Carmen watched the enemies approaching from every direction, his face dark. "This doesn't look good."
"We're not blind." Nancy clenched her fists as she stared at the surrounding foes.
"Are we going to die?" Lin Le looked calmer; gazing at enemies whose auras grew stronger one after another, helplessness flashed across her face.
Ming Wang pulled out a book, white light radiating from it. The light appeared behind him, forming a pair of armored arms holding a hammer and a club.
Surveying the enemies with his usual composure, he said flatly, "Then we'll fight to the last man, so the world knows the Bureau of Gods doesn't just win easy battles."
Salo's body swelled into a silver humanoid. Looking at Ming Wang and the others, he said, "Farewell, comrades."
"Kill!" Wei Gaocheng roared, red wings flapping as he charged first.
In this state his strength had reached Level Five.
Bang! He instantly broke the sound barrier, rushing toward Carmen.
At the same moment everyone else surged forward.
"Kill!" Ming Wang's eyes were resolute as he headed straight for Fang Wenyu, the strongest aura present.
Xiang Jing immediately charged at Salo, now a Monster, his face full of fury at his former comrade's betrayal.
Buzz! Cyan light erupted from his body; the ground beneath kept exploding as he roared, "Salo! Why betray us?"
Had Salo not struck suddenly, with Harvey here they wouldn't have been so passive against these foes.
In the distance, the silver Salo stretched a hand backward; an invisible ripple flashed afar.
Crack! Crack! Vast amounts of shattered metal parts flew over, rapidly assembling behind him—within moments.
Above Salo appeared a blue-and-white, sci-fi-looking cylinder eleven meters long and one meter in caliber.
From its mid-section back, every meter a half-meter-thick ring of metal spun; behind them, a three-meter-wide blue metal sphere.
"No reason; everyone has their own pursuit. Mine is to go further, not to die with you." Salo watched the fast-approaching Xiang Jing, tone calm, as though former comrades were expendable.
Whirr! At a thought, the weapon overhead began to charge, its rings whirling, the maw shining blinding white.
"Too slow!" Seeing the weapon still powering up, Xiang Jing bellowed and arrived before Salo.
Yet Salo merely aimed a palm at him: "Don't forget I'm still a Mental-type."
Whoosh! An invisible wave burst from Salo's hand; Xiang Jing felt it sweep past, and the world turned hazy and unreal.
His charge veered unconsciously to the left.
Salo's weapon finished charging, locking on the disoriented Xiang Jing. "Farewell, partner," he said with regret.
Whirr! White light exploded—not an energy blast but a high-intensity oscillating force-field.
Boom-boom-boom! The ground before Salo shattered inch by inch, space itself distorting.
Sensing danger, Xiang Jing pushed cyan light outward in a frantic defense.
Boom-boom-boom! The oscillating field swept through, tearing and scattering the cyan energy.
Splurt! His eyes burst; blood gushed from his mouth as his organs were pulped, even his brain ravaged, blood filling his skull.
"Salo..." Xiang Jing weakly gasped, unwilling to accept it.
Thud! The next instant he collapsed, life ebbing away.
"So this is the feeling of wielding greater power—not bad," Salo said coldly, gazing at the corpse.
Xiang Jing had been only an average Level Five; after Salo's boost he stood at the top. With both mental and Monster power, it was natural for him to be one-shot.
Bang! Not far away, Wei Gaocheng's punch shattered Carmen's upper body, the blue barrier dissolving into drifting energy.
Splurt! In mid-air Nancy, pierced through the chest by a spear, fell with unwillingness written on her face.
The Stone Statue General didn't spare a glance, rushing toward the rest of the battle.
Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh! Laser beams shot from Theresa's eyes, striking Han Qi, who blocked with an osseous shield.
The lasers melted the front layers, yet more bone surged up to fill the gaps.
"Damn it, can't even scratch this small fry," Theresa muttered, terror creeping in as allies fell around him.
He was just an ordinary Level Five who usually bullied weaker foes; now facing the terrifying Monster Association.
His laser eyes shut; he hastily raised his hands, shouting in panic, "Don't kill me—I want to join you! I'm Level Five, I can serve!"
As he surrendered, a white speck appeared behind him; in the next instant Li Yong swapped places with it.
His arms bore several meters of slender white light-lines, muscles bulging as he slashed at the turning Theresa.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
The white threads sliced the air repeatedly, Theresa's body cut over and over in an instant.
So fast that when Li Yong retracted the threads, not a drop of blood clung to them.
Theresa froze mid-turn, disbelief in his eyes.
Splurt! Then countless red lines surfaced on his skin, blood oozing out.
Splash! In the next second Theresa collapsed like stacked goods, chunks of flesh no larger than a few centimeters littering the ground.
Li Yong looked coldly at the gory pieces. "You surrender only after the fight starts—no such bargain."
The battle was now one-sided; on the other side, Lin Le was hacked to pieces by Sword-and-Shield Soldiers.
Only Ming Wang remained, pressed hard by Fang Wenyu.
He paid no attention to the deaths around him, focused solely on the fight.
His weapon seemed enchanted, bypassing Fang Wenyu's force-field-wrapped hands, leaving thin wounds. Though the field held, it was enough to make Fang Wenyu wary.
Looking at the expressionless Ming Wang, Fang Wenyu said, "You're stronger than your Bureau chief—even Jiang Ao isn't your match. Such strength dying here is a waste; how about joining the Monster Association?"