Chapter 7-2
While translating the magic runes on the room door, Xuan opened the silver coloured metal plate and said, “Begin the operation to exterminate the capital. After I rescue Arya, immediately use the Magic Cannon after Zheng leaves, whether or not there are side quests and the young dragon has matured.”
Compared to Xuan, who was showing a rarely before seen anxiety, Zheng wasn’t overly flustered currently. It was the so-called boldness born from superb skill. Although he was paying attention to the monsters below, Zheng didn't believe in his heart that the monsters could threaten, or even harm him.The transformation of the hundred plus giant cocoons went slower than before. They only completed the transformation after over ten minutes. The monsters that appeared this time weren’t much different from before, only bigger. That’s right, there also weren't any giant demons any longer. It was as if they knew giant demons couldn’t cope with Zheng, and only some monsters that could crawl on the ground appeared. Then, that brutal massacre and devouring repeated, and this time only five were left of the over hundred of them, and they then became five giant meat cocoons about twenty metres tall.
“Are they coming for real this time? Or are they going to devour once again, and have hundreds of millions of reptiles become one to battle me?” Zheng murmured, laughing coldly.
Although that was what he said, Zheng’s caution was getting stronger, as he could already sense the pressure radiating from the five cocoons. The five cocoons radiated an indescribable pressure, different from the monsters before. Zheng’s instincts were telling him the five cocoons were dangerous, just like when he faced danger. Even if it wasn't mortal danger, he did indeed have a sense of danger.
“Xuan, there’s a problem. Are you done over there? I’m preparing to come up. Staying here keeps giving me this unnatural feeling. Heaven knows what kind of monster is going to appear here. Why do I feel like you’ve screwed me over?” Zheng said to the metal piece with some dissatisfaction.
“Don’t worry. I do not screw people over.” Xuan said, his voice even and without any oddness to it.
“That is so obviously a lie. Do you think I’ll believe it?” Zheng directly cut off Xuan’s words. I won’t talk about these lies with you. Just directly tell me, how long is it before I can come up? I don’t know why, but I’m getting a bad premonition. Hurry up. I may really be in danger if this carries on.”
“I’ll try my best.” Xuan’s tone was as indifferent as always.
“Dammit!”
Ignoring the chat for now, the five cocoons below didn’t spend too much time transforming. When the first cocoon hatched, Zheng eyes widened, trying to discern what was within the bloody light. He could only the organism that appeared when the flesh and blood mist dissipated.
The organism was no longer blood coloured. Similarly, it wasn’t ten or twenty metres tall. This massive cocoon actually birthed a merely three metres tall demon. This demon was different from those giant blood coloured demons before, its entire body letting off a pitch-black aura. It was wearing a set of black armour on its body, and had a giant sword that let off black flames in hand. Together with those enormous wings, it was obviously the image of one of the Baator demons of Dungeons and Dragons, and even one of the more high-end ones at that. This at least could be seen from its giant sword that constantly emitted black flames.
(Speaking of which, this figure really does look my clone.) This thought suddenly formed in his mind, but the Baator demon below stood up before he could consider this more deeply. The Baator demon began to howl madly after its wings unfurled, and the black flames on its body spread in all directions like ripples, finally gradually extinguishing when it reached over ten metres away. The flames on its sword began to surge, and with it as the centre, the ground began to crack and dry up as it howled. That ground the colour of fresh blood began to change colour to a pitch-black dried up ground and the Baator demon forcefully stomped on the ground, soaring towards Zheng as the ground shattered.
(With regards to organisms, this organism is truly strong. However, there’s too much of a disparity between its black flames and my clone’s, and it’s equivalent to my Explosion state in terms of battle power. I may need something on the level of Destruction to eliminate it, but… just this demon wants to break through my defense, and go up top?)
Zheng looked at the Baator demon flying closer to him, but his heart instead calmed down. Holding Tiger’s Soul, he activated Explosion, and operated the Sky Stick to welcome the Baator demon. The first to be attacked was Zheng, as the demon casually tossed a clump of black flame at him when it was still a hundred metres away. At this moment, Zheng had unlocked the third stage, and under the prompting of his battle instincts, he used his Red Flame ability. Just like that, two flames collided, one red and one black. In the end, there was none of the imagined violent explosion. The black flame instead resisted slightly, before immediately being engulfed by the red flame with nothing left, and Zheng charged at the Baator demon as if nothing had happened.
(Fortunately, the power of the black flame wasn’t too great. Although it’s several thousand degrees Celsius in temperature, I can still endure it. This demon is indeed outstanding. It’s already reached the stage of using energy to battle. If a few more come, I’m afraid I’ll have to use a few more tricks.)
