Azure Scepter

Page 72

Before the magic scimitar even got close to the fireball, it was melted into molten iron. The fireball grew larger and larger in Fythia's pupils.

The elf blinked, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

"Goodbye Trier, goodbye Mom, I'm sorry sister."

The next instant, the undead "Silence," engulfed in flames and covered in blood, suddenly appeared and then crashed straight into the strange little fireball.

Just as Trill mentally gave the hanging corpse the order to "protect Fytia at all costs," the pitch-black sky suddenly brightened, and the next moment, a deep, dragon-like roar suddenly came from afar.

"Boom!!!"

In the distance, a towering building suddenly collapsed, and raging flames spread across the entire stone structure at an incredible speed. Countless fire-breathing figures jumped from the tower and fell into the mushroom cloud that gradually rose from the ground.

Although Trier often mocked Evocation mages as "magic barbarians," he knew better than anyone the power of high-level Evocation spells—if no prior spell countermeasures were prepared, enough high-level Evocation spells would be enough to annihilate any being in the world, even a saintly deity descended to earth.

At this moment, everyone else was terrified by the sudden appearance of the ruins in the distance.

The barbarian woman and the earth gnome Jole opened their mouths wide, as if they wanted to scream but couldn't; the judge and the coachman were instantly soaked, whether from cold sweat or rain, it was hard to tell; as for Auris and Hult, they simply crawled under the carriage seats.

Noy gripped Trier's wrist tightly, her voice trembling slightly despite her efforts to remain calm: "Fodia is in that direction, Trier, what is that?"

Magma Burst, a high-level Evocation spell.

Trier thought to himself, but he didn't answer.

The next moment, he breathed a long sigh of relief—the hanging corpse had blocked the lava explosion and was severely injured, while Futia was unharmed.

Boom! Lightning flashed across the night sky.

Trier took a deep breath, the abundant oxygen filling his brain. He suppressed unnecessary worries and then began to think quickly.

"The situation is changing too fast and too bizarrely. We can no longer travel slowly by carriage. Now is the time to use magic."

"Perhaps Oris's judgment is not entirely wrong. The power of the Demon Order in Eraf City is far too astonishing—the number of high-ranking demons in the upper city is enough to trigger a small-scale battle by the abyssal demons in the Demon Rift area."

"Use the group dimensional gate."

Having made up his mind, Trier reached into the pre-arranged storage stones and took out the storage stone that recorded the modified "Group Dimensional Gate". The cold, negative energy aura seeped into his fingertips.

Generally speaking, the distance teleported by a mass portal is extremely limited, making it impossible to cross half of the lower city and move them into the upper city. However, as a true master of magic, Trier has removed this flaw of the "mass portal".

He was about to notify the others to get ready when, in the next instant, a short and intense male voice suddenly came from nearby.

"Help!"

Trier abruptly pushed open the front panel of the carriage and looked ahead.

The noisy rainy night was filled with the stench of sulfur.

In the pouring rain, a yellow-robed guard covered in blood staggered out of the alley, clutching his stomach, his armor crumpled in a mess.

The coachman gently pulled on the reins, and the judge and the barbarian woman riding alongside the carriage also pulled on their reins, causing the carriage to gradually slow down.

The guard collapsed to the ground with a thud, blood gushing from his chest.

Trier's pupils contracted sharply, and the next moment, he shouted, "Don't stop! Don't stop! Charge at him! He's not hurt at all! There's an ambush! Noy, quickly cast Group Protection Against Evil!"

Chapter 144 Group Heart Retrieval

Adrenaline surged, and in Trier's vision, time seemed to thicken.

Because it happened so suddenly, the coachman in front was clearly stunned. Before he could react, the scarred guard suddenly raised his head, and a mocking smile slowly spread across his scarlet lips.

However, his smile suddenly vanished the next moment.

Although the coachman hesitated, the judge did not. The moment he heard Trill's warning, the bald vampire judge immediately pointed at the guards.

