Chapter 236: Chapter 233 [What does it look like to you?]
Chapter 233: What Does It Look Like?
Chen Nuo watched Vanel turn and run towards the stairs. He was about to say something when—
Well, damn!
With bloodshot eyes and a dagger in hand, the man stared straight at him—Damn it, he’s coming for me!
Chen Dog leaped to his feet and took off, bolting up the stairs.
"Vanel, we’re on the same side!"
"I’m going to kill you!"
"We’re partners!"
"It’s you, my partner, that I’m going to kill!"
"We’re Davarishi!"
"Everyone must die!"
One after the other, the two rushed to the top of the pyramid, with the army of the living dead steadily pursuing them from the steps below.
Chen Nuo reached the top first and suddenly shouted, "Is it done?!"
"MEOW!!"
On top of the pyramid, a small, furry figure leaped down from a stone pillar—it was none other than the Gray Cat, Black!
During the battle, when the group split into two, Chen Nuo and Vanel stayed behind while the others dealt with the Son of the Sun. Everyone seemed to have overlooked the Gray Cat, whom they had all deemed "useless."
What could a little kitty do... right?
In the chaos, Vanel hadn’t paid any attention to where the creature had run off.
Now, seeing Chen Nuo running towards the sacrificial altar at the top of the pyramid, the Gray Cat suddenly appeared, causing Vanel to halt.
"Vanel! This is my plan! Cut it out!" Chen Nuo grabbed the Gray Cat, turned, and yelled at Vanel. Then, he dragged Vanel behind a stone slab at the side of the sacrificial altar.
"What... did you do?"
"Explosives! I had Black bring them up."
"Blow up what?"
"That!"
Chen Nuo pointed to the most prominent thing on the sacrificial altar—the towering stone pillar!
「·」
The Son of the Sun collided with John Sterling for the third time. This time, the portly old man was fighting for his life!
John Sterling was actually caught by him. After a few moments of struggle in mid-air, the Son of the Sun fell again, this time firmly grabbing John Sterling and dragging him to the ground!
John Sterling sneered, his dark aura suddenly swelling and blasting the portly old man away!
As John Sterling hit the ground, a golden liquid hidden beneath the sand and gravel suddenly erupted, coiling around his ankles!
In just two or three breaths, John Sterling’s feet had turned to Gold!
He let out a low growl, and his body surged upwards. But this time, he only rose two or three meters before falling again! It was as if his feet, now turned to Gold, possessed immense weight, dragging him down mercilessly.
The Son of the Sun had risen, cheering as he clenched his fists and charged forward.
The Sea Monster, too, gripped its Trident and thrust it toward John Sterling!
BANG!
John Sterling blocked the Trident with one hand. He then let out a sinister laugh, grabbed the tip of the Trident, and twisted it violently!
CRACK!!
The silver light on the Trident suddenly flared then extinguished. The tip snapped off, and the Sea Monster spat out blood once more.
But this time, the Sea Monster collapsed stiffly to the ground.
The Son of the Sun’s fists, glowing red, smashed down, landing a blow on John Sterling’s body and scattering his black aura once again. John Sterling turned his head, glared fiercely at the Son of the Sun, opened his mouth, and let out a piercing shriek!
The Son of the Sun’s body shook! Amidst the sonic waves, the old man’s matted, dirty hair stood on end. His clothes instantly shattered, and from countless pores on his skin, a mist of blood erupted. His body was sent flying, enveloped in a bloody mist.
Bonfrey was about to catch the Son of the Sun but was also sent flying by the force. The two of them crashed together through the wall of a nearby square stone house!
John Sterling laughed wildly, his voice filled with mockery. "Is that all you’ve got after all your desperate struggling?"
As he spoke, he bent down, grabbed his feet, and yanked hard!
The golden substance clinging to his feet was savagely torn off!
The large, Gold-like mass he held in his hand quickly took on a human shape.
The Golden Bird screamed as John Sterling grasped it, struggling fiercely.
"This is your last resort, is it? The power of Gold? Merely a bit of ancestral strength... But it should taste good!"
With that, John Sterling let out several loud laughs and squeezed with both hands!
RIP!!!
With a tragic cry, the Golden Bird was violently torn in two by John Sterling’s hands!
Blood and entrails sprayed out, spattering John Sterling’s body and face.
The man actually opened his mouth wide, greedily drinking the Golden Bird’s blood!
"Delicious! So delicious! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
He threw the Golden Bird’s corpse violently onto the ground. Amidst his continuous laughter, the swirling black aura around him terrifyingly intensified once again!
If the several head-on collisions just now, thanks to the Son of the Sun’s desperate efforts, had managed to disperse a small part of John Sterling’s black aura...
Then at this moment, after drinking the Golden Bird’s blood, John Sterling’s black aura was fully restored in just a few breaths!
Not only was it restored, but its intensity had risen to another level!
The Son of the Sun couldn’t take it anymore.
He was covered in wounds. Struggling to rise from the ground and seeing this scene, he suddenly let out a bitter laugh and slowly sat back down.
