Chapter 278: Chapter 136: The Dragon Slayer Finally Becomes...
SPLASH...
Dark clouds hung overhead, streaked with lightning and rumbling with thunder. A torrential rain poured down.
The thunder of explosions in the Dumitru District had finally subsided. Chunks of flesh and blood, carried by the rain, washed over the cobblestone streets. The roads, cratered and mangled by the Corpse Explosion Skill, now held countless pools of green pus and red gore.
Scattered around these pools were countless severed, pus-filled limbs. The acrid stench of blood and the foul reek of plague-like decay filled the entire district.
THUD.
Nicole collapsed to her knees, her eyes vacant as she stared at the tragic scene. "Ten ministers, one hundred and ten captains, one thousand three hundred and twenty Extraordinaries, and fourteen thousand, three hundred and thirty-five Warriors... all gone..."
Her magnificent purple gown clung to her frame, her Golden Scepter cast aside long ago. Four distinct trails of water ran down her cheeks, making it impossible to tell if they were rain or tears.
In truth, not all of the Vasquez People had died from the Corpse Explosion Skill. Some had been tragically trampled to death in the ensuing panic, their bodies mercifully left intact.
A very small number of Warriors had escaped the disaster, and they stared, trembling uncontrollably, at the hellish scene that stretched for several kilometers.
"Demon..."
"Demon!"
"He’s a demon!!"
Wei’en heard them. His eight black pupils scanned the area. "A demon?"
’Perhaps...’
The lightning wings on his back suddenly shot out, skewering a line of Vazquez Warriors on either side of the street who failed to dodge in time.
Then, the bolts of lightning swept out like cracking whips, lashing the survivors. With the ZZZT of electricity and the smell of burnt flesh, they were sliced in two.
[You have used aberrant power to kill Tuerdi Stuart. Evaluation: Is this what a demon looks like? Far from it! Special Reward: Survival Points +5, Resilience Level +1.]
[...]
[You have met the conditions to advance to Official Mage. Do you wish to advance?]
[Note: If you choose to advance, there is a high probability of awakening a talent ability. You will then be affected by your Extraordinary Bloodline or traits, including but not limited to: Illusion Realm, confusion, paralysis, etc.]
[No]
The system panel in Wei’en’s mind prompted him frantically, asking if he wanted to advance to Official Mage, but he refused every time.
Killing so many of the Vasquez People had already raised his base attributes and Origin Power to astonishing levels. He was now strong enough to reliably support Tina’s Calamity Level Three.
’But if Tina’s aberration reaches Level Four... my accumulated power still isn’t enough!’
"Don’t, don’t, don’t kill anymore... I’m begging you..." Nicole shook her head weakly, her once-neat long hair now plastered messily to her face, her lips trembling as she pleaded.
"Oh."
Wei’en uttered a single, cold syllable. The wings on his back continued to lash out, as if determined to wipe out every last one of the Vasquez People.
"I’m begging you..."
Nicole crawled on her knees to Wei’en’s back, her immense grief making her unable to hold back her tears any longer. "Whatever price I have to pay, I beg you, spare them!!"
"Kordel!"
CRACK!
A figure appeared before the Vasquez People, casting a Dharma Seal that blocked one of the Lightning Whips. It held for barely half a second—perhaps even less—before the seal shattered.
CRACKLE.
Tiny arcs of electricity twisted and warped in front of the figure’s eyes, causing the surrounding air to issue soft popping sounds.
"Stop, Wei’en..."
It was none other than Lisi, now able to move again. Her gaze on Wei’en was complex—filled with gratitude, but also sorrow and grief.
Not far behind her were some of the Investigators who had been caught in the range of the Corpse Explosion Skill’s corruption and blown to pieces. If Director Nifa hadn’t recovered her strength at the critical moment and teleported the others away, everyone would have likely become a gory "firework" display, just like the Vasquez People.
The surviving Investigators watched in silence. Like Lisi, they were grateful to Wei’en for saving them, but the comrades who had been sacrificed in the process...
"Sorry."
Wei’en saw it all as well. He fell silent for a moment, and the Lightning Whips slowly retracted, coalescing once more into two pairs of wings on his back.
Lisi lowered her head, her expression dimming. "No, it’s not your fault. You already did more than enough..."
For a moment, the only sounds in the entire Dumitru District were the drumming of the rain and the grief-stricken wails of the surviving Vasquez People.
"Sob... Please don’t... do this..."
Nicole was perhaps the one crying the most heart-wrenchingly. She didn’t understand why it had to be this way.
Twenty years ago, as a young child, she had witnessed the brutal slaughter of the Vazquez Race at the hands of Shetland Kingdom soldiers. Twenty years later, the Vazquez Warriors she led were so utterly annihilated that not even intact corpses remained.
"So noisy."
Wei’en turned his head to glance at her. His black pupils held not a trace of emotion, only cold indifference.
ZZZT!
WHOOSH!
Just then, a spear streaked through the night sky, appearing behind Wei’en. It was blocked by his lightning wings.
[You have blocked an attack from Jack Kim Adros. Evaluation: The power of aberration has grown stronger, but it’s still not enough. Reward: Survival Points +10.]
"Please, spare her."
Black Jack stood nearby, tall and powerfully built. He wore a jacket that left his chest exposed, revealing scars of all sizes. His expression was grim as he watched Wei’en. He, too, had witnessed the chain of over ten thousand explosions, and he couldn’t help but marvel at how extraordinary this night had become.
’I never would have thought... Aside from that little girl, even this young Investigator, who I’d clearly dismissed before, would possess such terrifying power.’
"First Officer, did you just say ’please’?"
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