A surge of negative energy gathered at his fingertips in an instant, and then burst forth into the guard's eye sockets.

"Stab!"

In an instant, negative energy, like arrows, suddenly penetrated into the guard's skin, muscles, and blood vessels. The guard's face immediately turned bulging with veins, and the blood vessels under his pale skin twisted violently like worms. In just half a second, countless drops of blood gushed from every pore of the guard's body, and the blood vessels on his body surged wildly from the surface of his skin like the roots of a withered tree!

Trier glanced at the Inquisitor with surprise; he knew it was the high-level necromancy spell "Vascular Mutation".

It seems that after consuming the rotten blood of the hanged corpse in the laboratory, and after a period of time, the opponent's strength has greatly increased.

The carotid artery ruptured and then suddenly pierced the skin. Under the influence of negative energy, it dissolved into a multi-layered, tough, and extremely sticky grayish-brown cyst. The cyst, composed of blood vessels, stuck the guard to the building next to the street like a tentacle monster. The hideous proliferating tentacles climbed wildly along the bricks and stones like vines.

The next moment, the guard's yellow cloak slowly fell away, revealing a succubus beneath. The succubus's face was branded with a heart bound by thorns, and her red eyes, beneath her purple hair, looked at the inquisitor with amusement.

Trier frowned. He knew this succubus was no ordinary succubus. It must have advanced to the "Mortal Hunter" class, and the thorn brand on its face proved that it was a thorn maiden serving a succubus lord. In other words, it was a high-ranking succubus.

In the game "Azure Scepter", the Mortal Hunter is a unique advancement for beings from another dimension, known for its extremely vicious and cruel advancement requirements - to become a Mortal Hunter, one must have at least a level of 60 in interrogation skills, and must personally dissect and skin at least 12 mortals of different races.

The term "mortal" here is used in a general sense, referring to all living beings with a life cycle. That is, all living beings except for otherworldly creatures, constructs, and spirits. In this general sense, even dragons are considered mortals.

As a profession, the Mortal Hunter has many abilities, but its core abilities are twofold: firstly, it can disguise itself as a mortal creature that it has skinned; and secondly, it has an extremely strong combat power boost against mortal creatures.

“Your binding skills are truly impressive,” the Thorn Maiden chuckled. Her muscles were relaxed, seemingly unconcerned about being bound by blood vessels. She whispered, “If you could tell us where our lord’s offspring have gone, we could be even happier.”

Before the judge could speak, a bewitching red light flashed in the succubus's eyes, and she roared, "Don't fucking stand there! This bald guy isn't susceptible to charms, make your move!"

Trier's face remained calm, but inside he was filled with murderous intent and agitation—he wanted to get out of the current situation as soon as possible so he could immediately rescue Frye, who was in danger.

To be fair, he quite liked the proud yet innocent Futia.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the impatience rising in his heart, and then his gaze quickly swept over the alley from which the succubus had run out.

As expected, the alley was teeming with people, and a forest of sharp blades reflected a chilling killing intent.

"Boom!" Lightning flashed and thunder roared as a pair of adamantite plate boots and adamantite leg armor shattered the water, and a fully armed noble knight with a fanatical expression charged out, wielding a greatsword.

Behind the knight, shadowy figures of at least nine weapons and countless arms were projected onto the wall. They huddled together and charged directly toward the carriage.

Yellow-robed guards with ruddy complexions and halberds in hand; clergymen covered in filth and holding holy symbols; muscular, shirtless, bearded mercenaries; and even ragged, unarmed refugees!

They came from different backgrounds, but each of them had a face etched with fanaticism and murderous intent.

Behind the demon worshippers stood three berserker demons with gaping mouths, and a fire demon, the basic form of the flaming demon. At the end of the alley stood a tall, slender figure—another thorn maiden.

The succubus also had purple hair, and she was scantily clad, almost completely naked, with only a few thorns made of sharp iron blades barely hanging on her private parts. She wore a silver mask that covered her eyes and nose, but her eyes revealed a captivating and bewitching beauty.

