I am the Clone of a Death Row Inmate

Chapter 253: Chapter 218: Enemies on All Sides

BOOM!

A deafening explosion startled all the Trialists within the Dice Space.

The explosion in the air made the uninvolved parties quickly back away, clearing a space for Su Ze and the others to fight.

Su Ze hadn’t been arrogant enough to take Firoz’s ”Meteor Fall” head-on with his physical body. After all, it was a Tier 4 skill unleashed by someone at the Peak of Butterfly Transformation. He gave it the respect it deserved, using his ”Liquid Life” skill at the moment of impact. By shifting into his liquid form, he dispersed most of the force.

Amidst the explosion, Su Ze’s liquid body shattered and scattered in all directions, only to rapidly coalesce and reform into his original appearance.

The upper limits for human evolvers were higher than those of xeno-beasts.

Therefore, as an evolver who had truly reached the Peak of Butterfly Transformation, Firoz’s strength was definitely greater than any Tier 3 S-rank xeno-beast. He was at least as strong, if not stronger, than the power-suppressed Tier 4 S-rank Liquid Turbellaria that Su Ze had previously encountered.

But Su Ze was also stronger than he had been back then.

Having blocked Firoz’s first wave of attacks, Li Yongguan and Zhang Tai finally reacted and chased after him.

However, Firoz’s two teammates also rushed forward, intercepting Li Yongguan and Zhang Tai.

Firoz charged toward Mr. Ya again like a bolt of lightning. Su Ze immediately locked onto Firoz and initiated ”Rhino Charge,” slamming into him and sending him flying, stunning him in the process.

He then raised a hand and cast a Gravity Chain, pulling the airborne Firoz back down.

Just as Su Ze was about to punch him, Firoz broke free from the Dizziness. Flames erupted all over his body, and the scorching heat was so intense that even Su Ze found it unbearable, instinctively taking a step back.

Firoz pressed forward and, with a wave of his hand, sent a ring of fire flying out to trap Su Ze, cutting off his escape route.

Su Ze used ”Liquid Life,” transforming into his liquid state. Instead of retreating, he charged right through the flames enveloping Firoz.

TSSSS...

Water and fire were incompatible. A massive amount of white steam billowed out where the two collided. The ”water” clearly had the advantage; even as parts of it evaporated, it was rapidly regenerating, and in a short while, it had completely extinguished the flames on Firoz.

The liquefied Su Ze enveloped Firoz and simultaneously unleashed three ”Needle Strikes.”

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Following three successive explosions, Firoz’s chest and abdomen burst open, erupting in clouds of blood mist.

Su Ze didn’t hold back. Those three ”Needle Strikes” had even shattered Firoz’s heart.

But Firoz didn’t die immediately. A strange force pulsed from his body, shaking off Su Ze who had been clinging to him.

Firoz retreated a few steps, and with a gesture, he recalled the shattered flesh and blood that had fallen to the ground. He then stuffed the bloody mass of minced meat right back into his wounds.

In the blink of an eye, Firoz’s ruptured chest had surprisingly returned to its original state.

At least, that’s how it looked from the outside. The skin was healed and the bleeding had stopped. It was impossible to know if his internal organs had recovered as well.

After recovering, Firoz’s expression was grim. He hadn’t expected someone as young as Su Ze to possess such terrifying combat power. They had only exchanged a few moves, yet he, a cultivator at the Peak of Butterfly Transformation, had been the one to suffer a loss.

’If I don’t find a way to deal with Su Ze, I’ll never be able to get to Mr. Ya.’

Firoz looked back at the two Trialists from Mu Country, signaling for them to help.

The two from Mu Country were still hesitant.

Meanwhile, Su Ze gave Firoz no more time. While in his liquid form, two bolts of electricity shot out from his body, zapping Firoz with a long-range electric shock.

Amidst a CRACKLING sound, Firoz trembled all over but didn’t lose his mobility. He raised a hand, and his fingers flew toward Su Ze like small cannonballs, exploding near him. His five fingers were like five grenades.

If Su Ze had been in his flesh-and-blood form, he definitely would have been injured. In his liquid form, however, he only lost some volume from the explosions’ evaporation, which was quickly replenished by his ”Regeneration Body” skill.

Su Ze cast another Gravity Chain to pull Firoz over. At the same time, he increased the electrical current, reverted to his physical form, activated ”Ant Power,” and threw a punch at Firoz’s head.

Just then, a silent dart flew out from the crowd of onlookers, aimed straight for Su Ze’s temple.

Su Ze, who had his ”Eye of Truth” active the entire time, instantly pinpointed the dart’s location. He saw clearly that it was actually a small, sharp beast claw, glinting with a cold light.

CLANG!

Su Ze slapped the beast claw away.

With a body as tough as steel, his physical form was far more durable than his liquid one, making it difficult for ordinary physical attacks to harm him.

At the same time, two people shot out from the crowd, flanking Su Ze from the left and right.

Su Ze met their fists with his own. With a CRACK, the bones in both of their hands shattered.

The two revealed looks of terror. Only by clashing with Su Ze could one truly feel his power. As they retreated, they also took the opportunity to rescue Firoz from the ground.

”Who are you two? I don’t believe we’ve met,” Su Ze asked.

’If I can waste some time talking, it would be a good trade to buy Mr. Ya more time to absorb the extract,’ he thought. Besides, he was genuinely curious about their identities.

’Even the two Trialists from Mu Country, close allies of Luofan Country, hesitated to act immediately. So why are these two so impatient?’

