Apocalypse Gachapon

Chapter 1722: Spare the rod, spoil the child (2)

Death King Tree was sent tumbling uncontrollably backward.

Her stylish leather outfit now had four holes, revealing patches of reddish human skin beneath.

Almost simultaneously, the close-combat robot retracted its foot from the web. As Death King Tree reeled from the hits, she suddenly unleashed countless rapidly extending vines, stabbing toward Ye Zhongming’s position.

Pfft— A faint wisp of blue smoke erupted from the robot’s back. The machine, which had been hovering mid-air as if seated, suddenly shot forward, dodging the incoming vines. At the same time, one of its hands slid down its leg and retrieved a dagger—at least 1.2 meters long—from a hidden compartment.

Using its remaining momentum, the robot lunged, slashing horizontally at Death King Tree’s neck.

The vines, missing their initial target, abruptly changed trajectory, thrusting toward the robot. If both attacks connected, the two would form a closed loop in mid-air.

The robot’s legs, now fully retracted, swung backward, knees bending until its feet faced directly behind. Then, the lowest layer of metal plating on its feet peeled away, as if shedding skin.

The two detached metal plates immediately began spinning wildly, positioning themselves above and below the robot’s back, intercepting the pursuing vines.

Death King Tree’s vines extended from her hands. As Ye Zhongming’s dagger slashed toward her, she tilted her head—and two beams of light shot from her eyes, forming a green mist in front of her body.

The dagger pierced the mist but stopped after penetrating only a short distance.
But this ”dagger” (which would be a full-sized sword for anyone else) wasn’t the robot’s only weapon.

Its other arm had already swung around, aiming a devastating punch at Death King Tree’s head.

The sheer size of the close-combat robot gave it an overwhelming advantage in reach.

Death King Tree’s foot-tendrils whipped upward, weaving another fine, delicate net above her. The robot’s fist struck the web but failed to break through.

Yet the assault didn’t stop. The robot’s massive foot—now ”shed”—swung back around. Though Death King Tree’s small frame made direct hits difficult, the foot suddenly launched several hidden projectiles from its surface.

The projectiles streaked through the air, leaving blue trails before striking the Death King Tree’s unprotected lower body.

Then, small explosions erupted.

Brilliant blue energy, shaped like tadpoles, burst from the impact points, rapidly spreading across Death King Tree’s body as if trying to encase her entirely.

By now, Death King Tree had been hit multiple times in this short exchange. What had started as mild irritation was now boiling into genuine fury.

Her eyes glowed green. Her leather outfit strained against her expanding form, exposing the parts of her body that hadn’t fully humanized.

She was about to go all out.

The sky, once clear and blue, began tinting green. Cloud Peak veterans who had fought Death King Tree in the haunted city recognized this—the prelude to her ultimate skill, ”World Nature.”

But then—

The gathering green haze scattered inexplicably, vanishing without a sound.

Even Death King Tree froze in confusion.

Skill activation was a smooth energy-release process. Disrupting it always carried backlash. Death King Tree was no exception—the abrupt cancellation of World Nature sent a ripple of disruption through her body.

The effect was minuscule, but against an opponent like Ye Zhongming, even that split-second falter created an opening.

The green mist blocking the dagger thinned instantly. The blade pierced through, its razor edge slicing across Death King Tree’s face, leaving a 15-centimeter gash.

The wound wasn’t deep, not even bleeding, but the fact that it could easily cut a level-nine lifeform’s skin spoke volumes about the dagger’s sharpness.

Meanwhile, the blue ”tadpoles” clinging to Death King Tree’s body suddenly contracted, adhering tightly to her. A series of pained grunts escaped her lips—her Xinjiang-accented voice strained.

The spectators below had no idea what was happening, still stunned by the dizzying exchange of attacks and counters. In mere seconds, two beings—neither capable of true flight—had executed an aerial duel of staggering complexity.

And the tide had turned unexpectedly fast. Cloud Peak’s fighters had faith in their king, but none expected him to suppress a level-nine lifeform so effortlessly.

Only Le Dàyuan watched with feverish excitement, ordering data collection while explaining to the others:

”The pilot’s neural fusion enhances combat performance exponentially. Every strike—fist or foot—exceeds Zhongming’s natural capabilities. At his current eight-star level, the robot’s body can fully unleash his power!”

”That’s a hydrogen-powered rocket booster. Meant for limited flight, but repurposed for mid-air dashes? Brilliant!”

”Hah! The foot shields—ghost-gold composite with engraved magic crystal circuits. Designed for defense, but offensively? Even better.”

”Four micro-explosives. Merit-system ordnance. Underwhelming against level-nines, but they’d shred level-eights.”

”Now this is nasty—‘Blue Sea Ghost Mines.’ Penetrate first, then release energy projectiles that inflict paralysis, agony, and maddening itchiness. Best part? They disrupt the target’s internal energy flow! That’s why ‘World Nature’ fizzled!”

”And that ‘simple’ dagger? Zhongming forged it specifically for this robot before leaving. Purple-grade. Minimal skills—all focused on piercing and sharpness. Perfect fit!”

After gushing over his creation’s performance, Le Dàyuan paused, frowning.

”But… something’s off. Even caught by surprise, Death King Tree’s counterattacks feel… sluggish. Weak. You see it too, right?”

No one answered. They were too busy watching the sky, where Ye Zhongming, piloting the close-combat robot, was now overwhelming the level-nine Death King Tree with a barrage of ruthless strikes.