Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 426 367 I'm Alright_1

The once tumultuous ashen tide had fallen into a sudden, deathly quiet.

Under the murderous intent exchanged between the Owners of the Great Mob, all beings cowered, retreating in terror. But now, surrounded by three Owners of the Great Mob, the prey showed none of the expected fear or struggle.

How peculiar.

With the wisdom bestowed by the Abyss, they could clearly discern that this demeanor was not fear or seriousness, nor was there any discernible will to fight.

He simply raised his Iron Hammer calmly, as if lifting a dinner knife, full of gratitude for the food.

"Are you ready?"

The Wolf Beast grinned, smiling dangerously as a perilous aura spread with a burst of lightning. In an instant, the three Owners of the Great Mob couldn't help but become cautious, bracing themselves for battle.

Even Taurus hadn't expected him to be so aggressive, only managing to shout, "Hey, don't you..."

But immediately afterward, a roar was heard.

A massive explosion erupted.

It was as though heaven and earth were splitting apart.

Huai Shi disappeared on the spot, as if evaporated. Then, the thin air itself whined, bursting with thunder under the lash of lightning.

A mountainous shadow already enveloped the face of the Shadow Crow.

Against the frenzied lightning, the Wolf Beast (Huai Shi) mocked with a smile, lifting the Iron Hammer in his hand. "It doesn't matter if you're not ready—"

He said:

"—I am ready!"

BOOM!!!

With terrifying speed, unfathomable force and weight surged through Behemoth's hands, smashing down without any frills as he swung wildly!

The sky had fallen.

Since becoming Behemoth, this was the first time Huai Shi had used the Yu Step technique. His originally cumbersome body now moved with phantom-like agility.

In the blink of an eye, he traversed several kilometers, descending from the sky to arrive before the Shadow Crow, swinging his hammer down.

There was no need for other moves or techniques; pouring all his strength—no, all his weight—into this single blow was enough.

It was already sufficient.

Again, with a blinding spray of plasma, mournful lightning wrapped around the office-building-sized Iron Hammer, causing it to accelerate, accelerate, and accelerate some more.

Tearing through layers of darkness, it smashed onto the hastily raised solitary wing.

Like crushing a soap bubble, it effortlessly shattered the lifted wing, breaking it in two, and continued downward, unstoppable.

It hit the beast's astonished face squarely.

CRASH.

The lament of breaking bones erupted, followed by a series of spine-chilling cracks and excruciating pops one could hardly bear to hear again.

As the overwhelming noise spread, countless dust particles billowed up. Wild electric light tore through the darkness, illuminating the gruesome outline.

Under the hammer's onslaught, it had been flipped upwards like a broken plank. Its head was deeply embedded in a crevice in the earth, while its twitching body stood on end, still spasming in residual pain.

Then, Behemoth lifted his foot, stomped down on it, reached out, and a grating, tearing sound filled the air.

Tearing off the large wing, he opened his mouth to spout flames, cooking it instantly.

Huai Shi tossed it into his mouth, chewed twice with a crunch, then spat out the charred feathers. Smacking his lips, and after a moment of contemplation, he spat disdainfully, "Mediocre stuff."

Taurus felt a non-existent eyelid twitch and couldn't help but protest, "It's been smashed into mush! The texture can't possibly be good!"

"True."

Huai Shi nodded earnestly. Waving away The Hammer of Sorrow, he drew out the Axe of Anger and the Sacrificial Knife, their edges scraping against each other, igniting sparks amidst teeth-grinding metallic roars.

In the fleeting flash, he grinned at the two remaining meals. "I'll be more careful next time."

At that moment, the two remaining giant Erosion Species involuntarily took a step back, glimpsing the astonishment, unhidden wariness, and fear in each other's eyes.

Behind them, a red beam of light suddenly rose in the direction of the Metal City.

"Stop messing around, Huai Shi, that's a distress signal!" Taurus's tone became stern.

Huai Shi paused momentarily, then begrudgingly sheathed his axe. "Alright, I'm on my way."

"No, I mean... hurry up."

"..."

Huai Shi perked up, cheerfully whistling at the two Erosion Species. "I'll do my best."

The gray tide seemed to engulf the city.

The sheer numbers were overwhelming. Even a Giant Beast was powerless against them. Now, as layers of cold water curtains rose, the entire city was shrouded in defense.

Yet, above the Sky Dome, an endless gray tide also churned.

These were flocks of Flying Birds, swarming like predatory termites, a tide of disaster continually emerging from the shattered clouds.

The twin-winged Giant Snake was entangled with the Phoenix. It zigzagged and phased in and out of existence, even within the gray tide—a creature so bizarre it would surely rank among the foremost of beasts.

Toxic clouds emanated from its body, blanketing most of the sky and raining down the potent venom of the Abyss.

In the midst of the siege, the phantom of a Nine-headed Snake slowly rose above the Metal City, its nine heads hissing, its immense body emanating astonishing Source Fluctuations.

