Chapter 995: Chapter 995

The scattered raindrops fell between the two, and Scott sneered coldly, raising his spear, "All you did was escape the entanglement of the Abyss! You can’t kill me!"

The spear and sword collided once again, emitting a crisp sound.

The screeching sound waves traveled to the surrounding ruined buildings, shaking loose fine cracks and dust.

Scott’s hand trembled slightly, he hoisted his spear, both hands striving with all their might, thrusting toward He Ao.

He Ao quickly raised his sword to block, retreating while countering until he had no further space to retreat before the shifting low-rise building. When he had no more room to back up, he stared at the smile on Scott’s face, wrist flicking, power reaching the blade, borrowing force to jolt Scott’s spear away.

Before Scott could react, He Ao’s figure flashed behind Scott like a shimmer.

After being restricted by the Ruby Array to communicate with the Abyss, Scott’s power from the Abyss diminished significantly. Plus, the ability he just used seemed to have overdrawn some kind of power, not only making him even weaker but also reducing his acquired power further.

Now his physical fitness was only around six thousand, nearing seven thousand.

Although still slightly stronger than He Ao, with Super Memory combined with the Fist Technique at nearly six thousand physical fitness, it was no longer to a degree He Ao couldn’t contend with.

Under the gaze of Divine Sense, He Ao observed Scott’s entire body’s energy circuits and the energy convergence point at his neck. He raised his longsword and pierced toward Scott’s nape.

At this moment, Scott reacted, turning around, holding his spear in front of him.

He Ao’s longsword transitioned from a thrust to a chop, striking fiercely upon the spear.

Heavy Strike Martial Technique!

Scott’s hands, already defending in a rush, trembled, and at the same time, his body was knocked flying by He Ao.

He Ao also followed through, his longsword sliding down the shaft of the spear, cutting toward Scott’s fingers.

Scott quickly withdrew his hand to dodge, but as He Ao’s sword tip was about to reach his fingers, he pulled back and circled the sword tip from below before fiercely jabbing out.

Scott realized something and retreated again, but still, He Ao managed to slice open his wrist in an instant.

Accompanied by the splatter of orange-green blood, Scott gathered his arms in front of him, both hands holding the spear, looking at He Ao.

At this point, his body had already slammed into the abandoned low-rise building behind him, and He Ao’s figure closely followed.

The longsword emerged from the darkness, colliding with the jade-like spear in the quiet low-rise.

With each crisp sound and the sharp whistles created by the dissipated forces of their clash, the entire ruined building suddenly trembled, the many cracks throughout it seemed to have finally reached the building’s structural limit, causing the long-abandoned structure to begin to collapse violently.

Chunks of concrete, with steel rebars inside, fell at a speed matching the intensity of the rain outside.

Soon, both of their figures swiftly emerged from the low-rise building, but in the instant they did, the old structure collapsed like a castle made of sand piles.

And then, Scott was smashed into another ruined building.

At this moment, both of Scott’s arms, including his forearms, were marked with numerous bloodstains, he watched He Ao, soaked in blood, intensifying his offensive. While retreating on the defense, he croaked with a hoarse laugh, "You’re running out of time."

Linen’s injuries were much more severe than his; even if he managed to escape the "invitation" from the Abyss, the horrific wounds left on his body were still real.

Furthermore, with Linen already seriously injured, even if he managed to recover using medical Extraordinary Items, there would be a cost, so he didn’t need to defeat Linen, just drag out the time until Linen collapsed naturally.

Facing Scott’s taunts, He Ao didn’t say a word, continuing to press the attack, cornering him before another ruined low-rise.

Hitting the ruined building would affect speed and movement. Every time Scott was cornered in front of a ruined building, he had to counter-attack, which He Ao would then exploit, leaving new wounds on his body.

Blood splattered alongside the luminescent phantoms of the two, crashing into new buildings and then surging out again.

The towering ruined buildings toppled like dominoes pushed by an invisible hand, one after another, spreading debris and rubble across the ground.

The roaring noise mixed with the gunfire not far away, echoing underneath the night sky.

Finally, after demolishing every building in their vicinity, He Ao and Scott reached the last remaining building in the middle.

