Chapter 108: Instant Kill
“I can’t win…”
Ji Xiaodao gripped her blood-soaked hands, which she could barely feel, and her shoulders slumped in defeat.
She had just poured almost all her strength into creating the best opportunity and launching the most effective attack, but it was still easily thwarted by the opponent, and the guy in front of her seemed to have only just started getting serious…
Whether it was the allocation of stamina and agility, the connection of skills, the calculation of cooldown times, or the grasp of opportunities, she had done her best, pushing herself to the limit.
Her final round of attacks had involved various pre-arrangements, and all three of her swords had landed squarely on the target.
Using Shadow Weave as the core skill, she bound the target in place with four daggers wrapped in countless shadow threads, hid her strongest puppet sword close to the ground behind her, connected her two main weapons to the shadow wrapped around her wrist in advance, and finally delivered a fatal blow under foolproof conditions.
Her two slender hands were already raw and bleeding. Although the pain in the game wasn't intense or too real, it still stung like needles, and it came with a bleeding effect that lasted quite a while.
Her agility and stamina were almost depleted, and all three main weapons and six consumable daggers were completely destroyed.
Although her health was still more than half, it still couldn't solve any problems…
“Am I too weak…?” the girl, whose combat IQ could outpace Cordova by seventeen or eighteen streets, sighed softly, a hint of melancholy in her tone.
She finally accepted the reality of the vast difference in strength between them.
Her 'strength,' the most important aspect of the game, was so poor; she was even weaker than other players, except for Mo.
This made Ji Xiaodao, who had always felt she was quite diligent, suddenly feel a bit lost.
If she, who had always clung to that person, was actually just a burden, a baggage who couldn't do anything, a vase with no use or value, then it would be better if…
“Powerful Normal Attack —”
Cordova suddenly raised the executor's staff in his hand.
This starting move, which didn't belong to any skill, caused a spiral current of air to erupt from the ground beneath his feet, and Ji Xiaodao, who seemed to have given up resistance, was pushed into the air by this wind pressure stirred up by sheer brute force.
【Being a burden really sucks…】
Although Ji Xiaodao had at least three skills off cooldown that could have helped her escape the danger, she let herself be swept up from the spot, her eyes somewhat vacant as she watched the towering strongman in front of her, allowing him to swing his 'staff'—which resembled a warhammer in size and was even sharpened—down towards her without dodging or evading!
“Still haven’t thought of a name!”
Although he didn't know why the other party was completely unresponsive as if disconnected, Cordova still roared, forcefully swinging the weapon in his hand after actively activating two powerful runes!
The earth-shattering blow, fully named 'Powerful Normal Attack — Still Haven’t Thought of a Name,' was unleashed with full force.
【I’ve used too much energy! After I knock her flying, I need to run quickly.
I’ll just skip that damn quest; it’s better than dying in this hellhole!】
Cordova, who was preparing to send Ji Xiaodao straight to respawn, thought to himself.
His energy consumption had already reached an astonishing fifty percent.
After actively activating two core runes, Comrade Old Ke’s already depleted energy from his journey plummeted even further as if a floodgate had opened.
Under these circumstances, taking the risk to do that ridiculous quest was no longer realistic!
He knew there was a large group of NPCs, whose depths were unknown, still watching him!
As for the possibility that his attack might directly kill the girl in front of him, Cordova didn't think too much about it.
Firstly, his understanding of the word 'death' was already somewhat distorted.
Although he clearly knew that being killed in this game generally meant deleting the account and starting over, Cordova still didn't consider it a big deal.
Secondly, he felt that Ji Xiaodao was someone who abetted evil, definitely not a good person!
So…
【Kill her! Then run away quickly!】
Cordova, firm in his belief, did not hesitate!
Just as Cordova’s 'staff' was about to smash into the girl’s slender body, a hand reached out horizontally.
It steadily caught Cordova’s staff, which had the power of a battering ram.
Bang!
There was no earth-shattering air blast, no collapsing or sunken ground, no deafening roar…
Cordova's hand froze in mid-air.
