Chapter 61: Countdown Ended, Prepare For Hell.
Chapter 61: Countdown Ended, Prepare For Hell.
Chapter 61
"You have wasted three minutes... now you only have two minutes left..." Ozaki, who was still struggling to make a comeback as he fought just to stand properly from where he had been struck down, couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of dread grip his heart when he heard those words.
Liyu had already stated what would happen after the countdown reached five minutes and he still wasn’t able to leave even a scratch on him... it would be hell for him.
His heart, which had settled down a little while ago, immediately began racing madly once more as cold fear crept into his bones. This... this might be the worst decision of his entire life.
But he had never even met this young man before; how was he supposed to know whether he had killed someone related to him?
Yes, the young man’s gaze right now, no matter how much he tried to hide it, was identical to the gaze of those who had once come seeking vengeance after Ozaki slaughtered their loved ones.
Being the nice guy that he used to be, he had always done them the favor of sending them all to reunite with those loved ones in the afterlife as well, yet this was the first time someone had made him feel that the one who might be heading to the afterlife this time could very well be himself.
And more than anything, that terrified Ozaki. The dread quickly transformed into anger; the anger bloomed into unbridled rage. However, instead of charging toward Liyu, he rushed to the side of his throne and grabbed his combat axe.
The single blade gleamed with immense power as he activated one of its special abilities: the bladed edge extended, becoming longer and sharper; its cutting edge darkened as though it had been coated with poison.
And that was exactly what had happened. The special effect of the Ozaki Axe, as Ozaki had personally named it, was capable of releasing an extremely deadly poison into the bloodstream of anyone it wounded. Within seconds, the poison would cripple the victim’s meridians.
If the victim happened to be an exceptionally powerful cultivator, it might not completely cripple them, but it would still inflict unbearable pain and leave them paralyzed for a considerable amount of time.
Even Ozaki himself feared being on the receiving end of his own weapon. The reason was simple: if he received even the slightest scratch from that blade, then forget fighting; he wouldn’t even be able to move, and instead, he would be subjected to unimaginable agony for a very, very long time.
That was why Ozaki treasured this weapon so much... it was his greatest trump card. The very weapon he had once used to slay an opponent two stages above him almost effortlessly.
One had to know that as cultivation realms increased, fighting across stages became increasingly difficult; at the Qi Refining Realm, this fact became even more obvious. The gap between stages was far larger than the gap that existed between stages within the Qi Gathering Realm.
So for Ozaki to have overpowered and killed a cultivator two stages above him spoke volumes about how extraordinary this weapon truly was.
Now, he had finally decided to cast aside any shame he felt about using such a powerful weapon against a younger and supposedly weaker opponent, because he could now clearly see that this opponent, despite his cultivation realm, might actually be stronger than himself.
The repeated beatings he had suffered were proof enough, and right now, forget his youthful appearance... the amount of killing intent radiating from this young man was enough to make even a fully grown warrior tremble in fear.
So yes, this was the only way for him to survive; the only way to escape this young man’s wrath. Ozaki gripped his axe tightly as though he were holding onto his lifeline; wait... he truly was holding onto his lifeline.
His racing heartbeat gradually settled as he looked at Liyu, who still stood calmly without drawing any weapon.
It was almost as though he didn’t possess a spirit weapon at all, which seemed impossible considering his strength and presumed background; still, that only made Ozaki even happier.
His victory seemed far more certain that way.
Without wasting another second contemplating, he burst forward as his subordinates cheered loudly behind him.
Ozaki’s axe flashed through the air as it aimed directly for Liyu’s neck, yet just like every previous attack, Liyu casually sidestepped the strike. However, Ozaki had anticipated this; the moment Liyu dodged, he activated the second ability of his treasured axe: the blade suddenly curved in an unnatural manner and slashed toward the exact location where Liyu had just moved.
There was no way he could escape that attack unharmed. At least, that was what Ozaki believed; he eagerly awaited the moment the blade would scratch the young man and inject its poison into his body.
