Chapter 2379 – Refusing Temptation
The moment the divine power sent Jayad flying, both women decisively attacked. Shui Mo thrust her lance straight at Jayad’s heart, while Isha slashed at his neck from the other side.
Just moments ago, the two women had invited Jayad to join the Sea People with charming smiles, or pleaded with him not to attack Atos Island. But now, they were aiming for vital spots from the outset, revealing their ruthlessness.
Of course, as Demon Hunters by birth, ruthlessness was merely a professional requirement. Demon Hunters often had to slay humans who had gone mad, or even their own fallen comrades.
Due to their frequent exposure to darkness and the mysterious, Demon Hunters were at extreme risk of corruption. Even various measures, such as the Green Grass Trial, could only slightly increase their resistance to corruption, not grant immunity.
It was rare for Demon Hunters to live to a peaceful old age; they either died in combat or went mad and mutated after delving into too much forbidden knowledge. In such cases, their teammates would have to end them to quell the disaster.
The most typical examples were the two girls, Isha and Shui Mo. As Deep Sea Hunters, they consumed Sea People cells to better hunt the Sea People. They then used the Lantern at their waists to suppress the cells’ activity and maintain their sanity.
However, they ultimately couldn’t hold on. After day after day of hunting the Sea People, they finally succumbed. I don’t know if they lost their minds mentally or if their bodies were completely assimilated by the Sea People.
If one were to say their sanity had collapsed, their daily behavior was completely normal. They could communicate and joke normally, showing no sign of anything being wrong. If one were to say their bodies were assimilated, they clearly retained their human form and some aspects of being human. Otherwise, Older Brother Jayad wouldn’t have been fooled from the start.
But regardless, they made their choice: they betrayed the integrity of the Demon Hunter profession, sided with the Sea People, blocked Jayad’s path, and attacked him.
“Clang!” Shui Mo’s lance was blocked by a strangely shaped Holy Sword, while Isha’s black and gold greatsword was stopped by a golden shield formed from Holy Light.
“Misses, attacking to kill so soon? And originally, there weren’t three Newborn Sea People, but four,” Jayad said, raising his head with a smile. His mouth was full of blood, and even the corners of his eyes were bleeding, injuries sustained from the four divine power strikes just now.
“How is that possible?!” Shui Mo and Isha’s expressions were filled with utter shock. They had been hit by divine power, not only surviving but appearing only slightly injured and able to move freely.
They had confidently assumed Jayad would be unable to move for at least a few seconds, and had boldly moved in for the kill. Now, they saw not only could he counterattack, but he could even conjure divine spells into weapons and chat casually while doing so.
The divine power from moments ago wasn’t an intentional attack from the Newborn Sea People initiating divine punishment. It was merely the automatic shockwave generated by the Sea People’s collective will when they severed Jayad’s connection. But even though it was just a shockwave, it was still the power of four gods. Even a giant monster would be instantly killed if hit by such a force.
The simple reason Jayad dared to be so reckless was that this was not his body. It was a young boy his Angel Form had possessed. Even if the boy’s body were turned to dust, Jayad could repair it completely with his powerful divine spells.
Even standing on the heavily corrupted Atos Island, where the air was filled with visible and invisible cells, any Sea People tissue that permeated the boy’s body had been thoroughly cleansed by Jayad’s Hastur divine power, leaving no trace.
This was the same case. After being sent flying, he quickly used Holy Light to heal the boy’s body. In reality, the body was already healed mid-air, and while he appeared to have fallen heavily upon landing, crushing a large area of coral reef, his body was actually unharmed thanks to the protection of divine power.
The most severe injury was from the moment he was sent flying. The blood he spat out was from being injured and expelled at that time. It had to be said that the power of the gods was indeed formidable. Even without intentional attack, it was enough to severely injure the internally protected organs.
Shui Mo and Isha didn’t reply and immediately changed their tactics. The black and gold greatsword changed from a horizontal slash to a vertical one. The lance moved as if it were alive, its black tentacles coiling around Jayad’s Holy Sword. Shui Mo herself drew a scimitar made of similar bio-material as the lance and slashed at Jayad.
“Is this your answer?” Jayad held his shield horizontally and pushed forward, directly repelling Isha, who was slashing with her greatsword.
His left-hand Holy Sword looked as if it were pieced together from shattered ruins, with dark yellow light flowing from its crevices. It was bound by chains of unknown material, and the skull serving as its handguard was yellowish, appearing completely deformed due to multiple mutations.
When it came into contact with the dark yellow light from the Holy Sword, the black, mud-like biomass flowing from the lance instantly withered and died. Not only that, but it also caused a section of the lance itself to wither, directly releasing the Holy Sword.
Jayad thrust the Holy Sword upwards, deflecting Shui Mo’s curved blade. Although the back of the blade was also made of biomass, the blade itself was a special kind of metal emitting a faint blue light, which was not corroded by the dark yellow light.
Even so, Shui Mo was sent flying by this deflection. Despite being the aggressor, Shui Mo stumbled back several steps after landing before regaining her balance, almost falling.
Isha also shook her arm repeatedly, her palm feeling numb. It was just a push from the giant shield, yet she looked at Jayad in astonishment and asked, “What kind of monstrous strength is this? Even monsters aren’t this strong.”
“It’s nothing, my strength just grew unknowingly,” Jayad said, holding the sword in one hand and the shield in the other, like a standard warrior, ready to face a strong enemy.
“Since you refuse the Newborn’s kindness, we can only attack you. I’m sorry,” Shui Mo said, although they had already launched a surprise attack just now.
“It’s not that I’m refusing the gods’ kindness, but the Sea People cannot accept my spirit and memories. This is not my problem,” Jayad shook his head.
This was merely a quibble. In reality, the Sea People could erase all his memories and incorporate him into their collective, just like those low-level Sea Monsters who had lost their consciousness. Jayad could also willingly abandon his mixed divine power.
Perhaps for the commoners living in dire straits, the Newborn’s invitation was very tempting. Although they would lose their self-awareness, they would no longer suffer from illness or oppression, and their food and shelter would be assured, living freely. This temptation was too great; even if it meant ceasing to be human and becoming a mere sea cucumber, many lower-class commoners would choose it.
But for Jayad, this was insufficient. He was now incredibly wealthy, surrounded by beautiful women, and had broadened his horizons through various experiences. He would not change his aspirations due to such a temptation.
