*Clang*
Heresy, the poisoned targets will blabber nonsense. Zyrus had already used Monarch of Toxin on his summons. Every attack of theirs poisoned the sandworms. Even if they died after the first encounter, they’d take their killers to the grave.
‘Well, more like in the ghoul’s heart,’
Zyrus didn’t give his enemy the luxury to own a grave. It was a pity that not all of the debuffs were triggered due to the worm’s lacking intelligence. They didn’t have a faith and their entire body was a weapon itself.
By far the most effective debuff was Sacrilege. It was amazing to see hundreds of sandworms tank his summons attack as ‘Blessings’.
*Krrrrooouuu*
“It’s no use,” whether the leading sandworm understood his words or not, he didn’t care. His MP and stamina consumption were off the charts since he was spamming his skills and authorities. But since he had his talent and trait to recover both of them by using corpses, he didn’t care the least bit about it.
[Arcane Lance]
Zyrus pointed his arms at the leading sandworm which was overwhelming Elsid. Unlike the previous blue color, the spears were entirely made up of pitch-black abyssal mana.
[Monarch of Toxin]
He used his title to add another attribute to his mana. Abyss’s corrosion and spreading properties had a high synergy with poison attribute that caused infection.
*Ssshhk*
The black spears coated in green poison soared in the air and lodged themselves into the sandworm. Due to his and Elsid's attacks, the monster looked like a yarn ball full of needles.
*Grrroooaar*
[Arcane Lance]
Zyrus used the same move again and again by consuming half of his MP. The infection caused by poison varied depending on the caster and the target.
For example, a fire mage can use flame poison to reduce the target’s fire resistance. Dark attribute created necrosis like effects while ice magic would attain frostbite debuffs. There were too many applications the caster could use by taking advantage of the environment and enemy weakness.
*Krr…r…o.u.u*
‘And it’s done,’
Elsid drove his halberd into the sandworm’s jagged mouth and blasted its insides with another Vorpal Hurricane.
‘Abyss and poison have better synergy than I expected,’
In theory, it was possible to accelerate abyss’ corrosion and corruption effects by combining the attack with poison attribute. But it was just theory in the end. It was hard to determine the exact acceleration rate.
‘It’s ten times faster for the sandworms,’
Zyrus noted the amount of mana he used in mind for future reference. As much as he’d love to experiment, now wasn’t the time.
Less than 100 of his troops were left even after he used all sorts of debuffs. It wouldn’t be long before the shrine’s projection got destroyed.
“Where are the scorpions?”
“They’re waiting,”
“The good-old oriole tactic huh... Fine then. Join in and finish the sandworms,”
This would be Zyrus’s first time seeing Zirnitra go all out. It would be a lie to say that he wasn’t looking forward to it.
“Elsid, focus on spreading the plague rather than killing them. Your wind attribute isn’t worse off than abyss when it comes to its affinity with poison,”
“Understood, my liege,”
Now, only he and the ghoul were left who weren’t attacking. They took the best spectator seat under the Noxious shrine and watched the battle.
And neither Zirnitra nor Elsid disappointed him. Both of them used their trump cards without caring for cooldown times, and the results were anything but spectacular.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Zirnitra roared at the crawling sandworms. White halos of light surged through his horns and claws, creating dozens of holy shields in the sky.
[Sanction: Shield of Amaic]
The shields inlaid with black and golden runes were a proof of his inherited legacy. He was the Guardian of Sorcery, so would he be unable to utilize the poison attribute given by the Monarch of Toxin?
Of course not.
[Sanction: Flowers of Decay]
The golden runes transformed into a dark green color. The shields shed their divine light and took on the shape of green lilies. It was a mesmerizing sight if one ignored their dreadful power.
These green lilies humming with abyssal mana floated down on the battlefield. Like nimble dancers under the moonlight night, they twirled in the air without a sound.
But their effects were anything but gentle. Be it the sandworms that were alive or the ones that were dead, none were spared after the flowers landed on them.
“That’s a horrifying sight,”
"Guuo"
Zyrus and the ghoul shared the same opinion. The green lilies took root on the sandworms and consumed their mana and vitality. Black veins spread throughout their body, resembling a half-hearted spider web.
Almost all of his summons were dead by now. Nonetheless, the sandworms were on the verge of collapse as well.
