Li Gui didn’t even think about dodging. Instead, he swung his countless arms of mottled stone skin to meet the attack head-on! He wanted to see what this man was truly made of!
Puchi.
The spear pierced through his chest.
It didn’t hit his heart; Xu Mo hadn't even aimed for a vital spot. Yet, the moment the tip entered, Li Gui felt a surge of unprecedented agony.
It was as if something was tearing at his soul rather than just his body, accompanied by a nauseating sound.
Sizzle. It sounded like roasting meat.
“Roar!”
Li Gui let out a howl, but before he could counterattack, Xu Mo withdrew the spear and retreated. The movement was as fluid as a rehearsed dance.
With his extensive experience in the game, Xu Mo was well-accustomed to dealing with these mindless creatures tainted by Evil Gods.
“Slow,” Xu Mo remarked dismissively.
Li Gui was going insane with rage.
He was now an Avatar-level aberration. Putting everything else aside, the way this masked man moved with such casual ease felt like a massive humiliation.
What was even more unacceptable was that the aura he took such pride in—the pressure that should have made everyone bow and sent their Sanity plummeting—was completely useless against this man!
On the contrary, it was he who felt a sense of oppression coming from the other party.
That faint suppression felt as if it came from the very source of his power! The man’s strength was purer than his own, an existence far closer to Reality.
How could this be?!
“Who the hell are you?!” Li Gui roared, all the eyes on his body snapping open as an earthy yellow light gathered frantically. “Where did you get that power?!”
“Heh, can you feel it? This is the power of your progenitor.”
Xu Mo dodged a massive boulder hurled his way and casually adjusted his shoulder plate, as if it had been knocked slightly askew just now.
“You!” Li Gui was beyond furious, but for a moment, he couldn't find the words to retort. He could only accelerate the rhythm of his attacks even more frantically.
Xu Mo did his best to contend with Li Gui, the pitch-black spear in his hands blurring into a series of afterimages as it moved up and down.
He was primarily trying to adapt to his current state and see what level of power he could actually reach.
In terms of pure combat strength, his current offensive output was roughly equivalent to an Edgerunner who lacked an Escape Art.
However, in this state, he was completely immune to the mental interference of the aberration. The aura and power that had suppressed Hong Jiu were entirely ineffective against him.
Instead, his own aura suppressed the aberration, making him appear much stronger when fighting such creatures!
Relying on his rich combat experience and the enhancement from the Killing Machine Medal, he was able to maintain a seemingly even match with Li Gui.
But that was only his own perspective. The onlookers didn't see it that way at all.
In the eyes of Hong Jiu and the others, this black figure, whose strength was impossible to gauge, seemed to be playing around. He didn't seem to be in any hurry to inflict serious damage.
Every clash and strike was precise and fleeting, withdrawing the moment contact was made.
Throughout the entire encounter, the man hadn't even uttered a single Word Soul. It was as if he didn't view the current Li Gui as a threat at all.
“Can you tell what his rank is?” Aries Hong Jiu stood at the edge of the battle, asking Wan Qianhong beside him.
Wan Qianhong rolled her eyes, thinking to herself that if he didn't know, there was no way she could tell.
“I don’t know...”
“At the very least, he must be a Prophet...”
“Aaaargh! Die!” Li Gui looked like a maddened boss entering its final phase.
As he spoke, his entire body suddenly swelled. His superfluous arms began to tear at each other before regrowing.
Each new arm was thicker and more hideous than the last.
He was forcibly overdriving his power.
Hong Jiu’s eyelid twitched as he watched. He knew that if he were to face Li Gui in this state now, he likely wouldn't last very long.
Yet, that black figure remained as unhurried as ever.
In reality, Xu Mo was also feeling a bit of panic internally.
Damn it, he was supposed to be building up the prestige of the “Masked Hermit Society.”
He couldn't let his cool facade slip. If Li Gui powered up any further, he might actually struggle to hold him off.
Since he had tested his current state enough, he spoke in a contemptuous voice:
“That’s enough. I’m done playing around with you.”
As Xu Mo finished speaking, he flipped his right hand, and a golden light illuminated the entire underground space.
The light wasn't blinding, but it caused everyone to instinctively squint, a sense of extreme foreboding rising in their hearts.
It was a crown.
—The Crown of Time Lag!
It hovered just above Xu Mo’s palm, spinning silently. Every rotation made the surrounding light feel thick and viscous.
Hong Jiu’s pupils shrank violently.
Wan Qianhong’s breathing hitched.
Everyone’s eyes widened in unison, flashing with shock.
The Crown of Time Lag—it really was he who had taken it!
Everyone watched the crown, and they watched as the black figure slowly raised his hand and placed the crown upon his own head.
Coronating himself.
Buzz—
Golden ripples of light emanated outward. Everywhere they passed, time was slowed down by ten thousand times.
The flying debris froze in mid-air.
Li Gui’s flailing arms stiffened in place.
Hong Jiu remained in a wide-eyed stare, unable to move.
Wan Qianhong’s heart stopped for a second, the next beat taking a long time to follow.
Everyone was present and conscious, but their bodies were locked within the amber of time.
Then, they saw the black figure move.
While no one else could move, he alone could.
Xu Mo gripped the pitch-black spear and walked toward Li Gui, step by step.
His footsteps were very light, but in this completely silent space, every step felt as if it were treading directly on everyone’s hearts.
He stopped in front of Li Gui and looked up at the mountain-like body.
“Heh...”
He thrust the spear into one of Li Gui’s arms and twisted it slowly.
“I won’t make this quick. You still have time to reminisce about your life.”
He withdrew the spear and thrust it into another arm.
Li Gui could feel the pain. Every strike hurt, an agony that made his very soul tremble.
But his body couldn't move. He couldn't even let out a scream; he could only howl frantically within his mind.
There was no helping it. It wasn't that Xu Mo had some sick fetish; it was primarily because his actual attack power wasn't high enough to kill Li Gui in one hit.
Therefore, he could only do it this way, thrusting his spear repeatedly to slowly grind down the boss's HP.
It was actually quite exhausting.
Everyone stared, wide-eyed and dumbfounded, at this one-sided execution.
They didn't know that Xu Mo’s attack power was insufficient. In their eyes, this was a bloody public execution!
That black figure was like a butcher dismembering livestock.
No, slower than a butcher, more meticulous, and far... more cruel!
Li Gui’s extra arms, eyes, and those malformed, overgrown organs were pierced and burst one by one.
That frantic and cruel method left a shadow in the hearts of many Scavengers present. A single thought flashed through all of their minds at once.
—This guy... is a freaking psycho!
Rate on N.U.
