Chapter 598: Mystery
Translator: imperfectluck Editor: Kurisu
“Adam’s group lost?”
I was stunned upon hearing this.
Simultaneously ambus.h.i.+ng both of my enemies was no overconfidence, but a decision I’d made only after careful a.n.a.lysis.
Adam, Margaret, Little Red, and Harloys was the four-person team that would fight against the Chaos War G.o.d’s incarnation. All four of them had actual combat strength surpa.s.sing that of average human SemiG.o.ds. They were all veterans with several hundred or even several thousand years of experience. It shouldn’t have been difficult for them to deal with a G.o.d’s incarnation.
Meanwhile, my combat strength for dealing with Salor was rather insufficient. I had a group of novices against a world boss… If my ice s.h.i.+elds and ice armor were insufficient to defend against Salor’s unique ability, then we would tactically retreat, or basically run away, and stall for as much time as possible.
This was something I considered highly probable from the very start. While my Absolute Zero ice had properties that were a strong counter to Salor’s ability, my Absolute Zero was still foundationally similar to ordinary ice in st.u.r.diness. With Salor’s brute force, he would easily be able to shatter the ice simply by throwing a tiny stone.
However, he had yet to try such a thing. It was unlikely that he hadn’t thought of it yet. It was more likely that he was incapable of doing so.
“Such a bug-like ability like his will definitely have its limitations. Otherwise, he could simply throw stone projectiles and limitlessly expand the ma.s.s, which will mean instant kill against anyone. He could fly with an entire mountain and then cancel his ability, crus.h.i.+ng anyone under a mountain. Who would possibly be able to fight against that…? Could it be that the Buddha who sealed Sun Wukong away was the leveled up and complete version of Salor?”
It was exactly as I had surmised. In fact, things were even better than I expected. Salor’s weapons were unable to leave his body. In fact, he was incapable of even kicking up a single rock. Any object that touched his skin or weapon would naturally stick to him, and this “stickiness” was something that he was incapable of cancelling.
“Perhaps his real ability isn’t as powerful as people think. He isn’t actually changing the ma.s.s of other objects. Instead, he comes into contact with another object and mixes with it, just like how alcohol can mix with water. When he mixes with something, he adds his own traits to it… So, he can only activate his ability on something that he’s physically touching. He’s incapable of changing that object’s position, just as how everyone knows it’s physically impossible to pull yourself up to the sky by pulling on your own hair.”
If he had been able to break free from this restriction, it was likely that he could have achieved Devil Lord status.
Powerful veterans would have the advantage of plentiful combat experience and a reliable fighting style. However, reliable meant a lack of explosiveness. His special ability had been seen through, and this was a trap specifically meant to counter him. Salor now met the greatest danger of his life.
“A pack of ants dares to challenge me…?”
Unfortunately, no matter how furious he was, he was still unable to break free.
The adventuring team that surrounded him forever remained right outside his effective reach. However, the sharp ice spears and arrows that kept shooting at him proved to be ever more dangerous.
Every time that Salor tried to forcefully break through, that fallen angel would always appear by his side. Her burning greatsword covered in gray flames was difficult to defend against.
Meanwhile, the inferno centaur roaming around the rooftops was even more dangerous. His dusk yellow eyes had double reflections. Even though Salor wasn’t visible behind a wall, the centaur’s ice arrows were capable of turning corners and accurately shooting straight at Salor. It was obvious that the centaur was an incredible archer.
At every moment, Salor needed to concentrate greatly to remain on guard against the centaur’s arrows. Salor hated that he couldn’t have been born with four eyes to watch everything around him. This only served to rapidly tire him.
But, in his mind, the most dangerous one was still Roland.
Roland was quite famous. After all his combat achievements, his reputation had spread even to the lower planes. However, all his glorious accomplishments and t.i.tles probably still couldn’t compare to the status given to him by birth… He was the older brother of Abyssal Prince Karwenz, someone who had once been Karwenz’s equal.
Karwenz Mist was such a gigantic headache for all powerful existences in the Chaos Abyss. Naturally, his older brother Roland Mist would be viewed with equal importance.
