Apocalypse Forecast-Chapter 679 - 561 Monument_1

"Why am I just standing here watching?"

Raymond scratched his head, utterly baffled.

"What, you’d rather have a soda and watch while lying down?" The Great Grandmaster glanced at him expressionlessly. "It’s working time, don’t be ridiculous!"

"No, it’s not about how I’m watching... but standing on the side doing nothing feels so wrong. Am I really a Second fifth?"

Without looking up, the Great Grandmaster asked, "Aren’t you?"

"..."

Raymond’s expression suddenly became awkward. "Great Grandmaster, I’ve only job-hopped that one time in my life, can we not escalate this to the level of personal attacks? At least I’ve reflected on it... even if it was in the wrong direction, I do have principles, don’t I?"

"Your principles have nothing to do with me; your work, on the other hand, is crystal clear to me."

The Great Grandmaster’s meaning was simple: Just do your job, and don’t think about anything else.

Raymond shook his head, sighed, and looked at the miserable figure in the surveillance video.

"Can he handle it?"

"Listen to you, as if there’s a chance he could handle it."

The Great Grandmaster was puzzled as to where this ounce of confidence came from.

Raymond was astonished. "Isn’t that just sending him to his death?"

"There’s probably a one percent chance he can handle it, right?" The Great Grandmaster shrugged. "I’m not familiar with Luo Su’s people, but since this is his student, I’ll cut Luo Su’s work standards in half for him... I just hope his choice of Secretary wasn’t merely to make up numbers."

"What if he really dies?"

"If he can’t handle it, he runs. Isn’t that why you’re here?"

The Great Grandmaster looked at him as if he were looking at an idiot and directed from a distance, "Don’t stand there dumbfounded. Set up the data collection equipment—this is important documentation!"

Another console rose. Aboard the back of the truck, dozens of massive scanning devices emerged once again, capturing every detail and piece of data in the fight, transmitting it back to the location of the Iron Crystal Throne.

It was a way of fighting entirely different from that of the Sublimators. Lost arts, created by treading a path the Current Circumstances had never before explored, constituted a domain beyond common sense and imagination. It also represented the essence of what was once a prosperous Hell.

According to the Iron Crystal Throne’s deciphering, those who possessed this power were known as Forgers. Instead of binding Disaster Miracles to their bodies for assimilation, they used a forging process similar to Alchemy, infusing power from the Abyss into matter, thus greatly avoiding their own transmutation.

And now, what remains of the Town of Dusk is the last creation left behind by all the Forgers.

"Although it’s not as versatile as the Sublimators, it’s much stronger in the aspect of creation. So, its strength lies not in exploration but in defense and construction? In that case, the threshold is definitely higher than that of pure Alchemists and Scholars, and it must also require the physique of a Sublimator... no. Looking at it now, it’s more like creating a physique similar to that of Sublimators to counter the erosion from the Abyss. I see."

The Great Grandmaster narrowed his eyes. "Only those who can transform their physiques into something akin to Sublimators can truly become Forgers... Compared to convenience, a high death rate isn’t a problem at all. What a pity that such an art has been lost."

Raymond finally climbed back in from outside. It felt like adjusting the antenna on an old television set, continually tweaking its position to ensure signal transmission and clarity.

Hearing the Great Grandmaster’s words, he became curious. "With such skills, the wealth of civilization, and the power to change the world, are they not enough to contend with the depth that Hell brings?"

"Who says it’s not enough?" The Great Grandmaster scoffed. "Those presumptuous fools, haven’t they already succeeded?"

"Huh?"

Raymond was perplexed but then seemed to understand something. He couldn’t help but gasp.

"You mean to say... the Town of Dusk as it is now was created by them?"

"Yes, all of this is the monument they’ve formed in their successful defiance against Hell," the Great Grandmaster said indifferently. "Filled with arrogance, they discarded the peaceful end they could have had, crawled out of their own graves, only to willingly jump into another hell. The Town of Dusk of old was undoubtedly such a place—otherwise, it wouldn’t have fallen into the hands of the Purgatory Workshop Masters, trapped without release."

"The Hell you see now is the result of such arrogance!"

.

.

"——SCREECH!!!!"

The shrill roar burst forth once again.

The Variator seemed to grow even more insane. Waving the lantern in his hand, in an instant, the giant spider crumbled to pieces, turning into iron filings. Right after, the asphalt-like furnace above boiled over again with its molten contents.

Just as Huai Shi was preparing to seize this moment and unleash a furious attack, he saw an endless stream of iron light fly out from it. It was a scene as brilliant as a myriad of stars. But what fluttered within those gleams were giant locusts, one after another, like an arriving storm. Countless insects as thick as arms flapped their wings, zigzagging through the air like lightning, booming like artillery shells as they descended from the sky.

Amidst the loud booms, the ground under Huai Shi’s feet shattered continuously. The locusts, heavy as artillery shells, crashed into the earth, then quickly got up, shook their wings, and rose into the sky once more amid the soft whirring of gears. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Under the relentless barrage, Huai Shi could barely catch his breath. He drew Beelzebub and fired continuously, only to be blocked by the swarm or deflected by wings emerging from the furnace.

Even after hesitating several times, he ultimately did not activate Judgment Mode. Only three bullets remained. Having experienced the mishap with Liz, Huai Shi dared not squander such a precious opportunity; he needed a sure hit, one that could create commensurate value.

And now, as the Wind Lamp was raised once again, a sky full of iron light fell towards Huai Shi. The heavy shield rapidly assembled in front of him. Then came the relentless booms, and soon, even the alloy shield began to warp and deform.

