Chapter 254: Sudden Change
“I understand,” Zane nodded. Kurei had been very straightforward.
Although leaving the Shadow Lord alive was also a decent choice, the possibility of this boss turning against them was very high.
In that case, it would be better to kill him now and end this siege battle; it had already dragged on too long.
“…” The Shadow Lord slowly raised his head and looked directly at Zane, saying, “I think there is some intelligence you would be very interested in.”
“What intelligence? Is it worth more than your life?”
“About that purple-haired human man, he has secrets hidden in him that you do not understand.”
“… At this, Zane and Kurei were both stunned.
Are you kidding? Interested is an understatement. This NPC must have some screws loose.
In the pre-battle, he cut down teammates, during the siege, he treated the people of Ershui City as cannon fodder, and now he rushed to send them in… various incomprehensible actions.
“What secret? Hurry up and say it!”
“I can’t say yet; you need to guarantee my safety first…”
Hmph!
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Liu Chen decisively struck down with the Magic Sword Technique.
“You’re bargaining with your life! Hurry up and say it!”
“…” The Shadow Lord looked down at the sword mark on his chest, dumbstruck; that man drank the Rainbow Water, extending his life in exchange for a significant boost in power. He probably wouldn’t live for a few more days!”
“I see… I was wondering how he survived this long; turns out he’s been on drugs.” Liu Chen suddenly realized.
“…” The Shadow Lord sighed inwardly. Is this how teammates should react after hearing someone is on drugs? Logically, shouldn’t they be frantically questioning how to save him?
Why are these people so calm, or rather… happy?
Could it be… they had a conflict before? Oh no, the gamble was placed wrongly!
“Continue talking.” Liu Chen gently tapped his shoulder with the Magic Sword, “What is this Rainbow Water? Where did it come from? How do you know?”
“Miss… it seems like you’re going to crush him.” Kurei looked at the sharp point jumping at the wound, and the Shadow Lord’s already scarce health was like a candle flickering in the wind, about to extinguish at any moment.
“Mm, sorry, I used a bit more force. Don’t worry, as long as you’re willing to talk, we will ensure your safety until you finish!” The little loli straightened her waist, speaking with righteousness.
How can there be such a shameless person? Taking the information and still wanting his life?
?? The Shadow Lord trembled uncontrollably, resentment in his voice, “If you don’t let me go, don’t expect me to say another word!”
He had a point; wanting him to divulge more information would definitely be very difficult. The most likely outcome would be that after releasing him, he would just slip away.
Well… since I’ve already extracted half of the information, I can just ask others later after it’s over to follow the clues, right?
If the Shadow Lord knew her thoughts, he would surely cry out, “What are you saying?”
Thinking of this, Chen Chen solemnly asked, “Who will take his head?”
Currently, no one had claimed the reward for the third place level 35 kill, as long as the Shadow Lord fell, the massive experience would definitely be enough for anyone present to level up.
[Starry] shook her head, “I don’t need it.” She was already level 35; it was better to leave the reward for someone else.
Give it to Fenghua? Her current level was halfway to 33; it was definitely enough.
After receiving the private message, Fenghuayue responded, “Me? How could this reward go to me, especially since we are in the same team right now. After you kill him, I’ll also get the experience.”
That’s true.
Then… “Wencheng, you kill him!”
Most priests rely on others to battle and level up, so their progress often falls behind. Even as a Holy Healer, it’s difficult to catch up to the output professions’ levels.
Wencheng was currently just above level 30 in experience.
There was no help; previously, the Stitch Monster was taken down by Kurei in one hit, and no one else gained any experience.
So, now helping her level up would be just right. The Holy Light can deal damage to undead creatures, which should be effective against the Shadow Lord as well.
Emphasizing the importance of a high-level priest, Wencheng didn’t refuse anymore and gathered the holy light.
The Shadow Lord also realized his fate, looking unwilling yet helpless.
He was truly at the end of his rope.
Mo Se was diligently digging a hole, and at some point, the ground stopped shaking.
The Bone Dragon stopped?
“Ding!”
World Announcement: Congratulations to the player Ye Ye Cao Cao for achieving the second kill of a Platinum Boss and receiving 2 Evolution Stones, 1 Group Solid Falling Skill Book, and +100 Reputation Points.
World Announcement: Congratulations to the player Ye Ye Cao Cao for being the third player to reach level 35. As the third player to level up to 35, you receive the Equipment Countermeasure Ring (35 Gold Tier), +25 Reputation Points!
He got ahead of me??
Before he could recover from the shock, what lay at the end of his vision was a blaze of red.
Behind Mo Se, terrifying flames surged in instantly.
The scorching heat dispelled the cold underground, and the brilliant firelight illuminated this small, dark space.
What is happening?? Where did the fire come from?
Kurei’s eyes widened, grasping the Necrotic Sword as he jumped down, a strong white light emanating from him; it was the Unmatched Realm!
What is he planning to do?
“Kurei! Come back!” Lan Chen yelled urgently while quickly raising his hand, invoking – Fire Curtain!
