Chapter 81: Tyrant

Chapter 81: Tyrant

Against an extraordinary creature like a six-winged gargoyle—one whose body was solid and which did not fear lightning much—Alger, aside from the Sailor pathway’s “Wrathful Strike,” honestly did not think he had many good methods.

Of course, the singing that directly resonated with the enemy’s auditory organs and mind body would certainly be the most effective. If he had encountered it somewhere else, Alger would have targeted the six-winged gargoyle’s traits—its towering, heavy body and lack of agility—circling around it while using song to influence it, and attacking the same position again and again with sharp Wind Blades. By relying on accumulated damage and the passage of time, he could slowly wear the enemy to death.

But right now he was inside a burial hall, and the environment imposed limits. Once he dodged away from the front, the six-winged gargoyle would certainly turn toward Gehrman Sparrow, attacking him with its seven- or eight-meter stone halberd. That would prevent the mad adventurer from seizing the chance to deal with the three dead. And most importantly, Alger suspected that the effect his singing would have on Gehrman Sparrow might surpass what it would do to the six-winged gargoyle.

Bang!

The stone halberd smashed heavily into the ground, creating an exaggerated crater and making the entire burial hall sway as if an earthquake had suddenly erupted. Alger did not forcibly block it. Wrapped in the gale, he veered right and rose with the momentum, nimbly dodging the six-winged gargoyle’s attack and rushing straight toward the monster’s head.

Just then, he saw those gray-white eyes burning with fire.

Alger’s thoughts instantly turned sluggish, and his body stiffened in a flash. He felt as if he had once again been miserably petrified, though no gray-white color appeared or spread across the surface of his skin.

Under inertia, he continued rising, but he had no time to swing his short blade. He crashed straight into the six-winged gargoyle’s head with a splat-like sound and was sent flying backward, his entire body aching.

His eyes once more reflected the heavy gray-white halberd. Yet his mind was sluggish, unable to form any effective response.

Suddenly, a hand seized his shoulder and dragged him sharply to the side.

Bang!

Stone fragments flew and sparks scattered as the six-winged gargoyle’s heavy halberd smashed another enormous crater into the ground.

Alger’s body shook with it. His vision cleared again, and his thoughts swiftly returned to normal.

It was as if he had finally woken from a nightmare he could only watch with open eyes but could not resist, regaining control over his body.

Only then did he discover that Gehrman Sparrow had appeared beside him at some unknown point. In the corner where the three dead were, lingering lightning still flickered and sizzled.

“Do not meet its eyes. Attack its chest,” Klein said concisely while pulling Alger into rapid movement and dodging the stone halberd.

Alger had personally experienced and witnessed many battles. There was no need for Gehrman Sparrow to explain further. He immediately understood what the other man intended and broke away from his aid, moving agilely to the six-winged gargoyle’s side.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

He strode toward the six-winged gargoyle, waiting until the stone halberd swept sideways before leaping high into the air with the gale’s throw, avoiding the attack.

Whoosh!

Another hurricane rose, pushing Alger toward the six-winged gargoyle’s chest.

During that process, he closed his eyes, drew back his right arm, and let the corresponding muscles swell one after another.

Then, relying on a Navigator’s judgment of distance, he swung his right fist, which gripped the short blade.

Howling Wind Blades and sizzling electric light appeared at the same time, erupting forward with his fist.

Bang!

Alger’s right fist struck the six-winged gargoyle’s chest heavily, producing an explosive effect. The gray-white stone there first filled with fine cracks, silver-white electric serpents leaping over them, then shattered open, turning into a hollow!

With a crack, his short blade exploded outright, turning into fragment after fragment that flew in every direction.

The powerful backlash sent Alger flying backward. While still in midair, from the corner of his eye, he saw Gehrman Sparrow, wearing his silk top hat, appear at the gargoyle’s front at some unknown moment, cocking the revolver’s hammer.

Immediately afterward, the cold adventurer abruptly raised his hand, aiming the deep, dark muzzle at the six-winged gargoyle.

Bang!

Amid the enormous echo, a bullet passed through the hollow in the six-winged gargoyle’s chest and shot inside.

A boom erupted. The gray-white stone monster’s body violently shook several times, and the flames burning in its eyes quickly went out.

After a brief pause, it collapsed forward like a mountain crumbling, creating an exaggerated crash and tremors like an earthquake.

Death Knell tolled—one strike, fatal.

By then, Alger had only just used the wind’s help to maintain his balance and land steadily.

Klein did not speak with him, nor did he search for spoils. He directly turned his body and faced the area where the ground had been charred black and Azik’s copper whistle lay quietly.

One slippery tentacle after another, covered in “fish scales,” twitched. A dead man who had lost nearly half his body stood up, wisps of electric serpents still crawling over his surface.

It was the majestic, savage, tyrannical dead man. He had originally worn a tattered brown jacket and a pirate captain’s hat. Now he lacked his left arm, his right leg, and half his head. His body was scorched and melted all over.

