Infinity, The Arcade Age-Chapter 388: Absolute Power

One side turned the opponent into a high-explosive grenade, while the other turned them into a fragment grenade.

Which of these methods was stronger? It was hard to say.

However, if they kept this up, Qin Ming would definitely have the upper hand, as his specialty was healing from injuries.

The two, both spewing blood from their bodies, raised their hands and wildly exchanged blows, standing in place and relentlessly attacking each other.

With fists powered by the aura of air, they hammered into each other's bodies, neither willing to retreat or defend, even for a moment.

After exchanging more than thirty punches, Rugal suddenly let out a roar and threw a powerful straight punch.

Qin Ming, unable to keep up with the speed, was struck in the chest and sent flying.

Rugal, who had sent Qin Ming flying with one punch, remained in the same pose, breathing heavily as his body was covered in wounds.

On the opposite side, Qin Ming, who had rolled to the ground, quickly got up, shaking his dizzy head. His eyes gleamed with bloodlust as he looked up at Rugal again. ƒreewebɳovel.com

As his blood-sucking ability activated, Qin Ming's injuries began to heal at an observable speed, and in just a short moment, he had fully recovered to his peak condition.

Seeing this, Rugal's pupils constricted, and his expression grew serious.

After silently staring at Qin Ming for two seconds, he suddenly sneered.

With a sudden grasp of his hand, a violent bloodline fluctuation spread from within him.

"Kid, do you think you're the only one who can heal?"

He activated the Heaven's Bloodline! Healing restored!

Rugal's bloodline, the Orochi bloodline, was a basic form of the Orochi blood, lacking the ability to harness the powers of various serpents.

However, the basic effect of the Heaven's Bloodline, which allowed healing, enhancement, and strengthening, was still something he could utilize.

Self-healing! Amplification! Strengthening! Simple yet effective!

Manipulating the divine blood within, Rugal rapidly restored himself to full strength, then suddenly raised his muscular arms and roared as he looked up.

"Power! Speed! Defense! Self-healing! I'm almost perfect now! I'll return to the King of Fighters stage and defeat Geese in front of the whole world! I'll take his eyes! And you, a low-tier copy of myself, are not even worthy of being my final opponent!"

Both were skilled in mimicking moves, both were adept at hand-to-hand combat, and both had large builds.

It could be said that Qin Ming and Rugal's abilities were remarkably similar, which made their fight incredibly brutal, without any real technique involved.

Rugal would acknowledge those who fought to the death, and respect others who had a unique skill, but he would never acknowledge Qin Ming.

In his eyes, Qin Ming was just a low-quality version of himself, a mere inferior replica.

In the road to becoming the King of Fighters, one was enough! There was no need for a second!

With his hands raised, Rugal suddenly clenched them tightly. His skin bulged with veins, and his expression turned menacing as blood surged throughout his body.

"Let me show you the true power of the King of Fighters! The supreme power used to defeat Geese!"

Killing Intent Wave and Orochi Bloodline! Fusion! 50%!

The Killing Intent Wave could amplify the power of punches, kicks, and even energy blasts. Its effects were truly outrageous.

But even this amplification wasn't enough to satisfy Rugal. He wanted to be stronger, invincible. He sought to surpass Geese's perfect bloodline with the power of the Orochi bloodline. So, he chose to merge the two forces, using the Killing Intent Wave—able to amplify everything—to forcefully enhance the Heaven's Bloodline!

And he was close to mastering it!

Due to the corrosion of the Killing Intent Wave, dense blood-red patterns suddenly appeared on his grayish skin.

Having activated his ultimate trump card, Rugal slashed out with his hand. The air was disturbed by his motion, leaving behind three streaks of bloodlight, which shot directly toward Qin Ming.

The power of the Heavenly Serpent Race! Mixed with pure killing intent! Together, they formed a terrifying new force!

The supreme power of Rugal!

"Kid! Die in this killing feast, meant for Geese!"

With a roar, Rugal unleashed a series of savage claw strikes, his claws cutting through the ground and walls with ease.

Qin Ming, shielding his head with both arms and using his blood to block the attacks, found his blood barrier torn apart in less than a second.

The next moment, countless claw marks tore into his body, the skin and blood bursting as Rugal's brutal assault continued.

With the enhanced power of the Killing Intent Wave, Rugal's bloodline strength, even with the incomplete Orochi bloodline, surpassed that of ordinary Heavenly Serpent beings, nearly matching Geese's perfect bloodline!

But...

"Not enough! Still not enough! This power is far from enough!!!"

Looking at his opponent, who was unable to fight back or even dodge, Rugal's expression grew even more sinister.

Qin Ming, who had tried several times to retaliate with his blood, found that his blood was immediately torn to pieces. Now, he could only desperately guard his vital points as his body became a blood-soaked mess.

Seeing that even after unleashing his ultimate trump card, he still couldn't defeat this unknown third-rate opponent, Rugal's expression turned even more vicious.

With fierce killing intent in his eyes, he activated his two internal forces once more.

Fusion state! 70%!

"Die for me! Die beneath the King's feet!"

With the blood claws now nearly twice as powerful, Rugal's attacks sped up, tearing apart the buildings behind Qin Ming with just a few blows.

Even relying on his Steel Body defense, Qin Ming was starting to struggle.

