Chapter 118 VS Monster Maker 5
Although the battle was one-sided, the monster creator showed no signs of defeat. Putting everything else aside, I have nothing but respect for his ability to remain so calm despite being burned repeatedly.
But now, seeing the expression on his face that seemed so certain of his victory, I couldn't help but take him seriously. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would stubbornly insist on winning when he clearly knew he was going to lose.
He definitely had a chance of winning, which is why he stayed to fight me.
He spoke to me amidst the repeated cycles of death and resurrection.
"You've already lost, Zhuang Cheng." He adopted a condescending attitude. "To be able to manipulate such immense magical power and to be elementalized at will is close to the work of an immortal or a god. Even in the long history of demon hunters, you are a powerful figure who has the ability to leave your mark. But you are ultimately not a true god."
"Indeed, I am neither an immortal nor a god." I couldn't help but feel curious. "But what does that have to do with me losing?"
As I spoke, I quickly explored his network of consciousness.
Zhu Shi said his strength was the same as Lu Youxun's. Could he really be Lu Youxun, and the appearance I saw earlier was a product of his disguise using special means?
If he is not Lu Youxun, and the reason he can use "Possibility Clone" is because the Humanitarian Division analyzed Lu Youxun's power, then do other monsters also have traces of this technology?
Thinking about it carefully, all the strange people I've encountered in the past have one thing in common: their powers are all related to the concept of "cloning".
Agent Kong, who can turn others into his clones; the immortal monster who transfers damage to his clones; the Shadow-Switch monster who can swap positions and cause and effect with his clones… and now this monster creator who seems to have transformed into a monster—their abilities all ultimately revolve around the theme of "clones." In the past, after realizing the connection between the monsters and the Humanitarian Division, Lu Youxun seemed to have some intriguing reactions to the monsters' use of clone powers.
The earliest cases of strange individuals appearing nationwide can be traced back to eighteen months ago, or a year and a half ago. Lu Youxun was captured by the Humanitarian Affairs Bureau two years ago, which seems to match the timeline.
The creator of the freak had no idea what I was thinking, and he answered my question frankly.
"Since you are unaware that you are about to die, I will kindly impart my teachings to you as a gift to send you to Naraku." He said frankly, "The human body restricts the soul, but it is also a form of protection for the soul. Once a person loses their physical health, their vitality and spirit will also weaken significantly, because the body, the natural sanctuary of the soul, becomes leaky. And your abandonment of your human form and choice of flames as a vessel cannot be without its effects."
"Know that fire is an offensive force, not a defensive element. Since your soul resides in the fire, it is equivalent to a soldier going into battle, abandoning his armor and weapons, naked, and facing the enemy's arrows and swords with only his weapons."
"I can see that you have the power to transform your spirit, or rather your soul, into flames, and your soul itself may even possess the property of 'mimicking the flames of the soul.' But even you cannot actually transform your entire spirit and soul into flames at the same time in practice, or even use this method to evade an enemy's attack on your soul, just as you can raise your fist but cannot raise your whole body."
"You always need to divide yourself into the 'subject who manipulates the power' and the 'power that is manipulated.' Even if you forcibly transform your entire soul into flames, your human consciousness will lose control as it is completely converted into energy, eventually dissipating into the world as a pure natural phenomenon. Only true 'manifestations,' that is, true deities, can do that without any problems."
“And you couldn’t be a ‘miracle,’ otherwise your use of power wouldn’t be so crude.”
After listening to his words, I felt there was some truth to them. Although I had never tried to transform all my consciousness into flames in one go, and I didn't know if I would really die if I did, it would be too late if I did.
It seems that he wasn't just enduring the burning sensation; in that brief contact, he had already figured out most of my secrets, even analyzing the point that "my flames are my consciousness."
As for his trump card, I have a very clear idea.
"So...you want to destroy my soul?" I asked.
"Do you think I can't do it? It's true, you have a very strong soul. Ordinary soul attacks would probably only cause you a scratch at most. But don't underestimate me." He said calmly, "I didn't expect you to break free of my black mist chains in that way, but my methods are not limited to that. Considering the possibility of fighting you, I have also spent a lot of effort making corresponding preparations."
As he spoke, he pointed his finger upwards.
At the same time, several hundred meters away from where I was, huge white pillars of light rose into the sky from all directions.
Dozens of meters away, twenty or thirty phantom figures, resembling vengeful ghosts, appeared around me. Upon closer inspection, these were all phantoms of the creator of the monster. They all hovered in the air, depicted as gruesomely burned and dead, staring at me with venomous eyes. I realized that these were potential clones of the monsters I had killed, and they were now seeking my life.
These phantoms were like afterimages left on my retina; the moment I could see them clearly, they all disappeared.
