Apocalypse Forecast

"It really has been a long time,"

He Luo strolled through the rain. He tilted his head to gaze at the boy not far away, a hand gently gesturing at his waist. "The last time, when I planted the lost soul seed in you, you were only this tall."

"Hold on a second, what did you say?"

Huai Shi raised his hand, took off his right earphone, and looked at him with confusion, acting as if he hadn't heard a thing. He remained unmoved.

"Never mind, you've probably forgotten."

He Luo wandered leisurely, uncharacteristically talkative. "It's probably for the best if you don't remember clearly. After all—your parents were killed by my own hands."

He paused for a moment, recalling with a tilt of his head, "It might be a bit embarrassing to say, but they were begging for their lives until the very end. Quite unbecoming."

Unexpectedly, the boy remained calm, even nodding slightly.

"I actually agree with that," he said. "After all, they never set a good example for me when I was a child."

A flash of astonishment crossed He Luo's eyes, and his steps faltered slightly.

"I know you're trying hard to make me angry, but unfortunately, composure is the one thing I'm not lacking right now."

Huai Shi pointed to his head, his tone soft. "So, there's no need to play those little tricks anymore. Just tell me straight—"

The splendid Sacrificial Knife and the Invisible Axe collided in mid-air, sparks flying, illuminating his cold, iron-like face.

"—How do you want to die?"

The storm and rain rushed in!

The thick curtain of rain was split by the slashing Sacrificial Knife. Huai Shi seemed to lose all weight, merging into the wind. In an instant, he was inches away, the knife and Axe in his hands slashing toward He Luo's face.

CLANG! Steel clashed, sparks scattered.

The two passed by each other, but Huai Shi's steps suddenly faltered. He scooped up a sheet of water from a puddle as he turned and, using the momentum of the spin, threw his weight onto the blade, slicing diagonally!

Then, a strong wind howled. A scale-covered tail burst forth from beneath He Luo's coat. Its sharp tip, like a nail, drilled towards Huai Shi's throat, ultimately grazing his neck. He Luo's right arm, from the shoulder, twisted a full 360 degrees as if boneless, blocking the Sacrificial Knife. Immediately after, a blade from his other arm sliced down.

Huai Shi tried to dodge, but the corner of his eye twitched violently, and an ill chill spread through him, forcing him to jerk backward.

Immediately afterward, he saw a huge bullet hole appear on He Luo's coat.

The shotgun, held reversed in both hands in front of He Luo and concealed by his coat, had been aimed at where Huai Shi had just stood. He Luo had pulled the trigger.

An iron rain howled forth.

Then, a gash, deep enough to show bone, appeared on He Luo's tail. The flesh rolled back, bursting open on either side.

As Huai Shi completed his roll on the ground, he opened his hand. The Invisible Axe that had flown off reappeared in his grip, its Source Substance edge stained with green blood.

It was the same color as the blood seeping from the wound on Huai Shi's own neck.

Poison.

Threads of bluish-black began to spread from the blood vessels in his neck, slowly creeping up his face with the blood, leaving behind a grotesque, web-like pattern.

The outcome was decided.

"Why didn't I see you use that little trick from last time?" He Luo slowly turned, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have lost so quickly."

Feeling a slight dizziness, Huai Shi lifted his blade to use its surface as a mirror. He nodded in realization.

"Is it poison?"

He touched the poisoned blood on his neck, licked his finger, smacked his lips, and nodded. "Tastes alright."

He charged forward again!

His speed was unbelievable, even surpassing his previous burst!

Stunned, He Luo tried to retreat, but the blade was already before his eyes.

Having witnessed the malevolent power of this knife, He Luo no longer dared to let it graze him. He raised the Curved Knives in his hands to block the strike, but only when the blades met did he realize how ludicrous his idea had been.

An unexpectedly immense force erupted from Huai Shi's blade, smashing through his guard with unstoppable momentum!

Is this damn thing a knife or an Axe?

One of He Luo's hands lifted the shotgun to aim, while the other tugged at his protective curtain of virulent poison, lunging at Huai Shi. But before the shotgun's barrel could be fully raised, a cold hand seized it, jamming it.

Huai Shi surged forward, ignoring the curtain of poisonous rain rushing towards him.

His speed erupted once more! Accelerating again!

Amidst the mournful sound of shattering scales, He Luo roared. His long tail swept out, finally forcing Huai Shi back, but not before the Sacrificial Knife carved a deep gash into his chest, even cracking his steel-hard bones.

The ghastly wound withered in an instant, shriveling into a stiff, charcoal-like substance that crumbled to dust at the slightest touch.

Then, the heart-eroding toxin imbued in the blade erupted violently. Along with the physical pain from the cut, a dual assault on his body and Soul burst forth, forcing the Naga to let out a wretched shriek. He flailed the weapons in his hands, desperately trying to drive away the Evil Ghost eyeing him covetously from nearby.

The poison has taken effect, there's no doubt! He was absolutely sure of it! No matter how strong someone's resistance, once infected by a Naga's poison, they had to inject an antidote immediately or face certain death. No, that Little Brag should be on the verge of death by now!

But now, the boy, who seemed to revel in bloodshed like an Evil Ghost, was approaching step by step. The blades in his hands clashed and ground against each other, emitting a sharp, ringing sound amidst the flying sparks.