He stared blankly at the man wearing a half-mask in front of him, and at his staff, which he couldn't move an inch no matter how hard he tried, his mind a blank.
“You just seemed to mention…” Mo looked up at Cordova, slowly withdrew his left hand, and asked softly, “No player can beat you?”
Cordova was startled: “When did you appear?”
“Just now.” Mo casually dispelled a black cicada that had appeared on the back of his hand at some point, smiled at Cordova, “But I saw your and her previous fight quite clearly.”
【Summoning: Left Cold Cicada】
Active Skill
Mastery Requirements: Intelligence 30, Class: Summoner, No 3D motion sickness
Cost/Restriction: 100 Magic Power, Insect Corpse * 1
Effect: Summons a ghost cicada, lasting 10 minutes. The ghost cicada naturally possesses Level 7 Stealth, can fly, and cannot attack. Upon successful summoning, your left eye will share vision with the ghost cicada, and your left ear will share hearing with the ghost cicada. If the ghost cicada is killed, your left eye will be blind for 30 minutes. The ghost cicada's health is 100/100, its maximum movement speed is 150% of the Summoner's, and its cooldown is 60 minutes.
【Note: Zuo Lengchan possessed many unique skills such as the Great Songyang Divine Palm, Seventeen-Route Songshan Swordplay, Ice True Qi, Ice Divine Palm, and an unnamed internal art that completely countered the Star Sucking Dafa, but… this has nothing to do with the Left Cold Cicada.】
This summoned beast was something Mo had casually arranged nearby just before going to find Fara, simply because he wanted to understand Cordova’s strength and also see the true gap between 'elite players' like Ji Xiaodao and the former.
Although he could share the memories of other personalities, those were not valuable references for evaluating Cordova’s strength.
“You’re here…”
Ji Xiaodao, protected behind Mo, stood up somewhat dejectedly and whispered, “I…”
“You performed well, exceeding my expectations.” Instead of scolding her or remaining silent as the girl had imagined, Mo nodded at her: “You’ve improved a lot since before.”
“Oh… Mm.” Ji Xiaodao paused slightly, feeling a strange sense of joy, and then stood silently behind Mo, not saying a word.
Her battle was over; since he had arrived, no matter how abnormally strong the opponent was, it could only end here.
However, Cordova didn't think so.
He merely glanced at Mo with a hint of surprise, and asked in an unfriendly tone, “Who are you? Where is Fara?”
“I’m someone who can speak up here, to some extent.” Mo lightly adjusted his mask, then looked back a short distance behind him: “As for the God of Law, he’s already dead.”
Screech!!
A puff of white mist suddenly erupted from the back of Cordova’s neck.
He once again raised the executor's staff and said coldly to Mo and Ji Xiaodao, “You’re both players, aren’t you? Abetting evil isn’t a fun hobby.”
Cordova, of course, didn't believe that the two people in front of him had the strength to kill the Deputy of Tian Zhu Mountain, but he had no doubt that they were also involved in this incident, so he was in a very bad mood…
“Perhaps.” Mo merely shrugged, saying absently, “In any case, the purpose of your coming here should no longer exist, right?
If you want to leave, it’s simple: defeat me or kill me, and then you can leave.
Go ahead.”
Cordova, angered to the extreme, laughed instead: “Is it that simple?”
“Yes.” Mo nodded: “I guarantee that no one but myself will stop you.”
“Very good.” Cordova gripped the staff in his hand and said in a deep voice, “Then I won’t hold back!”
The acceleration rune on his back suddenly activated, and Cordova’s massive body leaped high into the air, rotating 360 degrees mid-air with the staff held in both hands.
20% of his energy was forcefully injected into the gigantic force rune, and he crashed down like a crimson lightning bolt!!
He naturally attributed Mo’s casual block of that attack to a specific skill; after all, Innocent World was ultimately a game, and it was reasonable to assume that many seemingly unrealistic things could be accomplished with proper skill usage!
But such a skill could absolutely not be used repeatedly in a short amount of time!
And his next strike, though still just a 'normal attack,' was more terrifying than most High-Rank skills when the core rune of immense strength was overloaded.
