The trio hoped to witness fear, panic, or despair on the Succubus Queen's pretty face. However, they were destined for disappointment. Instead of displaying any trace of fear, Han Kexin looked at them with the same kind of gaze one might have when observing a clown.
She said, "First, I must thank you for your efforts."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said," replied Han Kexin. "If your organization hadn't gone through so much trouble, coordinating inside and outside, diverting the guarding forces from the Azure Federation... If you didn't have three Sealing Magic Beads in your hands, how could I have opened this seal? So, I truly want to express my gratitude to you."
"But, as you've said," she continued, "a tool without its use, there's no reason for its existence."
Curses! Why was she so composed? Could there be some hidden trump card? Impossible! Even if there were, under these circumstances, a comeback would be out of the question!
"Kondo! Hold off for now! Let me handle this first!"
Rushing forward, Saiki Daioh roared, "Foolish woman, still spouting nonsense at death's door. Today, I'll let you experience what true terror and despair feel like!"
As he finished speaking, he swiftly transformed, turning into a sea-drake nearly a hundred meters long. Undoubtedly, he had some skills. Being a Level 6 Hero, he possessed the formidable innate talent awakened by the sea-drake clan only after reaching at least Level 5. In their sea-drake state, they were several times stronger than their humanoid form.
"Die!"
The giant sea-drake churned the seawater, releasing hundreds, if not thousands, of invisible water blades. These attacks, hidden within the water flow, were indistinguishable to the naked eye and challenging to perceive. However, they possessed the power to cut through iron like butter and split mountains and rivers!
The water repellant spell that Han Kexin had cast was instantly shattered. Countless tons of sea water cascaded down like collapsing mountains, making Han Kexin feel as if the surroundings were not sea water but solidified cement. Even lifting her arm required the strength of at least a thousand pounds.
[You've been affected by the deep-sea environment. Agility decreased by 10%, movement speed decreased by 25%!]
Han Kexin, after all, was a monarch-class Demon King with a demonic constitution. She had also taken an underwater breathing elixir in advance, making the deep-sea environment itself relatively harmless. Layer after layer, protective shields were swiftly resummoned.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Invisible water blades struck the shields, yet they failed to inflict any harm on Han Kexin. Once again, she taunted, "Is this all you've got? And you dare to flaunt yourselves? Are all the men from your island nation as weak as you?"
Han Kexin, with her sharp tongue and dark intentions, could not help but provoke, while simultaneously defending against attacks. Meanwhile, Saiki Daioh exerted his strength, summoning dozens of water vortexes to encircle and crush Han Kexin. It was like several dozen meat grinders operating simultaneously, aiming to pulverize her completely.
"What's going on? Why isn't that potato making a move?"
Taunting her opponents, Han Kexin appeared at ease, although she was secretly exhausted. To reach the trench and unlock the seal, her MP had only a third remaining. Now she had to face the clashing of domains against Ijin Shinju, while simultaneously withstanding the onslaught from a Level 6 Hero. To make matters worse, there was another Level 6 Hero standing by, watching.
In this situation, victory seemed almost impossible. The only reason she remained confident was because of the presence of the mighty Potato Demon King. With his strength, dealing with several Level 5 overlord-class nagas would be effortless. Yet, the Potato Demon King seemed deliberately slow, making Han Kexin wonder if he was intentionally enjoying her predicament.
Han Kexin engaged in a fierce battle with Saiki Daioh for about twenty rounds. Despite the limitations imposed by the deep-sea environment and the partial restraint of her powers by Ijin Shinju, Han Kexin showcased a diverse array of skills. She employed enchantments, illusions, and psychic attacks, demonstrating mastery over dozens, if not hundreds, of elemental magic, sealing spells, curses, and spatial magic.
Despite the advantageous conditions, Saiki Daioh could not immediately subdue her. Han Kexin's resourcefulness led to several setbacks for Saiki Daioh.
"Enough! The seal is about to be unlocked!"
"There's no more time to waste!"
