296 Chapter 296: Rages at the Ringside (1/2)
The two figures skidded across the tomb site, inadvertently wrecking ancient monuments that had existed for almost a millennium. At some point, they finally came to a stop.
”!”
Spartacus's eyes widened when he realized that the momentum of his powerful kick had finally been spent, but his opponent had not fallen.
”What's this?” the mercenary captain growled, enraged, even after he had stopped the Bloody Berserker's rampage with a parry of his armored arm. ”Unforgivable!”
Veins were popping out of his temple as Brent bellowed in rage.
”Did Redfield get defeated by this!? What an idiot!”
The blades on his knuckles whirred with a metallic screech, almost as if it was turning into a chainsaw. Without any hesitation, Brent threw a right hook into Spartacus's gut, lifting the hulking goliath off the ground and sending him flying several meters away with a grunt.
The entire area around the two immediately leveled out, turning into a crater even as debris fell from crumbling monuments around them. Such was the power from Brent's blow that everything within ten meters were demolished from the merciless shockwaves that erupted from his hook.
”Ugh?!”
Even the Bloody Berserker, supposedly unable to feel pain and doped to insanity, felt that powerful punch. Blood spilled out of his mouth and he lay sprawled across the ground where he was thrown to, doubling over and clutching his midriff pitifully.
”AAAAAAAAH!”
”Impossible!”
Several of the surviving Blood Slaughter Sect disciples were turning around, having felt the impact from that colossal blow. Their jaws were dropping when they saw the trump card of their sect falling over.
”How did the Bloody Berserker fall to just one blow from the opponent!?”
”Isn't he unable to feel pain!?”
”What's going on?!”
Strolling over, Brent hauled Spartacus up with his armored fists.
”You felt that, didn't you?” he snarled. ”My staff is a Divine Device that allows me to amplify my wind spells, allowing me to explode whatever I hit with my staff. Its Bankai…I mean, Divine Ascension, transfers all that power to my fists.”
He cocked his right gauntlet back to prepare for another attack.
”That explosive power will continue to hit you endlessly as long as my fist remains in contact with you.”
Brent then delivered another crunching punch into Spartacus's gut and detonated him with volatile mana. Even as another colossal crater opened up beneath his feet, the mercenary captain continued to pummel the dude endlessly, blowing him up from within.
”GWOOOH!” Spartacus roared, barely conscious. Not that it was any different from his usual mental state, but…
”I'll blow you away!” Brent roared.
With a single shift of his armored hand, he sent the massive goliath flying through the tomb site, and watched as the smoking giant vanish in a minor explosion when he crashed through one of the dilapidated towers that ringed the tomb.
”I hope he stays down from that,” the mercenary captain muttered, craning his neck to stare high up at the place where he blew Spartacus into.
The Bloody Berserker was lying motionlessly amidst a pile of rubble, fumes billowing from his broken and battered body. His midriff was sporting a huge hole, blood spreading rapidly across his front before spilling over and pooling underneath his sprawled figure.
”I should go back Redfield up now,” Brent murmured as he slowly turned away. ”His opponent might lack the brute strength of this muscle-head, but he's more troublesome because of his guile and cunning.”
However, he froze when Spartacus landed right behind him. He turned around, cold perspiration dripping down his face.
”You've got to be kidding me…”
The Bloody Berserker's figure had transformed somewhat, the hole in his midriff bubbling incessantly and regenerating. No, it wasn't just regenerating, it was growing, the cells multiplying rapidly to heal and evolve. Even though Spartacus originally towered over him, Brent couldn't shake off the impression that the goliath was now bigger than before.
Spartacus's counterattack swept Brent off his feet, but fortunately the mercenary captain was able to parry the powerful blow. Grunting, he hurtled through the air for almost a hundred meters before he flipped his body and skidded to a stop. Dropping onto the ground, he straightened up and shook his trembling arms.
”What a powerful blow…”
He looked up at the mutating and growing Spartacus, who was laughing manically as he advanced forward. Forcing the shaking to a stop, he grimly raised his arms and took a deep breath.
”Looks like this is going to be one hell of a battle…”
In response, the now monstrous Spartacus howled in laughter, his form no longer human. just like William Birkin from Biohazard 2 (or Resident Evil 2 for those playing the American version), a single gigantic eye blinked in what used to be his right shoulder, and his right arm had elongated and grown into a heavily muscled limb with three long claws. A new hound-like head had sprouted out of his left, mutating shoulder, its slavering jaws snapping ravenously.
With a gleeful bark, the new monstrous form of Spartacus barreled forward, leaving craters in his wake as he pounced on the dismayed Brent.
*
On the other side of the tomb, Redfield and Liu continued to clash, their spears colliding amidst a shower of sparks. The two of them exchanged several more blows before splitting apart. His age was showing, and Liu found himself tiring as he staggered back after a particularly powerful blow from the red-haired mercenary.
Hopping back, Liu threw out a hand when Redfield lunged at him.
”!!!”
Redfield skidded to a stop and forcibly altered his trajectory. Spinning around, he elegantly danced across the field, running and soaring as a trail of blood spikes pursued him, bursting out of the ground behind his fleeing figure in a desperate attempt to stake him. Redfield managed to flip himself up and above, landing atop one of the ancient towers while swinging his blazing spear to obliterate the rest of the pursuing blood spears.