Chapter 131: Optical Membrane Fission Bomb

Boom!

A bolt of blue lightning tore straight through the multi-layered walls of the villa, subsequently punching clean through the perimeter wall outside as well.

Drivers navigating the road outside frantically spun their steering wheels, and numerous cars parked along the curb blared their horns in alarm. Before long, people whipped out their cell phones to call the police.

Inside the villa's spacious hall, a foul, acrid stench of burning hung thick in the air. On the distant wall, a pitch-black crater emerged, its inner rim lined with scorched marks.

On the floor, Bai Yan knelt heavily. A massive hole through her chest had nearly severed her upper torso, and smoke wisped from the wound.

Kevin walked toward her step by step, his brow furrowed deeply.

Despite appearing gravely injured, Bai Yan's expression remained as detached as ever. She suddenly raised her head and locked eyes with Kevin.

"I'll gladly take Rellian's soul..."

"Huh?!"

Kevin vanished in a blur, his palm crackling with lightning as he blasted Bai Yan's head to pieces. The battered, broken corpse collapsed heavily to the ground, only to instantly turn to ashes.

It transformed into a billowing cloud of pale blue mist.

"Ah!" A piercing scream suddenly rang out from behind.

Kevin whipped his head around to see a figure in a trench coat reaching out an arm, capturing the blue humanoid shape.

After struggling and pleading in vain, Rellian's spirit let out a final, agonizing shriek that echoed throughout the entire hall.

Swish, swish, swish...

Witnessing this, the high-ranking members of the Holy Flame Society transformed into streaks of afterimages, charging forward frantically. Like a pack of foraging wolves, they unleashed their ferocious abilities.

Some had their arms harden into solid metal, resembling glowing silver gauntlets. Others brandished single-edged blades, the edges dancing through the air like streaks of light. Still others pressed their right palms into empty space, summoning snarling, otherworldly aberrations.

And all of these attacks shared a single target.

It was Bai Yan, standing dead center in the hall!

"Stand back!"

Kevin barked suddenly.

But it was already too late.

Bai Yan's expression remained indifferent as she slammed her palms together, her eyes turning pitch-black like bottomless abysses.

"Realm of the Dead, Bindings Release!"

Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh...

Gusts of wind from unknown origins churned and roared, sounding chillingly like the shrieks of vengeful spirits.

A blinding blue radiance began to spew frantically from Bai Yan's body, and an irresistible wave of mist burst outward in all directions.

Every single elite of the Holy Flame Society charging at her was blasted backward by the shockwave, their attacks completely neutralized.

In a mere half-breath, the vast villa hall was swallowed entirely by a surging ocean of blue.

"It's so cold, ahhhhh..."

"It's so hot, ahhhhh..."

"Don't bite me!"

"It's too dark in here..."

"Where are my eyes? Where are my eyes!"

Within the blue ocean, bizarre voices echoed continuously. Yet none of them belonged to any of the living present.

"It's too dark here... Here... Ah!! I see the light! I want out! Haha! I want out..."

Following the rambling, incoherent mutterings, a pitch-black figure over three meters tall crawled up from beneath the ground. It looked rather like a giant rhinoceros beetle.

Its body was covered in mottled patterns, and venomous stingers bristled along its joints. Its massive bulk possessed the presence of a rolling tank.

Splat! Splat!

To the utter shock of two Holy Flame Society guards,

the black rhinoceros beetle materialized right in front of them as if teleporting, and cleanly snapped off their heads.

It was as effortless as popping open a canned meal.

"Light! Delicious light, ohhhhh!!!!"

The rhinoceros beetle trembled with excitement, greedily positioning its head against the jagged, uneven stump of a neck. It inhaled deeply, sucking out a massive plume of blue mist.

Roughly a third of it was swallowed down with immense satisfaction, while the remaining two-thirds merged into the surrounding fog.

Not just this creature, but everywhere within the blue mist surrounding the villa—grotesque humanoids were clawing their way up from the earth, sprinting wildly in pursuit of prey.

There was a gigantic, spine-covered ice hedgehog crying out about the cold, throwing its arms around two or three people at once seeking warmth. There was a lava demon blazing with fire, driven mad by heat, spewing high-temperature flames everywhere to vent its pressure.

There were also bone skeletons clutching walking sticks, using their canes to freeze humans in place one by one, before reaching out withered claws to gouge out eyeballs and pop them into their own empty sockets.

There were countless more such aberrations, numbering in the hundreds, if not thousands. They all shared a single defining trait: their bodies were translucent, glowing with a faint blue light.

Crackling and snapping! Crackling and snapping!

