novelraw Chapter 393-1: Double Corpse Explosion, First Disciple Cain (1)
Chapter 393-1: Double Corpse Explosion, First Disciple Cain (1)
[Third Disciple Vishnu staggers backward several steps, then pulls out the Abyss Lantern you gave him and flings it back to you from afar…]
[He puts away his weapon, showing his sincerity in stopping the fight…]
“Cain, there is no need for us to fight to the death.”
“Before the Disciple War, I even funded you with five million Spirit Essence… Now I am willing to give up the position of First Disciple myself. How about we split the territories of the upper-tier Disciples between us?”
Vishnu’s tone was sincere as he took the initiative to back down, looking as if he genuinely wanted to talk things out.
From the sound of it, even if Lin Xun wanted every single upper-tier Disciple territory except Vishnu’s own, it would not be impossible. Everything was negotiable.
Lin Xun sneered. Of course he knew exactly what Vishnu was plotting.
Whether it was Flesh Boil or Flesh Angel Holy Descent, the transformation state of the Child of Evil Shell was extremely conspicuous.
With Vishnu striking a bargaining posture now, it was obvious he did not have absolute confidence in victory and was trying to stall for time, to drag things out until the Child of Evil’s transformation ended.
Of course, there was a very small chance that Vishnu truly had chickened out and no longer wished to cross this monster of a bottom-ranked Disciple.Lin Xun took out the Escape Bookmark and tossed it onto the ground. “Right now, neither of us is in combat state. You can use the Escape Bookmark. You exit the Disciple War immediately and we will call it even between us.”
As he threw down the Escape Bookmark, he also checked the bloodshed value of Scarlet King’s Sword.
Killing the top demi-god Solomon just now had charged the weapon with a large chunk of power. Though it was still insufficient to unleash Bloodthirsty Judgement, it was more than enough to cast one more Sinking Shackle.
“Fine. I will withdraw right away.”
Vishnu agreed with his mouth, but in reality he hobbled forward, limping slowly toward the Escape Bookmark.
Though Bounty of the Harvest Goddess had restored nearly half his injuries, he had still lost a lot of HP blocking Solomon’s attacks for Cain.
At this point, Vishnu had at most a quarter of his life remaining. This limping, heavily wounded act of his did have some performance layered on top, but it was still basically an in-character portrayal.
The transformation state on Cain’s Shell was growing unstable and clearly about to end. As long as Cain hesitated even a little and let him drag things past that point…
[Judgment is passed here.]
[Third Disciple Vishnu is an evil heretic who has betrayed the true Lord.]
[You raise Scarlet King’s Sword without the slightest hesitation, point its edge at the enemy and proclaim the words of judgment.]
[You have successfully inflicted the negative status Strong Weakness on the enemy.]
[Vishnu’s limbs suddenly grow heavy and his body locks up as if he is carrying an entire mountain on his back.]
“Cain… you forced me into this!”
Seeing that Cain had already seen through him, Vishnu simply stopped pretending.
He could clearly sense that even though no one was attacking Cain, Cain’s Shell HP was continuously dropping. Right now, Cain’s health was even lower than his.
This was obviously the price of maintaining the transformation state.
Even under the strong Weakness debuff, he was confident he could trade blow for blow and kill Cain.
Cain would either be forced to end his transformation prematurely or be chopped to death by one of his axe strikes once his HP hit zero.
[Vishnu does not retreat. Instead, he uses his only remaining arm to pull out his massive battleaxe and charges straight at you…]
Lin Xun narrowed his eyes and activated the extra skill from his new Shell without hesitation: Rite of the Dead.
[Rite of the Dead (legendary+ grade skill): Death is not release. It is not the end. It is the beginning of all pain.]
[When you use this skill, within three minutes of an enemy’s death, you can convert the target into a stronger high-grade undead.]
[Legendary enemies can be converted into a Dark Abyss Knight; legendary+ grade enemies can be converted into a Dark Abyss Watcher; enemies mythic grade and above can be converted into a Dark Abyss Lord. (The grade of a Dark Abyss Lord cannot exceed mythic.)]
