novelraw Chapter 126 - 124: Titanfall...
Chapter 126 - 124: Titanfall...
Witnessing the power of that attack, Shi Ming’s desire for an S-class offensive Awakened skill grew even stronger!
Such power! Such brutality! The pure, beautiful aesthetics of overwhelming stats!
As the seawater, thick with gray mist and dust, cleared, the group could finally see the state of the Titan, grievously wounded by the Endless Purple Thunder!
The rocks on one half of its body were scorched jet-black by the powerful lightning. One of its eyes, which had radiated an orderly glow, was destroyed, revealing the horrifying bone and flesh beneath. The arcane markings on its body had faded significantly... It even voluntarily lifted the barrier around this patch of sea.
The group realized the barrier a nautical mile away had vanished.
They were free to leave.
But...
At this point, no one wanted to leave.
Hope, and an understandable greed, glinted in their eyes.
People are driven by personal gain.
A sharp light gleamed in Wright’s eyes, his heart pounding with excitement.
In this battle, Mr. Lei’s performance was just as he had expected.
Shi Ming’s performance, however, had completely surpassed his expectations. He felt like he had struck gold!
Shi Ming trapped the Deep Sea Titan in ice, allowing Mr. Lei to grievously wound the S-class Sea Beast with his Endless Purple Thunder. The combination was flawless, a natural and perfect synergy! Wright was now even more satisfied with his decision to invite Shi Ming to the team. It was precisely because of that decision that Mr. Lei could ignore his own defense and, at minimal cost, unleash the full power of his S-class skill!
’Excellent! Just excellent!’
Kick it while it’s down!
Before Wright could even issue a command, attacks from Mr. Lei, Yize, and Iwami were already landing.
Iwami, in particular, was going all out. His longsword, wreathed in layers of Sword Intent, stabbed relentlessly at every weak spot on the Deep Sea Titan’s body that the lightning had torn open.
The Deep Sea Titan struggled, but it seemed to have been staggered, unable to mount an effective attack for the moment. Even its reactions had slowed considerably.
A golden opportunity, an absolutely golden opportunity!
!!!
While the others swarmed the beast, Shi Ming didn’t join in. Instead, he remained where he was, replenishing the Spiritual Power he had just expended.
It wasn’t that he was too tired. To be honest, the amount of Spiritual Power needed to cast Ice Annihilation was less than a third of what it took to upgrade his General-class Drifter; it barely affected him at all.
But Shi Ming knew.
’Right now, I absolutely cannot be on the front lines!’
Never mind the Deep Sea Titan’s inevitable, desperate counterattack once it recovered. The lurking "Miss Yan" and her insidious tool, the "Taunt Stone," had yet to make an appearance.
’The harder I fight now, the more likely I am to be targeted later!’
Everyone had seen him expend a great deal of Spiritual Power on that last attack. Taking a moment to rest now was the most natural course of action. It would make him less of a target and allow him to conserve his strength for the final kill.
’Besides, I need to reserve some energy to resist the deep-sea pressure...’
’Although everyone has gear to counteract the water pressure, they’ve all become dependent on the Dinglan Pearl during this fight. If it’s suddenly shut off at a critical moment, the surprise would be devastating. We’d be caught completely off guard and suffer for it.’
...
"Brother Shi, do you have any strength left?"
"Hit it with that big freeze attack again! Mr. Lei is ready. This time, we’re taking this beast’s life for sure!"
"I can do it!" Shi Ming took a deep breath. "I can just barely muster enough Spiritual Power for one more cast, but after that, the final kill is all on you."
"Don’t worry, Brother Shi! For this operation, you’ll be credited with the second-greatest contribution!"
An icy aura began to rise from Shi Ming’s eyes once more.
The temperature of the seawater plummeted again. The Deep Sea Titan, still fighting the others, sensed the danger and its attacks grew even more ferocious. Every blow carried a primal, barbaric pressure that seemed to make the very water around it tremble.
WHOOSH—
Shi Ming locked his eyes on the Deep Sea Titan’s position.
He once again unleashed his A-rank skill, Ice Annihilation, with all his might!
The Ice Power in his body awakened once more. A surging cold erupted from the focal point of his gaze. Tiny ice crystals, like greedy, living things, spread and multiplied at an incredible speed, finally coalescing into a massive block of solid ice. Like chains, it froze the Barbaric Sea Beast, layer by solid layer.