Inside the villa, Kevin, his entire body wreathed in lightning, swept his right hand through the air. A slender blue beam sliced across half the hall, instantly carving dozens of aberrations to pieces.

He kicked off the ground with his left foot, lunging forward. A dozen-meter-long whip lashed out through the air, crackling with terrifying electricity and leaving a curved, semi-circular arc of light in its wake.

On the floor, Bai Yan sidestepped to dodge, but the whip instantly curled around from the flank. She countered with a backhanded palm strike.

Her feet plowed twin tracks over ten meters long into the ground, nearly shattering the marble tiles.

Bai Yan glanced down at the charred black mark on her palm.

Across from her, the blue-haired Kevin lunged forward once more.

"I've long heard of the great 'Realm of the Dead,' leader of the Golden Spiral! Word has it you can take on hundreds or thousands single-handedly with this technique, and even possess hundreds or thousands of lives while your domain is active! Today, I must truly experience your renowned methods!"

With those words, the two apex powerhouses—the only two Sublimators present—collided in a frenzy, engaging in a battle to the limit.

The sheer pressure and shockwaves from their clash forced the remaining elite fighters to scramble in disarray, fleeing the villa in hasty retreat.

Outside the villa, in the northwest corner of the estate.

Xun An was currently pounding a pile of mush—a massive, bloody heap of shredded meat. The tall, imposing Pale Knight rained down fists like heavy raindrops, each blow exploding with the force of thunder.

A crater over three meters wide had already formed in the earth, surrounded by a chaotic mess of brutal combat scars.

Dozens of seconds earlier, he had chased the white-haired man out of the villa. The two had fought and shifted positions simultaneously.

The man seemed utterly confident in his own offensive power, even attempting to trade blows and flesh with Xun An in a mutual exchange of damage. After dodging a few times to get a feel for the situation, Xun An switched to his Heavy Armor form and obliged him.

Thus ensued ten full seconds of the most agonizing, futile chip-damage imaginable.

Forget cracking the Pale Knight's armor; he couldn't even leave a single scratch! It was pure despair.

Realizing the futility of it, the white-haired man tried to flee.

But at that moment, Bai Yan activated the ability of the Realm of the Dead, sending a massive swarm of bizarre aberrations to block his path.

He was caught by the Pale Knight in Heavy Armor form.

And subjected to a merciless, brutal beating. In the end, he wound up just like this—pounded into pulp by heavy fists.

Thud!

With one final, earth-shaking hammer blow, the ground within a ten-meter radius cracked into intricate spiderweb fissures.

The Pale Knight straightened up.

Ah! Ah! Ah!

A series of miserable screams suddenly cut through the air nearby.

Xun An glanced sideways to see a giant ice hedgehog—its bulk hardly inferior to his own—charging past. Impaled upon the dense thicket of spikes on its back like candied fruit were several Holy Flame Society combatants. Their screams echoed endlessly as fountains of blood rained down.

In less than a breath, the Secret Ring Masters whose protective aura membranes had been shattered were frozen solid by the bone-chilling frost.

The ice hedgehog was an ally capable of distinguishing friend from foe, so it merely brushed past Xun An.

Xun An watched as the people dying upon the hedgehog's back released plumes of blue mist. A portion of it was absorbed by the hedgehog, while the rest blended into the ambient fog, making the blue haze even denser.

"This is Bai Yan's ability... What a massive range..."

He mentally calculated and drew his conclusion.

If they were enemies, even if he activated his meditation time instantly, he wouldn't be able to escape the domain's radius.

"Awen!"

Suddenly, two figures burst out from beside the villa.

Immediately following, the sounds of intense impact echoed from within.

The Pale Knight shifted slightly, the heavy armor on his body grinding and scraping noisily as his towering physique stood firm like a wall.

"Awen!?"

One of the men suddenly froze in his tracks, picking up a severed hand from the ground bearing an identity ring.

"As you can see, he's dead..."

The two men stiffened instantly, their breathing growing ragged. That deep, low voice had come from right behind them.

Boom! Boom!

Two fists smashed backward into the Pale Knight's body.

Splat!

Ignoring the assault, Xun An swept out his arms, his heavy embrace closing in like a towering mountain with crushing force. Accompanied by two muffled groans, a series of hard bones snapped.

The two Holy Flame Society members bulged their eyes as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. Blood gushed wildly from their noses and mouths, mixed with strings of shattered internal organs.

Bent into unnatural forward and backward arches, their bodies were sent flying by a single sweep of his palm.

"I never thought that executing my power to the fullest would allow me to slaughter Tier 2 early-stage foes as easily as slaughtering chickens." Xun An clenched his fist inch by inch, sticky blood oozing between his knuckles.

