CHAPTER 32: CHAPTER 32 WEAKNESS IS THE ORIGINAL SIN

EDITOR: ENDLESSFANTASY TRANSLATION

"Xinyu, Xiangwen, everyone, pay attention. These clones aren’t what we understand them to be. Xiangwen’s clones split his Star Power evenly between two bodies, but their fundamental abilities like strength and speed don’t diminish. However, this person is different. It’s less like he has clones and more like different expressions of the same being. His Star Power, his strength, and his speed are all a constant, fixed quantity. Whether he splits into ten or five, his overall power remains unchanged. He can adjust the strength of each individual clone to counter each of our attacks. But no matter how he allocates his power, his total is only at the Star Cloud stage."

As Wang Lan’s words fell, Jiang Xinyu’s eyes immediately lit up. As long as they could analyze the enemy’s abilities, they’d have a chance of devising tactics to win.

Xu Xiangwen instantly created two clones and intensified his attack. "Lanzi, nicely done! Hehehe, I thought his clones were like mine, but they’re not! With my two clones now, my power has doubled! Come on if you dare! Hahaha... We are not the same!"

As his laughter subsided, the two Xu Xiangwens instantly began swinging their Two-handed Great Swords, whirring like windmills as they charged the purple-haired man. Left with no choice, the purple-haired man created another clone to go one-on-one with one of Xu Xiangwen’s clones.

But in that instant, Wang Lan and the others clearly sensed that the strength of the purple-haired man facing them had significantly decreased.

"’It’s just as I thought!’" Gong Feiyu exclaimed joyfully.

"I can’t believe you analyzed my ability in just one minute! You brat, you can’t be left alive! Perish!"

Suddenly, the man’s aura surged violently, and Wang Lan hurriedly switched to a defensive stance. The descending blade carried an imposing air, much like a flashy online video clip with brilliant skill effects that ultimately delivered the weakest damage. Before the blow landed, it indeed gave Wang Lan a great scare; his heart leaped into his throat. But when it did land, it felt as if a child had playfully tapped him with a wooden stick.

In an instant, a jolt shot up Wang Lan’s spine as he realized the purple-haired man’s intent. His eyes frantically swept towards Jiang Xinyu and Xu Xiangwen. But as his gaze swept over them, Xu Xiangwen’s blade had already severed his opponent’s head, Jiang Xinyu’s sword had pierced her opponent’s throat, and even Gong Feiyu had kicked his opponent flying.

The enemies facing those three weakened instantly. That means only one thing: the enemy in front of one of us has suddenly become stronger!

In a rush of panic, Wang Lan whirled and flung his combat blade towards the distant clone of the purple-haired man behind him.

"Wang Youle, retreat—!"

SLICE—

A large head soared into the sky.

Wang Lan’s warning came too late. The purple-haired man’s clone facing Wang Youle experienced an instant surge in strength, shattering Wang Youle’s defenses with devastating ease. Then, with a swift stroke, it decapitated him. Bright red blood sprayed through the air like a mist. A look of shock remained frozen on Wang Youle’s face, as if he couldn’t believe he had been killed just like that.

CLANG—

The clone suddenly raised its hand, deflecting Wang Lan’s thrown blade. At that moment, this purple-haired man’s appearance began to shift; the raised arm no longer resembled a human hand but was covered with hard, brown, chitinous plates.

Seeing this, Jiang Xinyu and the others simultaneously gasped.

"Demon Clan!"

"Hehehe... You were able to analyze my ability, but how will you counter my tactics? My clones are a more advanced version than those of you Star Martial Warriors. For example, that boy there—if his clone is killed, he loses half his Star Power. But I never have to worry about my strength being reduced. No matter how many clones I make, I am still me."

Wang Lan immediately pulled out a signal flare, but the Demon was well-prepared. It gave Wang Lan no time to activate the flare, instantly closing in on him. The moment battle erupted near Wang Lan, the fight near Jiang Xinyu and the others reignited.

"Kid, you’re clever. Now, care to guess which of your teammates will die next?"

The Demon’s taunting voice echoed, trying to disturb Wang Lan’s composure.

Wang Lan lunged forward, his fist striking out like lightning.

"Inch Strength Fist—!"

BOOM—

Just as the Demon was about to speak, its eyes bulged, bloodshot, staring at Wang Lan. Wang Lan’s Inch Strength Fist was a more lethal technique than his combat blade.

VMMM—

The figure before him instantly split into another clone, while the one Wang Lan had struck suddenly burst like an overinflated balloon.

"Disappointed, aren’t you? In a way, I possess an Undying Body!" the Demon said proudly, a smile playing on its lips, but its eyes filled with cold, murderous intent. "You care a lot about that girl, don’t you? How about I kill her?"

"That depends on whether you have the ability!" Jiang Xinyu retorted coldly from the side. In an instant, Star Martial Skills of three different attributes erupted one after another, and the battlefield was immediately submerged in ice and snow.

Although Wang Lan wasn’t swayed by the Demon’s words, after Wang Youle’s death, the Demon’s clones had indeed become much stronger. Moreover, they could concentrate their full strength for an attack regardless of distance.

To put it bluntly, this is an almost unsolvable situation.

The Demon can instantly concentrate most of its power into one clone, then gather all its strength into a single strike to kill another one of us. Afterward, with only three of us left to face its clones, their individual strength will increase again.

Just as the Demon said, it can kill off our team one by one. Who will be its next target? Definitely not Jiang Xinyu or me. Between Xu Xiangwen and Gong Feiyu, it’s more likely to be Xu Xiangwen.