At this moment, their surroundings were filled with collapsed or collapsing buildings, leaving only this lone structure standing at the center.

"After we tear down this building, you’ll have nothing left to use to hinder me,"

Scott, with hands stained with blood, holding his spear in front of the building, curled his mouth into a smile, gazing at the blood-soaked He Ao, "Linen, I can feel your life slipping away, you’re dying."

It was then that those originally dim and weak eyes again floated behind He Ao.

Ignoring the cold power gradually filling the air behind him, He Ao raised the longsword in his hand, slashing toward Scott’s neck.

"Trifling skills. Have you not realized yet? Your strength is no match for mine."

Scott grasped the spear in his hands and aimed it towards the longsword thrusting at him by He Ao.

Accompanied by a clear, sharp whistling sound, the two weapons collided, casting up countless dust particles, and intricate cracks spread across the building behind Scott.

Scott’s wrists shook, and simultaneously, the longsword was deflected.

Taking advantage of the situation, He Ao directly raised the tip of his sword and thrust downward towards Scott’s neck.

This time, Scott placed the spear horizontally in front of his chest and blocked upwards against He Ao’s longsword.

In that instant, the tip of He Ao’s sword spun around the spear, changing from a downward thrust to an upward slash, striking upwards against the spear Scott held horizontally in front of him.

Long armament weapons, tip amplification 25%

With a sound even more sharp and violent, the sword tip and spear collided, Scott’s bloody hands trembled, the jade spear slipped from his grasp and flew off, cutting through the smoke and dust towards the distance.

Even finer cracks, carrying the flying dust, covered the building behind him.

Scott looked at the elderly man before him, his eyes wide.

A countless number of chilling Qi suddenly emanated from behind the elderly man, trying to entangle itself around his body.

However, He Ao’s movements didn’t halt in the slightest; almost in the instant the spear was sent flying, he stepped forward like a flash, the longsword thrusting forward.

The jade spear that flew out embedded itself in the ruins; the golden longsword also pierced through Scott’s neck.

The building behind Scott finally collapsed in that instant.

Orange-green blood splashed out along the grooves of the longsword, falling into the chaotic rubble and dust of the collapsed building.

Raindrops fell upon Scott’s cheeks, his eyes wide as he looked at He Ao, his gaze filled with shock and disbelief.

And the cold Qi behind He Ao also completely erupted at that moment, like countless twisted invisibles tentacles, entwining around He Ao’s already mutilated back.

He Ao looked up at Scott, pulled out the longsword, and with a turn, sliced at the twisted tentacles behind him.

Scott’s body fell to its knees on the ground, blood flowing from his throat, yet he did not die; he hunched over, the energy coiled within him consolidating behind him, twining and finally converging into a new energy convergence point at the center of his chest.

"You are no longer human."

The rain seemed to grow heavier, and the elderly man’s voice rang out, old and calm, beneath the thunderous yet silent night sky.

"So what if I’m not human? Can’t a non-human become an Angel? Can’t a non-human stay sane after becoming an Angel?"

Scott staggered to his feet, retreating while shaking, watching the elderly man deal with the invisible tentacles.

"Linen, stop pretending here, what’s the use of maintaining your weak human body? I admit that you are stronger than me, but what good does it do?

"Aren’t you also clinging to life with these borrowed Extraordinary Powers? Don’t you also pay a price for using these Extraordinary Powers?

"We are all the same, all the same."

He kept retreating, stepping onto the recently collapsed ruins; lines of Mechas, fleets of fighter jets, emerged above him in the veil of rain and gunfires.

"To survive in this world, one must change; I have simply gone a bit further than you all, changed a bit deeper, accepted more gifts. As long as I become an Angel, everything can change, everything will have a chance. I can find myself again, shake off these filthy controls,"

A Dragon Cavalry Fighter landed behind him; he leaped up, jumping straight onto the top of the fighter jet.

"I am not the wrong one, it’s you all!"

He crouched, lying atop the Dragon Cavalry Fighter, looking down at He Ao on the ground, invisible flesh swelling within his body, starting to twist and change. He opened his mouth, emitting a shrill scream like the cry of a bird, "Kill him!!!"

