Apocalypse Gachapon Chapter 2026: Hostage

A sharp, splitting headache afflicted nearly everyone due to the abrupt mental shock. Those with lesser strength or weaker mental resilience crumpled to the ground, their cries filled with anguish. Cut off from the world, they were consumed solely by pain and terror.

Within mere seconds, some had already succumbed, losing consciousness.

However, this dispersed mental energy, unlike the materialized spear from before, did not carry a fatal intensity. Its effect on the experts was fleeting, lasting only an instant. The remaining members of the Huo'er Star team, recovering from their captain's sudden demise, quickly regained composure. Under their deputy captain's command, they had already advanced to a position perilously close to Ye Zhongming.

They harbored no belief that he could unleash such a devastating materialized mental energy attack once more.

And indeed, Ye Zhongming could no longer employ that specific killing technique, though he possessed others.

Shrouded in black mist, Ye Zhongming advanced a single step. Instantly, two identical phantoms materialized around his form. With his second stride, the number of these shadows doubled.

By the time he engaged his adversaries, Ye Zhongming had completed five steps, and a total of forty-eight dark specters had emerged. These phantoms formed a ring, occupying every corner of the hall, effectively intercepting the charging Huo'er Star warriors. Much like on the Novice battlefield, they mirrored Ye Zhongming's movements, attacking in unison with him.

At this juncture, Ye Zhongming was in a transformed state, his Furelai having doubled, now nearing the hundred-thousand mark!

It wasn't that he was incapable of surpassing one hundred thousand even after consuming numerous elixirs; rather, one hundred thousand Furelai represented a critical threshold. To cross it meant ascending to the ranks of legendary experts among the cosmic races—a fundamentally different level of existence.

Such a transcendent realm necessitated a profound, lifelong comprehension of energy, the universe, and all existence, cultivated to an exceptionally high degree.

An individual like Ye Zhongming, who relied entirely on external aids, could not attain this pinnacle.

Nevertheless, a Ye Zhongming boasting ninety-nine hundred ninety-nine Furelai remained an indomitable force within this arena.

With a solitary punch, he caved in the chest of the deputy captain. It bears noting that the deputy captain was clad in formidable battle armor.

The grievous injury immediately incapacitated the deputy captain, causing him to collapse. Ye Zhongming stepped over his prone form and pressed onward.

While these spectral duplicates might not wield the same might as his true self, they were far from weak. If quantified in Furelai, they might each represent an existence surpassing fifty thousand.

The hall was not expansive to begin with. These shadowy figures struck from all directions. Regardless of who stood in their path—be it the Huo'er Star warriors or the denizens of Darkstrip City's Eight Great Powers—they were all targeted. Those possessing lesser strength could not withstand even a single blow.

Cries of alarm and agony began to echo as the realization dawned: this was a brutal slaughter!

"Target the main body!"

A Huo'er Star combatant, possessing relatively higher strength, perceived the critical vulnerability and bellowed, inciting his comrades to charge Ye Zhongming. They believed that eliminating the true body would naturally resolve the present crisis.

However, after enduring heavy losses and finally reaching Ye Zhongming's vicinity, they discovered chains of water continuously descending upon their target. Their assaults... failed to even breach the watery barriers.

Though the Changxu Water Race might not be renowned for their combat prowess, when these individuals, blessed with naturally high Furelai, deployed their signature techniques, the defensive capabilities became virtually impenetrable.

In his enhanced, transformed state, Ye Zhongming's swiftness between attacks suffered a slight reduction. He could eliminate an opponent with a single decisive blow, but found it challenging to evade counterattacks from other foes in a timely manner.

Sustaining too many hits, even his transformed state might prove insufficient for survival.

Therefore, the Changxu Water Race found their crucial role. These five individuals' water chains, unlike He's earlier chains when she possessed only slightly over a thousand Furelai, offered unparalleled protection.

Adjacent to Ye Zhongming, the invaders could not penetrate his defenses, yet Ye Zhongming required merely one precise strike to end their lives.

A punch, a kick, an elbow, or a knee—each precise movement claimed a life.

The Huo'er Star warriors who committed to the charge faced utter despair. They could only watch as their companions were annihilated one after another, before their own turn inevitably arrived. The clansmen belonging to the Eight Great Powers also attempted to mount a defense, but their might paled even in comparison to the shadow clones. Today, no true clan veterans were present; only the younger generation comprised their forces. Their protective gear, while visually striking, offered little substance, and lacking any weaponry, their fate was sealed as death.

Escape attempts were not unheard of, but the prevailing chaos made them futile. With some desperate to retreat and others driven to charge forward, combined with equally divergent left and right movements, the scene devolved into utter disarray. Pursuing them like caged tigers, the pursuing shadows clung relentlessly, leaving their prey with only the option to cry for help.

Sadly, all signals in the vicinity had already been jammed...

As the intense conflict within the grand hall finally subsided, every warrior from Huo'er Star lay deceased. Not a single soul among them had managed to escape or surrender; they had all fallen in their final stand, their gazes fixed upon Ye Zhongming even in death.

Even as adversaries, these tenacious opponents garnered Ye Zhongming's profound respect.

The remaining six combatants were from the Eight Powers coalition. Each held a slave from the Changxu Water Race hostage, their hands gripped around the captives' necks visibly trembling.

The entire hall was a grim tableau, strewn with the fallen.

Beyond these few, no other living souls remained.

Given that Ye Zhongming and his shadow constructs had engaged with lethal force, striking with fists and feet, the resulting corpses were largely mangled – some bearing caved-in torsos, others with limbs violently detached.

The metallic tang of blood hung heavy in the air, almost a palpable presence.

Originally numbering over a hundred from Huo'er Star, dozens of the establishment's attendants, approximately a hundred individuals from the Eight Powers, and several from minor races – now, only these scattered few endured.

"Release them, and I will permit your departure," Ye Zhongming declared, his form veiled in swirling black mist, his voice resonating with a sinister, chilling undertone.

"Nay, we shall release them only upon our own exit," the survivors countered, their minds evidently sharp enough to see through the ploy.

A brief silence stretched, after which Ye Zhongming voluntarily dispersed the obscuring black mist, reverting to his original appearance. He looked as though he had been pulled from a pool of blood.

Simultaneously, the black mist clones vanished, significantly bolstering the survivors' fragile sense of security.

After all, Ye Zhongming's immediate contingent now consisted of merely six individuals, and Ye Zhongming himself appeared to be in dire physical condition.

The Changxu Water Race members not held captive watched from the sidelines, their faces etched with worry for their companions.

Their powers were sealed, rendering them utterly helpless.

"You may depart. Once you reach safety, make sure to release them."

Upon hearing Ye Zhongming's words, the group exchanged glances before cautiously guiding their hostages toward the exit. Ye Zhongming and his companions stepped aside, clearing a path to the door.

As one individual passed by Ye Zhongming, a sudden thought seemed to strike them. After a moment's hesitation, they clenched their jaw, abruptly released their hostage, and unleashed the most powerful punch of their life directly at Ye Zhongming!

This was because the Novice First... appeared to have completely exhausted their combat power...