novelraw Chapter 360: Absolute Power
Chapter 360: Absolute Power
Huff, huff——
The tiny figures atop the great snow mountain gazed through layers of storms at the terrifying existence soaring in the sky above.
A piercing cold wind descended from the heavens like a waterfall, crashing down upon everyone.
"It's a blizzard! Everyone, defend!"
Burry urgently deployed a shield, barely managing to withstand the howling gale.
Within the fierce wind, they gradually discerned the entity soaring through the sky.
Blizzard Dragon, also known as Blizzard Dragon King, and even in many adventurers' diaries, it was called the Lord of Blizzards, a dragon god-like terrifying existence.
The Blizzard Dragon King's size wasn't particularly large, with a body length of only thirty-five meters, considerably smaller compared to many powerful beings titled 'Dragon King' like the Black Lantern Dragon, Lava Dragon, and Mountain Forest Dragon.
However, even though its size was smaller than most beings hailed as 'Dragon King', it was undoubtedly at the pinnacle of Dragon King-level existences.
Its entire body was covered in shimmering silver-white ice crystal scales, each scale imbued with powerful ice-affinity energy that could slow down all attacks approaching it!The heart in its chest was like an ice spring from a thousand meters below, capable of directly affecting environments over ten thousand meters away.
As a colossal beast, it could even create a vast 'domain' spanning thirty thousand meters.
Its breath was the blizzard, and its very existence was an immovable great snow mountain.
Zack, the second mate of the Ice Demon Pirates, lifted his two-meter-tall shield axe and asked:
"What do you think? Captain, should we fight?"
Zack's fourth-tier profession was Blade's Battle Maniac, an advanced profession of the Berserker.
This was a pure Blade-affinity profession, and their class quests involved engaging in one crazy battle after another.
The crazier the fight, the higher the rewards!
Undoubtedly, the Blizzard Dragon King's strength had already reached Saint-level.
In many lost adventurers' diaries, the Blizzard Dragon King was the third most terrifying existence in the first half of the Great Sea Coffin, only behind the Tentacle Witch of the Merchant's Coffin and the Lord of Condensation!
Its scales could mass-produce fourth-tier legendary forbidden weapons.
And its dragon heart was hailed as the purest ice-affinity creation, something every practitioner studying the path of ice must learn from.
Its dragon eggs were objects that Dragon Tamers of the Goldenfinch Kingdom dreamed of obtaining.
For this operation, Palu and the others had also accepted a commission for dragon eggs.
If they could capture the Blizzard Dragon King, this adventure would be a complete success.
Palu replied almost without hesitation:
"Avoid combat."
In Palu's original plan, they needed to reach the Witch's Coffin, where they would delay the Black Whale Pirates while Chen Qi and Fen entered the Witch's Coffin to resurrect the Ice Witch.
In the original plan, their combat strength was equal, and with the Black Whale Crew deeply mired in war, they even had the advantage!
However, the sudden appearance of the Azure Beast had completely altered the balance of power on the battlefield, shattering the game board entirely.
The only thing they could rely on in their operation was his D20 domain.
During the D20's continuous domain duration, Palu was confident he could single-handedly hold off the Azure Beast and the numerous pirates behind him!
But the D20's duration was only twenty minutes;
once it ended, they would be like homeless strays, at the mercy of others.
Moreover, they were currently physically weakened, and after nightfall, endless fierce beasts would appear.
Over these days, they had encountered yetis, avalanches, unimaginable extreme cold—except for a few legends, everyone's stamina had reached their limits.
Forget actively attacking the Blizzard Dragon King;
even if the Blizzard Dragon King crushed their beloved friends right before their eyes, they could only endure it.
"Let's keep moving forward..."
"And, stay alert. I sense the Black Whale Crew's presence."
Palu spoke extremely softly, concealing his spiritual energy, leaning on his cane as he took a step forward.
Everyone followed behind the captain, braving the piercing blizzard as they continued onward.
Surprisingly, they were extremely fortunate;
the Blizzard Dragon King in the sky merely circled above, watching them, without launching any attack.
Two hours later, the group finally descended from the great snow mountain and reached the plains.
Thud!
A third-tier physician, frozen like an ice sculpture from the extreme cold, collapsed directly.
"Load her onto the cart. We'll set up camp to rest soon."
Palu exhaled a white breath and directed.
The plains they currently stood on were surrounded by great snow mountains.
In the middle of the plains was a sharply defined, ten-thousand-meter-long rectangular depression—this massive tomb was the Witch's Coffin.
The temperature near the Witch's Coffin would drop again;
once approached, thoughts, movements, and even souls would slow down, eventually turning into immobile ice sculptures.
This was both a natural place and the sanctuary artificially created by the original witches back in the day.
Under the Witch's Coffin's defenses, only witches could move freely.
Simultaneously, above the Witch's Coffin, an aurora-like barrier prevented others from going deeper;
only by gathering five witch relics could one open the Witch's Coffin, deactivate its defenses, and enter the depths.
Palu adjusted his wool hat, using spiritual energy to probe the surroundings.