Yet before the blade could touch him, Liyu’s eyes merely flashed; his body bent backward at an almost impossible angle as he effortlessly dodged the attack once again.
The curved blade eventually reached its limit and retracted back to its original position; Liyu straightened himself calmly, his expression remaining completely unchanged as he looked at Ozaki.
Ozaki’s anxiety continued to grow; the countdown was still ticking away, and every passing second brought him closer to the horrifying fate Liyu had promised him.
Unwilling to think about that possibility, he attacked once more... and then again, and again.
His attacks became increasingly ferocious, his axe carving through the air repeatedly, yet Liyu avoided every single strike. His movements were so smooth, so precise, and so impossibly fast that Ozaki could only stare in growing despair.
It must be the green lightning; it had to be. That was the only explanation he could think of. His entire plan revolved around landing a single hit... just one scratch.
The moment he managed that, the poison hidden within the axe would immediately activate; once that happened, Liyu would no longer be able to dodge; the paralysis would seize his body; and then his death would become inevitable.
That was the scenario Ozaki desperately clung to as he continued launching attack after attack. Unfortunately for him... reality seemed determined to prove him wrong.
And yet, the more Liyu managed to dodge each of his attacks, the more weary Ozaki became as another thought crossed his mind: what if he was unable to leave even a single mark on the young man’s body?
Wouldn’t that mean that... he gulped heavily. A cold chill ran through his entire body as he focused harder than ever before; his attacks became faster and faster, stronger and stronger, carrying even greater force behind every swing of his axe.
Yet Liyu continued to dodge and evade each and every one of those attacks with a straight face and almost insulting ease.
Even Liyu had to admit that this body possessed truly absurd mobility; well, considering the fact that speed was King Rayden’s greatest specialty, it honestly made perfect sense.
Green lightning flashed around his body continuously; Liyu was able to read all of Ozaki’s strikes with astonishing clarity, and with the enhancement granted by the emerald lightning coursing through his body, his speed increased many times over.
Not only that, but his reaction speed had improved to such a terrifying extent that it almost felt as if the entire world had been slowed down to a mere 0.2 playback speed before his eyes.
Every movement, every swing, every breath, every twitch of Ozaki’s muscles... everything appeared crystal clear. With such advantages, none of the man’s strikes were able to even come close to touching him.
The rapid assault and equally rapid evasions continued at such astonishing speeds that the surrounding members of the Dark Reapers could no longer properly follow what was happening.
Their eyes moved frantically, yet all they could see were blurry afterimages flashing across the cave. To them, it simply looked as though the two were engaged in an incredibly intense battle.
All they could do was pray... pray that the one currently holding the advantage was none other than their leader; pray that their master would win; pray that Ozaki would somehow kill this terrifying monster.
Yet once again, their prayers seemed destined to fail; it was almost as if no one was listening. Because in the very next moment... BOOM! Ozaki was sent flying once more; his body crashed heavily into the side of his sturdy obsidian throne.
The immense force behind the impact was enough to send spiderweb-like cracks running across the entire throne; the once imposing seat of power trembled violently.
Ozaki’s head was dripping with blood; fresh crimson flowed down his face and mixed with the blood spilling from the corner of his mouth; his breathing became increasingly ragged.
Several more of his bones had cracked from the latest strike; yet more than the pain ravaging his body right now was another feeling... a feeling so overwhelming that it dominated everything else: fear. Pure fear.
His heart raced faster and faster; he was in danger. Real danger. The kid had yet to be scratched; he hadn’t even managed to touch him. Not once. And the countdown... the countdown had to be nearing its end.
Just as that thought appeared inside his mind, a calm voice reached his ears—a cold voice, a voice that made every instinct inside him scream danger: "The countdown is over. Prepare for hell."
Those words instantly struck immense terror into the heart of the Dark Reaper leader; at the same time, every single Dark Reaper present felt their bodies turn cold.
Their eyes immediately shifted toward Liyu; the young man had just finished forming two short swords made entirely from crackling emerald lightning.
The swords hummed softly, yet somehow that soft hum sounded more terrifying than thunder itself; his gaze, which had already been frightening enough, became even more terrifying.
