Chapter 366: Godslayer
A moment later, a blazing, pure column of light burst forth from between the hands of the Creator God of Light, Horakhty, and shot straight toward the distant Nyastora.
Everyone present had their vision consumed by the blinding brilliance, unable to see anything for a few seconds until their sight finally returned.
With a thunderous boom, the enormous light beam pierced straight through Nyastora's chest. The ancient evil god didn't even have time to utter a final word before that overwhelming radiance melted and dissolved his colossal body, turning him into a cloud of ash. All that remained was a single black, crystal-like object that clattered to the ground.
No damage number even appeared above his head—he had been utterly erased by a power too vast to quantify.
Even after annihilating Nyastora, the dazzling light column continued forward for nearly a kilometer, evaporating everything in its path and leaving a long, scorched trench across the ground.
"…Holy crap."
XB, who was never much for eloquence, couldn't hold it in anymore. Even his voice trembled as he muttered, "Holy crap," lighting a cigarette with shaking hands. To be honest, since the day he started gaming, he had never seen a protagonist this badass—so beyond words that language itself felt inadequate.
The other players were no better off, stammering incoherently, utterly stunned.
Zhou Ning bent down and picked up the black, crystal-like object.
Horakhty cast a silent glance at the summoner who had called him forth. A moment later, Zhou Ning's focus reserves finally ran dry, and he could only watch as the deity's figure faded from sight.
Only now, having truly experienced Horakhty's power, did Zhou Ning fully grasp just how terrifyingly strong a true god really was.
[You have defeated the Ancient Evil God Nyastora (Lv.125) while underleveled. You gain 2,252,000 EXP.]
[You have obtained the Golden Milestone: Godslayer. Legendary Rank +2.]
[Godslayer: You personally slew a god. Your name shall resound throughout the entire Continent of Apocalypse. Your damage against extraordinary beings is increased by 8%. The suppressive power of deities against you is reduced by (Your Level ÷ 3). Your intimidation effect against extraordinary beings of equal or lower rank increases by 20%.]
"Godslayer?" Zhou Ning blinked in surprise. Though he'd lost 20 points of Spirit after temporarily borrowing 1,000 points earlier, the title alone made it more than worth the cost.
As for the black crystal, he had no idea what it was, but anything that dropped from Nyastora couldn't possibly be worthless—it was worth keeping for research.
"Is it… over?"
The surroundings had fallen silent. No one had yet recovered from what they'd just witnessed. Even Stuart Crow was staring at Zhou Ning with a complicated, solemn expression.
He had seen everything. The Colossus, the Sky Dragon, the Winged Dragon—each of those divine beings had a rank on par with or even above Nyastora. And Horakhty, who appeared afterward, was not inferior even to certain true gods.
To command entities of such magnitude… the true identity of Wayne Sturwell was clearly far from ordinary.
With that thought, Stuart quietly lowered his staff and dismissed the angel of pure light that had been standing at his side.
Whatever the truth, this young man had just saved Darkland—and perhaps even the entire world.
Zhou Ning opened his quest log. Despite having defeated Nyastora, his main quest [Save Darkland] still wasn't complete—the progress was stuck at 76%. Why?
He turned his gaze toward Darkland Fortress. The Ascendant Ceremony was still underway; seven strands of black mist in the sky were converging into a downward beam, channeling energy into the tower at the city's center.
Remembering the fragments of conversation he'd overheard earlier, Zhou Ning clenched his fists. If he destroyed that tower completely, the absurd "Ascendant Ceremony" would surely fail—wouldn't it?
...
Meanwhile, in a pitch-black void, The Four-Act Opera of Leoncavallo had descended into total madness. Words began leaping one after another onto the once-blank pages.
"The final act of the opera contains a grave error. How could Wayne Sturwell possibly summon a god comparable to a true deity?
The Evil God Nyastora didn't display his full strength—not even one-tenth of it. I never expected his power to have declined so drastically. He utterly failed my expectations. The plan to resurrect Death itself must now seek another protagonist."
"But to complete this plan, Wayne Sturwell poses a tremendous threat. I admit—I underestimated him. Death truly, truly, is his only rightful fate."
"Given that no vessel below Transcendent rank can withstand a full divine descent, summoning such a god must exact a terrible price. Wayne Sturwell must now be in a severely weakened state."
The book paused, then seemed to grow excited again.
"At this moment, Karl Robbins will use his life—no, part of his life force—as a sacrifice, creating a powerful energy fluctuation that forces the Dark Spider Mother into temporary awakening.
No… she has awakened."
"By instinct, she will first seek the whereabouts of her fragmented avatars, then focus her fury upon the one who destroyed most of them—Wayne Sturwell.
All of this follows her natural predatory behavior and will not burden me further."
"As a beast-type deity, she is ferocious, barely rational, and extraordinarily vengeful. She will strike without hesitation at any who have offended her."
"She will subconsciously choose a spider-transformed human as her descent vessel and, through it, exact vengeance upon Wayne Sturwell—and upon Darkland…"
After writing that, the book's surface dimmed. It wrote nothing further, instead choosing to observe events unfold from the shadows.
...
Elsewhere, Stuart Crow had just started walking toward Zhou Ning to exchange a few polite words and perhaps suggest checking the fortress together when he suddenly sensed something in the trade district—a surge of evil, divine energy descending in a pillar of light.
Dark clouds instantly filled the sky.
At that same moment, Marilyn—who had been preparing to flee down one of the trade district's streets—was caught within that beam of light. Her body froze, her eyes snapping open—now pitch black.
Her body began to swell, four phantom spider legs sprouting from her sides as faint tendrils writhed in the air.
A gentle breeze stirred beneath her feet—the mark of one who bore authority over wind.
Then, with a violent gust, the wind propelled her forward. She lunged outward, crawling swiftly toward the direction thick with the scent of blood.
"Yes, that's it! The Dark Spider Mother, Matalita, has descended upon Darkland through her vessel. She has already locked onto Wayne Sturwell! Next…"
The cursed book scribbled on in feverish excitement.
At that moment, Zhou Ning's boosted +1000 Spirit effect had yet to fade. The enhancement extended to both his Observation Haki and Conqueror's Haki, heightening their precision. With his sharpened perception, he looked up at the stormy sky and immediately sensed Marilyn's presence within the clouds.
That woman—Joshua Lambert's mistress—he remembered her vividly. He never expected her to become the vessel for the Dark Spider Mother's descent…
Now he finally understood where the remaining 24% of the quest progress came from.
Though he had just slain Nyastora, Zhou Ning wasn't arrogant enough to think himself invincible. Without special items, his actual strength was likely still below that of an ordinary demigod—let alone a true god.
Empowered by wind, Marilyn's speed was astonishing. Within moments she reached the central plaza and plunged into the panicking crowd.
"Dark Spider Mother… Matalita?" Stuart Crow once again raised his staff, tense and alert.
Without a moment's hesitation, Zhou Ning played his trump card. He crushed his Chosen Descent Card, selecting True One-Punch Man Zhou Ning for descent.
He intended to end this—completely.
To put a final stop to today's chaos, and to avenge the Turing couple, that little girl, and the millions of innocent souls who had just perished.