34 Torturous Mutilation
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Apollo's desperate eyes glistened with newfound hope as he gazed upon the pouch in his hand. As he opened it, the system generated an expansive list of items. However, he ignored every single one until his sights fell upon one item's name.
"Mortal Lightning Imprisonment Talisman? This sounds like it could be of use," Apollo muttered while skimming the contents of its information. In a short moment, a fervent gleam passed through his eyes, "This is it, this is our way out of this perilous situation!"
[Hoh? You've managed to find a saving grace? How interesting, a lucky demon is something unprecedented, heh. Since you have the means, start reversing this hopeless situation.]
A purple talisman laid within Apollo's hands donning gold inscriptions and a black border. The flow of the strokes was seamless, unperturbed by boundaries, which was a feat only achieved after years of honing one's craft. This was a clear indication that the grading of this item was by no means low. In fact, what the system generated stupefied Apollo.
「Item Name: Full Lightning Impound Talisman
Rank: Tier 3 Talisman
Grade: III
Usage: Capable of summoning a lightning prison filled with arcing lightning attacks equivalent to a Rank 9 Zul Commander. As long as the target is weaker than the stored power, it will perish.
[«Grade Bonus»]-
«Grade I» - Increases the maximum range of lightning imprisonment to 30 square meters.
«Grade II» - Shortens the time until entrapment to 5 seconds.
«Grade III» - Allows the imprisonment to be split into 4, quadrupling the ensnaring capabilities. 」
...
The talisman in his hand was the work of a master talisman maker and one imbued with the lightning element at that! Just the effects alone were simply lifesaving because any existence under the peak of the Zul Commander level would be eradicated.
In other words, this talisman was capable of combatting almost all Rank 3 and below Spirit Beasts.
[Oh this talisman… It's absolutely what you need. However, you'll still need to last for 5 seconds while it activates. Do you understand what that entails? You'll have to engage in combat with these beasts for 5 seconds. Are you capable?]
"Honestly, at this moment it isn't a matter of if I'm capable but rather, I have to do this. My survival is at stake here. Either way, if I don't try, I'm doomed," Apollo responded.
With the plan already in motion, Apollo slapped the talisman on the devastated ground before him. A small ripple undulated, causing the beasts to pause.
A small frown appeared on Apollo's face because it pained him to relinquish such a valuable item. Although it could have proved useful in the future, it posed no benefit if he wasn't alive to experience that future.
Afterward, the danger hidden within the ripple instigated their predatory and survival instincts. The beasts gazed murderously at Apollo.
Left with no other choice, Apollo raised the Dark Cutter and welcomed the beast's onslaught. With no time to ruminate over his decision, Apollo made a step in retreat.
"Awwwwoooo!"
"Roooaggrh…"
But, the beasts roared and reached his position in an instant. Apollo was forced to dodge their fierce swipes to the best of his ability, often throwing himself to the ground.
After all, with the current condition of his body, his options for movement were severely limited. Regrettably, his acts caused sharp rocks to puncture his body and drained his health meter quicker.
Yet, he rathered this predicament than being torn shreds under the ire of these infuriated beasts.
On the other hand, his time spent in battle felt like an eternity. Usually, it would pass by quickly, but with the speed of the beasts and the dire situation he was in, each second felt like a minute.
Not to mention, staying within the scope of the lightning prison posed another restriction for him. The smaller the area to dodge, the easier it was for these to frightening beasts to close the distance.
"Damn...it's just 2 more seconds. I can survive!" Apollo snarled. The accumulated damage had already rendered his right arm unusable. With only his left remaining for use, Apollo glared at the beasts while the echo of his blood dripping to the ground echoed in his ear.
Finally, both sides made a move.
Whoosh!
Clang!
Apollo backpedaled the moment his knife made contact with their closed and flew towards the talisman. Before he could even land the beasts pounced. Since he needed to defend, he raised his left arm out of instant.
Crack!
"Ssst," Apollo inhaled sharply when he felt the bone in his left forearm snap.
〈System Alert: Damage received reaching critical levels. Only 10% of your health remains.〉
Despite the warning, an unyielding light appeared within Apollo's gaze. Since his arms were virtually useless, Apollo looked at them with demonic fury blazing in his eyes. A faint aura, a mixture of black and purple, seeped from his eyes.
However, before he could act upon his rage, small crackling sounds emitted from the talisman on the floor.
Zzzt! Zzzt! Krrrrrr!
Boom!
A large violet pulse radiated from the talisman, traveling towards all individuals in the area. However, when it recognized Apollo's aura, it didn't encase him, only focusing on the panther and wolf.
Instantly, two cages of rapidly shrinking lightning encased the two beasts, but the talisman's effects weren't instantaneous. There was still a window for the beasts to react.
Indignant roars boomed in Apollo's ears when they sensed the threat of death from the lightning bars of the cage. Two alarming inundations of blazing and tempestuous auras appeared as they launched suicidal attacks.
If they were unable to live, then they would take all participants of the battle with them.
BOOOM!
A loud explosion sounded as they bombarded the lightning prisons with attacks that would otherwise appall new cultivators. The ground they stood on was destroyed, yet the cages remained! Unfortunately, a violent wind blade managed to escape through the gaps in one of the sections.
It closed rapidly on its intended target—Apollo! He dodged the moment he sensed the attack, but with his battered body, it wasn't enough. In fact, this attack wasn't something he could dodge even in his peak state.
Pucht!
The wind blade landed on his body albeit not properly. While it wasn't a complete dodge, his movement mitigated the nigh absolute danger. Nevertheless, a gruesome scene unfolded—his left arm hung limply by a few threads of flesh. Any deeper and his arm would have been severed!
"A-aggghh!" Apollo howled as he clutched his shoulder, writhing in pain with a scar-ridden body. Even the pendant wasn't potent enough to heal such extensive damage quickly.
All he could do was kneel over and withstand the pain to the best of his ability until it healed.
Krrrrklee! Boom!
Another disturbingly loud sound echoed in the forest, but this time it was an implosion rather than an explosion. The lightning cages imploded and destructive lightning incinerated the bodies of the Spirit Beast.
Just like that, as Apollo laid in pain, the bodies of the Spirit Beast laid lifeless on a ground filled with scorch marks.
Naturally, this would be an experience Apollo would never forget. In an instant, he had nearly lost a limb and perished all at the same time. Seconds soon turned into minutes, which then turned into hours.
Yet, not a single soul approached the area.
After all, traces of the Zul Commander-level attack lingered in the vicinity. Due to the hierarchy of the world, seldom did beasts challenge things stronger than them unless they possessed a death wish.
Meanwhile, the pendant healed Apollo's health to a suitable degree. However, his arm still remained mutilated, attached by a few measly tendons, "E-eugh… why isn't the pendant healing this?"
[It is. It's just...you suffered more damage than the interface reveals. This isn't an injury that can be healed in a night. You'll have to pause training. In the meantime, collect what you can and leave the area. It's unclear just what might have been alerted.]
"I... I can't move well yet," Apollo answered as he gripped his arm, still limping towards the dead carcasses of the Spirit Beast. Although the bodies were charred, an object not far from their bodies shimmered with a vibrant crimson hue, unaffected by the lightning strikes.
The appearance of the object restored light to Apollo's grim expression.
