Chapter 594: Stage Two
The body of [White Bone] lay supine in a large pit on the ground, its limbs impaled by several transparent yet tenacious threads, firmly pinning it to the ground as if devoid of life. Sato Zhenyi stood panting not far away, the recent battle clearly having taken a significant toll on his energy. Despite this, he turned to look at [Coffin] beside him and extended his clenched right fist.
Someone couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. “A beautiful combination!”
It had to be said, that last exchange was perhaps Sato Zhenyi’s most satisfying and exhilarating battle to date. Even facing an enemy like [White Bone], possessing such formidable flying and attack energy, he had managed to find an opening and end the fight so easily, thanks to [Coffin]’s elusive abilities and support.
Sato Zhenyi had cooperated with other Professional Heroes before, but even someone as powerful as Minamoto Shunko hadn’t given him such a sense of默契 (mòqì – understanding/rapport). It was as if the two were so familiar that they could anticipate each other’s thoughts without any need for communication.
He shook his head, dispelling the somewhat jumbled thought. After all, their cooperative relationship wouldn’t change simply because of this joint operation. The young boy simply attributed it all to the other party’s excellent combat thinking and observation skills.
“So, is it over?” he shifted his gaze to [White Bone] not far away, Sato Zhenyi continued to speak.
“I’m not sure. You might still need to check on him. I’m worried he might have a backup plan,” Kazumi shook her head, her gaze never leaving the fallen [White Bone]. The girl didn’t believe [White Bone] could be defeated that easily. Although [Takeru Kamikami]’s attack power was formidable, Kazumi was confident that a simple punch from him couldn’t surpass the attacks she unleashed with her swordsmanship.
But with [White Bone] just lying there, completely under their control, it was hard to believe it was real. Quickly dismissing possibilities like “the body’s rejection” or “reaching the limit of controlling the body of Ten Yuan Huang,” Kazumi still leaned towards it being a trap. Coupled with the intelligence about [White Bone]’s ability to devour psychic users, Kazumi dared not approach him carelessly. It was likely a trap set to devour her the moment she got close.
“No problem, leave it to me.”
After hearing [Coffin]’s words, Sato Zhenyi approached [White Bone]. He lingered for a moment before withdrawing, nodded, and turned to walk towards [White Bone]. The young boy’s personality made it difficult for him to act in a way that would betray a teammate.
After their brief cooperation, [Coffin] had reverted to an adversarial role. For Sato Zhenyi, after several exchanges, he had a general understanding of [Coffin]’s abilities and weaknesses. Their current proximity meant that if he were to make a move, there was a significant chance he could control the opponent. As long as the powerful entity within the opponent could be dealt with, that would be the front line. [Coffin]’s words were correct, but control…
At this moment, Sato Zhenyi had already developed a different kind of sentiment in his heart. Both the opponent’s outstanding abilities and their captivating combat intelligence had earned the young boy a very high evaluation of [Coffin] as an enemy. Furthermore, from their conversation, he sensed a uniquely righteous personality, vastly different from the members of the [Dark] organization. Sato Zhenyi truly felt this enemy was unlike any he had faced before.
Personality could be influenced by abilities. If, even under the influence of his powers, [Coffin] could maintain a normal personality and communicate, it indicated a possibility of being accepted by the Heroes Association. As long as the sins committed during his time with the organization weren’t too severe, Sato Zhenyi was willing to vouch for him as a hero and help him return to a normal life. This sudden, strange sense of familiarity made the young boy feel a little peculiar. He hadn’t felt this way during battle. But now, standing side-by-side fighting together, Sato Zhenyi felt as if they were very familiar with each other. Even in their current adversarial state, he didn’t have much desire to fight.
Of course, Sato Zhenyi knew that these thoughts could only be acted upon after the matter was resolved. Maintaining the flow of energy within his body, the young boy became highly alert and approached the restrained body of [White Bone] cautiously.
Sato Zhenyi slowly approached [White Bone]’s corpse, observing its every movement with caution. When he was within three steps of [White Bone], his pupils suddenly contracted. From the wounds where the threads pierced the seemingly lifeless body, a strange black mucus seped out. The mucus writhed like a living creature, creeping back along the transparent threads, silently corroding the restraints [Coffin] had imposed.
“Something’s wrong!” Sato Zhenyi suddenly retreated half a step, slamming his right fist hard onto the ground, intending to use the ground’s collapse to affect [White Bone]’s state.
However, the moment he threw the punch, [White Bone]’s tightly shut eyes suddenly opened. The green flames in its eye sockets turned into a deep, dark hue at this moment.
“Boom!”
A mass of black flames spewed from [White Bone]’s body, as if laying out a formation on the ground. The area surrounding [White Bone] was instantly engulfed in the dark flames. Wherever the flames passed, even the air was scorched into distorted ripples. Even more terrifyingly, countless faces contorted in pain and anguish appeared faintly within the flames!
“Takeru Kamikami!” Kazumi’s sharp cry came from behind. A green portal reappeared, attempting to block this sudden attack for him. But the moment the black flames collided with the [Ghost Gate], the [Ghost Gate], which had connected to another space, lost its effect. The black flames, as if they hadn’t touched the [Ghost Gate] at all, passed directly through the green portal and surged towards Sato Zhenyi without obstruction.
Sato Zhenyi felt a pulling force from his back. Then, with that pull, Sato Zhenyi managed to evade the direct black flames with a side roll, but a few wisps of flame still danced onto his right arm, causing a piercing pain. It wasn’t a burning sensation, but like millions of steel needles drilling into his body through his blood vessels!
“What… what kind of flame is this?!” The formidable black flames, like an attached leech, crazily drilled into his body. The young Sato reached out to try and extinguish these small sparks, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t extinguish the flames. Instead, the flames on his right arm intensified, as if intent on burning him completely.
The energy fluctuations coming from [White Bone] made Sato Zhenyi unconsciously forget about his hand. He looked up and saw that [White Bone]’s body was undergoing a terrifying transformation. The black mucus had completely covered its surface, forming a layer of writhing exoskeleton. The once jade-white bones were now covered in blood vessel-like bulges. A dark heart pulsated violently within its chest cavity, splattering thick black blood with each beat.
“So it’s like this…” Kazumi’s voice carried an unprecedented solemnity. “He intentionally let himself be restrained by us to find an opportunity to complete his final transformation—he has now completely fused with the corpse of Ten Yuan Huang!”
