Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 487 - 485 Fierce Fight

In the center of the Inner Ring, the battle between Luo Dan and the Nightmare Demon had reached a fever pitch when suddenly, seven Seventh Tier masters appeared behind the Nightmare Demon.

They surrounded the Nightmare Demon in a fan-shaped formation, poised for a pincer attack.

One of them turned to Luo Dan and said, "Your Holiness, the Pope, even though many barriers and conflicts exist between us, we are, and always will be, people of the Inner Ring.

"Since we are people of the Inner Ring, it is only natural that we do something for the Inner Ring.

"Perhaps some have not arrived tonight, but as a Seventh Tier of the Inner Ring, I have come."

"As have I!"

"Me too."

These Inner Ring Seventh Tiers echoed in agreement.

Luo Dan watched this and, looking up slightly, declared, "It seems the Inner Ring of today has not yet reached a point beyond redemption.

Since you are willing to fight alongside me, very well. We shall cooperate today and slay this monster!"

Watching the Inner Ring denizens, united by a common hatred, the Nightmare Demon suddenly burst into wild laughter—a sound both wild and somewhat tragic. Her body, in the midst of her laughter, gradually shrank from its previously enlarged Nightmare warhorse form to that of a horned, semi-bestial humanoid.

This smaller form was better suited for the impending battle.

"Your united outcry, in my eyes, is like the tolling of your own death knell," the Nightmare Demon sneered.

"Why do you think I dared to come here alone?

It’s because I, too, have allies!"

ROAR!

The Nightmare Demon let out a long howl towards the sky.

A crimson shadow streaked across the heavens, instantly landing amidst the seven masters of the Inner Ring.

BOOM!

Lava mixed with steam erupted around them, the ground instantly melting as if a volcano had awakened.

Facing such an attack, these individuals had no choice but to take flight.

But the moment they ascended, they became prime targets for Lu Luo.

The figure in the crowd holding a sword suddenly lowered it. If everyone is here today, then no one leaves.

Lu Luo brought his hands together, and Sequence Force began to gush from his being.

The shadow of the Doomsday Disc suddenly descended upon everyone’s heads.

Facing seven opponents alone was an utterly preposterous feat, yet Lu Luo charged in fearlessly at that very moment.

"Thousand-Eyed Demon—Eye Beam!"

As the Doomsday Disc vanished, a colossal eyeball materialized in the sky.

Countless red beams rained down from above.

The masters each executed their strongest defenses to withstand the assault of the eye beams.

Red steam mingled with white lightning began to surge around Lu Luo.

Like a ferocious beast, he lunged towards one of them.

BOOM!

His swelling fist nearly shattered the person’s energy defense. But Seventh Tiers were Seventh Tiers, after all. The Inner Ring’s Seventh Tiers were even stronger in energy than their Imperial counterparts.

Therefore, Lu Luo’s punch did not fell the man but merely knocked him back.

However, this retreat destabilized his energy shield.

The eye beam from the sky instantly locked onto him; a red ray pierced his chest, shattering his sternum and viscera.

Regrettably, it hadn’t pierced his heart. Otherwise, that one attack could have completely nullified a Seventh Tier’s combat strength.

"Such quick reactions!"

Lu Luo’s dominance left them somewhat bewildered; some had even seen him a few years prior.

But this rate of growth was beyond incredible.

It was simply unbelievable, something they refused to accept.

"You... are you really Lu Luo?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Whether I am or not, what can you do about it? At this point, does my identity hold any further significance?"

Lu Luo’s words left them at a loss. In their minds, just a few years ago, wasn’t Lu Luo supposed to be one of their own?

"Lu Luo, aren’t you one of us?"

"When did I become one of you? I, Lu Luo, have always been a man of the Fourth Ring—the disheveled, looked-down-upon man of the Fourth Ring. Ludie once told me not to assume that people from the Inner Ring would accept someone from the Fourth Ring. I think he was right. Don’t you agree?"

Lu Luo wasted no more words. After speaking, he charged into the crowd once more.

Today was the day to settle things with the Inner Ring, once and for all.

Meanwhile, the Nightmare Demon single-handedly intercepted Luo Dan, who was attempting to aid her allies.

"Your Holiness, our battle is not yet over!"