A wall of fire unfolded in front of Kurei; even if he couldn’t withstand it, it would buy him some time to evade!
“Mo Se, climb up and get out!”
But… unexpectedly, as the fire wall made contact with the oncoming flames, it shattered into countless particles.
Kurei did not dodge but raised his sword upward and heavily pressed down!
Heavenly Flow Collapse!!
The stones above began to tumble down, piling together, some of them even hitting Kurei, and those stones built a barrier against the flames.
Only a few small flames leaked through.
Did… it hold?
Kurei turned around and yelled with all his might, “Miss, run!!!”
Boom!!
In the next moment, the piled-up rocks were devoured by flames along with Kurei.
Not only that, less than a second later, more flames bore down.
Fenghua anxiously said, “We need to use a scroll…”
Suddenly!
Finally, the Sacred Demon Beetle opened a path upwards, allowing a few people to jump out. The phosphorescent death flame shot up into the sky like a water column, disappearing at dozens of meters high.
Meanwhile, the Holy Light struck the Shadow Lord,
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World Announcement: Congratulations to Princess Wencheng for achieving the first kill of a Diamond Boss and receiving 6 Evolution Stones, 1 Angel’s Prayer Skill Book, 1 SS mission scroll, a pet egg “Spirit of the Falling Sky”, and +500 Reputation Points.
At the moment of the kill, Wencheng’s level jumped from 30 to 38, directly surpassing all others on the leaderboard, becoming number one!
But now… nobody cared about such things.
Wujian’s mind went blank; just now… the sudden flames had extinguished Kurei in the underground!!!
“Kurei!! Kurei!! If you’re still alive, answer me!!!”
He shouted frantically into the charred tunnel but got no response.
No, I have to find him! If I don’t hurry and find him…
“Zane.” [Starry] suddenly hugged her from behind, wrapping her arms around her waist and gently wiping away Chen Chen’s tears.
When did… I start crying?
“Starry, don’t block me… let me go find him!” Wujian’s voice was on the verge of breaking down. That bastard Kurei said he would self-destruct; how could he be such a fool? Can NPCs and players be compared?
“I know… I understand, but… before we find him, we have to deal with that killer first!!” [Starry] released her grip, and Qiu Yue Sword swung fiercely towards the giant stone on the right – Boundless Sword Decision!
Boom!
The stone shattered in response.
With flaming red hair standing upright, she seemed to merge into the fire, making it hard to see her true form.
Although the Boundless Sword Decision hit, no damage numbers appeared.
Check Information!
Lord of Scarlet Flame·Valunka (Leader Level Boss):
Rarity: Diamond Grade
Level: ???
Health: ???
Physical Attack Power: ???
Magical Attack Power: ???
Physical Defense: ???
Magical Defense: ???
Skills: ???
Description: The Lord of Scarlet Flame was once the King of Flames on Lava Mountain. After his subjects were all swallowed by darkness, he inevitably sank into darkness himself, becoming the dreaded Lord of Scarlet Flame.
“Hmph, interesting. To survive such an attack? And you managed to take care of that trash before me.” Valunka sneered coldly.
“That’s you… you bastard!!” Chen Chen clenched her palms tightly, suppressing her anger.
“You little girl, didn’t your parents teach you basic etiquette? Getting so angry looks bad.” The Lord of Scarlet Flame waved his index finger.
“Die.”
“What?” Valunka didn’t hear clearly.
“I said, go die!!! Fenghua, Wencheng, help me!”
“Mm!” Fenghua responded, and the Armor-Piercing Arrow flew away.
The Lord of Scarlet Flame didn’t even attempt to dodge. Once the arrow hit, it fell silent, as if it had melted away.
It looks like a strengthened version of the elemental body; in that case…
“Wish – Frost!”
Snowflakes floated in the air while [Starry] activated Thousand Flash Step, rapidly closing in, summoning the Star Cat at the moment of proximity.
Ice Moon Slash + Frost Claw!
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The spreading frost instantly melted away; it seems the slow and freeze effects didn’t work.
Fortunately, the damage still had a suppression effect.
“Ahhh!!” Covered by the skills of triple frost, the Lord of Scarlet Flame let out a low moan and launched two bursts of flames!
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The Star Cat was directly hit down to low health, while Starry managed to survive by activating the Ice Flow Shield.
The calm expression on Valunka’s face had disappeared, replaced by anger, “That person is about to be located… I originally didn’t want to waste time with you, but this is a result you brought upon yourselves! Die!!”
The Lord of Scarlet Flame pressed his hands to the ground, and countless intense flames ignited outward from him!
“Feel the might of the Sea of Flames!!”
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The nearest Star Cat immediately fell, turning into a white light flying back to the pet space.
The flames spread rapidly; even with the enhancement of Thousand Flash Step, Starry couldn’t escape in time, and reluctantly, she activated [Starry] to charge out.
Under Wencheng’s Holy Light, her health was restored to full.
During this period, Fenghua attempted several skills, all of which failed.
Only attacks with elemental attributes could be effective!
Damn it, if only Treika were here!
“Mo Se!”
