Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 441 381: Copper Man with Two Legs_1

"No, I actually don't want to laugh at all."

Outside the door, a hoarse voice sounded. "Even if they split all the money and ran away, I wouldn't care. After all, I never expected this rabble to be of any use... Besides, the ones at the door are from the Astronomical Society, right?"

That voice continued, "If I'm not mistaken, it should be the Beheading King of Jinling, correct?"

"..."

As Huai Shi turned around, he saw a figure suddenly appear in the empty corridor.

He stood before a shattered window, in the dying light, his form elusive, like a soap bubble.

The middle-aged man had slightly long hair and a beard that looked like it hadn't been shaved in a while. His expression was stern, yet unexpectedly, showed no anger or annoyance. He was just calm, even when surrounded.

Ding NanKe stared at him, then nodded in acknowledgment. "I've heard much about you, Prince of Paradise... Or should I address you as Your Highness?"

"Hmm? Are you one of my fans too?"

Huai Shi tilted his head, puzzled. "You see your lair being taken down and you're not even angry?"

"Would you be angry over an umbrella that broke after ten years of use?"

Ding NanKe smiled mockingly. "It has fulfilled its purpose, so there's nothing regrettable about its damage or destruction. I can always get a new one."

"If possible, I'd really like to give a thumbs-up for your magnanimity."

Huai Shi's eyebrows rose slowly. "However, finding out that someone considers the Astronomical Society as harmless as rain... I can't help but get a bit fired up."

As he spoke, he hoisted The Hammer of Sorrow in his hand again and asked seriously, "Since you ran away and then came back, I assume you're prepared to be hammered to death by me, right?"

"Ah, of course—"

Ding NanKe grinned mockingly.

Three folding knives slid from his sleeve, deftly caught in one hand. As his fingers flicked, the interweaving blades agilely unfolded at his fingertips.

Black, red, white.

The three folding knives looked like three iron butterflies.

"They told me you were strong—"

He paused, then said earnestly, "I don't quite believe it."

"You must be one of those haters who barely watched my live streams, right?"

Huai Shi sighed. "Too bad. You should have watched them."

Without any shame or modesty, he said seriously, "Once you've watched them, you'll realize..."

"—I really am very strong."

PFFT.

Ding NanKe was amused by Huai Shi's words, unsure whether to call the young man arrogant. However, he was well aware of Huai Shi's battle record. He hadn't underestimated him in the slightest.

Just as Ding NanKe opened his mouth to speak—

Huai Shi stomped his foot.

Yu Step!

More precisely, it was a special application—Shattered Steps! He used multiple short-distance steps to boost his speed and agility to their limits. He moved as if taking light, rapid steps, yet each one increased his speed further. Where he passed, his relentless strides scraped a deep trench into the cement floor. Numerous overlapping footprints, deeply wedged into the ground, formed a slightly curved trajectory extending forward.

With countless whirls in an instant, Huai Shi twisted his arm, unleashing the torrent of firelight from The Hammer of Sorrow as he smashed it down towards Ding NanKe!

The ephemeral figure shattered.

The second floor's floorboards suddenly shook. No, the entire building trembled under the sudden impact.

Countless fragments of the floor broke apart and plummeted downward.

Even the load-bearing walls began to crack.

In midair, Huai Shi saw Ding NanKe's figure reemerge before his eyes like a nightmare.

Impossibly fast, nearly exceeding the limits of Huai Shi's vision.

And when Huai Shi saw those blood-red pupils and the sharp canine teeth revealed at the corners of his mouth, he had an epiphany—a Vampire.

However, there were no traces of the disciplines.

Not a Vampire of the Rome Genealogy. It seemed he must be from the American Genealogy instead.

It was not Gabriel's Path of Light but rather the lineage of the Green Crown Dragon that emerged after Van Essen abandoned the disciplines and faith to embrace the miracles of the Abyss.

This was damn familiar...

Huai Shi grinned. Without even needing to think, The Hammer of Sorrow in his hand instantly vanished. His other hand, as if by instinct, drew the Sword of Virtue from the saddlebag behind him, raising it to block.

Anticipation!

The next instant, two flashes of the folding knives whooshed over the spine of the sword.

In midair, Ding NanKe defied gravity, ricocheting between the walls. In just over a second, he launched six attacks.

If not for the assistance of the Mirror of Nothingness, Huai Shi would have hardly been able to block such a ferocious frequency of attacks.

Of the three insights he had gained—the true essence of nothingness, the phantom of yesterday, and the link with the soul—the link with the soul made his words more persuasive and enabled him to better empathize with and understand others' situations. The phantom of yesterday had the magical effect of reviewing the past and washing away gloom, compensating for the inherent flaws and weaknesses in Huai Shi's spirit and allowing him to transcend his past shadows. The effect of the true essence of nothingness was the simplest: keen hearing and eyesight.