From the start until now, the Paradise Guard had already lost five members, and fewer than half remained. The crisis of death emerged continuously.

Huai Shi clenched his teeth, reached out to pull the burning banner, and stabbed it violently into the ground. He didn’t call for the Crow Flock, but darkness instantly spread out. The Buried Sacred Place descended instantly, disrupting all perception.

In the darkness, Huai Shi took a deep breath and abruptly spawned all his afterimages. The overwhelming afterimages galloped chaotically through the hall, drawing the vast majority of firepower, while Huai Shi’s body vanished from its original spot in an instant.

Three consecutive flashes. It consumed nearly all of his Source Substance.

Amid the sudden onset of tinnitus, Huai Shi’s figure broke through the lengthy barrier, emerging before the Variator, The Hammer of Sorrow poised and ready to strike. The burning iron hammer roared and thundered. The eyes on the hammer’s wolf-head blazed blood red. As the iron hammer came crashing down, the air itself seemed to emit the sound of being overwhelmed and splitting apart. It was nearly a self-sacrificing strike, unleashing this immense pain. Now, punishment descended from the heavens, with no chance of evasion.

A deafening boom! The Variator’s shell instantly collapsed. An on-the-spot explosion. Countless tar-like viscous liquid burst outwards, followed by fragments that fell to the floor like rain. Only the lantern fell into the viscous, blood-like black liquid. The light of the fire gradually dimmed.

Yet a choking sound emerged from the wreckage. "Sun Caster... please answer me..." That hoarse voice asked, "How long... will this ordeal... continue...?"

No one responded.

High-pitched shrieking burst from the asphalt furnace. The writhing mass within swiftly expanded, and then it unleashed a roar thousands of times more powerful than before. Innumerable viscous substances poured from the ruptured furnace, like rain from the heavens. The black torrent flooded over the shattered Wind Lamp, causing the flames to spread rapidly and ignite the darkness.

Broken bones writhed in the black blood, and subsequently, all the viscous black blood around began to surge. Grotesque wings rose from within, followed by a silhouette akin to a flying bird, yet the contour kept collapsing and reforming. As more shapes emerged from it, it began to resemble a giant wolf. Eventually, when innumerable writhing limbs coalesced, they formed a monstrous giant adorned with a massive crown.

As though a king of the world had descended there, its majesty was too overwhelming to behold directly. But that solemn giant had only half a body; the lower half was hollow, with numerous deformed organs and shattered parts falling out of it. As its arms moved, they dragged through the black pool of blood.

Once again, it let out a hoarse roar, so distorted it was difficult for mortal ears to discern. The deranged, eerie giant lifted its hand, swiftly striking toward Huai Shi. A gust of wind swept over, and the earth trembled. Thick black blood dripped between its fingers, and countless parts rose from it, perpetually assembling into various incomplete limbs, writhing chaotically.

It was rapidly decaying, yet rapidly resurrecting. Stubbornly refusing to die, yet unable to continue living...

Amidst wails and choked howls, the viscous black blood defied gravity, rose to the sky, and transformed into a sharp torrent of rain, scattering in all directions.

"Fuck its Second Stage!!!" Huai Shi bellowed in anger. "Whose sickening boss are you anyway!"

Swinging The Hammer of Sorrow, he exerted all his strength, smashing it into the gigantic hand that descended once again. As the colossal forces collided, Huai Shi was sent flying backward. His vision went black.

In his hand, The Hammer of Sorrow crumbled inch by inch... its Source Substance structure had been shattered under that blow, rendering it unusable for a short time. Countless dispersed sorrows ravaged his soul, forcing an involuntary, pain-filled roar from him.

The hand, too, convulsed suddenly, struck by the pain transmitted from the hammer. The black blood composing its flesh pulsed and boiled madly, morphing into strange structures that rapidly sloughed off to reveal broken, deformed bones.

Huai Shi had already hit the ground, and once again, he dashed out. In his hands, the Sword of Virtue chimed, suddenly shining brightly, slashing forward, effortlessly tearing through the writhing rain. Out of the chaos, he carved a fleeting rift.

The giant lifted its hand; the pitch-black arm writhed, rapidly transforming into the contour of a monstrous wolf, biting towards Huai Shi.

Shadow Burial!

Once again, the afterimages spread out. Soloist’s ability activated again, and Huai Shi’s figure flickered through the air, appearing out of thin air before the Giant Wolf, seemingly rushing to his own doom. He inverted the Sword of Virtue in his grip and, as his body fell, thrust downward.

A piercing wail burst forth, along with the crisp sound of a skull shattering. The blade, amidst Huai Shi’s roar, penetrated deeply into the Giant Wolf’s face, slashing through its ferocious eye, tearing apart the eye socket, and carving a rift across its face.

As the rift began to close rapidly, Huai Shi released his grip on the sword and forcefully stuffed the bomb into the Giant Wolf’s eye socket. In the flick of a finger, blazing firelight erupted from within the Giant Wolf’s body, spreading, tearing apart solid bones, and blasting debris in all directions.

The shockwave dispersed. Huai Shi was thrown backward.

"It’s not over yet!"

In mid-air, his body flipped. He swiftly cast out The Sorrow of Index. It wrapped around the giant’s neck and then tightened!

Reflected in those hollow eyes, Huai Shi charged forward!

Betting his last Source Substance.

The mournful melody of the cello resounded!

Ninth Chord·Dragons’ Charge!

Beheading!