Luo Dan clutched the emblem on her chest. In a one-on-one confrontation, she was no longer a match for the Nightmare Demon.

At this point, it seemed she had no other options.

Sacrificing her life to summon the Forerunners—this was undoubtedly her final option.

"To think that the Inner Ring has truly come to this. Nightmare Demon, do you believe you’ve won?"

"Whether I’ve won is not yet clear. But Luo Dan, have you ever considered why today’s events have transpired?"

"Hmm? Then tell me, why exactly?"

"Have you ever considered the reason for my birth?"

"Your birth?"

"My father and mother were actually Hunters from the Fourth Ring. They once led a peaceful and happy life.

"But due to your persecution, it led to their ultimate demise and the destruction of our family.

"And my birth stemmed from that absolute hatred.

"I killed my own father with my own hands. But fortunately, my father redeemed me with his own blood.

"He made me understand the meaning of my existence, rather than becoming a slave to power.

"So, the Inner Ring’s fate today is entirely of your own making."

The Nightmare Demon’s accusations left Luo Dan speechless, for everything the Nightmare Demon said was true.

The sacrifice of the Fruit of Life, the exploitation of the Fourth Ring—these actions were all orchestrated by the Inner Ring’s decision-makers.

Though these matters could not be openly discussed, they were consistently implemented within the Inner Ring.

And indeed, the Nightmare Demon was born as a result.

So, when the Nightmare Demon asserted that the Inner Ring’s current predicament was due to its own failings, she was not wrong.

"It’s pointless to talk about this now, Lu Xiaotian. What I want to tell you is, you haven’t won yet! Don’t celebrate too soon."

Luo Dan abruptly crushed her Pope’s emblem. The moment it shattered, a power that had been sealed for ages suddenly erupted.

This power startled even the Nightmare Demon.

She hastily tried to evade, only to find that the power’s target was not her, but Luo Dan herself.

SHLICK!

An invisible spike pierced Luo Dan’s body.

Her Life Energy was instantly drained by this piercing.

Her body, already bearing little resemblance to a human’s, began to contort grotesquely.

"Everything I’ve done has been for the Alliance! In this life, I have no regrets!"

With Luo Dan’s final roar, the ground began to tremble.

Deep beneath the earth, a profound seal started to loosen.

The Ancient Sages, one by one, awoke from their slumber.

They opened their coffins, sat up, and looked around, then at their companions who had also awakened.

One of the mummified corpses suddenly spoke, its voice dry and ancient, "It seems the final hour has come for this Land of Seals. I wonder what manner of existence this land has nurtured."

"Let us go! Let us see what these people of the future have wrought."

The ancient beings broke free from their confines one by one. They surged towards the sky, shattering layer upon layer of seals and obstacles, arriving in the midst of Lu Luo’s battlefield.

By now, Lu Luo had also sensed the sudden appearance of these mummies.

From their appearance, they seemed to be the Ancient Sages from beneath the earth.

Lu Luo narrowed his eyes slightly. They still have this trick up their sleeve? This is getting troublesome. If a large number of Ancients appeared, the success of their plan today would be uncertain.

He was certain of one thing: the Ancients would not be stronger than modern people. Because, as long as a civilization hasn’t been destroyed, various technologies and abilities generally tend to advance.

Having sacrificed everything, Luo Dan knelt on one knee and began her final prayer, her voice ringing out, "O Ancient Sages, the Inner Ring has reached a moment of life and death! Please aid me, Luo Dan, the seventeenth Pope, to expel these foreign invaders!"

Luo Dan’s voice pierced every corner of the Inner Ring. As her words faded, blue flames suddenly ignited in the mummies’ hollow eye sockets.

They seemed imbued with new life, regaining vitality and strength.

Holy Radiance once again shone upon the land of the Inner Ring.

"Is this... Holy Radiance?"

The Nightmare Demon gazed at the light with some surprise. It seemed this battle would not end so easily after all.

The Inner Ring masters, upon witnessing this, felt their spirits rise.

They fought Lu Luo while raising their weapons high, crying out, "For the Alliance!"

"For the Alliance!"

Everyone was shouting. For a fleeting moment, Lu Luo even felt that they were the righteous ones, and he, the embodiment of evil.

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

If the Inner Ring hadn’t oppressed the Fourth Ring for more than a century.

