Chapter 45: A Sigh

It was the first time Xia Yi had ever seen Lord Gong Kui lose her composure like this. She bit her red lips, clenched her hands into fists, and her eyes filled with anxiety and helplessness.

Ever since Xia Yan had severed the left arm of the Black-Gold Ape, this lady’s expression had remained exactly like this.

"Lord Gong Kui, are you alright?" Xia Yi asked with concern.

"I am fine." Gong Kui replied quickly, a trace of weariness in her eyes. "Xia Yi, go out for a moment. I want to be alone."

"I understand." Xia Yi bowed, walked toward the door, and closed it behind her.

"Haa!" Gong Kui let out a deep breath. Then, the space within the room seemed to be sealed off, and she gave a light clap of her hands.

Aside from the holographic computer, everything in the room turned into powder; they didn't even fall to the ground but drifted in the air. In her eyes, there was an uncontrollable anger and unwillingness to accept the situation.

A person like Gong Kui—when had she ever been so flustered?

"Xia Yan," Gong Kui murmured softly. "I never expected this. In the end, it was my misjudgment. You have created another miracle. Against all odds, when no one thought you could win, you used the 'Mad Hell' serum. When everyone believed you couldn't inflict a serious wound on the Black-Gold Ape, you severed its arm."

"I truly did not think your potential was greater than I imagined," Gong Kui sighed. "Xia Yan, why not try to entrust your back to us? Why risk your life with 'Mad Hell'? If you had trusted us, you could have survived."

"It is a pity that it is too late." A look of unbearable regret appeared in Gong Kui's eyes. "No number of pawns is as valuable as your single existence. If you could have guaranteed not to betray me, even with less than a thirty percent chance of success, I would have been willing to try."

"It is all your fault, Xia Yan," Gong Kui gritted her teeth. "If only you hadn't injected the 'Mad Hell.' But it is too late now—thoroughly too late."

She pondered for a moment, only to realize that perhaps it was not Xia Yan’s fault, but her own. If she hadn't planned things with such airtight precision, waiting for Xia Yan to be more grateful so that she could save him at the critical moment, things might not have turned out this way.

But she could not blame herself; as a commander, she could not rely on emotions to handle matters; everything had to be grounded in ultimate rationality. Yet, she had not expected that this choice would cost Xia Yan his life.

What a pity. What a great pity.

To use Emilia's words, this battle was only now truly beginning.

The strange, demonic man who had lost his arm had already gone mad. Driven by instinct, he transformed into his true form.

It was a massive mutant standing over ten meters tall. His body possessed the luster of steel, hulking and formidable, yet it was covered in dense wounds and drenched in blood, a truly miserable sight. Even more unbearable to look at was the fact that his left arm was completely gone.

"Xia Yan, I must kill you! I will kill you!" The Black-Gold Ape’s features were twisted, radiating a murderous intent; he had become completely deranged.

Losing his left arm meant losing his future for growth—an irreparable loss. Even if Xia Yan lost, even if he died, he had ruined everything for the beast. At this moment, the ape could no longer listen to anyone, not even Wen Zhe.

His right hand slammed heavily toward the tiny ant on the ground!

Xia Yan was calmer than ever. He leaped upward, jumping five or six meters high, and landed right on the Black-Gold Ape’s right arm. Then, his "Ever-Changing Blade" flashed with a grey light, cloaked in layers of grey flame, and the blade pierced deep into the ape’s right arm.

Dash!

Xia Yan’s movements suddenly accelerated; he was like a gust of wind, charging forward. With every few steps he took, a surge of blood erupted behind him, spraying into the air—the scene was incredibly bloody.

"Ugh!" Even the Black-Gold Ape was driven nearly insane by the pain; crimson blood dripped from his fanged lips.

Even after transforming into his true form, Xia Yan still held the upper hand!

While transforming into a true form could indeed enhance defense and attack power, defense was difficult to measure accurately with numerical values. It was much like hard qigong, where one must anticipate an attack to use internal energy for defense. If an attack was not anticipated, the body would inevitably suffer a heavy blow.

In his humanoid form, the Black-Gold Ape was agile and his body parts were more coordinated, allowing him to quickly adjust his limbs and muscles to defend against Xia Yan’s attacks. However, in his massive true form, in a sense, his defense was not even as effective as it was in human form. Thus, Xia Yan’s grey flames could slice through his body more easily.

"Die! Just die!" The enraged Black-Gold Ape slammed his right hand into the ground, trying to shake Xia Yan off.

Xia Yan was dismissive. His movements were even more agile; the moment the ape moved, he jumped again, as if finding leverage in mid-air, and leaped onto the ape’s shoulder.

"Instant Slash!"

Xia Yan’s attack was so sharp and relentless, determined to slay the Black-Gold Ape in one strike.

"Roar!"

The Black-Gold Ape went wild. Xia Yan was as small but as agile as a fly; he simply could not stop the human’s movements. Previously, when he fought in human form, although he was at a disadvantage, he could barely hold his own—it was much better than the current situation. This was why mutants above Level 5 usually fought in human form!

It was because the humanoid form possessed greater comprehensive capabilities. Thus, the Black-Gold Ape found himself being suppressed even more severely.

Slash!

Xia Yan’s strike landed heavily on the Black-Gold Ape’s throat. A fountain of blood erupted, drenching Xia Yan’s body. The ape struggled desperately, thrashing and shaking, but Xia Yan remained as steady as a mountain, his blade striking again and again.

In the blink of an eye, ten slashes had passed, leaving behind a horrific, mangled mess of flesh. Only the Black-Gold Ape, who was on the receiving end of the attacks, understood just how devastatingly sharp Xia Yan’s offensive was.

"Xia Yan, I will kill you! Kill you! Kill you!" The ape went insane, swatting at his own neck.

But Xia Yan’s movements were incredibly agile. He leaped lightly into the air, gathered his focus and breath, and unleashed another "Instant Slash."

The Black-Gold Ape’s own attack caused no harm to Xia Yan; instead, it only made the mangled flesh on his own neck even worse.

Having transformed into his true form, the Black-Gold Ape was already severely wounded and missing an arm. At this point in the battle, he could no longer hold on. His strength began to fade, and his eyelids grew increasingly heavy.

Even Wen Zhe, watching from afar, let out a soft sigh. He understood that the situation was now beyond control, and the outcome had become impossible to predict.

How did it come to this?

Could this, too, be part of Xia Yan’s calculations?