Yet even like this, he still did not sleep. He was still attempting to fuse with the surrounding flesh and enter a stronger state.

One had to know that what Klein had used just now was Lightning Storm, recorded from the Sea God Scepter. Even with the weakening from recording, it was absolutely a genuine demigod-level Beyonder power. Its strength was evident from how the other two dead had been reduced to peaceful silence without so much as a groan.

There’s a problem with this awakened deceased…

Klein’s heart stirred. He immediately had the Wraith Senor jump to the smooth surface of Azik’s copper whistle, then attempt to reflect himself in the “fish scales” on the dead man’s slippery tentacles.

Just then, through the marionette, Klein felt a violent repelling force of extremely high status. The Wraith was actually unable to possess him!

Senor was even bounced back, losing control and revealing his form.

Seeing this, Alger did not ask why. He raised both hands, creating a spiraling gale around the dead man, intending to bind his movements. However, the wind did not roll inward. It seemed to fear something, forcing itself to spread outward and swiftly vanish.

The only thing worth rejoicing over was that the dead man did not immediately attack the two of them. Instead, he sidestepped left, bent down, and tried to pick up Azik’s copper whistle.

Klein immediately shook his left hand, making Leymano’s Travels accurately flip to the page containing Abyssal Shackles.

This was a Beyonder ability recorded by Emlyn. It belonged to Sequence 7, Vampire.

As Klein slid the side of his right hand, the one gripping the Death Knell revolver, across the notebook, the shadows around the dead man suddenly came alive, transforming into chain after chain that firmly coiled around him and bound him in place.

Grasping the target’s brief pause, Klein expressionlessly lifted his gun, spun the cylinder, and cocked the hammer.

Different colors then appeared in his vision—red, green, and deathly pale.

Aiming at the deathly pale, Klein pulled the trigger.

Bang!

A pale-gold projectile flew into the dead man’s remaining half-head, making it explode directly into a shower of blood. At the same time, the purification bullet bloomed with sun-like radiance, illuminating the target’s entire body.

The dead man melted slightly like a candle. Because he had bent forward, he lost balance and fell directly beside Azik’s copper whistle.

A monster with no intellect, acting purely on instinct, really is far easier to deal with than a Beyonder of the same level… Still, am I being a little unfair to Azik’s copper whistle? Ever since it was given to me, it has suffered explosions, baptism by lightning, and sunlight purification. Its days have not been easy…

Klein confessed inwardly for one second, then controlled the Wraith Senor to pick up the simple, delicate copper whistle and stuff it into his own body.

He did not walk over himself, afraid that another dead man might awaken. Instead, he continued having Senor, his marionette, search the fellow who had just resisted possession.

Klein suspected that this deceased carried an item of fairly high level!

Very quickly, the non-Wraith-form Senor found something and drew it out.

It was a card!

On the face of the card was a man wearing a triple crown, both hands raised high. Before him, believer after believer lay prostrate. Behind him were lightning, dark clouds, wild wind, and waves.

Klein was very familiar with the man’s appearance, because he owned a portrait of the same person dressed in another way.

It was Emperor Roselle!

And in the upper left corner of Roselle’s pope-like portrait, dazzling starlight condensed into a line of words:

“Sequence 0: Tyrant!”

The Card of Blasphemy of the Storm pathway—the Tyrant card?

Klein instantly thought of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom Church’s term for the Lord of Storms:

Tyrant!

Alger had also seen that Card of Blasphemy. His gaze instantly froze, and flames of greed abruptly burned within.

He took a deep breath, forcibly moved his gaze away, looked to the side, and spoke.

“The battle just now was intense. Certain things in the depths of this church may already have been awakened by us. So we must collect the items as quickly as possible and prepare to retreat at any moment.”

Mr. Hanged Man, do you think I do not know that? There is no need for you to be so verbose. Where did our tacit understanding from earlier go? Heh. As expected, the Tyrant card has still affected you, making it difficult for you to remain calm and causing you to talk more…

As Klein had the Wraith Senor put away the Card of Blasphemy and enter one of the dead men’s bodies to accelerate the separation of the Beyonder characteristic, he said coldly, “You have already wasted five seconds.”

Alger froze for a moment and said nothing more. He walked to the six-winged gargoyle’s remains, first digging out its eyes, where a faint red light still lingered. Then he patiently waited a while and reached into the other party’s shattered chest, lifting out a gray-white, semi-transparent cluster of crystal.

On the other side, under the Wraith’s ability, the dead man whose body had been covered in yellow-green pus separated out a mass of brown “earth.” The earth had roots growing from it and “blood vessels” hidden within, making it seem quite strange.

Without wasting time guessing which pathway and Sequence it belonged to, Klein directly had Senor put it away, then turn toward the dead man whose slippery tentacles were still faintly twitching, accelerating the separation of his Beyonder characteristic.

Seeing an object shaped like a jellyfish and filled with blue seawater about to take form, Klein and Alger suddenly heard a long voice by their ears.

“Sigh…”

The sigh came from the deepest part of the church, carrying indescribable vicissitudes.