Volume Two: The Youth of a Thousand Faces, Truth in Disguise Chapter Sixty-Nine: Cullen

After entering the desert, the group had yet to encounter any evidence of the changes described by the survivors. The fluctuations in spatial abilities nearby—apart from Hoye and Luli Kazama—were nonexistent, which at least meant they had not yet faced disaster nor had anyone used special powers. According to the survivors’ testimonies, the technique in question should be both obvious and impossible to defend against: its workings, effects, and triggers remained utterly unknown; only the aftermath could be identified, which still placed them at a disadvantage. But there was no time to worry about such things. Responsibility was not a matter of choice, but necessity.

The six hurried toward the ruins of the city, the place most likely to shelter the ultimate entity. Though called a city, perhaps “town” would be more fitting: its tallest buildings rose no higher than five or six stories, and the area was small enough to cross in less than an hour by hovercraft.

Everywhere lay shattered walls and broken remnants. In some spots, decayed human bones rested, surely victims of wars long past. Teeth marks and pecking scars covered the remains—work, no doubt, of wolves or vultures, scavengers. If disaster had struck, intact skeletons would not have survived.

War is merciless. The conflict between humanity and disaster is a relentless exchange of roles between hunter and prey. Disaster seeks to consume, and so hunts humanity; humanity refuses to be food, and so turns to hunt disaster.

This is not about right or wrong, nor justice and evil, but the law of nature: the strong survive, the weak perish.

Yet in truth, humanity cannot wholly become a part of nature’s law, for it possesses its own morality and social order. Nature’s law decrees only survival of the strongest, but humanity depends upon mutual support: powerful ability-users fulfill their duty, protecting hundreds of ordinary citizens; those citizens keep society functioning and, in turn, support the ability-users from behind.

When disaster attacks humanity, it targets ability-users first—they are the greatest threat. The ability-users, meanwhile, protect ordinary people without hesitation, for this is humanity’s justice.

And so, to prevent further casualties among ordinary citizens, Hoye and his companions came.

Upon entering the city ruins, Hoye and Luli Kazama opened their sound-based locators, using the hovercraft’s engine noise to reflect and refract through the environment, seeking the disaster’s position.

Suddenly, both detected something amiss—a sound, thunderous as a war machine rolling through, the earth shattering beneath heavy blows, the air thick with the acrid scent of dust, accompanied by mental images of flying stones and a figure with a single horn charging straight toward them.

“Three o’clock, move!” Hoye shouted. Instantly, everyone spun their vehicles around. At that moment, the wall at three o’clock exploded, dust billowing, and a figure burst forth with a roar, charging directly at Jiang Feng, intent on impaling him.

Jiang Feng could not evade in time; the sharp horn was about to pierce his heart. Then—

Lightning-fast.

Jiang Feng vanished from the hovercraft, which was struck by the disaster’s iron-hard body and sent flying into a wall.

Hoye landed with Jiang Feng in his arms, static crackling around them, dark lightning yet to dissipate. Blood trickled from a wound on Hoye’s shoulder.

“Are you alright?” Hoye asked.

“I’m fine, boss, but you…” Jiang Feng looked at Hoye’s bleeding shoulder, guilt in his eyes.

“It’s nothing. This kind of scratch heals in a moment.” As he spoke, the wound closed, as if it never existed—compared to losing a leg, it was insignificant.

The other four had already leapt from their hovercrafts, slowly encircling the disaster.

The ultimate entity seemed provoked, standing where Hoye had rescued Jiang Feng, fists clenched, teeth gritted, eyes blazing with fury.

Hoye signaled everyone to be cautious, not to approach rashly.

Suddenly, the ultimate entity shouted, “Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it!” As he screamed, his shoulders hunched and he stomped fiercely, the ground cracking under his massive strength, the pressure so intense it was hard to keep one’s eyes open. He pointed at Hoye and yelled, “You! Why did you take him away? Can’t you let me finish off the weakest one? I’ve been starving for ages! And last time too! Why do you humans always interfere? Why must you save them? If it weren’t for people like you, I’d have had my fill long ago! You humans should die in repentance before the Twelve Calamities!”

