Apocalypse Gachapon

Earlier, Red Hair’s attacks had never ceased. Her spear and long hair worked in tandem, forcing one of the Allied Forces’ leaders into constant defense. He had already activated both his job and bloodline abilities, even resorting to two trump cards just to hold his own against her.

Even with the help of his trusted subordinates around him, it was useless—let’s not forget, Nine Treasures was still nearby, along with that bizarre spherical lifeform Ye Zhongming had summoned last time, whose defensive power was so absurd even level nine beings struggled against it.

A momentary lapse in focus caused Rustig to make a mistake. Though he threw out a crystal necklace-like piece of equipment to shield himself, Red Hair shattered it in a few strikes, then whipped her spear across his head. The eight-star evolved was instantly knocked unconscious.

Meanwhile, Achinas had just unleashed one of his ultimate moves. The flames from his torch drew a pattern in the air, forming a colossal fire beast. He had hoped to use this beast’s power to reduce Ye Zhongming to ashes, but a graceful water-energy barrier blocked it.

Then, under the storm of Ye Zhongming’s blade strikes, Achinas found himself scrambling to defend, far from the composed demeanor the Easterner had shown earlier when under his assault.

At this moment, the leader of the human alliance finally realized: he was outmatched.

But he wasn’t about to surrender. Raising the torch above his head, he seized an opening created by his Wind-Chasing White Fox mount, allowing a cascade of white flames to pour down and envelop him. Under his breath, he muttered incantations—clearly preparing a high-powered skill.

With one comrade dead and another injured, Achinas was now unleashing his full strength.

Ye Zhongming’s blade strikes slashed into the flames, but to little effect. Though the fire dimmed slightly, breaking through would take time—time Achinas would use to complete his skill.

So Ye Zhongming simply sheathed his blade and drew the Harvester Mimicry Shooter, switching to sniper mode and activating the “Pierce” skill—the best ability in this purple-grade weapon for breaking defenses.

He loaded a freshly crafted blue-grade bullet.

On top of that, he employed a gun technique, attempting to make the bullet bypass the flames entirely upon firing.

But it didn’t work.

The bullet was still blocked by the flames, creating a surreal scene as the two forces clashed.

The bullet came to a standstill before the fire, though “standstill” was relative. The projectile itself spun furiously, while the flames formed an energy vortex that rotated around it.

It was a contest of strength, each side waiting to see who would break first.

Ye Zhongming was surprised after firing this shot.

He knew exactly how powerful an attack from a purple-grade weapon enhanced by gun techniques and micro-engraved bullets could be, let alone one specialized in breaking defenses.

For the first time, he regarded this torch—capable of both offense and defense—with newfound respect.

Anything that could impress a super craftsman like him had to be among the best.

The stalemate between bullet and flame energy lasted only briefly. About two seconds later, the fire energy exploded—soundlessly, with only a shockwave of force that even Ye Zhongming had to step back to withstand.

On the other side, the bullet emerged victorious, drilling into Achinas’s lung mid-incantation. The eight-star commander of the human alliance let out a bloodcurdling scream, bleeding from all seven orifices as his body crumpled to the ground.

His injuries were severe, but not just from the bullet. Ye Zhongming could clearly see that it was already spent by the time the projectile broke through the flames. It hadn’t even fully penetrated Achinas’s body, merely piercing his armor and lodging in his lung. Most of the alliance leader’s damage came from the backlash of his interrupted skill.

Achinas’s sudden defeat caught his mount and allies completely off guard. At this point, the battle’s outcome was all but decided.

When Ye Zhongming’s blade touched Achinas’s neck, the entire Allied Forces ceased fighting.

The battle hadn’t lasted long, but the casualty ratio was staggering thanks to the absolute strength of Cloud Peak’s high-level war beasts, the female guard, and the Youth Army, plus their prior preparations.

Cloudtop suffered zero deaths, with only a hundred or so injured, none critically. These wounds would heal within days for a faction with healing crystals and all manner of restorative potions.

But the human alliance? One eight-star evolved dead, five captured, and over fifteen thousand casualties.

Many among the Allied Forces couldn’t comprehend how such a lopsided casualty ratio could occur when their numbers so vastly outmatched the enemy’s?

“The army… will come… and you… will all die.”

Achinas, now held aloft by Ye Zhongming, had lost all traces of his former imposing demeanor.

“We… we have enough… enough to drown you.”

Ye Zhongming shrugged, utterly unfazed. “Your army won’t even see us.”

Achinas coughed, spitting two mouthfuls of blood, though, being an eight-star evolved, even injuries this severe hadn’t killed him.

“I don’t understand… why you’re doing this.”

He truly didn’t. What did these Easterners want? They had arrived and attacked without the slightest warning.

Of course, Achinas had no way of knowing that his trusted Pei Jia had tried to extort them, only to get slapped down instantly.

Ye Zhongming glanced toward Yakutsk.

“It’s simple, really. I just needed some nutrient bodies… and you all happened to be perfect for the job.”