Su Ze wouldn’t have been surprised if the people from the Evolution Divine Teachings or Ancient An Country had made a move, but he truly didn’t recognize these two. He only knew they were from some family in Lin Hua Country.

The two sneered. ”You may not know us, but we know you. The people of the Tao Family aren’t so easily killed!”

Seeing Su Ze’s blank expression, the man who looked to be in his forties gritted his teeth. ”Did my son, Tao Qian, die by your hand?!”

’Tao Qian?’

Su Ze racked his brain for a moment before it dawned on him. ”Are you talking about that piece of trash I killed at the Thousand Heroes Tomb?”

He remembered now. He and Mr. Ya had killed a few scumbags from the Lin Hua Noble Academy at the Thousand Heroes Tomb, and Tao Qian had been one of them.

’It seems the Tao Family has been looking for a chance to get revenge all this time.’

Tao Qian’s father’s face was filled with hatred. ”So it was you! A person like you, slaughtering your fellow humans in the wild... how are you any different from the Defiled! You’re a traitor to humanity, and everyone has the right to execute you!”

”Cut the crap and stop trying to pin labels on me!” Su Ze wasn’t falling for it. ”You know damn well what kind of person the thing you shot out was. Don’t give me that useless spiel. If you have the guts, then kill me and get your revenge. If you don’t, then I’ll be merciful and send you to be reunited with your son.”

Before the two from the Tao Family could speak, five more people stepped out from the crowd—the five zealots from the Evolution Divine Teachings.

The man leading the five zealots wore a white robe embroidered with gold trim. His face was a mask of both fanaticism and piety. He clasped a divine statuette to his chest and said in a solemn voice, ”The blasphemer must go to the Celestial Kingdom and beg for the god’s forgiveness.”

”When I get back, I’m planning to modify my toilet to look like the God of Evolution. That way, every time I take a crap, I’ll be shitting on the God of Evolution’s head. I bet that’ll be satisfying.” Su Ze laughed nonchalantly, his gaze sweeping over the others. ”Anyone else want to be my enemy? An enemy of Dongli? Step forward together!”

Seeing this, the two Trialists from Mu Country no longer hesitated and took a few steps forward.

Judging by the current situation, the four-man group from Dongli was at an absolute numerical disadvantage. With Mr. Ya still absorbing the extract, only three of them could actually fight at full strength.

Therefore, seeing that the situation was clear, the two from Mu Country immediately stepped forward.

”Very good.” Su Ze counted his enemies—a total of 12 people. He then turned to Yarlin from Ancient An Country. ”What about you? Want to join them?”

Although relations between Ancient An Country and Dongli were strained because of Liou Wenxin, Yarlin himself held no major grudge against Su Ze.

However, Yarlin desperately wanted Su Ze’s extract and the Bloodline Crystal skill within his body. This was the perfect opportunity.

’If they manage to kill Su Ze inside the Divine Dice, he might have a chance to claim Su Ze’s body when they divide the spoils.’

Having come to this conclusion, Yarlin stepped forward with the two remaining evolvers from Ancient An Country.

”Since you’ve called me out, I can’t possibly disappoint you.”

Ancient An Country originally had five Trialists, but one left after the first round of the trial, and another had died. Now, only three remained.

With the people from Ancient An Country joining in, the number of Su Ze’s opponents instantly swelled to 15!

They were vastly outnumbered.

Seeing this, Firoz laughed wildly. ”You people from Dongli act so arrogantly, making enemies everywhere. You’ve brought this destruction upon yourselves!”

”Enough with the pointless talk! Let’s attack together and kill them!” the two from the Tao Family shouted.

Just then, Wan Qizhi, who was in the crowd, hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to mediate. ”Everyone, please calm down. Only two rounds of the trial are over. It would be wise for you all to conserve your strength for the trials to come.”

Lin Luo of the Lin Family also emerged from the crowd. ”It would be better for everyone to settle their personal grudges after we leave. It’s a rare opportunity to enter the Divine Dice. Surely everyone is here for the rewards that come after clearing the trials.”

The two remaining Trialists from the Great Desert Kingdom also spoke up in Dongli’s defense.

But Su Ze’s enemies weren’t buying it. Tao Qian’s father said grimly, ”If we insist on killing these people from Dongli, do you intend to help them?”

The zealot from the Evolution Divine Teachings demanded, ”Wan Qizhi, as an official representative of Lin Hua Country, are you really going to shelter a blasphemer? The Evolution Divine Teachings has always considered Lin Hua Country our closest ally.”

Wan Qizhi and the others fell silent for a moment. As things stood, even if they helped Su Ze, their side would still be at a disadvantage. Not unless Wan Qizhi and Lin Luo brought all of their respective teammates over to help Su Ze, but that would change the nature of the situation entirely.

If all the Trialists from the Lin Family and the officials from Lin Hua Country went to help Su Ze, it would look to outsiders as though these two major powers were showing favoritism to Dongli. That was a responsibility neither Wan Qizhi nor Lin Luo could bear.

”Mr. Wan, Mr. Lin, and my brothers from the Great Desert Kingdom, thank you for your kind intentions,” Su Ze said. ”We’re all brothers here. I won’t put you in a difficult position. You don’t need to get involved in what happens next. I’ll handle it myself.”

Su Ze’s gaze swept over the remaining people who had stayed silent, and his voice grew cold. ”I only hope that no matter what happens next, those who have remained silent will continue to do so.”

...

PS: I had a low-grade fever all last night and didn’t get any sleep. I’m not feeling great today, so the update is late.

Tomorrow’s first update will also be pushed back. For those of you who are used to reading the update right at midnight, please check back tomorrow morning instead.