Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts

Chapter 396: Chapter 28: Between Life and Death (Extra for Mo Han Yue’s reward)_1

The scene before its eyes was somewhat hazy...

It was as if black mist seemed to endlessly diffuse before its eyes.

The black cat exerted all its energy to open its eyes and saw such a peculiar scene.

So tired, so weary, but the wounds on my body... seem to have disappeared, the black cat thought before it fell asleep once again.

The tranquil night blanketed Las Vegas.

On this land of sin, listening to the anguished screams of the ”Rebel Army” outside, tears welled in Annie’s eyes before she sank deep into a Dreamland.

The world within the Dreamland was rather illusory, somewhat misty.

Annie seemed to be walking across a vast, empty land. The feeling beneath her feet, like treading on cotton, made Annie understand that this world was called a Dreamland.

Then, a figure identical to herself slowly approached from the boundless darkness.

”Sister? Sister!” Annie cried, running towards her sister, but she found it impossible to get any closer to the figure, no matter how hard she tried.

Until a wispy sentence drifted past Annie’s ear.

Annie woke up with a start.

”Can I have my sister’s ashes, please?” Annie asked.

Claire nodded.

This was merely a small matter, one that both Annie and Claire had forgotten about yesterday. Moreover, Anna’s and the black cat’s ashes were intermingled, making them indistinguishable. This was also why Claire and Annie hadn’t retrieved the ashes the day before.

Anna’s ashes were smoothly handed to Annie.

But what Claire didn’t know was that this white powder was not merely ashes; it was a medium connecting two worlds.

That world was called the Netherworld, situated between life and death!

Netherworld (Species-specific Esoteric Level, Passive Skill): Between life and death, there exists such a world. It is not part of the mortal world, nor does it descend into hell! Upon the creation of this skill, it will automatically evolve into a small world tethered to the real world (equivalent to a regional parallel world). The creature controlling this skill will become this realm’s Realm Lord. The Netherworld can change its scenery according to the Realm Lord’s wishes and also expand its range according to the Realm Lord’s power.

The Netherworld can move freely, centered on its Realm Lord. When any creature native to this realm (this realm refers to Earth) dies within the area covered by the Netherworld, the Netherworld will automatically transform them into Netherworld Warriors to guard it!

Note 1: The Netherworld can be actively opened by its Realm Lord to overlay the real world, at which time the Netherworld Warriors will manifest in the real world to annihilate all enemies of the Realm Lord!

Note 2: Netherworld Warriors retain only a sliver of consciousness, the strength of which depends on their power in life.

Note 3: The Realm Lord can freely traverse between the real world and the Netherworld through a medium (to be chosen by the host). However, unless the Netherworld is actively opened to overlay the real world, Netherworld Warriors cannot appear independently in the real world!

Note 4: Creatures from the outside world cannot enter the Netherworld unless actively invited by the Realm Lord themselves!

This Esoteric Level skill, Netherworld, was the skill the black cat acquired after becoming a divine beast.

However, things took an unexpected turn.

When an unknown power transformed the black cat into a divine beast, Anna also benefited.

Under the influence of this unknown power, the Netherworld skill manifested twice! Anna and the black cat each possessed a Netherworld! Comparatively, the black cat’s Netherworld was much larger!

This was tantamount to Anna forcibly carving off a piece of the Netherworld that originally belonged solely to the black cat. The two Netherworlds bordered each other and also possessed some unknown connections—for instance, they could devour one another!

For now, however, no conflict had erupted.

Because they shared a common enemy!

「The massacre began...」

Strictly speaking, Bart’s plan was successful.

As Anna and the black cat became Netherworld Lords, their abilities indeed underwent a certain degree of fusion.

For example, the Dream Ability.

Dream Shaping (S-class, Active Ability): Allows the user to infiltrate a target unit’s dreams, create a dreamscape for them, and subtly implant a mental imprint.

Note: The effect of the mental imprint can be decided by the host.

Anna had originally been just a Level 2 Archer, a rank she achieved only through Claire’s direct assistance, and her skills were ordinary—merely the basic Archer skill, Precision.

However, Bart’s modifications had granted Anna a portion of the Dream Shaping ability.

But their ability to freely traverse the Netherworld made Anna and the black cat untraceable, leaving their victims no choice but to passively endure the dream torment!

Countless military personnel died in their sleep or, under the influence of the mental imprint, turned their butcher knives on their own comrades.

Then, Anna and the black cat set their sights on Bart.

Tormented by dreams for several consecutive days and nights, Bart’s mental state completely shattered. He then grabbed a laboratory scalpel and carved himself into mincemeat.

Anna and the black cat had avenged their great enmity, and Claire also learned about Anna’s current state through Annie.

A conspiracy began to brew at this very moment.

The U.S. Military lost Bart, an excellent researcher, and the research projects under Bart naturally went up in smoke.

But it didn’t matter, because the military had found a more powerful, more useful target—the Netherworld!

