Apocalypse Gachapon

Just as the battle between Ye Zhongming and the Snow Wolf King reached its climax, the fight between Xia Bai, Yangos, Yellow Ball, and the Man-Bear King on the other side also escalated into its climax.

In terms of individual combat power, the fighters here might be slightly inferior to Ye Zhongming. However, their numbers and the presence of beings like Yangos, Yellow Ball, and the Undead Dragon Fish, who, while not quite at Ye Zhongming’s level, weren’t far behind, meant their assault had suppressed the Man-Bear King from the very beginning.

If the Snow Wolf King was a creature of agility, then the Man-Bear King was defined by defense and raw strength.

Sometimes, battles between mutated lifeforms were brutally straightforward, especially when both sides had absolute confidence in their physical prowess.

The Man-Bear King was no exception. It didn’t believe these level-eight beings posed any real threat to its prideful physique, so its fighting style was direct and bloody.

Aside from dodging Yangos’s dragon breath, the Man-Bear King responded to every enemy within its reach with sheer, unrefined violence—its massive paws striking with terrifying force.

Yes, this Man-Bear King simply didn’t take these level-eight lifeforms seriously.

But reality quickly taught it a lesson: if it didn’t fight with everything it had today, it might very well die here.

Strictly speaking, the Man-Bear King’s tactics weren’t flawed. It temporarily avoided airborne opponents and prioritized killing Yellow Ball, Nine Treasures, and the female guards on the ground.

It was accustomed to walking upright, and with its massive size, each step, leap, or swing of its forelimbs covered an enormous range. Its first target? The clustered female guards.

After evading the first wave of aerial attacks, the Man-Bear King charged toward the female guards. Though its movements didn’t appear fast, its sheer stride length made its speed comparable to a full sprint from other creatures.

With a roar, it swung its enormous paw at the tightly formed ranks of the female guards.

Xia Bai suddenly appeared above the formation, black wings spread, wielding her scythe as she stared down the charging Man-Bear King.

Below her, the hundreds of female guard warriors moved as one.

Several of their battle beasts reared up, emitting multicolored lights that instantly spread across the entire formation.

These lights came in four hues: pale blue, pale red, black, and violet-blue.

The pale blue glow was an ability from a support war beast—Light of Agility—enhancing the speed and skill execution of all within its range.

The pale red was the Power Aura, amplifying the force of all attacks.

The black radiance was Strength of the Titan, increasing raw physical power.

The final violet-blue was Plaguefall, attaching a toxic effect to every skill used within its influence.

Ye Zhongming had acquired these four support-type battle beasts at great cost from the Five Ring Money and Cannibal Chain, then specially trained at the Thousand Beast Villa. After undergoing baptism by Lan You’s energy, they had finally reached combat readiness—and now, they were deployed.

Previously, these young beasts had been too low-level to join missions, requiring protection even during routine outings.

Once the auras were active, the female warriors unsheathed their standardized long blades in unison.

Every member of the female guards carried at least three weapons. First, their personal weapon of choice—each unique and varied. Second, the crystal guns strapped to their backs. It had once been joked that to gauge the current level of Cloud Peak’s energy weapons, one only needed to observe the cannons on their walls or the rifles carried by the Scarlet Armor Guard.

This spoke volumes about how cutting-edge their firearms were.

The third weapon? These uniform blue-grade Sand Dance—a second form of the blade, upgraded by Ye Zhongming from green to blue grade.

The blue Sand Dance had only recently been mass-equipped by the female guards.

Many outsiders had wondered why these elite warriors carried long blades they seemingly never used.

Today, the female guards provided the answer.

A strange energy enveloped them as they drew their blades—the passive ability Sandstorm, inherent to the swords.

It enhanced all physical attributes while inflicting continuous damage on any enemy entering its domain.

Hundreds of Sandstorm zones merged, forming a colossal energy field where swirling sands raced around the warriors yet never touched them.

Then, they channeled energy into their blades, causing them to glow brightly before swinging upward, not at Xia Bai, but to concentrate their power.

The slashes merged midair, forming a massive orb of light that rapidly condensed into a dazzling sphere no larger than a ping-pong ball.

This sphere slowly embedded itself into Xia Bai’s back.

The entire process was lightning-fast, just as the Man-Bear King’s attack arrived.

Xia Bai’s wings flared once, her scythe arcing through the air before unleashing a blade beam.

It carried the combined might of hundreds of warriors’ strikes, further amplified by Xia Bai’s own power.

After releasing the attack, Xia Bai dropped from the sky, her face pale—the exertion had drained her severely.

As Ye Zhongming’s personal guard, the spearhead of Cloud Peak’s armed forces, and the star unit in outsiders’ eyes, how could the female guards not have trump cards?

Their earlier resentment toward Ye Zhongming stemmed precisely from this, despite him and Cloud Peak pouring resources into their growth, he often left them behind during critical moments.

Now, finally given the chance to fight, even against a level-nine lifeform, the female guards were exhilarated.