Chapter 27: Showdown with the Leader of the Evil Spirits

At the center of the vortex, a colossal figure slowly emerged.

Dark red light outlined its menacing silhouette—a mountain-like body covered in hard, armored scales, bristling with sharp, thorn-like bone spikes. A pair of scarlet eyes radiated a bloodthirsty glow.

The Evil Spirit Leader!

A suffocating pressure swept over them, causing the squad members to involuntarily step back. The air was thick with the heavy stench of blood, mixed with the nauseating scent of rotting earth.

Pan Yue turned pale, clutching Chu Feng’s arm so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"Is this... the Evil Spirit Leader?" Sun Yue’s voice trembled. He swallowed hard, struggling to maintain his composure.

Chu Feng took a deep breath, suppressing the fear in his heart. He knew that only by defeating this leader could they find the clues they desperately needed. Shadow sigils flowed over his skin like black flames, wrapping him in their shroud.

"Prepare for battle!" Chu Feng barked, his voice filled with resolve.

The Evil Spirit Leader let out a deafening roar. Its massive body lunged forward, giant claws cutting through the air with a piercing whistle, aiming directly for Chu Feng. Chu Feng flicked his body aside, narrowly evading the attack. The ground behind him was torn apart, leaving deep trenches in its wake.

The horn of battle had been sounded.

Feng Yao’s healing sigils emitted a soft glow, mending the team’s wounds. Liu Yong manipulated his mechanical arm, firing continuous energy bolts to disrupt the creature’s movements. Sun Yue utilized his agility to dart around the beast, searching for a weak point. Chen Qiang stood his ground, using his sturdy shield to deflect the leader’s attacks, creating windows of opportunity for the others. Wu Xia remained in the rear, calmly analyzing the battlefield to provide tactical support. Officer Fang’s gunfire rang out repeatedly; while it could not inflict substantial damage on the leader, it provided a necessary distraction.

Chu Feng clashed with the leader head-on, his shadow sigils colliding violently with the creature’s power, sending ripples of energy exploding outward. His eyes were sharp, every strike fueled by a lethal determination. He knew this was a fight for survival; a single slip would mean total destruction.

"I must find its weakness!" Chu Feng thought to himself.

He watched the leader’s movements intently, trying to spot a flaw. Suddenly, he noticed a scale on the creature’s chest that emitted a faint, dark red glow.

"That’s it!"

Chu Feng’s eyes lit up, a surge of hope rising within him. He took a deep breath and pushed his shadow sigils to their absolute limit.

"Cover me!"

Energy shockwaves erupted in the air like blooming black fireworks, further devastating the surrounding ruins. Every swing of the creature’s claws carried the power to tear through steel; the ground shook and debris flew, as if the apocalypse had arrived.

Chen Qiang took the brunt of the onslaught. He gritted his teeth, his shield already scarred and battered. With every impact, he felt a searing pain in his chest. Blood dripped down his arm, staining the shield crimson.

"Chen Qiang, fall back!" Chu Feng roared. Shadows like serpents instantly coiled around Chen Qiang, pulling him back to safety. Chen Qiang let out a muffled groan; the armor on his chest was dented, and he was clearly badly injured.

Feng Yao’s healing light flickered incessantly, struggling to keep pace with the rate of their injuries. She watched the brutal fight with growing anxiety. Liu Yong’s mechanical arm was failing, sparks showering from its joints. His face was ashen as he silently reloaded energy cells, though the output was noticeably weaker than before. Sun Yue’s nimble form dodged the leader’s attacks, but several bloody gashes had appeared on his body. He spat on the ground in frustration.

The leader’s attacks grew more violent. Each roar seemed to carry a strange energy that suppressed the squad’s sigil powers. Despair began to spread through the team like a plague.

Just then, an image flashed through Chu Feng’s mind—a marked special area on the city map, a location that appeared to be an energy convergence node. He realized with a jolt that the leader’s power source might be connected to this spot!

"Liu Yong, help me lock onto coordinate X32! Sun Yue, cover me, I’m heading there!" Chu Feng shouted, his voice laced with excitement and determination.

Liu Yong quickly operated his mechanical arm, pinpointing the location, while firing a barrage of energy bolts at the leader to draw its attention. Sun Yue used his speed to distract the beast. Seizing the moment, Chu Feng moved like a bolt of black lightning, sprinting toward the X32 coordinate.

Upon arrival, he found a broken stone tablet engraved with strange runes. These runes resonated with the shadow sigils within him, and a realization dawned on him. Without hesitation, he pressed his hand against the tablet. His internal sigil power exploded, and shadow energy surged into the stone like a tidal wave.

The tablet emitted a dazzling light, and the runes began to flow as if they had come to life.

The next moment, the Evil Spirit Leader’s body stiffened as if bound by an invisible force, its previously wild attacks slowing to a crawl. Its scarlet eyes...

"Attack the scale on its chest!" Chu Feng yelled, his voice resonant with power and confidence.

The squad responded instantly, a torrent of attacks raining down on the leader’s chest. Energy bolts, flames, frost, and various sigil powers converged on that single, glowing red scale. A piercing sound of shattering stone echoed out, followed by the creature’s pained howl. Its massive body began to retreat, its once-terrifying visage now filled with panic and fear.

