Chapter 34: Torturous Mutilation

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Apollo's desperate eyes glistened with newfound hope as he gazed upon the pouch in his hand. As he opened it, the system generated an expansive list of items. However, he ignored every single one until his sights fell upon one item name.

"Full Lightning Impound Talisman? This sounds like it could be of use," muttered Apollo while skimming the contents of its information. In a short moment, a fervent gleam passed through his eyes, "This is it! Azridan, I've found our way out of this situation."

[You have? Oh? Is that...a talisman? And it seems to be a rather high grade as well. Interesting, if it possesses the right effect then it will indeed be capable of reversing this hopeless situation.]

A purple talisman appeared within Apollo's hands donning gold inscriptions and a black border. The strokes seemed unrushed and honed throughout years of practice. It was clear the grade of this item was by no means low. In fact, it was rather well made when the system graded it.

Item Name: Full Lightning Impound Talisman

Rank: Tier 4 Talisman

Grade: III

Usage: Placing this talisman on the ground summons a shrinking cage birthed by lightning harnessed from a Zul General-level expert adept in lightning attribute Natural Essence. This cage is capable of exterminated any existence under its level. However, it requires the user to last long enough for the imprisonment to constrict the enemy.

[«Grade Bonus»]-

«Grade I» - Increases the maximum range of the lightning imprisonment to 30 square meters.

«Grade II» - Shortens the time until entrapment to 3 seconds.

«Grade III» - Allows the imprisonment to be split in two, effectively trapping up to two beings within this talisman's capabilities.

The talisman in his hand had to have been created by a master in the crafts! The effects alone were simply lifesaving, any existence under the Zul General level would be eradicated. In other words, this talisman was capable of combatting almost all Rank 4 and below Spirit Beasts.

[Oh this talisman… It's absolutely what you need. However, you'll still need to last for 3 seconds while it activates. Do you understand what that entails? You'll have to engage in combat with these beasts for 3 seconds. Are you capable?]

"Honestly, at this moment it isn't a matter of if I'm capable but rather, I have to do this. My survival and our continued journey depend on it," uttered Apollo as he slapped the talisman on the mutilated ground before him. A small ripple undulating causing the beasts to pause.

Afterward, it seemed something incited their predatory and survival instincts. The beasts gazed murderously at Apollo. Steeling himself, Apollo found it wasn't time to ruminate over his decision. It was an inevitable choice, there was bound to be a sign of his actions.

"Awwwwoooo!"

"Roooaggrh…"

The beasts roared and swiped at Apollo simultaneously. Left with no other choice, he threw himself to the ground rolling continuously. Small rocks cut and punctured his body. However, he rathered this than be torn shreds under the ire of these infuriated beasts.

Time seemed to pass slowly; three seconds began to feel like an eternity. Not to mention, he needed to stay within range of the talisman or its effects would be rendered useless. Essentially, he was limited to a small scope of action which extremely heightened the beasts' chances to do away with him.

"Damn...it's just 2 more seconds. I can survive!" snarled Apollo as he lifted his only good arm. His right one hung limply with fresh blood dripping from his fingertips. The earlier attack left copious amounts of damage on his body.

Brandishing the Vantablack Knife with a defensive stance, Apollo backpedaled and moved closer to the talisman. The beasts pounced and he tried to defend, but their bodies were leagues above his. A crack was heard as the bone in his left forearm snapped.

However, an unyielding light appeared within Apollo's gaze. Grasping the knife with his mouth, he moved like a demon leaving tiny nicks on their body. Meanwhile, the time had come. Small crackling sounds emitted from the talisman on the floor.

'Pzzt!' 'Pzzt!' 'Krrrrrrrklee!'

A large violet pulse birthed from the talisman. As it traveled and began forming into a cage around the two beasts. The size still allowed them to move, however, in the next moment it began shrinking.

Roaring indignantly, they sensed the feeling of death from the lightning bars of the cage. In response, they circulated their Natural Essence to the limited. Terrible aurae appeared as they launched suicidal attacks. If they were unable to live, then they would take all participants of the battle with them.

'BOOM!'

A loud explosion sounded as they bombarded the lightning prisons with attacks that would otherwise appall new cultivators. The ground they stood on was destroyed yet the cages remained! Unfortunately, through the gaps in one of the sections, a large and harrowing wind blade escaped.

Its target was Apollo! Dodging instinctively, his body moved before he instructed it to. Yet and still, it wasn't something he was capable of dodging even in his peak state.

'Pucht!'

The wind blade landed on his body albeit not properly. At the last moment, he was able to move ever so slightly so that he mitigated the nigh absolute danger. A gruesome scene unfolded his left arm hung limply by a few threads of flesh. Any deeper and his arm would have been severed!

"A-aggghh!" screamed Apollo as he clutched his shoulder writhing in pain with a scar ridden body. Even the Resplendent Jadeite Pendant wasn't potent enough to heal such extensive damage quickly. Kneeled over, Apollo gritted his teeth trying to cope with the pain. While it paled in comparison to the initial demonic change, nearly losing an arm wasn't a painless matter.

'Krrrrklee!' 'Boom!'

Another disturbingly loud sound happened, but this time it was an implosion rather than an explosion. The lightning cages imploded and destructive lightning burned the bodies of the Spirit Beast. As that happened, their struggles ceased as all signs of life disappeared from their eyes. The talisman had killed them.

Naturally, this would be an experience Apollo would never forget. In an instant, he had nearly lost a limb and perished all at the same time. Second, then minutes, then hours passed. Yet not a single soul approached the area.

After all, traces of the Zul General level attack lingered in the vicinity. Due to the hierarchy of the world, seldom did beasts challenge things stronger than them unless they possessed a death wish.

The pendant healed Apollo's health to a suitable degree. However, his arm still remained mutilated and the pain remained, "E-eugh… why isn't the pendant healing this?"

[It is. It's just...you suffered more damage than the interface reveals. This isn't an injury that can be healed in a night. You'll have to pause training. In the meantime, collect what you can and leave the area. It's unclear just what might have been alerted. After all, I sense this entire forest is something's territory. As for whether that talisman was enough to rouse it… who knows.]

"I...I can't move well yet," rebutted Apollo as he gripped his arm still limping towards the lifeless carcasses of the Spirit Beast. Although charred, two objects shimmered within their bodies. Compared to what he collected before, these ones triumphed over the others without a doubt.