Apocalypse Forecast

On that face, so calm it could be called hollow, a slight smile finally appeared.

"Do you miss the vaporized Apocalypse from last time?"

The boy, who should have been too weak to move, sighed softly. "But I'm sorry, I've just devoured all my stock, not a bit left. You should have come a little earlier."

As he spoke, he licked the corner of his mouth.

Immediately afterward, the attack of knives and axes came!

He Luo roared, desperately overcoming the intense pain caused by the heart poison. He regained his composure, and his massive body charged toward Huai Shi, his Curved Knives in four arms chopping down, nearly pulverizing the isolation bollards on the ground.

But he couldn't hit the elusive Yin Soul.

It wasn't just speed. When Huai Shi swung his knife, his strength burst forth once again, almost causing He Luo to lose his grip on his Curved Knife, his fingers numbing. The Stigma, two levels higher than Huai Shi's, didn't grant an overwhelming advantage in strength. On the contrary, it seemed to be an evenly matched fight, and He Luo even found himself suppressed by the boy's captivating Sword Technique—be it his well-honed combat skills, his Dagger Combat that reached the peak of human imagination, or even that axe that appeared out of nowhere!

Only now did He Luo realize where the Apocalypse Huai Shi had used as a smokescreen had gone.

Right before his eyes—countless particles of vaporized Apocalypse rose from Huai Shi's body, dancing like flames and engulfing the boy. It was as if Huai Shi himself had been ignited by the Fire of Despair. The Source Substance, once converted into material crystals, now reverted to its original state, merging into his Soul—bringing with it endless pain and death!

In that instant, He Luo finally understood: not everyone is helpless when they are on the brink of death.

Some people... the closer they are to death, the stronger they become!

In He Luo's momentary daze, thunderous roars burst from the boy's body. Huai Shi stepped forward, clashing head-on with the Naga's tremendous power, even as the skin on his arms cracked inch by inch.

But beneath the shattered skin, the Fire of Apocalypse entwined in his muscles burned even more wildly.

When the agony of millions converged, it also brought the rage of millions.

A Source Fluctuation exceeding the limits of ordinary Sublimators erupted within Huai Shi's body like a tidal echo. He stepped forward, and his knife and axe fell.

He Luo's left hand was suddenly empty; the cracked Curved Knife had completely disintegrated.

Immediately after, he lost sight of the boy before him, and excruciating pain struck his back. The Sacrificial Knife, imbued with the Invisible Axe, had completely severed the arm holding the shotgun.

Poisoned blood sprayed everywhere but could not conceal the boy's crimson eyes. They burned like a furnace pushed to its limit, a fire that not even all the torrential rain in the world could extinguish. His gaze was fervently intense.

"The tempering is complete."

Amidst the downpour, Raven murmured softly from atop a skyscraper, "Only by enduring great suffering can one become fearless of pain; only by knowing death can one master despair.

Thus is a miracle of the Abyss forged. Your Stigma comes not from furnace and fire, but is forged by your body and Soul.

All that's missing is the final key, Huai Shi..."

Accompanied by the Naga's piercing roar, its long tail soared into the sky, circled, then crashed to the ground, writhing and twitching. But this time, the pain of the heart poison was resisted.

The Naga whirled around abruptly. The massive creature stirred up a deluge of rainwater and once again unleashed its Soul Ability. The Sea of Air descended, enveloping its entire surroundings.

The air grew as thick and viscous as seawater, making it difficult to break free.

Yet the Naga soared agilely and freely within this Sea of Air, suddenly lunging toward Huai Shi, hand outstretched.

The distance was too short; he was practically within arm's reach.

Huai Shi, unable to dodge in time, felt his shoulder seized as if by iron tongs.

Immediately, ignoring the knife and axe Huai Shi slashed at its body, the Naga's remaining three arms closed in like iron hoops. They sealed off all of Huai Shi's escape routes before completely ensnaring him.

Its terrifying, monstrous strength flared, tightening its grip inch by inch.

The Naga intended to crush Huai Shi completely in its embrace.

One could almost hear the agonizing sound of Huai Shi's bones breaking.

