ICAWZ Chapter 225

On the other side, Hermes and Xue Po had already arrived at the temple. They were cloaked in long black robes, with only sharply defined chins visible beneath their hoods, shielding themselves from the moonlight’s erosion—yet unable to conceal the aura of deadly intent that clung to them.

Inside the temple, the Zerg King, who had been resting, suddenly lifted its massive head, perhaps sensing something. With a sweep of its mental power, the temple doors burst open with a thunderous crash, slamming into the walls with a resounding bang.

“Hoo—!”

Countless gusts of wind and snow surged in all at once, scattering the golden-shelled insects busily scurrying across the floor. A blood-red moon hung above the frost-covered branches, casting its glow upon the “battlefield” below.

The Zerg King, catching the scent of Hermes’ psychic energy, shuddered with a brief, agitated twitch. Its expression turned to alarm as it cried out: [Hermes! It really is you—how has your psychic power grown so strong?!]

Hermes had no patience for idle talk. Hidden within his sleeve, his hand had already transformed—razor-sharp claws extended, gleaming with a steel-like luster in the darkness. His voice was cold and calm:

[I’m here to kill you.]

[If you win, then I’ll tell you.]

The Zerg King rumbled in a low voice: [Kill me? Why?]

Just before Hermes set out, Lin Kong had said to him, “Villains die from talking too much. Don’t waste time chatting with the Zerg King—kill it first, ask questions later.”

Hermes remembered those words—and found them very reasonable. As soon as he finished speaking, energy surged in his palm. Countless threads of blue light suddenly gathered from all directions, illuminating the night with a radiant glow.

In the blink of an eye, Hermes sprang into action, his figure darting forward like a phantom as he lunged at the Zerg King. The surrounding forest collapsed in an instant beneath the violent force of the psychic assault, and a massive vacuum had formed at the heart of the temple.

[You dare rebel—!]

The Zerg King roared with fury, instantly channeling its psychic power in an attempt to crush Helemis. But before the attack could land, an invisible blue barrier formed in front of Hermes, firmly blocking the assault.

Seeing this, Xue Po spread the wings on his back and swiftly moved to assist. He landed atop the temple roof, and with a sweeping motion of his hands through the air, countless bricks were forcibly torn free and hurled down like a torrential rainstorm, crashing down upon the Zerg King.

With the temple roof torn open, the blood-red moonlight poured through the gaps and struck the Zerg King. Its shriveled skin immediately began to sizzle, releasing a plume of white smoke as large patches corroded into festering sores.

[Aaaaargh!!!]

The Zerg King let out a scream of agony. With a violent lash of its tail, Hermes was sent flying several meters back, coughing up a mouthful of blood with a sharp “pfft!”

Although Hermes now had the strength to stand against the Zerg King, the psychic brand the creature had planted deep in his mind remained a fatal weakness. His temples throbbed violently, as if an invisible hand were grinding his brain into pulp. The pain was so excruciating that his face turned deathly pale.

Seizing the moment, the Zerg King struck Xue Po down from the top of the temple with brutal force. Its psychic power pierced into Xuepo’s mind, greedily draining his life force. Its voice thundered with anger and authority: [Xue Po! Even you dare betray me?!]

But Xue Po didn’t have Hermes’ endurance. He writhed on the ground in agony, clutching his head with both hands, slamming it desperately against the floor: [My head—aaaagh!! It hurts so bad!!]

Seeing this, Hermes raised his hand and formed a spell seal. A curtain of blue light rose around him, and the once-silent forest suddenly trembled as if the earth itself were shaking. Countless white crows and red-winged birds burst from their nests in a great, dark cloud, surging toward the Zerg King and furiously pecking at the festering wounds on its skin left by the moonlight’s corrosion.

The Zerg King screamed in even greater agony. It flung Xue Po aside with a violent shake, and its massive, lumbering body scrambled with unnatural speed back into the temple. Golden blood dripped heavily along its path, drawing the frenzied birds into an even more savage swarm.

[Hermes! I’m going to kill you! Kill you!]

The Zerg King hid in the shadowy recesses of the temple, its throat emitting a strange, resonating hum. Suddenly, countless golden-shelled insects erupted from the ground, surging toward Hermes in an overwhelming mass that made the skin crawl.

These golden-shelled insects’ saliva was corrosive. They swarmed around Hermes, but were blocked by an energy barrier. Undeterred, they began gnawing at the outer layers of the energy shield, trying to consume it from the edges.

