Apocalypse Forecast

The darkness is boiling.

The pitch-black curse blood rippled, stimulated by an unprecedented sense of crisis for the first time in its existence, it felt an overwhelming terror.

And death, just within reach.

Amidst the sound of countless bones grinding, the body of the Spirit of Nativity rapidly contracted, transforming from its primal predatory state to a more agile and frenzied form.

This is a metamorphosis, arising from chaos’s disorder, reshaping itself according to its desires, transforming once more towards a more profound domain.

Searching through the experiences and insights retained in the alchemists’ source substance, it spontaneously changes itself!

It’s like some game’s battle elf undergoing super-evolution.

At this moment, amidst the chaotic screeching, the curse blood surged, crazily extracting the endless disasters from Helios, a brand-new heart began to pulse.

Sharp antlers, like those of a deer, grew out from beneath the curse blood, the darkness extended, weaving together again onto the deformed skeleton, forming a gigantic figure that was both beast and human.

Sixteen arms pierced out from its back, and on its chest, a bizarre bone face appeared.

The Spirit of Nativity stood upright, lowered its head, and the three pairs of eyes on the deer head swiftly roamed and finally locked onto the enemy in front.

Flames rose from the shell.

A loud screech.

In an instant, Huai Shi retreated.

Because the original intangible sound waves were given substance, everything in its path was shredded by its unreasonable violent power. Even its gaze contained venom, constantly injecting the madness of its remorseful joy into Huai Shi through its stare.

In the blink of an eye, it had become completely different from before.

Not even the same type anymore...

Was that a Stigma?

No, it’s just similar... it should be said to be closer to Hell’s essence of disaster than a Stigma.

It had already approached some kind of disaster’s origin and prototype, a power from the depths.

Thousands of years ago, the most ancient alchemist Solomon had discovered this.

Through his exploration of Hell, he hypothesized from the complex Hell Swarm, deducing four distinct main types, four flowing forms, totaling eight unstable states of change, and nine modes of manifestation, proposing seventy-two different results, and based on this, completed his final alchemy.

Though the outcome is unknown, the classification and presumptions he established have been continuously cited and verified by subsequent generations, gradually becoming the ancient source still used today, known as Hell Sequence.

Even now, half of it remains empty, but its authority is indisputable. Later, Mendelssohn, who abandoned Alchemy, drafted the periodic table based on this.

Now, the transformation of the Spirit of Nativity can only indicate one thing — from the beginning, it was a result of Alchemy, and even its growth at this moment was considered by its creator!

At the instant its chest’s bone mask made eye contact with Huai Shi’s gaze, an invisible bridge was formed.

It felt as if an unseen sharp blade pierced his soul, triggering sharp pain, and in that moment, Huai Shi heard nothing.

His hearing was taken away!

— Hell Sequence No.44, Illusionist · Shax!

But, it was of no use...

In an instant, Extreme Intention · Perception replaced the existence of hearing, and when hearing was abandoned, countless blood became an extension of Huai Shi’s perception.

The vibrations underfoot, the wind in the hall, even the collision of waves.

Everything transformed into an illusory sound, reshaping in Huai Shi’s mind.

There was no dizziness or swaying from semicircular canal disruption, the overloaded state of the body executed Huai Shi’s will and orders flawlessly, like the most precise machinery.

Yu Step Strike, step forward!

Without any errors, Huai Shi bypassed the offensive of sixteen arms, on Resentment Water, the source substance surged, lightning flashed in endless ferocity.

Resonance began again, integrating all the power into a single beam, it burst forward from Huai Shi’s hand, coming toward it.

They were already within reach!

A soft sound.

Resentment Water’s sharp edge, pierced directly into the head of the Spirit of Nativity.

The wave of source substance and the physical power overlapped, erupting like a volcano, detonating that trace of blood from Huai Shi!

What formed was an effect as exaggerated as a rocket launcher bombardment.

Blood splattered.

A huge breach appeared on the shell of the Spirit of Nativity, delivering painful wounds, restoring Huai Shi’s hearing.

Resentment Water swept across, the disturbed blood reformed into a chainsaw, violently shredding the Spirit of Nativity’s arms, then brutally pierced its chest cavity, pulling, causing the curse blood to gush out.

"Sorry, business has been a bit rusty lately, can’t quite find where the head is..."

Huai Shi looked at the struggling monster at his feet, comforted, "Why don’t we just make do."

Grit his teeth.

Soon, it was over.

Thus, brutal disintegration began!

The curse blood gushed out like a spring, from the shell of the Spirit of Nativity, the deformed body rapidly disintegrated under the whirling chainsaw, causing hoarse and sharp cries of pain.

Bang!

Behind the Spirit of Nativity, several incomplete arms suddenly closed together, forming a giant claw, slamming towards Huai Shi!

But too many limbs were broken, unable to catch up with his speed, only crashing emptily into the ground.

In the stimulus of death, it had gone mad, the incomplete shell violently convulsed, countless limbs and a massive body aimlessly collided around, shredding the shattered ceiling and surrounding walls.

Leaving one crack after another on the floor.

Under the burning of fear and pain, it destroyed everything in frenzy.

