"East Sea Team, watch closely!"
Gonniel's hands moved rapidly.
The temperature of the surrounding air dropped sharply, and water vapor quickly condensed into icy mist around him!
"Ice Hockey!"
He shouted, and a massive ice ball instantly formed in his hands!
This ice ball was Gonniel's statement of intent!
Zheng Zha sensed the approaching danger and hurriedly tried to escape.
The ice ball shot toward him like a cannonball, and wherever it passed, the ground instantly became covered in ice!
Its speed was incredible.
Even with his vampire bloodline and internal energy enhanced, Zheng Zha couldn't shake off the pursuit at such velocity without activating his gene lock.
Zheng Zha tried to dodge.
He twisted his body sharply, but the ice sphere was moving far too fast.
All he could do was hold his short blade in front of him, attempting to block it.
"Smack!"
The ice sphere slammed heavily into Zheng Zha!
In an instant, a thick layer of ice enveloped him.
His body stayed in a defensive stance, unable to move.
Anger and unwillingness shone brightly in his eyes.
The ice spread outward from his body, freezing the surrounding ground into a vast icy plain.
His breath felt trapped in his chest, and he could only watch Gonniel helplessly, unable to make any counterattack, as if time itself had frozen.
Seeing this, even the usually dim-witted Tanaka Jūsuke snapped to attention.
"Yes! Yes! Kill! Kill! Hahaha!"
Without hesitation, he swung his blade at Zhao Yingkong, who was the closest to him!
"Not good!"
Zhang Jie quickly pulled the trigger!
Bullets whistled through the air!
But Zhang Jie had barely leveled up from fighting Xenomorphs, and after repaying Yujin's reward points, his powers were only partially enhanced.
He was far from being able to handle a second-tier Gene Lock warrior with bullets alone.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Sparks flew everywhere!
All the bullets were deflected by Tanaka Jūsuke's long sword!
Cold sweat dripped down Zhang Jie's forehead.
If his gun didn't work, what else could he do?
Just then, Zhao Yingkong took the initiative and leaped forward!
"Right on time! Die!"
Tanaka Jūsuke swung his twin swords at Zhao Yingkong!
She twisted her body in midair, narrowly dodging both slashes!
Just as Zhao Yingkong's dagger was about to pierce Tanaka Jūsuke's face, the third sword he held in his mouth finally moved!
Tanaka Jūsuke tilted his head sharply.
"Clang!"
A powerful force flung Zhao Yingkong through the air!
She couldn't twist her body midair and became an easy target!
Immediately, Tanaka Jūsuke assumed the starting stance for his "One-Sword Technique" ultimate move!
His feet planted firmly, body slightly lowered, the long sword in his hand glimmering coldly, trembling slightly as if sensing the power about to explode.
Zhang Jie watched in horror.
He knew the move's deadly potential.
If Tanaka Jūsuke succeeded, Zhao Yingkong would have no chance of survival.
At this critical moment, Zhang Jie's eyes hardened.
He began awakening the dormant power deep within him.
Instantly, his presence shifted.
His previously ordinary face now carried determination and resolve.
He shot forward like an arrow toward Zhao Yingkong's flight path, both hands gripping the Infinity Bullet Desert Eagle.
Without hesitation, he unleashed a relentless barrage of bullets at Tanaka Jūsuke!
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The battlefield echoed with a relentless barrage of gunfire.
Bullets screamed through the air like heavy raindrops, all aimed at Tanaka Jūsuke.
Yet, facing this hail of bullets, Tanaka Jūsuke remained calm and unflinching.
His katana danced through the air, a blur of light and shadow, intercepting each bullet with flawless precision.
A cruel smile curled at the corner of his lips.
In his eyes burned a fierce desire for victory, mixed with scorn for Zhang Jie's overconfidence.
With a roar, he shouted the name of his technique.
"Ittō-ryū Iaijutsu: Lion's Song!"
In an instant, Tanaka Jūsuke's figure shot forward like a black lightning bolt toward Zhang Jie.