A strong premonition arose in my heart—I would not be able to escape the next attack from the enemy, no matter where I ran; I would have no choice but to face it head-on.
Meanwhile, I continued to burn the monster creator, who was able to revive each time, his emotions completely unaffected by death.
"Luo Shan divides demon hunters into four levels: Cultivation, Abiding, Deterioration, and Emptiness..." He continued speaking methodically, "Among them, the Cultivation level is hailed as the limit for demon hunters. After breaking through this limit, one becomes a demon hunter who surpasses the level of a demon hunter. The Humanity Department calls them 'Super Demon Hunters'."
"What you are called is irrelevant. What matters is you, Zhuang Cheng. Your power undoubtedly far exceeds the limits of a Witcher. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to consider you a Witcher who surpasses even the Witchers."
"However, no matter how powerful a demon hunter is, they wouldn't be foolish enough to drop all their defenses on the battlefield and expose their soul to the enemy's view without any protection. Although it's a pity to kill you like this, I don't have the means to capture you alive. I can only study your remains afterward, which is better than getting nothing at all."
"Prepare to face death, Zhuang Cheng—"
"The next strike will utterly shatter your soul hiding within the ethereal flames. Even if you are a Witcher who surpasses even the Witcher, you will be utterly destroyed!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his arm at me.
Enormous pillars of light swirled around me from all directions, then instantly converged, transforming into a terrifying vortex of light that swallowed me whole. While describing it in words might offer some glimmer of hope, the actual speed of change was practically the speed of light. The moment I realized the pillars of light were closing in, I was already completely caught in their trap.
The soul attack I feared most devoured my entire body!
At that moment, I felt a genuine sense of crisis, as well as an indescribable sense of anticipation.
Although I genuinely felt I couldn't escape this attack, I never considered running away from it. At first, I wasn't very aware of it, but only at this moment did I truly understand my own feelings. I probably did want to face this attack head-on.
So far, the only time I've ever faced a life-or-death crisis was in the basement of my fifteenth-floor room.
While confronting the strange figures of the past wasn't without its challenges, I was constantly lying on the ground, seemingly impervious to enemy attacks, yet capable of easily killing them with a mere thought. The difficulty lay in additional conditions such as "finding the hidden enemies" and "leaving behind their intact heads while cooperating with teammates," which wasn't the kind of adventure I envisioned.
To be honest, I think that type of challenge is pretty good, and I wouldn't mind doing it a few more times. After all, it's an experience outside of my daily routine, and I haven't gotten tired of it yet.
But I still want to test my limits, to know where my full strength lies, and to experience real danger and excitement.
This is my weakness, and my folly. But I seem to be this kind of person. I've long accepted it, recognizing it as an essential element of my personality. Even if it leads to my death, I will accept it willingly.
How can something be considered "adventure" if there is no "danger"?
Amidst my indescribable anticipation, the opponent, who supposedly expended immense effort and whose attack was so powerful that even a Witcher surpassing the Witcher himself couldn't withstand it, struck straight at my core, penetrating my very soul—
...
...Have you entered?
I hesitated. Everything around me was a vast expanse of white; the vortex of light seemed to have simply swallowed me up, and then nothing more. My body wasn't damaged, meaning this was likely an attack without any physical harm. Come to think of it, since it was a soul attack, it made sense to allocate all the power to soul damage. But the question was, what happened afterward?
What does it feel like to have your soul attacked? The soul probably doesn't have pain receptors, right? And often, the most serious stages of certain diseases and injuries are when you can't feel pain. Pain is a warning signal from the nerves; the absence of pain means the damage has worsened to the point where even warnings are meaningless. So maybe my situation is irreversible, having returned to the point where I can't even feel pain anymore.
No, if I had to say, it's not that I feel nothing at all, it's just that I always feel a bit itchy and scratchy all over my body...
But this shouldn't be an attack, but rather a harbinger of an impending attack, right? Just like how something with a strong magnetic field can affect the operation of electronic devices when it gets close, I think this feeling of being pricked or scratched is probably similar.
Was being swallowed by the vortex of light merely the preparatory stage for this soul attack, with the main event just beginning? Isn't this preparation time a bit too long? Even if they thought I couldn't dodge it, shouldn't it be this long?
Just as I was thinking about whether I should leave the vortex of light and ask the creator of the monster outside, the surrounding brightness suddenly began to decrease, and the vortex of light was dissipating.
In just two seconds, the vortex of light was completely extinguished before my bewildered gaze.
The monster creator remained suspended in place, his expression hidden beneath his mask. He stared at me silently, his body motionless.
He didn't seem to intend to speak, so I spoke first.
"Should we start over?" I asked.
(End of this chapter)
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