Chapter 483: Chapter 304: Dissipating Power
Two. An uncontrollable desire to perform will often arise, even at critical moments.
Three. Craves applause, cheers, and acclaim. If this need is not met for a long time, they will gradually become irritable, anxious, and may even develop suicidal tendencies.
Overall, the Magic Wand was undoubtedly a very powerful Forbidden Object with ten different abilities, but containing it was a time-consuming process. The requirement of becoming a renowned Magician alone was enough to deter countless people.
The side effects were also rather awkward: an extreme fondness for small animals and bunny girls. The most fatal among them, however, was the indiscriminate urge to perform. For instance, the Joker had insisted on playing dress-up as an animal just moments ago and suffered for it—a clear sign of the performance urge flaring up.
However, these negative effects were not a problem for Zhou Chen. He could use his wishes to grant himself an exemption.
The moment he had this thought, an inexplicable impulse surged through him, an extreme desire to pull some kind of stunt on Andre. Before he could even react, his body had already moved. The Magic Wand tapped the ground, and he instantly appeared on the battlefield of the three Tier Three Ascenders, smashing head-on into a deafening explosion that mercilessly shattered his eardrums.
Fuck!
Zhou Chen didn’t have time to curse. He immediately made a wish to nullify the Magic Wand’s side effects to stop himself from actually courting death with some stupid stunt. He then tried to use the Great Transformation of Living People again to escape the battlefield, but the experienced Andre would never give him such an opportunity. ’Kill them first!’
’He’s just a Tier Two anyway!’
The roar of the savage bear was deafening as it charged toward the reckless intruder.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE... The earth trembled with Andre’s charge. Anyone could sense the ferocious Power brewing within his scar-covered, blood-red bear-man form. The crackling of compressed air exploded outwards, creating a powerful hurricane. A cloud of dust, dense enough to blot out the sky, rose with the storm.
In an instant, a vicious killing intent surged forth, overwhelming everything.
A foul wind battered his face.
’Too fast!’
’Faster than thought!’
Zhou Chen didn’t even have time to form the thought of using Instant Movement before Andre was on him. A giant bear paw slammed down at his forehead.
The fierce wind it generated was like a razor, carving multiple cuts into Zhou Chen’s face.
No one doubted the power of this strike.
The faces of the Plague Doctor and the Tier Three Special Agent fell. They wanted to save him, but their speed was no match for Andre’s.
Yet in that split second, Zhou Chen’s gaze became perfectly calm. He emptied his mind and entrusted everything to his instincts—
—instincts forged by taking a beating.
SLAM!
Zhou Chen threw up his arms, blocking Andre’s descending paw. He shot backward, sliding smoothly across the ground. His arms were a bloody, mangled mess, and the Magic Wand was knocked from his hand.
He hadn’t been blasted into pieces as Andre had anticipated. Instead, it felt to Andre as if he had struck a vast ocean. Like the Sea Cover All Rivers, it had accepted and contained the full Power of his blow.
Zhou Chen stomped the ground again and again. With each step, a terrifying shockwave spread out in all directions. This violent Power tore at the earth’s surface, creating a dense network of spiderweb-like cracks.
Not until he had retreated more than two hundred meters did Zhou Chen finally dissipate the force and steady himself.
He shook his two mangled, bloody arms and sincerely thanked Li Xiye for the hellish training she had put him through. It had taught him various combat techniques, especially those for fighting Strength Type Ascenders.
"It’s Dissipating Power!"
The Tier Three Special Agent exclaimed softly upon seeing this, "And it’s an incredibly refined use of Dissipating Power!"
—Dissipating Power!
This was one of the techniques Li Xiye had taught Zhou Chen. The ultimate art of dissipating force, a supreme skill that could drive countless Strength Type Ascenders insane. Once you learned it, over ninety percent of Strength Type Ascenders would be no match for you. It was practically immunity to physical attacks. ’How could anyone fight against that?’
During his training, Zhou Chen had taken who knows how many beatings before he "logically" learned Dissipating Power. By the end, he could even dissipate the Fist Force from Li Xiye’s strikes, so Andre’s was no great challenge. Andre might be a T1 Level Ascender, but Li Xiye was T0 Level. The difference between them was night and day.
