Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts

In the distance, Wen Yu and Chu Ziling were rapidly approaching. They would likely arrive in less than five seconds. But five seconds was far, far too long!

Just as the Bone Demon emerged from the ground, face to face with Jiang Wentao, its sharp claws shot out! The tip of the Bone Demon's claw swiftly transformed into a spike, aimed directly at the Fourth Prince in Jiang Wentao's arms, and stabbed fiercely! Aided by the Ancient Demon's physical attributes of over 150 points, Jiang Wentao, with his meager physical attributes of a little over 50 points, simply couldn't react in time! Throughout their journey, Jiang Wentao's contributions in battle hadn't been significant; after all, his physical attributes left much to be desired! Therefore, Jiang Wentao couldn't avoid this attack! This strike was a killing blow!

BOOM!

The sound of exploding sand and dirt echoed. It was followed by the sickening thud of a bone spike piercing flesh!

"Run!" William yelled. Moving through sand was incredibly difficult. Even after being dragged under, William, empowered by his King's Dignity which granted him physical attributes exceeding 150 points, managed to claw his way out! Then, without hesitation, he positioned himself between the Bone Demon and the Fourth Prince!

When he was pulled underground, William and the Bone Demon had already clashed briefly. It could hardly be called a clash, for underground, it was the Bone Demon's home ground! Now, back on the surface, William was covered in wounds of varying sizes, blood flowing ceaselessly. The most terrifying was a piercing wound inflicted by the Bone Demon that went straight through him! This attack had torn a gaping hole in William's chest!

Seeing what was happening, Jiang Wentao quickly retreated. The moment Jiang Wentao turned to flee, an intense battle erupted!

...

William, already half-dead, was the first to act! His current injuries were effectively a death sentence! So, William ignored the bone spike still embedded in his body and slashed his sword directly at the Bone Demon before him. But the Bone Demon met his attack with a cold sneer!

Bone Control Technique (B-Class, Active Ability): Allows free Manipulation of one's own bones, causing them to undergo various transformations!

The Bone Demon had used this very ability to transform its claw into a spike earlier! And now, the Bone Demon's claw transformed once again. This time, inside William's body! The Bone Demon's claw transformed far faster than William could raise his sword! Thus, an extremely gruesome scene unfolded before Wen Yu and Chu Ziling's eyes! Countless bone spikes erupted from William's body, like a grotesque flower blossoming.

In a true instant, William's upper body was torn to shreds! His upraised giant sword slowed, finally lacking any force as it reached the Bone Demon's head.

The Bone Demon slowly withdrew its right hand. A massive wound was visible in William's chest. The wound was so large it resembled a small window; one could even see the distant, swirling sand through it.

"One," a low, indifferent voice escaped the Bone Demon. It then turned slightly and pursued Jiang Wentao and the Fourth Prince. This Bone Demon was intelligent. It knew that tangling with these humans was pointless; as long as it could kill the Fourth Prince, all its efforts would be rewarded.

However, just as the Bone Demon was about to turn away, a force from behind yanked it back!

"I... am not... dead... yet..." Before the words even faded, a giant sword plunged into the Bone Demon's body! The force was immense, the blade so sharp that the Bone Demon's bone armor shattered, and the giant sword ran it clean through!

"That trick you just pulled... I can do it too!" a weak yet resolute voice declared, and a white light flashed from the giant sword!

"Moon Slash! Moon Slash! Moon... Slash..."

Three Moon Slashes erupted from the giant sword! Three beams of Sword Light burst from the Bone Demon's body!

"ARGH! ARGH!" A horrifying shriek tore from the Bone Demon's mouth. These three Moon Slashes had completely severed the Ancient Demon at the waist; the Bone Demon was instantly sliced in two!

"Die, you bastard! Die!"

The Bone Demon could never have imagined William's will would be so strong that, even in death, he would drag it to the underworld with him! This unforeseen development directly led to the Bone Demon's demise!

With a roar from the Ancient Demon, its bone armor flipped outwards!

Bone Explosion Technique (A-Class, Active Skills): A talent of the Bone Demon Clan, mastered by only a few elites. They forsake all else to pursue ultimate destructive power! By self-detonating their innate bone armor, a Bone Demon can inflict fatal damage on all surrounding enemies. After the bone armor self-destructs, the user dies instantly!

The Bone Demon Clan, as a powerful combatant race within the Demon Tribe, possesses an extremely violent temperament! On the brink of death, the Bone Demon defiantly triggered its self-destruction!

Wen Yu and Chu Ziling, who had just reached the Bone Demon's side, saw its action and immediately veered, scrambling away! This Bone Demon intended to drag Wen Yu and Chu Ziling to their deaths with it! And behind the Bone Demon, William, his final outburst spent, had already collapsed, completely motionless.

BOOM!

A violent explosion thundered nearby. Wen Yu immediately grabbed Chu Ziling and hurled him forward with all his might! They had just reached the Bone Demon, so at their speed, escaping its self-destruction radius was nearly impossible! Wen Yu knew he couldn't escape this wide-range, self-destructive attack.

Wen Yu had two choices. First, let Chu Ziling die with him. Second, use all his strength to throw Chu Ziling clear, letting him survive while Wen Yu himself bore the brunt of the blast.

Using Chu Ziling as a shield also crossed his mind, but how could a mere human body possibly withstand such a powerful explosion?

The instant Wen Yu threw Chu Ziling, he deactivated his combat state, opened his 2nd Soul Realm, and recalled Cyclops to his Soul Pet Space. Simultaneously, he re-entered combat state and activated his Blood and Flesh Badge. Then, his dislimning ability activated, and he began to burrow frantically into the ground!

The violent shockwave raged, and the aftermath of the explosion rapidly swept towards Wen Yu's hiding spot. In that short time, Wen Yu couldn't burrow very deep into the sand. The terrifying blast wave behind him, carrying countless bone fragments, raked across Wen Yu's body. In his dislimning state, Wen Yu felt his stamina draining rapidly. Even as his stamina neared depletion, the raging blast wave hadn't subsided!

Bone fragments struck and pierced Wen Yu's body. His vision blackened, and he lost consciousness.