Same Here

Russell used the Six Powers to charge recklessly through the Underworld Army, but when it came to bullying weaklings, plenty of Reincarnators were better than him. Take the two Gundams soaring through the air—their beam cannons, Electromagnetic Cannons, and beam rifles packed quite a punch.

The two roughly eighteen-meter-tall machines flew through the air, each taking charge of one side and holding back the countless Underworld Army troops. In other words, the wolf-headed men Russell had killed were all leftovers from them.

The two Gundams belonged to the same squad, but their models were strangely mismatched. One was Freedom Gundam, while the other was Impulse Gundam. It made people break out in cold sweat, fearing that Freedom Gundam would turn around and get taken out by Impulse Gundam.

Most of the Reincarnators were besieging the Scorpion King. A small number, like Russell, were clearing out lesser enemies. Some lacked the strength to join the main fight, while others were simply slacking off and unwilling to put in any effort.

The Scorpion King was trapped within the formation diagram, unable to display his formidable strength. From the moment he appeared until now, he had done nothing but take a beating.

His strength was indeed immense. At the very least, his defense lived up to his status as a final-stage boss. If he had a visible health bar, it would have been at least x250.

At last, under the Reincarnators’ frenzied assault, the Scorpion King began to show signs of exhaustion. The armor on his upper body cracked apart, several of the legs on his scorpion lower half were severed, and his venom-filled tail was torn off at the root.

"Roar, roar, roar!!"

After an indignant, unwilling roar, the Scorpion King’s body slowly collapsed. Purple fluid splattered everywhere, and the black mist shrouding his head completely dispersed.

With the Scorpion King’s death, the hellish rift trembled shut. The Underworld Army likewise turned into black mist, and the black cavity overhead slowly closed. Anubis never appeared, having watched the show before returning home.

"Is it over?"

"Does this count as completing an exploration of one ruin?"

The Reincarnators caught their breath and gathered with their respective squads. Though they were exhausted like dead dogs, they still pretended to be calm and composed, as if taking on another ten would be no problem.

Russell swept his gaze across the scene. Twenty-four Reincarnators remained. Those who had died either lacked the strength and had been slain by the Underworld Army, or had been unlucky enough to be dragged into the hellish sea of blood by undead creatures.

"I got a notification. My mission progress changed from 0/3 to 1/3. Killing the Scorpion King really does count as successfully exploring a ruin."

"I got it too!"

"Me too!"

"Same here!"

The Reincarnators in the hall beamed with delight. A third of the mission was complete. Of the remaining four ruins, they only needed to choose two, leaving plenty of room to maneuver.

Russell watched everyone celebrating, raising an eyebrow. He could not shake the feeling that something was missing. "No, if we follow the usual sequence…"

"Jason, what are you muttering about?"

An unfamiliar voice interrupted Russell. He turned and saw a vibrant young girl standing before him. She looked eighteen or nineteen, with fair skin, clear eyes, and a beautiful face that gave him a sense of familiarity.

"Ying Yingying!?"

"Heh, you recognized me after all!"

Russell curled his lip. Though girls changed greatly as they grew up, he had seen the grown-up Ying Yingying in Supergirl’s social media feed, so he naturally recognized her quickly.

"What were you muttering about just now?" Ying Yingying asked. During the siege of the Scorpion King, she had used the excuse of forming a team to gather the mages among the Reincarnator squads, then taken the opportunity to skim off a tidy profit.

I was wondering how unbelievably three-dimensional you’d look wearing Band-Aids, and planning to make an album of it!

Russell grumbled inwardly, then said seriously, "I was thinking about the ruins. If all of us leave the pyramid, will the Scorpion King respawn like a wild monster, or will he be gone for good?"

Ying Yingying nodded. "Whether a ruin can only be explored once or can be explored repeatedly, right?"

"Exactly! If it just resets, that’s one thing. But if the Scorpion King won’t revive, then following the usual process, we should leave as soon as possible…"

"Huh?"

"I’m afraid the pyramid will collapse."

"How could that happen!" Ying Yingying waved her hand, indicating that Russell was overthinking it. "I tested it. The pyramid’s structure is extremely sturdy. The bricks are as hard as if they were mixed with iron. How could it just collapse?"

"Even so… I still feel like I’ve forgotten something important…" Russell furrowed his brow. What exactly had he forgotten?

Rumble—

The earth shook violently, making it difficult to stand. Chips of brick and stone rained down as the entire pyramid began to sway violently.

Having seen this sort of scene many times, Russell remained perfectly calm and spread his hands. "See? I told you. This is what happens when you follow the usual sequence."

"Shut up. Who cares about sequences at a time like this? Saving our lives comes first."

Ying Yingying took out a Flying Carpet from her Space Ring and leaped lightly onto it. Several female teammates gathered beside her.

The once-calm plaza descended into chaos as the Reincarnators scattered in all directions to flee for their lives.

Russell jumped onto the Flying Carpet and kicked away a Reincarnator trying to hitch a ride. The carpet rose steadily into the air and sped toward the nearest passageway.

"Vice Captain, there’s mirror space inside the passageways. With so little time, we might not be able to make it out by retracing our route," Duan Xinlan reminded him. After speaking, she tripped on level ground and fell into Russell’s arms. Her "injuries were severe," and she simply could not get back up.

Hearing that, Ying Yingying immediately stopped the Flying Carpet. Looking at the ceiling, where rocks were falling like raindrops, she gritted her teeth and flew straight up.

"I’ll control the Flying Carpet. You block the falling rocks. Get ready—we’re accelerating!" Ying Yingying poured Magic Power into the Flying Carpet to increase its speed. At this life-or-death moment, she could not hold anything back. Before long, her double Cs had reverted to double Bs, with a clear trend toward becoming an A-cup.

Russell drew his twin guns and aimed at the falling rocks. He switched between both weapons to shatter stones of all sizes at medium and long range, while Guan Yin and Kang Xi handled everything nearby. Duan Xinlan and Jian Shaoxin protected them—one raised a shield to block, while the other swung a straight blade—ensuring their firepower could keep flowing smoothly.

Working together, they managed with ease!

Below them, the Reincarnators whose path through the passageways had been blocked charged upward at full speed. Teams without anyone capable of flight were in trouble. Even knowing the passageways were dead ends, they could only force their way through.

The two Gundams were the fastest. One after the other, they raised their shields and charged straight upward, quickly leaving the Flying Carpet behind. As for the guy Russell had seen using Sword Flight earlier, he now had a rope tied around his waist and was dragging his teammates along miserably. He moved as slowly as an old ox pulling a broken cart.

The surrounding walls drew closer and closer. Russell knew this meant they were nearing the end. A deafening boom erupted overhead, followed by a dazzling burst of fire. The two Gundams had already reached the top, blasting open a path with their beam cannons. Ying Yingying controlled the Flying Carpet and seized the opportunity to follow closely behind.

Flame-red clouds appeared overhead, and the Flying Carpet accelerated again. By a hair’s breadth, it escaped through a gap at the pyramid’s peak.

Rumble!!

Without warning, a shockwave appeared out of nowhere and spread outward. The pyramid collapsed layer by layer as if it had been demolished by explosives. Then the earth cracked and sank, turning into an endless expanse of quicksand. The golden city sank beneath the surface along with it, and everything was swallowed in an instant.

"Uh, where’s my dog?"