Chapter 101: The Eerie Ice Mist (6)

Light, ice, and flame—three layers of magical barriers formed from distinct attributes—provided a defense so formidable that it could easily withstand several heavy blows from a mid-tier magical beast. Yet, what caught Ville off guard was that this ancient Grodo Abomination shattered all three layers with a single strike! Such overwhelming power surely reached the level of a high-tier magical beast.

“No time!” Ville’s heart sank as he uttered this silently. At that very moment, a chilling, murderous aura erupted from Nassa beside him, so fierce and cold that even the Grodo Abomination before them paused in shock. The enormous, pitch-black skeletal claw hesitated, halting right in front of Ville.

In that fleeting moment, a spark of brilliance flashed in Nassa’s eyes. Gripping his immense, dark sword tightly, he seized Ville in one hand and, with a beast-like leap, soared five or six meters high. Combined with Nassa’s towering stature, a mere tilt of his head brought him face-to-face with the Grodo Abomination’s monstrous visage.

“He intends to slay this Grodo Abomination!” The thought flashed through Ville’s mind. The murderous aura enveloping Nassa was not only icy but also wild and unyielding. At this close range, Ville could clearly feel the intense battle spirit and unstoppable momentum radiating from him. With a roar, Nassa’s arm muscles swelled even further, and the pitch-black sword in his grip transformed into a streak of white light, slashing down at the Grodo Abomination’s head. A piercing whistle accompanied the violent force, ripping through the air.

All unfolded in the blink of an eye. One moment, Ville saw Nassa raising his massive sword; the next, the blade had already plunged into the Grodo Abomination’s face.

The six-inch wide black sword buried itself entirely in the creature’s flesh, and strange dark green blood oozed forth. The nearly hundred eyes on the Grodo Abomination’s body first locked onto Nassa, then, with a heart-wrenching screech, erupted in a frenzy!

“Wuhou!—”
“Wahwo!—”
“Aowu!—”

Hearing the Grodo Abomination’s agonized howls, the surrounding Galor Abominations, already petrified with fear, became even more terrified, emitting mournful cries in unison. Like a chain reaction, the entire mist zone was filled with the wails and snarls of undead creatures, shattering the deathly silence.

Strands of eerie blood continued to flow from the wound Nassa had inflicted. Were it an ordinary magical beast, it would have long since collapsed. Strangely, though the Grodo Abomination’s skull had been pierced, the vital spot remained untouched. Wracked with pain, it merely opened its gaping, bloody maw and howled, the bizarre, ear-splitting soundwaves making Ville’s ears throb. The nearly hundred eyes writhed incessantly, yellowish liquid seeping out, and then, in an instant, they all snapped shut as if obeying a command.

“What’s happening!?” Ville’s heart tightened, his gaze locked onto the Grodo Abomination as a sense of impending danger crept over him.

A sharp crack echoed.

Nassa sensed something amiss and tried to retrieve his sword, but to his surprise, the blade seemed stuck fast, immovable no matter how hard he pulled. His struggle caught Ville’s attention. Among the dozen beastmen, only Felor rivaled Nassa’s strength, and if Nassa himself couldn’t withdraw his sword, there was certainly something strange at play. Ville frowned, looking up, and was startled to see the wound cleaved by the sword slowly healing. The dark green blood diminished, and within moments, the injury had vanished entirely. If not for the sword embedded in the carapace, who could believe the Grodo Abomination’s skull had been pierced just moments before?

“Damn!” Ville cursed under his breath. He had forgotten that, within the mist zone, unless a body part was severed outright, undead creatures could recover from even the gravest wounds with terrifying speed.

“Nassa, we need to hurry!” Ville turned and shouted urgently. Their actions had drawn too much attention; if hordes of undead were attracted, the consequences would be dire.

“I know!” Nassa replied, still struggling to pull out his sword. At that instant, the Grodo Abomination’s nearly hundred closed eyes suddenly reopened, and as they did, countless brownish-yellow beams shot toward the pair.

It was the corrosive liquid from those eyes!

Ville’s heart jolted. Swinging his wand, he swiftly cast three layers of light-element magical barriers around himself and Nassa, hoping the attributes would counteract the corrosive beams. But to his shock, once transformed into beams, the corrosive liquid’s power multiplied several times—perhaps even tens of times! Each beam struck the barriers with relentless force.

“Boom!”

Brownish-yellow beams collided with the milky-white, holy light barriers. Instantly, the beams were purified by the light attribute, turning into acrid, foul-smelling black smoke that slowly dissipated. Yet, Ville was far from comfortable. His defenses could not withstand so many simultaneous assaults; one layer shattered instantly, and the other two were riddled with cracks. If not for Ville’s continuous infusion of magical energy, those barriers would have collapsed long ago.

Maintaining a magical barrier required vast amounts of energy, especially during active defense. Though Ville’s magical reserves had grown, due to the mutation, over half belonged to the eighth-tier fire attribute, while his light attribute remained at the fourth-tier. Within moments, Ville’s light magic was depleted!

“Nassa!” Ville gritted his teeth and called softly. He didn’t understand why Nassa, usually so decisive, obsessed over a sword whose only remarkable feature was its size. But now was no time for doubts. The light barrier had been replaced by ice, which not only failed to counter the Grodo Abomination’s attacks but was itself vulnerable to the corrosive beams—turning Ville’s advantage into a sudden disadvantage.

Ville gasped for breath, sweat streaming down his cheeks, teeth clenched as he poured out his magic recklessly. At that moment, Nassa finally acted; an even more terrifying murderous aura erupted from him!

If Nassa’s earlier aura was cold and deathly, this time it was wild, frenzied, and bloodthirsty. Ville felt a surge of immense power explode from Nassa, only to be immediately suppressed and dissipated. It was the force of the mist zone’s suppression!

Ville’s heart stirred as he glanced at Nassa, shocked to see him undergoing a series of transformations. His two-and-a-half-meter frame seemed to swell toward three meters, explosive muscles bulging several times over, veins snaking like dragons. Most astonishing were Nassa’s eyes—blood-red, bloodthirsty, wild, and mad—gazing upon them filled Ville with primal fear.

Berserk transformation!?

A glimmer of wonder flashed in Ville’s eyes. Suddenly, Nassa leaped, carrying Ville directly atop the Grodo Abomination’s head. Gripping the nearly fully embedded sword handle with both hands, he let out a furious roar and tried to wrench the blade free with brute force.

Even with the mist zone’s suppression, Nassa’s formidable physique and raw power produced astonishing results.

A sharp crack sounded as Nassa stomped down, leaving two deep impressions. At the same time, the dark carapace began to fracture, with strange green blood leaking out. The sword, stuck in the Grodo Abomination’s shell, was gradually pulled free.

Crack, crack!

The Grodo Abomination’s tough carapace split further. In his berserk state, Nassa’s strength had swelled to an unbelievable degree. With a swift motion, he wrenched the nearly two-meter sword out, spraying eerie green blood across his face, though he paid it no mind. Twirling the black sword, he drove it mercilessly into the creature’s eye with unmatched ferocity!

The sword whistled, wind howled, and Nassa’s strike harnessed all his power. The blade shattered one of the Grodo Abomination’s eyes and ground half its head into a pulp.

Like all creatures, no matter how tenacious their vitality or how quickly they healed, losing half their head meant only death awaited. In the end, the massive ten-meter beast fell with a resounding crash, not even managing a final cry.