Pan Yue watched Chu Feng’s heroic performance in battle. Just then, the leader let out a shrill, piercing shriek. Its body began to contort, and a beam of black light erupted from within it.

The black light spread like a venomous snake, instantly consuming the creature. It struggled and roared, but it was all in vain. The light grew more intense until it transformed into a pillar of light that pierced the sky, emanating a chilling, apocalyptic glow.

Pan Yue looked at Chu Feng, her eyes filled with a level of adoration and love she had never felt before. In the heat of battle, he was like a blood-drenched god of war—powerful and dazzling. Ignoring the surrounding danger, she rushed toward him, throwing her arms around him and holding him tight, as if she wanted to merge into his very soul. Chu Feng instinctively hugged her back, their bodies pressed close, feeling the rhythm of each other’s heartbeats.

Faced with a life-or-death crisis, their emotions gushed forth like molten lava, hot and intense.

"Are you all right?" Chu Feng’s voice was low, carrying a trace of an imperceptible tremor.

"I'm fine. With you here, I’m not afraid of anything," Pan Yue replied, her voice soft and tender. She looked up, her gaze full of reliance and affection, as if the entire world had faded away, leaving only the two of them.

Not far away, Officer Fang gripped his gun. Rather than hiding behind the others like support staff, he stood firmly at the front of the line, fighting alongside the squad. His presence served as a shot of adrenaline for the team, making them more united and courageous.

"Everyone, stay alert! It’s not over yet!" Officer Fang said in a deep voice, his eyes fixed on the black pillar of light piercing the heavens.

The Evil Spirit Leader’s body gradually dissipated, turning into countless black sparks before vanishing completely, leaving only a massive crater as proof of what had just transpired. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, and the ruined buildings looked especially jagged in the dim light. The squad members stood amidst the debris, breathing heavily. Their bodies were covered in wounds and blood, but their eyes shone with the glow of victory.

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. A strange fluctuation radiated from the crater.

"This... this feeling..." Sun Yue’s eyes widened, his excitement instantly replaced by terror.

Chu Feng felt the strange fluctuation as well. He frowned, a sense of unease rising in his heart. He looked down at the shadow sigil on his hand; it was glowing faintly, seemingly responding to some unknown entity beneath the crater.

"Is... is that..." Before Feng Yao could finish her sentence, she was struck speechless by what happened next.

Within the crater, the black light slowly faded, revealing a deep, dark opening that looked like the gaping maw of a giant beast, exuding a chilling aura. The air was filled with a scent of decaying earth mixed with a faint trace of sulfur, creating an inexplicable sense of oppression.

"Is it over?" Chen Qiang’s heavy breathing broke the silence. He leaned on his shield, blood dripping through his fingers to form a jarring red pool on the ground. He remained vigilant, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings, not letting a single movement escape his notice.

"It should be over," Liu Yong said, his voice laced with fatigue. He detached the energy magazine from his mechanical arm; it was still searing hot. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, a rare look of relaxation appearing on his face.

Sun Yue slumped onto the ground, gasping for air. His wounds were leaking blood, but he wore a smile of someone who had survived the impossible. "Damn, I almost lost my life there. This Evil Spirit Leader was tough as hell."

Wu Xia stepped forward to carefully check everyone’s injuries. She pulled a first-aid kit from her bag and skillfully bandaged her teammates. Her movements were clean and meticulous, and she wore a faint smile, as if she were long accustomed to such scenes.

"I’m glad everyone is okay," Feng Yao said with a sigh of relief. The light of the healing sigil in her hand dimmed; the prolonged output had left her exhausted, but seeing her teammates safe brought her immense comfort.

"We did it!" Chu Feng said, a touch of excitement in his voice. He slowly clenched his fist, feeling the shadow sigil power pulsing within him. He realized he had become stronger. He looked down at his hand; the sigil emitted a soft glow, as if recounting the hardships of the battle and the joy of victory.

"We found the key clue connecting to the Sigil Space!" Chu Feng held up the broken stone tablet and shouted.

The tablet emitted a faint light, and the runes engraved upon it seemed to flow slowly, filled with mysterious charm. It was not just a stone; it was a key to an unknown world.

"That’s awesome!" Sun Yue jumped up in excitement, forgetting his pain, his face radiant with joy.

"We actually did it!" Chen Qiang wore an honest, simple smile. He clapped Chu Feng on the shoulder, his eyes filled with admiration.

The squad cheered and embraced. Their hearts were filled with joy and pride, a sense of glory overwhelming them. They understood that their sacrifices had not been in vain; they were taking steps toward a more powerful future.

However, as the joy gradually subsided and everyone turned their gaze toward the deep hole, a sense of unease returned. They realized that this opening seemed to lead to an even more mysterious place, one filled with unknown dangers waiting for them to explore.

"This clue points to a research facility underground," Liu Yong said, aiming his mechanical arm’s scanner at the opening to read the blurry data, his tone heavy.

"A research facility?" Chu Feng frowned, a vague sense of foreboding in his heart. He took a deep breath and said, "It seems our adventure has only just begun."

Just then, Officer Fang noticed something. He walked quickly to the entrance of the library, looking at the half-open door, a strange glint in his eyes: "That place, it seems to be..."