction sequence were to be activated, they too would be engulfed in the fiery cataclysm with the entire base.
Meanwhile, in the teleportation hall, the Heart Eater, accompanied by dozens from the Demonfolk Association's high command, swiftly pushed open the grand doors, his eyes darkly fixated on the teleportation device as he approached.
"Has the teleportation location been set?"
"The coordinates have been established, and most of the valuable data has already been transferred. We can depart anytime!"
"Good! Activate the teleportation device!"
"Yes!"
Buzz—
The massive machinery within the hall began to rumble into action. A blinding blue light suddenly converged at the center of the hall, slowly forming a blue curtain of light.
"Teleportation device activated... Coordinates established... Teleportation gate forming... Countdown 10, 9, 8..."
The Heart Eater clenched his teeth, turning his head to glare intently behind him.
"This won't end so easily. We'll see! The day the Colossus is birthed in my hands, every one of you will pay the price for today's deeds!"
But just as his words came to an end, the illumination in the entire hall began to flicker violently. Then, with a snap, the hall was immediately plunged into darkness, shortly followed by the activation of emergency red lights.
"Warning... Base energy core compromised... Energy efficiency reduced to 3%... Teleportation activation failed..."
Buzz—
The blue curtain of light that was about to solidify dimmed in an instant and shattered.
"What's going on?!"
The faces of the dozens of high-ranking officials beside the Heart Eater turned deathly pale. The Heart Eater himself was greatly shaken, realizing something instantly. He tremulously looked at the emergency beams activated due to the energy supply failure.
"Could it be..."
A realization struck him, and he hurriedly connected his consciousness at maximum speed to the energy supply core deep within the base.
In the flickering visual feed from the energy core stack, which was blinking erratically due to the loss of power, the Heart Eater instantly saw an image that nearly made him fall apart.
"This... This is..."
He retreated with trembling steps. In his mental image, atop the reactor core that provided energy to the entire base, a massive transparent gap had emerged. Accompanied by spark explosions. It was vaguely discernible. It seemed as though something had recently crashed through the entire energy core's supply apparatus.
A clear outline of a massive humanoid head was visible on the core. And on the head of that outline, a human-like silhouette was evident. It was a glaring sight.
"..."
"..."
Hiss—
Sparks shot out from the breached energy core. Heart Eater stood there blankly, his mind buzzing, unable to speak a word.
"Ah!!!!"
With arms outstretched, he let out a mournful cry, the immense humiliation forcing tears from his eyes.
What could be the most despairing thing? Was it the three Origin-level hunters? Or the collapsed Hanged Tower?
No! The most despairing thing was having just activated the base's self-destruct mechanism, only to have the teleportation system fail, trapping you in a base that's about to explode.
That sensation...
"I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill all of you!!"
Heart Eater's voice was on the verge of tears. Once the self-destruction procedure was initiated, there was no authority to halt it. For the sake of preventing enemies from breaching and disrupting the energy supply, the self-destruction had its own energy supply when initially designed...
It was cracking! It was truly about to burst!
Almost immediately after, a thunderous crash echoed. From the southeast direction of the teleportation hall, a knight atop 'Little', recklessly firing away, tore through the steel walls with a bang. With a swift drift, scattering sparks, he came to a halt in the teleportation hall.
"Found you, hehehehe—" (The laughter grew increasingly deranged)
Lynne, with blood streaked across his face, smirked, wielding the Arm of Dragon's Breath, astride Little. The dark muzzle of his revolver pointed ominously at Heart Eater's head.
Behind them, through the gaping hole they had created, one could clearly see a straight line, almost a perfect trajectory, from the outer corridor of the base right to this spot. The outline was clearly visible, complete with various postures.
Dead straight. They had, without doubt, barged straight in...
"You destroyed our energy supply core!" Heart Eater exclaimed, gritting his teeth. His fists clenched tightly as he glared with malevolence.
The elite in the teleportation hall were seething with rage, weapons drawn, all eyes fixed upon Lynne atop that massive skull.
Lynne calmly met their gaze and lightly touched his cheek, where a vertical eye slowly opened.
"Since you have the device for teleportation, I knew you'd try to escape. But being machinery, teleportation should consume a significant amount of energy, right?" He cocked the hammer of his revolver. "I just didn't expect you to be so insane. Activating the base's self-destruct sequence on your way out. Planning to blow up the entire base along with everyone inside?"
Lynne's mouth curled into a grin, revealing his pearly white teeth. "Frankly, I'm all for it."
Realizing the demon's intention, Lynne had instructed Little not to rush here immediately, but to first target the base's power supply. And with the help of the specter vertical-eyed, he effortlessly located the energy core of the base.
He hadn't destroyed the energy core, but merely the transmission hub supplying power to the base. This effectively caused a temporary paralysis of the entire facility.
