Playing inventor in a cultivation world

Chapter 131: Deadlier

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Chapter 131: Deadlier

Kael’s realization came a heartbeat too late.

The crimson hammer was already descending.

BOOM!

The impact blasted apart the stone beneath him, sending countless fragments soaring through the corridor. Kael narrowly rolled away, but the violent shockwave still threw him into a cracked pillar. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

He pushed himself upright just in time to see Seraph charging again.

There was no pause, nor was there any breathing room.

The black-haired man barreled forward like a predator that had finally cornered its prey. His crimson eyes glowed with murderous intent, while the massive hammer dragged across the broken floor, carving a deep trench before rising once more.

Kael gritted his teeth.

"So persistent..."

Blue arcs of lightning suddenly erupted around his body.

Crackle!

Electricity danced across his sword before spreading through his limbs.

The surrounding temperature instantly rose as countless sparks illuminated the dim hallway.

"Lightning Art..."

His figure blurred.

"...Flash Step!"

Boom!

The hammer crashed into empty ground as Kael vanished.

An instant later, he appeared behind Seraph.

His sword transformed into a streak of blue lightning.

"Lightning Sever!"

The blade descended with incredible speed.

Clang!

The sword struck the hammer instead.

Seraph had twisted around with impossible timing, using the thick weapon to intercept the attack despite never looking back.

Kael’s pupils contracted, ’Impossible.’

Before he could retreat, Seraph’s elbow slammed into his chest.

Bang!

Kael coughed blood as he flew backward, several of his ribs already cracked.

Seraph didn’t give him the chance to recover. Another roar escaped his lips.

His hammer swung horizontally. Kael immediately stomped the ground and lightning exploded beneath his feet.

His body shot upward just as the crimson hammer swept beneath him, pulverizing everything in its path.

Without waiting, Kael stretched out his free hand.

"Thunder Prison!"

Hundreds of blue lightning chains burst from the walls, floor, and ceiling.

Like venomous serpents, they wrapped around Seraph’s arms, legs, and torso.

Crackle!

Violent currents surged through his body. The hallway glowed blue, and for the first time since the battle began, Seraph stopped moving.

Kael inhaled deeply.

"It worked..."

Crack.

Just as he felt relieved, one chain snapped, then another. The rest followed shortly after.

The lightning restraints shattered one after another as Seraph slowly took another step.

His muscles bulged beneath his torn clothing, and the hammer rose once again.

The remaining chains burst apart.

Boom!

Seraph charged straight through the lightning, ignoring the burns spreading across his skin.

"He ignored Lightning Art?"

Kael’s expression stiffened.

He was wrong. Seraph hadn’t ignored it. He had endured it like a beast too enraged to recognize pain.

The hammer descended again, forcing Kael raised his sword.

Bang!

His feet sank into the floor. But before he could relax, a second strike came.

Then a third and a fourth.

Every collision sent blue lightning scattering across the hallway while crimson shockwaves tore apart the walls.

The base trembled violently.

Pieces of the ceiling began collapsing.

Kael’s breathing became increasingly ragged, also his arms shook violently from blocking.

’This monster...’

Another swing, another block, and another explosion.

His vision blurred.

The hammer suddenly changed direction halfway through its arc.

"What—"

Bang!

The blunt side smashed into Kael’s shoulder.

The sound of bones cracking could be heard.

He spun uncontrollably before crashing through three walls, sending dust rising from the collapse.

Kael staggered back to his feet, his right arm hanging limply by his side.

He could barely feel his fingers anymore. Frustrated, he stared through the smoke.

Two crimson lights slowly emerged.

Step.

Seraph walked forward without slowing down, his presence like death itself.

Kael finally frowned.

’I can’t beat him alone.’

He bit his thumb before slamming his bloody hand against the ground.

A communication array spread beneath him.

"Senior Reaper unit!"

His voice echoed through the collapsing base.

"I require immediate reinforcement!"

His eyes never left Seraph.

"Target possesses Core King cultivation."

A pause.

"...Extreme threat level."

The communication formation disappeared.

Kael exhaled.

"I only need to survive until—"

Four overwhelming auras suddenly descended.

Boom!

The hallway shook.

Four masked figures wearing identical black robes landed between Kael and Seraph.

Each of them radiated the pressure of Peak King Stage cultivators.

One wielded twin sabers, another carried a giant shield, and the third held a long spear.

The last gripped a black bow already surrounded by spiritual energy.

The shield user glanced at Kael.

"You look terrible."

Kael wiped away blood.

"Don’t underestimate him."

The spear wielder laughed.

"Five Peak Kings against one Core King?"

The archer chuckled.

"This should be quick."

Kael slowly shook his head.

"No..."

His eyes remained fixed on Seraph.

"...Don’t treat him like a Core King. Treat him like an Emperor Stage."

The four agents frowned.

Before anyone could reply—

ROAR!!

