Chapter 842: Death's Adventure
The environment within the Apocalypse Zone was brutally hostile—temperatures soared to unbearable levels, the air thick with scalding steam and toxic smoke. Any ordinary person left here would perish within minutes.
Yet the Dragon-Scaled Cultivators were different. Their bodies were armored with a dense layer of hardened scales, capable of repelling extreme heat. Their skin possessed natural thermoregulatory functions, shielding their internal organs, while their pores continuously exhaled blistering steam to cool their cores.
After undergoing biological transformation by the Mechanical Divinity, these warriors now possessed a "third lung"—a specialized respiratory system that filtered toxins from the toxic air, allowing them to breathe normally. This lung, similar to that of dragons, constantly drew elemental energy from the atmosphere, channeling it into their basal vessels to fuel an additional energy source.
Within their chests beat two hearts—like powerful engines—accelerating blood flow and pumping massive amounts of steroids and adrenaline into their systems. In battle, this induced a state of euphoric exhilaration, granting them unparalleled drive and ferocity.
Their Tactics goggles granted them smoke-penetration vision, enabling them to detect life force signals up to a hundred meters away, and analyze enemy data with precision.
These Dragon-Scaled Cultivators were not born—they were forged. The ultimate product of Imperial Biotechnology, they could fly and traverse terrain with ease. And with their Red Dragon bloodline, they were naturally adapted to fire-infused environments. To them, the Apocalypse Zone wasn’t a hellish wasteland—it felt like coming home.
After all, their bodies had been meticulously bred through dozens of transformation stages, cultivated in the high-heat vats of the Empire’s Bio-Research Institute.
Now, standing in the blistering haze, they inhaled deeply, greedily absorbing the chaotic, frenzied heat from the air. Within moments, their bodies were brimming with surging, overwhelming energy.
“Huff—” Steel Tide exhaled a breath laced with gunpowder smoke, his eyes alight with surprise. “They said this place was deadly, but I feel stronger than ever.”
“Strange… I swear I’m getting a familiar vibe—like I’ve returned to my old home. My energy’s overflowing.”
“Same here.”
“Could this be… a dungeon made just for us, Dragon-Scaled Cultivators?”
“Good news,” Steel Tide grinned. “Looks like we’re about to claim all the rewards from this quest.”
He raised his bloodstained Chain Saw Sword, voice booming with confidence. “Forward—into the Apocalypse Zone!”
“Charge!”
In the thick, swirling smoke and crackling heat, the towering four-meter warriors began to run—each step shaking the ground like a charging tank column.
Through muscle and bone modifications, their speed was monstrous. At full sprint, they reached sixty kilometers per hour. With two hearts, three iron lungs, and an advanced cooling system, their endurance was legendary—capable of maintaining peak speed for over three hours without fatigue. They were living, breathing machines—no fuel required.
Without any containment terms to slow them, these warriors could clear the entire Apocalypse Zone in less than a day.
This was the sheer charisma of Numerical Monsters. After all, each Vitajis Dragon-Scale Warrior cost tens of thousands of gold coins—enough to sustain a small army of hundreds.
But this was only the beginning.
It was rumored that the Mechanical Divinity would soon initiate further evolution—upgrades to their very core. Using advanced genetic engineering, the sect would use Emperor Kai Xiusu of the Ember Empire as their genetic blueprint, and with the shells of their elite warriors as vessels, they’d breed twenty-one “Genetic Primarchs.” From these, unique Dragon-Scaled Cultivator Armies would emerge—each with distinct traits and capabilities.
In a way, it was a resurrection of history.
Back on the battlefield, the Dragon-Scaled Cultivators moved with brazen arrogance. No stealth. No concealment. Their footsteps shook the earth, a deliberate declaration: We are here. This land is ours.
Soon, the Fire Elemental creatures—beings that craved flesh and despised all life from the Material Plane—arrived, drawn by their presence.
“ROOOOAAARRR!”
A frenzied Fire Elemental Behemoth erupted from the ground, eyes blazing with searing flame. Its roar echoed like a volcanic eruption. Its rocky hide bore faint scars from past battles, even embedded with charred arrows—evidence of its near-annihilation of a full Mortal Guild party.
Now, it had slain over a hundred players within the Apocalypse Zone—its name now infamous among the ranks.
“Not bad,” Steel Tide smirked, unafraid. “Looks like we got a Level 15 boss already. That’s fast.”
He licked his lips, eyes gleaming with battle lust. “Dragon-Scaled Cultivator Army—kill it!”
“Take this first!”
Before the words left his mouth, he raised his Blast Arrow Rifle, the barrel aimed at the towering Lava Beast. The trigger snapped—
BANG!
A storm of molten metal tore through the air, shredding craters into the creature’s rocky body. But molten lava surged like blood, instantly sealing the wounds. The beast was unharmed—yet furious.
A mere fleshling—albeit slightly larger—dared to challenge a being of fire? How unaware of death it was!
“It can’t be damaged,” Steel Tide frowned. He quickly loaded a high-energy round into the rifle’s chamber, re-aimed, and prepared to fire.
The Fire Elemental Behemoth, believing the attack would be the same, charged forward without retreat, roaring in wrath.
BANG!
A deafening explosion erupted—louder than before, crackling with lightning. A thunderbolt, laced with metal fragments, erupted from the barrel. It struck the monster’s body with a thunderous BOOM!
Zzzzzzz—BOOM!
Electric arcs writhed across its form, crackling and sparking. The beast screamed in agony, its body riddled with glowing, electric wounds.
“Now!”
Steel Tide whirled, drawing his Chain Saw Sword in one fluid motion. He surged forward like a storm, joining the other Dragon-Scaled Cultivators in a lightning-fast charge.
