Chapter 126: Colosseum (Part 1/2)
Translator: Strivon
The sense of distance was instantly made clear. The two Human-Faced Arachnids were far away from each other, the distance far exceeding the normal sensing limits of Human-Faced Arachnids.
In other words, they should not have made contact with each other. Then what was going on? Was this Human-Faced Arachnid targeting Number 3 specifically, targeting him for doom?
Before An Weng could understand the root cause for the change, the clash between the Human-Faced Arachnids reached a fiery hot state.
The hazy starry sky was filled with the powerful pressure of hostility. Number 3's body was being forcefully distorted. Every action was being resisted by a force that was both material and incorporeal. It was because of this that the chaos energy within Number 3 began to circulate at high speeds. It was like a boiler that was crushing and burning all the fuel within, providing Number 3 with an even more powerful internal energy.
For An Weng, this was simply a disaster. He had given up his fleshly body and placed his soul within Number 3's body, realizing a partial fusion. However, they had ultimately yet to merge completely as one. A portion still remained independent and it was the most critical portion—the intelligent portion.
After Number 3 started the 'boiler', a tenth of the mass of An Weng's soul was soon evaporated. Many memories and resources were instantly erased, causing An Weng to be slightly dazed. He stayed like this until Zheng Xiao was affected as well, letting out a miserable shriek. Only then did An Weng suddenly come to.
Even the kite-string was about to be severed. How could these chains be so strong?
As self-deprecating thoughts flashed in his mind, An Weng forced himself to forget the imminent threat. He poured his power into Number 3 to try to control it and struggle free from the chains.
The dark chains were the sole channel that connected the two Human-Faced Arachnids; it was also the main battlefield where the Human-Faced Arachnids clashed. If An Weng wanted to destroy this situation, the most effective method would be to sever the chains.
With An Weng's aid, Number 3's power was suddenly raised to the next level. Its eight limbs waved in the void as it did its utmost to thrash and try to withdraw backward.
The dark chains straightened, perfectly taut. A pulling and clashing force activated simultaneously upon the chains, causing the chains' vibrations to increase in intensity. The vibrations converged as one before ultimately becoming a sharp hum like that of a rubber band on the verge of snapping.
Just missing a bit more. Just missing a bit more...
The more intense the clash between the Human-Faced Arachnids, the more awful the inner pressure of Number 3's boiler became. The mass of An Weng's soul was continually eroded but he had to continue to accelerate this process to ensure Number 3's power output.
This was the stupidest consumption of his soul of all, but thanks to these pressing matters, An Weng had no choice.
In this moment, An Weng felt like he and the dark chains were like two fizzling and burning fuses. They were waiting to see who would be the first to burn out, ignite the bomb, and explode into pieces.
"The Truth is above!"
"Hum!"
The prayer and the vibrations occurred simultaneously and another clash exploded on the chains. The powerful assault of energy broke through the limits of the dark chains at last, causing the chains to lost its special structure as it shattered and dispersed with a hum.
Number 3's body suddenly stopped as the chains broke.
However, An Weng was not happy at all.
By now, the mass of his soul had shrunk to two-thirds of its peak. An enormous quantity of memory of resources was burnt to ash. Even with his resolute will, he experienced a moment of daze.
There was more. In the final stage of the clash, An Weng no longer had the energy to maintain things elsewhere. Zheng Xiao, the kite-string, was severed.
Number 3 floated within the hazy starry sky. The striking starlight filled everywhere, but there were no clear trails remaining. It was as if Number 3 had lost its way within the starry sky; it had lost its bearings.
An Weng took a slow breath and sorted through the great mess of his soul. In addition, he tried to strengthen his control over Number 3.
However, something occurred right when he was gradually permeating and spreading into Number 3's chaotic region with his soul mass; the inner pressure of Number 3's boiler plummeted quickly and an explosion was ignited.
A pain like that of a poisonous flame assaulted An Weng; he forcefully endured it, maintaining a bit of clarity. However, his mind still sunk heavily down.
Number 3 slowly turned its body around. It became restless again by instinct. Moreover, this restlessness was even more intensive than during the bitter battle just before.
At this moment, An Weng heard a low and fine sound. It was like the background noise that always existed in the metropolis. It was not really noticeable but it was everywhere. Looking into this noise would yield an abundance of miscellaneous information.
Additionally, within this subtle noise that people found hard to ignore was a river that was shadowy like it was dirty. It flowed noiselessly. A massive and ugly body floated out from within. The body spread its limbs, its demonic eyes flickered, and it instantly appeared next to Number 3. By the time the entirety of its stooped body floated above the shadowy waters, it directly faced Number 3.
From Number 3's perspective, this Human-Faced Arachnid that An Weng had locked onto was clearly a factor bigger than Number 3 itself. Its figure was more realistic and more solid; it gave off a pressure that assaulted one's face. It caused Number 3's restlessness to grow harder to control.
Number 3's instinct was to escape but it still remained within the 'star realm'.
This had nothing to do with courage. It was because of the incorporeal power of order that was embedded within this hazy starry sky, causing this realm to act as a bizarre prison. Even if this realm was boundless and vast, Number 3 was locked firmly inside. The only ending that was left was the decision between victory and defeat, between life and death.
It was those mysterious chains...
Although it appeared to have shattered, it had actually transformed from the material into the incorporeal. It used an even more inconceivable form to establish order. It revealed a power of constraint that was even more inescapable.
An Weng came to a clear understanding of this just now. The Human-Faced Arachnids had already engaged in another round of combat.
Human-Faced Arachnids were not like intelligent life forms. They did not speak any nonsense. They were just propelled by their instincts and the two sides began crossing blades once again. Loud rumbles rang forth as they collided.
Just a single clash and Number 3's left mandible was forcefully chomped and consumed by the massive Human-Faced Arachnid's stomach. At the same time, Number 3's sharp limb pierced the human-body portion of the massive Human-Faced Arachnid. The wound gurgled as it ignited and bloody flames sprayed everywhere.
The two Human-Faced Arachnids let out noiseless roars of pain at the same time, but the direct wrestling-like fight did not change a bit. It was as if they had returned to the Colosseum of the ancient times. The most bloody of forms were used to please the spectators.
And so, just who should they be pleasing in this moment?
An Weng strove to maintain his train of thoughts with the Human-Faced Arachnid as it clashed. The change with the chains showed an exquisite shifting of the power of order. This was not a change that was made spontaneously. This change existed within the framework that encompasses this starry sky.
Who did this framework belong to?
An Weng knew the answer but in this hazy starry sky, even a shrewd person like him would find it hard to lock onto the man behind the scenes in a short period of time.
Unless...
Number 3's body shook violently once more. It was always at a complete disadvantage during the wrestling. Right now, half its ugly face had been chomped away by its powerful foe. It was missing half of its six demonic eyes and its aura suddenly grew weak.
There would not be a chance of victory if things continued this way.
An Weng used a mere tenth of a second to make a final decision. He did not spend much more time on the corresponding choice as well.
A dark ball appeared in the inner clairvoyance of his mind, in the mass of his soul. It was covered densely with strange markings. This was the deadly secret curse that he had formed when he sought to kill Luo Nan as fast as possible.
Without even the slightest of hesitation, An Weng crushed the ball with his soul strength, causing the secret curse to burst and shatter. The deadly negative energy swept through the mass of his soul.
The pain of his mind was indescribable by words, but similar ways could be used to vent his feelings. An Weng's intent surged and he roared explosively on the mental plane.
“LUO NAN!”