Apocalypse Gachapon Chapter 1852: Twist

The fights that followed and the shifts in the surroundings no longer concerned Ye Zhongming.

Doubts lingered in his mind, and he appeared to have gleaned certain clues from his previous glance at Helsky, yet Ye Zhongming chose to set those thoughts aside.

He understood that regardless of the truth, he needed to confront the pair standing before him.

Frankly speaking, even though he and the Hawkins duo had never clashed in a true life-or-death struggle, he realized these two could be the strongest foes he had faced since reaching nine-star evolution.

Today, a decisive result might finally emerge.

To put it precisely, Ye Zhongming wasn't at his peak state right now. After all, two lingering effects from Naka's curse still influenced him. While they didn't directly diminish his fighting ability, they imposed a subtle burden.

Combined with the disadvantageous circumstances, this created an unseen form of strain.

Yet in this instant, Ye Zhongming's attention sharpened intensely. His mimicry combat weapon shifted into blade mode in his grip. Gathering every bit of his power, he slashed downward with savage force toward the couple beneath him.

Regardless of how cutting Aimusi's remarks had been, she proved herself a genuine battle master. She angled her long spear skyward, unleashing a massive spear phantom from the weapon to clash against Ye Zhongming's strike.

Hawkins had long synced his actions with Aimusi's. Witnessing his wife's maneuver, he wasted no time and dropped into a sturdy stance once more. The golden armor encasing him glowed even more intensely. His combat sword hovered mid-air, and as he unleashed a deliberate punch, it surged upward, shattering through invisible barriers toward the heavens.

During their prior encounter with Ye Zhongming, Hawkins had deployed this technique. It fit his supportive assault style perfectly. Still, once fully powered, the blade's unleashed might rivaled the mechanical spear wielded by Aimusi.

Ye Zhongming abruptly shut his eyes, causing Aimusi and Hawkins, who tracked their adversary intently, to feel a chill run through them.

Such an action from a foe usually signaled the onset of a powerful technique.

Indeed, a pair of dark figures mirroring him materialized abruptly on Ye Zhongming's flanks.

This technique once more? The Hawkins pair scoffed inwardly. They had endured it before; would they fall for it twice?

They were ready this time.

These dark figures, when they burst, released a minor toxin. It irritated like a vision blocker but posed no deadly threat. The real nuisance lay in the psychic jolt. In combat, even a brief distraction could spell disaster.

Thus, upon heading back to base, the Hawkins duo had prepared thoroughly. They ingested antidote pills ahead of time and upgraded the devices in their eyes to top-tier models with unique capabilities. Among these was enhanced vision in low-light conditions.

For psychic assaults, their solution involved embedding a chip into their brains—a procedure akin to minor surgery—that disrupted, or rather artificially blocked, the brain's reception of outside mental energies.

With these measures, they could largely dismiss Ye Zhongming's ability.

Observing him conjure two more, they dismissed the threat entirely. Deep down, they even wished he would summon additional ones to drain his mental reserves further.

Ye Zhongming's assault smashed into Aimusi's counter. The collision erupted in blinding light, casting glow over a wide swath of the nearby ocean.

Seawater surged outward in all directions, birthing rippling circles of waves.

Crack!

A sharp noise echoed from the speedboat beneath Aimusi's feet. The vessel's frame splintered under the overwhelming force.

Ye Zhongming's form shot backward nearly beyond his control, but a grin crept across his face.

"Not right, he didn't activate his bloodline!"

In that instant, the same suspicion struck both Aimusi and Hawkins.

Then, a colossal counterforce erupted from below them.

They battled upon the waves. Ye Zhongming struck from overhead, amplifying his already superior might.

Aimusi possessed great strength too. Bolstered by her purple armor, she single-handedly absorbed Ye Zhongming's blow. Yet one detail both she and Hawkins overlooked was their watery battlefield.

On solid earth, she might channel the impact into the soil, cracking it at worst, embedding herself slightly, and carving out a crater.

But here on the sea, her footing rested on that mechanical speedboat, with the ocean's surface lurking below.

The energy flowed first through her frame into the boat, then plunged into the depths.

Those familiar with such dynamics understand that pressing down firmly on a broad board atop water triggers a rebound. The harder the press, the fiercer the pushback.

The speedboat endured similarly. Rather than shattering outright under the immense strain, it merely fractured—a testament to its solid build—while absorbing the rebound. In a flash, the defiant seawater launched the hull skyward.

And right there, the four dark figures Ye Zhongming had called forth remained stationary.

Events unfolded swiftly. The ocean's undulations introduced a tiny miscalculation for the Hawkins pair, delaying their response until after the backlash hurled Ye Zhongming away. Only then did Hawkins' sword thrust toward the sky, missing its mark entirely.

"Be careful!"

Hawkins bellowed, planted his foot on the speedboat, vaulted away, and seized Aimusi in his arms. Together, they plummeted from the elevated side of the vessel into the sea below.

As they descended, the duo glimpsed the four dark figures detonating abruptly. Black fog billowed, though sparingly. No poison lingered, no psychic wave hit, yet swarms of razor-edged bone shards erupted forth, piercing like needles. In moments, they riddled the speedboat completely.

Horror reflected in the couple's mutual gaze. Had they stayed aboard, this cunning barrage would have struck them. It might not prove lethal, but injuries were certain. A hit to the eyes... Moreover, their armor would suffer heavy wear.

With defenses weakened and their opponent yet to unleash his bloodline, their position would turn hopelessly dire.

Before the pair could react further, cries for aid rang out from afar. They broke the surface and spotted Ye Zhongming soaring toward his two recent allies. Activating his bloodline now, he plunged into their skirmish against a fierce woman like a rampaging beast.

Pain forced their eyes shut. They recognized that Bola and Botu were doomed.

What deepened their hopelessness went beyond that. Yaka's furious howl echoed next. Turning their view, they beheld Wade and Yaka locked in a frantic duel with Helsky and Yang Tuo. Nearby, the lead Spiral Fish's body bobbed lifelessly amid the swells.