Vol. 5 Chapter 20: The Battle Against Dark River BOSS (Part 5)

Chapter 20: The Battle Against Dark River BOSS (Part 5)

The detail of the ring shattering did not escape Dark River's notice. A special item? With this thought, Dark River didn't feel the least bit frustrated by the failed skill activation. After all, some things had been revealed.

On the surface, the Suicide Squad of the Countermeasure Bureau consisted of only three people, with two of them being practically useless in direct combat. However, the true depth of this squad was profound; otherwise, the bureau wouldn't have sent them into Le Ping City to resolve this crisis. The strongest among them was Bing Bing, the girl who seemed capable of freezing anything. Dark River could sense that she was holding back her true power.

In comparison to Bing Bing, the other two members of the Countermeasure Bureau hadn't shown much of their capabilities. It was only known that Lao Hu had the ability to probe into people's minds. Now, something more about him was becoming clear.

"Four rings, huh? You've used one already. What do they do? They can even nullify part of my body." Dark River, although shrouded in black mist, felt as if a portion of his body had been permanently turned into mere patterns on the bridge.

The Wujiang River continued to flow, never ceasing, with water vapor constantly rising. Combined with the continuous influx of legendary factors, new black mist was formed, making Dark River take the fight seriously.

Grabbing a nearby street lamp, Dark River lifted it with ease. The previous battle had already cut off the power supply, so there were no sparks. Black mist spread over the street lamp, turning it pitch black and instantly strengthening it to the maximum.

Looking at the group in the distance, Dark River charged forward, wielding the street lamp like a spear. With all of Lu Li's memories—or rather, the shared memories between them—Dark River had also received Zhou Chu's guidance. The large street lamp was as agile as a spear in his hands, preventing the others from approaching.

Dark River shattered the fireballs launched by Xiao Zhang with the street lamp, then thrust it into Meng Xi's stomach. A swift swing knocked Luo Yan, who was trying to approach with her nimble movements, off balance. Zheng Long, using his wings, flew up and grabbed a handful of stones. Infusing them with his breaking faith, he constantly harassed Dark River.

"Annoying insects," Dark River roared, hurling the street lamp like a missile. Zheng Long, realizing the danger, frantically flapped his wings to escape. However, the black mist on the street lamp exploded under Dark River's control. The blast mixed with the lamp's fragments struck Zheng Long, knocking him unconscious and sending him crashing onto the bridge.

"Another one down. I'm done playing with you," Dark River's black mist surged around him, transforming into a massive, amorphous black entity.

The liquid-like black body sprouted numerous black tentacles, which surged toward the remaining members. From a distance, it appeared as a black river with tentacles, resembling a reverse tidal wave engulfing the survivors. The fear aura, unleashed to its full extent, broke through their defenses. The black tentacles surrounded them, and the river's crest descended upon them.

Bing Bing created an ice shield to defend, but the others struggled to survive. All were engulfed by the black river, leading to their deaths. This time, Dark River's attack was merciless, leaving no room for heroic comebacks.

Standing further away, Lao Hu watched the black river surge toward him. The fear aura had no effect on him. Considering his trump card and the approaching black river, Lao Hu calmly instructed Xiao Mi, "Use two rings to negate everyone's deaths. Use the last ring to negate Fu Bin's cowardice and selfishness."

The black river enveloped everyone, and Lao Hu perished.

In the next moment, the rings in Xiao Mi's hand shattered, and the black river disappeared. Time seemed to rewind, or rather, the established fact of their deaths was negated. The black river reverted to black mist, gathering behind Dark River.

Xiao Zhang and the others, puzzled, opened their eyes and began coughing. They remembered the black mist river engulfing them, invading their bodies like living creatures, before losing consciousness. "Weren't we dead?"

Lao Hu patted his chest, coughing slightly. The sensation of dying wasn't pleasant. He quickly looked toward the bridge pillar where the Shadow Assassin remained pinned by a spear.

On the bridge, Bing Bing controlled the frozen air. Surveying the scene, she lowered her defenses, understanding what had happened. The four rings Xiao Mi had were special items issued specifically for this mission in Le Ping City: the Rings of Negation.

The rings' function was to negate most established facts. They couldn't negate a person's existence, meaning they couldn't simply erase Dark River. If the target resisted strongly, the negation would fail or the effect would change.

The Rings of Negation nullified the fact of Xiao Zhang and the others' deaths but couldn't negate the cause of their deaths. The rings' power wasn't enough to eliminate Dark River, so the black river reverted to black mist.

The black mist that had settled on the bridge still existed. If it had been entirely negated, the black patterns would have disappeared, not just lost their effect. In short, the rings cleverly negated the existence of the black mist.

Meanwhile, Fu Bin experienced a unique transformation. With his mental barriers shattered by Dark River, he faced his inner self and broke down, loathing his character. When the rings' power negated parts of his personality, he didn't resist; instead, he welcomed the change as atonement.

Fu Bin's cowardice and selfishness were negated. The reborn Fu Bin, dragging his half-crippled body, stood up with newfound resolve. Without those personality traits hindering him, his belief underwent a dramatic change. This time, he wasn't constructing mental barriers but wholly dedicating himself to a cause.

"I want to atone, to make this world a better place. I want to stop the ugly things from continuing. For that, I'm willing to give everything. I want to be a hero of justice!"

White wings sprouted once more from Fu Bin's back.