Gradually, the energy barrier grew thinner, and Hermes’ expression became more and more grim. Finally, with a sharp “whoosh!” he shot into the air, shaking off the relentless swarm of golden-shelled insects.

Hermes hovered in mid-air, his black hood blown off by the wind. He commanded the flock of birds to shield him from the blood-red moon, then swiftly drew a slender bamboo tube from his sleeve. Twisting off the cap, he tossed it directly into the mass of insects. There was a loud explosion, and flames leaped up, shooting several meters high from the heap below.

It was a simple fire starter, the kind Lin Kong often used to make campfires. The outer layer was a bamboo tube, filled with highly flammable grass fibers, twigs, and the feathers of a red-bellied phoenix. The moment the cap was removed and exposed to air, it immediately ignited.

The golden-shelled insects typically thrived on animal fat, their bodies filled with oil. The instant they came into contact with the spark, it was as if fireworks had been lit—there was a series of sharp crackling explosions. The flames spread rapidly, growing fiercer as they quickly raced toward the temple.

The Zerg King, initially planning to command the birds, was a step too slow. Forced to act, it used the snow piled on the ground to try to suppress the spreading flames, intensifying its psychic assault on Hermes.

The Zerg King’s psychic power was like a sharp blade, twisting and churning within Hermes’ mind, desperately trying to crush him. Yet, Hermes’ dark figure remained as solid as a rock against the night sky. Birds circled around him, their relentless presence fueling his mental strength, while his psychic power flowed outward without end. The once grand and towering temple, under the constant assault of the birds’ pecking, began to tremble and crack.

The Zerg King, undeterred, pressed its own psychic attack. Its deep, resonant laughter echoed endlessly through the valley: [Hermes, admit defeat. Your psychic power can’t match mine!]

Hermes’ psychic power was already inferior to the Zerg King’s. Now, with every passing moment, he was expending vast amounts of energy to control the flock of birds. The constant drain was unbearable.

His black robe was drenched in cold sweat, and he gritted his teeth in silence, struggling to resist the psychic imprint that the Zerg King had imprinted on his mind. The taste of blood filled his mouth, a constant reminder of the toll the battle was taking on him.

The Zerg King continued to drone on:

[Hermes, if you stop now, I will overlook the past. You will still be my most loyal servant, the divine attendant of the temple, exalted above all!]

Hermes, gritting his teeth, spat out: [Lies!]

The Zerg King responded: [You are my child. I will show mercy to you.]

Hermes’ eyes blazed crimson: [You have no mercy!]

The Zerg King, irritated, lashed its tail: [If I die, the Zerg Race will never be able to reproduce again!]

Under the crushing weight of the Zerg King’s psychic force, Hermes began to bleed from his mouth and nose. His body was riddled with veins, clearly in excruciating pain. With cold mockery, he spat: [If the price of reproduction is being consumed by you, then the Zerg Race should never have been born!]

Hermes didn’t oppose the law of the strong devouring the weak, but the Zerg King’s insatiable hunger had broken the balance of the forest’s food chain. If this continued, it wouldn’t just be the zergs that would perish—other species would also struggle to survive.

This vast land was home to countless creatures. Without the Zerg Race, there would still be the beast, bird, and dragon races. But none of them could survive for long unless they were strong and intelligent enough.

Hermes summoned the flock of birds to fight, but the Zerg King retaliated by calling forth wyverns to devour the birds. In response, Hermes commanded the tigers to tear into the wyverns, only for the Zerg King to summon black bears and venomous snakes. In an instant, swarms of insects, snakes, and rodents erupted from the ground. Beasts scattered in all directions as the entire forest trembled.

Their psychic battle reached a boiling point. Finally, they could no longer bear the pressure, and with a deafening “Boom!” the forces collided in a violent explosion that shook the very air.

“Boom—!!!”

Hermes was sent flying like a kite with its string cut, soaring several dozen meters before crashing to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and the surrounding trees were torn down in the aftermath. Snowflakes melted rapidly, and the ground was left with a massive, blackened crater.

The Zerg King was not without its own wounds. Its bloated body was a grotesque mess, torn and bloody, with golden blood spilling out in a constant stream. Struggling to move, it began to devour the life force of nearby animals, desperately trying to restore its strength. The damaged wounds slowly began to form a thin scab.

