Book 10: Chapter 32: Change

Qin Lun had seen many high-rank powerhouses. As far back as the World War II World, he had fought against the vice dean of Grimm Academy. The most dangerous encounter was the assassination attempt by a Zhentarim high-rank assassin in the Toril World. His most recent clash was battling Captain America wearing armored gear in the previous Quest World.

Back then, any fight against a high-rank professional meant he must run away. Now, he could hold his own briefly. Qin Lun’s strength had undergone an earth-shattering improvement.

But now, facing Wolf—a true High-Rank Apostle—he found those past battles offered little insight. Fighting a High-Rank Apostle was nothing like fighting a high-rank story character.

In fact, thanks to the Law Body, High-Rank Apostles surpassed story characters of the same rank. It also made up for flaws of a single profession. For example, high-rank mages in Quest Worlds wielded destructive magic similar to Mage Apostles. But their weak bodies remained a fatal flaw. Apostles, through the Law Body, lacked such weakness. Put simply, every Apostle embodied what was most exceptional—bug-like—in their profession. They could often challenge opponents beyond their rank. Second-Order Apostles fought high-rank enemies; High-Rank Apostles confronted Legendary story characters.

But what about Apostle vs. Apostle? With equal Law Bodies, a war of attrition favored the Apostle with superior fundamentals and richer resources.

At lower ranks, magic scrolls and Apostle equipment might bridge the gap. But upon reaching high-rank, an Apostle touched their profession’s peak. Such Apostle had no weakness. Their physical prowess was immense, granting absolute battlefield control. Even multiple low-rank Apostles unleashing Legendary Forbidden Spells could merely delay defeat, not overturn it.

“Hoo…” The Bingren let out a slow breath from its fierce mouth, just as a real human might. It released heavy sighs—a sign its Particle Furnace was overheating.

Satisfied and full, the Cosmic Octopus had contracted into a sphere. But the ecosystem upon it lay in total ruin. Millions of years of created microbes were gone. Oceans had vanished into steam. What atmosphere remained, barely clinging to the vacuum, became chaotic and foggy. Howling winds swept across the Cosmic Octopus’s surface, scouring everything.

By now, Qin Lun and Wolf had fought several exchanges upon this planet’s surface. After brief clashes, Qin Lun realized this foe was beyond him. He had to hide within the terrain, scheming desperately to set traps for Wolf.

Outmatched in power, tactics became his lifeline. Here, Qin Lun’s strength as a Hunter shone through. Simply put, Hunters possessed greater tracking skills than “Space Manipulators” like Wolf. Amidst the chaotic, hostile surface of the Cosmic Octopus, the Holy Light Team’s deputy leader genuinely struggled to catch him.

Qin Lun was crouched against a sheer cliff face. This place had once been a massive mountain range. The violent shifts caused by the Cosmic Octopus reshaped the crust. The mountain snapped apart, forming a terrifying, jagged pinnacle.

The Bingren clung tightly to the cliff’s shadowed side. Dark-green plant-life slowly spread across its body, weaving like thorny vines. In the harsh wind, these vines weathered rapidly. They discolored, hardened… becoming indistinguishable from the grey cliff face without close inspection.

“What a nuisance!” Wolf muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. He drifted slowly high above, sweeping his transformed telepathic waves over the ground again and again.

He didn’t grumble about Qin Lun’s hit-and-run tactics. For an Apostle, victory legitimized any method. As a High-Rank Apostle, Wolf understood this deeply.

Even in those early, probing exchanges, Wolf found himself impressed. Upon reaching high-rank, Apostles recognized others of similar strength intuitively. When Wolf first saw Qin Lun, he knew this wasn’t a High-Rank Apostle.

Yet, Qin Lun’s performance left a strong mark. Using four Gatling guns in matrix mode, he executed sharpshooter-like focus fire; he curved and ricocheted bullets like an elusive skirmisher. Only one word fit: amazing.

In Star Void circles, many considered the Gunslinger profession merely a stepping stone. Compared to the mystique of magic, ranged specialists typically chose Magician. Archers were preferred over Gunslingers even for those low on magic talent.

Their logic was simple: An enchanted arrow might rival a magic bullet’s power. But a Gunslinger couldn’t enchant every bullet. Regular bullets were weak. Without sustained enchanted bullets, why not use a bow? Arrows were recoverable, after all.

Wolf, however, wasn’t ordinary. His long life of adventure had brought him face-to-face with a real high-rank Gunslinger.

Once, the Holy Light Team clashed with another powerful group. Luck favored them—they crippled the enemy’s main tank early. Victory seemed certain. Then, the enemy’s high-rank Gunslinger emerged.

