Chapter 93

After Andy and his female partner unleashed their ultimate move, they both collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. Andy's partner was named Ruth, and the two came from the same city-state, originally part of the same team, a team of just two people.

Initially, Andy and Ruth had no intention of revealing this combined skill. First, it consumed too much mental energy, and second, using such a conspicuous magical power in the Hunger Games could attract the attention of the organizers, who might use them as lab rats for study. However, they couldn't afford to worry about that now. Generally, when adventurers perform actions that don't fit the game's world, the city battle system would cover it up, and the chances of receiving special attention were minimal. But Andy judged that if they didn't quickly kill Marlo, they would likely die soon!

In fact, the terrifying firebird attack was not seen by the audience. The moment Andy and Ruth released their move, all the cameras monitoring the Horn of Zeus suddenly malfunctioned and only returned to normal after the explosion ended. The audience only saw the screen flicker, and a few seconds later, thick smoke rose from where Marlo had been standing. Many people complained, blaming the organizers for poor management and causing them to miss the exciting part. As for the explosion, it could only be blamed on a landmine going off by mistake.

"Such a powerful skill, how much damage did it do?" Kerlayev walked up to Andy and asked in a deep voice. Andy mustered his strength, stood up, and tried not to show his fatigue, smiling confidently, "Eight hundred points of fire element damage, with a five-meter radius!" Kerlayev whistled in shock, "This skill isn't shabby even against veterans!" He glanced at the smoke that hadn't yet dissipated, "My two hits also did over a hundred points of damage. This guy is done for... hmph, overconfident people don't last long!"

The three melee fighters who hadn't been used carried their weapons over and stood with Andy and Ruth. The two groups, who had been at odds, now found themselves on better terms due to Marlo's appearance.

"That guy was fast, otherwise, I would have cut off his head!" The melee fighter with the sword complained, earning some teasing from the others. Kerlayev extended his hand to Andy, "You're very skilled. Join us with your partner. Helias isn't as easy to deal with as he seems. We need to work together to have a chance!" Andy shook his head, "Not this time. The next time we meet, we'll still be enemies. The rules dictate that we will eventually oppose each other!" Kerlayev was speechless. He was straightforward and only thought clearly during battles. Up to this point, he hadn't fully accepted the rules of the Hunger Games. Andy's reminder made him realize that the man in front of him was still an enemy.

Kerlayev sighed, "Fine, let's divide the supplies. That guy counts as your kill, so the key is yours!" He was generous and straightforward. If not for the damn rules, Andy would have liked to be friends with him. But the mention of the key made Andy suddenly feel a chill run from his feet to the back of his head. He looked at the direction of the smoke, trembling, and asked, "Did you... receive a death message?"

The other five people immediately realized what he meant, but before they could turn to prepare, a silver light shot out of the smoke, flying several dozen meters and embedding itself in the back of the melee fighter with the sword. It was a curved blade! The adventurer, hit by the blade, spat blood and fell to the ground.

"He's not dead!" Kerlayev roared, swinging his battle axe and facing the smoke with the other two melee fighters. Andy and Ruth also focused, standing behind the three melee fighters, ready to release their skills at any moment.

Gradually, a charred figure emerged from the smoke, and the five people, who were on guard, involuntarily took a step back. Although Marlo now looked disheveled and comical, no one dared to underestimate him. Not only was his strength extraordinary, but he also had a high life value that could withstand nine hundred points of damage without dying. He was a monster!

"You're all pretty impressive!" Marlo praised from a distance, "You scared me. I really thought I was going to die! Looks like I can't underestimate anyone in the future!" With that, Marlo's legs burst with superhuman speed, and before the others could react, he was already in front of them.

Among them, only Kerlayev could barely keep up, swinging his giant axe at Marlo! The red light on his hand hadn't faded, and combined with the axe, his attack power was even higher than Marlo's bare hands. He believed the monster was bluffing and, after taking such a powerful skill, even if he didn't die, his life must be low. So he was prepared to fight to the death.

