Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 428 - 368: Sudden Changes and Miracles_2

"To withstand my move, 'Move Mountains and Rivers with One Breath,' you're not too shabby!"

Reeling from a concussion, Huai Shi crawled out of the pit. He shook his head and, as if nothing had happened, lifted the Giant Serpent and threw another punch at its belly. Another piece crumbled away.

In pain, the Giant Serpent's whining cries came to an abrupt halt, and a scream akin to a wailing shout rang out once again, piercingly shrill.

A dense cloud of poison burst forth from the wound, enshrouding the deep pit. Even Huai Shi felt a sharp sting in his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, which burned hotly.

More terrifying was the ensuing feeling of weakness and exhaustion.

He was poisoned! To think there were toxins that could still affect him now!

"Despicable, you actually poisoned me!" Huai Shi gasped heavily, inadvertently inhaling more poison gas.

Feeling the symptoms of poisoning worsening, he had no choice but to fight poison with poison. He picked up the Giant Serpent, opened his mouth wide, and with a fierce CHOMP, bit into it voraciously.

CRUNCH.

The Giant Serpent convulsed violently, let out a final scream, and then fell silent.

Dead as dead can be.

Immediately afterward, Huai Shi's Metallic Breath swept through, dispersing the poisonous clouds. Even though he hardly breathed any air, he felt refreshed.

Looking down at the Snake Corpse in his hands, which was gradually losing warmth, he felt a sudden urgency.

He had to move fast; it wouldn't taste good once it was cold!

Eat it in its original broth. Best while hot.

Completely forgetting the corpse was laden with unfathomable Abyssal sediment and fierce toxins, he gobbled it down as if popping blue mana potions, slurping away voraciously until he finally felt full.

He deftly spat out the bones from his mouth and belched satisfyingly, only then realizing his body seemed to have grown a bit larger.

Considering he was only seventeen and still growing, an occasional growth spurt seemed normal, so he didn't take it to heart.

Right after that, he heard an explosive sound behind him...

Within the metallic city, piercing screams suddenly erupted from dozens of shelters. Enormous portals appeared out of nowhere in the void, with endless Abyssal sediments gushing out, forming a tide. Soon after, a worm-like Erosion species slowly emerged from one, its suction-cup mouth full of teeth pouncing into the crowd. Like a meat grinder starting up, it instantly spattered blood and plasma everywhere. No one had anticipated such a horrifying and sudden transformation.

The worm-like creature, rapidly tunneling through space, constantly burrowed new fissures, allowing a continuous grey tide to flood into the city. Its bizarrely long body writhed madly within the city, stirring wildly and causing the city's massive core reactor to explode with a thunderous blast. Then, another loud noise: the sound of the Depth Balance Instrument exploding.

In an instant, everyone's expression turned extremely grim. Taurus, without even time to signal, soared rapidly upwards and rushed into the smoldering city. But it was already too late.

The gravitational pull from Hell erupted from the very center of the city. Its depth plummeted madly, and countless Abyssal sediments rose into the air, shrouding all the surviving tribes. Terror and mutation descended.

And then, all the Explorers who still had the leisure to pay attention to the situation inside the city couldn't help but be stunned.

Indeed, the Erosion and distortion from Hell spread within the city. However, it didn't instantaneously cover everything, as expected. Instead, it seemed... to be blocked by some invisible force, kept outside. Even where it infiltrated, the corruption was confined locally, its blight unable to spread.

It seemed as if an invisible hand propelled countless terrified souls, mysteriously linking them together, where the instinct and will to survive burst forth, solidifying into reality. It was nothing short of a miracle.

Shrouded in a mist so thin it was nearly imperceptible, most of the Abyssal erosion was kept at bay. Though this layer of protection was exceedingly frail and insignificant, its mere existence made all the difference.

Like a miracle, it held back the spread of the erosion under the tide of the Abyss.

For a full six seconds.

A miraculous six seconds!

And when Hydra, after catching its breath, desperately emerged from the core, all nine of its huge mouths were already opened wide, bellowing in a frenzied roar, "Wilderness Guard!"

The massive jellyfish returned from the battlefield. Its numerous tentacles undulated, stirring the air and forming a violent deluge that instantly enveloped the entire city. It was like the bursting of the Seven Seas, a torrent that dissolved all the Abyssal sediment, turning it into black tidal water. Under Hydra's furious suction, all of it vanished into the maws of the Nine-headed Snake, not a drop left.

After swallowing the immeasurable Abyssal sediment, Hydra struggled to churn its bloated form, entangling with that strange worm, its nine mouths tearing at the creature's flesh. Upon its metallic teeth, miracles from Alchemy wedged into the worm's body, causing instant paralysis.

Like in a tug of war, Hydra forcefully pulled the worm out, swung it up, and sent it flying into the air. No words were needed.

The thunderous storm conjured by Taurus instantly devoured it. After most of the thunderclouds dissipated, the worm had vanished without a trace, leaving only a burnt scent and a sky full of falling ash.

Taurus had shrunk significantly by then, becoming as thin as an electric arc. Barely able to maintain its form, it vanished into the remaining reactor without another word, at death's door.

Once the worm was reduced to ash, the void rifts also closed one by one and vanished. Although chaos still reigned within the city, the source had been contained. It was only a matter of time before stability was restored.

They had finally taken a step back from the brink of annihilation.

But Hydra stood frozen.

It stiffly lowered its head to see its own body slowly discoloring. It was rotting, rapidly blackening, and continuously sprouting grotesque tentacles and limbs. It had been eroded.

"Is there still time?" the fox asked.

Hydra shook its head with difficulty, managing a faint smile. "No, I'm afraid... I'm sorry..."

"You have completed your mission. Nothing more needs to be said." The fox lowered its eyes. "Farewell."

"Yeah."

While still lucid, Hydra laboriously swam out from the city and came before Huai Shi. Its head, already sprouting tentacles and tumors, tilted up, its mouth twisting into something like a smile. "Thanks for your trouble."

"Isn't that just part of my duties?" Huai Shi was silent for a moment, then the Axe of Anger swiftly appeared in his hand.

As the axe slowly lifted, Hydra, despite its preparedness, couldn't help a flicker of panic. "Hey, be careful..."

"Don't worry," Huai Shi reassured it. "I do this often. Very efficient."

Gru laughed. "Nonsense. Who goes around chopping off their teammates' heads all the time?"

Before he finished speaking, the Axe Blade shrieked. Dozens of intersecting cold glimmers burst through the air, flashing by in an instant. The Giant Serpent froze, its lips parting slightly as if in silent praise.

Well done.

It slowly closed its eyes, relinquishing all attachments, and turned to ash.

This was the first Explorer to fall after the apocalypse had begun.