Chapter 973 - Unyielding
TLC: Hedonist
Regis, Isaiah, Miller, Balintan, and Kauze had finally arrived. The former three had been injured and imprisoned in the secret chamber by Han Shuo and wouldn’t have been able to escape with their powers alone. It didn’t help that the chamber forbade the use of all energies.
Even so, Kauze and Balintan who came from the Divine Dominions of Life and Fire weren’t hurt, so they used fire and life energy to attack the secret room nonstop. As Han Shuo drew away too much yuan energy, coupled with the odd events occuring in the Sky Annihilation Formation, the secret chamber’s defenses were heavily weakened, so it crumbled from their nonstop attacks.
If the threat of Judas, Dhaka and the rest alone was enough to get Han Shuo and his gang in trouble, they would soon be pushed to the breaking point with the arrival of new foes. As Judas had said, the battle was already coming to an end.
Being surrounded by every remaining Hegemon, Han Shuo smiled bleakly. He said, “Looks like we’re forced into a corner. Wasir, Salas, I have let you two down this time around. It appears that you’re going to be doomed with us.”
The Hegemons were not in a rush to act. Instead, they formed their own Domains of Divinity to lock the whole area down, keeping Han Shuo and the rest confined within.
With so much power on their side, Judas and the rest could be sure that Han Shuo and his cohort would not be able to match them. To prevent them from escaping, Regis, Balintan and the others had sealed up the surrounding routes with their respective energies before joining up with Judas.
Layer after layer of barriers spread outwards and enveloped Han Shuo, Wasir, Salas and Han Hao. Within them, the laws of space were erratic. Even an overgod well versed in the space edict wouldn’t be able to escape from the area.
Han Shuo laughed forlornly while Wasir and Salas sighed at the same time. they knew that they had failed and there was no more hope for them to leave alive.
“Father, we can still try,” Han Hao telepathically said to Han Shuo. As he sent the telepathic message, he also shot Han Shuo a glance. Han Shuo knew what he was intending. They still had one final move as cultivators of demonic arts they could use. As their abilities were not of this world, they were similarly not bound by this world’s laws. So long as Han Shuo and Han Hao ignored potential injury and utilized Demonic Blood Disassembly, there was a chance they would be able to escape.
Even so, Han Shuo felt a little troubled about doing so. He felt that if he and Han Hao really chose to run, his whole family would still perish. He felt a little dejected about his predicament.
Among them, Judas noticed an odd look in Han Shuo’s expression. He waved to stop the other Hegemons from doing anything and smiled. “Bryan, I’m still willing to give you a chance. As long as you give us all the secrets of Pandemonium as well as your cultivation, we will ensure that your family is spared.”
“Judas!” Dhaka yelled, “Why bother? At this point, they’re going to lose to us anyway! Why waste so much time?”
It wasn’t just Dhaka; the other Hegemons were feeling rather annoyed about Judas making the decision without consulting them first. Regis, Isaiah, and Miller were even more pissed, considering that they had been hurt and imprisoned by Han Shuo just moments before. Isaiah smirked and said, “Judas, you don’t call the shots in the Godhunter Alliance. Today, the House of Han must perish!”
A little stunned, Judas smiled and said, “You think you three have any right to speak?” He pointed at Asser and Dhaka and continued, “And you two. Didn’t I come with Tuckamore to save you lot? If not for us, you would’ve perished at their hands already. I hope you haven’t forgotten that.”
The moment he said that, they looked rather awkward. Judas had spoken the truth. If not for him, Kauze and the rest helping them out, not a single one of them would be able to leave Pandemonium alive.
Han Shuo really wondered why Judas would still give him that option despite having the complete upper hand. As long as he asked the other Hegemons to attack, there was no way Han Shuo and the others could resist.
Seeing that the others have stopped arguing, Judas smiled. “So, how will it be, Bryan?”
By now, Han Shuo had to scrutinize the tempting offer, trying to find a way out of it.