However, it couldn’t stop its body from rapidly disintegrating, those flying limbs twitched, trying to return, but immediately, in the darkness, a sneaky large mouth protruded, biting and devouring in delight.

As it licked the succulent meat juice from its lips, it couldn’t help but howl to the sky, urging the steak-cutting master to hurry up.

Eating in a hurry.

The coordination between this man and dog was impeccable, even without any rehearsal or practice. The dog might not actually be a dog, and the man might not entirely be human.

The venomous, living blood surged forth, frantically eroding the altered shell, continuously categorizing and creating more of itself. Like the ever-hungry biological Von Neumann machines, relying on the life force of the Eternal Beast for endless cellular division, telomeres regenerating.

The malice of life and the agony of death attacked simultaneously.

"Gaaah———"

The Spirit of Nativity suddenly opened its mouth, emitting a substantial sound wave. But this time, even the sound was shattered by Huai Shi with Extreme Intention, dispersing completely into a hurricane.

Only a roaring sound erupted from beneath his feet.

A crack appeared on the floor, spreading rapidly and suddenly; the collapse began, and a mass of rocks and steel structures collapsed into the darkness below.

The Spirit of Nativity fell into the darkness, its cries sharp.

Rapturous.

But before the joy could be unleashed, he saw a rapidly approaching smiling face.

That was despair, despair falling from the sky!

In this bizarre, warped workshop, after the floor cracked, they fell into a vast, slanted deep well.

The vertical sides of the deep well were covered with doors stained in blood, with a scarlet carpet hanging on one side and an opulent chandelier embedded like a ceiling on the other.

It seemed like an inclined corridor.

But Huai Shi didn’t concern himself with the bizarre situation at hand. Carrying the momentum of a fall from above, he trampled with Yu Step, cracking the bone surface over its chest, and Resentment Water, entwined with a blood-red chainsaw, plunged back into its body, spinning madly.

Behind the shattered bone surface, a gleam of light shone with its last bit of strength.

This time, what was taken away was sight and touch.

But this couldn’t hinder the execution of Extreme Intention!

It would only make it get beaten even worse!

Even without Extreme Intention, Huai Shi still had the comprehension of the Realm of Nothingness, and as long as one sense remained, he would not be affected at all.

The Spirit of Nativity spun painfully mid-air, trying to throw him off, but that living blood clung like the finest rope, tightly binding them together, not allowing them to separate.

It fell from the slanted corridor, smashing through the wall, tearing through the ceiling, and landed in a narrow bedroom, which again was torn apart.

The heavy, mud-like shell struggled to surge, limbs slashing, smashing through walls, bursting into a new space.

In the darkness, a continuous outburst of tragic cries erupted.

Breaking through layer after layer of walls, it was unknown how deeper it fell.

Finally, along a massive duct large enough for a giant to slide inside, it landed in a mountain of construction debris.

It twitched once, and twitched again.

Finally, with the stirring of the living blood chainsaw, no more sound emerged.

A wailing cry, akin to a sob, gradually dissipated.

No more.

And Huai Shi, raised his hand, wiped away the dark curse blood off his smile, and laughed heartily to the sky.

It was refreshing.

Looking down at the corpse beneath his feet, he was filled with a sense of accomplishment.

What, I am quite strong, aren’t I!

Indeed, even burdened with the Elements of Destructive (and a small bit of derivative tissue), and holding (the scrapped) Ruins in hand, I, Huai Shi, am still invincible in this world!

"Wow, looks quite brutal indeed." Tong Ji’s phantom floated up from his shoulder, teasingly, "Youngsters should know how to self-regulate, don’t overstrain and harm your body."

Can you drive even in this mess?

Huai Shi was shocked, looked back: "Why are you out again?"

"Isn’t it necessary to occasionally show a sense of presence and offer some loving tips?" Tong Ji said with a teasing smile, "After all, this is Helios, don’t just recklessly charge ahead without thinking."

"Relax, didn’t I just win?" Huai Shi waved it off casually: "Such a weakling."

"The point is not losing or winning, but not being reckless." Tong Ji sighed, "Aren’t you paying any attention to the surroundings?"

"Huh?"

Huai Shi looked around confusedly, seeing the countless debris and wreckage, and realized that the friendly little dog hadn’t come down with him.

It was still standing up at the crack, looking down, wagging its tongue and giving knowing looks.

As if trying to signal something.

But after all, it’s just a dog, it couldn’t speak.

Luckily, the surrounding environment compensated for this...

When Huai Shi looked up, he saw this massive, astonishing space filled with countless collapsed buildings and ruins, like a giant junkyard.

And... something bound to appear in a junkyard.

With his gaze, in the darkness, pair after pair of crimson eyes opened, foul mucus dripping. The darkness stirred, awakened by the scent of curse blood in the air.

Then, one by one, deformed Spirits of Nativity emerged from the shadows.

Dozens, hundreds, thousands...

Covered the skies, filled all with darkness.

They silently opened their eyes, casting cold gazes toward the ’delivery’ that had overestimated itself by coming to their doorstep.

Huai Shi’s smile froze on his face.

A once burning heart was instantly chilled to the core.