He leapt onto a jagged rock, soaring into the air above the beast. With a terrifying roar, he raised the Chain Saw Sword high—
SWISH—
The blade spun at an impossible speed, tearing through the air with a shriek. It sliced downward in a brutal, straight-line arc—aimed straight at the monster’s head.
The beast raised a rock-hard arm, but the Chain Saw Sword cleaved through it like paper, severing the limb mid-air.
The Fire Elemental Behemoth let out a shriek like steam escaping a volcano, unleashing a scorching wave of molten wind from its maw—directly at Steel Tide.
He dodged, but not fast enough. The magma seared his left chest, charring flesh and melting his scales.
“Rough, get out of the way!”
A Dragon-Scaled Cultivator stepped forward—Volga Riverbank, the most feared warrior in the army, having undergone three transformation iterations.
He gripped a powered spear, his body soaked in blood, radiating a scent of death.
“ROOOOAAARRR!”
The beast roared at the “human” before it, then swung a massive, molten fist—aimed to tear open the warrior’s chest and rip out his heart.
The warrior stood still. Beneath his thick armor, his muscles tensed like a dormant volcano—coiling with the power to split mountains.
At the very moment the fist pierced the air toward his chest—
He moved.
His armored boot shattered the molten rock beneath him, thundering like a storm.
The spear, still as a statue, suddenly spun to life—tearing through the scorching air with a scream.
The tip didn’t pierce with force alone—it carried the full weight of the warrior’s body, the fury of a collapsing mountain, and the power of a hurricane.
CRACK—BOOM!
The spear struck the beast’s most impenetrable layer—the molten lava carapace—shattering it in an explosive burst of energy.
Time froze. Then shattered.
A deafening, spine-chilling crack echoed across the land.
The spear plunged deep—until it vanished into the beast’s core.
The Fire Elemental Behemoth froze. Molten blood, like lava, erupted from the wound, sizzling as it hit the ground, releasing thick, stench-filled smoke.
Its remaining fist swung wildly—power enough to reduce a steel citadel to dust.
But another Dragon-Scaled Cultivator stepped forward, wielding a Great Shield. He stood firm, like a mountain.
THUD—
The fist slammed into the shield. The sound was like thunder shaking the sky.
“Spine it!”
Volga Riverbank twisted his wrist. The spear spun violently inside the beast’s body, twisting, tearing—wreaking havoc on its elemental core.
The monster screamed—a scream of agony, disbelief, and utter despair.
Then, three more warriors surged from the sides and rear—Chain Saw Sword, Power Axe, Power Sword—all slashing through the air in a deadly dance.
They carved into the beast’s body, inching toward dismemberment.
Even Steel Tide scrambled up, Chain Saw Sword in hand, his face twisted with rage. He plunged the blade deep into the creature’s side, growling:
“You damn thing… you sprayed me with your saliva!”
The beast’s roars faded into whimpers. Its molten eyes dimmed.
Finally, its last spark of strength flickered out.
The colossal form collapsed like a mountain, crashing to the ground in a storm of debris, ash, and molten lava.
“Not bad,” Steel Tide muttered, kicking the remains. He glanced toward the towering cliff. “Let’s check over there.”
But as he took a step, the ground beneath him cracked—collapse!
A chasm opened beneath him, revealing a seething magma pool. The lava monster fish within had already gathered strength—ready to leap.
Yet the Dragon-Scaled Cultivators reacted with superhuman reflexes. Steel Tide simply kicked the rock wall, using the reaction force to propel himself back to safety.
He steadied himself, muttering: “What the hell—this place is full of pits.”
BOOM!
A deafening roar. The lava monster fish erupted from the pool, its skull shattering the ground beneath it. But it missed its prey—instead, it saw a massive figure leaping high into the air.
The Chain Saw Sword, spinning at near-light speed, descended in a brutal arc.
SWISH—
Flesh and bone tore apart. The creature was split clean in two, falling into the magma with a hiss.
Steel Tide spat into the pool. “You dared to think I was your meal? Who the hell gave you the nerve?”
His comrades didn’t even glance. To them, it was just a minor distraction. A low-tier monster—nothing more than free loot.
“Something’s off,” Volga Riverbank adjusted his Tactics goggles, peering through the smoke. “That cliff… it’s cracked. Like something smashed into it.”
“Probably hiding something,” he muttered. “A big one.”
Steel Tide grinned. “Then let’s blow it apart. I want to see what’s hiding in there.”
One of the warriors shouldered a Rocket Launcher, aimed at the cliff, and fired.
WHOOSH—
A fiery arrow streaked through the sky, trailing flames and rolling smoke.
BOOM!
The cliff collapsed under the blast, collapsing in a storm of dust and debris.
From the ruins, a colossal, serpentine entity writhed—long, massive, and thrashing violently. It dragged itself free from the rubble.
It was the Molten Lava Giant Worm.
The sight stunned even the Dragon-Scaled Cultivators.
A creature over thirty meters long. Its maw opened wide—three meters across—exuding a terrifying life force aura. Just its movements caused the earth to tremble. A true Legendary Creature.
No wonder the previous Worldly Wanderer mistook it for a cave. This wasn’t a natural lifeform—it was a monstrous anomaly.
The worm roared, spewing burning rocks that rained down like firestorms, cratering the ground.
“Kill it!”
The Dragon-Scaled Cultivators moved without fear, weaving through the storm of fire. They advanced, rifles raised, firing volleys of piercing rounds—bullets like a hurricane.
The worm’s scales were as thick as stone—like a moving hill.
But the bullets tore through, chipping away at its hide.
(End of Chapter)
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