Kondo Kyohei, unable to remain passive any longer, joined the fray. Being a black-gold sharkfolk, an exceedingly rare and unique variant among sharkfolks, Kondo possessed extraordinary strength, near-invulnerability to physical attacks, and high resistance to spells. Moreover, he had the ability to cultivate special combat Qi, significantly enhancing various forms of attack.
"Rampaging Shark Qi!"
Releasing his ultimate move, Kondo's combat Qi flooded the surroundings like blood, transforming into numerous five-meter sharks. These sharks then swiftly approached Han Kexin, displaying remarkable speed and agility. With file-like teeth, they began gnawing at Han Kexin's protective shield. Their power was astonishing, tearing through nearly half of the shield in no time. These Qi-infused sharks were not real creatures nor magical summons but dense and formidable combat Qi entities. They could not be killed, and there was no way to dispel them.
"Shit! I'm about to be torn to shreds!"
"Why is that guy still enjoying the show?"
"He insists on waiting for me to beg for his help before he'll intervene?"
Han Kexin gritted her teeth in frustration. "It must be so. This guy's as petty as a potato. Most likely, he's still upset about all the times I've teased him!"
However, the Succubus Queen was just as stubborn. With one Demon King restraining her and two super Heroes attacking together, she endured for three minutes without seeking help. Not good! Her psychic energy was about to be depleted!
Seizing the advantage, Kondo Kyohei and Saiki Daioh increased their intensity. The Succubus Queen resisted, but under the joint assault of the two super Heroes, she could not maintain her domain any longer. Unable to uphold her domain, Ijin Shinju's deep-sea domain instantly took control, covering an area of several kilometers and ensnaring everyone within it.
"Hahaha!"
"It's over!"
The two Heroes prepared for a lethal strike. However, something completely unforeseen occurred as the Deep Sea Domain's suppression descended upon them. Two dark purple beams shot out from Ijin Shinju's staff, simultaneously hitting the two Heroes from behind. Seemingly a simple strike, it was the A-rank skill "Death Annihilation Beam". It could instantly inflict astonishing undeath-attribute damage and impose a potent curse effect on the target, rendering them extremely weak for a short period.
"Ijin!!!"
"What have you done!!"
The two Heroes were astonished. Ijin Shinju laughed maniacally, saying, "Did you really think I'm a fool? Letting you kill her to gain stronger power and then turning that power against me?"
Kondo Kyohei was shocked. "Ijin, what are you talking about? We're comrades! How could we turn against you? Don't do something foolish!"
Saiki Daioh also quickly added, "Are you thinking of betraying the organization? Without our help, you alone wouldn't stand a chance of conquering the Empress's Tomb!"
Ijin Shinju dismissed them with disdain. "Put away your hypocritical faces. Just as I would never let you kill this Demon King and gain power, did you really think from the beginning that you were going to help me conquer the Empress's Tomb? As for the organization, what does it matter if you two meet an unfortunate end during a mission? Do you really think the organization cares about how you die? Between a living Demon King and two dead Heroes, who holds more weight? Who is more beneficial to the organization? I believe the organization knows that crystal clear!"
The Heroes were furious.
"Bakayarou!!"
"You mad woman!!"
"Today, it's either your death or ours!"
"Regardless, we're ready to kill a Level 5 Demon King. Since that's the case, let's kill another one!"
The two Heroes were only trying to intimidate. However, they could keenly feel that after being hit by the Death Annihilation Beam, their bodies were rapidly weakening. The Succubus Queen had exhausted her strength, and the two Heroes had also suffered considerable losses. In this situation, the odds of dealing with Ijin Shinju were indeed not high. However, they could not just sit idly by; they had to give it their all and try their luck! If, by any chance, they succeeded in killing Ijin Shinju, that would be two top-tier Demon Kings slain under their blades, they might advance to monarch-class ahead of time. The desire for survival and the will to fight immediately emerged in their determined eyes! Despite their continuing weakness, as long as they could hold on for a short time, they would seize this opportunity and join forces to take down Ijin Shinju!