Hermes’ injuries were clearly more severe. If not for his exceptionally strong constitution, his organs and brain would have long been shattered. He lay in the snow, barely able to move his fingertips as he tried to push himself up, but he collapsed heavily back to the ground.

Seeing this, the Zerg King shook its head and slowly slithered over to Hermes. It emitted a series of mocking hisses, as if both ridiculing his futile struggle and expressing irritation:

[Hermes, a slave can never defeat a king.]

[But you are quite capable… You actually managed to wound me.]

The Zerg King’s massive body loomed over Hermes, its size allowing it to look down on him from above. Its cold, sharp forelimbs pressed down on Hermes’ head, breaking through his skin as the weight increased. In a low, threatening voice, it demanded: [Speak! Where did your psychic power come from?!]

Hermes remained silent, coughing up blood before answering: [You haven’t won yet. Why should I tell you?]

The Zerg King’s sharp forelimb nearly pierced his brain: [You’ve already lost!]

Hermes sneered, his voice dripping with mockery: [But I’m still alive!]

The Zerg King, enraged, snarled: [Hermes! Do you believe I won’t kill you right now?]

Though severely injured, Hermes’ psychic strength had grown a hundredfold. After absorbing its power, he might even speed up the Zerg King’s molting process.

As the Zerg King thought about this, it grew excited and began to siphon Hermes’ life force. But just then, a dark figure suddenly flew from above the sky—it was Gayan.

[King!]

In Gayan’s hand, it seemed like he was holding something. As he neared the ground, he forcefully threw it down, causing a cloud of dust to rise.

“Oh my gosh!”

Lin Kong was thrown to the ground by Gayan, disoriented and dizzy. After a long while, he finally regained his senses. Struggling to get up, he immediately saw Hermes, bloodied and lying on the ground. His expression changed instantly: “Hermes! What happened to you?!”

Lin Kong hurried over, pulling Hermesinto his arms, frantically wiping the blood from his face, his expression filled with anxiety: “Are you okay? Why are you bleeding so much?”

Gayan landed lightly, and upon seeing the scene, he snorted coldly: [King, it turns out Hermes has been secretly hiding this prey in the cave all along. Even when you were in desperate need of food, he never offered it to you. He’s been planning to betray you all along!]

Earlier, Gayan had been stopped by a psychic barrier outside the cave, unable to harm Lin Kong. It wasn’t until Hermes was on the brink of death, severely injured, that the barrier shattered.

Gayan had originally intended to kill Lin Kong, but after some thought, he refrained. The Zerg King had ordered him to bring back Hermes’ corpse. Returning empty-handed would surely result in punishment, so it seemed wiser to take a “prey” back with him to calm the Zerg King’s anger.

In his heart, Gayan secretly wished for the Zerg King’s death. If the Zerg King died, he would no longer be controlled by the other’s psychic influence. So, he had been observing from the shadows, holding Lin Kong captive, wanting to see who would win. But he never expected Hermes to lose.

Gayan now naturally aligned himself with the Zerg King, eager to prove his loyalty.

Hearing this, the Zerg King responded with a curious “Hmm.” It sniffed the air around Lin Kong, its pitch-black eyes suddenly flashing with a green light, like a starving wolf seeing fresh meat after eight hundred years. It became wildly excited: [I didn’t expect there would be such a life force-rich prey in the forest! Gayan, you’ve done a great service!]

If Hermes were a steamed bun that filled the stomach, then Lin Kong was like a bowl of rich, braised pork. The Zerg King immediately abandoned the near-death Hermes, drawing Lin Kong up to its face, eager to consume his fresh blood.

Seeing this, Hermes’ gaze turned cold, his eyes so red they seemed as though they might bleed. Somehow, he found the strength to surge forward, his claws elongating sharply as he lunged directly at the Zerg King.

Gayan, quick as ever, intercepted Hermes, gripping his wrist tightly. His eyes widened as he shouted in anger: [Hermes! How dare you betray the King for a mere prey?!]

No, he’s not…

Hermes knew that Lin Kong was no longer prey to him.

[Get away!]

At the brink of death, all creatures experience a surge of tremendous power. Hermes used every last ounce of his strength to strike, sending Gayan tumbling to the ground. As Gayan was about to retaliate, he was suddenly struck by Xue Po, who leaped up from the ground, and the two zergs began a wild struggle.

Gayan, in disbelief, shouted: [Xue Po! How dare you betray the King!]