Seraph exploded forward.

The red hammer slammed against the giant shield.

BOOM!!

The shield user was blasted backward despite successfully blocking.

His boots carved trenches across the floor.

"So heavy!"

The twin saber wielder immediately attacked from Seraph’s blind spot.

Two silver flashes crossed through the air.

Seraph ducked beneath one slash before swinging his hammer behind himself without looking.

The saber wielder barely crossed both blades before Seraph’s hammer descended.

Bang!

His wrists instantly went numb.

The spear user thrust toward Seraph’s throat when the hammer spun.

Clang!

The spear instantly bent from the collision.

Meanwhile, countless black arrows descended from above.

Kael immediately joined them.

Blue lightning intertwined with the arrows.

The entire hallway transformed into a storm of steel and lightning.

Explosions echoed endlessly with smoke swallowed everything.

"Did we get him?"

Someone asked, but no one answered.

Because everyone sensed it.

A crimson aura still remained—pure killing intent.

The smoke suddenly exploded outward, and Seraph emerged from it.

His body was riddled with cuts, and blood dripped from numerous wounds.

Yet his speed hadn’t decreased in the slightest.

The next several minutes became complete chaos.

Hammer.

Sword.

Spear.

Lightning.

Arrows.

Everything became interwoven in a brutal clash where shockwaves collided endlessly.

The entire underground base continued collapsing around them.

Every exchange destroyed another section of the structure.

Although Seraph was stronger individually, the coordinated attacks of five elite cultivators gradually slowed him.

The shield user intercepted frontal assaults, while the spear user restricted his movements.

The twin sabers exploited openings, while the archer constantly pressured him from afar.

Kael delivered lightning techniques whenever Seraph committed to an attack.

Slowly, the battle reached equilibrium.

The five surrounded Seraph from every direction.

No matter where he attacked, someone covered the opening.

Kael narrowed his eyes. "We’re finally containing him."

Another violent clash erupted.

Seraph’s hammer collided with the shield. At the same time, the spear pierced toward Seraph’s side.

From behind, the twin sabers slashed downward.

Lightning struck from above.

Seraph blocked, countered, retreated, then advanced. He was struggling, but he was coping.

Then, something changed. His growls stopped, and the heavy breathing disappeared.

The madness within his crimson eyes slowly faded.

For a moment, there was only complete silence.

Even the battlefield seemed to become strangely still.

The five Reapers instinctively halted.

"What happened?" the archer frowned. "Is he exhausted?"

Kael didn’t answer.

He felt something was terribly wrong.

Seraph slowly raised his head.

His expression no longer carried rage, nor grief nor hatred.

It was simply empty, like a machine observing prey.

His crimson eyes swept across every opponent.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

They moved without emotion.

Kael felt goosebumps spread across his body.

’He’s watching us...’

Seraph was calculating every stance, every breath, every habit, and every weakness.

The shield user snorted.

"So the beast finally calmed down."

He charged first. His giant shield smashed toward Seraph.

This time, Seraph didn’t overpower it.

He sidestepped the burly man’s attacks.

The shield missed by inches.

The spear immediately thrust toward him, but Seraph leaned sideways.

The spear grazed past his neck.

Twin sabers attacked, and he lowered his head.

Lightning descended from above, and he responded by stepping exactly one pace backward.

Every movement used the absolute minimum amount of energy.

Kael’s heartbeat accelerated.

’He’s different...’

Seraph suddenly vanished. Not faster, but simply more efficient.

He appeared beside the spear user.

The hammer didn’t swing wildly.

Instead, it moved only a few centimeters.

A short strike.

Crack.

The spear shaft shattered, and the broken wood flew upward.

For a split second, the spear user’s vision was blocked.

That tiny opening... was enough.

Seraph’s free hand grabbed the man’s mask.

His crimson eyes met the terrified cultivator’s gaze.

Then the hammer rose once.

BOOM!

Blood exploded across the hallway.

The Peak King cultivator’s upper body simply ceased to exist.

Silence descended.

Chunks of flesh struck the walls, and the remaining four Reapers froze.

The hammer slowly dripped crimson.

Kael stared blankly at the corpse, and his breathing became uneven.

"...Impossible."

The shield user unconsciously stepped backward.

The twin saber wielder tightened his grip until his knuckles turned white. Even the archer lowered his bow. Kael slowly looked toward Seraph.

The black-haired man stood motionless amidst the blood.

His expression remained devoid of all emotion like an execution machine.

Kael finally understood what terrified him the most.

The berserk attacks from earlier hadn’t been Seraph’s greatest threat.

They had merely been the beginning.

Now, he was learning, adapting, and evolving with every exchange.

The longer they fought, the deadlier he became.

SORRY, GUYS. I HAD SOME INTERNET PROBLEMS WHILE UPLOADING THIS, AND THIS HAPPENED. I’M REALLY SORRY!

Playing inventor in a cultivation world

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