"I want to see if you dare to fight me head-on!" Kerlayev roared in his heart, but then he noticed that the other party had no intention of dodging. His left hand blocked the giant axe, and his right hand, clenched into a fist, aimed for Kerlayev's chest. The stance suggested he was really going to fight head-on! "You really dare to underestimate me? Fighting my axe with bare hands? I'll give you what you want!" Kerlayev felt deeply insulted and increased the strength in his hands. This axe swing was unrestrained and extremely powerful.

However, just as the two were about to clash, the burly man saw that the monster's hands instantly turned black. No, not black, but a layer of indestructible armor. The axe hit his left hand and left only a shallow mark before being deflected. Then, the right hand, also covered in black armor, struck his chest... No, "solid" wasn't the right word to describe it. The punch seemed to pass through his chest like it was loose cotton, without any resistance...

Kerlayev's heart was shattered by the punch, and he struggled on the ground for a moment before his eyes lost their light, clearly dead. Marlo's hands, which had been covered in black armor, had returned to normal.

At this moment, the other four finally reacted. The two melee fighters swung their weapons, but they were far inferior to Kerlayev and posed no threat. Marlo picked up Kerlayev's dropped axe and quickly sent them to their deaths. Before he could collect the spoils, Marlo suddenly felt his feet become heavy, as if tied with hundreds of pounds of lead. Looking down, he saw two strands of black gas wrapped around his ankles, clearly a slow-down skill!

Marlo looked up and saw Andy pulling Ruth and running towards the forest, clearly trying to use the slow-down skill to delay their escape. Marlo sighed, "Poor couple, but in this world, not killing you would be a disservice to the glasses girl..."

The slow-down skill wouldn't last long. After five seconds, the black gas dissipated. Marlo flexed his ankles and burst into incredible speed, heading straight for the fleeing couple!

Andy felt the killing intent from behind, his eyes revealing a mix of despair, hesitation, and determination. He tightened his grip on Ruth's hand and threw her forward. "Ruth, run! Once you're in the forest, with your abilities, he won't find you!" Andy shouted with his last strength, then turned and charged towards the pursuing Marlo.

"No!" Ruth screamed, intending to go back and help, but remembering Andy's words and seeing his resolute back, she stopped, bit her lip, and ran towards the forest.

"If one day we are in a desperate situation and must sacrifice one to survive, would you die for me?" Once, during a leisurely moment, Ruth had playfully asked Andy. At the time, the sunny and handsome boy had given a rather dismissive answer, "Why talk about death when we're alive and well?" Ruth persisted, "I would, if I had to die for you, I wouldn't hesitate. What about you?" Andy looked troubled, considering for a moment, and Ruth scolded, "You're hesitating?" Andy laughed, "No..." Seeing Ruth's face turn cold, Andy added, "I won't let you die!"

"I won't let you die!" A simple sentence, now repeated by Andy with his life.

Andy's attributes and skills were not bad, causing more trouble for Marlo than Kerlayev, but he only lasted a few moves before dying. At this point, Ruth hadn't yet reached the forest.

Marlo picked up Andy's weapon, glanced at the girl fleeing in a panic, and sighed, giving up. "Being killed by your lover's weapon would be too cruel for her..." Marlo muttered, bending down to pick up the key Andy had dropped and closing his eyes for him.

In total, Marlo had killed eight adventurers, dropping eight keys, and earned him 8000 credit points, 24 skill points, and 8 honor points. Compared to killing higher-level adventurers in the previous world, the rewards for killing adventurers of the same level were much less.

Marlo returned to the Horn of Zeus, obtained the bow and arrow needed by Katniss, and selected a few weapons suitable for others. He packed them together with the previously collected supplies in several layers of plastic, forming a large bundle. He then found some flammable materials in the supplies, piled the remaining items he couldn't carry, and set them on fire. Watching the flames rise, Marlo shouldered the bundle and headed for the forest.

Although he appeared strong and composed, the initial rapid attacks by Kerlayev and Andy and Ruth were quite effective, reducing Marlo's life by over 400 points. However, his life was so high that even the remaining amount was much higher than that of a typical beginner adventurer. Marlo also believed that such attacks wouldn't come again in the short term, so he dared to use a high-risk, high-reward tactic.

As for why he fought to the death, besides the game rules, Marlo wanted to test his newly acquired power! In a way, he had to thank Andy and Ruth, because their firebird allowed his Nine Yang Divine Skill to finally break through!