His movements were blindingly fast, the drawing of his sword almost invisible.
A cold flash streaked across the air, and his blade pierced through Zhang Jie's body.
Zhang Jie's body jolted violently.
He maintained his stance with the gun raised, pain etched across his face.
The next moment, blood erupted from his body like a bursting fountain, splattering the ground around him in a crimson tide.
The sheer volume of blood made one question whether he could survive another second.
Zhang Jie collapsed, stiff as a board, the deep cut cutting through to his very bones.
Darkness swallowed his vision, and he fainted.
Elsewhere, Gonniel froze the robot Kabutack in place.
Though Alexis's fight with Nova had yet to reach a conclusion, Gonniel now had a free hand.
Nova was about to face the captain of the North Polar Team—an opponent far beyond her strength.
The five-member team of the Central Continent was already at its limit.
Inside a block of ice, Zheng Zha's eyes stayed glued to his teammates' dire situations.
Zhang Jie's blood-soaked collapse.
Zhao Yingkong being flung through the air.
Tanaka Jūsuke, the three-sword master, preparing to attack her.
Nova, riddled with bloody holes from Alexis's ice spear attacks.
And Yehui, hiding nearby, completely powerless.
All of it ignited a slumbering fire within Zheng Zha.
A powerful obsession surged from deep within his heart.
Bloodshot eyes flared, and with a roar, he activated his first-stage gene lock.
Every muscle in his body tensed as he unleashed the vampire blood coursing through his veins alongside his inner energy.
At that moment, his strength surged dramatically.
With a deafening roar, he swung a punch at the ice encasing him, putting every ounce of power behind it.
"Crack!"
The unyielding ice shattered instantly, spiderweb-like cracks spreading through it.
Shards flew in all directions.
Zheng Zha emerged from the broken ice.
Though his body still ached from the previous impact, he ignored the pain and limped forward, charging toward Tanaka Jūsuke.
Seeing Zheng Zha throw himself recklessly forward, a contemptuous smile curved Tanaka Jūsuke's lips.
Another fool running to their death, he thought.
Cheerfully, he raised his katana, preparing to deliver a fatal strike.
Even if the gene lock was unlocked, what did it matter?
With only the most basic bloodline enhancements, Zheng Zha was nothing more than an appetizer to Tanaka Jūsuke's second-tier gene lock.
"One Sword Style."
Tanaka Jūsuke's right-hand blade shimmered with a cold gleam, poised to strike Zheng Zha!
At that critical moment, Gonniel suddenly appeared beside Tanaka Jūsuke.
His expression was grave. In his hand, he swiftly formed a sphere of ice and without hesitation hurled it at Tanaka Jūsuke.
The ice sphere cut through the wind with a whistling sound, flying straight toward him.
Startled by the sudden attack, Tanaka Jūsuke quickly dodged to the side. But the sphere moved too fast, grazing his body and leaving a deep frostbite scar along his arm.
To continue swinging his blade, he would have to remove the ice first.
In that instant, Zheng Zha came back to life!
Gonniel looked at Zheng Zha and the people from Central Continent team. Though reluctant, he knew the situation was complex.
Gritting his teeth, he shouted, "You have one minute to get out of my sight! Move, now!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yingkong hurriedly hoisted Zhang Jie onto her back.
Though Zheng Zha found it strange, he quickly ran to the roadside vehicle, started the police car, and pulled along the remaining Nova and Xiao Yehui.
Under the watchful eyes of the East Sea Team and North Polar Teams, the five from Central Continent team drove off, leaving the scene behind.
"Baka!" Tanaka Jūsuke muttered, dispelling the ice encasing his body and preparing to strike Gonniel again.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Alexis and Kozumi Masao glared at each other with mutual hatred.
Alexis, unsure of what had just happened, ground his teeth and asked, "Captain! Why did you let them escape?"
Gonniel's eyes were filled with killing intent, yet he was powerless.
"We…got robbed of our home base."
****
Support me on my ko-fi account and read upto 15 early chapters,
https://ko-fi.com/aayume