But then, He Luo felt a searing pain from the wound on his ribs, previously inflicted by the Sacrificial Knife. A hand had pierced through it, fingers digging into his internal organs and clenching violently.

Then, between those fingers, the Invisible Axe reformed, unleashing a torrent of heart poison from within him.

Agony compounded agony, exploding with the specter of death a thousandfold, creating a resonance too overwhelming for the Soul to bear.

The Naga's arms loosened their grip slightly, allowing Huai Shi to wrestle free.

He Luo gritted his teeth and howled. He casually tore off his windbreaker and wrapped it around the wound on his chest. His three arms spread wide as he soared once more in the Sea of Air.

Rallying once again!

Stigmas that had reached the Second Stage already possessed some of the terrifying vitality of legendary creatures. It was just like how the mythical Nue had once escaped even under the concentrated fire of sniper rifles and automatic rifles.

A severed arm and a lost tail were grievous injuries, but not enough to immobilize him.

As for Huai Shi, he's already a spent force, He Luo thought. Just a little more pressure, and I can crush him like rotten wood.

Then, He Luo saw Huai Shi quickly retreating, a smile on his face.

Just like that, Huai Shi raised his blood-stained left hand toward him. And, spinning on his index finger, was a small ring.

The ring had a slender pin attached, looking as though it had been pulled from somewhere.

In that final instant, He Luo looked down in astonishment at his wound. Through the searing pain, he finally sensed the chunk of metal stuffed inside it and the terrifying heat about to erupt.

BOOM!

Poisonous blood, flames, and entrails erupted, dispersing in all directions like dark green fireworks blooming in the air, only to be instantly dissolved by the rain.

All that remained were severed limbs and shattered bones falling from the sky.

Even though his torso had been blown in two, the Naga's steel-like skeleton hadn't completely disintegrated. He Luo's remains plummeted from the sky, smashing onto the burnt-out chassis of a car.

Incredibly, despite losing most of his body and all his arms, with his internal organs burned to charcoal, he was still alive. Barely breathing.

Under the lashing rain, He Luo's one remaining eye struggled to move, unable to stop his life force from ebbing away.

Only then did Huai Shi finally let out a sigh of relief. He immediately collapsed to his knees, almost fainting.

The Source of fire within him had completely extinguished. He gasped wearily, feeling acute pain wracking his limbs and torso. His vision swam with black spots, and his ears rang as if filled with buzzing bees.

But he hadn't lost consciousness, even though he was exhausted to the point of death.

In the rainstorm, he staggered forward, splashing through the turbulent puddles on the ground. Finally, he reached He Luo and looked down at that savage face.

For some reason, Huai Shi suddenly started to laugh.

It's because I remembered a joke I want to tell him, he thought.

"Once, there was a woodcutter who went to the mountains to chop wood," the boy said abruptly. "As he was crossing a bridge, his axe accidentally fell into the river. It was his only axe, so he was very sad. He cried and cried, just like you.

At that moment, a river god appeared from the river and kindly asked him..."

Huai Shi raised the Sacrificial Knife and the Invisible Axe in his hands, resting them on He Luo's shoulders. Then, as if channeling the river god, he asked,

"—Tell me, was it this Golden Axe or this Silver Axe that you dropped?"

The Naga's eyes widened. His lips strained to move, but no sound came out.

"Yes, that's what the woodcutter said," Huai Shi acknowledged with a nod.

In the silence, Huai Shi continued approvingly, "Then, the river god said, 'You are a very honest child. I'll give you both axes!'"

And so, knife and axe crossed upon the Naga's neck.

Amidst a screech of steel that was almost a roar, the last of the poisonous blood sprayed to either side.

A scale-covered head rolled onto the ground, finally silent.

That's the end of that story, Huai Shi thought.

To hell with the river god. To hell with the Golden Axe, to hell with the Silver Axe, to hell with the woodcutter... To hell with all of it!

Those old stories are too damn long.

It's time they ended. Today.

Huai Shi turned and walked across the silent overpass, moving through the rainstorm toward the true end of *this* story.

Toward the last survivor.

Then, he pulled open a car door and smiled at the old man inside.

"Mr. Qi, sorry to have kept you waiting."