The Black Hunter hadn't reached the Witch's Coffin yet.
Indeed, crossing the great sea wasn't easy...
Palu could already imagine Chen Qi fiercely battling those self-proclaimed Sea God believers.
If unlucky, Chen Qi might have even been corrupted by the Sea God's power, becoming its follower!
Optimistically, perhaps the Black Hunter's spirit could withstand the Sea God's corruption... After comforting himself, Palu declared loudly:
"Follow me. We'll set up camp at the Witch's Coffin's border and wait for the Black Hunter's arrival."
Could the Black Hunter really reach this place in such a short time? Burry picked up his backpack and followed Palu and the others, searching for a wind-sheltered spot.
Boom, boom, boom—
Everyone advanced along the ice surface, eventually choosing a wind-sheltered spot about a thousand meters from the Witch's Coffin to set up camp.
Suddenly, severe cracks appeared in the ice beneath their feet.
"Huh?"
Palu looked down in confusion.
Within the ice beneath their feet, they could see piranhas drifting.
There's water under the ice... A question flashed in Palu's eyes.
The Great Sea Coffin's terrain was bizarrely varied, meaning this 'plain' might actually be a large lake with a frozen surface, and the Witch's Coffin was a coffin built within the great lake.
In other words, someone could be hiding beneath their feet.
No, in such extreme cold, even insane Deep Sea Hunters wouldn't hide in cold water.
"Everyone, watch your feet..."
Palu shouted loudly.
However, instantly, everyone fell into brief silence.
In the blizzard ahead of them, a graceful figure was holding a burning lantern, waving at them!
A light, cheerful voice came through the wind and snow:
"Good afternoon, are you hungry?"
"Everyone! Take up arms, prepare for combat!"
Palu didn't hesitate, aiming the Lucky Gun at the figure ahead.
The crew behind Palu—some lifting shield axes, some heavy shields, some dual blades—instantly formed a thick wall!
Everyone held their breath, ready to attack at any moment.
The woman in the snowstorm slowly stepped across the icy ground and emerged:
"Am I that frightening?"
Palu's pupils contracted;
the other party was none other than one of the Seven Sea Pirate Generals he knew all too well—Big Mom Carol.
Carol was their Ice Demon Pirates' old rival, but at this moment, two things about Carol filled everyone with boundless fear.
First, in such heavy snow weather, she was dressed very lightly! In this environment, she only wore a plain white shirt and tight shorts.
Second, she was laughing happily!
Unlike their hunger and cold, Carol before them had a rosy complexion, with a slight smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
Carol picked up the pistol at her waist and said cheerfully:
"Palu, I heard you can transform into a woman, a man, and even a beast."
"You're a type I haven't tasted before. How about this, Palu—kneel, then lick my feet, and I'll spare your crew, gifting them to my subordinates."
Carol snorted lightly.
Although right now, she wanted more to capture the Black Hunter.
But long ago, Carol had wanted to add the Ice Demon Pirates' captain to her harem!
Palu tightened his grip on his pistol, merely giving a look.
Attack!
The crew instantly understood and charged forward.
Among them, Second Mate Zack was the fastest;
he fiercely rotated the gears on his large shield, transforming it into a giant axe!
The large shield in his hands instantly became a fiercely descending axe.
"Blade Release. Mad Demon!"
"Blade Release. Qi Transformation. Blood Battle Axe!"
Boom! Thundering drumbeats sounded around Zack as a five-meter-tall berserker clad in blood-red armor appeared behind him, gripping a giant axe stained with bloody aura!
The giant axe descended like a falling lava meteor, cleaving toward Carol's head!
"Using Release right from the start? Newly promoted fourth-tier rookies really don't understand manners..."
Quick Draw Technique!
In an instant, Carol leaned forward, swiftly drawing her gun from her waist, and fired directly at Zack's axe!
So fast! Zack was utterly shocked;
he was already mid-air, yet she could draw her gun in such a short time.
Bang!
Scorching Spiral Magic Bullet!
Blazing spiral flames condensed in the air, rapidly forming a massive firestorm that shot straight toward Zack's forehead!
Amid the spiraling flames, Zack—whose combat power was greatly reduced by hunger and cold—was violently blasted back, his entire body engulfed by the scorching flames.
"Before we arrived here, the Azure Beast hijacked the Magic Bullet Family's highest-level weapon case."
Carol blew smoke from the barrel, smiling slightly as she reloaded.
However, the next second, something unexpected happened to her!
Somehow, Palu had already arrived beside her, holding a constantly flipping magic book!
At this moment, Palu wore a white mage robe, his azure eyes reflecting countless patterns of combined magic arrays and runes.
His entire eyes contained a vast library!
This is... Carol froze completely.
The other's appearance was exactly like the Book Saint of the Book Tower!
Palu whispered:
"Dice Release. Instant Imitation."
Palu didn't hesitate, using one of his trump cards.
Instant Imitation required consuming large amounts of the 'imitated one's' spiritual energy.