Just as Zheng formed this thought, the red and black flames had collided. There was the rhythmic and sonorous sound of metal colliding, and the red and black flames both actually retreated several tens of metres, looking to be evenly matched. In truth, Zheng had lost to the Baator demon slightly. He had already unlocked the third stage, and was using the power of Explosion, but he had still drawn a tie with the Baator demon. If this Baator demon unleashed all of its outstanding power, then he would be forced to use Destruction, and that was because there was only one Baator demon…
“Instant Destruction Geppou!”
Seeing the strength of the monster, Zheng no longer continued to operate the Sky Stick. Although the Sky Stick was fast, it was far too slow for battles above the class of Explosion. It was also an external item after all, and its abilities to make turns definitely couldn’t match up to the freedom of Zheng’s infinitesimal control. In this class of battle, it simply didn’t offer great help although it could help conserve a little bit of energy.
Just as Zheng welcomed the Baator demon in battle, another blood cocoon exhibited changes. The blood cocoon slowly split open, and a giant three headed dog ten metres large appeared. Its crimson body was similar to the monsters before, only that the three heads could spew frost, flames and lightning. It could obviously manipulate energy like the Baator demon, except that it seemed to be incapable of flight. It could only howl nonstop on the ground, powerlessly watching Zheng and the Baator demon battle in the sky.
Zheng made turns in midair nonstop. Although they were fast, every turn still required energy to sustain. He couldn’t expend time and energy on this Baator demon. After several exchanges, it was obvious this Baator demon was strong. He wouldn’t be able to deal with it within a short period of time in midair, where it was unsuitable for battle, unless he used Destruction. This was especially when another monster had hatched below, which greatly resembled the giant three headed dog that guarded the gates of hell. It’s strength could be expected to not be any weaker than the Baator demon.
(It’ll be best to fight a quick battle to force a quick resolution and kill this monster. Otherwise, I’ll really be in trouble if another monster capable of flight appears.)
Zheng clenched his teeth. He activated Destruction, his Qi and Bloody Energy colliding at his heart. Within the twinkling of an eye, the human figure the Baator demon could follow with its naked eyes abruptly vanished. When he appeared, he was already approaching its forehead, a crimson sabre slashing towards it head-on. Zheng was sparing no expense, and this sabre obviously carried Magic, as well as a saber mist of Refined Qi. He was pushing Tiger’s Soul to its maximum power from the start, and the sabre edge that seemed to be unchanged let off a sense of desolation and powerful suppression. The Baator demon could only raise its giant sword in time, and in the next instant, a massive and unparalleled force came smashing over. The Baator demon was blown into mincemeat before it could let out a sound.
After Zheng brandished his sabre, he hurriedly retreated. The chunks of meat of the dead Baator demon were suddenly emanating violent energy fluctuations, and before he could retreat a hundred metres away, they exploded violently. An enormous ball of black flame appeared in the skies. Zheng happened to be at the fringes of the explosion shockwaves, and such a violent explosion caused even him some mild internal injuries, and there was a foul fishy smell in his throat.
(It’s best to use this power as little as possible. Although I can unleash Tiger Soul’s true power by using Magic to control it, the backlash is too great. As expected, it’s impossible to control these two energies without Cultivation techniques. The techniques of Cultivators…)
Zheng sighed. When he looked at the ground, he almost started cursing loudly. The remaining three cocoons on the ground had completely hatched. Apart from the the three headed dog, there was a twenty metre long bone dragon that was pitch-black, and a eight-armed, three-headed female monster that bore a great resemblance to the monsters named nagas in some games he played before. The remaining monster was one he was all too familiar with. It was a monster he had come across in Lord of the Rings. It had been the last to hatch, and he didn’t know if this represented that it was the strongest. It was a twenty five metre tall giant Balrog, its entire body emitting blazing white flames. It looked countless times stronger than the Balrog in Lord of the Rings, and was perhaps the unweakened form of a Balrog.
If it was just these four monsters, it would still have been fine. Apart from that pitch black skeleton dragon that seemed able to fly, the other three monsters could only howl madly on the ground. But before his heart could slightly settle down, he saw hundreds of millions of those reptiles spring forth from that fresh blood like underground, with numbers not much less than before. They didn’t engage in a mutual massacre this time, half of them instead overlaying upon one another, forming a pillar of flesh and blood that extended to the skies at a rate visible to the naked eye. The pillar of flesh and blood was directed exactly at the hole in the sky…
“Xuan, hurry up! I can’t hold for much longer here!”