Salor, who had previously suffered against Roland before, didn’t dare to relax his guard one bit even though it appeared like Roland was slacking off in the back. He focused thirty percent of his attention on guarding against the centaur archer and forty percent against Roland. But, the more tense he was, the more unavoidable it was that fatigue and anxiety would come looking for him.
Salor knew that anxiety would only bring further difficulties upon him. However, he was unable to relax his guard one bit. He only became more and more tense.
“Wolfpack tactics…”
Wolves would typically act in packs. However, they would rarely use the full force of their numbers to win. They would typically surround their prey and continuously circle around it in order to avoid losses on their side. The wolves would continuously hara.s.s the prey to cause it to lose concentration and stamina after a long battle where the prey had to fully concentrate. Finally, when the prey lost focus, the hara.s.sment would instantly turn into fatal attacks. The fatigued prey would find release as the wolf behind it would bite through its neck.
A wolfpack’s tactic of surrounding prey without attacking was no highly difficult or rare tactic. Bandit groups in the mortal plane and all sorts of flesh-eating existences were equally skilled at using this basic tactic. But right now, this was the most suitable strategy to use against Salor. It made him feel quite aggrieved. He was unable to escape, he was unable to catch any of his enemies, and his injuries kept acc.u.mulating. Yet, he was unable to similarly injure his enemies.
Kill the “wolf leader” to resolve this situation? The wolf leader was far stronger than the little wolves. Roland was also hiding in a safe spot while still threatening Salor. To Salor, even breaking free from the wolf leader’s threat was nothing more than an extravagant desire.
Salor felt like he was burning up with anxiety. He knew that his shortcomings had all been discovered by Roland. If Roland successfully stalled him here and no reinforcements came, it was likely that he would die here in a battle of attrition sooner or later.
Meanwhile, even though I clearly had the advantage, I was unable to be happy.
“It seems that we won’t be able to win here so easily, either…”
Even though my arrangements had been effective, I was just as anxious as Salor was. The very reason why I had chosen stalling and kiting tactics was because I figured that Adam’s party had a great chance at victory. As long as I stalled Salor long enough and waited for them to reinforce us, of course our odds at victory here would be even better.
“Yet, Adam’s group actually lost. Just how much longer can Casio and the adventuring team hold out…?”
Even though Harloys’ clone gave me information about how dangerous the situation was for Adam’s party, I was in no hurry to go and save them. They were two districts away, so by the time I got there, it was likely that it would be too late. Also, if I left this place, it was likely that not a single one from Casio’s party would survive here.
My new companions’ situation wasn’t all that good. Apart from the fact that they were all individually far weaker than Salor, their seemingly powerful ice equipment was actually constantly draining them of their energy. They were wearing my Absolute Zero ice equipment right on their bodies, yet they were constantly active and sweating. With hot and cold clas.h.i.+ng against each other, that would be fatally draining on their stamina.
And even without considering this, the frostbite on their arms and joints would eventually force them to toss down their ice weapons sooner or later.
Although I didn’t know how long Casio’s party could hold out for, it would be obvious that Adam’s party would collapse completely if I didn’t do something. This was because their opponent was…
“Chaos War G.o.d Donatis actually came here in his true body? Does he have so much free time? He even concealed his true self as an incarnation! What could possibly be so important that he would keep such a low profile?”
Indeed, Adam’s group filled with top-cla.s.s SemiG.o.d strength had been unable to beat Donatis’s incarnation because that was no incarnation at all. It turned out that it was Donatis himself in his true body!
Just what could possibly make Donatis personally come here, and even disguise himself as an incarnation in order to attract less attention…?
At this moment, I suddenly connected all the dots. I instantly raised my head, and decided to ask them about what was on my mind.
“Casio, just what did you all discover? What was it that even made a Main G.o.d personally arrive here? Tell me the truth! Right now!”
My words made the adventurers all pause in surprise. They all glanced at each other, apparently unable to come to a decision.
But the next instant, Casio gritted his teeth as he decided to tell me about this important secret for them.
“Your Highness Roland, we met a person in the sixth level of the Chaos Abyss, someone who came in from the mortal plane…”