Chapter 230: Black Destructive Death Ray |
The giant, taller than a mountain, was hard-controlled by the butter for a single second, literally coming to a standstill.
A single second might seem short, but in a critical moment, it was more than enough to turn the tide of battle. Much like in a team fight, a one-second hard crowd control was all it took to instantly eliminate a primary damage dealer.
Bai Mu did not let this opportunity slip by. He unleashed every offensive measure at his disposal. While the butter was still in mid-air, a Cherry Bomb followed closely behind. Xiao Wei's Magic Missile also tracked its way forward. Simultaneously, he activated Critical Strike and cast his final random magic.
A sphere of black light coalesced in front of the Book of the Witch, radiating a terrifying aura of destruction. In the next instant, a beam of pure black laser shot forward with a deafening blast, punching a tiny, precise hole straight through the giant's torso.
This laser lasted for more than a single second. Because it was cast randomly, Bai Mu couldn't manually aim it like a thrown weapon. He could only lock onto his target and unleash the skill. The beam struck just below the giant's neck, instantly creating a localized vacuum where it hit.
Bai Mu realized the mechanics of this skill within milliseconds. Since the laser emanated directly from the cover of the Book of the Witch, he could adjust the beam's trajectory by forcefully shifting the book itself.
He strained to wrench the Book of the Witch around, but the laser's duration was simply too short to strike the beast's head directly. Instead, the pitch-black beam, which existed for roughly two seconds, swept across the juncture between the bestial head and its torso. Like a high-pressure water jet, it sheared the head clean off from the fluid mass. Even the smog-filled clouds in the sky above were left with a razor-sharp dividing line.
Only after the skill finished casting did Bai Mu have the luxury to check its description.
[Name: Black Destructive Death Ray]
[Quality: Perfect]
[Effect: Unleashes a destructive death ray that lasts for 1.5 seconds, annihilating any physical matter it strikes.]
[Cost: 800 Mana]
[Requirements: Must have learned the prerequisite skill White Destructive Death Ray; Max Mana must be 1000 points or higher; Spirit must be 40 points or higher.]
[Note: Annihilation!!!]
It was another Perfect grade skill. Its area-of-effect damage fell far short of the Lightning Storm he had unleashed earlier, but its single-target lethality was just as overwhelmingly powerful as its description claimed.
Even if an entire mountain stood in his way, the Black Destructive Death Ray could likely cleave it in two. The only drawback was its fleeting duration, meaning it might not always deal a fatal blow to colossal monsters.
Take the giant before him, for example. If the beam hadn't managed to sever the beast's head, the attack might as well have missed entirely.
But it was enough. The combined assault of the butter, Cherry Bomb, Magic Missile, and the death ray had successfully decapitated the behemoth. Its true head tumbled down from the sky.
Once the butter's crowd control wore off, the fluid mass rapidly surged downward, seemingly desperate to reattach its severed head.
However, while still in mid-air, Bai Mu extended the Hand of Walrider and snatched the soccer-ball-sized bestial head.
The Hand of Walrider possessed no inherent life force, so coming into direct contact with the beast's head triggered no adverse reactions.
Using his third hand, Bai Mu tossed the gruesome object toward himself. Above him, the colossal liquid body collapsed with a deafening roar, turning into a torrential flood threatening to drown him. Bai Mu leaped off Tuya's back, slapping the old deer's rump to urge it to flee on its own.
Tuya was an obedient and gentle mount, and Bai Mu had no desire to see it die here. The deer glanced back at its master as the Shaman's distant calls echoed through the air. Ultimately, it turned and galloped toward safety.
The anomalous fluids did not bother chasing the deer. Their utmost priority was to retrieve the severed head, so the deluge cascaded straight toward Bai Mu. To prevent being instantly killed, Bai Mu activated his second Doppelganger Transformation skill card, entering the Doppelganger state once more. Right before the flood submerged him, he caught the falling head with both hands. The skin where he touched the skull rapidly charred black. Even in his Doppelganger form, Bai Mu's Health plummeted quickly. Fortunately, the transformation granted him some resistance against this life-draining effect. A Doppelganger's physical body was merely a parasitic shell, not its true core. Unless he was shredded to pieces and completely absorbed by the fluid, his Health wouldn't drop to zero in a single second. Judging by the rate of his declining Health, he could easily hold onto this head for over thirty minutes, especially since he still had Lucy's biscuits and cakes to heal himself. Moreover, holding onto the head was never Bai Mu's end goal.
