Chapter 132: Fierce Battle

Chapter 132: Fierce Battle

In the long, pitch-black corridor, the beams of flashlights tore through the darkness, illuminating the area around Burt and his team. The gun barrels, resembling black holes, emitted thin wisps of white smoke as if still savoring the thrill of the bullets they had just unleashed. Surrounded by the Arbok in their center, the security guards scanned everything around them, leaving not even the darkest corners unchecked.

Forward, ever forward. Burt moved with cautious steps, yet despite leaning on the giant snake and holding a lethal weapon, an ominous feeling continued to shroud his heart.

"Bang!"

A sudden whistling sound tore through the air. Burt nearly jumped out of his skin, but he reacted instantly, swinging the flashlight-mounted pistol toward the source of the noise. He pulled the trigger without hesitation, the brilliant muzzle flashes blooming like daisies in the dark. A violent vibration surged through his arm.

The blinding glare of the gunfire made Burt squint. Within the narrow sliver of his vision, he saw a deep purple, energy-like sphere streaking through the air. It was flying a bit... off-course?

"Crash!"

The crisp sound of shattering glass erupted overhead. The corridor lights, which had been dim but sufficient to illuminate the path, vanished into nothingness under the impact of the energy projectile. With the bulbs destroyed, the corridor plunged into deeper darkness. Although the numerous flashlights made it seem little different from before, a profound, malicious intent began to quietly permeate the corners where the light beams could not reach.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

As if venting their repressed anxiety, the security guards pulled their triggers frantically toward the silent gloom ahead. Spent metal casings fell in a continuous, clinking rhythm, rolling across the floor like polished mirrors until they were stained with filthy dust. After a somewhat chaotic volley, the gunfire ceased. The glowing red barrels, emitting a hissing white smoke, raised the temperature of the air.

Burt, reloading his weapon with trembling hands, turned his head to look at the Arbok behind him. Its long, thick body was coiled, its head held high, and the patterns on its hood were shifting rapidly in a dizzying display. Its warning hiss was loud and sharp, enough to make anyone’s heart race. Cold, serpentine eyes scanned the surrounding darkness, the depths of its pupils flickering with a wary light that was truly bone-chilling. The Arbok ignored the panicking men firing their guns, for it knew that the enemy lurking in the shadows was not among them.

Seeing the calm demeanor of the Arbok behind him, Burt felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, and he instantly regained his composure.

"Alert! Stay alert!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, his body tensed.

Like the sky in the deepest hours of the night, the silent air flowed quietly, and a heavy, suffocating tension filled the space between them. The harsh beams of the flashlights, swung wildly like feverish glow sticks at a concert, desperately tried to illuminate every inch of the darkness.

Silence. The previous attack seemed like a collective hallucination; the only sound in the air was the heavy, labored breathing of the group.

Suddenly, a tiny point of light appeared in an inconspicuous corner of the dark corridor.

"Confuse Ray!"

*Hum—*

Like ripples in water, a dazzling, vibrant light surged through the space at incredible speed. The eerie glow looked as if countless magnificent rainbows had been crumpled into a ball, pulverized in a blender, and then randomly stitched back together.

Disordered and chaotic. The moment Burt saw the strange, glowing patterns, his empty mind was flooded with an overwhelming sense of dizziness and nausea. The world in his eyes seemed to spin violently. His finger, resting on the trigger, went limp, and the floor beneath his feet felt as soft as clouds.

"Thud, thud!"

A series of muffled sounds echoed in the darkness as the security guards collapsed to the ground, overcome by the Confuse Ray.

*Hiss—*

An angry hiss erupted. The Arbok whipped its massive body around and lunged straight toward a patch of darkness to the side. There, a humanoid figure stood, slightly distorted within the shadows.

"Oh?" Lu Yun raised an eyebrow. "You found me?"

Coming toward him was a large glob of viscous, deep purple poison. With a flex of his calf muscles, Lu Yun leaped lightly to the side.

*Whoosh!*

The air in the darkness was torn apart, and a deep, dark purple caught his eye. Lu Yun was startled, and in his haste, he crossed his sturdy arms to protect his chest, coating his skin with the cold, ghostly energy of a suit of armor.

The next second—

*Boom!*

The Arbok’s long tail, as thick as a human waist, slammed into Lu Yun.

The terrifying, overwhelming force sent him flying instantly. Gravel sprayed and dust billowed as a large hole appeared in the corridor wall. Lu Yun propped himself up, raising an arm to wipe away the crimson blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

"That packs a punch!"

Possessing the fifty percent damage reduction of the Heart of Zamazenta, Lu Yun had only suffered minor injuries under the Arbok’s terrifying strike. A savage glint flashed in his crimson, crystalline eyes.

Before him, the patterns on the Arbok’s neck shifted frantically before suddenly freezing into a bizarre, face-like mask.

"Sucker Punch!"

Like a speeding train, brown Dark-type energy overflowed from its scales, transforming into a terrifying impact. Lu Yun narrowed his eyes and rolled to the side. The razor-sharp wind whistled past, leaving fine lacerations across his steel-like back.

The Arbok’s serpentine eyes were filled with madness. It whipped its long tail around, intending to coil around Lu Yun and pull him into its embrace. It wanted to crush this Machop before it into dust! The instincts from the depths of its serpentine bloodline surged: against prey, they would use their muscular, elongated bodies to bind them tightly, crush every bone in their bodies, and then open their dislocatable, expansive maws to swallow them whole.

"In your dreams!" Lu Yun roared. Reddish-brown, glass-like Fighting-type energy surged from the soles of his feet as he kicked fiercely toward the path of the Arbok’s tail.

The immense muscular power, enhanced by his legendary equipment and fortified by the Fighting-type energy, reached a new level. The air let out a sharp, painful screech, and the debris on the ground was pulverized by the force of his blow.

"BOOM!!!"

Purple scales shattered and flew through the air, and splatters of crimson blood rained down. The Arbok’s massive frame was sent tumbling to the side by Lu Yun’s kick, only coming to a stop after a long slide against the friction of the floor.

Slowly standing up, Lu Yun clenched his fists, dark Ghost-type energy swirling around his fingertips. He took a step forward, heading toward the Arbok, his heavy footsteps echoing through the corridor.

"Don't be in such a rush."

"The battle has only just begun..."