Seeing that ’Siegfried’ was unharmed, the Plague Doctor breathed a sigh of relief. ’I have no idea what possessed ’Siegfried’ to run onto a Tier Three battlefield. Thank God he’s safe.’
’I quickly calculated it out. Andre’s condition must have dropped to about thirty percent. His willpower has taken a serious hit; he’s a spent force now. ’Siegfried’ should be able to brainwash him.’
This line of thought puzzled the Plague Doctor. ’I’d already guessed that this Tier Three Special Agent, along with the two Tier Two agents from earlier, had been brainwashed by ’Siegfried’. But how did he do it? Tier Two was understandable, but Tier Three was beyond ’Siegfried’s’ known Ability. He could only brainwash a Tier Three Ascender in a state of Weakness, and that Special Agent hadn’t seemed seriously injured at first...’
’Is he hiding his true strength, or has his Ability improved?’
But now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. The Plague Doctor manipulated the Chain of Sin, binding Andre’s limbs. Immediately after, rock spikes erupted from the ground beneath Andre, aiming for a particularly vicious spot. Andre snorted. With a sudden burst of strength from his legs, he managed to shift his position despite being bound by the Chain of Sin, dodging the impaling spikes.
Andre opened his mouth and let out a furious roar. The sound waves rolled outward. The minds of the Plague Doctor and the Tier Three Special Agent were struck by the roar; their vision went black, and their movements faltered.
Seizing the brief opportunity, Andre yanked on the Chain of Sin, pulling himself closer to the Plague Doctor.
The Plague Doctor and the Tier Three Special Agent quickly regained their senses. The agent used Earth Wave Shifting to move the Plague Doctor to safety. The Plague Doctor coordinated perfectly, violently whipping the Chain of Sin. The Power accumulated in the swinging chain compounded, finally erupting on Andre’s limbs.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Four bursts of Bailan exploded, sending flesh and blood flying. Andre’s arms and legs were instantly covered in gore. Huge chunks of muscle were torn away, revealing the stark white bone beneath. The bones themselves were covered in cracks, twisted and fractured from the horrific impact. One could see the tendrils of the Chain of Sin attached to his very bones, but in truth, they were bound to his Soul.
Andre staggered, his spirit weakening. The physical pain was trivial to him, but the Plague Doctor’s attacks inflicted Mental Damage. Every second, the Purifying Fire burned the sins from his Soul. Each time he was struck by the Sword of Law or the Chain of Sin, it felt as though a piece of his very spirit was being sliced away—an unbearable agony.
Finally, he was reaching his limit.
"Dammit... How can I fall here...?"
Andre bit his tongue, trying to use the sharp pain to rouse himself. But the agony from any one of his wounds was far more intense. And yet, despite it all, he felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. This was not a good sign.
"How can I, Andre, lose to a bunch of nobodies like you!"
Andre let out a defiant roar in a final, desperate surge. A blood-red mist steamed off his body. He was beginning to burn his Soul and Life Force for one last gamble.
"Siegfried!" the Plague Doctor yelled. "Can you do it?"
"I can!" Zhou Chen’s certain reply came back from across the field.
’Andre is this badly wounded. Brainwashing him will be a piece of cake; it won’t even cost that much wish value.’
’I wish to brainwash Andre,’ Zhou Chen thought.
[Wish Value -300]
The next moment, the blood-red mist steaming from Andre’s body abruptly halted. It stopped rising. His fierce, bloodshot eyes cleared, and he deactivated his Bear Transformation, slowly reverting to his human form.
Seeing this, the Plague Doctor sighed in relief. ’It looks like the brainwashing was a success. Perfect.’
’Continuing the fight would have been disadvantageous. We need Andre alive to lead the Bear Group.’
’Besides, the Counter-Terrorism Department’s Special Agents and the Hand of the Empire will be here soon. If we drag this out, we’ll be the ones at a disadvantage.’
’The results of this battle have already exceeded our expectations. It’s time to pull out.’
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