“Father, we are fine. We’ll be able to leave Pandemonium soon. What about you and Big Brother?” Han Mu telepathically said.
Though wavering over Judas’s offer, Han Shuo was elated to receive Han Mu’s message. However, nothing showed on his face. He immediately reached out to Han Mu with his consciousness to ask them how they were doing. Soon, he was told that Andrina and the Five Elite Zombies easily allowed them to escape from Balintan and Kauze. Taking advantage of their familiarity with the local terrain, they managed to reach safety.
As all the demon generals in Pandemonium were gathered in the cauldron, coupled with how he had used up too much yuan energy in Pandemonium, he wasn’t able to perceive everything that happened within like usual. Not to mention, the life edict expert Kauze hid his and Balintan’s life auras, making it so that there was no way Han Shuo could tell how they were doing. That was why he had been worried about his family and the Five Elite Zombies the whole time. But now, he was finally relieved after hearing that they were safe.
“There’s no need to use that, I still have one trick up my sleeve!” Han Shuo telepathically told Han Hao, who seemed a little stunned to hear it. He didn’t seem to be aware of what Han Shuo was planning to do.
“Judas, my answer is the same! I am someone who does things knowing that I might well fail!” he proudly proclaimed.
Surprised, Judas shook his head with a resigned smile and sighed. “What’s the point of all this...” He waved and said, “Since that’s the case, I believe Bryan is still planning something. We better keep our guard up.”
The other Hegemons were waiting for Han Shuo to say exactly that. They didn’t believe that Han Shuo would really have any way he could use to turn the tables. Instead, all they saw was a dead man still walking. They smiled eerily as they closed in on him step by step, each forming a small energy field concentrating the energies they cultivated.
“Bryan, I wouldn’t blame you if you had accepted his terms,” Wasir suddenly said as he turned to him.
Han Shuo laughed out loud and said, “What are you talking about? Either we survive together or we perish. There’s nothing more lowly than sacrificing a friend’s life for your own. It’s not something I would stoop to doing.”
When Salas heard him say that, a hint of a sparkle could be seen in his eyes. “Bryan, oh Bryan, I really didn’t misplace my trust in you. You’re completely unlike crooks like Logue and Tyre. Today, we fight side by side till our deaths!”
Wasir felt a little touched too. He nodded sincerely and said, “Then let’s fight! To die fighting alongside worthy friends – there is no greater honor to a warrior than this!” He turned his fierce cold eyes to Regis and Miller who were approaching him. When the two heard Wasir say that, they felt a chill in their hearts. They slowed their footsteps and put up their guard, as if they were facing off against a mighty foe.
Overgods who were determined to fight to their deaths were the most terrifying. If Salas and Wasir used a suicidal move to take them down together, Regis and Miller might not be able to live through it either.
“Whether we’ll die is not set in stone yet!” Han Shuo yelled loudly and his howl seemed to break down the layers of barriers all over. Sounds of explosion could be heard in the distance as Pandemonium itself shook furiously.
The secret chamber cracked open and many energy towers and stone pillars exploded. There was even sound coming from the Sky Annihilation Formation. The ground cracked apart as dense yuan energy gushed out from them.
Beneath their feet, a large crevice had suddenly appeared. Isaiah and Ossora, both experts of the earth element, were actually unable to detect the sudden change in energy in the ground. They looked dumbfoundedly at the cracking earth beneath them and rapidly tried to probe the crack.
Dhaka widened his eyes and signalled to Asser before the two of them charged through one of those crevices. Balintan, Kauze, Ossora and Tuckamore also stood beside similar crevices.
They knew that Han Shuo had a son who was an elusive master of earth energy. If Han Shuo and the rest were able to escape through those crevices, the Godhunter Alliance would be made a laughingstock for losing them after basically cornering them.
Han Shuo laughed maniacally, and Pandemonium reacted with loud explosions occurring all across it, as if his laughter was the taboo act that triggered it. Nobody knew what he was planning to do.