As captain of the Ice Demon Pirates, Palu had once encountered the Book Saint in a lost ruin by chance and accepted a commission to help her collect materials.
As reward, the Book Saint gave Palu a magic book containing her spiritual energy, allowing him to perform this special 'transformation'.
The magic book in Palu's hands flipped rapidly, ultimately forming one vast magic array after another!
Palu said gravely:
"Grand Magic Bullet!"
Torrential spiritual energy, mighty as rivers, surged from the magic book in Palu's hands, finally transforming into a laser that shot straight into the sky!
This battle had to be resolved quickly!
Simultaneously, the twenty-sided dice above Palu's head spun wildly, finally stopping on the number 15.
1.5 times damage!
Boom!
Carol couldn't react in time, only managing to cross her arms to block!
Immense white light enveloped her figure.
Under this massive impact, even the heavy blizzard was blown apart.
As the dust slowly cleared, a heavily wounded Carol spat out a bloody tooth, gasping heavily:
"Huff, huff, huff..."
Numerous rune marks appeared on her skin, and her two blocking arms were like melting candles, continuously dripping scorching blood!
Severely injured!
Impressive, Captain, actually able to imitate that Book Saint... Carol laughed:
"Not bad, Palu!"
"But it's not enough! This level of Release can't shake the Azure Beast! Can't shake the power of a Saint!"
"Saints..."
Palu's robe gradually faded, returning to his normal state.
His own spiritual core couldn't support maintaining the 'Book Saint' state for too long.
This instant transformation had drained over half of his spiritual energy.
"Huff, huff, huff..."
Palu extended his hand, signaling everyone to retreat.
Burry whispered:
"Captain..."
"Prepare to combine and cast high-power spells."
Palu wiped blood from the corner of his mouth;
as captain, he had to stabilize the situation first.
However, soon, a familiar figure appeared in the distance.
Azure flames burned fiercely in the cold wind.
The Azure Beast stood within the Witch's Coffin, his azure pupils calmly observing everything.
Then, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers!
Carol couldn't help but laugh loudly:
"When prey steps into the trap, they've already become food on the dining table."
Boom! Suddenly, the entire ground shook violently!
A hundred-meter-tall colossal beast, like a volcanic eruption, burst through the ice beneath their feet!
This is...
Palu looked up;
although he had been wary of what was beneath them, he never expected a colossal beast to be hiding under their feet!
The enormous black shadow completely covered their figures.
Palu raised his head;
the hundred-meter beast before him was none other than the Black Sea Mammoth that had breached the navy base's thick walls back in the day—a masterpiece of the Black Whale Crew!
Instantly, the earth shook and mountains trembled!
The Black Sea Mammoth swung its thick trunk, fiercely smashing it down toward the people behind Palu!
Due to the cold, everyone's reaction speed couldn't evade this heavy blow.
Boom!
This strike directly created a hundred-meter-deep crater!
The Ice Demon Pirates were ambushed and suffered heavy losses!
The Azure Beast watched from afar.
Aside from Palu, everyone trying to stop him were merely weak ants.
The power gap between them was far too vast.
"The times have changed..."
The Azure Beast exhaled a breath of fire.
During his active era, on the Witch Sea, whether it was the Deep Sea Hunters, the Ice Witch, the Magic Bullet Family head, the Moonstone City Hunter Association president, or the bank president—all were his great enemies.
But in this era, on the Witch Sea, there were no existences that could rival him.
This was the absolute power of a Saint-level expert!
Next, he just needed to wait for the Ice Demon Pirates' captain to activate his Release;
once the Release ended, this Great Sea Coffin would be his domain.
Boom! Boom!
The Black Sea Mammoth, like a tyrant, indiscriminately pounded everyone trying to get up before it!
Again and again!
"It's over..."
The Azure Beast murmured expressionlessly.
However, the moment his words fell, the Azure Beast's pupils abruptly contracted.
To their left, the space suddenly flashed with massive black lightning.
Lightning? The Azure Beast turned his head, looking toward the distant end.
Black lightning was a phenomenon of spatial leap...
A ship trying to sail directly into the extremely cold ice plains?
Once a ship entered the ice plains, it would be like a car losing its wheels.
This was a path to certain death... The Azure Beast silently raised his right hand.
In his right hand, deep blue vortex flames continuously formed!
He only needed the power of one hand to destroy the Black Hunter's ghost ship!
Boom!
More and more black lightning appeared;
the entire space seemed to be in a turbulent thundercloud!
Unlike the Black Whale Crew, in the Azure Beast's eyes, the Black Hunter and the witch weren't necessarily captures that had to be taken alive.
Perhaps, someday in the future, the Black Hunter and the witch could defeat him.
But he wasn't some battle maniac;
in these seas, he didn't need existences that could rival him.
"Farewell..."
The Azure Beast said softly, releasing the vortex in his hand.
Boom!
However, before he could finish speaking, a calamity-class ship shot out from the rift!
A heavy shadow fell over the battling crowd.
Almost instantly, a massive ship burning with towering ghost flames crashed through, sending both the Azure Beast and the Black Sea Mammoth before him flying together!