His emerald eyes stared directly at Ozaki; there was no anger within them anymore—only death, only cold certainty: "Your countdown is over. Prepare to face true hell."
Ozaki gulped so loudly that everyone nearby could hear it, yet he wasn’t the only one; every member of the Dark Reapers swallowed nervously; many of them outright collapsed to their knees.
The killing intent radiating from Liyu’s body had become so dense that breathing itself felt difficult; he looked less like a human and more like a grim reaper that had stepped out from the depths of hell itself... an existence born solely to harvest lives.
They couldn’t help but question whether they were doomed, because from the gaze of that young demon, there was absolutely no doubt: if nothing changed soon... they were all going to die. Painfully. Very painfully.
Yet they weren’t completely hopeless; there was still one person who might be capable of saving them: their leader.
Every gaze turned toward Ozaki; the man was still seated atop the remains of his shattered throne; blood covered his face; he should have looked terrifying; instead, he only looked miserable.
He was the only one who could save them now... that was what every Dark Reaper present believed.
Yes, he had been beaten down repeatedly as though he owed the young man an eternal debt stretching back generations, yet he still possessed one thing none of them had: the axe.
Every one of them knew how terrifying that weapon was; they all knew what happened when it managed to wound someone.
If Ozaki could somehow leave even the smallest scratch on Liyu’s skin, then everything would change: the poison would enter his body, the battle would be over, and they would survive.
Ozaki felt all those hopeful gazes landing upon him; rather than feeling encouraged, he only felt annoyed. Unlike noble leaders who carried the hopes and burdens of their followers upon their shoulders, Ozaki wasn’t burdened by such thoughts... no, he was furious.
These damn bastards, these bottom-feeders... they wanted to hide behind him and use him as a shield; if not for the current situation, he would have slaughtered half of them himself. Still, none of that mattered right now, because the only thing occupying his thoughts was survival.
He thought, and thought, and thought again, yet every road led to the same answer: he had to land a cut. If he couldn’t manage that... then he was dead.
Ozaki forced his battered body upright once more; pain surged through every inch of his body, yet he tightened his grip on the axe; his eyes became focused: "Here goes nothing..." Hopefully he could land a blow; he was going all out.
Well, he had already been going all out for quite some time now, yet despite that, he hadn’t managed to land a single strike. Still, hope was all he had left. Liyu bent his body ever so slightly; green lightning flashed within his eyes; then he moved. WHOOSH!
A terrifying sound echoed throughout the cave; his speed was so refined and so overwhelming that unlike Ozaki’s movements, not even the ground beneath him splintered.
Everything was perfectly controlled, perfectly efficient, perfectly lethal. Already anticipating Liyu’s speed, Ozaki had swung his axe before Liyu even moved; the moment he attacked, he could clearly see it: the blade was going to connect... his chest, the blade was heading directly for Liyu’s chest.
Seeing the weapon nearing its target, Ozaki nearly exploded with joy: finally, he was going to hit him. The blade came closer, and closer, and closer.
Then... FLASH! A brilliant green light exploded across his vision; before he could understand what had happened, he felt something drop to the ground. CLANG! His axe fell; then blood erupted high into the air.
Five severed fingers spun through the air before crashing onto the floor; they had been sliced clean off. For a brief second, Ozaki simply stared blankly, unable to process what had happened; then the pain arrived.
An unimaginable surge of agony shot through every nerve in his body; the wound became far more painful than it should have been... far more painful than any normal injury; it felt as though countless burning needles were being driven into his flesh: "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Ozaki couldn’t stop himself from screaming; the pain was simply too much. Liyu appeared behind him once more; emerald lightning flashed through his eyes; a devilish grin slowly spread across his face. This man truly had no idea; the pain was only beginning; the real fun hadn’t even started yet.
Liyu raised one of his lightning-forged short swords; then it flashed. A severed ear dropped onto the ground, followed immediately by another blood-curdling scream:
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" And only then... did the true torture begin.
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— Ultra