This time, the power forcibly stimulated in his eyes was much weaker than before, and He Ao quickly cleared the invisible tentacles in front of him, lifted his sword, and looked back at Scott who was already hovering in the air.

Scott’s words were not for He Ao; they were for himself.

He was pricked at his most sensitive spot and thus sought every possible way to disguise himself.

He didn’t want to convince He Ao; he just wanted to deceive himself.

Invisible ripples spread across the dark night sky, the originally silent fighter jets and Mechas in the sky seemed to tremble for a moment, then they all aimed their weapons at He Ao.

He Ao looked up at the fighter jets and Mechas in the sky, his gaze seeming to pierce through the concentrated gunfire, seeing the soldiers inside controlling everything.

These soldiers were still under the influence of the Array, but their bodies and minds were no longer entirely under their own control.

Scott took control of these soldiers’ minds in a brutal manner, bearing the interference caused by the Array himself, and forcibly had these soldiers launch an attack on He Ao.

Behind these mechs and fighters were the troops of the North City Defense Forces, who were continuously pursuing.

These forces seemed to have evacuated from the North City Defense Forces’ crossfire at any cost, heading straight here to rescue Scott.

Judging from their arms and equipment, these should be Scott’s most elite troops, perhaps it was because of their close relationship with Scott that he could so easily interfere with their thinking.

It appeared this was an ’emergency plan’ that Scott had long ago prepared.

"Die!" Scott’s piercing scream echoed in the silent night sky once more as he glared at He Ao, his crimson eyes as if spewing flames.

But at that moment, the energy storage of the surrounding fighters had not yet completed. A nearby Blazing Angel Mech, directly lifting its longsword, hacked toward He Ao head-on.

He Ao looked up at the mech and threw his longsword, then leapt up high.

A golden radiance instantly pierced through the mech’s chest and its high-energy battery, and at that moment, He Ao’s body landed atop the mech, using it as a stepping stone to propel himself forward and grasp the hilt of the now-airborne longsword.

A surging explosion erupted behind He Ao, bursting into blazing flames.

In that instant, the foremost fighter had completed its energy storage, and a crisscrossing brilliant radiance evaporated the rain curtain, lighting up the skies like the sun.

And beneath this bright light, the figure cloaked in golden radiance darted through gaps between the lights, soaring into the sky above, overlooking these flying fighters.

The pitter-patter of rain continued to fall as the elder holding the Golden Longsword plummeted downward, rushing toward the central Dragon Cavalry Fighter amidst the entire formation.

"Worthless! Aim! Aim, damn it! Kill him!"

Sitting atop the Dragon Cavalry Fighter and writhing in a distorted motion, Scott couldn’t help but bellow intensely.

The airborne fighters adjusted their weapons once more; a mech charged forward, attempting to block the figure, but after a mere moment, it was pierced through and exploded into a ball of flame.

The elder holding the longsword landed atop a fighter. Amidst the howling winds and rain, he took a running leap toward the oncoming mechs, flinging the golden longsword from his hand.

The golden glow, as if guided by an invisible force, traced a crescent arc against the pitch-black night, cutting the mech straight ahead in two and exploding into a fiery pyrotechnic.

He Ao’s figure moved through the flames, once again landing on another approaching fighter, lifting his Golden Longsword as he continued forward.

With each burst of fireworks exploding, the elder weaving through the skies drew ever closer to the central Dragon Cavalry Fighter.

He could not fly, yet he soared like a mighty eagle, unstoppable.

"Worthless! They’re all worthless!"

Scott screamed as he stood up, his body twisting and deforming, growing two huge arms to confront the oncoming golden radiance.

The Heavy Strike Martial Technique, Force Shatters Mountains!

The golden radiance surged from above, slashing off the left arm, then spun midair, slashing off the right arm as well.

Strictly speaking, Scott’s non-human state was somewhat stronger than his human state, appearing to have a Physical Fitness around 8000 points.

But it seemed that just now, in his attempt to block He Ao, he had triggered that invisible eye, consuming a portion of Abyss’s power, and now the augmentation from the Abyss was almost depleted.

Of course, overall, his strength was still formidable.

But his spirit had been completely crushed by He Ao moments ago, and with the loss of his weapon, his capability to stand against He Ao was in fact no more.

