novelraw Chapter 161: Flowers of Decay
Chapter 161: Flowers of Decay
*Clang*
The bell chimed again and another debuff took effect. Heresy: the poisoned targets will blabber nonsense.
Zyrus had already used Monarch of Toxin on his summons. Every attack of theirs poisoned the sandworms. Even if they died after the first encounter, they’d take their killers to the grave.
‘Well, more like drag them to the abyss.’
He didn’t give his enemy the luxury to own a grave. It was a pity that not all of the debuffs were triggered due to the worms’ lacking intelligence. They didn’t have a faith and their entire body was a weapon itself. The blabbering wasn’t of much use either apart from making them swallow some sand.
By far the most effective debuff was Sacrilege. It was amazing to see hundreds of sandworms take his summons’ attack as ‘Blessings’.
*Krrrrooouuu*
Zyrus focused his attention on the leading sandworm that was still trying to rush at him. His MP and stamina consumption were off the charts since he was spamming his skills and authorities. But since he had his talent and trait to recover both of them by using corpses, he didn’t care the least bit about it.
[Arcane Lance]
Zyrus pointed his arms at the enemy and shaped his mana. Unlike the previous blue color, the spears were entirely made up of pitch-black abyssal attribute.
[Monarch of Toxin]
He also used his title to add another attribute to his mana. Abyss’s corrosion and spreading properties had a high synergy with poison attribute that caused infection.
*Ssshhk*
The black spears coated in green poison soared in the air and lodged themselves into the sandworm. Due to his and Elsid's attacks, the monster looked like a yarn ball full of needles.
*Grrroooaar*
[Arcane Lance]
[Arcane Lance]
Zyrus used the same move again and again by consuming half of his MP. The infection caused by poison varied depending on the caster and the target.
For example, a fire mage could use flame poison to reduce the target’s fire resistance. Dark attribute created necrosis like effects while ice magic would attain frostbite debuffs. There were too many applications the caster could use by taking advantage of the environment and enemy's weakness.
*Krr…r…o.u.u*
[Vector Fall]
‘And it’s done.’
Elsid drove his halberd into the sandworm’s jagged mouth and blasted its insides with another Vorpal Hurricane. The descending twilight crusher extinguished any chance it might’ve had at life. Only a splatter of blood remained under the might of Goedendag.
‘Abyss and poison have better synergy than I expected.’
In theory, it was possible to accelerate abyss’s corrosion and corruption effects by combining it with poison attribute. But it was just theory in the end. It was hard to determine the exact acceleration rate since those who had just one of these attributes were rare, much less both at the same time.
‘The acceleration rate is ten times faster for the sandworms.’
Zyrus noted the amount of mana he used in mind for future reference. As much as he’d love to experiment, now wasn’t the time.
Less than 100 of his troops were left even after he had used all sorts of debuffs. It wouldn’t be long before the shrine’s projection got destroyed as well.
“Where are the scorpions?”
“They’re waiting.”
“The good-old oriole tactic huh... Fine then. Join in and finish the sandworms.”
This would be Zyrus’s first time seeing Zirnitra go all out. It would be a lie to say that he wasn’t looking forward to it.
“Elsid, focus on spreading the plague rather than killing them. Your wind attribute isn’t worse off than abyss when it comes to its affinity with poison.”
“Understood, my liege.”
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Now, only he and the ghoul were left who weren’t attacking. They took the best spectator seat under the Noxious shrine and watched the battle. Neither Zirnitra nor Elsid disappointed him.
Both of them used their trump cards without caring for cooldown times, and the results were nothing but spectacular.
Zirnitra roared at the crawling sandworms and once again blew them out of hiding. White halos of light were surging through his horns and claws, creating dozens of holy shields in the sky.
[Sanction: Shield of Amaic]
The shields inlaid with black and golden runes were a proof of his inherited legacy. He was the Guardian of Sorcery, so would he be unable to utilize the poison attribute given by the Monarch of Toxin?
Of course not.
[Sanction: Flowers of Decay]
The golden runes in the sky transformed into a dark green color. The shields shed their divine light and took on the shape of green lilies. It was a mesmerizing sight if one ignored their dreadful power.
These green lilies humming with abyssal mana floated down on the battlefield like nimble dancers under the moonlight night. They twirled in the air without a sound, yet their effects were anything but gentle.
Be it the sandworms that were alive or the ones that were dead, none were spared after the flowers landed on them.
“That’s quite the sight.”
"Guuo"
Zyrus and the ghoul shared the same opinion. The green lilies took root on the sandworms and consumed their mana and vitality. Black veins spread throughout their bodies resembling a half-hearted spider web.