“Okay!” The Sacred Demon Beetle responded brightly, carrying the four of them quickly away from the sea of flames.
Seeing this, the Lord of Scarlet Flame halted his skill attack, “Fine, but you can’t escape this containment barrier.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a red light flashed around him, and his body began to turn transparent!
Ah!
Hey—!
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An ice-blue spear pierced through him.
The flames surrounding Valunka trembled uncontrollably, the teleportation had been interrupted! Who is it!?
Turning around, a white wind wolf was bringing back two girls.
The girl behind was carrying a weapon box half her height, the icy breath from inside made him feel very uncomfortable.
She drew out an ice spear from it and rested it against the massive bow, thinking if the same skill could work twice?
The Lord of Scarlet Flame raised his right hand, and countless fire elements surged up, coalescing into a giant fireball!
“This time… don’t think you can live again!”
However, the other girl calmly drew a black long spear from the bag.
What can this broken spear do?
Valunka disdainfully did not dodge, intending to push out the fireball…
Boom!!!
Thunder Cannon!!
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Electricity and fire intertwined, resulting in a violent explosion.
The basic attributes of the Thunder Battle were too low, which limited the damage, but the combined explosion effect was very powerful.
And the boss’s health was around 97%, roughly 200+w.
“… You are playing with fire!” The Lord of Scarlet Flame roared, beginning to coalesce another fireball.
Hmph!
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Seeing it hit, Fenghua remarked, “The feel of this spear is terrible; I can’t guarantee the hit rate.”
“It’s okay; the next output might rely on you,” Zane messaged.
“Directly going for the kill on the lord… now I understand how you guys got stronger so quickly.” Fenghuayue smiled bitterly; this situation was too crazy.
As she spoke, the fireball attack was about to form again!
Zane raised his front paw, “Let me cut it off! Storm Domain!!”
In an instant, the cutting wind blades surged forth, and the continuous attacks formed a suppressive effect. Zane dodged quickly, and a burst of firelight missed him!
So far, the Lord of Scarlet Flame had only exposed three skills.
The first caused Kurei’s death, an overwhelming red flame.
The second was the Sea of Flames, a fire sea upgrade, and the third was an upgraded version of the Explosive Firewood; it looked formidable but required charging.
That ultimate move doesn’t seem to be able to be released in quick succession.
And the Sea of Flames can be dodged with lightning speed, then jump onto Mo Se and run away.
Come back and deal with him once the skill passes.
As for the Explosive Fire, as long as the various skills of everyone are used to interrupt or suppress it properly, it would be fine.
Wencheng was sitting on Mo Se watching from afar, preparing to heal during their escape, increasing their fault tolerance.
The output relied on Fenghua’s Ice Shield.
A perfect combination.
Since the spot where Mo Se emerged had already deviated over a hundred yards from Huawucheng, it had not yet attracted anyone’s attention.
“You bunch of… oh.” The Lord of Scarlet Flame seemed to be at his wit’s end but unable to execute his full power, feeling extremely upset.
This is a boss that charges up for devastating strikes and has physical immunities; he should be a nightmare for players.
But unexpectedly, he is being treated like livestock now.
After repeatedly wearing down 20% of his health, Valunka suddenly said, “Enough… I understand how the Shadow Lord died now; is this the tactic of adventurers?!”
“No need to wait until it’s over… just embrace the flames with me!!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the pitch-black night sky was engulfed in raging flames, with fire raining down indiscriminately on the ground, enveloping all living beings in sight!!
“Ha ha ha ha, I wonder where you’ll hide this time!” The Lord of Scarlet Flame rarely laughed.
This area… not a single one among the siege attackers could escape; Huawucheng might turn to ashes under this flame.
“Have we failed…?”
No, not with the scroll my master gave me; we will not die. The weather is sunny, resolute. At the very least, let’s deal with this guy.
“… Zane couldn’t speak. This blaze would swallow most of the NPCs, and all the brothers Kurei brought would inevitably… die.
How does it feel to wait for death? What you did to me before will now be returned to you all double!!” The Lord of Scarlet Flame wore a delighted expression, laughing like a child.
Then, his expression froze.
Because, the sky full of red lotuses was actually vanishing amidst the stripping.
Alas, alas, alas.
Behind Valunka appeared a small figure.
With light gray short hair down to her shoulders and loose long sleeves paired with lantern pants, she walked step by step, looking as if she just woke up.
“Who is it?!” The Lord of Scarlet Flame hurriedly turned around.
“Ke… Ke, the barrier you made is too troublesome… it wasted quite some time and now I’m… sleepy again.”
“No, no, no… not yet time to sleep. The leader said you are more troublesome than this barrier.” Kokoni finally steadied herself and took out a seed from her pocket, saying softly, “Lava Flower, this is for you.”
As the seed was scattered on the ground, the growth process began.
Like in an animation, it accelerated millions of times, and in the blink of an eye, the Lava Flower had grown to a third of Mo Se’s size.
“Lord—” The bright orange-red beautiful flower directly swallowed the Lord of Scarlet Flame, silencing him in an instant.
