Chapter 62: Annihilation
Chapter 62: Annihilation
The two groups observed each other from a distance of a hundred meters.
Ji Xinghuo immediately recognized this group of five; he had encountered them before.
Half a Stellar Month ago, when he had just left the Free City, he had seen this team on the road. At the time, he had maintained a safe distance, but they had slowed down and tried to close in on him, their intentions clearly less than friendly.
Their leader was a White Knight, likely the captain.
He wore a full set of metal plate armor—a silver-gray suit that was thick and heavy, with only a gap at the eyes of his helmet, protecting his entire body. He resembled a canned product.
He also held a two-handed cross sword, like a knight from the Middle Ages.
White Knights had healing abilities, enduring stamina, and quick recovery, but they lacked offensive capabilities and defensive strength in the early stages, so they always wore specially-made plate armor for protection.
The other four had their faces covered with masks or cloth.
However, their professions could still be discerned.
One was a female Shadow Blade; when Ji Xinghuo first appeared, she had blended her figure into the shadows, lurking in the dark.
Standing next to the White Knight was a tall and thin man, also wearing armor, but not as thick as the White Knight's. He held a bolt-action steam rifle, its muzzle aimed at Ji Xinghuo.
He was a Mechanic.
Not far from them, there was a man with frost on his body and ice-blue pupils. He held a transparent ice blade in each hand, indicating that he was an Ice Blade.
The last one was a Pursuer.
Like Ji Xinghuo, he used a compound hunting bow, and beside him was a Clawed Lightning Dragon. This creature resembled the Earth's Velociraptor—it ran on its two hind legs, had two large and sharp front claws, and a tuft of feathers on its head. It had a fierce and cold personality, was fast and agile, and could be tamed to be a good mount.
The Clawed Lightning Dragon stood at over two meters tall, had a saddle on its back, and wore specially-made armor that increased its defense without affecting its running speed.
There was also a Gale Crow hovering above the Pursuer, awaiting its master's command.
A White Knight, Shadow Blade, Mechanic, Ice Blade, and Pursuer! Two advanced Inhumans and three intermediates.
This was a classic combination of professions for a hunting team—melee, ranged, healing, crowd control, and scouting. Each person could handle one or two responsibilities, making the team very comprehensive, with almost no shortcomings.
The five had just killed a Stone Scythe Giant, who was already on his last breath, and before they could rejoice, Ji Xinghuo arrived.
They immediately realized the problem.
"My lord," the White Knight's voice came from under his helmet, with a hint of respect. He asked, "Is this Stone Scythe Giant your prey?"
They dared not provoke an Inhuman who could hunt a Stone Scythe Giant alone.
If it were a healthy Stone Scythe Giant, their entire team might have to pay the price of two or three injuries to take it down, and someone might even have to sacrifice themselves.
Yet, their opponent had done it alone and seemed untouched.
This meant that their entire team might not be a match for him, but they couldn't afford to make an enemy of him. They also couldn't give up the right to distribute the spoils, as they had put in the effort.
Ji Xinghuo barely understood the White Knight's words.
Just as he was about to speak, the Pursuer suddenly said, "It's you!"
The Pursuer recognized Ji Xinghuo's Dragon Falcon Eagle Bow and luggage. He exclaimed, "Brook, this is the Ranger we met outside the Free City that day. He's the young Agongian man, and he's alone. We don't have to be afraid of him."
"Are you sure?" The White Knight was surprised.
"It's him; I remember now, too," the Mechanic nodded in confirmation. "We let him get away that day."
The White Knight still had his doubts. Even if Ji Xinghuo was alone, he could hunt the Stone Scythe Giant by himself, and the strength of Inhumans couldn't be judged by their appearance or age.
"This Stone Scythe Giant is definitely not his prey, Brook," the Pursuer observed keenly. "He has no battle scars, so he must have stumbled upon it like us."
"The Stone Scythe Giant has burn marks and fall injuries, not arrow wounds."
"The one who really chased the Stone Scythe Giant should be nearby. Our time is limited; if we don't make a move now, we'll miss the opportunity."
"He's not saying anything because he wants to scare us off!"
The Pursuer acted as if he had seen through everything, but what he didn't know was that Ji Xinghuo couldn't understand a word he was saying.
Chattering incessantly...
Ji Xinghuo didn't understand a word, but from their reactions, he could guess that they recognized him and had no intention of returning the prey.
Suddenly, a warning sign rose in his mind.
Bang! The Mechanic pulled the trigger.
The steam rifle in his hand fired a metal bullet. Although its power was far inferior to that of an electromagnetic rifle, and its bullet speed was slower by an order of magnitude, it could still pierce steel plates at a distance of a hundred meters, and its accuracy was extremely high.
As the gun sounded, the Pursuer also shot an arrow.
The two were the shooters of the team and had cultivated a high level of tacit understanding from years of fighting side by side.
"Charge!"
The Pursuer shouted, urging his Clawed Lightning Dragon to rush forward.
Ji Xinghuo's right eye pupil shone with a light circle. Before the gun went off, he had entered the Myriad Phenomena, and he dodged by tilting his head slightly, the bullet grazing past his ear.
Then he disappeared.
The Pursuer's arrow landed in empty space, and upon realizing that Ji Xinghuo had vanished, he immediately shouted, "Invisibility Ring!" He wasn't surprised, as Ji Xinghuo had disappeared before their eyes that day, and they had guessed that he possessed an Invisibility Ring.
