Chapter 165: Saintess's Song, Pure Love (Part 2)
"I must... no matter the... price... I must..."
Lady Yeris, who had been tackled by Xiao Xue, slowly knelt up. Her eyes were crimson, and her mind, twisted by intense longing and determination, made her beautiful face look hideous. By hideous, I mean far beyond what a Human could express, because her fair face was rapidly shriveling as if dehydrated. Not only that, her entire body began to slowly cave in, and a black gas slowly emerged from her person, gradually wrapping around her like ribbons.
Just as I thought...
I was wondering why Lady Yeris had such great strength. Furthermore, putting aside everything else, how could an Ordinary People, unless sealed by Ice, possibly awaken after sleeping for thousands of years?
I should have realized long ago that her body had actually been corrupted by Dark Power. What was truly moving, however, was that even so, she still held onto her longing for her Husband, to the extent that she showed no flaw even after awakening. One must know that even an Advanced Level Paladin as powerful as Griswold was ultimately completely corrupted in soul by Dark Power, unable to retain even a shred of his mind.
However, this is not the time for emotions. My current situation is extremely bad. Lady Yeris before me is transforming into an unknown monster, and Alexander's skeleton behind me seems not far from breaking free from the restraint of the Blood Chain. Is this the so-called Husband and Wife with a United Heart, whose Power can break Gold? Don't be ridiculous!
I glanced back. The Blood Chain that bound Alexander, which was originally as thick as a wrist, was now only about two fingers wide. I estimated it would take him a little while longer to struggle free. However, Lady Yeris had already rapidly completed her mutation. Her originally full and graceful figure had now become rough and withered like dry firewood. The black gas had corrupted the White Robe on her person, and the black jerky and internal organs on it were slowly falling off, revealing a bloody skeleton frame. As for her face, I can only describe it as horrific. The flesh and other tissues clinging to her face, seemingly about to fall off, looked even more disgusting than a corpse. Aside from still maintaining a humanoid image, from any angle, it was impossible to imagine that the half-flesh, half-skeleton frame monster before was the beautiful and moving Lady Yeris from moments ago. This was truly too cruel for a woman.
Lady Yeris seemed completely oblivious to what she had become. In her mind, perhaps only the thought of saving her Husband remained. As for her beauty, which she was once so proud of, it no longer mattered.
She slowly stood up from the ground. Although the flesh on her entire body had cracked and fallen off, revealing half of her skeleton frame, it somehow gave off a sense of speed and strength contained within...
Just as I was thinking this, her figure let out a "whoosh". It left afterimages in Mid-air that hadn't had time to dissipate. Before I could react to what was happening, she had already appeared before me. That once beautiful, now terrifying face, was less than half a meter from my eyes. A nauseating stench of blood and decay wafted over.
"Scoundrel... How is this possible...?"
Filled with infinite surprise and disbelief, I was heavily knocked back. Even Xiao Xue and companions beside me couldn't react in time to save me.
Although I had estimated her speed would be fast, this speed had completely gone beyond the realm of "fast". Even when fighting the Level 32 Assassin, Churuldon, I had never seen such terrifying speed.
What kind of thing is this? I stood up from the ground and wiped the blood from my lips. Not only is she fast and agile, but her strength also seems incredibly high, completely surpassing the power of a Normal Monster.
Is it the Corpse Monster from the Rogue Encampment? Don't be ridiculous! Then is it the Mummy from Lut Gholein? It's also far from having such terrifying speed and attack. My mind rapidly recalled the information I had seen in Deckard Cain's Book of Wisdom. Then, when my gaze noticed her hands were held in a virtual grip, in the stance of holding a Two-Handed Sword, a monster that should absolutely not appear in the Rogue Encampment flashed through my mind.
That was one of the most troublesome Monsters in the Barbarian's Homeland, the coldest Place in the entire Sanctuary - Harrogath. They have a very fitting name: Reanimated Horde!
Reanimated Horde - Reborn to serve Baal. They are chosen from the most powerful and terrifying Warriors, possessing a larger, faster body and strength than Skeletons. They use the Paladin's Tier 3 Skill - Charge. The attack she used on me just now was likely this move. What's even more terrifying is that they have a certain chance to revive. The most effective method to kill them is to completely crush them, completely!!
