Chapter 329: Lillard
Snow was still falling from the sky, the flakes drifting like scattered stars. Zhou Ning, dressed in a white trench coat, leapt down from a branch, the luminous wings on his back spreading slightly as he glided through the air. At the same time, the twin pistols in his hands—one black, one white—fired in rapid succession, each shot ringing out like a rhythmic beat.
The two bullets tore through forty meters of distance with the force of a sonic boom, forcing Fred and Alan to prematurely halt their joint spellcasting. Both hastily raised magic shields. Fred's shield shattered on impact, making him stagger back several steps in embarrassment, while Alan fared worse—his chest was pierced clean through, spraying bright green blood as the formation he was drawing in front of him began to collapse.
Just then, the hooded black-robed figure standing beside them—who had yet to show his face—suddenly raised his right hand, steadying the crumbling formation.
As the hexagram completed, Zhou Ning could feel a surge of overwhelming power descending rapidly from the heavens.
Boom!
A massive meteor crashed into the midst of the crowd, igniting emerald-green flames. Moments later, a hulking golem made entirely of stone and burning with fel-green fire assembled itself and stood tall. At the same time, a dozen sailors nearby screamed in agony, their bodies scorched by the flames.
Though terrified, the remaining sailors were well-trained. Their flintlock muskets kept firing relentlessly toward the enemy—after all, in the age of firearms, even ordinary humans had the power to wound the extraordinary. For a short time, their coordinated assault caused Fred and Alan some trouble.
But the stone golem… Zhou Ning's expression darkened. This was a Fel Golem—a spell that only high-tier sorcerers could cast, and a devastating one at that. The creature didn't have a massive health pool—around ten thousand—but its damage output was terrifying, and the flames it emitted constantly seared all living beings around it. If it wasn't destroyed soon, the sailors wouldn't last long. And once Fred and Alan were free to act, it would spell certain death for Browne Lambert.
As the patriarch of the noble house whose motto was Pride, Browne Lambert wasn't as powerful as top-tier weather sorcerers like Kien West, but he wasn't weak either—at least near the threshold of a high-tier professional. His personal guard also included four or five extraordinary fighters. As long as he stayed cautious, he wouldn't be taken down easily.
Moreover, Spark Lambert had just leapt down from the trees as well, his greatsword expanding in size as he sprinted toward his father's position.
The battlefield plunged into utter chaos.
Zhou Ning swiftly assessed the situation, quickly determining his priority targets. Landing with a soft thud, he dashed forward without hesitation, his guns aimed straight at his first target—the Fel Golem.
Fred quickly recovered. He extended his hand toward Zhou Ning, and from his palm spread dozens of black filaments that snared the air like tendrils. Zhou Ning immediately felt a powerful pulling force dragging at his body.
Yet, he didn't resist. Letting the pull drag him closer to Fred, his arms remained steady as he continued to fire at the rampaging Fel Golem in the midst of the sailors.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
These four shots were empowered by the Hot-Blooded Echo skill he'd recently learned from Saitama, and his luck was exceptional—triggering consecutive critical hits from the very first bullet. Combined with the damage boost from Hot-Blooded Echo and an additional Weak Point Strike, the instant damage skyrocketed to nearly 13,000 points.
-3265! -3359! -3617! -4129!
The golem's seemingly long health bar evaporated instantly. Within moments, it collapsed into a pile of rubble. Zhou Ning glanced at his stats—he'd even overkilled by 3,000 HP. Though this output was achieved under the effect of his Pride buff, it still proved just how powerful Hot-Blooded Echo was.
By now, Zhou Ning had been pulled right in front of Fred. Beside him, Alan finished chanting and raised a green ring toward Zhou Ning. His eyes turned pitch-black as he spat out the words of the Abyss—corrupted and otherworldly:
"Fear!"
The ring clearly amplified the spell's potency. Zhou Ning trembled as an overwhelming terror surged up from deep within his soul. Meanwhile, Fred conjured a long spear of pure darkness in his other hand, ready to thrust—only for his mind to blank out for an instant as an intense aura burst forth from Zhou Ning's body.
A system prompt flashed across Zhou Ning's interface:
You have used the skill 'Purification.' Duration: 30 seconds. You gained the effect 'Strong Dispel.'
Alan has cast the skill: Nightmare. Your 'Purification' dispelled the effect of Nightmare.
Your Conqueror's Haki dealt 679 damage to Fred (Lv.65). Spirit Differential: -12 (142–154). Fred is briefly stunned.
Your Conqueror's Haki dealt 798 damage to Alan (Lv.60). Spirit Differential: +14 (142–128). Alan is stunned.
Almost simultaneously, the statue of Brynd Morton standing behind Fred and Alan suddenly came alive. It leapt from its pedestal, raised its greatsword, and unleashed a flashing three-hit combo on Alan.
-423! -329! -344!
Still stunned, Alan let out a scream and instinctively tried to retreat, but Zhou Ning had no intention of letting him escape. As he brushed past Fred, he turned sharply and pulled the trigger toward the back of Alan's head.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Even though Hot-Blooded Echo was on cooldown, the shots dealt more than enough damage. When the Brynd Morton statue's next strike landed, Alan's health finally hit zero. He collapsed unwillingly, his flesh dissolving into countless crawling spiders.
You have slain Alan Oakham (Lv.60), Deputy Priest of the Darkland Diocese, Order of Solitude. You gained 79,000 EXP.
Your reputation with the Order of Solitude has decreased by 12,000. Current status: Hostile.
"You'll regret this… Wayne Sturwell! Right now—Mr. Lillard, won't you take action already?!"
Fred's voice was full of venom. He had never imagined that a foolproof assassination plan could backfire so quickly—his careful scheme turned against him, and even his trusted aide and lover had died here.
But rage and hate no longer mattered. There was only one option left—kill Zhou Ning and complete the mission.
Fred's body swelled rapidly, transforming—just like Argus before him—into a towering black arachnid creature over three meters tall.
His health bar's name changed to Spider Priest Fred (Lv.70), a full-fledged high-tier boss, far stronger than Zhou Ning. And at that moment, the hooded black-robed man—who had remained silent since the start, intervening only once—let out a quiet sigh and stepped forward to stand before Zhou Ning.
A new name appeared above his head:
Archmage Damian Lillard (Lv.74).
Another high-tier boss, far beyond Zhou Ning's expectations.
That name sounded familiar… Zhou Ning had seen it before in the Elven King's Tomb. Most likely the same man—the hidden elven powerhouse from the Life Alchemy Society. Taking a deep breath, Zhou Ning felt no fear. He still had plenty of trump cards left.
Glancing toward Browne Lambert's side, he saw that the fake Spark and fake Lambert had both transformed into spider monsters as well. The situation was on the brink of collapse.
It seemed he had no choice but to end this quickly.
Without hesitation, Zhou Ning opened his inventory, pulled out the treasured item he'd been saving for a long time—Lord of the Seven Seas (Pirate King Advanced Form) – Zhou Ning—and chose to activate it.