Chapter 680: The Unmatched Arrow
The God of Death and the Fateful Decision
J'onn calmly recounted their earlier ordeal: the battlefield, the cave, and the deal with Dom. His tone was level, but the story stunned Luke. It was clear their survival was largely a matter of luck, though Clark's enhanced senses also played a crucial role.
"So, Dom caused the Mother Entity to end up like this?" Luke asked.
J'onn nodded. "I don't know what method he used, but he boosted his power dozens of times and forcibly disintegrated the Mother Entity. If not for him, we would already be dead."
"And where is Dom?"
"I don't know. I can't sense his psychic signature. He is likely dead."
Luke fell silent. He felt a newfound respect for the so-called Pluto. Perhaps this is what a God of Death should be: fair, just, and willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of order, unlike an idiot like Avogadro.
Diana urgently asked, "Luke, what do we do now?"
Luke shook his head quietly.
"There is no other option. We have to see this through to the end. We must eliminate both the Mother Entity and the child. We absolutely cannot let them live."
"Then the way back?"
"I will find another way."
Truthfully, Luke was unsure. He still didn't know if the Mother Entity held the key to unsealing the channel. Even if it did, obtaining it was impossible now.
The two sides had become mortal enemies. It was a fight to the death.
At this moment, the battle in the sky had reached a white-hot intensity. The grotesque infant burst out of the Mother Entity's belly. Its body rapidly inflated, becoming a mountain-sized giant baby. Its eyes were pitch black, filled with greed and craving.
The Mother Entity was also consumed by madness and brutality, treating the child not as kin but as a heinous enemy. Driven by its desire, it seemingly forgot the agony of its own wounds.
The two fought wildly. The overflowing energy stirred up a hurricane, warping the heavens and the earth.
Faced with this, the five snake-people were completely bewildered. They were supposed to help the grotesque infant—their 'master'—but the Mother Entity's presence paralyzed them.
Helpless, they shifted their focus to Luke. The Old Woman's final command was to kill the humans and ensure they never left alive.
Luke looked back at them expressionlessly, green flames burning in his eyes, his killing intent almost palpable.
"The bow!"
J'onn quickly handed over the Soul-Devouring Bow. He opened his mouth but ultimately decided against relaying Dom's warning. Perhaps he also wanted to see what was truly going on with the bow.
With the long bow in Luke's hand, the world seemed to dim.
A faint, colossal beast hovered in the air, darkness wrapping its body, and Death serving as its unstoppable fangs.
A God Falls, The Warrior's Vengeance
Luke nocked an arrow. Green flame seeped from his palm, infusing the black-lightning-shimmering arrow. The three powers merged, carrying a will to destroy everything.
Bang!
The bowstring vibrated. The long arrow pierced the void, aimed straight at the female snake-person with the pale pupils. She only felt a burst of strong light rush toward her, followed by boundless confusion.
Her five senses vanished. Her vision blurred, and she could only vaguely see her legs turning to ash and the stunned looks of her companions.
The column of light shot through the sky and disappeared deep into the earth. Everything in its path was obliterated, and the female snake-person was merely one casualty.
An eerie silence fell over the air.
The Mother Entity and the child, fighting above, stopped, looking down at Luke with suspicion.
Luke drew the bow again. The snake-person whose hands were destroyed let out a roar, pouring all his energy into erecting a spatial barrier to block the incoming attack. However, the barrier lasted for only a tenth of a second before vanishing. He and the unlucky companion behind him became the next souls claimed by the Soul-Devouring Bow.
Two arrows, three Gods dead!
At this moment, Luke was truly unrivaled.
J'onn had been secretly observing, and his confusion deepened when he saw no signs of fatigue on Luke's face. Diana was exhausted after two shots, and so was he, yet Luke seemed completely unaffected.
What in the world is going on?
Is he simply too powerful, or is there another reason?
The arrow was too fast—like a beam of light. By the time you saw it, you were already dead, unable even to feel the pain.
The five snake-people were reduced to two in the blink of an eye: the Celestial Court Swordsman wielding the Commercial Sword and the young girl who seemed underage. They no longer harbored any intention of killing; they only wanted to escape. Yet, escaping meant exposing their backs to the enemy, which would only hasten their deaths.
Luke drew the bowstring, then lowered it.
"For Hanyue's sake, I'll spare you this one time. Get out!"
The last word carried a powerful soul shock, jolting the two snake-people's minds. A crack appeared in the seal deep within their souls, and memories surged out. The girl instantly turned and ran. The Swordsman, however, remained rooted in place, his expression complex.
Moon Goddess, Princess Hanyue!
I can't believe I've become this. You would be so disappointed if you saw me now!
The Swordsman shook his head in a state of confusion. He turned to look at the behemoths in the sky. The coldness in his eyes vanished, replaced by remorse, guilt, and self-reproach.
"How can the God remain like this!"
He suddenly raised his hand and severed his snake-tail. His flesh, soul, and will all merged into his sword. The Swordsman vanished, and only a white-light-shimmering Commercial Sword remained in the world.
The sword light streaked across the sky.
Pfft!
A bloody hole appeared in the giant infant's chest. The sword light continued unabated, severing over a dozen tentacles before embedding itself in a suction cup.
The strike exhausted all its energy, and the sword itself dimmed.
The giant infant raged. It pulled out the Commercial Sword and forcefully bent it!
Crack!
The Commercial Sword snapped in half and was tossed carelessly onto the ground.
Luke's face darkened. He looked at the broken Commercial Sword, then at the damnable mother and child pair.
Perhaps fate brought me to the Underworld solely to eliminate you.
"You all deserve to die."
J'onn sensed the strong fluctuation in Luke's mind and couldn't help but ask,
"Are you sure you want to attack?"
Luke nodded. Seeing this, J'onn reluctantly drew his poisonous short blade. Clark frowned.
"How do we fight? Our strength doesn't seem to be enough."
The Mother Entity was self-evident, and the giant infant was absurdly powerful. Besides its strength and durability, it seemed to possess many superpowers: fire, frost, lightning, sonic attacks, energy manipulation, super speed, soul pulse, psychic pulse, and even spatial teleportation.
However, being newborn, it couldn't control these abilities and used them inadvertently. Even so, the resulting destruction was still unimaginable.
"Actually, we should wait a while," Diana suggested. "Wait until they finish fighting."
"No, we can't delay. I've seen the infant's ability. If it consumes the Mother Entity, it will immediately evolve into an even more powerful being, which will be far more troublesome. Now is the only chance."
"But who do we target? We can't possibly fight both at once!"
Luke frowned, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the lifeless infant body lying on the ground.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!