Chapter 79

In the earthen gladiatorial arena, Luo Yang didn't hesitate for a second. He stuffed the large handful of energy-polluted crystal cores into his mouth and forced them down!

Almost the instant the cores hit his stomach, a violent torrent of energy exploded within him! Luo Yang felt as if his meridians, bones, and flesh were being torn apart and crushed by countless invisible hands.

He let out a stifled groan of agony. Veins bulged on his forehead, cold sweat instantly drenched his clothes, and his body shook uncontrollably. Yet, he did not fall, nor did he lose consciousness. Relying on sheer willpower, he endured the pain that would have caused an ordinary person to collapse instantly.

With bloodshot eyes, he slammed his trembling right hand upward, desperately channeling all the surging, violent energy into his palm!

A massive water sphere—highly unstable and spinning with frantic compression—coalesced above his head at a visible speed. Lightning flickered across its surface, emitting a heart-palpitating hum, and the surrounding air warped from the intense energy fluctuations.

"GO—TO—HELL!!!"

With a hoarse roar, Luo Yang used every ounce of his strength to push the devastating water bomb toward the thickest cluster of enemies!

"SCATTER!!!" Gu Yuan’s pupils shrank. He roared at the top of his lungs while grabbing Qin Feng, who was closest to him, and retreating at top speed.

Others had already sensed the lethal danger the moment the water sphere formed and scrambled in all directions.

BOOM—!!!!

A deafening explosion swept through the entire arena! Violent currents of water mixed with out-of-control energy surged outward like a tsunami.

The ground was blasted into a deep crater, and the earth walls vibrated violently, cracking in a thousand places. Even though they had dodged early, Xia Zhi and Li Wangshu were sent flying by the shockwave, slamming into the walls. Blood leaked from the corners of their mouths.

The enemies at the center fared far worse. "Number Five" and the speedster were torn to shreds instantly, disappearing before they could even scream. The suited "Number Two" and the shadow-user barely managed to resist, but they were tossed aside like ragdolls, their bones shattered and organs ruptured, gasping for their final breaths in pools of blood.

Before the aftershocks had fully settled, Gu Yuan scrambled up from the ground. Ignoring the dust on his face and the churning of his internal energy, he rushed to Luo Yang’s side.

Having released that beyond-limit strike, Luo Yang had collapsed as if his bones had been removed. Gu Yuan caught him just in time. Luo Yang’s body was terrifyingly hot; even in his coma, his body twitched from the pain of energy exhaustion and the backlash of the crystal cores.

Gu Yuan felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing his heart. He carefully adjusted Luo Yang to make him comfortable, whispering his name over and over: "Luo Yang? Luo Yang! Wake up, don't sleep..."

At the warehouse, the battle had entered a bizarre state of deadlock.

Ling Xuan was huffing as he flung fireballs at the disgusting tentacles. "Oh my god, they’re splitting? This is never-ending!"

Luo Miao blocked with his vines while thinking fast: System, this isn't right! We'll be worn down to death! Are there any weaknesses?

System:【 Host, observe "An Wen." His desire to attack is far lower than "An Jing's," and his strikes are weak. He seems to be intentionally avoiding direct contact, showing signs of struggle and pain. Suggestion: Start with "An Wen" to divide them.】

Luo Miao’s heart skipped a beat.【 I noticed that too! An Wen seems to loathe the fighting... Wait! 】

A bold idea formed. He retreated to Pei Zheng, who was using gale-force winds to suppress the tentacles. "Pei Zheng, help me! I have a plan!"

"What is it?" Pei Zheng asked, cutting through a tentacle with a wind blade.

"My purification ability! I might be able to use it on An Wen. He looks like he still has his sanity. If I can wake him up, we might be able to dismantle them from the inside!"

Pei Zheng frowned. The risk was huge, but the deadlock was worse. He chose to trust Luo Miao. "How do you need me to help?"

"Give me full cover to get close to An Wen!"

"Everyone, cover Luo Miao!" Pei Zheng roared. "Focus fire! Suppress An Jing!"

With his teammates' desperate cover, Luo Miao seized a gap and darted through the lashing tentacles, coming face-to-face with the massive twin monster.

"An Wen!" Luo Miao shouted at the more timid, pained head.

An Wen froze, looking at Luo Miao instinctively. An Jing, the dominant consciousness, roared in fury, "What? You think you can get through my brother? Dream on!" More tentacles swiped at Luo Miao.

Luo Miao dodged and didn't miss a beat to insult him: "Stop talking! You stink! It’s suffocating!"

An Jing: "..." He nearly lost control of his ability from pure rage.

Luo Miao ignored him. He lunged toward An Wen's head. Since An Wen didn't have his own arms, Luo Miao simply grabbed the monster’s cheeks with both hands and pressed his forehead firmly against An Wen’s brow!

"An Wen! Come back! Wake up!" Luo Miao closed his eyes, pouring every drop of his purification energy into him.

An Wen’s body stiffened.

System:【 Host, you are entering An Wen's mental world. He loves his brother and doesn't want him to fall further into cannibalism, but he fears losing him. He is grateful they can be together even in this twisted way.】

Outside, An Jing saw the soft white light enveloping the two and became frantic. "Let go of my brother!" He struggled to tear them apart.

However, An Wen’s eyes suddenly snapped open. They were no longer timid, but filled with a resolute sadness. A tentacle belonging to An Wen rose—not to attack Luo Miao, but to block An Jing’s strike!

"Brother! We can't keep doing this!" An Wen’s voice was tearful but clear.

An Jing stopped, stunned. "Doing what wrong? I did this for us! Before the end and after, everyone looked down on us! If I didn't protect us, how would we have survived?!"

"Give him back to me!!!" An Wen screamed. "Give me my brother back! You aren't my brother! I want my brother!!!"

The scream hit An Jing like a thunderbolt. He trembled. "What...?"

Luo Miao spoke softly, his voice carrying a soothing power. "You love your brother, don't you? You wanted to get strong by eating people, but you never let your brother touch a drop of it. You wanted him to stay 'human,' to stay clean... didn't you?"

Luo Miao’s words unlocked a corner of An Jing's memory. When did I start being impatient with his crying? When did I start using "protection" as an excuse to drag him into misery?

An Jing looked at An Wen’s tear-stained face. A massive tentacle rose—not to kill, but to gently wipe away An Wen’s tears with its tip.

"I'm sorry... Wen-wen..." An Jing’s voice was hoarse and tender.

An Wen sobbed harder. "Brother... come back... please? Let's stop..."

An Jing looked at his brother's pure, unconditional love. The last bit of his malice was washed away. He nodded slowly. "Okay..."

But then, his gaze turned tragic. "But... this time... Brother is going to break his promise to you..."

Before anyone could react, An Jing’s thick tentacles moved! They didn't attack the humans. Instead, they lunged at An Wen’s weaker tentacles and bound them tight so he couldn't move.

"You...!" Luo Miao stared in shock.

An Jing gave An Wen one last look—a look filled with the deepest, most selfless love of an elder brother. He made a final plea to Luo Miao, or perhaps to the cruel world: "I was a coward... I used the wrong methods... but the last thing I do... is right... Please... let my brother... live..."

In an instant, while An Wen’s pupils contracted and Luo Miao watched in horror, An Jing used his own powerful tentacles to grip his own neck. With a sickening sound of bone and muscle tearing, he physically ripped his own head off the torso.

"NO—!!! BROTHER!!! AHHHHH—BROTHER!!!"

An Wen’s heart-wrenching wail echoed as he watched his brother's head roll to the floor, those final eyes still reflecting a sense of peace and relief.