It directly enhanced Huai Shi's perception, allowing him to better discern the enemies' weaknesses and the details that usually escaped his notice.

Similarly, it was also the strongest among all the insights he had realized so far.

Because, in the process of enlightenment, Huai Shi's soul had directly fused with the strange mirror shard used to sacrifice the Sun Witch in Xiematai Hell, forming the current Mirror of Nothingness.

By instantly burning a large amount of his life force, the Mirror amplified Huai Shi's Death Perception and consciousness. This enabled him to briefly predict his enemies' next moves and lethal 'Offensive', and to make the most correct response within his capabilities.

Though the inevitable could not be blocked—if a Behemoth just happened to spit at him, Huai Shi was still destined to die—the Mirror ensured that if the problem at hand was within his ability to cope, then he could solve it with ease.

Take the current situation, for example...

Ding NanKe was utterly outmatched.

As someone who had once impersonated a Vampire and even experienced an upgrade to a Second Fifth Demon Hunter, Huai Shi did not fear an opponent who stood a Rank above him in combat capability.

He swung the Sword of Virtue and the Sacrificial Knife in both hands.

The metronome's tempo quickened.

During his brief fall, Huai Shi attacked and defended simultaneously. His defense was impeccable, and he even managed to thrust his sword at Ding NanKe, following the accelerating rhythm of "Sea C."

A gash was torn open on the Vampire's face.

Disfigurement.

Treading on the echoing sounds of the shattering floor, Huai Shi landed and finally steadied himself amidst the rubble. He lifted the Sword of Virtue in his hand, aiming it at Ding NanKe's face.

He suddenly asked,

"Do you play the cello?"

Without waiting for Ding NanKe to respond, he grinned, answering his own question.

"—I do!"

And surely, he must be the best cellist among all Sublimators!

His Yu Step quickened. The broken floor under Huai Shi's feet collapsed once more, and he catapulted out, charging at Ding NanKe and slashing down with his sword blade!

The concert of the Abyss commenced anew!

The Disastrous Musician played the tunes of death!

Launching an attack with his favorite "Bach's Unaccompanied Prelude" as the opening, Huai Shi boldly went on the 'Offensive'. In an instant, he pierced through the defense of the Folding Knife, slashing yet another wound across Ding NanKe's body.

Ding NanKe's flesh writhed, but the wounds failed to close.

This was expected. A Vampire's evil nature stood no chance against the righteous energy of Huai Shi's Sword of Virtue!

The Sacrificial Knife was even more sinister and venomous, draining blood directly—it could even suck the blood of a Vampire, an instance of true fratricide.

However, once Ding NanKe realized the strange nature of the weapons in Huai Shi's hands, he no longer afforded him any advantage.

Retreating abruptly without warning, he created distance.

With a flick of his hand!

From his hand, three folding knives suddenly flew out, revolving in the air and fluttering towards Huai Shi like real butterflies.

The white one was terrifyingly fast; without the aid of the Mirror of Nothingness, Huai Shi wouldn't have had time to react. The black Folding Knife, despite its short blade, struck with the power of a mighty broadsword, each blow shaking Huai Shi's stance.

The green Folding Knife had an erratic and invisible trajectory, always lurking in Huai Shi's blind spot, poised but unlaunched.

"Can you also use Sword Control?!"

Huai Shi gawked. He had never witnessed such a peculiar Border Relic that could be automated!

While Huai Shi was flustered, Ding NanKe launched another fierce assault. He held nothing in his hands, yet Huai Shi's Death Perception kept warning him: he absolutely must not be touched by that man!

Seemingly noticing Huai Shi's wariness, Ding NanKe's attacks became more brazen. Huai Shi's back was even heavily struck by the black Folding Knife, leaving a ghastly wound.

It then quickly healed. For a Mountain Ghost, this degree of injury... was as trivial as child's play.

But Huai Shi was infuriated.

"So you think you're the only one who can use automated attacks?!"

The youth roared, "Watch me use 'Three Pure Ones from One Breath'!"

As he said that, Huai Shi's body shook, and two doppelgangers sprang out. Including himself, there were now three of him. At first glance, they looked like some idol group from Hell, incredibly imposing.

As the 'face' of the group, Huai Shi unhesitatingly tossed the two submachine guns to Red Gloves, the 'main dancer'. Then, he suddenly kicked out, slamming his foot into Qi Wen's back, sending the 'main actor' of his Mountain Ghost 'Boys' flying straight at Ding NanKe.

"Go!"

As if he had thrown out some incredible Pokémon, Huai Shi shouted excitedly,

"—Strange Weaponry: Twin-legged Bronze Man!"

Ding NanKe was stunned.

What the hell kind of move was this?

How could this person backstab even his own Legion members?

Faced with such bizarre and despicable behavior, even Ding NanKe, whose heart of justice had long been extinguished, couldn't help but feel a surge of indignation.