stonecrandall Page 90
Page 90
But Liu Jiu's calm and unwavering aura was like a deep pool, leaving him completely unable to fathom his true nature.
A strange intuition, like a cold, venomous snake, quietly coiled around Derek's heart.
He had a vague feeling that once Angelica successfully activated something in the "Abyss Corridor," the situation would completely spiral out of control when she returned.
Something must be done!
He turned his gaze back to the dark waters, a ruthless glint in his eyes.
Can't wait any longer!
Just as Derek's eyes changed, preparing to force a breakthrough at any cost—
"Gululu..."
Chapter 106 The Empress's Powerful Return
Suddenly, a large number of dense bubbles rose from the dark waters deep in the dock.
The once calm water began to churn violently, as if some enormous creature was awakening underwater.
An indescribable aura, a mixture of ancient, profound, majestic, and slightly mad and violent, spread from the depths of the water like a tangible tide, instantly engulfing the entire abandoned shipyard!
Click... click...
The already rotten wooden structures in the dock groaned under this terrifying pressure, cracking and collapsing in large areas!
Derek and his five companions' expressions changed drastically. They all stood up and looked at the entrance to the waterway with fear in their eyes, as if facing a formidable enemy!
"What...what kind of aura is this?!"
"She...she succeeded?! Impossible! With her injuries..."
"No! This aura... is even more... terrifying than described in the records!"
Liu Jiu also slightly raised his eyes and looked at the surging water. For the first time, a barely perceptible understanding flashed across his calm eyes.
His intuition was not wrong.
When that woman named Angelica returns, she will no longer be a wounded person who needs his protection.
"boom--!!!"
A huge column of water, like a dragon emerging from the sea, suddenly shot into the sky from the center of the water!
Amidst the splashing water, a figure slowly rose from the water column and stood in mid-air.
She was still wearing that tattered, dark purple outfit, and her flowing, moonlit silver hair was still there.
But atop her head, the uniquely shaped, jet-black crown that resembled both outstretched bat wings and entwined thorns—the "Crown of the Abyss"—was now burning with a blazing light like hellish lava, its largest crimson gemstone resembling the most intense ruby in the center!
Her originally amethyst eyes had now turned into a deep, dark black that seemed to devour all light, with only two chilling points of blood-red light flickering in the deepest part of her pupils!
A vast and overwhelming pressure emanated from her, expanding recklessly like a storm, causing the air to distort and groan under its influence!
She hovered in mid-air, looking down at Derek and his group of five who looked like they were facing a formidable enemy. Her beautiful face was expressionless, only showing an absolute indifference and killing intent as if she were looking down on ants.
"traitor……"
Her voice was no longer weak, but carried a certain overlapping echo, as if countless voices spoke at the same moment, coldly proclaiming judgment.
"Are you ready... to face the abyss?"
Derek's face turned ashen, and cold sweat instantly soaked the back of his tuxedo.
He finally understood why the silent man had only stopped them but hadn't killed them.
That is not kindness.
That's waiting.
Waiting... for the true "Empress" to return, wielding the power of the abyss, to carry out her... reckoning!
Liu Jiu looked at the terrifying figure in the air and nodded slightly.
Okay, then the problem is solved.
He can continue to be a bystander.
Angelica hovered in the air, the crimson light in her dark eyes locking onto Derek and his group of five below.
Those were no longer human eyes, but the cold, judgmental eyes of some higher being.
"Impossible... How could you possibly fully activate the 'Will of the Abyss'..."
Derek's voice trembled uncontrollably; his previous composure and calculation had vanished completely. "With the strength of your soul, you should have been devoured by the backlash!"
Angelica answered him with her slowly raised right hand.
She didn't even use any weapons; she simply spread her fingers slightly and gently squeezed the burly man with the iron tower who had just been knocked back by Liu Jiu and whose wrist was injured.
"Uhhhhhh-!"
The burly man let out an extremely shrill scream. His massive body seemed to be gripped by an invisible giant hand and squeezed inward! The Haki covering him shattered like paper, his solid bones made a teeth-grinding cracking sound, and blood gushed out from his eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and even the pores of his entire body like a crushed tomato!
The next second, he was crushed into a blurry mass of flesh and blood, and slammed onto the rotten wooden floor with a "thud," lifeless.
A suffocating silence.
In just one exchange, a formidable expert in Armament Haki was crushed like an insect!
