NOVEL NEXT Chapter 169: High-quality Corpses
*Bam*
*Splatter*
Strongfist attacked in a manner befitting of his name. He punched through everything that stood in his path. It didn't matter whether there was one fiddler ray or ten. No one was able to take more than a single attack from his black gauntlets.
But even with a leader like him, the players were at a disadvantage. The enemies were too many to deal with. If you killed one, ten would take their place. You kill ten, then a hundred will surround you.
*Boooom*
'He's a berserker alright.'
Zyrus stepped back as even his scales started trembling due to Strongfist's attack. They were overshadowed by him most of the times, but when it boiled down to it, the marshals in his army were the strongest players in the second ring.
It was even more so when they learned to use the power of laws. Their execution was at the lowest level, but still, it wasn't something that could be solved with mere numbers.
*Squelch*
Dozens of fiddler rays were compressed into a bloody pulp. Every strong creature had their own method of using the laws, and Strongfist was no exception. Most of the players used the laws of metal to either sharpen their weapons or increase their defense,
But he was different.
He didn't lack offense, and due to his class and equipment, defense was undesirable.
Thus, he created a new way to use the runes of metal. Rater then targeting himself or the enemy, he focused on the surrounding air and water. His punch had enough force to send the fiddler ray flying across a hundred feet, but what if the air behind them were turned into metallic walls?
The result was the scene in front of Zyrus. Rows and rows of fiddler rays were squished into tiny plates. It was a gruesome sight to say the least.
'It was a correct decision to let them have the unique items.'
Zyrus was satisfied as he looked at the black gauntlets Strongfist was wearing. The red thorns on them were getting more and more eye-catching as the fight went on.
[Tyr's Vow]
Gauntlets forged with the blood of Tyr, pulsing with the unyielding strength and determination to sacrifice.
Effect: STR +10, Defense against Physical Resistance +20%, Magical resistance -20%
Creed of Sacrifice: Increases damage dealt by 50%/80% after losing 80%/95% of your HP. If the wielder kills the enemy in this state, then their HP will recover by 200, and the cooldown will decrease to 7 days. Otherwise, the wielder will be inflicted with a [Unworthy] debuff for three days.
Unworthy: Exp gain reduced by 90%, Recovery rates are halved.
Duration: 10 minutes, Cooldown: 1 month
This was a dream weapon for any berserker class. What better equipment could there be for those who danced on the edge of life and death?
Had Zyrus been greedy and kept all the unique equipment to himself, there wouldn't be any strong players under him. Be it now or in the future, equipment like these had the power to change a players' destiny.
Just take the twilight crusher for an example. The epic weapon was enough for Zyrus to stand tall among the entire playerbase. Even if he didn't use his 13 curses of void and bloodline traits, there was no one who could face him with twilight crusher in his hand.
"Step back," Zyrus ordered all of a sudden with widened eyes. What he had predicted was finally proven correct.
Hazy strands of willpower were being released from the floating corpses. He was unable to see what was happening below the sea, but he was certain that the situation there would be no different.
'Indeed, sanctuary is filled with all sorts of freaks.'
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Zyrus knew that he was one of them as well. Soul, Will, and Body. These were the three things that made up a sentient being.
Soul was the core of one's existence. He didn't know much about it except for the fact that it allowed one to reincarnate and that it was related to the source of existence.
There wasn't much needed to be said about the body. Almost everyone believed that these two were what made someone alive.
And they were wrong.
Puppets, summons, elementals…many such beings had both body and soul. But without their will, they weren't considered among the 'living.'
Willpower was what allowed one to be aware of one's self. It allowed one to control their body and even the soul.
Upon death, one's body will rot away while their will would be scattered. The soul would remain as a core and undergo the cycle of reincarnation- without any memories or powers of the previous life.
Those with strong soul and willpower could live on even if their body was destroyed. Some beings were so strong that it was next to impossible to scatter their willpower, even when their body and soul were destroyed.
The field bosses were one such example.
Pugalo, Camazotz, and now the Star marked Tyrant. Their soul were controlled by the system while their willpower was restricted. No matter how many times their body was killed, their strength would remain the same.