As long as they possessed the Netherworld, the military’s combat power would effectively double, not to mention the various additional abilities and wondrous applications of Esoteric Level skills.

And Anna’s idea was even simpler!

She possessed an Esoteric Level ability, making her incredibly valuable! Moreover, with the military’s cooperation, she could completely seize the black cat’s Netherworld, thereby strengthening herself and further enhancing her power!

Anna and the military reached an immediate agreement: capture the Night Daemon Smilodon—the name the American military had given this divine beast.

Then, Anna would seize the Night Daemon Smilodon’s Netherworld!

That was the original plan.

”So, our involvement made the American military change its mind?” Kuangliu asked.

”Yes,” Lin Haifeng affirmed over the communicator.

”Since there are two Netherworlds, exchanging Sequence Number 2 for one of them is a rather good deal for us.”

”Mm,” Kuangliu nodded slightly. ”But there are many issues. For example, everyone in Las Vegas has lost their memories of Bart.”

”Dreamland,” Lin Haifeng continued.

Anna and the Night Daemon Smilodon were both in the Netherworld, and an unknown connection existed between them. Consequently, the Night Daemon Smilodon trusted Anna deeply...

Even a divine beast lacked the calculating nature of humans!

”To forget past sins, past tragedies, past suffering, we must make the survivors forget the truth.” This was what Anna had told the Night Daemon Smilodon.

Anna, in concert with the Night Daemon Smilodon, cast a colossal Dreamland over all of Las Vegas. This made everyone forget every detail about Bart. Simultaneously, they established the two kings of Las Vegas: Claus of the Red Stone Hotel (formerly the military’s laboratory) and Mama-san Annie.

This operation consumed a vast amount of the Night Daemon Smilodon’s power.

Then, when the Night Daemon Smilodon was at its weakest, Anna initiated her plan against it!

She then directly sealed the passage between the Netherworld and the real world. As a Netherworld Lord, Anna could sacrifice her own freedom to restrict the Night Daemon Smilodon’s access to and from the Netherworld!

Then, the American military’s support arrived...

Two successive waves of soldiers committed suicide by poison within the range of Anna’s Netherworld, supplying her with a massive number of Netherworld Warriors. Then, Anna launched her war against the Night Daemon Smilodon!

Or, more accurately, it was the act of devouring the Night Daemon Smilodon’s Netherworld!

It was after this that Wen Yu and Kuangliu arrived in Las Vegas!

”The rest of the plan is quite simple,” Lin Haifeng explained.

”By the time you arrived, the Night Daemon Smilodon’s Netherworld was mostly lost, and the war was nearing its end. Anna could use her Dream Shaping Ability to place a mental imprint on Wen Yu while continuing to seal off the Night Daemon Smilodon’s freedom.”

”Once Anna has Wen Yu completely under her control, he will enter the Netherworld to deliver the final blow to the Night Daemon Smilodon. After all, it is a divine beast with terrifying combat power. This is the fundamental reason why Anna couldn’t take down the Night Daemon Smilodon even after occupying most of its Netherworld.”

”Why not have me or Claire go directly?” Kuangliu asked.

”That woman, Anna, is untrustworthy. Who knows if she would subject you to some form of mental control if she invited you into the Netherworld? Neither we nor the U.S. military want to take that risk!”

”That’s the entire plan, from start to finish!”

Kuangliu stood quietly by the window, meticulously reviewing the entire sequence of events in his mind.

After a while, the chime of the communicator interrupted Kuangliu’s thoughts.

”What’s wrong?”

”Wen Yu has already entered the Netherworld. The plan is going smoothly,” Claire’s voice said from the communicator.

”Mm,” Kuangliu responded lightly. Then, a flash of insight struck him. ”Oh, right. What’s the deal with that guy Yang Hong?”

”Yang Hong? That Yang Hong is just an ordinary outsider, perhaps a bit stronger than most. What about him?” Claire’s voice sounded puzzled.

”And Cyclops and Star?”

”Still haven’t found them. Wen Yu might have retracted the Soul Realm space,” Claire speculated.

”One last question: are you certain the Night Daemon Smilodon’s true body cannot leave the Netherworld?”

”Positive!” Claire affirmed.

A series of clues flashed through Kuangliu’s mind. He felt he had grasped some fragments, yet he couldn’t connect them into a coherent picture.

Gently rubbing his temples, Kuangliu’s gaze swept outside the window, and a question suddenly struck him.

”How strong is Anna’s Dream Ability?” Kuangliu asked.

”Very strong. The mental imprint she applies is incredibly effective!” Claire replied.

”I’m talking about the realism of the Dreamland...”

”It’s just a dream, isn’t it? Could a dream possibly become identical to reality?” Claire questioned, a hint of disbelief in her voice.

Kuangliu fell silent for a long moment. Then, he softly uttered two words: ”We’re doomed...”

The moment he spoke, a colossal black shadow blotted out the entire moon in the distance.

An enraged howl ripped through the entirety of Las Vegas: ”Lin! Kuang! Liu! Come and face your death!!!”