ROAR!
The ice sealed the Titan’s indignant roar.
Giving it no chance to react, Mr. Lei’s attack arrived right on cue!
CRACK!
The thunder shattered the struggling giant. In the murky water, the Deep Sea Titan plummeted downward, crashing onto the dark seabed and kicking up clouds of silt.
’Is it dead?’
’It didn’t even enter a third phase? It was just instantly killed?’
’Its aura is completely gone, that’s for sure.’
Shi Ming couldn’t believe it. But before he could move forward to check, he suddenly felt the power of the Dinglan Pearl covering him abruptly recede by more than half. The terrifying water pressure slammed into him from all sides. While not enough to tear him apart, it made it momentarily difficult to breathe.
’Wright’s made his move.’
Fortunately, Shi Ming was prepared.
In an instant, his diving suit and its auxiliary systems enveloped him tightly, and the Black Tortoise Power within him began to counteract the extreme water pressure.
The others, however, were not so lucky.
The ever-unlucky Iruka passed out immediately.
Reyno of the Twelve Stars clearly hadn’t earned Wright’s trust either. He was curled up like a cooked shrimp, desperately channeling his Awakened power to fight the crushing deep-sea pressure.
Iwami, who had been about to make a move of his own, was now frozen in place as if throttled by fate itself.
Half a nautical mile away, Elder Chuan’s bones nearly shattered under the pressure. The resilient bandages wrapped around his chest were stretched to their breaking point. He cursed, his face flushing red for a moment before he slowly began to recover.
Of everyone there, only Wright, Mr. Lei, and Yize remained unaffected.
...
"Wright... Sir! What... is the meaning of this?"
Shi Ming demanded, his voice deliberately strained and breathless.
’If you’re going to be this ruthless,’
’then don’t blame me for what I do next!’
’Just let me get to the Deep Sea Titan’s wounds, to its gushing blood, and I’ll give you a huge surprise!’
’Think you can steal this from me?’
’Just see if my ravenous Right Arm Red Pattern will allow it!’
"Relax, Brother Shi. The Dinglan Pearl’s power is running a little low. It can only maintain its most basic function to keep you from being torn apart by the pressure. You all get some rest. Leave the finishing blow to me!"
"Yize, Mr. Lei, protect the others."
He said "protect," but he meant "watch."
Wright hadn’t dealt a fatal hand; he still maintained part of the Dinglan Pearl’s power.
The other Awakened he had invited all had formidable powers backing them. Wright knew they all had their own agendas, but as long as it was a matter of mutual exploitation, things were fine. If he killed them all—his own group returning with all the spoils while the others were completely wiped out—he would surely face retaliation from their backers.
His thirty-year reputation would also go up in smoke.
But a few minor tricks? The consequences for that wouldn’t be nearly as severe.
After all, they were all old foxes playing the same game. No one had the right to call anyone else out.
He stood before the carcass of the Deep Sea Titan, gazing at the motionless S-class Sea Beast, and an unimaginable joy welled up inside him.
Twenty-five years after becoming an A-rank Awakened, he was finally about to advance once more...
Wright didn’t possess a broken ability like Shi Ming’s Right Arm Red Pattern. Absorbing the energy from the Sea Beast Blood would take him at least two hours. During that time, no one else could start the process first, and he absolutely could not be interrupted.
Mr. Lei stood guard nearby, watching for any unexpected developments.
The others remained where they were, forced to watch as Wright claimed the final prize.
Shi Ming was preparing to make his move. He would retrieve the King Slayer from his system space, shatter the Deep Sea Titan’s corpse with ten times his normal strength, and let his Right Arm Red Pattern begin another gluttonous feast.
And at that very moment,
One of the Titan’s eyes,
snapped open!
An aura of both savage violence and divine power instantly enveloped the entire sea.
The phantom clock behind the Titan shattered into twelve distinct pieces. Each shard fused with the Deep Sea Titan, unleashing twelve terrifying new auras that spread throughout the water.
On the brink of death, it had activated Twelve Titans’ Fury—an ability usable only once a millennium. By playing dead, it had perfectly weathered the skill’s three-minute wind-up time.
Now, it was about to begin its frenzied slaughter and revenge!
!!!
Seeing this, Shi Ming reacted with lightning speed. He instantly pulled the General-class Drifter, the "Sun Chaser," from his system space!
Stealth mode: engaged!