Chapter 353
"Execute Plan C! His arrogance is our only chance of success!"
Yuki was indeed arrogant. He was sweeping away the soldiers as if he had obsessive-compulsive disorder, while the real strongmen of the day had all gathered around Shinomiya Oko and had retreated to the innermost part of the 'castle'.
Shinomiya Oko, Nagumo Miyabi, Celas, the Causal Prophet, Iron Blood Bull, and the Mechanical Tinkerer —six monster-level players—form the true core team. They usually lead their own teams and haven't fought side-by-side for a long time.
Plan C was to use the underlings as cannon fodder, sacrificing their lives to deplete the enemy's energy.
"Even a cornered beast will fight back. Oh, and two of them are Monster II, making them the strongest among the Thorny Rose."
Yuki had known about this plan for a long time; every time he raided a dungeon, his core strategy was to weaken the boss in various ways, which he found amusing.
"I get boss treatment too. If it were in front of the Wizard's Tower, I really wouldn't be able to take down this kind of player team."
With a swift stroke, he cut down the last soldier, then, without pausing, headed straight for the end of the castle, three rings of fire blazing forth to increase his speed.
Shinomiya Oko was wrong. Yuki showed no arrogance whatsoever; from the very beginning, he gave it his all.
"Gentlemen, it's been a long time since I fought alongside you."
When the violent killing intent came rushing towards him, Shinomiya Oko stopped having any wild thoughts. His survival instinct replaced all other ideas, and he firmly believed that the core team could overcome all difficulties.
"When we work together, we've achieved SS-rank mission ratings. We've even weathered difficult epic missions. Overcoming the strong with the weak is never the Miracle!"
No one spoke, but everyone was filled with confidence. It was the result of being tempered in more than a dozen dungeons and suffering countless times. There was never a boss they couldn't defeat.
"I'll go first, cover for me!"
The Iron Blood Bull, clad in golden armor, strode forward with heavy steps. As an A-rank member, he had been enhancing his melee abilities since joining the game. His monstrous physique combined with master-level dynamic vision allowed him to barely make out the enemy's movements.
Fear Fortress.
The tech-savvy modifier conjured up a machine covered in cannon barrels out of thin air—his signature feature—which was loaded with numerous level 4 and even level 5 items. A long cable connected to the Causal Prophecy's chest.
Causal Prediction.
Dead-Line Shooting!
A barrage of bullets unfolded before Yuki's eyes, with beams of various colors and countless miniature missiles hurtling towards him, finally forcing him to stop abruptly and dodge.
"Hmm, it smells like the older students."
Yuki deftly dodged the beam, watching it graz the insect's armor, leaving only a shallow scratch. In terms of sheer power, it could easily pierce through several meters of thick alloy.
However, there is a dimensional gap between them and the Witch God Thunder.
Yuki hovered in the air, his shadow quickly enveloping him. A tall tower was hurled at him like a javelin, its hardened form made as solid as steel by Reinforcement Magecraft. But Yuki's countermeasure was equally simple.
Swish--
The Flame Lion Slash left a hundred-meter-long blade mark in the air, clearing away the barrage of bullets. The tower was split in two, then sank slightly, revealing the indestructible crystal sword Piercer the wreckage and passing overhead.
"Got you!"
Iron Blood Bull truly transforms into a bull, its four hooves the Roar and charges forward—clearly a very special bloodline skill.
Particle Acceleration. Supersonic Impact.
All power was concentrated in the horns, like a fearless charging knight, and then--
Bite.
A hand pressed down on the bull's horn, freezing the speed of sound in an instant. Yuki, who had been thrown several meters, glanced at the incredulous look in the other's eyes.
"If you want to kill me, level up to Monster III first."
Swish--
With a single slash, golden fragments scattered in all directions, but the Iron Blood Bull was tough enough not to be cut in half.
LV2 Bloodline Skills?
Yuki was about to finish him off, he suddenly let go and dodged. It turned out that the crystal sword had stabbed back from behind, and the thickest crimson beam of light had locked onto the location in advance.
"Luck Stripping, you definitely can't escape it." Nagumo Miyabi held up a jade talisman, her face full of excitement as she watched the energy torrent pierce Piercer it. Even an iron man would turn into molten iron, but only for a moment, the smile on her face froze.