That’s why he had hidden among his own troops, attempting to control the army in a final gamble.

"Linen, these efforts of yours are pointless," Scott looked up at He Ao, lifting his arms, his jade-like skeletal structure covering his forearms, forming sharp long knives, "The moment war and turmoil began, the ritual was already ignited. Fear and madness will become its sustenance, and you will not be able to prevent His Advent!"

He Ao lifted the Golden Longsword in his hand, Divine Sense enveloping the blade, drawing two Strengthening Magic Arrays.

The golden sword’s brilliance collided with those jade skeletal long knives and with a clear sound, a powerful force shook He Ao’s body, a trickle of fresh blood escaping from the corner of his mouth.

The skeletal long knives shattered violently, the Golden Longsword unobstructed as it continued its strike, piercing through Scott’s chest, piercing his twisting, writhing heart.

In the cold, silent winds of the high altitude, blood splattered into the rain.

At the same time, the Elder’s calm response also sounded in Scott’s ear, "Let him come."

At that moment, Scott’s eyes widened, he opened his mouth as if to express his shock, but blood spilled from the corners of his mouth, turning into a surge of thick fluid.

In the end, he lowered his head, a look of resignation in his eyes, "Do you say, I really have a chance to get away from all this?"

He Ao replied calmly.

He raised his head and looked behind Scott.

The invisible eyes were quietly hovering there, seemingly dissipating, yet wrapped by some kind of cold force that was entangled around Scott, attempting to tear off the dissipating soul that covered him.

At the same time, that power was also extending from Scott’s soul to the surroundings, seemingly trying to establish some kind of special mystical ’anchor’ in this world.

Powerful soul power converged and slammed into those cold breaths.

A soft sound emanated in the rain curtain as if a tight string had snapped, the cold forces spreading around shattered with a loud bang, the closed eyes floating in the air moved slightly, trying to look at He Ao but ultimately dissipated quickly due to the loss of support and connection.

Scott’s body also went limp at this moment, his soul visibly dissipating at a rapid rate to the naked eye, yet his lips slowly curled into a wistful smile.

In the end, he closed his eyes forever.

He Ao watched all this quietly, as the drizzling rain fell on the elderly man’s bloodstained cheeks. He grasped the longsword and lifted Scott’s corpse, looking at the dense surround of mecha and fighters,

"Scott is dead, spare those who surrender!"

Raindrops pattered against the machine covers, as if, in the calm night, only the elderly man’s voice echoed in the distance.

Not far away, the North City Defense Forces also caught up and encircled these fighters at the center.

Among these fighters, one Dragon Cavalry Fighter faced the center.

The fighter operator turned back and looked at the communications officer carrying the flight pack behind him, "That seems like, it really is General Scott..."

The communications officer watched through the observation window, the elderly man in the rain and the corpse he held.

He slowly pulled out a pitch-black pistol from his waist and pressed it against his chin.

When the first Dragon Cavalry Fighter sent out a signal of surrender, the fighters and mecha dancing across the sky gradually extinguished their muzzles.

The roaring sounds of warfare dissipated with the night wind until there was complete silence.

The elderly man watched all this peacefully and slowly said, "The command is lifted."

Magnificent war machines stood upon the ruins, all facing the elderly man at the very heart of the sky, lowering their heads amidst the hazy rain.

Raindrops hit the quiet floor-to-ceiling window; the distant cannon sounds seemed to be gradually subsiding.

A man in a suit leaned back on the bed’s edge, slowly picking up the well-mixed ruby-colored cocktail before him. He was alone, with the street outside the window just as empty.

Scattered belongings were left around due to the panic and chaos.

The moment the cannon fire started, the entire bar, including the boss, had already vanished without a trace.

"It looks like it’s over."

He gently sipped at the glass, brought it to his lips, and the man lifted his wrist device, scrolling to the contact named Scott and dialed it directly.

Accompanied by a brief busy tone, the man crossed his legs and hummed a little tune.

"You seem quite pleased,"

An exquisite crystal pocket watch was placed on the corner of the table, an elderly, hoarse voice emanated from the seat across from the man, "Is anyone there?"