"There’s no hope left... We can’t win. He’s too strong."
Bonfrey, seeing the despair in the Son of the Sun’s eyes, also fell silent.
The Son of the Sun frowned at John Sterling. "Can you answer one question before I die?"
"Oh? Does the food have a question?"
"Have you... surpassed the Controller level? Are you at the Lord Level?"
The Son of the Sun’s tone was serious. "I’ve been at the Controller level for the latter half of my life. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t see what the next stage looked like... Before I die, I want to ask, what kind of power does the Lord Level entail?"
John Sterling’s mocking expression faded. He lowered his head for two seconds, then looked up and said slowly to the Son of the Sun, "I haven’t reached Lord Level either... But after I absorb all of you... perhaps I will!"
"As for what a Lord Level truly is... I only know one saying."
"What is it?"
"Below the Lord, all are mortal!"
"..."
The Son of the Sun fell silent for a moment, then slowly exhaled. "Good! That was a fine bluff. I have no more questions. You can kill me now."
John Sterling’s expression turned serious. He looked at the Son of the Sun and then said slowly, "When I absorb you, you become a part of me. Doesn’t that mean you’ll have entered the Lord Level as well?"
"Ha!" The Son of the Sun couldn’t be bothered to speak anymore and simply closed his eyes, awaiting death.
Just then...
A loud bang echoed from the top of the pyramid!
BOOM! It was like a clap of thunder!
John Sterling, who had been brimming with power on the ground, suddenly shook. His dark aura wildly twisted and began to dissipate!
John Sterling opened his mouth and spat out blood, his face contorting as he looked up...
「·」
At the top of the pyramid, amidst fire and light, stone debris flew everywhere!
The blast wave from the explosion leveled several stone pillars around the altar!
And amid the roaring, the pillar at the top of the pyramid, the one that reached for the sky, suddenly collapsed!
The moment the massive pillar fell, the army of the living dead that had been crawling up the pyramid’s steps like ants instantly froze!
Whether they were mercenaries, ancient Maya warriors, or even the jungle beasts, all seemed as if their power had been cut, freezing in place like clay statues.
Then, they began to fall, one after another...
「·」
The sky-reaching pillar collapsed! It crashed onto the top of the pyramid, broke into several sections, and then rolled down, smashing the stone blocks and steps of the pyramid to pieces!
Chen Nuo, holding the Gray Cat Black, clambered out from a pile of rubble. He then pulled Vanel to his feet. The two peered at the pyramid steps where large numbers of the living dead were falling, some being crushed by the tumbling debris and pillar fragments...
Yet not a single one reacted or made any move to escape or dodge.
They fell like reaped wheat... simply carried along...
At that moment, Chen Nuo suddenly felt a stirring in his heart and forcefully pulled Vanel. "Do you feel it?"
"...What?"
"The suppression! It’s gone!"
Chen Nuo said, taking a deep breath!
In the air, that ubiquitous sense of oppression—the kind that compressed one’s spiritual power to the extreme and prevented its outward release—vanished in an instant!
A thought flashed through Chen Nuo’s mind. With a surge of Telekinesis, he gently deflected a piece of stone shrapnel rolling towards him!
Vanel, too, snapped out of his stupor. He suddenly flexed his arms, his muscles swelling back up.
However, the man was injured. After activating his power, blood spurted from his mouth.
Yet, Vanel’s face was filled with excitement. "My power is back! I can hear distant sounds! My senses and smell have all returned!"
Saying this, Vanel grabbed Chen Nuo’s clothes. "How on earth did you do it?!"
"Simple deduction," Chen Nuo said lightly. "This John Sterling definitely hasn’t reached Lord Level. When I was by the stream, I saw Sato Ryoko clash with him for one round."
"It was just a single round, but I can state with certainty that his strength is definitely not as high as we thought!"
"If he were at Lord Level, Sato Ryoko would have died long ago!"
"The Son of the Sun would have died too!"
"So, deduction leads to one conclusion: this guy might be strong, but he’s still at the Controller level!"
"That brings us to the question."
"How can a Controller make his power seem so immense? Create such a powerful suppressive field? And control so many of the living dead?"
"I don’t know if a Lord Level expert could do it!"
"But a Controller definitely isn’t that strong!"
"Since a Controller can’t do it, how did he manage it?"
"The moment I saw this pillar, I suddenly understood."
"Understood what?"
Chen Nuo chuckled. "Doesn’t this towering pillar at the top of the pyramid look like something to you?"
"It looks like..." Vanel’s face twitched.
"Don’t let your mind go there!" Chen Nuo immediately shook his head. His smile faded, and he said earnestly,
"Like... an antenna! That creature, neither human nor ghost, could suppress us with its power and amplify its own abilities over such a vast area... all because of an antenna!"
As he spoke, Chen Nuo smiled, his gaze sweeping towards the distant figure that was neither human nor ghost.
Full name: John ’Teletubby’ Sterling.