The Star marked Tyrant was unique in the sense that it possessed nearly a million bodies and souls. Zyrus guessed that its innate power was to create infinite vessels so long as its will existed. The system had most likely sealed parts of its will into the fiddler rays. So when they were killed, more of the Star marked Tyrant's will would recover and it will in turn create a stronger body and soul.
All the way until all of its willpower was released.
'I planned to appoint it as a watcher like Pugalo…but now there's a much better alternative.'
Zyrus curved his lips as hundreds of gigantic fiddler rays were 'summoned' above the piles of corpses. The same thing was happening throughout the battlefield, albeit on a lower scale.
<Attention everyone. From now on, gather all the bigger corpses near the dragon of war>
<Roger that>
<Noted>
Zyrus didn't waste any more time and used 'Avatar' to transform into a green wyvern. After practicing during the past few years he was able to control the direction in which the skill worked.
*ROOOAR*
He used a breath attack on the fiddler rays that were rushing towards Strongfist. Rather than calling it a breath attack, it was more accurate to say that he was spewing out blood and spreading it via his mana.
It was a somewhat disgusting technique when one thought about it, but it was without a doubt the fastest way to spread poison in a wide area.
*Shwooom*
He flicked his tail and rushed towards the other players. Avatar expanded his already gigantic pool of mana and also allowed him to hover in the air. The only limitation was that it didn't last long, but still, it was becoming his bread-and-butter skill.
Ria and the other were surprised by the sudden change in plans. Zyrus had told them that he wouldn't make a move before the end. This was a test and opportunity for them and the other players to showcase their powers.
As if he had sensed their thoughts, Zyrus sent the leaders a separate message.
<Save your long cooldown skills and army formations. I won't be helping you fight against the Star marked Tyrant>
His words were so shocking that no one replied even after a whole minute had passed. On one hand, they were nervous due to the change of plans, and on the flip side, they couldn't ask him 'why?' when he was giving them an opportunity to show their might.
<…Alright. But there will be more casualties>
<Send the weak and injured players near the dragon of war. Try to keep deaths at a minimum and use everything at your disposal. >
<Got it>
Zyrus closed the tabs after getting confirmation from Ria and focused on his task. The players were confused at first about the reddish-green fog of poison since it seemed ineffective on the fiddler rays, but soon enough, they figured out its purpose.
Different creatures possessed their own unique poisons. Zyrus's poison was the most basic one that didn't do anything except reduce HP at set intervals. While the DoT effect was helpful, it didn't affect the overall battle whatsoever.
Why did Zyrus opt for such a time and energy wasting move? The reason behind that was his title. He used the noxious shrine quite often, but it didn't mean that the other two abilities of his title were weak.
[Plague Bearer]
He who is the incarnation of pestilence, the harbinger of disease and decay. But fret not, dear mortals, For you shall receive salvation in Plague's Embrace.
Monarch of Toxin:
Immunity to all types of Poisons
You can imbue your attacks with an additional "Poison" attribute, regardless of your original mana attribute.
Your summoned creatures also share this authority.
Note: Different innate magic attributes will affect the final outcome of the merged attribute attack. There is a possibility of weakening attack power in case of conflicting attributes.
Plague's Embrace:
Spread the plague via your blood to embrace the fallen. The dead will infect the living, and the living will birth more dead.
Once a month, you can perform <Ghoul reanimation>
Ghoul reanimation: By sacrificing the corpses of those who have died by plague, you can create ghouls with a 3% success rate.
Note: Ghoul's strengths will depend on the dead.
Note: Ghouls are not considered summons.
[The effects of the title will improve depending on your actions]
He didn't use ghoul reanimation because the natives would be unaffected by it. As for the monsters in the dangerous area, they were too weak to be of use later on. They didn't need cannon fodder with the ballista and frost cannons on their ships.
'But things are different now.'
He only needed a soul and body to use ghoul reanimation. Since the Star marked Tyrant was generous enough to provide him with some high-quality corpses, it'd be rude of him to decline.