Chapter 17: The Battle Against Dark River BOSS (2)
Fu Bin flapped his black wings, the black mist on his body turning into liquid, which was then devoured by the smoke-like floating organisms, generating even more. Holding a black long sword, his eyes were fixed solely on Dark River at the center of the bridge. He charged forward, slicing through any Fear Minions in his way.
In the distance, Zheng Long saw Fu Bin's black wings. He turned to look at his own wings, which resembled chicken wings, and cursed under his breath as he ran towards the bridge, "I am the protagonist, you bastard."
Stimulated by Fu Bin, Zheng Long's chicken wings inflated like balloons, making him look like a... well... a large rooster charging towards the Fear Minions on the bridge. His iron chain, empowered by his belief, shattered a minion, only for more to swarm him.
Xiao Zhang, seeing Dark River at the center of the bridge, was consumed by a black fire of anger. His entire body turned into a black, flaming humanoid figure, rushing towards the bridge. His body started to elementally transform, with the usual side effect of the anger fire burning himself no longer present.
As he ran, Xiao Zhang hurled black fireballs, incinerating the Fear Minions that approached him. He needed to release his anger—the anger from hiding for days, from being stripped of leadership by Old Hu, from learning that his former love was a prostitute, and from her murder by Fu Bin. The black flames grew fiercer, as if they would burn everything to ash.
Meng Xi, too, had developed his abilities through recent training. He wanted revenge, and with a certain smile, he thought of the woman who had spent most of her life with him. She was just a housewife, scolding him for his gluttony and telling him to diet, saying he would get as fat as a pig. Recalling this, Meng Xi laughed and cried, "Wife, let me have a feast this time!"
His body swelled rapidly, whiskers grew from his mouth, and his skin sprouted spikes, making him look like a humanoid pufferfish or toad. A massive, crimson tongue shot out, ensnaring several Fear Minions and swallowing them whole. As he belched, his body grew larger, and his gaping maw seemed capable of swallowing several people at once.
Watching the mask wearers' performance, Old Hu narrowed his eyes. These masks were truly terrifying. Just over half a month ago, these people were ordinary, but now they wielded such power. It was clear that the masks warranted thorough research.
"Bing, go ahead, but remember..."
"Don't use more than fifty percent of my power! Got it!" Before Old Hu could finish, Bing Bing interrupted, rushing towards the bridge. She removed her gloves, and her jade-like hands sliced through the Fear Minions' black mist bodies, freezing them instantly and causing them to fall.
Old Hu observed the scene, his eyes scanning the battlefield as he pulled out a specially made pistol from the Countermeasure Bureau. He fired custom bullets, taking down the few Fear Minions that came his way.
Fu Bin was the closest to Dark River, swinging his sword as he walked, cutting down any Fear Minions that approached him. Though his swordsmanship was rough, he hit his targets precisely. Black smoke billowed from him, distinct from Dark River's mist, more like flames while Dark River's mist resembled water.
Xiao Zhang, enveloped in black flames, charged forward. His speed was not slower than Fu Bin's, but he was a step behind, so he lagged slightly.
Zheng Long, swinging his iron chain, looked increasingly helpless. Gradually, he and Meng Xi ended up together, struggling towards Dark River. Although stimulated by Fu Bin, Zheng Long's abilities had grown, he was also doubting himself, questioning whether he was the protagonist. This doubt, although minor, shook his belief, weakening his power. Additionally, there were numerous cats causing constant disturbances, their agility helping many of them survive.
Old Hu's eyes narrowed as he noticed someone with a low presence, covered in black, wielding a black dagger, moving eerily through the battlefield. If not for Mi's notification and his focused observation, he wouldn't have noticed this person at all.
"That's the Shadow Clan member, the Sin of Envy, right?" Old Hu nodded. So, only Li Yuanfeng and the mask on Dark River's face were unaccounted for among the Seven Deadly Sins.
Despite the appearance of the masks being part of the Seven Deadly Sins set, was it really limited to just seven? Conventional wisdom says there are four Heavenly Kings, but there are five. So, it's not surprising if there are more than seven Sin masks.
"Judging by their abilities, each person seems to exhibit powers related to their respective sins. So, is Dark River's sin Fear?" Old Hu squinted, his mind racing.
One must remember not to be deceived by appearances. Always keep the goal in mind and understand what can be sacrificed to avoid regrets. Their team's goal in Leping City was not to resolve conflicts among superhumans.
Their goal was to uncover why Leping City, which had been calm for over a year, suddenly experienced superhuman events and whether these incidents were connected to a certain existence. If connected, they had to stop it at all costs. If not, find out why and deal with the culprits accordingly.
From the information gathered, most superhuman events were related to the masks, collectively referred to as the Mask Events. But Old Hu never forgot the earlier Black Wind Incident. Back then, these people hadn't yet acquired the masks.
"Could the Black Wind be Black Mist, and they just misinterpreted it?" Old Hu pondered. There were few witnesses to the Black Wind Incident, who saw black wind from afar. Mistaking moving black mist for black wind was possible but unlikely, as the Black Wind Incident was identified as a self-destructive divine technique.
"So, are the Black Wind and Mask Events related? The key seems to be with the Shadow Clan. They surely know more. Also, this Fear King, Dark River, shouldn't be this ostentatious just to gather faith. There might be another purpose."
"Too many hidden elements here. It seems we need to conserve our strength and await further developments."