"You won't get away this time, yellow-skinned Agongian!" The Pursuer shouted, his abilities 'Hawk Eye', 'Voice of Shape', and 'Elephant Nose Scent' enhancing his vision, hearing, and smell, making him an exceptional scout who feared no stealthy enemies.
In the blink of an eye, the Pursuer located Ji Xinghuo through his scent.
"He's there!"
He fired an arrow from his compound bow, indicating his enemy's position to his teammates, just two or three steps away from where Ji Xinghuo had disappeared.
Twang! The bowstring vibrated, and the arrow flew.
Almost simultaneously, the Pursuer saw Ji Xinghuo's stealth outline flicker as he also released an arrow.
'Hawk Eye' granted the Pursuer exceptional vision, allowing him to see the titanium-aluminum alloy arrow flying towards him even in the dim starlit environment.
A black dot rapidly enlarged in his vision, but he was unable to react in time.
Thud!
The arrow pierced the Pursuer's eye, causing his head to explode, abruptly ending his cry.
However, his arrow flew off course.
In that moment of exchange, the victor was decided, and so was their fate.
Ji Xinghuo stood his ground, unmoved.
It was as if he had known the Pursuer's arrow would miss, his actions unaffected as he maintained his rhythm, nocking and firing a second arrow in quick succession.
This arrow was aimed at the Mechanic.
The steam rifle required little skill to use and had high damage and range, but it was loud, and its fatal flaw was its slow firing speed, far inferior to the rate of a bow and arrow.
After firing his first shot, the Mechanic immediately chambered a round and used his abilities, 'Heat-melt Hand' and 'Steam', to heat the steam furnace in the rifle's stock, channeling high-pressure steam to empower the bullet.
Just as he prepared his second shot, about to take aim, Ji Xinghuo's arrow found its mark.
"Watch out!"
The White Knight shouted, using his body to shield the Mechanic, becoming a human shield to protect his teammate.
The titanium-aluminum arrow struck his shoulder armor, but instead of being deflected, it strangely changed course and pierced the Mechanic behind him.
"Ah..."
The White Knight heard the painful cry from behind and turned to see the Mechanic with an arrow embedded in his face, only the arrow's shaft visible.
Such a severe injury was beyond saving.
In the blink of an eye, the team had lost both their shooters.
"Charge!"
"His archery is too strong; we'd all be dead if not for that!"
Without hesitation, the White Knight turned and ordered a charge, with the Ice Blade rushing ahead, already thirty meters away, his body enveloped in thick ice armor, cold air radiating from him.
Although the Pursuer was dead, his Clawed Lightning Dragon continued to carry out its master's command.
It had already covered half the distance.
Thud!
Ji Xinghuo's silhouette flickered for half a second, and an arrow pierced the Clawed Lightning Dragon's eye, eliciting a mournful cry before its running body crashed to the ground.
Another arrow took down the diving Gale Crow.
Taking advantage of Ji Xinghuo's focus on the Pursuer's war beasts, the Ice Blade closed in on Ji Xinghuo, now only twenty meters away. As an advanced Inhuman, his speed was remarkable, and he could now see Ji Xinghuo in his stealth state, but at this moment, his heart was colder than the ice armor on his body.
For Ji Xinghuo had aimed the Dragon Falcon Eagle Bow at him.
An arrow was released.
"Roar!"
The Ice Blade roared, his ability 'Ice Roar' exploding the ice on his body, creating a burst of icy airflow and shattered ice, forming a powerful shockwave.
'Ice Roar' was an area-of-effect attack, but this time it was used defensively.
Boom!
Ji Xinghuo's arrow was a blast arrow, colliding with the 'Ice Roar' and instantly detonating into a blazing inferno.
The clash of ice and fire resulted in a more violent explosion, sweeping through the space within four to five meters, like two opposing realms of ice and fire.
Although the Ice Blade avoided being hit by the arrow, his charge was halted by the explosion, causing him to tumble on the ground. As he jumped back up, he saw another arrow flying towards him, and he instinctively swung his ice blade, deftly deflecting the arrow.
"Ah!"
A cry of pain rang out.
The Ice Blade turned to see Captain Brook, an arrow lodged in the eye slit of his helmet, the same arrow he had deflected.
"Brook!"
The Ice Blade froze, unable to comprehend how the arrow he had deflected ended up killing their captain.
Was this a coincidence? But the Mechanic had died the same way! Once could be a coincidence, but two in a row meant it was a calculated move! How could a human achieve such a feat? In that moment, the Ice Blade's mind was in chaos, the accidental killing of his teammate leaving his mind blank and sealing his fate.
An arrow pierced through his ice armor and into his head.
Ji Xinghuo shot the Ice Blade, then suddenly spun, avoiding a shadowy dagger aimed at his back. His right hand drew the Lightning War Blade, and with a swift slash, a lightning-fast flash of the blade, a black-hooded head flew, eyes wide in surprise.
A headless body appeared in the air. She was the female Shadow Blade.
While Ji Xinghuo was shooting her teammates, she finally managed to sneak up behind him, attempting to deliver a fatal blow.
However, she had merely thrown her life away, unaware that her actions were all within Ji Xinghuo's control.
The forest fell silent.
The light circle in Ji Xinghuo's eye faded as he looked at the five corpses on the ground, a cold hum escaping his lips.
(End of Chapter)
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