"It's over, it's all over," the coachman muttered to himself, pulling out his crossbow and shakily aiming at the surging crowd.

The judge, his face ashen, turned to Trier and shouted, "Sir, get out of here! They're after me! There are too many of them!"

Trier knew that the reason these demon ambush fighters attacked the Inquisitor was because he had come into contact with the vessel from which the demon lord descended, while his own attack was purely undeserved.

However, if he were not present, the Inquisitor alone would be absolutely unable to handle a sneak attack of this scale.

As Trier's mind raced, the Thorn Maid at the end of the street revealed an extremely mocking smile. Her eyes flickered slightly, and then they met Trier's gaze.

The paladin's mind trembled slightly, as if a frail child had thrown a small stone at his head. He subconsciously glanced at the battle log.

[Warning: You are under the influence of the Thorn Maiden's "Dominate Human"... Will save throw in progress...]

[Will exemption granted! You have completely disregarded the other party's influence over "human domination"!]

He knew that the thorn maiden had taken advantage of him.

“Kill the coachman in front of you, slave,” a hoarse female voice echoed in his mind. “Or I’ll gouge out your eyes and let you see how you’re skinned alive.”

Trier's face was grim as he pulled a magic stone from his pocket, which contained "group attack" magic stones.

—It's time to use the magic storage stone; he must end the battle as soon as possible.

The storage stone in his hand contained "High-Order Spell Sequence," which in turn contained two high-order spells: "Higher Domain of Decay" and "Group Heart Grab."

In game terms, the effect of "Higher Domain of Decay" can be understood as instantly annihilating all beings near the caster whose current health is below 9. At the same time, for each being annihilated, the caster will gain a large amount of temporary health, as well as a small amount of strength and caster level bonus.

The effect of "Group Heart Grab" is extremely simple and brutal; this spell is a group-advanced version of "Heart Grab".

Trier's decision to place "Group Heart Grab" and "Higher Domain of Decay" in the same spell order was not arbitrary. Putting them together not only increases his spell kill threshold, but also grants him a significant temporary buff for each person killed by "Group Heart Grab".

It can be said that this magic storage stone is the best choice for dealing with a large number of low-level enemies.

Clear syllables escaped his lips, and the wind of death, carrying negative energy, stirred and swirled. Before the raindrops the size of steel beads could even get close to him, they were torn to shreds by the violent wind of death. In an instant, a white curtain of water formed around Trier.

At this moment, Noi, who had released the divine spell first, also completed "Group Protection Against Evil".

The winds of death howled, and the wailing of a banshee instantly drowned out the sound of rain and shouts of battle. A piercing, unsettling ringing in the ears of all the living creatures present suddenly filled the air.

The spell storage stone in Trier's collection is of far higher quality than the one in Beaver Town; the spells within it were all stored by him when he was a legendary mage.

Ironically, Trill, the core of this bizarre and evil spell, was now radiating a holy "protective" light against evil.

"Boom!"

The silver serpent tore through the night, and before the high-ranking succubus could even lower the corners of her mouth, she was stunned to see the white water curtain suddenly appear beside Trill. An indescribable sense of horror and terror instantly pierced her heart like a sharp arrow.

It vaguely sensed an extremely violent magical wind, so violent that even this well-informed succubus was terrified.

Isn't that just a typical good-for-nothing nobleman? What's with this magical wind? What's that water curtain around him? He can actually be a legendary mage!?

“Knock, knock… knock, knock…”

In the darkness, the high-ranking succubus heard countless heartbeats like drums. As a high-level demon, she could freely control her senses, but at this moment, those disturbing heartbeats uncontrollably flooded her soul, as if a withered hand with sharp nails was simultaneously gripping all her hearts.

The succubus could no longer suppress her fear. Her face showed horror, but she then found herself paralyzed, her muscles seemingly half-deflated and unable to exert any strength.

The next moment, Trier suddenly clenched his five fingers, and the storage stone instantly turned into powder!

"boom!"

