Chapter 107: Chapter107-Fierce Battle with Betrayal (Part 1)
"If it were [Deception] standing before me, it might be more troublesome. But you? A fraud and impostor, you're not worth mentioning."
[Betrayal]'s eyes blazed, and black-purple flames surged around him, condensing into a long spear that he willingly grasped in his hand!
Seeing this, John squinted slightly, maintaining a composed exterior, though he felt a tinge of panic inside.
After all, this was John's first true confrontation with an [Apostle].
Even though [Betrayal]'s power was only about one-fifth of its peak, the accumulated battle experience far exceeded John's.
He couldn't afford even the slightest mistake!
With a thought, John retrieved the Firewalker Dagger from his backpack, holding it in a reverse grip, and fixed his gaze on the [Betrayal Apostle].
Black flames erupted, exploding outward with [Betrayal] at the center. The intense heat wave alone made John extremely uncomfortable!
In that brief moment of distraction, [Betrayal] charged forward, spear in hand!
With no time to hesitate, John let out a shout and turned to flee!
Seeing this, [Betrayal] paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Is this your choice? Fleeing in disgrace? I can't understand how [Deception] and [Lust] fell at your hands."
"It's called a tactical retreat. Someone like you wouldn't understand."
John scoffed, not letting [Betrayal]'s taunts get to him.
What a joke! His style was never suited for frontal assaults; fighting [Betrayal] head-on would be suicide!
Besides, his allies were about to arrive on the battlefield; John had no reason to take such a risk.
"John!"
Suddenly, a shout came from above, and John's eyes lit up.
With a wave of his hand, the grey-black mist surrounding them dissipated, revealing Elaria and the rest of his companions lined up behind him.
"Finally, you're here. Where are the others?"
"They've been taken care of. Is this S.? His aura is quite intimidating."
"He isn't S." John shook his head and took a deep breath. "S. is already dead. He is the [Apostle] sealed within S.'s body."
"[Apostle]? What is that?" Exiled Immortal looked at John with a puzzled expression.
"I'll explain everything after this is over," John said seriously. "For now, let's deal with this problem first."
"No problem, whatever kind of apostle or messenger he is, let's just fight him first!" Qing laughed heartily and launched himself into the air with a Cloud Leap, crashing down towards the [Betrayal Apostle].
The sheer force of his long spear's momentum almost knocked John and the others off their feet!
In terms of pure attack power, Qing was undoubtedly the top among all players!
Boom!
With a dull explosion, Qing's smile froze instantly.
Something felt off!
Sure enough, as the dust settled, it revealed [Betrayal] holding the flaming spear with one hand, effortlessly blocking Qing's powerful strike.
He even had the strength to manipulate the flames to thrust towards Qing's chest!
"Watch out!" John warned, but it was too late.
Just as [Betrayal]'s attack was about to land, a vine shot up from the ground, wrapping around Qing's waist and flinging him out of harm's way.
The black flames, capable of burning everything, hit nothing but air!
Breathing a sigh of relief, Qing turned around, looking gratefully at Elaria. "Thanks."
"No problem." Elaria nodded slightly and said softly, "Attack freely. Even though I can't use my full power in this desolate place, leave the defense to me!"
"Damn it, I was careless just now. Let's go again!" Qing rolled up his sleeves, and with a powerful kick, he launched himself like a cannonball towards [Betrayal] once more.
Seeing this, Exiled Immortal and Old Mac exchanged a glance and joined the fray.
The black flaming spear aimed straight at Qing's face but was caught in a tangle of vines just before impact. In that split second, Qing closed the distance, his spear smashing heavily onto [Betrayal]'s shoulder, causing blood to splatter!
But the attack wasn't over yet!
"[Class Skill: Sword Rain Fall!]"
As Qing retreated, a storm of sword shadows followed, their energy piercing through [Betrayal]'s flesh, tearing him to pieces like a sieve.
By this time, Old Mac's exoskeleton armor was fully assembled.
The exoskeleton, akin to a small mech, provided Old Mac with incredible speed and strength.
In a single breath, he charged forward, his mechanical fist smashing down and shattering [Betrayal]'s upper body into a mist of blood!
Although this was the first time they had faced such a powerful enemy together, their coordination was impressively seamless!
But then, suddenly!
The three felt a tremendous force throw them back.
In front of John and the others, vines rapidly spread out, forming an impenetrable shield that protected them!
In the next moment, the black flames exploded!
The vines incinerated to ashes upon contact, forcing Elaria to continuously replenish them to barely hold off the attack.
"How... how is this possible?"
Helena peered through her fingers, gasping as she saw the figure struggling to rise from S.'s shattered body.
[Betrayal] was now covered in white-blue flames. With every step, the ground beneath him melted!
"Finally! Free from that feeble body!"
[Betrayal] curled his lips into a sinister smile, his hollow eyes fixated on John as he said, "Now, the game officially begins!"
"Stop pretending! I'll beat you to death!"
Qing grunted, hurling his spear with immense force.
It flew like a streak of light, barely visible as it aimed straight for [Betrayal]'s face!
However, something completely unexpected happened at that moment!
The [Epic]-quality spear didn't even touch [Betrayal] before it melted completely into a pool of molten metal!
Seeing this, Qing froze in place, unable to believe his eyes.
"This..."
"Qing, fall back and help keep the nearby earth dragons and other players from interfering," John ordered, stopping Qing. "The flames around him are too hot. They can easily melt metal. If you rush in, you'll only get hurt."
"But!"
"Qing!" John shouted, meeting Qing's reluctant gaze and nodding firmly. "Trust me."
"...I'll deal with those annoying pests and come back to help you."
Though reluctant, Qing understood that his close-combat fighting style was useless against the current situation.
With no choice, Qing retrieved another weapon, turned, and headed toward the awakened earth dragons.
There was no doubt; this was a battle of completely mismatched strength.
The white-blue flames that could incinerate anything they touched, combined with [Betrayal]'s monstrous vitality, left John with no clear way to win.
Realizing this, John turned to Elaria and the others, smiling bitterly. "This time, it looks like you'll have to stay with me."
"No problem. Since the day I left the Elven tribe, I was prepared for this," Elaria said, smiling softly as she gently held John's hand. "Take the others and leave. I'll do my best to hold him off and buy you time to escape."
"Escape? None of you are getting away!" [Betrayal] waved his hand, and flames spread out, forming a cage that trapped everyone and cut off their escape route.
"A chosen one and several who have inherited parts of the [Gods'] power—today is a real harvest! If I kill you all, it will surely disrupt their plans, won't it? Haha, just thinking about it is satisfying! Now... who should I start with?
"Why not you, the girl who inherited the power of the God of the Stars, Astreos? A god's blood runs through your veins. I remember what happened two years ago very clearly!"
As the flaming spear rushed towards her, Lily's mind went blank!