Lord of Annihilation

How hot is plasma?

If one isn't getting into the specific science behind the technology, a common answer would be- very hot. About ten times hotter than the temperature at the center of the sun to be precise. So hot that one would not be able to feel the heat on their skin, before their very bodies vaporize.

And this is precisely what happened to the Bugs.

At the instant the two balls of compressed plasma landed in the middle of the long chain of bugs, approximately 2000 Sickle Bugs and 300 Tanker Bugs immediately died. Not a single scream was heard. Just complete silence.

Just as the large mushroom cloud formed and subsequent waves of radiation and heat were about to spread, the Stage 1 Peak Level 'Leader Bug' immediately reacted.

Stopping its chase after Lucius, it immediately turned around placed both of it's palms together. Wave after wave of ferocious soul power, which had condensed into the Solid Phase, started to flow out of it's body and gather at its palm.

Gathering almost forty percent of its entire soul power, the Leader Bug immediately channeled it and formed a mighty yellowish barrier, encompassing the large mushroom cloud.

Caught within the barrier constructed with an enormous amount of soul power, the waves of destructive energy were unable to wreck further havoc. Destructive energy crashed time and time against the barrier of soul power which stood unshakable.

『All units, scatter!』it command with a shrill voice.

All the above mentioned actions were performed in less than three seconds by the Leader Bug. Its feet staggered as it felt a extreme sense of weakness spreading throughout its body. Releasing forty percent of its soul power in a single move, not to mention the sudden loss of 2000+ units under it's command, led to a serious decline of its powers.

As it was about to readjust it's body to compensate for this weakness, the Leader Bug suddenly felt sharp blades of wind heading towards it's head. An ominous premonition rose within its heart.

『Danger!』its mind screamed as it instinctively moved it's body forward.

A sharp blade cut through the air, where it's head had been just a second ago. The Leader Bug rolled on the ground and regained its balance. It immediately turned around to face this new enemy.

"Tch. It's battle sense is too high." Lucius clicked his tongue.

At the very moment that the balls of plasma were launched, Lucius had immediately turned around to engage the Leader bug in a close combat fight. He had expected a large amount of bugs to die in the initial explosion, when they are caught unaware and therefore prepared immediately launched his attack, the instant the Leader Bug's back was turned.

Unfortunately, he had failed. Although the battle prowess of the Leader Bug was cut down by half, it was still a frightening existence.

Gripping his scythe with both his hands, Lucius lowered his body. His indifferent eyes were completely focused as he intensely stared at his opponent.

The chest of the Leader Bug rose and fell as it raised both its hands to reach its back. A large, 2m tall hunk of flat metal, made of an unknown material hung in it's back.

Not giving it any time to equip it's weapon, Lucius immediately kicked off the ground and dashed towards it.

Red veins pulsed along the length of the scythe, as he raised his weapon.

[Dance of the Death God: First Movement- Slash!]

The scythe swung down diagonally, carrying with it a frightening momentum and strength. The air between the blade and the Leader Bug was torn apart as the weapon neared it thorax.

TING!

With a movement that could be described as instantaneous, the Leader Bug abruptly turned its body and blocked Lucius' attack with the large, metal object on it's back.

Seeing that his attack had failed, Lucius immediately retreated.

『Too late human!』the Leader Bug shrieked as it grasped the handle of the large metal sword on it's back. Holding the large metal broadsword with its humongous hands, it leapt towards Lucius.

'So fast!' Lucius' mind screamed.

A large gust of wind, coupled with a an overwhelming amount of pressure descended onto Lucius. An incredible amount of soul power was infused into the broadsword. The movements of the broadsword were swift and precise. Lucius who was mid-air in the process of retreating, could not evade this strike.

"?!!" his pupils abruptly shrunk as he felt the massive amount of power head towards his body. If he was to get hit, he would immediately die.

'Meet power with greater power!' deciding so, Lucius no longer tried to retreat.

He immediately changed his grip over the scythe. His left hand held the center of the shaft, while his right hand gripped the curve of it's concave blade. Pulling the scythe closer and positioning it at the center of his chest, he started to crazily circulate his soul power.