His blood and flesh were torn apart, revealing his bones underneath.

Desperately trying to use his blood to heal, Qin Ming found that he couldn't keep up with Rugal's assault. In a rare move, he chose to take a healing potion!

Witnessing Qin Ming's body, which was like a roller coaster—damaged, healed, and damaged again—

Rugal, whose skin had turned blood-red, wore an increasingly terrifying and grotesque expression.

He could not tolerate the thought that his strongest attack had failed to defeat an ordinary fighter, a low-quality inferior being walking on the same imperial path as himself.

In his strongest state, even Goenitz should have been sliced through as easily as chopping vegetables, kneeling before the emperor.

Not enough! The fusion of power isn't enough! The supreme emperor's strength should absolutely not end here!

Continue the fusion! Force it! 80%! 85%! 90%! 95%! 100%!

"Die!!!"

A scream that no longer sounded human echoed, and Rugal, whose entire body had turned blood-red, suddenly swung his claw with all his might.

A flash of blood light accompanied it, and Qin Ming, who had been desperately defending on the other side, suddenly widened his eyes in shock.

Because, under his astonished gaze, the golden armguards on his arms—hard as steel and offering over a hundred points of damage reduction—were cleaved open from the front!

With a cracking sound, the armguards split in two.

Immediately after, two arms were severed! The cold light that severed the arms continued relentlessly, aiming for the torso! It viciously struck Qin Ming's chest.

His entire chest was almost cleaved in one blow, and Qin Ming was blasted away by the immense force, crashing into the already ruined building.

The severed arms spun and fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Seeing this, as Rugal realized that Qin Ming could no longer withstand his onslaught, he laughed maniacally, a crazed expression on his face.

"Hahaha! Did you see that?! Did you see it?! This is the power of the supreme emperor! The strength of the king of fighters! The power to defeat gods! And become a god!"

He raised his hand and swung it, creating a massive claw mark that extended dozens of meters, tearing apart the ground beside him. Rugal, thrilled, looked down at his bloodstained hands.

"I will defeat Goenitz! Defeat the so-called gods behind him! And take his place as the new god! Then, I will go to your so-called unknown world! Kill all the strong warriors worthy of a fight! Turn them into statues to collect! I... am the god of the new world!"

Amid Rugal's frenzied shouting, Qin Ming, who had almost been cleaved in half by a single claw, struggled to stand up.

He manipulated the blood, pulling his severed arms back to the wounds. With the blood and flesh absorbing ability activated, he reconnected his arms, and in a moment, they were restored.

He twisted his arms, now reattached, and stared at the frenzied Rugal without expression.

He chose not to respond, glancing at Rugal before suddenly turning and walking away.

Rugal froze for a moment, then, realizing what was happening, grinned and shouted.

"Where are you going? Are you trying to run? Are you scared now, Qin Ming?! Come back and continue challenging the emperor! I haven't allowed you to run! Come back!"

Hearing the voice behind him, Qin Ming's steps abruptly stopped. After a brief pause, he turned his head and glanced back at Rugal.

"The challenge is over. There's no point in continuing."

"What?"

"Rugal, I admit I'm no match for you. I lost this battle, but you haven't won either."

With that, Qin Ming turned and left.

Rugal stood stunned in place, then, snapping out of it, he fell into a rage. He raised his hand to point at Qin Ming, preparing to chase after him.

"You presumptuous fool! Who allowed you to leave before this king consented to your defeat?! How dare you turn your back on me! You... huh?"

Before he could finish his words, Rugal suddenly froze.

Looking down at his outstretched arm, he wore a bewildered expression.

And his arm... no, his entire body, was now dripping with red liquid.

His skin was dissolving, his flesh disintegrating. At this moment, Rugal, after merging the blood of the Great Serpent and the wave of murderous intent, was literally dissolving! It was like ice cream melting under the sun!

Had Rugal's power fusion succeeded? Clearly, it had.

As a natural genius, he had forced the violent powers to bend to his will and made them serve him.

But the nature of the Great Serpent's blood and the wave of murderous intent was too unique. The blood of the Great Serpent was the bloodline of a god, capable of manipulating and absorbing the natural forces to grow.

Even if it was just one of the eight bloodlines, once fully developed, it could be elevated to an S-rank bloodline, just like Goenitz, with boundless potential.

As for the wave of murderous intent? It was pure malicious power—the stronger the murderous intent, the stronger the power. And the stronger the power grew, the more intense the murderous intent became.

One could absorb natural forces, the other absorbed mental forces. Both were limitlessly powerful! The only thing limiting them was the container—the user's body itself!

Initially, neither of the two powers inside Rugal was complete. Thanks to his talent and belief, he had been able to perfectly control them and make them his own.

But as Rugal merged these two powers, forces that theoretically had no limits collided head-on, and in a struggle of wills, they began to grow wildly entangled.

They disregarded the consequences, disregarded the host's survival, and simply sought a victor—pressing for one power to dominate the other.

Rugal thought that 100% fusion was the end, but he was wrong. This so-called 100% fusion was only the limit of what he could bear, and it was merely the starting point of the two powers' competition.

As the two forces continued to intensify, Rugal's body could no longer withstand it, and his flesh collapsed.

(End of Chapter)