The monster before me is called Fiendish Corpse. I was slightly stunned. The description in Deckard Cain's book immediately became clear. Fiendish Corpse, the Fourth Tier form of the Reanimated Horde, generally Level 40-50...
Why, why am I always so unlucky! Looking at Lady Yeris charging straight at me, my expression was truly spectacular.
However, it's not without a chance of winning. Although the level seems a bit daunting, with a little more analysis, you can see that firstly, she just completed her mutation and doesn't even have a basic Two-Handed Sword in her hands. Secondly, she wasn't a powerful warrior in life; she was only able to evolve to this extent because she was corrupted by Dark Power for thousands of years. Compared to the true Fiendish Corpse in Harrogath, she still has a certain gap. Thinking this, I temporarily abandoned the thought of turning around and running.
"Wait for me, wait for me, it will be soon..."
The severely hoarse and leaky words coming from Lady Yeris's rotten lips as she charged towards me made me shiver violently. Wait for what?! Even if your Husband is truly resurrected, seeing you like this, he would probably prefer to die immediately.
"Lady Yeris, stop! If your Husband saw you like this, even if he were resurrected, he would probably only be more heartbroken."
I shouted angrily, hoping she would regain consciousness, but it was just a waste of effort. Her mind was probably already filled with the thought of resurrecting Alexander, or perhaps, other than saving her Husband, she could no longer find any reason for her existence.
Seeing her frantic appearance, I helplessly signaled to Xiao Xue and companions. Although I greatly admire Lady Yeris's persistence in love, I can't sacrifice my own life for the sake of this emotion.
Soon, she was surrounded by the Guilang. Her body was constantly being slashed by claws. Unfortunately, as an Advanced Level Monster, the Fiendish Corpse's defense is definitely not for show. Xiao Xue and companions' physical attack wasn't very effective. It just made the remaining jerky on her body fall off with a "swish" sound, making the combat look very brutal.
Delayed by Xiao Xue and companions, Lady Yeris let out a roar that had completely gone beyond the Human range. Her hands were held in a virtual grip, and her body rapidly completed a 360-degree spin, sweeping in all directions. A Guilang that didn't dodge in time was immediately swept away by this immense strength, letting out a painful wail.
"Roar..."
Seeing the opponent's strength and speed were so terrifying, the other four Guilang immediately slowed down their attack speed, cautiously surrounding Lady Yeris and growling lowly. Besides anger, they also added a bit more prudence.
Lady Yeris didn't put these few Guilang, who were almost as tall as her, in her eyes. She ignored everything and rushed straight towards me with her body lowered. The Guilang blocking her way couldn't dodge in time and were immediately knocked several meters away before stopping.
This is also the only shortcoming of Xiao Xue and companions. Although the Fiendish Corpse before me cannot be said to be a strength-type monster, its level is there. The strength difference between the Guilang and her is too great. Facing such an enemy, even surrounding her may not be effective.
A white light flashed, and I had already transformed into Werewolves. In this situation, the Werebear Form's strength seems useless. It's better to rely on the Werewolves' speed to fight, but I must be extremely vigilant of her sudden charge.
Facing Lady Yeris's fierce attack, I took a large step sideways and dodged. The Guilang behind me, under my instructions, fiercely bit and clawed at her back in turns. Lady Yeris impatiently waved her right hand, sweeping backwards as if swatting flies. Fortunately, everyone was prepared this time, and her attack missed.
By the time she turned back, my entire body was covered by Ice Armor, and then streaks of white light shone all over my body. The white wolf fur moved without wind. It actually seemed to carry a hint of the Sorceress (group/profession)'s vastness and mystery. Uh... Wolf Sorceress...
Static Field -
I lightly waved my right hand (claw). A bolt of thunder light quickly exploded above Lady Yeris's head. Silently, without a trace. Lady Yeris only paused for a moment, seemingly not yet understanding what had happened. As expected of the Static Field, known as the Sorceress (group/profession)'s Trump Card. Unfortunately, due to the large level difference, it didn't achieve the effect of reducing 25% life, only about ten-odd percent.
After the Static Field, without stopping, a ball of scorching white misty energy gathered between my claws, slowly rolling and expanding.
