Those with ranged attacks retreated while firing from a distance, not daring to get close. Zhao Haoyang frowned as he watched the crowd grow chaotic and slowly fall back. At that moment, he somewhat regretted using the "Crimson Moon Slash" too early; he hadn’t expected an even more formidable behemoth to emerge later. Though he wasn’t afraid, killing this deformed monster in one blow would be somewhat challenging. But now that Jiang Xiaodong and Wang Xu had stepped in, he couldn’t easily steal their thunder. Deep down, he hoped the monster would defeat them, allowing him to step in and finish it off—establishing his authority on the spot while earning their gratitude for saving them. Then, taking over both factions would be a natural progression, with no further obstacles. This thought shifted his view of the Fusioner; he felt its appearance had given him an opportunity. "I hope you’re tough enough, don’t let Wang Xu and Jiang Xiaodong take you down together—then I’d lose my chance to do them a favor," Zhao Haoyang mused silently.
Jiang Xiaodong charged in from the left at an angle, his figure like lightning. He brought his arms together, forming a "Blood Cannon," and launched himself into the air. With a thunderous boom, the "Blood Cannon" fired. A flash of blood light erupted, and the Fusioner’s massive body burst open, flesh and blood flying as a huge, bloody crater was blasted into it. Wang Xu followed suit, his hands controlling the thunderfire, which transformed into a flaming python. It struck the other side of the Fusioner’s colossal meat-mountain below. His thunderfire carried both the paralyzing effect of lightning and the explosive nature of special flames. As it hit the meat-mountain, the flame explosion triggered, blasting it apart. The two strong fighters struck immediately, wounding the Fusioner, and the crowd’s spirits lifted. But Zhao Haoyang felt a twinge of disappointment. This massive meat-mountain was all show and no substance—it seemed he wouldn’t get a chance to act.
Wounded, the Fusioner shook its lion-like head and spewed Unquenchable Fire again. Jiang Xiaodong and Wang Xu dodged swiftly, their speed exceptional. The Unquenchable Fire chased after them, hitting the ground and forming walls of flame that burned endlessly, but it couldn’t catch up to their pace. Su Li nodded inwardly. Back when he fought the Lion-Scorpion Ember Beast, the struggle had been so intense mainly because he was in the water, unable to boost his speed. On land, he wouldn’t have feared this Unquenchable Fire either. Jiang Xiaodong and Wang Xu were true experts, both at Level 8. As leaders of their respective buildings, they had risen above dozens of others—the cream of the crop. Together, they should be able to handle this Fusioner. Su Li let out a soft breath. He’d been wondering if he needed to intervene, but now it seemed he’d worried for nothing. The two of them could manage together, especially with Zhao Haoyang, who appeared even stronger, still in reserve.
The Unquenchable Fire couldn’t keep up with them. As Jiang Xiaodong dodged, he spun and fired another "Blood Cannon." With a deafening roar, this "Blood Cannon" struck the Fusioner’s left demonic face, which came from the Electric Eel Demon. The face, with its faintly discernible features, was instantly obliterated, chunks of flesh and blood splattering everywhere. Seeing Jiang Xiaodong succeed again, Wang Xu let out a loud laugh. He clenched his fists, drawing the thunderfire into his hands, where it condensed into two fireballs. He hurled them one after the other. The Fusioner roared in agony, extending a claw to catch the first fireball. It exploded, sparks flying, and the claw shattered instantly. The second fireball struck the lion head on the right. That head, from the Lion-Scorpion Ember Beast, burst apart. In just a short time, the Fusioner—a small mountain of flesh—had been battered by explosions from all sides, flesh and blood flying. Even the demonic face and lion head were blown away. Su Li noted that when it first crawled up, it had been at least fourteen or fifteen meters long and over five or six meters tall. Now, in mere moments, its massive body had shrunk noticeably. Wang Xu and Jiang Xiaodong circled it continuously, their "Blood Cannons" and "Thunderfire" relentlessly pounding the Fusioner. Explosions rang out without pause, and blood and flesh sprayed everywhere, littering the rooftop with gore. The others slowly backed away, clearing space, watching Jiang Xiaodong and Wang Xu display their full power with admiration. "No wonder he’s the boss—truly formidable. He wields that thunderfire like a master," Qin Xin said, his face full of awe. You Zhenghao nodded. "Yeah, that’s why he’s our leader." On one side, the Financial City group praised Wang Xu; on the other, the Maple View Center crew lauded Jiang Xiaodong. Zhao Haoyang’s expression darkened. He felt that the impact of his Crimson Moon Slash was being overshadowed by their feats, and it grated on him.