Xue Po, thinking to himself, What King? That big fat bug is not my King, angrily scratched Gayan’s face with his zerg claws. He loved his appearance and considered disfiguring the greatest insult to a zerg. [I don’t recognize him as a King! He actually tried to devour me! Gayan, don’t you feel ashamed helping him harm our own kind?!]

Gayan, already severely injured from Hermes’s strike and coughing up blood, was further shaken by Xue Po’s scolding. In his desperation, he grabbed Xue Po’s hair and, without mercy, began to punch his beautiful face.

[You worthless piece of trash, what right do you have to insult me?!]

[You’re the real trash! The kind that doesn’t even dare to fight back!]

The two of them, Gayan and Xue Po, continued to roll on the ground, becoming more entangled with each passing moment. They tumbled further and further away, unknowingly drifting out of the battlefield’s center.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the Zerg King was just about to sink his fangs into Lin Kong’s neck when, suddenly, a sharp wind howled from behind him. Something piercing and sharp shot into his left eye, deep and relentless, carrying an unshakable chill.

In that instant, it felt as though time itself had been paused.

The Zerg King’s body froze for a moment, then it began to thrash wildly. A sharp screech echoed from its throat, nearly rupturing eardrums. Its massive tail lashed out, sending Hermes flying into the deep pit below. The Zerg King roared in fury, his voice full of endless hatred: [Hermes! I will grind you into a bloody pulp!! Tear your body into a thousand pieces!!]

After speaking, the Zerg King opened its massive blood-red jaws, revealing a ring of sharp teeth, capable of shredding Hermes’ bones. It lifted its head high, preparing to strike the fatal blow. But the next moment, it felt an intense pain in its abdomen, accompanied by the sizzling sound of its flesh corroding.

The Zerg King looked down in disbelief, only to meet a pair of cold, black eyes. Lin Kong, bloodied hands gripping a long, sharp beast’s tusk, had plunged it deep into the King’s abdomen.

That tusk was taken from a hundred-year-old saber-tooth dragon by Hermes. It was as hard as stone, flattened and sharpened to a fine point, usually used by Lin Kong to cut meat when cooking. He always kept it on him.

Lin Kong thrust the tusk with such force that the edges cut into his own hands, blood flowing freely from the wounds. His blood caused the Zerg King even more damage than the Blood Moon’s power. The area around the wound quickly began to rot and blacken, resembling a foul, decaying mass of flesh.

The Zerg King was truly in agony now. Its massive body swung, preparing to fling the reckless prey away, but Lin Kong’s reflexes were even faster. He rolled swiftly to avoid the attack, then, gripping the sharp tusk, drove it viciously into the Zerg King’s back again.

[Ahhh!! I will kill you!!]

The Zerg King’s massive body, clumsy and slow, couldn’t catch Lin Kong. In desperation, it resorted to using its psychic power to attack. But to its surprise, Lin Kong was completely unaffected by the Zerg King’s psychic assault. Like a madman, he continued stabbing at its body, cursing as he did:

“I’ll stab you to death, you useless piece of trash! Stab you to death, you useless piece of trash!”

Lin Kong was consumed by his rage, no longer caring about anything else. He climbed onto the Zerg King’s back, tightening his grip around its neck, and relentlessly drove the tusk downward. Golden blood splattered all over him as he shouted: “You worthless bug, living is a waste of food! You old, immortal bastard! Two hundred years alive and still worthless!! I might not even make it to eighty! Die, die, die!”

Lin Kong clung to the Zerg King’s massive body, rolling and tumbling on the ground as he crazily repeated his stabbing motion. At this moment, he had completely ignored the pain from the sharp rocks hitting him. All that mattered was that this giant zerg in front of him had to die—if it didn’t, none of them would survive!

Meanwhile, Gayan, who had been battling with Xue Po, paused in shock upon witnessing the scene. Xue Po seized the opportunity and kicked Gayan straight into the black swamp at the edge of the forest, his strike both swift and fierce: [Down you go!]

The black swamp was formed from the toxic liquid sprayed by the Kasyapa Serpent. Earlier, when the Zerg King summoned the beasts to attack, the ground was corroded by countless black holes, all filled with venom.

When Gayan was kicked into the swamp, he nearly suffocated, frantically scrambling to crawl out. His body was covered in the dark, slippery liquid, leaving only his pair of emerald green eyes, now barely visible with a hint of white. Burning with rage, he glared at Xue Po, his voice now distorted by fury: [Damn you! Today, I’m going to tear your face apart!]

 

 

 

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