Ice Storm -
I lightly shouted. I held the fully formed Ice Storm with both claws and threw it forward. The basketball-sized white frost energy immediately shot towards Lady Yeris in a straight line. I only heard a crisp sound of cracking ice. Lady Yeris's withered corpse, which was charging straight at me, was surrounded by ice. The freezing time didn't seem to be very long. I could tell just by listening to the painful groans of "crackling" sounds coming from the ice.
Taking advantage of these few seconds, I quickly changed to my Scepter. The Level 3 Holy Bolt attached to it, under my preparation and control, accurately hit Lady Yeris, who was about to break out of the ice.
"Woo..."
With a "crack", the ice tightly wrapping Lady Yeris shattered into powder. She let out a painful howl. It seems Holy Bolt is indeed very effective against Undead.
I calmly and quickly switched back to my Divine Staff. I stepped forward a few steps, bringing Lady Yeris within attack range. Contrary to before, a ball of intensely burning black and red flame slowly gathered in front of my chest. After a few seconds, a ball of Hellfire that could devour everything and melt souls was finally ready. Under my utmost control, it swallowed Lady Yeris, who was a few meters away, like a flame thrower.
"Woo ah..."
Even a Level forty or fifty Fiendish Corpse couldn't withstand the scorching of the Berserk Hellfire. Coupled with the lingering effects of the Ice Storm, her bluish body was suddenly attacked by intense flame, truly experiencing the taste of ice and fire. She roared in fury and charged up instantly, enduring the Hellfire. Even though I was prepared this time, her offensive, mixed with immense strength, still knocked me back several meters, staggering. The skill was inevitably interrupted. Damn it, Charge again. Why is the cooldown so fast?
I stopped my retreat. Affected by the Ice Armor on my person, Lady Yeris was also frozen for a short while just now, so she couldn't catch up in time and was once again hindered by the Guilang behind her, who were desperately scratching and biting.
I looked at Alexander's skeleton not far away. At this time, the Blood Chain binding him was almost as thin as a small rope. I still don't know his power, so now is definitely not the time for sympathy. I must try my best to finish off Lady Yeris before he breaks free from the restraint, to avoid being attacked from two sides.
Thinking this, I gritted my teeth, swallowed a few bottles of medium Life Medicine, and directly withstood Lady Yeris's attack. My claws desperately scraped at her body without aim, receiving in return attacks that felt like hitting a wooden stake, each one heavier than the last. Xiao Xue and companions also surrounded her in time. Lady Yeris's body was relatively small, unable to accommodate five wolf and one person attacking together, but the Guilang, who are good at group collaboration, naturally have their method. Utilizing the lingering action after an attack, Xiao Xue and companions agilely switched positions and attacked, one after another, maximizing the group's damage output.
After the skill cooldown, I immediately jumped back a step and cast the previous few skills again, except for Static Field. Lady Yeris had already been reduced by Static Field once, and she didn't have much life left. The effect of Static Field on her was already negligible.
Finally, under the effects of the last Hellfire, Lady Yeris didn't even have time to release her fourth Charge (she had released one during the encirclement). Her originally agile movements suddenly stiffened. She didn't let out a death wail like other monsters. Only her pale eyeballs, protruding from her eye sockets, stared intently at the struggling Alexander opposite her, bursting with intense emotions, reluctance and unwillingness, love and attachment, and also seeming like deliverance. Finally, her entire body and bone structure "cracked" and scattered. Black bone fragments were scattered all over the ground.
Is it over??
I took a small breath, tilted my head back, and drank a few bottles of Mana Medicine, then quietly looking at the scattered bone fragments on the ground, waiting for the consumed mana to recover.
As expected, it's impossible!
Before I could even sigh in relief, the skeleton frame on the ground was already slowly moving, then rapidly gathering into a mass. Streaks of black gas emerged from within, like nimble fingers, piecing together the shattered skeleton frame.
It's already shattered like this and can still revive? I highly doubt whether the Warriors of Harrogath carried a grinding bowl with them when dealing with Reanimated Horde. As soon as a Reanimated Horde died, they would immediately collect its shattered bone fragments and grind them into powder. Perhaps only this way could they be completely annihilated...
(end of chapter)