There was smoke but no injury; the target was covered in white smoke, and a crack appeared in his black armor.
"Don't stand there, keep attacking! I don't believe he's invincible!" Shinomiya Oko the Roar, his right hand wielding a gun that unleashed bursts of black flashes of firepower to suppress the enemy, his left hand gripping a crystal scepter, and a gold coin between his teeth.
Consume his energy, weaken him to the point of being deadly, and then decide the outcome with a single blow.
"Two Monster II and four Monster I attacked me almost frantically, and their coordination was quite good."
Yuki's normal movement in the air is equivalent to teleportation. He has ten ways to kill this group of people. The safest way is to fight back and forth. In less than half an hour, the other side will not be able to shoot a single beam of light. The side effects of the item may kill them directly.
But that's too much trouble; I need to go back for dinner.
He glanced at the tight formation, and as he came to a sudden stop, he threw out his long sword.
The Soul-Slaying Spear.
The Bloodblade transformed into a crimson spear in mid-air, automatically dodging the incoming barrage of bullets as it hurtled towards the purple-haired woman.
"Watch out, it's a level 5 item."
Is it Arcane Grade -level item right off the bat?
Nagumo Miyabi quickly locked onto the fleeting red light, raised the jade talisman, and chanted incantations.
You missed, you missed.
Bite.
The crimson spear indeed grazed Celas's neck and embedded itself in the ground. This time, he didn't even have a chance to smile before the enemy followed closely behind the spear and landed in front of them.
A brief, deathly silence followed. The Iron Blood Bull the Roar and charged forward, but in an instant, the six men could see nothing. When they came to their senses, they were no longer in the ruins of the castle.
The setting sun was like blood, Shinomiya Oko stood in the sea of blood, looking around blankly, but there was no sign of Yuki.
All that could be seen were various corpses and weapons scattered all around, stretching towards the horizon, and an unknown fear was spreading in one's heart.
Where is the gravity trap I set?
He glanced at the crystal scepter, realizing he had clearly set a trap to prevent the other party from getting close, when he heard a gasp from the side.
"A Spatial Severance item! He has a Spatial Severance item!"
The twitching of the corner of the eye—this kind of prop is extremely rare. No wonder the gravity trap disappeared without a trace. Even with Shinomiya Oko's experience, he had only seen a similar prop once.
"This is not just a simple Spatial Severance prop..."
Even a fool could tell that the scene before him wasn't a special effect. As if confirming his guess, with a 'click-click' sound, the people sitting back to back turned their heads together.
A headless monster with wings on its back and a blood-red body slowly rose to its feet and picked up a giant axe beside it.
Starting from this point, some bizarre monsters and some humans dressed in black robes slowly rose up. Each of them was fragmented, like zombies crawling out of their graves, but the power they exuded combined with the inherent horror of the space caused six pairs of eyes to tremble.
"Damn it, is this guy a necromancer?"
"These monsters seem to be from a dungeon. What kind of item has such abilities?"
"Lord Yellow Light, what should we do!?"
I know nothing.
Shinomiya Oko really wanted to answer that way, but this was a situation he couldn't calculate or handle.
I thought the Agent was a powerful warrior, but after fighting for a long time and almost losing everyone, I found out that he was a necromancer. What's even more terrifying is his strategic planning ability.
He knows my trump card? He won't give me a single chance?
His head was buzzing, but as a seasoned player who had struggled to this point, he didn't choose to give up.
"Xin Zhen, trace cause and effect; Bull, open the path, Celas, Nagumo Miyabi, follow me!"
The undead arose because of the Yuki, so there was a direct cause and effect between them. A snake-like, winding silver light appeared and flew away into the distance.
The Iron Blood Bull transformed into a half-man, half-bull warrior, the wound on his waist reforged like metal, and the Modifier's fortress deformed, turning into a war chariot that blasted through the path.
Celas was deathly pale. She had overused her special abilities and was chugging potions to stay conscious as she slashed through the remaining Witch Beasts with her crystal sword.
Shinomiya Oko, standing on a flying disc and holding the nearly unconscious Causal Prophet, stared blankly at the silver light in front of him.
