371 Chapter 371: Slaying the Five-Star Awakened One, Seizing Quahog City
The Rock Giant stared at the heavily injured John in disbelief. His massive fists clenched with a crackling sound as he spoke calmly, “Kid, you’re the first one to survive three of my attacks. I wonder if you can take one more?”
Taking a slight step back, his piercing gaze locked onto John with newfound interest. With a roar, his enormous body surged forward, and his colossal fist came crashing down again.
“Damn it!” John snarled, glaring at the Rock Giant. The powerful aura of the Lich surged around him.
“Heaven and Earth Transformation!” he roared, the winds howling as an overwhelming presence filled the air.
In an instant, John’s figure transformed into a towering giant. The Rock Giant, once imposing, now seemed no more significant than an ant in comparison.
“What the hell?” The Rock Giant’s heart trembled inexplicably as he stared at the colossal figure before him. His attack hesitated for a moment.
Whoosh!
The wind roared as if mocking him, and the Rock Giant found himself grabbed like a mere doll in John’s hand.
“Die!” John bellowed, his voice like thunder. With both hands, he grasped the Rock Giant and pulled with immense force.
Rip!
Blood splattered everywhere as the Rock Giant’s rock-like body was torn in two.
[You have slain a four-star Awakened One. Plunder talent activated. Restoring 0.0001% of your strength.]
The notification flashed before John’s eyes as a warm current coursed through his body, recovering another 0.0001% of his strength.
Without a second glance, he tossed the Rock Giant’s shattered remains aside as if discarding trash. His cold, menacing eyes turned to the man in green.
“Gulp!” The green-robed man swallowed nervously, terror written across his face. The overwhelming pressure bore down on him, filling his heart with a profound sense of impending doom.
This guy is a monster! There’s no way I can beat him.
Without hesitation, the man spun around and tried to flee.
“Hmph, you won’t escape!” John sneered, seeing through the man’s intent. With a single stride, he blocked the green-robed man’s path. A massive fist came crashing down once again in a simple yet devastating attack.
In his Heaven and Earth Transformation state, John’s attributes were amplified 200 times. Even with only a quarter of his base stats unlocked, his strength had reached a staggering 80 billion. A mere five-star Awakened One stood no chance against such overwhelming power.
The only downside was that his full strength had yet to return. Even with the energy efficiency provided by his Wrath of the Gods talent, the Lich’s power could only sustain this state for a few precious seconds. He had to end this fight quickly.
“Icebound!” the green-robed man cried out in desperation, casting his skill.
Snowflakes filled the air, enveloping John’s massive form in a freezing prison of ice.
Crack!
But the ice shattered almost instantly, shards flying in every direction as John broke free.
“Die!” he thundered, his assault unrelenting. His massive fist came crashing down with brutal finality.
“Not good…” The green-robed man’s face turned ashen, his heart gripped with terror. He was utterly powerless to resist and could only watch helplessly as a massive shadow engulfed him.
It was John’s enormous fist. The man couldn’t even move to evade.
Boom!
Blood splattered in every direction. A frail figure was sent flying through the air. Under the terrifying force of the blow, he felt his internal organs shift, his bones shatter. Before he even hit the ground, his life had already slipped away.
[You have slain a four-star Awakened One. Plunder talent activated. Restoring 0.0001% of your strength.]
The system notification flashed, and John’s strength received a slight boost once again.
The next second, the Lich power he had just recovered was completely depleted, making it impossible to sustain his Heaven and Earth Transformation state. His colossal form dissolved as he reverted to his original body.
“Whew!” He exhaled deeply, relief washing over him. “That was close. If I hadn’t killed Megatron earlier and recovered some strength, I wouldn’t have stood a chance against these two.”
He murmured to himself, his face still carrying traces of lingering fear. Turning his gaze, he looked at Tony and the others who were still trapped in the ice.
Their strength hadn’t fully recovered. Still stuck in the Spirit Body Realm, they had no way of breaking free and could potentially face grave danger if left frozen for too long.
Raising his hand, John summoned a surge of flames.
Although his power of laws had only been restored by 0.0003%, his mastery over the fire element was enough to produce flames that were far from ordinary.
Soon, the ice encasing his companions melted away. Freed from their frozen prisons, they collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted yet alive.
“Who… who are you?” one man asked, his voice trembling with fear as he stared at John.
This man was a warrior from another world who had been resisting The Heaven. Though encased in ice, he had remained conscious and had seen everything that transpired moments ago.
He couldn’t help but recall the stories Tony and the others had shared about John—stories of how he had once slain The Heaven itself!
Such terrifying strength… could it really be true?
“Big brother, can I become as strong as you one day?” Spoorate’s eyes lit up, her face brimming with excitement as she looked up at John with eager anticipation.
For everyone other than Tony’s group, this was their first time witnessing John’s Heaven and Earth Transformation state. They were completely dumbfounded by the display of overwhelming power.
Especially Debbie, whose face turned pale at the realization of John’s identity as a criminal wanted by The Heaven. If someone of this level of power truly existed, it would mean the Realm of Chaos was on the brink of complete upheaval.
John smiled warmly as he ruffled the young girl’s hair. “Of course you can.”
Although he wasn’t entirely certain of Spoorate’s potential, he had a strong feeling that her three-headed, six-armed ability might bear some resemblance to his Heaven and Earth Transformation.
