“Dorina!! Damn it!!!”
Although Sigrid had some room to spare, saving one person was already her limit. Just as she stabilized herself in the air with her companion who narrowly escaped death, she turned around to see the sight of the mage girl turning into stone and falling.
Although her eyes were filled with anger and the surrounding aura became unstable for a moment, she still barely restrained herself from acting recklessly or attempting to rescue the team member named Dorina.
It was already too late. Sigrid had personally witnessed the power of the abyssal worm’s petrification in another battlefield. With the contact area just now, unless the Priestess was on the scene, Dorina had no chance of surviving.
This monster has gone mad; it’s getting serious.
Sigrid suppressed the grief in her heart, and her sharp eyes, filled with hatred, stared unblinkingly at the circling giant worm.
In the battlefield, acting under the domination of impatience, anger, and impulsiveness is extremely foolish. The idea of erupting far beyond normal strength in a fit of anger is nothing but a laughable fantasy found only in stories.
One must stay calm in battle at all times. Otherwise, not only would one’s own life be in jeopardy, but it could also jeopardize the companions nearby. This was a lesson taught to Sigrid by a senior at the cost of their life, a lesson she would never forget.
While the other shocked white feathers were showing expressions of sorrow, they, like the captain, maintained a stern posture, ready for anything. As elites of the “Wings of Freedom,” they were well-prepared to sacrifice themselves in battle.
On the other hand, a certain priestess floating higher up raised an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with the blonde girl beside her.
The telepathically connected little dragon immediately understood her owner’s intention and disappeared in the air with a swift movement.
Just a few seconds later, when she reappeared, she was carrying a young winged girl on her shoulder. The girl’s wings, skin, and even her mage robe had all been turned into gray stones. Her terrified expression was frozen on her face, preserved by the petrifying power, and her delicate beauty had lost all vitality. She resembled an exceptionally crafted simulation stone carving.
This was Dorina, the white feather winged being who had been hit by the abyssal worm’s venom, fallen from the sky, and disappeared in the dust a moment ago.
Despite initially only a small part of her body, including her left wing, being grazed, in less than ten seconds, the petrification effect had completely spread to her entire body. The ominous green liquid that touched her had also disappeared, likely infiltrating her body.
Violet placed her hand on the stone statue, touched the girl’s face, and felt the standard and cold touch of stone. Then, she activated a magic called “Information Detection.”
“......”
There was no doubt that Dorina was already dead.
Not only the surface, but all her internal organs, bones, including blood, had rapidly frozen, transforming into hardened stone. The spread of this venom’s petrification speed was astonishing.
There are many magic spells, items, and potions with petrification effects in the “Illusory World,” but due to the nature of being a game, they usually have a time limit, and it’s rare to find something that can permanently petrify a target.
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Even if such things exist, they are typically high-level abilities like “Medusa’s Gaze” or “Petrifying Magic Eyes,” and it’s hard to imagine that an abyssal worm that is less than level 50 would possess such a powerful attack.
In the terminology of this world, this is already a kind of ability close to a rule.
And the true laws are usually something that can only be grasped at least at the pseudo-god level. Perhaps there are special or exceptionally talented creatures that can dabble in similar abilities beyond even the legendary realm, but that’s generally a simulation of the laws.
This level of venom is just from a...
Wait a moment...
Speaking of which, is this abyssal worm really just at the legendary level?
Although its current speed, strength, and even physical toughness are evidently at the average level of legends, one should know that abyssal creatures in this world are suppressed, and the stronger the individual, the stronger the suppression. Could it be...
As Violet pondered, there were already more unimaginable changes erupting in the lower airspace.
After spraying out that vast expanse of ominous green petrifying venom, the movements of the abyssal worm did not stop there. However, its subsequent actions, even when glimpsed by the priestess in her peripheral vision, were shocking.
The head with the menacing twin pincers opened its massive mouth and dove down, biting its own end tail!
Then, it rapidly started devouring itself!
“Stop it!”
Although Violet didn’t quite understand what this creature was doing, Sigrid, who had dealt with similar things before, immediately reacted. She flapped her wings and attacked the giant worm.
The white feather warriors also launched a fierce assault alongside their captain. However, the abyssal worm seemed to be in a frenzy, not dodging or avoiding any attacks. It protected the central head by coiling its body into a circle, completely focused on devouring its own flesh.
What was most bizarre was that even though it had bitten off three or four sections of its own body in just half a minute, the aura of the abyssal worm not only did not weaken but began to gradually grow stronger. It ascended from being evenly matched with Sigrid at the entry level of legends to becoming increasingly powerful!
At the same time, several sections of the giant worm’s external body suddenly wriggled outward, and from the concave areas, several black spherical masses, still oozing with sticky fluid, were ejected. They collided with the surrounding winged warriors.
These black spheres rapidly expanded and extended during their trajectory, transforming into beetle-type abyssal creatures that Violet had seen in the Forbidden Zone. They flapped insect-like wings, directly restraining several white feather winged beings who were attacking the main body of the abyssal worm.
Even though these newly born creatures were only about a meter in length and had noticeably weak combat capabilities, their formidable regenerative ability allowed them to temporarily serve as effective meat shields.
During this process, the aura of the abyssal worm’s main body continued to skyrocket as it devoured itself, and it was about to reach the pinnacle of legends!
“What’s going on... it shouldn’t be possible...”
Hmm? Wait a moment.
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Violet’s mind.
If the previous idea continues, assuming that the true strength of this abyssal worm is not just at the legendary level but far more powerful, experiencing severe rejection and oppression in this world due to its overwhelming strength, and consequently only displaying a portion of its power...
Wouldn’t the world’s rejection force follow a rule that increases with the enhancement of individual strength? Then conversely, if the strength decreases, would the rejection force decrease as well?
This abyssal worm, by devouring itself, was converting some of its energy and body into independent abyssal creatures. Although the main body weakened, the power it could exhibit in this world temporarily increased due to the reduction in the suppressive force.
It’s not entirely impossible.
Is it exploiting a flaw in the rules?
For the abyssal worm itself, this was undoubtedly a very unprofitable and even desperate move. However, it proved to be effective, posing a significant threat to Sigrid and others in this battle.
It seems that the abyss is well aware of the operating rules of the world’s rejection force; otherwise, it wouldn’t have immediately made such a clever adaptation.
Abyssal creatures, including the abyssal worm, seem to lack communication and even basic language abilities, yet they universally possess extraordinary talents in combat that ordinary creatures cannot match.
Truly intriguing.