TDU Chapter 496
Chapter 496 Detonating Spark Song Seven
{Thud}!
Terrestrial Rabbit’s massive body slammed into the ground, thick black smoke billowing from both arms.
“Motherfu…” He gritted his teeth and forced himself upright, staring at Song Seven in astonishment. “You’re actually {Detonating Spark}…? When did this ability end up yours?”
“Oh?” Song Seven let out a faint smile. “So you were acquainted with the previous owner of {Detonating Spark}?”
“You—” Whatever Terrestrial Rabbit had intended to say was choked back down his throat. He swallowed hard before continuing, “Your conviction is impressive. The power that little stone unleashed far exceeded my expectations.”
“Much appreciated.” Song Seven nodded. “I’ve been praised by plenty of people in my life, but thinking about it now, praise from a Terrestrial-grade {Earthly Branch} is by far the most valuable.”
Terrestrial Rabbit glanced down at his forearms. He had shed his suit jacket earlier, and now his dress shirt had been completely scorched away. His skin burned red-hot, wisps of black smoke still curling upward.
Even with the enhanced physique of Terrestrial-grade {Earthly Branches}, enduring such unreasonable destruction would not be possible many times over.
“Didn’t expect my {Detonating Spark} to work this well on you,” Song Seven said calmly. “A single shot from a pistol won’t kill a bear, but keep shooting, and sooner or later it will fall.”
“It’s doubtful your conviction is strong enough to guarantee a one-hundred-percent activation of your {Reverberation},” Terrestrial Rabbit scoffed, rubbing his wrist. “And more importantly, I don’t believe every attack of yours will land on me.”
“That’s why, from the moment I opened that door, I already braced myself for the worst.” Song Seven reached into his pocket again and took out a small piece of wood. This time, instead of throwing it, he crushed it in his hand, grinding it into countless fragments.
Seeing Song Seven preparing explosives, Terrestrial Rabbit lunged forward, arms sweeping out in a grappling hold. At the same instant, Song Seven ducked low, slipping past him at a dangerously narrow angle and darting away.
The two instantly created distance between them.
Just as Terrestrial Rabbit was about to turn and pursue, a cloud of wooden splinters came hurtling toward him. A chill ran down his spine. He shut his eyes tight and once more raised both arms to shield himself.
The room erupted in a haze of smoke and blasts. The splinters of wood had transformed into small, blazing explosives, detonating across Terrestrial Rabbit’s body in a fiery bloom.
Smoke instantly choked the room, making it difficult for either Terrestrial Rabbit or Song Seven to keep their eyes open.
“Cough… cough… you punk…” Though the injuries remained seemingly superficial, Terrestrial Rabbit explicitly felt scorching heat across his body intensify. “Your mastery… far surpasses that of my old acquaintance…”
“Much obliged,” Song Seven stepped back a few paces before pulling out another batch of tiny fragments from his pocket.
He was acutely aware that his ability was far from optimal in a confined space. Too close to an explosion, and he risked injuring himself. Unlike Terrestrial Rabbit, whose body could endure repeated detonations, Song Seven knew he could withstand only a single attack.
Taking advantage of Terrestrial Rabbit’s temporary immobility, Song Seven carefully touched the fragments in his hand. The success of his first two attacks had depended equally on his composure and his fortune. Any hint of panic or fear of death now could be fatal.
‘He’s nothing more than a giant roasted rabbit…’
Song Seven slowly closed his eyes, steadying his mind. He had faced countless battles before, yet none had been as perilous as this moment.
Could a {Reverberatee} really attempt to single-handedly defeat a {Terrestrial-grade} opponent? It seemed completely ludicrous.
When Terrestrial Rabbit lunged again, Song Seven did not rush to strike. He waited until Rabbit drew near, then threw a wood chip. But Terrestrial Rabbit had clearly adjusted his tactics. Just before reaching Song Seven, he abruptly shifted direction, dodging the incoming chip, and leapt at him again from the side.