John didn’t spare the others another glance. Instead, his focus shifted to the pale, trembling figures of Tony and the rest of his group. “Can you still move?” he asked.
Their strength had yet to recover fully, leaving them unable to dispel the lingering cold in their bodies.
“Don’t worry, my lord. We’re fine,” Tony replied firmly, nodding with determination. He and the others struggled but managed to rise to their feet.
“Good. Then let’s take this city.” With a single command from John, he led the group out of the area, slaughtering anyone in their path as they moved to regroup with Ben and the others.
The lord of Quahog City, Megatron, along with the reinforcements from Forest City, had all been slain by John.
At this moment, the remaining tens of thousands of soldiers in the city were utterly incapable of stopping them.
John entrusted Tony and the others to Beamay’s protection, then picked up a pair of longswords and charged directly into the enemy forces.
Now that he had recovered a portion of The power of laws, his strength had increased significantly. Facing these ordinary soldiers, the battle was almost laughably one-sided—a massacre.
Blood splattered everywhere, and the air was filled with anguished screams. The others watched the scene with a mix of shock and fear. Some of them couldn’t help but feel that John alone could annihilate the entirety of Quahog City.
Debbie swallowed hard, feeling a wave of helplessness wash over her. She had already sworn her allegiance to John and had no choice but to accept her fate.
Turning to Beamay, she asked, “What about the city’s Saintess?”
“The Saintess?” Beamay blinked in surprise, then shook his head and replied, “The Saintess of Quahog City is just a three-star Awakened One. She’s too weak to pose any threat.”
Beamay had encountered Quahog City’s Saintess before. With her three-star strength, he could barely handle her himself, so John wouldn’t even need to take her seriously.
Debbie, however, looked grave as she explained, “I’m not worried about her strength but her identity. The Saintesses are a completely different matter from the city lords. They answer directly to The Heaven. If what’s happening here gets back to The Heaven, it will bring significant trouble.”
“The Heaven?” Beamay froze, a look of confusion crossing his face. “Does this world also have The Heaven?”
Realizing the gravity of the situation, he quickly added, “Follow me!”
He immediately led the group toward the Saintess’s residence.
By the time they reached a palace, it had already been reduced to rubble. There was no trace of Quahog City’s Saintess.
Tony pondered for a moment before suggesting, “We should ask Ben and his team to help search for her.”
With their current strength, they were too weak to even deal with the lowest-ranking soldiers, let alone contribute meaningfully to the search.
“Alright. You all stay hidden here for now. I’ll go find Lord Ben,” Beamay instructed. He glanced briefly at Debbie before turning and leaving.
The sounds of battle echoed relentlessly throughout the city. The Gnoll army, combined with troops from various towns, had gained absolute dominance.
While their individual combat power wasn’t strong, their sheer numbers overwhelmed the city’s remaining soldiers, who were now incapable of mounting any resistance.
John continued his slaughter, showing no mercy. His targets were not just the soldiers in the city but also a number of adventurers.
In fact, some of the Gnolls didn’t escape his wrath either.
John didn’t trust these creatures at all. He also urgently needed to slaughter a large number of powerful beings to restore his strength. The Gnolls, with their vast numbers, were perfect for this purpose. Besides, some of them had actively targeted him, and killing them didn’t trouble his conscience in the slightest.
The battle soon drew to a close. Quahog City fell to the Gnolls, and the city’s soldiers were nearly wiped out. Adventurers also suffered devastating losses, with only a handful surviving.
However, the Gnolls and the rebel forces from the surrounding towns paid a heavy price, losing nearly 70% of their troops.
The soldiers and adventurers who had survived by sheer luck were completely subdued, leaving no chance for further resistance.
The Gnoll chieftain, Bru, led his forces to occupy the City Lord’s Manor, declaring himself the new lord of Quahog City.
The only disappointment was that the Saintess of Quahog City had escaped. Even with Ben leading the Gnolls in pursuit, they failed to locate her.
The dense forests outside Quahog City were filled with powerful magical beasts, making it too risky to continue the chase. Left with no other option, Ben and his forces returned empty-handed.
John, accompanied by Tony, Ben, and the others, entered the City Lord’s Manor shortly afterward.
“Strategist!” Bru greeted them enthusiastically, walking up with a grin. He was visibly excited. “It’s all thanks to your plan that we were able to take Quahog City. Why don’t you stay here and assist me in governing the city?”
Ben sidestepped Bru with a cold smile. His loyalty lay solely with John, and his relationship with the Gnolls was nothing more than one of mutual exploitation.
At that moment, John spoke up, his tone firm and commanding. “This city belongs to me. From now on, you Gnolls will serve under my banner.”
“Hm?” Bru’s brows furrowed deeply as he glared at John coldly.
Around them, the Gnolls immediately drew their weapons, encircling John and his companions.
Tony and the others stood unflinching by John’s side, their eyes sharp and unwavering as they stared down the hostile Gnolls.
“Hah! A brat who’s only just broken through to the Spirit Body Realm dares to talk big?” Bru sneered, casting a disdainful glance at John.
John’s power had indeed recovered to the point where he could wield The power of laws, but his overall strength only appeared to match that of a Spirit Body Realm warrior.
With an icy smile, John responded, “I’m not here to negotiate. Submit—or die.”
“Arrogant fool—” Bru didn’t even get to finish his sentence before John moved.
Buzz!