Knights descend upon Douluo Continent; death awaits if they do not fight.

"I...I killed one?"

Yu Cheng was also stunned.

Another horned demon pounced in front of them.

A hand reached out from the side, grabbed its hind leg, and pulled hard.

The horned demon lost its balance and crashed heavily to the ground.

The nameless one rode on its back, and as before, stuck its fingers into its eye sockets.

The horned demon screamed, struggled, and then died.

The nameless man slid off the corpse, sat down beside it, and breathed slightly.

"Three heads now," he muttered to himself. "Three heads..."

Huyan Zhan ran over from a distance, carrying the head of another horned demon in his hand.

"I've taken care of mine too." He threw the head on the ground. "How many are left?"

The four looked around.

On the battlefield lay the corpses of the seven-headed horned demons.

In the distance, three more heads were hesitating about whether to continue the attack.

Further away, a solitary figure was slowly walking towards them.

Tang Ying.

He was covered in blood, his Haotian Hammer stained with black blood, but his steps remained steady.

He walked up to the four men and glanced at them.

"Three heads left."

"I know," Hu Yanzhan grinned. "Want to come at me all at once?"

Tang Ying didn't speak, but simply gripped the Haotian Hammer tighter.

But everyone knows that it means agreement.

Five people, back to back, facing the final three-headed demon.

In the distance, the three-horned demon growled, hesitating.

Then they turned around and ran away.

They disappeared into the dark red mist.

The five people stood still, none of them moving.

Then--

Huyan Zhan was the first to laugh.

"Hahahaha!"

He laughed loudly, his whole body trembled, and tears streamed down his face.

"We're alive...we're alive..."

Ning Ruyu's legs went weak, and she sat down on the ground, tears streaming down her face.

Yu Cheng knelt on one knee, panting heavily, but a smile appeared on his lips.

Wuming sat on the ground, looking up at the dark red sky with a strange smile on his face.

Tang Ying stood there, her face still expressionless.

But the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

[Battle Report]

[First batch of survivors: five]*

[Slaying twelve Horned Demons]

[Deaths: Two]

Survival time: Day 1

On the live stream screen, new annotations appeared next to the names of the five people.

Next to Hu Yanzhan's name, a line of small print appeared:

[Gain new ability: Horned Demon Power - Beginner] - Strength increased by 30% for 10 seconds, limited to once per day.

Next to Ning Ruyu's name:

[Gain new ability: Healing Touch] - Can heal minor injuries, limited to three uses per day.

Next to Yu Cheng's name:

[Gain new ability: Lightning Amplification] - Lightning power increased by 50% for 30 seconds, limited to once per day.

Next to the nameless:

[Gain New Ability: Climb] - Can attach to any object surface for one minute, limited to three uses per day.

Next to Tang Ying's name, there was only one line of text:

[Gain new ability: Horned Demon Power - Intermediate] - Strength increased by 80% for one minute, limited to two uses per day.

[Gain Passive: Combat Instinct] - When facing multiple enemies, reaction speed and attack accuracy are permanently increased by 15%.

.....

Five people, five different fates.

Five new forces.

In the distance, on the throne atop a mountain of corpses.

Huang Fei remained seated, watching everything unfold.

Looking at the five survivors.

Watching them acquire new abilities.

Look into their eyes, at the glimmer of hope that has just been ignited.

A very faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

It's not mockery.

It's not pity.

It's just a memory.

He was once just like them.

My first battle, my first time surviving, my first time gaining new power.

At that time, he also thought he could live forever.

At that time, he also believed that hope existed.

He later learned—

Hope is the sweetest poison before death.

Because tomorrow, there will be new battles.

There will be another one the day after tomorrow.

There will be another one the day after tomorrow.

until--

You die.

Or, kill everyone.

Huang Fei withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes.

The cheers of the five people reached my ears.

Cheers of survivors.

He'd heard it too many times.

Each time, there were cheers.

Each time, those who cheered ended up dying at his hands.

Three thousand seven hundred and twenty-four.

He killed 3,724 people who cheered for him.

Welcome to my world.

He said softly.

"I hope you can laugh for a little longer."

.....

The dark red sky was devoid of stars.

After the first day of fighting, the five men huddled in the ruins of a shattered building.

The broken wall blocked the most biting wind, but it couldn't stop the pervasive stench of blood in the air—their blood, the monster's blood, and the blood of the two dead men.

Huyan Zhan leaned against the wall, his sword resting horizontally on his knees.

There were two notches on the blade, from when it split open the horned demon's head.

He wiped the blade with his sleeve, but couldn't remove the black bloodstains that had seeped into the metal's grooves.

"I said," he began, his voice hoarse, "we need to set some rules."

Ning Ruyu sat in the corner, using a torn piece of her clothing to bandage Yu Cheng's wound.

Her hands were steady, but if you looked closely, her fingertips were trembling slightly.

"What are the rules?"

"Don't stab each other in the back," Hu Yanzhan said. "The rules say we can kill each other, but we're all still alive. If we start fighting now, none of us will survive to the seventh day."

"I have no objection. Killing those monsters is already tough enough; there's no need to create more trouble for ourselves."

Yu Cheng groaned – Ning Ruyu was putting his dislocated left arm back into place.

The nameless man squatted in the corner, saying nothing.

His eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness, like those of some nocturnal animal.

Tang Ying sat against the outermost broken wall, furthest from everyone else.

With the Haotian Hammer resting across his lap, his gaze remained fixed on the darkness beyond the ruins.

"Something is watching us," he said.

Everyone held their breath for a moment.

Huyan Zhan gripped the hilt of his sword tightly: "Where is it?"

Tang Ying did not answer.

His gaze slowly swept across the darkness, like a wolf patrolling its territory.

"I'm gone."

The silence lasted for a long time.

A distant roar came from somewhere, very far away, as if it were coming from another direction.

Then came a distant echo, then the sound of the wind, and then nothing at all.

"Let's talk about our abilities," Yu Cheng broke the silence. "These are the rewards the rules give us. We need to know what each other is capable of in order to survive longer."

Hu Yanzhan was the first to speak: "The power of the Horned Demon. After using it, one's strength increases and lasts for ten seconds. It can only be used once a day."

Ning Ruyu said softly, "I can heal injuries. Minor injuries are fine, but for more serious ones... I'll give it a try. Three times a day."

"Lightning Amplification." Yu Cheng raised his right hand, a blue arc of electricity crackling at his fingertips. "A fifty-fold power increase, thirty seconds, once a day."

Everyone looked at Wuming.

"I can climb," he said. "On walls, in trees, on monsters. One minute. Three times a day."

A very brief description. Nobody asked any further questions.

Finally, there's Tang Ying.

"Horned Demon Power." He paused. "Power increased by 80%, lasting one minute. Twice a day."

Huyan Zhan whistled: "Eighty percent? Then you're the best fighter among us now."

.....