The maze was almost infinitely large, and only cause and effect could lead to a way out. In just a few seconds, he pierced through the distorted space and saw a person standing in the center of the sea of blood.
A gray mist spread out beneath his feet, polluting the corpses, but it was invisible to the naked eye due to the maze's obscuring effect.
Upon meeting, he had no time to think. He raised his hand and fired a shot, only to be deflected by a suddenly appearing round mirror. Then, he crushed the gold coin in his mouth.
"Found it! You only have one chance!"
The Crystal Coffin.
The greatsword followed the beam of light, and before Yuki could dodge, it transformed into a cone-shaped coffin, trapping him inside. Next came Nagumo Miyabi.
Jade Talisman of Misfortune. Overload.
Characteristics. Spiritual charm.
The synchronized attack caused Yuki, who had raised his fist, to pause briefly, momentarily losing his composure.
A desperate gamble?
Yuki glanced over and saw Shinomiya Oko arrive on a flying disc, surrounded by dazzling golden light.
Chaos Item: Coin Multiplication.
Transcendental Grade skill. Probabilistic Hit.
Transcendental Grade skill: Tracking Projectile.
This is a very special tool that can enhance any object, energy, or concept. Then, his right hand transformed into a series of bloody, mangled umbilical cords.
Characteristics: Flesh Exploitation.
The characteristics of the Shinomiya Oko are very capitalist-like. There is a chance that the player will be used as a consumable, and the player's characteristics, skills and items will be used as currency and slammed onto the gambling table.
This is an extremely cruel characteristic; at level 4, the consent of the exploited is required, and there is only one way to turn the tide—
Everything happened in an instant. The Causal Prophet, held by the umbilical cord, transformed into a cloud of black mist, which expanded under the influence of the gold coins, while Transcendental Grade skills such as Probabilistic Hit and tracking shots also improved.
At the same time, Nagumo Miyabi unleashed her full mental charm, Celas desperately reinforced the crystal coffin. Just one second, one second!
The umbilical cord grasped the black mist, turning it into a swaying black sphere. Sensing that the probability had reached its Limit, Shinomiya Oko threw out the black sphere, revealing his trump card.
Causal Instant Death!!
Xin Zhen has spent his entire life studying cause and effect. After becoming a player, all his Transcendental Grade skills and items revolve around cause and effect, and now they have become currency, undergoing further inflation.
You are doomed!
Good tactic. Since you can't beat me physically, why not try a different approach?
Yuki also felt the pressure. The bizarre methods of instant death, probability, erasure, and Destiny truly transcended the concept of physics. With his companions fighting desperately to suppress him and his comrades protecting his back, all that remained was for him to be hit.
Thump--
The crystal coffin was shattered, Yuki rushed out despite the mental charm. Death was still a constant companion, and no matter how fast he was, he couldn't escape the probability of being hit.
The chain-like concept is similar to Yuki's campaign against the Witch God.
"But have you ever thought about why I should give you the chance to reveal your hand?"
The purple crystal glowed in Yuki's palm. It had no offensive power, but it caused the pursuing black ball to lose its target and fly straight into the sky.
The Witch God's Soul Crystal, centered on the user, has a suppressive effect on skills and items such as cause and effect, precognition, and instant death within a 100-meter radius.
It may not be able to suppress the characteristics, but considering the difference in strength between the two sides, in terms of Probabilistic Hit, it is not suppression, but complete elimination.
What is this?
Shinomiya Oko couldn't understand it. He realized that the two sides were not even on the same level. He had gone to great lengths to play this card, but his opponent could easily wipe it out with any card.
Without the Probabilistic Hit, how could Yuki possibly catch up with the Causal Instant Death?
Are there any more cards?
The voice came from behind, but for the three survivors, even turning around was a luxury.
"I refuse to accept this..."
Yuki didn't waste any words, nor did he have the audacity to trample on Shinomiya Oko's pride. He simply raised his hand, grasped the blood-red sword, and then gently swung it.
Swish--
The sound abruptly stopped; the will to survive and ambition, like the knife wound on the neck, were all severed in two.
Several heads fell to the ground, splattering blood. Yuki looked away indifferently.