Soul power started to flow from within his mindspace and into his body.

Starting at his head, it flowed along his neck following the spine, before gathering at his two hands. Some amounts of soul power also gathered at the center of his chest.

Lucius closed his eyes as the reddish-black soul power started to furiously gather and rotate within the pathways of his hands and his chest. An overwhelming amount of power, multiple times greater than his peak strength, leaked from his body.

Sensing the scary amount of power radiating off the body of the human present before it, the Leader Bug wanted to retreat. Alas, it's broadsword was centimeters away from Lucius and it could no longer pull back.

Just as the broadsword was about to make contact with his body, Lucius' eyes snapped open. A bright crimson light leaked from his eyes as his hands holding the large scythe suddenly blurred.

'[Dance of the Death God: Second Movement- Shred!]' he bellowed within his mind.

The soul power gathered along his hands and his chest, gushed out into the scythe and exploded. Coupled with the movement of his hands, which could no longer he tracked with one's eyes, the two forces met.

BANG!

With the thunderous sound of a great impact, a crater formed at the center of the two forces. The ground under their feet was pulverized. A huge amount of dust immediately scattered and the silhouettes of both the parties were hidden behind this smoke-screen.

Just as there seemed to be no further movement, two bodies clothed in black flew in opposite directions. A large amount of blood spilled into the air and two large, fleshy objects fell from the sky.

One was a portion of the upper-body covered in hard, black carapace.

The other was a pale, slender arm.

---------------------

Alex who stood upon the compound walls, was watching the entire battle through a pair of binoculars. Looking at the two parties separate after the initial exchange, he unconsciously swallowed a lump of saliva stuck in his throat.

After the initial volley, he hadn't given the command for the next shot. It wasn't because he had taken sudden pity on the bugs, but because of their subsequent scattering.

While plasma cannons were very powerful and destructive, they had one great flaw. It was slow!

The time taken to reload after a single shot was almost a minute. While this might not sound like a lot, considering the speed at which those Bugs moved, this minute was equal to an eternity.

After the bugs scattered, they did not seem to want to rush towards the base and attack it. Rather they scattered and formed an enormous circle around the two figures who were fighting in the middle.

They greatly desired the crystal which Lucius had, but weren't stupid enough to rush between the battle of two Stage 1 Mid and Peak level beings.

The dust settled and the scene was slowly revealed in Alex's vision. Focusing his eyes, he intently stared at the two figures.

On one end, stood the black armored Leader Bug. It was crouching on the ground while holding onto its stomach. The broadsword continued to remain in it's hands as it stared at Lucius with hateful eyes. It's gaze however also contained a faint sense of victory.

Focusing his gaze, Alex could see a large part of its stomach missing! Weird green colored substance and unknown organs continued to pour out of its body. It struggled to get onto its feet and remained kneeling on the ground.

Shifting his gaze towards the other party, Alex involuntarily inhaled a breath of cold air.

On the other side stood Lucius. His body straight and his feet firm. His pale face had transformed from a healthy pale to a deathly one. His left hand continued to hold onto the large scythe which no longer pulsed with the crimson veins, while his right hand was.... missing!

During their previous exchange, Lucius analyzed that he could not evade the strike from the Leader Bug. Therefore he decided to take a path of mutual destruction. Using the second technique of [Dance of the Death God], which could only be used once he met the attack head on.

In exchange for his survival, Lucius lost his right arm. His body was feeling extremely weak and his soul power was completely emptied out. Blood had pooled under his feet and continued to flow from his wounds. Just a random touch from any of the bugs present in the field would be sufficient to kill him.

Facing the gaze of the Leader Bug which was filled with hate and victory, Lucius continued to wear an expressionless face. His eyes continued to remain indifferent. There was no sense of loss or pain in his gaze.

Seeing that it's enemy was not despairing, the Leader Bug frowned for a moment, before letting out another shrill voice.

『Spitters! Kill this human!』, it commanded.

Another volley of acidic spit started to gather at the mouths of the various Spitter Bugs. This time however, their target was the lonely figure standing at the center of the field.