What followed was a downpour of steel from above.

The delicate, sharp, cold lights pierced through even the Giant Snake's body—a body firm enough to clash with the sun—riddling it with holes.

Sharp metals, irrigated by Source Substance, manifested countless bizarre runes on their surface. This caused the steel to coalesce into nails shaped like long spears—four-edged and sharp—which assembled like schools of piranhas, darting across the battlefield.

"Nail of Incineration?"

Gaping, the fox on the city walls put down its binoculars. These countless metallic cold lights were all formed from innumerable Border Relics, their sharp blades carrying the blessings of indomitability as well as the curse of blood and soul annihilation.

A miracle from Deep Hell was reborn here. It was an ominous weapon, the Nail of Incineration, listed eleventh among cursed blades in the published list of 4,100 alchemy recipes.

At this moment, what Hydra had forged numbered far more than tens of thousands.

Even if they paled in comparison to the divine might of the originals, as mere standard mass-produced models, they still unleashed an unimaginably terrifying effect.

"Worthy indeed of being Garandor's greatest disciple!" the fox exclaimed from deep within its heart.

Apart from forging miracles, Stigmas, and Magic Potions from their furnaces, what Alchemists excelled at most was the replication of such Abyssal Disasters.

Currently, the recipes for over four thousand Border Relics alone were publicly available for purchase by all Alchemists. This process was like imprinting: mass-producing copies based on an original. Even if they only lasted for a short time, it was still a monumental feat, akin to recreating miracles.

However, to alchemically craft tens of thousands of Nails of Incineration in one go, even the most talented genius would be drained of Source Substance by the horrific consumption, right?

If not for her current gargantuan beast form, Hydra would probably have been completely drained and incinerated after forging just the third one.

Tens of thousands of Nails of Incineration whistled across the battlefield. Wherever the metal hurricane passed, everything was cleanly shredded into a sky full of ash.

These were simultaneous attacks targeting both flesh and Source Substance. Wounds inflicted by them were impossible to heal; even the undying would turn to ash amidst the continuous loss of blood and Source Substance.

All things returned to ash.

As if the world itself had been consumed by fire.

The steel storm swept through like a plow, cruelly churning the gray tide. Countless cinders drifted up, rising from the molten hurricane and transforming into specks of dancing firelight.

Crashing sounds kept erupting from within the storm, echoing over the battlefield. When the last Nail of Incineration shattered into rust in the air, within a hundred-mile radius of the city, not a single Erosion Species remained, only slowly drifting cinders.

The fox clapped excitedly, "Encore, encore, encore! One more time!"

"More? My ass!"

A feeble Hydra spat out a glob of green saliva, her serpentine body significantly diminished in size. "I can hardly hold out any longer."

"It doesn't matter anymore!"

A spirited voice erupted from the public channel, accompanied by a loud, hearty laugh, "And if you ask why... it's because I have arrived!"

Countless artillery lightning bolts burst forth from the depths of the gray tide, crisscrossing and tearing a massive gash through the dark sea in an instant.

The ground thundered.

Mountainous Giant Beasts galloped across the battlefield, trampling the gray tide beneath their feet. Yet one still had half a rack of ribs clenched in its mouth, looking almost like a high school girl rushing out the door in the morning, late for school.

This particular 'high school girl,' however, was unbearably monstrous in size and appearance.

Brandishing his knife, axe, and Iron Hammer haphazardly, Huai Shi charged out from the blood rain. He sped up again, spirited hymns accompanying the piercing electric currents that surfaced from the colorful halos around him, giving the sacred songs a punk-rock vibe.

Empowered by lightning, Huai Shi sprinted forward, vigorously swinging the axe and hammer in his hands before hurling them towards the Giant Snake in the sky.

With a thunderous Space Break, the axe and hammer traced an arc through the air, the burning steel vanishing into the distant darkness.

Missed.

His aim was so off it could have landed in the Nicaragua Trench.

In an awkward silence, Huai Shi coughed dryly. "Sorry, I didn't hit..."

Then why the hell did you shout?

In an instant, all the Giant Beasts rolled their eyes in unison. Then, amidst the turbulent gray tide, they saw Huai Shi crouch low, his body enveloped in fervent electric light, clad in his Thunder Robe.

He struck a sprinter's pose, raising his head, a 'reassuringly' naive smile on his dog-like face. "I am the Flash!!!"

The fox froze for a moment, as if recalling something, and was suddenly filled with terror—but it was too late to stop him.

The next moment, the knockoff Flash set off on all fours. Accelerated by the Four-fold Yu Step, he tore off like a wild dog unleashed, amidst an earth-shattering, Heaven Collapse-inducing roar, whipping up a tornado as he charged towards the Metal City.

All was lost.

The fox raised a paw to its face, a chill gripping its heart.

He's finally going to tear down the house...