Song Seven let out a cold chuckle. In {End Point}, he had undertaken countless missions, honing his combat experience to a razor’s edge. His moves were often evaded by agile participants, which was why he always kept a spare chip clutched in his left hand. Whether his attack was dodged or his {Reverberation} failed to trigger, he always maintained a contingency.
With Terrestrial Rabbit caught unaware, Song Seven tossed the wood chip from his left hand to land at Terrestrial Rabbit’s feet.
{Boom}!
The {Detonating Spark} exploded between them once more. Terrestrial Rabbit’s feet were seared by the sudden heat, forcing him to halt in place.
Using the blast and the thick black smoke as cover, Song Seven concealed his figure and retreated further from Terrestrial Rabbit.
“Motherfu… Have you undergone formal training?” After several rounds of this deadly pursuit, Terrestrial Rabbit finally began to understand why this team was so unnerving.
They were not only sharp, inventive, and coordinated, but each bore a measure of combat skill.
When exactly was this {Scouting Squad} established?
The others in the surrounding rooms, hearing the successive blasts, realized that Song Seven had engaged Terrestrial Rabbit. Their expressions immediately grew grave.
Song Seven was no Jiang Ten. The moment he acted, the clash with Terrestrial Rabbit would end with one side’s death. And yet, the odds of Song Seven dying were clearly far higher than those of Terrestrial Rabbit.
‘Xiao Song…so you’ve made your move…’ Chen Junnan lowered his head, assessing the situation.
He and Jiang Ten had already regrouped, and the remaining three teammates had surely acquired the final Divine Artifacts.
The immediate priority was to secure the flute from Terrestrial Rabbit’s neck. After that, they needed to ensure Xiao Jiang Ten reached Room {Sixteen} safely.
After all, Xiao Jiang Ten held Lü Dongbin’s sword and had Li Tieguai’s crutch inserted at his neck. At this moment, he was a walking Divine Artifact; he absolutely could not be left vulnerable along the way.
As Chen Junnan pondered, a miraculous idea sparked in his mind. He turned to Jiang Ten, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “Xiao Song and that Rabbit should be fighting in Room {Six}, right?”
“Seems so,” Jiang Ten nodded. “Right next door…”
“Go, Xiao Song! You can do it!!” Chen Junnan shouted through the door. “Time to put that smug little attitude in its place!”
No reply came from the room next door, but it didn't lessen Chen Junnan’s enthusiasm one bit. He turned back to look at Jiang Ten. “Xiao Jiang Ten…I just thought of an exceptionally brilliant idea.”
“An exceptionally brilliant idea…?”
“Exactly!” Chen Junnan chuckled, nodding.
The smile sent a shiver down Jiang Ten’s spine. This captain’s plans were always improvised on the spot. Could such a scheme actually work?
…
Song Seven darted and weaved around the room, steadily keeping a distance between himself and Terrestrial Rabbit. He tossed fragments in all directions, already posing a significant threat.
Yet, as the battle wore on, his conviction began to falter. The last two throws of wood splinters had caused no reaction at all, and his entire demeanor grew increasingly dazed.
Seizing the opportunity, Terrestrial Rabbit grabbed Song Seven by the collar. In a flash, Song Seven tore his leather jacket from his upper body, yet still evaded capture, his movements fluid and unrestrained.
As Terrestrial Rabbit’s gaze fell upon Song Seven’s exposed torso, he realized something peculiar: almost every inch of his upper body was scarred by burns.
“Ho…” Terrestrial Rabbit brushed the sparks from his own body and chuckled. “{End Point} doesn’t preserve scars…every rebirth gives you a completely new body. So those scars of yours…were they left before you came in?”
“I don’t recall being close enough to you to share such personal matters,” Song Seven took several deep breaths, steadying his heartbeat and clearing the intrusive, chaotic thoughts from his mind. Then he reached into his pocket once more. He had long anticipated that facing this monster would be a protracted battle, though he had not expected it to be so enduring. Several successive explosions had failed to inflict any real damage, and now, only a scarce number of fragments remained in his pocket.
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
