Volume One: The Nature of the Devil Never Changes
Arc: The Great Guerrilla War
After Man Hu was crushed between the four islands, Scarlet King stood for several seconds, watching to confirm his death.
He remained that way for a few moments, then turned around and sat on the ground. He began cultivating to heal his injuries, ensure his body had returned to normal, and stabilize his cultivation level. He thought:
(The Saintesses are at least in the Void Realm. That means they can easily see through the formation's illusion because of the difference in level.)
The Saintess of Darkness looked at Scarlet King and thought:
(Hah, strange… either these two men have not seen me, or they simply do not care about my presence.)
Suddenly, Scarlet King opened his eyes when he heard the sound of a powerful blow coming from the four islands, followed by another blow, then a third, then a fourth.
After the fifth blow, one of the island fragments shattered, and Man Hu's red arm appeared.
Scarlet King looked over and said:
"He still is not dead? As expected of someone with the Zombie Transformation Body Physique."
Suddenly, one of the islands was hurled toward Scarlet King. His eyes began to glow, and lasers shot from them, cutting the island from top to bottom. After being split apart, the two halves flew in opposite directions through the void.
Scarlet King moved his hand through the air and said:
"Hegemon's Touch."
A blue aura wrapped around Man Hu's trapped body, dragging him forcefully toward Scarlet King, who remained hidden. Then Man Hu stopped in midair. The three remaining fragments moved with terrifying speed and slammed into his body.
After a full minute, Man Hu emerged from the dust and debris, looking around. His body was covered in shallow wounds, making Scarlet King think:
(The Zombie Transformation Body Physique makes a person ten times stronger than normal, and multiplies their physical strength fiftyfold. Even after all these attacks, I barely managed to scratch him.)
Scarlet King's thinking was realistic. He understood that, right now, he was far too weak against Man Hu.
After all, the Zombie Transformation Body Physique was the second strongest transformational body physique in all existence.
Scarlet King continued thinking:
(Even if Lin Yuan, Ikalath, and I fought together, our chance of victory would still be extremely small. But I cannot rely on anyone. I must rely on myself to eliminate Man Hu.)
In the end, Scarlet King's way of thinking had never changed.
Thinking of asking for help and relying on someone else was like asking for a ticket to death. After one reliance came a second, then a third, and so on—until it became near-total dependence. And then, your fate would no longer be in your own hands, but in the hands of the one you depended on.
He smiled as the twin daggers Ming Hao began forming in his hands.
Then Scarlet King threw the first dagger toward Man Hu's third left arm and said:
"Hegemon's Touch."
The dagger began spinning at terrifying speed. Because of Hegemon's Touch, which controlled gravity and air, the dagger became far faster—
so fast that Man Hu only noticed it when…
his third left arm was severed.
The arm began floating through space away from Man Hu, who said in shock:
"What? How?!"
From afar, the dagger moved again when Scarlet King said for the second time:
"Hegemon's Touch."
The dagger moved, spun, and shot forward even faster than before toward Man Hu's fourth right arm. It passed through it, shattering part of the arm as it crossed, and the arm flew off into space as well.
Scarlet King spoke quietly, with a cold smile:
"Hmm… the dagger combined with Hegemon's Touch is a good mix… A new technique. I will call it: Dagger Throwing!"
Scarlet King threw the other dagger in his hand and used Hegemon's Touch. It flew forward at high speed, piercing straight through the center of Man Hu's chest. A gap opened, through which the dagger could be seen moving.
Man Hu was shocked and spat out some blood. But he moved his hand, wiped the blood from his mouth, and roared loudly:
"Graaaaaaaahhh!!"
Suddenly, his red skin turned gray, and an aura like lightning began surging from his body, making Scarlet King say coldly:
"The second level of the Zombie Transformation Body Physique?"
Scarlet King moved at full speed, appeared in front of Man Hu, and struck his jaw with a blow that shattered it completely, interrupting the evolution.
Scarlet King thought:
(Good. The evolution was interrupted. Otherwise, I would have been crushed easily.)
Suddenly, red blood emerged from the places where Man Hu's arms had been severed, and new arms formed. They moved to strike Scarlet King with great speed and power.
But from behind Scarlet King's back, above his shoulders, Titan King's metallic arms appeared.
The metallic arms moved and blocked Man Hu's arms, while Scarlet King raised his knee and struck Man Hu's head with such force that a cracking sound rang out from inside his skull.
But the same thing happened to Scarlet King.
His knee almost shattered.
Scarlet King clenched his teeth—
not from pain,
but from the lack of tricks left to him.
He had done everything to kill Man Hu.
But he had failed.
Only one thing remained that could stop Man Hu's body from regenerating…
And that was…
eating him alive.