[Ding! Mission triggered: With Little's aid, eliminate the president of the Demonfolk Association. Rewards: Black Skull Coin x1, Experience 5000, Special Reward x1.]
The shrill alarms continued to blare, indicating the countdown to the base's explosion: 6 minutes 21 seconds!
"Good! Very good!" Heart Eater's eyes grew icier, his initial fury ebbing away like a receding tide. Coldly, he remarked, "Three Origin-level beings do possess the strength to annihilate us completely. However, you overlooked one thing: you shouldn't... have shown yourself before me."
In a split second, his pupils turned a silvery white.
A resonating hum echoed through the chamber—
The unseen ripples radiating from Heart Eater bombarded Lynne, the force so intense it felt like his brain was about to explode.
[Warning! Warning! You have sustained a powerful psychic blast! Health decreasing! Health decreasing!]
The onslaught was so swift that Lynne's eyes instantly reddened and swelled, blood streaming down his face.
Everything happened too fast! So fast he couldn't react!
"Head?!" Hidari exclaimed, horrified. As she and Lynne were one entity, she felt the mind-wrenching pain as though her brain was being torn apart.
This was a psychic attack!
Little was clearly caught off guard, her eyes glazed, indicating she hadn't encountered such an attack before.
At that moment, without hesitation, Hidari unleashed her power. Her massive mouth snapped open, emitting a piercing wail like a malicious spirit. Her entire arm rapidly melted, transforming into pools of viscous black liquid that splattered onto the ground.
"Wah—"
The cry of a baby echoed.
The black goo on the floor writhed and from it emerged baby after baby, each bearing a striking resemblance to Lynne. The babies, upon formation, opened their dark mouths and let out eerie, distorted cries.
Twisted. Bizarre. Corrupt.
If the Blood-Clad Evil Spirit were present, it would surely recognize these terrifying, viscous babies as the mutation that appeared within Lynne's fleshy puppet body before.
Almost simultaneously, Heart Eater was hit with an overwhelming wave of nausea and dizziness. The cries acted like a potent curse, a horrific psychic contamination, instantly interfering with his mental vibrations.
"You... you can also..." he managed to utter before hunching over in pain.
The psychic assault he had unleashed upon Lynne was, under this unexpected counter, momentarily disrupted.
In that split second, Lynne's bloodshot eyes snapped open. Without hesitation, he raised his revolver, aiming it coldly at the Heart Eater's forehead.
Bang—
Bang—
Bang—
Three gunshots rang out.
Demon-hunting bullets struck Heart Eater, and a massive surge of holy electricity crackled and spread over him.
Almost simultaneously, Little's tentacles lashed out.
Swish—
The razor-sharp tentacles penetrated his neck, decapitating him.
...
Despite the excruciating pain in his head, Lynne managed to roll to safety. He gazed at what used to be his left hand, now melted into countless pools of black goo. Concerned, Lynne asked, "Hidari! Are you okay?"
The black goo began to regroup, climbing up his body, congregating on the stump of his left arm, reforming his hand.
Hidari's state was clearly weakened. Using that terrifying technique had undoubtedly drained her of significant energy.
Hidari vomited a clump of dark liquid and weakly remarked, "I'm fine... just lost my appetite. Might not eat for a few days."
Seeing Hidari's dazed appearance, Lynne realized that had she not acted promptly, he would've been overwhelmed, his mind shattered.
Such a perilous world! Even with an Origin level being like Little by his side, absolute safety was unattainable.
"What—was—that—" Little stuttered.
Lynne looked up, explaining, "A psychic attack, a capability that targets one's will and soul directly. It's unpredictable and horrifying!"
Clearly, Little was unfamiliar with this domain. Against psychic attacks, she had minimal understanding.
That assailant had obviously targeted him. He must've known that even if he launched a psychic assault on Little, her Origin-level consciousness would resist effectively. He genuinely wanted Lynne dead.
In fact, after learning the name of that attacker from the system prompt, Lynne should've anticipated that someone possessing such potent mental strength would wield psychic attacks. If it weren't for Hidari, he might've already met a grisly end.
"Is that guy—dead?"
Lynne squinted, responding, "He probably transferred his consciousness at the last moment. He likely has more than one body."
The lack of a system task completion notification only meant one thing: the enemy was still alive.
Without a second thought, Lynne activated his specter vision and confidently declared, "Little, let's move. If he failed to get me the first time, there wouldn't be a second chance!"
...
Meanwhile, in the innermost core area of the base, there echoed synthetic mechanical sounds deep within a massive containment chamber.
"Consciousness transfer complete... Body 1 integration finished... Initiating reboot..."
Crackling—
Countless sparks erupted within the chamber. And in the very next instant, a precise mechanical hand burst through the chamber's thick wall. A pair of eyes, glowing with a menacing red hue, gradually illuminated.
"Flesh is weak... machinery reigns supreme..."
A raspy voice declared.
Comments
Wyatt Hilbert
Thanks for the chapter