However, at this moment, the scene before them caught the two Heroes completely off guard. The eight Ancient Nagas teleported back to Ijin Shinju's side. She revealed a sinister expression and said, "Want to see my true power?"
"What?!"
With the eight powerhouses of Ijin Shinju returning to her side, the Heroes felt a chill. With these eight powerful combatants assisting her, their chances of victory became even more dismal. Moreover, judging by Ijin Shinju's words, it seemed she still had an ace up her sleeve.
"This form has never been seen by outsiders!"
"Today, you fools shall witness my true might!"
Ijin Shinju raised her staff and shouted, "Yamata Ritual, commence!"
A ritual formation formed around Ijin Shinju, with the eight Ancient Nagas transforming into eight streams of light, all merging into Ijin Shinju. In the next moment, her body rapidly grew dozens of times in size, transforming into a creature with eight snake tails and eight snake heads, resembling the eight-headed serpent from island nation mythology. It stood at least two hundred meters tall, emanating a powerful and intimidating aura.
"What is this..."
Zhang Nu glanced at the Ijin Shinju's attributes:
[Ancient Yamata Naga: Ijin Shinju] Level 6 monarch...
Description: The Demon King has transformed through a powerful ritual, merging with eight Ancient Nagas, ultimately becoming a monster with unimaginable strength. It is an extremely dangerous and terrifying entity.
Impressive! Ijin Shinju possessed the bloodline of the Deep Sea Nagas. Although the lineage level of the Deep Sea Naga Demon King could not compare to the Succubus Queen, let alone the Abyssal Dragon King, it hadn't even unlocked King-tier units at the Fifth tier. However, her methods were quite unique.
The skill Ijin Shinju was employing was essentially a transformation skill. It was just that this particular transformation skill required the coordination of the eight Ancient Nagas under her command to unleash its maximum power. At that moment, it had reached the strength of a Sixth-tier King!
Ijin Shinju's clothes had completely disappeared, half of her body was within the monster's body, and the remaining half was exposed. She wielded a staff and was laughing wildly. The eight giant snake bodies were poised to strike, and a terrifying force was gathering and brewing.
"See that?"
"This is my strongest form!"
Ijin Shinju declared, "With my power alone, I can unlock the Empress's Tomb. Do I really need you useless beings to help? The only value you can provide is to unseal it for me! Kondo-kun, Saiki-kun, everything ends now!"
"I will gladly accept your souls!"
"And you! Succubus Queen!" Ijin Shinju's formidable aura locked onto Han Kexin. "Do you know? The thing I detest the most is a woman who is more outstanding, more beautiful, and smarter than me. Now that you've fallen into my hands, I will make you understand what it means to be better off dead!"
As she spoke, all eight snake heads simultaneously released energy.
Han Kexin complained, "Hey! I'm about to eat shit and die here! Are you sure you're still not going to intervene?"
Zhang Nu took a step through the void, appearing in front of Han Kexin. With a casual swipe, all eight streams of energy were drawn into the black hole in his palm, completely consumed, leaving nothing behind.
"What?!" Ijin Shinju's expression changed dramatically. "Who are you?"
Ignoring her, Zhang Nu turned to Han Kexin and said, "You can't even handle a bunch of oddballs and small fries. How can my partner perform so poorly? If things don't work out, I might as well merge the Gloom City into the Darkness City. At least under my personal supervision, you won't struggle with such a bunch of ugly creatures."
Han Kexin was infuriated. "You take every opportunity to tease me! What do you mean by oddballs and small fries? They are not simple foes! I am fighting against three opponents on their home turf!"
"Stop bragging about yourself. This bitch, she wasn't weak to begin with, and now she's become even more powerful. I don't think even you can easily deal with her. Instead of wasting time here, it's better to be cautious. You might end up in trouble!"
Zhang Nu glanced at the trench. The sealing energy had been drained by seventy percent. There was no need to waste time here."
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