[Withering Gale]
Elsid’s move was the last nail that struck the coffin. It was a simple aoe spell created by countless wind blades. Its offensive power was awful to say the least. It could at most be used as a lawn mower.
But once again, things were different if that wind carried the properties of poison. Just a tiny nick or scratch was enough to infect the already struggling sandworms.
‘They should be here soon,’
Zyrus ignored the sandworms' last wails and prepared himself for the last fight. His summoning had a cooldown of 24 hours. Ghoul reanimation might replenish his numbers by dozens, but that won't work against the scorpions.
‘And poison won’t be as effective on the scorpions,’
There was no telling how many scorpions and sandworms were there in this area. It was impossible for him to win without waiting for a day. Nonetheless, it didn’t mean that he was helpless.
Survival was never an issue for him. With his earth movement trait and small stature, he was more of a bug than these overgrown monsters. He could go into hiding anytime he wished.
‘I can just kite them day by day until everyone is dead by the plague,’
That was definitely the simplest way of finishing the mission. But wouldn’t that go against his goal of fighting at his full power?
“Zirnitra, escape with Elsid and ghoul for now,”
Zyrus shouted and activated both of his talents at the same time.
[Blood Fusion]
[Devour]
*Shaaaaaaa*
The blood evaporated into a thick fog while the muscles shriveled like a deflated balloon. It was a sight more frightening than anything that had occurred so far.
*Hissss*
A chorus of hisses echoed from all sides. The scorpions were finally making their move after seeing him alone on the battlefield.
It was a pity that they were a tad too late. If they attacked before he could use the corpses to replenish his MP and stamina, then they might’ve stood a chance.
[Fear]
*ROOOAR*
Zyrus roared at the approaching scorpions before devouring the mist of blood. The visual impact was enough to make the monsters falter in their charge.
‘Metallic scales, tails that’d skewer anyone below lv 100, and pincers with the power of a battering ram…’
He assessed the grayish-white scorpions in the momentary delay. From their sand-colored eyes and muscular limbs, he guessed that they were adept at fighting underground as well.
‘They’re a league above the sandworms,’
What made the defeat of sandworms easier was the fact that they didn’t have any semblance of a skill. All they knew was to charge at the opponents like a train and bite with their hideous mouths. While deadly, these moves were predictable and easy to counter.
*Hisssss*
But the scorpions were different. It was even more apparent as their leader was hiding at the center while giving out commands.
The scorpions didn’t attack him immediately. They encircled him from all sides and tried to drag away the sandworm’s corpses.
‘Looks like they’re here for scavenging food and not to fight,’
Of course, that didn’t mean that they won’t attack him. It was simply a matter of priority. Zyrus didn’t have the intention to stop them either. In order to utilize his title to its maximum effect he needed ‘carriers’ to spread the plague.
*Hissss*
The scorpions became more confident once they dragged away half of the corpses. They inched closer to him while maintaining their vigilance.
‘C’mon pal, we can’t give them all the corpses now can we?’
*Hzzzzzz*
But before they could launch a probing attack, Zyrus made the first move. He stabbed the twilight crusher into the sandy ground and poured the majority of his recovered mana into it. This was the true debut fight for his epic weapon.
*Hzzzzzz*
And the weapon was just as eager as its owner to show its newfound powers.
[Twilight Crusher (Epic)]
A Goedendag evolved from the the blood of fallen. May you write an Epic on the canvas of Twilight.
ATK: 250
Blunt Damage +15%, Piercing Damage +15%, Elemental Damage +10%
These were the first words he saw when his weapon had evolved. Without any specific skills or ultimate attacks, just the ATK and damage bonus were insane.
What did it mean to have an attack of 250? Be it the damage dealt by using his mana or stamina, as long as the attack was done by his weapon, its power would increase by 2.5 times. There was no need to mention how useful the final bonus damage was.
It was counted after everything else, so if he dealt 500 damage on an absolute weak spot, then it would deal 5000 damage. Add his critical damage and it would surpass 10,000. Adding 10 or 15% bonus to that would increase the damage by quite a bit.
‘Besides, it’s not like it doesn’t have powerful effects,’
*Hissssssss*
The scorpions retread in a flurry as they felt the intense mana fluctuations. From the moment Zyrus took the initiative to this moment, barely a moment had passed.
[Good day]
With Zyrus’s words, the blue sky vanished and the sand cooled down. The entire battlefield was bathed in the orange sunlight.