[High-grade undead created by this skill are temporary special summons that can exist for up to 30 minutes. For each additional high-grade undead you control, your Calamity Lich Shell’s necromantic magic is increased by 5 percent. Current number of high-grade undead: 0/10.]
[…]
[A gaunt figure in a black robe appears behind you. He raises his staff high and chants a long, complex litany of the dead…]
[The dead Shell of Solomon has long since dissolved, leaving only a pool of scarlet blood on the ground…]
[But with the chanting, a black skeletal hand suddenly thrusts up from the blood pool, dragging a terrifying figure out of the crimson.]
[It is a tall humanoid figure made entirely of black bone. A crown of the dead perches on its skull. It wields a heavy bone warhammer and rides upon a terrifying earthbone dragon.]
[As you swing your sword to block Vishnu’s ferocious assault, the Dark Abyss Lord lets out a silent roar and drives its earthbone dragon mount into a charge against Vishnu.]
Vishnu’s eyes went wide with horror. “That’s Amos’s Rite of the Dead?!”
The skill Underworld Gate had been so underwhelming that Amos had hardly ever used it in real combat. If not for charging Lin Xun’s weapon earlier, this sewer-tier skill would have been almost forgotten.
Vishnu did not recognize Underworld Gate, but he knew Amos’s signature skill Rite of the Dead all too well.
“How can Cain use Amos’s skill?!”
“This has to be his soul talent!”
Vishnu was scared out of his wits. He simply could not understand how someone could possess such a broken soul talent.
“To hell with it!”
To reach his current standing, Vishnu had weathered countless desperate predicaments. He knew that this was the last moment when he must not hesitate. He had to unleash an even fiercer assault on Cain.
As a top demi-god, he had an extremely high Shell level and a full set of mythic+ grade gear. Even in a state of severe injury and lost limbs, even under the strong Weakness debuff, he still believed he could tank a two-pronged siege from Cain and a high-grade undead.
In this final battle against Cain, whoever outlasted the other would be the ultimate victor.
When the path narrowed, the brave prevailed. And on top of that, Cain’s HP was even lower than his.
Lin Xun did not stop. He immediately activated another extra skill: Corpse Explosion.
[The gaunt figure behind you lifts his staff and points it at the Dark Abyss Lord that just charged to the enemy’s side.]
[A surge of gray-black necromantic aura erupts in an instant.]
[In that split second, you can clearly see the gravity on Vishnu’s face, and hidden under that gravity is a trace of panic.]
[The Dark Abyss Lord converted from Solomon is only mythic grade, but its Shell level has retained its lifetime peak. Under the blessing of Rite of the Dead, it can exert power slightly surpassing what is normal for its grade and level…]
[Corpse Explosion is the art of burning all that extra power beyond a Shell’s limits in a single instant and unleashing it in full.]
[Wild necromantic power floods across the ground. At the center of the explosion, Vishnu quickly pulls out his shield and covers his entire body…]
[With a deafening crash, the island shakes and trembles as if an earthquake has struck.]
[You stomp down hard and drive yourself forward, gripping Scarlet King’s Sword as you charge straight at the heart of the blast…]
[Before your figure can reach the center, Vishnu bursts out of the explosion in a frenzy. He hurls aside the shattered remnants of his shield and, gripping his giant axe, launches into a final duel with you.]
[His body is covered in wounds, yet his eyes blaze with supreme brilliance. Even so, the Corpse Explosion from the Dark Abyss Lord has still been unable to overcome the gulf in tiers and inflict fatal damage on a top demi-god.]
[Vishnu hurls himself at you. His mighty and towering body is like a solid iron wall, like a lone reef that remains upright no matter how the waves crash upon it.]
By now, Lin Xun’s resources were completely exhausted. His Shell HP was on the verge of zero, and the transformation timer was down to the final few seconds of countdown.
If Vishnu’s axe connected, Lin Xun would die no matter what.