Almost all of his summons were dead by now. Nonetheless, the sandworms were on the verge of collapse as well.
[Withering Gale]
Elsid’s move was the last nail that struck the coffin. It was a simple aoe spell created by countless wind blades. Its offensive power was awful to say the least, it could at most be used as a lawn mower on Sector B.
But once again, things were different if that wind carried the properties of poison. Just a tiny nick or scratch was enough to infect the already struggling sandworms.
‘They should be here soon.’
Zyrus ignored the sandworms' wails and prepared himself for the next fight. His summoning had a cooldown of 24 hours. Ghoul reanimation was worse off since it had a month-long cooldown.
‘And poison won’t be as effective on the scorpions.’
There was no telling how many scorpions and sandworms were there in this area. It was impossible for him to win without waiting for a day. Nonetheless, it didn’t mean that he was helpless.
Survival was never an issue for him. With his earth movement trait and small stature, he was more of a bug than these overgrown monsters. He could go into hiding anytime he wished.
‘I can just kite them day by day until everyone is dead by the plague.’
That was definitely the simplest way of finishing the mission. But wouldn’t that go against his goal of fighting at his full power?
“Zirnitra, retreat with Elsid for now.”
Zyrus shouted and activated both of his talents at the same time.
[Blood Fusion]
[Devour]
*Shaaaaaaa*
The blood on the sandworms evaporated into thick fog while their muscles shriveled like a deflated balloons. It was a sight more harrowing than anything that had occurred so far.
*Hissss*
A chorus of hisses echoed from all sides. The scorpions were finally making their move after seeing him alone on the battlefield.
A pity that they were a tad too late. If they had attacked before he could use the corpses to replenish his MP and stamina, then they might’ve stood a chance.
[Fear]
*ROOOAR*
Zyrus roared at the approaching scorpions before devouring the mist of blood. The visual impact was enough to make the monsters falter in their charge.
‘Metallic scales, tails that’d skewer anyone below lv 100, and pincers that likely have good crushing power…’
He assessed the grayish-white scorpions in the momentary delay. From their sand-colored eyes and muscular limbs, he guessed that they were adept at fighting underground as well.
‘They’re a league above the sandworms.’
What made the defeat of sandworms easier was the fact that they didn’t have any semblance of a skill. All they knew was to charge at the opponents like a train and bite with their hideous mouths. While deadly, these moves were predictable and easy to counter.
*Hisssss*
But the scorpions were different. It was even more apparent as their leader was hiding at the center while giving out commands.
The scorpions didn’t attack him immediately. They encircled him from all sides and tried to drag away the remaining sandworm corpses.
‘Looks like they’re here for scavenging food and not to fight.’
Of course, that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t attack him. It was simply a matter of priority. Zyrus didn’t have the intention to stop them either. In order to utilize his title to its maximum effect he needed ‘carriers’ to spread the plague.
“Go.”
“Guoooo!” The ghoul obeyed his commands and lunged on the corpses. His mental commands were simple: One, spread the poison; and two, lower their guard.
*Hissss*
As expected, the scorpions became more confident once they snatched away half of the corpses. They inched closer to Zyrus while maintaining their vigilance. The green-skulled ghoul was ignored by them since his sole power seemed to be nigh impenetrable defense.
Before they could launch a probing attack, Zyrus made the first move. He stabbed the twilight crusher into the sandy ground and poured the majority of his recovered mana into it. This was the true debut fight for his epic weapon.
*Hzzzzzz*
And the weapon was just as eager as its owner to show its newfound powers.
[Twilight Crusher (Epic)]
A Goedendag evolved from the blood of fallen. May you write an Epic on the canvas of Twilight.
ATK: 250
Blunt Damage +15%, Piercing Damage +15%, Elemental Damage +10%
These were the first words he saw when his weapon had evolved. Without any specific skills or ultimate attacks, just the ATK and damage bonus were insane.
What did it mean to have an attack of 250? Be it the damage dealt by using his mana or stamina, as long as the attack was done by his weapon, its power would increase by 2.5 times. There was no need to mention how useful the final bonus damage was.
It was counted after everything else, so if he dealt 500 damage on an absolute weak spot, then it would deal 5000 damage. Add his critical damage and it would surpass 10,000. Adding 10 or 15% bonus to that would increase the damage even more.
‘Besides, it’s not like it doesn’t have powerful effects.’
*Hissssssss*
The scorpions reacted in a flurry after sensing the intense mana fluctuations. Yet just like before, it was a bit too late.
[Good day]
With Zyrus’s words, the blue sky vanished and the sand cooled down in an instant. The entire battlefield was bathed under the light of dawn.