Apocalypse Gachapon

There were numerous gates spread across the ground and even floating in the sky.

Their sheer quantity and wide distribution allowed Ye Zhongming to emerge from the most advantageous positions to launch his attacks.

At a rough estimate, there were at least several dozen of them.

And now, before each of these energy gates, shadowy wolf claws suddenly materialized—identical to the slashing paws of the Snow Wolf King.

One could imagine the visual impact: a massive snow wolf swinging its claws at empty air, while identical phantom strikes mirrored its movements across dozens of other locations.

To the young soldiers, this seemed nearly impossible.

Yet the Snow Wolf King had achieved it.

The current situation was this: though the Lightning Sand Monster had grown stronger with its bloodline upgrade, it still couldn’t withstand a direct strike from a level nine lifeform. A single blow had left it grievously wounded, still recovering.

Meanwhile, Red Hair had transformed into a thorn tree to restrain the Snow Wolf King better. The earlier attacks had stripped her of most of her combat capabilities, leaving only scattered thorny branches—now barely a threat to the wolf king.

He could emerge from any of the energy gates.

Level nine lifeforms possessed extraordinary intelligence, and the Snow Wolf King was especially cunning. Though wounded by the human assault, it assessed the battlefield with chilling precision and had its own theories about its enemy’s abilities.

It recognized that the other combatants posed little immediate threat—or even distraction. Its sole target was Ye Zhongming, who could appear from any gate.

True, it couldn’t predict which gate he’d choose. So it adopted a simple solution: it would strike at all of them simultaneously.

It reasoned that Ye Zhongming couldn’t remain inside the gates indefinitely—he’d have to emerge soon.

Moreover, the wolf king suspected this human could only sense its position from within the gates, not fully perceive the outside world.

If so, then an indiscriminate attack would flush him out.

The Snow Wolf King was right. Ye Zhongming couldn’t linger in the Gates forever—they were, after all, just manifestations of an ability.

He emerged from one gate, positioned at the wolf king’s flank—a blind spot.

The instant he appeared, countless claw shadows rained down upon him.

While inside the gate, Ye Zhongming could track the wolf king’s general position and orientation, but finer details eluded him.

Thus, the Snow Wolf King’s gamble paid off. Its indiscriminate assault had caught him.

Both were apex beings of their respective species, fully immersed in combat. The moment Ye Zhongming appeared under attack, he reacted instantly. Shielded by Black Soil Armor and his own defenses, he vanished again, narrowly evading the follow-up claw strikes.

The Snow Wolf King smirked coldly.

This move had been designed with contingencies. Ideally, it would shred Ye Zhongming the moment he emerged. Failing that, grievous injuries would still leave him at its mercy.

The third possibility—that he’d dodge using an ability—was also accounted for.

And what was the most likely method? The wolf king bet on that short-range teleportation.

The fastest, most convenient escape.

If the human used it… He’d be forced out of the energy gates. Perhaps not far, but the wolf king wouldn’t grant him a chance to re-enter.

It noticed a brief cooldown between teleports. That window was all it needed to kill him.

Seeing Ye Zhongming blink away, the Snow Wolf King halted its claw barrage. Instead, it became a blur, materializing before him with jaws distended unnaturally wide—a gaping maw aimed straight for his head.

Twin Lives, Blood Rage, Ice Flower Defense, Shadow Strike, Indiscriminate Claw Barrage, Frost Mist… six innate abilities deployed so far. For a level nine, this wasn’t excessive.

Now came a seventh: Earth Swallow.

Its maw expanded dramatically—attack range increased, jaw defense fortified, bite force amplified, speed enhanced, all coupled with terrifying suction.

A single ability offering multiple combat enhancements made Earth Swallow nearly impossible to evade, especially for a human beneath the wolf king’s level.

Ye Zhongming couldn’t dodge.

His teleportation had a brief cooldown. It wouldn’t carry him beyond the attack’s range even if available.

Reaction time was negligible—no room for movement, let alone escape.

Two prior strikes from the wolf king had degraded his armor’s defenses. He couldn’t confidently withstand another level nine killing technique.

Most would now empty their inventory in desperation, scrambling for even a sliver of survival. Ye Zhongming’s dimensional space certainly held enough tools for distraction, if not outright threat.

Yet he did none of that. Instead, he retrieved a single item, tossing it almost casually, while standing perfectly still.

The wolf king’s gaping jaws descended. From the young soldiers’ vantage in the bloodied snow pit, Ye Zhongming appeared swallowed whole.

Xiao Xuan and the others abandoned all orders, leaping from cover to rush to his aid.

“Wait—look!” someone suddenly shouted.

On the ground, the few remaining thorny strands of Red Hair’s hair had coiled around one of the wolf king’s hind legs, anchoring it fiercely. Simultaneously, two crimson tentacles had lashed around the other.

The combined pull yanked the level nine beast’s trajectory askew.

CRACK!

Snapping jaws echoed as Earth Swallow’s bite landed—a hair’s breadth from Ye Zhongming’s nose.

Only then did the King of Cloud Peak retreat at full speed, diving back into an energy gate.

The Snow Wolf King, its vision obstructed by its own distended maw, didn’t witness the escape. But it felt it, and fury erupted at another failed kill.

As it twisted midair to deal with the pests clinging to its hind legs, its still-enlarged jaws suddenly convulsed—then exploded.

The detonation sent half the wolf king’s muzzle spinning through the air, landing with a wet thud at the young soldiers’ frozen feet.