Xu Xiangwen’s clones allow him to double his close combat strength; he’s the team’s melee backbone. Wang Lan knew how unfavorable the current situation was. His mind raced, trying to cope with the enemy’s increasingly strong attacks while desperately searching for a countermeasure.

"Do you remember passionate basketball from junior high?" Wang Lan suddenly shouted.

"Lanzi, this is no time for nostalgia! What we do now is critical! One more attack like that, and we’re done for!" Xu Xiangwen cried out urgently.

"Xiangwen, quiet down! Lanzi wouldn’t bring up basketball for no reason," Gong Feiyu said hastily.

"Soccer isn’t a one-man sport, and neither is basketball! We agreed this was a team fight, so why has it turned into a series of solo duels?"

As Wang Lan’s words registered, Jiang Xinyu’s eyes lit up.

"I get it!"

"I get it too!" Gong Feiyu quickly exclaimed.

"I... I..." Xu Xiangwen stammered.

"Do you understand or not, damn it?!" Wang Lan roared.

"Mostly, I think... But, where’s the ball?"

"What ball, you idiot! What’s that in your hand?"

"The signal flare?" Xu Xiangwen asked, raising it.

Thinking Xu Xiangwen was about to send a signal, the Demon clone reacted instantly, kicking the signal flare out of his hand. But this momentary disruption in rhythm gave Wang Lan the fleeting opportunity he needed.

Forcing back the Demon clone in front of him with a punch, Wang Lan instantly turned and rushed towards Xu Xiangwen. He paid no mind to the Demon clone pursuing him from behind.

We’re a team, not individuals fighting solo. We lost sight of that because we each had our own opponent. But that was the wrong mindset. A team is a team, whether facing one enemy or many.

I can trust my teammates to cover my back. And they can trust me to handle the dangers they face.

After his signal flare was kicked away, Xu Xiangwen instantly retreated three meters, creating distance. So, Xu Xiangwen’s earlier dumbfounded look, as if he hadn’t understood, was just an act!

That guy’s only hobby is basketball; how could he not understand what I meant? Seeing Xu Xiangwen immediately break through the Demon clone’s attempt to block him, Wang Lan felt reassured and instantly threw the signal flare towards him.

Seeing this, the Demon clone’s expression changed drastically. Wielding its war blade, it viciously pursued Xu Xiangwen. The main reason I’m using these clone tactics is to stop them from sending a signal!

Once the Star Martial Army gets here, they’ll definitely search the area. What if they search the canyon and find that blasted-out cave? Repairing it would take at least a day!

But just as the Demon clone charged towards Xu Xiangwen, a figure instantly darted in front of it.

"Inch Strength Fist—!"

BOOM—

Perhaps the Demon clone hadn’t noticed Wang Lan charging so abruptly, or maybe it simply couldn’t spare the attention to guard against him. In any case, Wang Lan’s punch landed so fast that the Demon clone couldn’t even attempt to block before being struck squarely in the chest.

BOOM—

Under the impact of Wang Lan’s Three Strengths in a Fist, the Demon clone’s chest armor shattered. The force pierced through its body, instantly obliterating its internal organs. He had activated Three Strengths in a Fist, tripling the power of his Inch Strength Fist. Although it didn’t consume Star Power, the strain on Wang Lan’s body was immense. He wouldn’t use it unless absolutely necessary. Though the punch had instantly killed the Demon clone, Wang Lan’s hand bones were now riddled with fractures.

But at that moment, the Demon clone behind Wang Lan attacked. This strike was deadly enough to claim Wang Lan’s life. The Demon clone’s blade plunged viciously towards Wang Lan’s back, and just as its tip was about to pierce his skin, Jiang Xinyu’s ice spike arrived. Instantly, the Demon clone behind Wang Lan was impaled by the ice spike.

SWOOSH—

Simultaneously, Xu Xiangwen successfully caught the signal flare thrown by Wang Lan. He quickly pulled the igniter, and the flare launched successfully, streaking towards the sky.

"Damn it—!" The true Demon’s face turned pitch black. The Demon, which had maintained a humanoid form, now completely unleashed its power. Its bone armor turned jet black, and fierce flames instantly erupted around it. Its speed exploded, and it transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards Jiang Xinyu’s face. A blazing flame erupted from its mouth, forming a Kylin that charged at her. In her haste, Jiang Xinyu conjured the Extreme Wall of Water.

BOOM—

The blast wave roiled, engulfing Jiang Xinyu. Scalding hot steam instantly scorched her face, causing countless blisters to erupt. Despite the intense agony, Jiang Xinyu didn’t utter a single sound of pain. Her eyes narrowed, and in their depths, a cold glint flashed. A sharp blade gleam appeared reflected in her eyes, directly before her face. In that instant, the hairs on the back of Jiang Xinyu’s neck stood on end.

CLANG—

With a crisp sound, Wang Lan’s punch knocked the blade aside, rescuing Jiang Xinyu in the nick of time, just as she faced certain death. But immediately after, an armored spike shot through the air, viciously impaling Wang Lan’s chest.

A spray of blood blossomed in the air, warm droplets falling on Jiang Xinyu’s face like rain.

The sight of Wang Lan impaled by the spike, lifted into the air, shattered Jiang Xinyu’s heart. Boundless anger and sorrow instantly overwhelmed her.

"AHHH—!"

A shrill scream, like the mournful cry of a winter cicada, tore from her. Jiang Xinyu’s Star Power suddenly surged violently around her.