The madly charging cultists suddenly halted, as if swept across a wheat field by an invisible scythe. Their synchronized heartbeats vanished instantly, and their stiff bodies staggered forward due to inertia before collapsing to the ground, convulsing.

Crimson blood flowed from the soldiers' mouths, noses, and eye sockets. They fell straight to the ground, their bodies, which had been trained for a long time, withered and melted away as quickly as snow encountering salt. In half a breath, eight soldiers and more refugee believers had all turned into desiccated corpses with their bones separated.

Countless tiny points of light flowed into Trier's body.

[XP+800!]

[XP+100]

[XP+800!]

Trier glanced at the list and saw that the demon cultists alone had provided him with nearly 8400 experience points!

He withdrew his gaze and looked back at the alley.

Behind the pile of corpses, the three berserker demons knelt on the ground, clutching their hearts in pain, while the fire demon, though barely able to stand, was swaying precariously.

As for the high-ranking succubus, it seemed to have been electrocuted, every muscle trembling and twisting.

“It’s time to harvest,” Trier whispered.

The next moment, he drew his longsword, "Lightless".

P.S.: There's one more chapter, but don't wait, it'll be very late.

Chapter 145 The Schemer

Under the blessing of the "Higher Realm of Decay," Trier seemed to be draped in a terrifying ghostly cloak. More than thirty hysterical fragments of souls sobbed in agony and despair behind him, and the crimson winds of death strung them together like needles and thread into a swaying cloak.

[You have been blessed by "Higher Domain of Decay," and based on the number of creatures you have killed, you have temporarily gained 6 points of Strength for Desecration (the maximum bonus of this spell)]

[You have been blessed by "Higher Domain of Decay," granting you a temporary, massive amount of life based on the number of creatures you have slain (maximum bonus of this spell)]

At that very moment, Noi completed his second divine spell – "Herd of Bulls' Brute Force".

[You have been blessed by "Herd of Bull Might," and you have temporarily gained 4 points of Strength.]

Trier casually flicked his sword, his shadow suddenly twisting, and in the next instant, he vanished into the shadows.

The second legendary characteristic of the legendary longsword "Lightless" is [Undead and Shadows]. As long as Trill is holding "Lightless", he can freely move and jump through shadows like a shadow creature, and no undead will attack him.

With the next heartbeat, the shadow behind the Thorn Maiden began to writhe eerily. A cold, sharp blade, shrouded in shadow, instantly shattered the succubus's spine, throat, and choker like a storm. Most of the "Lightless" blade pierced into the back of the succubus's head, while the wooden guard, like a spider seizing its prey, pressed firmly into the succubus's delicate, smooth skin.

With his foot crushing the pavement, Trier suddenly stepped forward and pulled sideways, instantly shattering the succubus's spine. The succubus's head twisted backwards at a full 720 degrees, like a broken spring!

"Bang!" The corpse crashed to the ground and then turned into a puff of black smoke.

[XP+6000!]

Under the influence of the Higher Decay Zone, demons that die in the Prime Material Plane will still return to the Abyss, but their power will be greatly weakened. In game terms, they will lose at least half of their creature level and class level.

Trier suddenly swung his sword horizontally, his cold gaze quickly sweeping over the other four demons in front of him.

The three enormous berserkers all looked terrified, but at this moment they seemed to be frozen in place as if they were under a "monster freeze spell," while the fire demon trembled with difficulty.

The final legendary trait of the legendary longsword "Darkness," [Fear Leads to Tyranny]. Whenever Trill briefly escapes the enemy's sight, the panic state will instantly transform into paralysis.

In the game, when you launch a close-range attack on a paralyzed enemy, all attacks will be automatically considered critical hits.

Trier took a half step back, leaned to the side, and then suddenly turned his longsword behind his back, making a standard preparatory move for a furious attack. The next moment, he suddenly pushed off the ground and swept the sword horizontally.

With the enormous power boost, his strength also broke through the limits of the extraordinary, and he even felt the sound barrier from the blade.