At this moment, Bai Mu was ruthlessly rational, functioning almost like an emotionless machine.
He had even considered the possibility of storing the beast's head in his inventory, but unfortunately, it couldn't be done. The system classified it as a monster rather than an item or prop. While things like eggs could be stored because Paradise deemed them food, living creatures like a chick or a hopping zombie were strictly off-limits. Paradise would never allow Players to exploit such a loophole with entities they didn't have ownership over.
Thus, he proceeded with his original plan. He dropped the head onto the ground, called out to Xiao Wei, and pointed at the massive crater left behind by the emulsion bomb. Xiao Wei took a deep breath and delivered a powerful kick to the skull.
On her feet was a pair of pristine white sneakers.
The moment she struck the head, a burst of compressed air blasted from the back of her shoes. These were the Jet Sneakers Bai Mu had acquired back in Beika Town. Because he had never met the equip requirements, they had simply been gathering dust in his inventory.
The footwear required the user to have the shoe size of an elementary school student. He had previously considered letting Witch use them, but the long, sharp claws on her feet made her ineligible to wear them.
Before obtaining Xiao Wei, Bai Mu's only option to use the shoes would have been taking APTX4869 to shrink himself into a child. Now, he no longer had to go through such a hassle. The equip requirements were incredibly strict, but the sheer power of their special effect was undeniable.
The beast's head launched forward like a missile, splashing directly into the murky underground water before being violently swept away like trash flushed down a toilet. The fluid mass immediately changed direction, pouring down into the crater in a frantic pursuit to reclaim its missing head.
Even though Bai Mu was no longer their primary target, he was still caught in the massive wave of filth. He had ordered Xiao Wei to revert to her doll form beforehand, safely storing her in his inventory. However, he had nowhere to run. Swept away by the raging flood, he completely lost his balance, tumbling through the chaotic waters like a helpless fallen leaf.
He hastily pulled on a gas mask to prevent the foul liquid from flooding into his mouth and nose.
Merely having his skin exposed to the fluid was barely tolerable, but his Health was still rapidly burning away. Furthermore, wearing the gas mask meant he could no longer consume healing items. Left with no choice, he activated Berserk, drastically boosting his physical attributes as he struggled to swim against the vicious current.
The torrent was choked with the corpses of humans and animals, along with endless debris that continuously battered against him. In his Doppelganger state, the physical damage from these impacts was negligible, but they constantly threw him off balance, making it impossible to escape the swirling vortex.
He barely managed to grab onto a piece of driftwood, desperately trying to paddle forward. The duration of his Doppelganger Transformation was rapidly ticking down, yet the flood showed no signs of stopping. Just as his Health was about to hit rock bottom, forcing him to use his final skill card, he spotted Tuya sprinting toward him through the chaos, with the refugees following close behind.
The floodwaters were finally receding. Tuya bounded nimbly across the stranded corpses and debris, a sturdy rope clamped firmly in its jaws. Riding atop the deer, Nuosu and Adai exerted all their strength, hurling the rope toward him.
He caught the rope. On the shore, the people he had saved seized the tail end together, pulling back with all their might to anchor him against the rushing tide.
Finally, as the waters came to a complete halt, he was safely dragged onto the muddy banks.
Tearing off his gas mask, he gasped greedily for air. Soaked to the bone, he gazed out at the faint glimmer of dawn breaking in the distance.
Along the shore, the so-called god was nowhere to be seen, leaving behind nothing but rot and filth.
Meanwhile, the survivors did not turn their eyes toward the rising sun. Instead, their gazes were fixed entirely upon the man lying quietly in the riverbed.