Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts
Chapter 36 Second Encounter with the Cyclops_1

Chapter 36: Chapter 36 Second Encounter with the Cyclops_1

"You bastard, I’ll slaughter you!!!"

Guan Tao howled, wanting to fight Cyclops to the death, but he was firmly held back by Wanping behind him.

Looking back with bloodshot eyes, he saw large tears streaming down Wanping’s face. Wanping’s voice trembled as he pleaded, "Don’t go, Brother Tao, don’t go! We can’t win, we can’t win..."

"Let go! Let go of me! Just because we can’t win doesn’t mean we shouldn’t fight? What about Wan’an?!" Guan Tao cried out in pain, but his strength to advance gradually faded until it disappeared completely.

In the face of death, his courage quietly receded.

"Let’s go! Get out of here, fast!" Wanping struggled to gather his courage, unable to bear looking at his brother’s mangled form on the ground. Pulling Guan Tao, he yelled at Lin Li.

Lin Li was clearly caught off guard by the situation. He just stared blankly at the mutant beast opposite them, then at Wan’an, lifeless on the ground. Rubbing his eyes hard, he grabbed Guan Tao and they fled quickly.

Fortunately, Cyclops didn’t focus its attention on the remaining people.

At the same time Wan’an was flung away, Wen Yu had already been transported out of the treasure land. He immediately saw that pesky dog, Cyclops.

The sight of Cyclops sent a shiver down Wen Yu’s spine. In just a few days, its body had grown even larger. Its height alone was that of a man, it had sturdy limbs, and fresh blood dripped continuously from its cavernous, sharp-toothed mouth. That was Wan’an’s blood. _{f r\eew,eb novel.c(o)(m)}

Although Wen Yu didn’t have a particularly high opinion of Wan’an—they barely knew each other—this didn’t impede the anger rising within him.

He had seen such scenes too many times in his past life: Humans being eaten by mutant beasts, killed by Demon Fiends, or even tortured by other humans. It wasn’t about character, but merely the empathy born out of shared humanity.

Cyclops also noticed that it had grabbed the wrong target, but it didn’t matter. After all, it had already dealt with this mistake.

Gazing coldly at its old adversary, the murderous intent in Cyclops’ eye grew stronger.

Why had it come here? For revenge. To kill the human before it. And that goal was within reach.

Wen Yu drew his steel saber. Battle was unavoidable, and today, he resolved to eliminate Cyclops. The beast’s thirst for revenge was too strong. If I had been the one ambushed earlier, I’m not sure I could have escaped unscathed from Cyclops’ huge jaws. If I don’t eliminate this beast, my future days will be plagued by it.

There are a thousand days to be a thief, but not a thousand days to guard against one.

He re-entered a combat state. Wen Yu had exited his combat state when the previous challenge ended. But as his Soul Beast-derived constitution strengthened, his recovery ability also noticeably increased. After a short while, Wen Yu could once again muster his full strength to face the impending crisis.

Cyclops also sensed the murderous intent of the human opposite it. It roared fiercely twice, its low growls echoing continuously in the silent park.

Wen Yu initiated the attack. Leaning forward, he surged towards Cyclops like a gust of wind, propelled by the explosive power of his 20 physique points. He held his steel saber vertically, thrusting forcefully at Cyclops’ eye.

Although Cyclops had evolved to Level 2, its physique was clearly a notch below Wen Yu’s in his combat state. It barely managed to dodge Wen Yu’s assault by tilting its head, but the steel saber still slashed a gash near the corner of its eye, and blood began to seep out, drop by drop. Simultaneously, its soul experienced a violent tremor.

Driven by the intense pain, Cyclops let out a miserable howl. A powerful sound wave and a gust of fetid breath erupted from its maw, stirring up a cloud of dust.

S-Class ability, Mortal Combat, initiated.

Its huge claw swiped rapidly towards Wen Yu, but he dodged it. Although this Mortal Combat ability is powerful, I discovered from our initial exchange that Cyclops has clearly just advanced. Its physique is only slightly above a score of 10, completely incomparable to mine.

Ignoring Cyclops’ unknown ability, Wen Yu brandished his steel saber again, slashing repeatedly at Cyclops’ body. Relying on the effect of Soul Strike, he continuously inflicted immense damage upon it.

Cyclops’ fighting spirit was undeniably strong. Despite the tremendous blows, it stubbornly endured the damage Wen Yu inflicted, counterattacking relentlessly. Although its efforts weren’t very effective, they did slow Wen Yu’s offensive.

Wen Yu clearly sensed that Cyclops’ physique was continuously strengthening.

It must be some kind of buff ability where the heavier its injuries, the stronger it becomes. I just don’t know what the upper limit is, Wen Yu thought. After two fights with Cyclops, if he still couldn’t deduce the effect of its skill, then he would have truly wasted all his years of experience.

Wen Yu understood. The battle had reached a point of no return. Regardless of what this beast’s ability was or how much power it amplified, as long as Cyclops was still susceptible to Soul Strike’s damage, Wen Yu had a fighting chance—he was qualified to kill it.

As the fight progressed, the dynamic of the battle subtly changed.

Initially, Wen Yu’s combat power far exceeded that of the newly evolved Cyclops. But as Cyclops’ physique grew progressively stronger, it gradually closed the gap, inevitably putting Wen Yu at a disadvantage. The new protective suit he had just donned already bore several new slash marks.

Meanwhile, as Cyclops’ strength increased, Soul Strike’s effectiveness diminished. Wen Yu’s attacks landed less frequently, and gradually, when Cyclops’ physique reached around 25 points, the battle reached a stalemate.

On one hand, Wen Yu did his utmost to control the battle’s tempo. He sensed that Cyclops’ ability was exceptionally potent; as Soul Strike landed more and more, Cyclops would eventually strengthen to a point where he couldn’t resist. Therefore, Wen Yu’s only chance of survival now was to land a single, decisive strike to a vital spot and kill Cyclops. Otherwise, his chances of victory were slim.

On the other hand, Cyclops was terrified of the Soul Strike ability to its very core. It could feel its consciousness blurring. If I continue to take these hits, that human might completely shred my soul! Even if I don’t die, I’ll probably become a raving monster! For Cyclops, which now possessed considerable intelligence, this outcome was absolutely unbearable.

As if by tacit agreement, both sides stopped simultaneously. Wen Yu raised his saber, watching Cyclops. Cyclops, panting heavily, glared resentfully at Wen Yu. It seemed this beast also knew it had no way of dealing with Wen Yu today.

Wen Yu was also quite frustrated. His weapon wasn’t up to par; physical attacks alone couldn’t inflict significant damage on Cyclops. Moreover, Soul Strike just made Cyclops continuously stronger. This battle was simply unwinnable.

I’m not going to drag this out with Cyclops any longer. It’s pointless. And judging by its demeanor, it doesn’t seem to hold much hope for revenge today either, Wen Yu decided.

But it seemed they both had forgotten where they were—or rather, whose lair they were in.