If the Inner Ring had truly regarded the Fourth Ring as its own people and land, this battle would never have occurred.

"Bring it on!"

Lu Luo’s voice began to roughen.

His body began to swell and grow—black scales, a thickset tail, and a pair of sharp horns emerged upon him one by one.

He was becoming less and less human.

The ultimate moment had arrived!

"Lu Luo, to think you’re no longer human! No wonder you’d get involved with a monster like the Nightmare Demon."

Hearing this, Lu Luo found it laughable.

"I’ve always been human. But whether I am or not, I don’t need someone like you to judge."

Lu Luo lunged forward, his speed generating a sonic boom.

His claws lashed out, instantly shredding one person’s defenses; his black-and-crimson greatsword immediately impaled another who was left unprotected.

The first Seventh Tier had fallen!

But by now, the battle had reached a fever pitch, and no one would retreat.

"Today, either you die or I perish! Kill!"

All of them charged at Lu Luo, their attacks powerful and fierce. Even Lu Luo’s defenses were torn by their onslaught, leaving wounds.

But Lu Luo had no intention of retreating.

He met them head-on, his thick tail pulverizing another opponent.

The greatsword in his hand swung relentlessly.

Each swing was a Slash Strike that cleaved the air.

Flashes of colliding energy constantly sparked around Lu Luo.

An unprecedentedly brutal battle unfolded before their eyes.

As for the Nightmare Demon, she too was struggling.

Countless Ancients rushed at her. Though their strengths varied, some of the more powerful ones possessed might approaching the Seventh Tier threshold.

Even the Sixth-Tier Ancients, with their suicidal tactic of instantly sacrificing themselves to unleash an overwhelmingly powerful strike, caused the Nightmare Demon immense suffering.

In just a few minutes of battle, the Nightmare Demon was covered in wounds, barely holding on against the siege of several Seventh-Tier Ancients.

In those mere minutes, over two hundred Fifth and Sixth-Tier Ancients had self-destructed in an attempt to harm the Nightmare Demon.

No matter how powerful she was, she couldn’t withstand such a continuous assault.

Amidst the chaotic battle, the Nightmare Demon stole a glance in Lu Luo’s direction, only to find him also blood-soaked and locked in a desperate struggle.

However, the Nightmare Demon sensed that Lu Luo should be able to defeat those from the Inner Ring and come to her aid.

What she needed to do now was to hold on until Lu Luo could reinforce her.

I will survive! I *must* survive! I still have so much to witness; I will be the one to see it all unfold!

In her dire straits, the Nightmare Demon erupted with a fierce will to survive. Netherflame once again enveloped her entire body.

She transformed back into the massive Nightmare warhorse form.

With her enormous body, she rampaged through the ranks of the Ancients.

Although this form made her a larger target for the Ancients’ attacks, her sheer size also granted her a wider attack range, allowing her to eliminate more Ancients in a short span of time.

Lu Luo’s battle was nearing its end.

He brazenly snapped the neck of the last Seventh Tier opponent.

All the Seventh Tier masters from the Inner Ring who had joined the battle had been slain by him, one by one.

But achieving this had come at a cost for Lu Luo.

His left arm was twisted at an unnatural angle; it was evident that the bones and muscles were completely shattered.

His thick tail was reduced to a short stump, raw flesh exposed, blood still flowing incessantly.

The horns on his head were long gone, evidently severed by some sharp weapon.

Yet, even so, Lu Luo was the victor of this battle.

As the victor, Lu Luo had the right to claim everything.

However, he hadn’t fully triumphed yet, nor did he pause for long.

Because he knew the Nightmare Demon was still waiting for him, needing his help.

Wait for me!

His feet pounded the earth; this method of charging was far swifter than flight.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Luo reached the Nightmare Demon’s location.

And the Nightmare Demon, ever perceptive, immediately reverted to her human form upon sensing Lu Luo’s arrival.

She transformed back into the girl she once was.

Naked and covered in wounds, even the battle-hardened Lu Luo couldn’t help but feel a pang of concern for the Nightmare Demon’s current state.

"You’re this badly injured? You didn’t have to push yourself so hard. If this attempt failed, we could always try again next time."

The nearly exhausted Nightmare Demon smiled weakly, a warrior’s glint shining from beneath her drooping eyelids.