Jiang Feng’s spirits sank at the words “the weakest.” So, in the eyes of disaster, he was the weakest, meant to be killed and devoured first? The meaning of life seemed to vanish.

Hoye ignored his childish tantrum, glancing at the prominent mark on his neck—a Roman numeral “X.” With a contemptuous smile, he said, “Twelve Calamities? Don’t be ridiculous. You think I haven’t seen the Twelve Calamities? They don’t bear numbered marks. You’re just a pitiful creature under the Tenth Calamity, not even at Calamity-level.”

Jiang Feng broke out in cold sweat. “Boss, couldn’t you keep that to yourself? Are you trying to enrage him and make him stronger? What if he suddenly ascends to Calamity-level like the last ultimate entity?”

As expected, the disaster was furious at these words. “Nonsense! I don’t belong to that bastard Hill! I—”

Mid-sentence, a drop of blood dripped from his horn onto his lips. He paused, his mouth curving upward strangely, then he extended his tongue and licked up every bit of Hoye’s blood, savoring it.

“What is this flavor? Hey, is this your blood? It must be! I’ve never tasted such delicious blood. Your flesh must be exquisite too. And I can feel your anger and resentment—ah, you’re the best meal I’ve ever seen, body and spirit alike. Eating you would be like consuming a hundred—no, two hundred people! I’ll definitely save you for last.”

Hoye’s expression showed no anger, not even the slightest hint of emotion. He gently placed his hands on the hilts of his twin Ghost-Slaying blades and asked, “Hey, horned idiot, what’s your name?”

Lady Yudie Shangguan involuntarily stepped back half a pace—not because of the dangerous disaster, but because she sensed Hoye’s extraordinary fury and agitation, a feeling she’d experienced before, last time in his battle with Bobby.

The disaster paused, then boasted proudly, “Ha! You really want to know my name? Fine, listen well! I am Kalen, destined to become one of the Twelve Calamities!”

“Kalen, is it? As the first ultimate entity I hunt, I’ll remember your name. Now, die.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Hoye’s figure appeared behind Kalen, crouched low, arms crossed before his chest, gleaming blades angled backward, like one who has just completed a charge, still crackling with signature black lightning.

“I thought you were slow-witted, but your reflexes are even slower.”

As Hoye finished his last word, Kalen opened his mouth wide, as if Death himself had seized his throat, eyes full of disbelief. His body was instantly torn apart.

With lightning speed, Hoye unleashed the Rending Fang technique, slashing countless times in a single moment—one brush past, and the foe was reduced to fragments. This ability was called Storm and Thunder Frenzy, Hoye’s most explosive attack at full power.

No blood flowed; Kalen’s body collapsed like scattered building blocks, his head dropping straight to the earth, horn embedded in the ground, leaving his skull suspended above.

Was it over? The other five stood in shock—was he truly dead so easily? If Hoye could dispatch an ultimate entity with a single strike, what was the point of their presence?

No, everyone was so stunned that they forgot to finish off the disaster. It wasn’t so simple; the true core of disaster was not easily struck. Without inflicting massive damage, finding the core was nearly impossible, let alone capturing the ever-moving tiny crystal.

Since Hoye had split the foe apart, now was the time to strike again!

They realized this almost simultaneously—just as Kalen’s horn struck the ground, they acted, led by Lady Yudie Shangguan.

Butterfly Dance and Bee Sting—she used her fastest thrust, aiming straight for the core, located in the head!

Just as her blade’s tip was about to pierce Kalen’s skull, Kalen finally regained consciousness, his suspended head screaming, “Aaaaaah! What the hell are you? I’m not done yet—I haven’t lost!”

Suddenly, the horn atop Kalen’s head blazed with light, blinding as an exploding sun, forcing everyone’s eyes shut.

Hoye was forced to close his eyes, though his blades remained ready to defend against surprise attacks. But this flash was more than he expected.

When he opened his eyes again, the world had changed. Kalen was gone, the others were gone, and only Lady Yudie Shangguan remained before him.