His ruthless, overwhelming firepower filled the battlefield. Amazingly, this damage-dealer controlled the field like a tank. That battle taught every High-Rank Apostle present: No combat profession was weak. The difference lay solely in its wielder.

Through these brief exchanges, both recognized the power imbalance. A Second-Order Apostle couldn’t withstand high-rank. Yet Qin Lun’s slippery persistence surprised Wolf.

Cunning, elusive, tricky to grasp—this was Wolf’s assessment of Qin Lun.

Fighting on the Cosmic Octopus’s surface seemed fair. Actually, Wolf knew it disadvantaged him more. His host was still a Jannamer progeny. However strong his will, witnessing Jannamer Silver Lightning consumed alive by the Cosmic Octopus left a shadow on his mind.

This was the big reason why Wolf—a Space Manipulator—still missed Qin Lun earlier. He feared making too much noise might wake the giant creature.

But as the fight dragged on, Wolf confirmed the Cosmic Octopus slept deeply again. Their “ant-sized” battle wouldn’t disturb its rest.

It was precisely then that Qin Lun expertly vanished into the planet’s craggy terrain. That left the deputy team leader of Holy Light frustrated.

Of course, Wolf didn’t relax simply because the tactics seemed boring. The opponent couldn’t beat him head-on, but that didn’t guarantee Wolf’s victory. Since Qin Lun refused to concede despite recognizing the impossible gap, he must hold a trump card.

Moreover, Wolf understood his foe’s mindset. Even in inevitable defeat, gaining Wolf’s recognition meant victory of a sort. It could limit Wolf’s leverage in future negotiations. After all, Wolf wasn’t alone. His strength didn’t necessarily mean his teammates could act without restraint.

“Spatial abilities… What a headache!” While Wolf wrestled with catching Qin Lun, Qin Lun agonized over Wolf’s displacement powers.

Qin Lun had simulated countless fight scenarios in his mind. The best outcome? He dies inflicting heavy wounds on Wolf. Yet Wolf’s spatial skills would let him escape mutual destruction.

“My integration with Bingren remains too shallow!” Qin Lun rested silently against the cliff. Flashbacks of the fierce skirmishes raced through his thoughts.

Intense exchanges revealed flaws never noticed against lesser foes. Against Wolf—this true Jannamer progeny—the Full-Bio-Mechanism had shown delayed reactions. Smooth techniques that flowed before now always felt a split-second too slow.

Compared to Wolf’s assessment, Qin Lun felt their gap wasn’t purely about rank. The Bingren Mecha and Jannamer progeny had different strengths. But Wolf was the Jannamer body. Qin Lun had to use a control core. This setup wasn’t bad. The Bingren’s slight reaction delay was offset by mobility and specialized equipment. Overall performance was comparable. Only adding the Apostle rank gap created Qin Lun’s current dilemma.

“Unless my bond with Bingren reaches unprecedented heights!” Qin Lun’s expression shifted dramatically. He grinned sharply, resolve solidifying. “I have to try. Just surrendering would be too dull!”

Thrum… Thrum… Deep within the cliff-clinging Bingren, faint popping echoes resonated. They sounded like coiled springs stretched taut, reaching their snapping point.

As Qin Lun released his awareness, a weightlessness seized him. It felt like stepping off solid ground into sleep—plunging instantly toward a lightless abyss. Inside the Bingren cockpit, his Angel Clone face twisted grotesquely with agony. Blue veins bulged fiercely beneath skin rippling like serpents moving beneath.

Vines emerged from his flesh, burrowing deeper into Bingren’s structure. They penetrated deep into the organo-mechanical hybrid, seeking the biological cores woven into the Jannamer tissue itself. The skin covering Qin Lun’s Angel Clone dissolved like soft wax. His entire form merged indistinctly with the Bingren Mecha’s inner lining. Any distinct human shape was gone.

The Bingren adhered to the cliff jerked violently, convulsing as if gripped by feverish spasms. Its outer layer of fossilized vines cracked and tumbled loose. The armored face twisted into a disturbingly human expression of torment. A low, angry rumble sounded as it bared its teeth in a monstrous grimace.

“Found you!” Wolf hovered near space lit up. Spotting the movement below, he flashed toward Qin Lun’s hiding place atop the spire.

Simultaneously, the Bingren’s violent thrashing ceased. Dreadful scarlet light burned slowly within its vision sensors. It ignored the fast-approaching threat entirely. Instead, its manipulator claws rose slowly before its lenses. It took a deep, greedy breath, like a newborn exploring its surroundings. An unnerving grin split its armored visage, thick strands of saliva dripping from metallic jaws.