A bone-chilling cold seeped into Tom, rising from his feet to the crown of his head.
It wasn't a physical chill, but a fear that originated from the depths of his soul.
He gripped the dagger in his hand, his palms slightly sweaty.
He could clearly sense the evil emanating from the six individuals, an evil that shared its origin with Wang Xin's power, yet was purer, more potent.
They were assassins, harbingers of death, puppets controlled by Wang Xin's dark sorcery.
"Are they... the assassins Bao Zheng spoke of?" Tom whispered, a barely perceptible tremor in his voice.
Amy nodded, her eyes flashing with vigilance. Her divine sword vibrated slightly in her hand, seemingly sensing the approaching danger. She could distinctly "hear" the killers' heartbeats, half a beat slower than normal, each throb seeming to accumulate a destructive power.
Just then, the subway announcement chimed, a sweet female voice broadcasting the next station: "Next stop, Hell Gate." The cold, ironic station name sent a jolt through Amy and Tom.
"Hell Gate?" Tom murmured. He knew this was more than just a station name; it was an ominous premonition.
The man reading the newspaper curved his lips into a sinister smile. He slowly lowered his newspaper, revealing a pair of blood-red eyes. His gaze swept over the ordinary passengers in the carriage with the indifference of a hunter observing prey.
"Welcome, dear passengers, to the final express. Please fasten your seatbelts, because... the journey is about to begin." His voice was low and hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing.
"There's not much time," Amy whispered in Tom's ear. "
They're about to make their move." She sensed the evil power rapidly expanding within them.
No sooner had she spoken than the atmosphere in the carriage solidified.
The young woman who had been playing on her phone suddenly looked up, her eyes turning pitch black, her fingernails growing instantly into sharp blades.
She lunged at the nearest passenger with lightning speed. Before the passenger could even scream, their throat was slit, and they fell to the ground.
"Stop them!" Amy roared, her divine sword unsheathed, a fierce burst of sword energy hurtling towards the female assassin.
The sword energy, imbued with the righteous might of the Nine Heavens Profound Lady, instantly sent the female assassin flying, slamming her against the carriage wall with a dull thud.
On the other side, the stylish woman applying makeup also revealed her true, grotesque face.
The powder compact in her hand transformed into a cloud of black poisonous mist, spreading towards the surrounding passengers.
Wherever the mist passed, passengers clutched their noses and mouths, collapsing in agony, their skin quickly turning blue and purple.
Seeing this, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in Tom's eyes. He knew this was no time for hesitation.
He swiftly rushed forward, the dagger dancing in his hand, accurately stabbing the poison mist woman's wrist.
The woman shrieked, and the poisonous mist instantly dissipated.
"Their weakness lies in their human bodies!" Amy shouted. "Even possessed by evil spirits, their physical forms remain vulnerable!"
However, the remaining four assassins also began to act.
One grew in size, transforming into an invulnerable gargoyle, directly smashing through the carriage door, preparing to rush to the next car.
Another pulled out a huge blood-red scythe from under the seat, still stained with dried blood and emanating a strong aura of death, and began slaughtering the remaining terrified passengers in the carriage.
"I'll stop the gargoyle!" Tom rushed towards the broken carriage door without hesitation. He knew he couldn't let these assassins harm more innocent people.
He used the narrow space of the carriage to nimbly dodge the gargoyle's attacks while searching for its weakness. He noticed several faint black lines connecting the gargoyle's joints, seemingly the crucial points controlling its movements.
Amy, meanwhile, wielded her divine sword, engaging in a fierce battle with the scythe-wielding assassin.
Each swing of the divine sword carried powerful spiritual energy, carving brilliant streaks of light in the carriage. The blood-red scythe whistled with death, each clash shaking the carriage.
"Be careful, that scythe can absorb souls!" Chen Tao's voice suddenly echoed in Amy's spiritual consciousness. "Don't let its blade touch you!"
The carriage was in chaos, ordinary passengers' screams and pleas for help mixed with the assassins' roars, like a living hell.
Bao Zheng's voice sounded again, with a hint of urgency: "The subway core is in the very front carriage! It's controlled by an evil force, and once its energy is full, it will cause a violent explosion! You must stop it quickly!"
Amy's heart tightened. She knew this was the final deadline. She had to act fast! She held nothing back, the power of the Nine Heavens Profound Lady fully unleashed, her divine sword glowing brilliantly, cutting through the darkness like a shooting star.
She wielded her divine sword, no longer directly clashing with the scythe, but instead moving with extreme speed, lightning-fast, circling the blood-red scythe assassin, searching for a weak point. She saw that the assassin's body would briefly stiffen after each swing of the scythe.
Meanwhile, Tom also faced immense pressure. The gargoyle's attacks were heavy and dense, each punch carrying the force to split mountains and shatter rocks.
He relied on his agile movements, continuously dodging and trying to cut the controlling black lines with his dagger.
However, the black lines were incredibly tough and difficult to sever.
"Its core is in its chest!" Chen Tao's voice echoed in Tom's mind again. "The black lines are to protect the core! Only by severing the black lines can you attack its core!"
Tom's eyes lit up. He understood. He no longer aimed for a single, fatal blow, but instead shifted to a defensive stance, continuously weakening the black lines with his dagger.
He saw that whenever the dagger grazed a black line, it would tremble slightly, and its color would dim.
The other two assassins had also begun their assault. One transformed into a black lightning bolt, darting through the carriage, attempting to ambush innocent passengers.
The other summoned countless shadowy hands, coiling around seats and handrails, attempting to tear the entire carriage apart.
Amy suddenly leaped up, her divine sword held high, a golden light bursting from the sword tip, forming a huge sealing rune that enveloped the blood-red scythe assassin.
The assassin let out an unwilling roar, instantly suppressed in place by the rune, unable to move.
"Tom, quickly stop the explosion!" Amy shouted. She knew she had temporarily held back the blood-red scythe assassin, but the seal wouldn't last long.
Ignoring his fatigue, Tom seized the moment. After one of the gargoyle's attacks, he leaped onto its arm, then slid down to its chest.
The dagger cut through the air, glinting coldly, and accurately plunged into the gargoyle's chest!
The gargoyle let out a deafening roar, and its massive body began to crumble, scattering into rubble.
Without a moment's rest after dispatching the gargoyle, Tom sprinted towards the front of the subway.
He saw a pulsating sphere of black energy, the evil core, rapidly expanding in the subway's core section.
With every inch it grew, the subway car vibrated more violently. He knew that was the source of the explosion!
"I'll distract the lightning!" Amy shouted, her divine sword swinging again, streaks of sword energy like golden threads, coiling around the black lightning, trapping it in place.
Tom rushed to the subway core. The heat radiated from the evil energy sphere was almost scorching him.
He could feel the terrifying power contained within it, enough to flatten an entire city. He took a deep breath, raised his dagger, and then, with all his might, plunged it into the energy sphere!
The moment the dagger touched the energy sphere, a powerful recoil almost sent Tom flying. However, he gritted his teeth, gripping the dagger tightly, pouring all his strength into it. The dagger's blade shimmered with a faint light, a testament to his unyielding will.
The energy sphere emitted a piercing shriek, its black light flickering violently, trying to break free from the dagger's restraint.