Cordova, who had encountered numerous 'adventures' throughout the game as if he were the protagonist, was absolutely confident he could smash this guy in front of him into a pile of pixels!
And then…
He froze in mid-air, not affected by any skill, nor was there any powerful NPC secretly making a move.
It was just that the masked guy in front of him extended a hand again, steadily catching his full-power strike!
And it was even more outrageous than before; the other party actually held the executor's staff and lifted him into the air like that!
Like a damn flag-raising ceremony!
“What kind of skill is this?!” Cordova was stunned on the spot.
“Skill?” Mo repeated softly, then shook his head: “This is not a skill.”
Cordova went from surprise to bewilderment: “WTF!?”
“However, if you want to see a skill…” Mo extended a finger, pointing it directly at Cordova’s chest, and smiled: “It’s not impossible.”
“Wait…”
“Blood Flash.”
A crimson beam of light flashed and vanished, instantly piercing through Cordova’s chest, then roaring towards the sky behind him.
Its lingering power unreduced, it pierced through the lingering dark clouds above Banshee City and transformed into a torrential blood rain, dyeing the earth a vibrant red.
“Ugh…”
The tall, sturdy Rune Body crashed down weakly.
Cordova’s chest now had a large hole at least thirty centimeters in diameter.
Inside, there were no human tissues, only a large number of parts and rune fragments of unknown material, constantly emitting faint blue sparks.
“Sorry, I didn’t control my strength well.” Mo casually tossed the heavy executor's staff into the distance, then half-crouched beside Cordova and smiled apologetically at him: “This is a skill.”
The latter, now completely unable to move, had eyes full of astonishment and disbelief.
He struggled to open his mouth, but could only utter a single 'you' before saying nothing else…
“I want to ask you for a favor,” Mo’s eyes glowed with an unnatural black light, and he asked softly, “Could you tell me all the secrets of Tian Zhu Mountain?”
The innate skill 【Original Sin】 quietly activated.
Cordova immediately shivered, and then…
He rolled his eyes on the spot, turned his head aside, and remained silent.
“I see.” Mo, noticing that 【Original Sin】 had entered cooldown, nodded, then stood up and looked deeply at Ji Xiaodao.
Immediately after, he stomped on Cordova’s head!
One second later…
Cordova, as expected, heard the familiar system prompt again, and again, and again, and again.
【You have died】
…
“It’s over.” Mo looked up at the still gloomy sky and the slowly dissipating Great Retrospection formation in the distance, which was fading due to the cessation of magic output, and smiled contentedly.
Then he looked down at Cordova’s headless corpse… body, and suddenly said in a deep voice, “Garros, Galahad.”
The Grand Duke and Marshal of the Shavin Empire appeared before him within seconds.
“Galahad, you go organize the remaining troops, then lead them to encamp and rest outside the city.
Forbid everyone from discussing the name Faraosis.” Mo first instructed Galahad.
“Yes.” Marshal Galahad saluted the Viscount, whose status was far beneath his own, then turned and strode away.
The members of the Tsar's Sword Knights and the Hurricane Mage Group were in the distance.
Although they were somewhat curious about the rampaging strongman, they were, after all, the elite of the Shavin Empire's elite, and did not gather to watch the commotion without orders.
“Garros, collect these remains, then go out of the city with Galahad and wait for me.” Mo pointed to Cordova’s Rune Body, which had not been refreshed by the system, and emphasized to Garros: “These things are very useful; not a single part is allowed to be missing.”
“Understood.” Garros bowed to Mo, then began to swiftly collect the scattered parts using wind elemental manipulation.
Considering that this book might have underage readers, I won't mention the words 'scattered corpses everywhere,' hmm.
And then…
“You come with me.” Mo turned and said to Ji Xiaodao indifferently, then walked towards… God knows which direction.
Five minutes later
Mo suddenly stopped, and without turning his head, asked the girl behind him, “You, you weren’t controlled by me, were you?”
The girl lowered her eyes, silent.
“To be honest…”
In the calm tone, a cold rage burned.
Chapter 105: End