The Fusioner grew increasingly battered, its movements slowing until it became little more than a punching bag, unable to fight back. Suddenly, Jiang Xiaodong and Wang Xu stepped back together, shouting, "Everyone, attack together! Give it the final blow!" "Alright!" The crowd surged forward, unleashing their strongest attacks, all raining down on the nearly immobile, dying Fusioner. Su Li and Zhao Haoyang didn’t move. Zhao Haoyang out of disdain, Su Li because he sensed something off. From the data he’d gathered, this Fusioner was powerful. And this one had merged with the rare Lion-Scorpion Ember Beast and the leader-class Electric Eel Demon, plus other monsters—its abilities were top-tier. While Jiang Xiaodong and Wang Xu were indeed strong, the battle shouldn’t have been this one-sided, with the Fusioner barely putting up a fight. It seemed too weak. But if something was wrong, Su Li couldn’t pinpoint it yet.
With the combined final strike, the Fusioner, already a mess of blood and flesh, finally shattered into chunks of meat piled around, a gruesome sight. After the blow, seeing the deformed monster reduced to a heap of flesh, everyone let out a long sigh of relief. Jiang Xiaodong chuckled. "I wonder who landed the final hit? Whose spirit source will it be?" That sparked curiosity. Whose spirit source would the monster’s death grant? But as they waited, no spirit source appeared. Instead, the piles of flesh began to writhe, gathering toward the center as if controlled by an invisible force. "What’s this?" Wang Xu gasped. "What kind of monster is this?" Jiang Xiaodong’s face paled. The creature had been blown to bits, yet it wasn’t dead? In an instant, the flesh piles coalesced, merging into a massive meatball. "Monster—" Jiang Xiaodong manifested his "Blood Cannon" again and fired at the newly formed giant meatball. With a thunderous explosion, the meatball’s surface had solidified like stone. The Blood Cannon’s impact cracked it with a series of sharp sounds, spiderweb fissures spreading across it. The cracks widened, and chunks of frozen-like meat began to fall off. The crowd stared, eyes wide with disbelief. Su Li nodded to himself. He’d felt the Fusioner’s death was too easy, too abnormal, and now his instincts were confirmed. As the meat chunks continued to fall, the meatball finally shattered completely, revealing a curled-up figure inside. It was a humanoid creature, eerily human-like. Its eyes were closed, arms hugging its bent knees as it sat within the broken meatball. As the meatball fully disintegrated, it seemed to wake, opening its eyes. They were blood-red pupils. The moment the crowd met its gaze, they felt a chill, an inexplicable fear that made them look away. The humanoid creature slowly stood. It was naked, resembling a human, but its skin was marked by scar-like lines, as if its entire body was stitched together from countless pieces of flesh—the scars were the seams. Its blood-red eyes fixed on the crowd, and the corners of its mouth curled upward, revealing a smile eerily human. But that smile carried an indescribable strangeness. "Everyone, be careful. This monster’s not right," Jiang Xiaodong said, his expression grim. The humanoid creature before him pressed down on him with immense pressure. He raised his right arm, forming a giant blood-and-flesh spear, and pulled his five fingers back, firing five bone bullets to test the creature’s strength. The moment he pulled the trigger, the humanoid creature moved. It crouched slightly, then shot forward with astonishing speed. Wang Xu saw a blur and shouted, "Watch out!" Before he could finish, Jiang Xiaodong grunted and flew backward in a straight line. In that instant, his bone bullets hadn’t even fired. The humanoid creature had reached him so fast he could barely track it. All he could do was tense the muscles in his chest, activating a special ability: "Armor." The "Armor" had just formed when a punch landed on his chest. Blue-white electric light burst from the impact. Despite the "Armor" protecting him, Jiang Xiaodong was electrocuted, screaming in agony as he tumbled backward. With a heavy crash, he landed over ten meters away, slamming into the ground. His chest was charred black, smoke rising, and even his mouth emitted wisps of smoke. His face was a mask of sheer terror. Without the "Armor," that single blow would have turned him into a pile of charcoal. Wang Xu roared, charging from the other side. He released thunderfire, forming a flaming python that struck the humanoid creature from behind.