Not good—there's no time to dodge!
Fathe'aim's face changed drastically. He instantly focused all his power in front of him, hurtling straight into the black ripple.
The moment the black ripple struck him, a low, agonizing roar tore from his throat. This power was far too extreme; the essence of the Path of Slaughter swiftly corroded his flesh, rendering his armor completely useless.
Worse still, this slaughtering energy was anything but ordinary. It was far more refined, possessing an exceptionally formidable penetrating force.
It took him a whole half-second to analyze and understand its nature, after which he immediately rallied the strength inside him to expel it from his body.
Yet just as he was about to do so, another black ripple surged in and crashed into him.
In that split second, he felt like a man standing in the sea before finding his footing—hit by wave after relentless wave, shoved continually backward.
Of course, that was merely a sensation.
In reality, wave after wave of black ripples invaded his body at terrifying speed, repeatedly shattering the power he mustered and leaving him utterly powerless to resist the devastation.
Fathe'aim was certain this had to be Yu Xian's trap.
Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret. He could only linger here and slowly swallow the bitter fruit of his own arrogance and conceit.
Just then, one of Yu Xian's summoned beasts arrived not far away, perfectly positioned so that Fathe'aim bore the brunt of all the black ripples for it.
*It really worked. Still, Fathe'aim's too strong. Unless Bei Zhelong can keep unleashing this power until he wears him down to death, at most it'll only heavily wound Fathe'aim, not kill him,* Yu Xian mused after watching for a moment.
This was only natural.
Most warriors from the Zhen Realm possessed high attack power and deep health pools.
Their sole weakness lay in their lack of versatility—their skills were blunt and direct, making them easy to counter in the early stages. Only after developing into the late game could they rely on pure speed to cover all their flaws.
Zhang Shou and Cheng Pi were both quintessential warrior classes, quintessential damage sponges. At the same level, killing either of them was an uphill battle. Cheng Pi in particular was an absolute titan among meat shields; bringing him down was even harder.
*Should I step in?*
Yu Xian knew full well that although Fathe'aim was pinned down, he was definitely still resisting.
Seizing this chance to attack might cause a major disruption for Fathe'aim, but it could just as easily backfire. After all, Yu Xian knew very little about Fathe'aim's class or skills.
If Fathe'aim had a passive that granted super armor whenever he was attacked by more than two enemies, intervening would simply be shooting himself in the foot.
Yet while Yu Xian was still weighing his options, he suddenly sensed that his other Silver Mirror Ghost King had failed.
Lauked-Hades had indeed proven slightly sharper than Fathe'aim. Upon seeing through the trick, Lauked-Hades had decisively given up chasing the Silver Mirror Ghost King, heading in the opposite direction instead.
It carried a distinct spiteful flavor: *The more you want me to follow, the less I'll go along. I'll do the exact opposite just to spite you.*
Yu Xian sighed, then glanced back at Fathe'aim with a sudden chuckle. "A pity there's only one idiot."
At his current level, going head-to-head with Fathe'aim was out of the question. Successfully shifting the misfortune and pulling one over on him was already plenty satisfying.
As for settling the score, that could wait until his level was higher.
Yet just as he was about to withdraw his consciousness to focus entirely on dealing with Lauked-Hades, Fathe'aim's body underwent a sudden shift. A dense mass of symbols flared across his armor, followed by a sigh echoing from within the plate.
*Holy crap, an unexpected variable?* Yu Xian thought, slightly startled.
All at once, purple light burst from the armor, tearing free of the black ripples' onslaught. It even extended a hand, effortlessly blocking all incoming waves.
Yu Xian's eyes went wide as he stared at the suit in disbelief.
[Nether Armor King]
[Level: 245]
[Skills:]
[Meditation - Armor Form: The Nether Armor King enters a state of deep meditation, disguising itself as armor equipment and granting the wearer a 5% bonus of its own attributes.]
[Nether Malice: The Nether Armor King possesses endless Nether Malice within its body. When it awakens, boundless Nether Malice will corrode its wearer, turning them into a Malice Puppet.]
[Meridian - Nether Night Slash: The Nether Armor King draws its blade to condense Nether Malice, slaying the target with thunderous force.]
[King's Deathright: Ever since the Nether Armor King's birth, whenever a Nether Armor Knight dies, the Nether Armor King's attributes increase without limit.]
[Absolute Power: When the Nether Armor King's attributes exceed an enemy's by more than 2,000 times, any debuffs, special effects, or instant-death attacks unleashed by the enemy cannot take effect.]
[Crown Within: The Nether Armor King possesses absolute control over all undead weaker than itself; when undead hear its voice, they must obey its commands unconditionally.]
[Abyssal Death Blade: The Nether Armor King can channel the power of the dark Abyss, cleaving out blade energy infused with the Abyss attribute.]
[Undead Conscription: The Nether Armor King can forcibly conscript all undead to fight on its behalf.]
[Exclusive Ultimate Technique:]
[Nether Armor King - Night Execution Blade Calamity: The Nether Armor King unleashes the Nether Malice within its body, plunging the world into darkness; the Nether Armor King's attacks gain a ranged guaranteed-hit effect, with each strike greatly boosted in power.]
[Description: When a headless knight recovers its own head, dissolves its body and head with Nether Malice, and entrusts its existence entirely to its armor, it becomes a Nether Armor Knight that strikes fear into the hearts of mortals. The Nether Armor King is the mightiest among countless Nether Armor Knights.]
……
*Hiss!*
So Fathe'aim had been wearing a Level 245 super boss monster the entire time?
Yu Xian watched as the armor shifted from blue to black, intricate crimson patterns spreading across its surface.
Most terrifying of all was the Nether Armor King's helm. Previously, Fathe'aim's eyes had been hidden from view, but now Yu Xian could clearly see a pair of glowing crimson eyes gleaming beneath the visor's slits.
Those eyes were burning with light.
The Nether Armor King cast a single glance at Yu Xian's summoned beast. Ignoring it, the entity abruptly drove a fist toward the direction where the black ripples originated.
The black ripples caught in its grasp instantly shattered, and a terrifying wave of malice carrying countless fragments of the black ripples tore through the corridor, driving straight to the enemy's heart—straight for that "dragon," Bei Zhelong!
At the crossroads, Bei Zhelong was still laughing when the terrifying purplish-red malice pulverized his endless black ripples. In the blink of an eye, the malice condensed into a massive fist and slammed into Bei Zhelong's body.
*Boom!*
Bei Zhelong exploded on the spot, his body detonating into pieces.
Countless sprays of blood, mangled flesh, and bone splinters scattered in all directions. Simultaneously, a horrific burst of energy blew outward through the surrounding corridors—the final death wail of a powerhouse.
Only after instantly obliterating Bei Zhelong did the Nether Armor King turn its gaze back toward Yu Xian... or more precisely, toward his summoned beast.
Chapter 543