The skinny man was terrified and almost instinctively turned and ran for his life towards the dock entrance! He pushed his speed to the limit, his figure becoming a blurry afterimage.
Angelica's gaze didn't even shift.
She simply flicked her finger in the direction the thin man had fled.
A thin, black line, as thin as a hair, silently swept across the space.
The sprinting, thin man froze, his forward momentum halting in place. Then, starting from his forehead, a straight line of blood rapidly spread downwards, across his nose, lips, chest, and abdomen…
His body was neatly split in two along the bloodline, sliding to the left and right, his internal organs and blood splattered all over the ground.
In the blink of an eye, another person is killed!
Seeing that things were not going well, the man in black robes muttered incantations and his body suddenly transformed into a cloud of eerie green smoke, attempting to blend into the shadows and escape.
"A thief who has corrupted the abyss, does he even deserve to use Shadow Cloak?"
Angelica's cold, overlapping voice rang out, and a flash of bloodlust appeared in her dark eyes.
The dissipating wisp of eerie green smoke seemed to be thrown into boiling oil, producing a sizzling sound as it rapidly melted and evaporated, disappearing completely into the air before it could even utter a scream.
In the blink of an eye, three of the five had left.
Only Derek and the alluring woman remained.
Derek's face was deathly pale, his sweat-soaked suit clinging to his body, making him look utterly disheveled. His fingers gripping his cane trembled violently from the force of his grip. He knew that begging was useless, and running away would only lead to his death.
A glint of madness flashed in his eyes, and he slammed his slender cane to the ground!
A blue gem embedded at the top of his cane shattered instantly! A violent and chaotic energy erupted, forming a distorted force field that protected him, while countless extremely sharp energy blades swept towards Angelica in the air like a storm! This was his trump card for survival and counterattack!
"sucker Punch."
Angelica didn't even adopt a defensive stance.
The energy storm, powerful enough to cut through gold and jade, slowed down as it approached within three feet of her, as if it had struck an ice wall of absolute zero. It then rapidly solidified, disintegrated, and vanished as specks of fluorescent light.
She extended her index finger and gently tapped it against Derek, who was protected by the distorting force field.
It was as if a bubble had been popped.
The seemingly solid twisting force field shattered instantly.
Derek's body jolted violently, and a fist-sized, gaping hole appeared out of nowhere in his chest. He looked down, staring incredulously at his empty chest, opened his mouth but couldn't utter a sound, his eyes quickly dimmed, and he fell straight backward.
Now, only one person remains.
The alluring woman was already terrified, her face drained of color, and she collapsed to the ground. She watched her companions being slaughtered as easily as pigs and dogs, and saw the figure hovering in the air like a demon from the abyss. Boundless fear completely overwhelmed her.
When Angelica's gaze, devoid of any human emotion, fell upon her, the alluring woman let out a desperate scream.
She still has so much youth and desires left unfulfilled!
Her gaze swept frantically, finally landing on Liu Jiu, who had stood quietly to the side the whole time, as if he had nothing to do with it all.
It's this man!
Although he was silent, he easily blocked their attacks! He must be very strong! And he seems... not to want to kill them?
The instinct to survive overwhelmed everything.
The alluring woman crawled towards Liu Jiu on all fours, tears streaming down her face. Her once seductive voice was distorted by extreme fear.
"Help me! Please, please help me!"
She grabbed Liu Jiu's leg and begged with all her might, her ample breasts pressed tightly against Liu Jiu's trouser leg, her upturned face full of tears and pleading.
"What do you want? I'll give you anything! My body, my wealth, everything I have! Just save me! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!!"
Chapter 107 Thanks
Angelica hovered in the air, coldly observing the scene without immediately making a move. Her dark, blood-red eyes, like double pupils, seemed to hold a subtle, almost imperceptible meaning as she looked at Liu Jiu.
She wanted to see how this silent man would respond.
Is it pity? Is it a transaction? Or...?
Liu Jiu looked down at the alluring woman at his feet, a woman who was willing to do anything to survive.
His eyes remained calm.
There was no disgust, no desire, not even pity.
It's like looking at a stone or a fallen leaf.
He moved his legs slightly.
The movement was small, but a gentle yet irresistible force emanated from it.
The glamorous woman felt a numbness in the arm that was holding her, and involuntarily let go.
She looked up in surprise, meeting Liu Jiu's calm and indifferent gaze.