The gap between the edge of Tier 2 and just entering Tier 2 was immense—especially in a one-on-one or two-on-one fight.

Without others to distract him, the enemy was guaranteed to die.

Xun An was deep in thought when he suddenly threw a backhand punch. A figure to his side was sent flying, stumbling back several steps.

Every single footstep shattered a sturdy floor tile.

"Not bad strength. Who are you?"

The Pale Knight turned his head, his deep voice rumbling like muffled thunder from beneath the steel mask.

"Black Flower Combat Task Force, White Blade."

The name "White Blade" was dragged out in an elongated hiss, and the man who had been standing on the ground vanished instantly, reappearing like a ghost directly behind the Pale Knight.

He raised his sharp saber and brought it down in a slash.

With a swish, the Pale Knight's figure seemed to be sliced in two. White Blade's pupils constricted—it was an afterimage!

Rumble... Thunderous breathing echoed from behind him. A massive shadow enveloped White Blade entirely, its flame-like, flickering eyes burning with murderous intent.

Whoosh!

White Blade lashed out with a kick to put some distance between them, retreating backward like lightning.

Thud, thud, thud! Thud, thud, thud!

Two sets of footsteps overlapped.

White Blade looked back in terror as a massive fist, like a falling meteor, filled his entire field of view!

Boom!

"Captain!!!" White Blade shouted in joyous relief.

A blond figure stepped in front of him, his robust, muscular physique resembling a lion lording over the savanna. An imposing and formidable aura surged forth.

Whoosh!

Red Gold lashed out with another strike, a phantom lion seeming to sprint along his muscular arm. Flawless in both strength and speed, he slammed his hand into the Pale Knight's chest with lightning-fast momentum, unleashing a dull, muffled shockwave.

"Hmm? Decent defense!"

Red Gold's fists struck like javelins, erupting into a shower of sparks against the Pale Knight's heavy armor.

"Whoosh!"

Xun An hurled a heavy punch, colliding with Red Gold's left elbow. Both men staggered backward in succession.

Lightly tapping his foot, Xun An lunged forward again.

He unleashed his absolute peak striking power, every single punch heavy enough to shatter any fortified wall.

Red Gold, meanwhile, excelled in close-quarters combat, every hard joint in his body serving as a weapon. Whether hands, feet, knees, or elbows, his movements flowed with absolute seamlessness.

His flurry of attacks was relentless as a storm, one that would leave an ordinary person gasping for breath.

Should anyone fail to keep pace with Red Gold's rhythm for even a second, their momentum would shatter, and they would be suppressed relentlessly until death!

That was Red Gold's combat style—brimming with aggression, much like a lion fiercely guarding its territory.

Yet, this time, his opponent seemed different.

The Blood-Red Knight showed not a shred of defensive posture; it was all offense, offense, and more offense! He would even occasionally slip in a devastatingly destructive light sword, posing an immense threat.

Red Gold himself was finding things somewhat tricky. His opponent's defense was many times higher than he had anticipated.

Even now, Red Gold had yet to probe the upper limit of the enemy's defensive capabilities. His own continuous, full-strength onslaught felt like striking a thick, heavy turtle shell—no, this turtle shell was solid all the way through!

Whether using razor-sharp hand-blades or fists imbued with piercing hidden force, he received no feedback whatsoever. Xun An didn't even emit a muffled groan, simply continuing his relentless barrage of counter-punches.

After half a minute of entanglement, the Blood-Red Knight looked completely unscathed. Red Gold, on the other hand, looked somewhat disheveled, with scrapes and bruises marking his face and body.

Standing in place, Red Gold let out a long breath, casting a glance at the combat scars trailing behind him. It seemed he and his opponent had circled the entire villa in a full lap.

The sounds of slaughter echoed close by. The three major factions, alongside the aberrations spawned from the Realm of the Dead, were locked in a chaotic melee with the Holy Flame Society's combat task force. Casualties mounted on both sides, and the outlook wasn't looking particularly optimistic for either party.

"Phew... Quick finish. Time to put an end to you!"

He drew a deep breath. As the captain of the Black Flower Combat Task Force, Red Gold's strength lay not just in personal combat prowess, but in his ability to lead squads in battle.

Now, he intended to unleash his full power to eliminate the Xun An before him, and then return to lead the Black Flower Task Force. He couldn't afford to waste all his time here.

"Just about time."

Xun An muttered seemingly out of nowhere on the opposite side.

"What do you mean?" Red Gold's brow furrowed sharply.

He had a bad premonition.

"A one-time extraordinary item, Aura-Membrane Fragmentation Bomb..."

"This is a gift I've prepared for you."

"Snap!" Xun An snapped his fingers.

Four crystal fireworks bloomed into existence...