Chapter 1650: Raging Skyfire
Battle cries erupted from the other side.
Since Cannibal Chain flanked Cloud Peak on one side and Governor Spade on the other, while competition existed with the former, outright conflict wouldn’t break out unless absolutely necessary. As for Governor Spade’s side, wary of Cloud Peak’s first-arrival status, the massive leader hadn’t targeted them even as the staircase battle commenced post-countdown—at least for now.
"Boss Ye!"
The shift in address reflected Ruan Xiao and Wu Xiu’s current mindset.
Cannibal Chain was indeed formidable, their collective magic attacks potent enough to unsettle even Ye Zhongming.
But ultimately, those were skills—bound by cooldowns and mental energy constraints. Cannibal Chain’s wealth allowed them to equip their ranks with identical magic skills, amplifying power through synergy.
Yet they couldn’t possibly endow every member with high mental energy reserves or cooldown-reducing gear and potions.
In short, Cannibal Chain’s short-term burst was terrifying, but sustained combat was their weak spot—not fatal, but a prolonged fight would drastically diminish their effectiveness.
The Death Staircase Contest perfectly exploited this vulnerability.
Twenty factions had survived rigorous trials to reach this point. None were pushovers, even if individually weaker than Cannibal Chain.The Wheel Space’s rules were clear: only one faction per staircase. Thirteen would be eliminated.
While the rules didn’t specify elimination consequences, deaths during the struggle were inevitable. The final survivors might well be just seven factions—the rest, if not annihilated, reduced to remnants.
Facing this, Cannibal Chain urgently needed reliable allies.
Five minutes might seem brief, but in the apocalypse, where every evolved was superhuman, battles—especially in confined team-scale zones—were brutally decisive.
Five minutes could see thousands of evolved perish.
And how many had Cannibal Chain brought?!
"Cooperate with us. Name your terms. At the summit, we’ll assist your Mountain King Wheel bid."
As Cannibal Chain’s deputy leader (Ye Zhongming wasn’t sure of her exact rank), Wu Xiu demonstrated exemplary leadership—fighting fiercely when advantageous, yet pragmatic enough to cut losses when necessary.
Ye Zhongming agreed.
Confident in Cloud Peak’s ability to secure a staircase alone, he knew the toll would be steep. Desperate factions wouldn’t shy from confrontation when cornered.
Casualties were inevitable.
An alliance with Cannibal Chain offered mutual benefit—and a chance for Cloud Peak to eliminate rivals.
"Magic scrolls."
Two words conveyed Ye Zhongming’s admiration for Cannibal Chain’s mage corps.
Good things belonged in one’s own pocket.
Wu Xiu responded briskly, as if anticipating this demand.
"I’ll try—quantity and tier both."
Ye Zhongming nodded silently.
A specific promise would’ve rung hollow—accumulating enough scrolls for their mage corps was a Herculean task even for Cannibal Chain.
"Try" carried more sincerity than numbers.
Ye Zhongming’s gaze fixed on the nearest stone staircase.
"This one?"
"Agreed."
Wu Xiu immediately signaled her forces to charge the occupied passage.
Cooperation didn’t mean outsourcing their battles.
From his vantage on the ring-shaped path, Ye Zhongming glimpsed distant clashes—too chaotic to identify participants.
"Xia Bai, take two squads and Yangos there. Hold back—keep that passage contested without securing it."
With only seven staircases, Cloud Peak and Cannibal Chain claiming two required strategy.
Prioritizing Cannibal Chain’s capture first, Ye Zhongming aimed to seize another for Cloud Peak later.
Full commitment now might leave Cloud Peak vulnerable elsewhere—a risk not worth taking.
Keeping a second passage in flux was ideal—secure one ally’s path first, then pivot.
Cannibal Chain’s ranks erupted in brilliant flames.
Not Fireballs this time, but Raging Skyfire—a wind-fire hybrid spell using air currents to amplify flame’s reach and area damage at the cost of single-target potency.
Perfect for the current scenario.
The staircase’s occupiers, Red Death (named as a counterpart to the Black Death, with the apocalypse’s virus turning humans into "red" zombies), had established a strong defensive position after weathering two assaults.
Three more repelled attacks would grant them passage rights.
Then the sky turned crimson.
As flames cascaded down, Red Death’s gaunt leader looked up, fear flashing before battle-hardened resolve took over.
Barking orders in an obscure tongue, he rallied dozens of evolved who raised their hands, emitting black sand that linked into a net.
With a thrust toward the heavens, the leader launched the sand—
—just as the inferno descended. “