Chapter 1483 (2/2)

Even as he handled the aggression of the arrayed figured of Tykes, Lucifer, Paolo, and Kayle, the Ghosthound’s gaze whipped around to focus on Huang Shou as he spoke. The Ghosthound then barred his teeth, his shoulders rolled and began to pop once more as some new change came over the Grim Chimera.

Glendel slapped his hands together and created a noise that echoed through the underground training arena. “Sovereign’s Guillotine.”

That massive phantom and its dark crown that stood behind Glendel began to tremble with exertion. The towering figure raised a shadowy finger and from it sprung a keening, wailing blade that shot toward the Ghosthound. There was something overwhelming that Huang Li could sense from that blade. It pressured the surrounding space to surrender to it, to give completely into the fate that it brought. In terms of image, this was the most condensed strike against the Ghosthound yet. Paolo punched, Kayle and Lucifer slashed, and Tykes continued to strain against the massive iron ball to keep the Ghosthound locked in place to receive that attack.

Crack!

BOOOOOOOM!

A tremor ran through the Ghosthound’s body right before the attack landed, transforming into a massive shaking that sundered Tykes’ massive iron ball right down the middle. From that broken orb of metal emerged a slender hand that seized Tykes’ face. By the time the dust cleared from Glendel’s Sovereign’s Guillotine landing, Tykes had been tossed to the side.

He had been rendered instantly unconscious, just like Giuliana.

But they had scored another deep hit against him. The Ghosthound’s left hip and much of his thigh had been ripped open, flesh and bone appearing strangely more like a thin film with an underlying metal scaffolding than flesh. Seeing the wound, Huang Li was reminded of seeing the peeled back exterior of a zeppelin than any examination of a living being. With all the dangerous explosiveness of a hydrogen balloon, considering the radiating heatwaves and the horrifying image that was also escaping through that new wound.

The worst part was that the Grim Chimera stirred again, once more given outlet into the world. The heatwaves were starting to fade around the Ghosthound, revealing the sharp-edged details of his form. Just that sliver of the Grim Chimera’s image seemed to reach out and squeeze Huang Li’s heart.

But the Ghosthound’s face was twisted into a grimace; the attack had definitively dealt damage.

Huang Li also didn’t miss the change in the Ghosthound’s right arm. The bone spear appeared to have swollen within Tykes’ iron ball with enough force to rupture it and taken on different proportions. The new limb was still thin, and when all the slender fingers were pressed together still formed a sharp point, but now five spindly fingers stretched from a skeletally thin forearm. Compared to the dominant left arm, the balance struck Li as comically horrifying. Rather than any muscles, the entire thing seemed to be held together by pitch-black tendons, creating a stark contrast to the dried blood and yellow of the bones.

Kayle yelped abruptly, drawing everyone’s attention. And suddenly the Ghosthound was gone, pouncing forward at his most recent prey. At some point, a long tail as thick as two fists pressed together had snaked outward from the Ghosthound’s waist. With a flick, it swept Kayle’s feet out from under him. By the time Huang Li had registered these facts, the Ghosthound was springing forward to knock the runner-up out of this ambush.

“The Fifth Revelation: Want.”

Alana blazed with holy fire, smashing into the Ghosthound before he could reach the surprised Kayle. At the last moment, the Ghosthound twisted midair like a feral cat and met this new threat. His massive left arm whipped around, smashing into Alana’s almost blinding spear thrusts. Once more the Grim Chimera manifested, its fury completely apparent. For a brief instant, the impact of images was so powerful that Huang Li coughed and was forced to take a step back.

In the air above them, Grim Chimera and prophet Valkyrie fought. It was a frozen instant of a full impact between the two images.

Then Alana grunted and was sent tumbling backward. Her image flickered and then died around her like the flames had been buried in ice. Kayle was able to regain his feet, but the twisting movement that the Ghosthound used to face Alana allowed him to also bring his tail around in a whip blow that smashed Kayle into the ground sent him bouncing away like a ragdoll.

“Lucifer Slash!” Lucifer quickly stepped in, but the wounded Ghosthound was even more monstrously fast than he had been while at peak health. The Ghosthound avoided it with a single step toward Dinesh, but Donny was instantly blocking his way. As though he had expected that, the Ghosthound stepped again and rushed toward the previously motionless Stan. Lyra opened her palms and released a powerful ray of violet light, but the Ghosthound ducked under it without slowing at all.

On cue, Stan erupted into a perfect mirror of the Ghosthound, leaping forward and lashing out with the sharp and slender claws on his left hand. It was the Grim Chimera, hitting all the same notes, but on a much smaller scale. Yet like a handler cradling a newborn giraffe, the Ghosthound slipped under the blow and touched Stan on his head and waist at the same time. The man instantly crumpled, the imitation Grim Chimera gone.

The Ghosthound turned to regard the rest of them. “Heh. The Grim Chimera grows based on danger. How could a freshly born version be anything compared to me? Which begs the question that I’ve been wondering since this started…”

The Ghosthound tilted his head to the side. “Why bother with this? Do you really want a beating that badly?”