Chapter 637: The Emotionless Killer
Diana Battles the Curse
A fierce roar ripped through the sky.
The Sword of Hephaestus, glowing with a red edge, chopped down directly at Akorn.
In that instant, Akorn felt the overwhelming presence of death and raised his arm without hesitation.
Clang!
The sound of metal striking metal exploded in the air.
Diana's pupils contracted. The supposedly unbreakable Sword of Hephaestus had been stopped!
"It's the gauntlet..."
Diana stepped back and swung the sword again. Akorn continued to raise his hands. The black gauntlets on his forearms radiated dark motes of light. Clang, clang, clang—the strikes echoed around them, yet the Sword of Hephaestus failed to penetrate the armguard.
Akorn retreated while parrying, using the gauntlets and armor to protect his vitals, giving Diana no opening.
Her surprise attack thwarted, Diana immediately changed her target to the Three-Eyed Imps.
The five freaks cackled strangely. Without any visible movement, a large black mist surged from in front of them. The mist transformed into venomous snakes that slithered into Diana's body from all sides.
The feeling of fatigue surged, increasing by more than tenfold.
The Wonder Woman, who had never experienced weakness since birth, tasted helplessness for the first time. Her limbs felt like lead, and her head was heavy and confused—an extremely unpleasant feeling.
"Damn this curse."
Diana gritted her teeth. A red light suddenly erupted on her armor's surface. With a flash, the heads of two of the Three-Eyed Imps flew into the air.
The remaining three shrieked in terror, casting magic while yelling at Akorn,
"Idiot! Stop her immediately!"
"Don't let this lunatic get near us!"
Akorn was extremely unwilling but had no choice but to comply. He opened his wide mouth.
Boom!
A flame breath surged forward, making the air boil.
Diana raised her shield and pushed forward against the flame breath. After only a few steps, she slipped, nearly stumbling.
"She's faltering!"
The Imps' eyes brightened. "Akorn, push harder! She can't hold on much longer!"
The black mist was constantly weakening Diana's body. Her strength was draining, and even as a demigoddess, she couldn't withstand it.
Worse, the curse brought a barrage of negative effects: cold, headache, fever, ringing ears, and physical weakness. All sorts of symptoms rushed upon her at once.
The word "sickness" didn't exist in Diana's vocabulary. Faced with this situation, she temporarily didn't know how to cope.
On the other side, Clark and J'onn were faring worse. Clark had collapsed to the ground, unable even to walk. J'onn was dizzy, feeling terribly unwell all over.
The curse, created using the Underworld Dragon's blood and five thousand corpses, was far more terrifying than imagined. Perhaps, as the Imps claimed, it was a curse that even Gods could not avoid.
The Automaton Takes Over
The battle situation took a sudden turn for the worse. Diana had no choice but to activate the Autonomous Mode of her Valkyrie Armor.
"Princess Diana, are you certain you wish to proceed?"
"Yes."
"Acknowledged. Please relax your body and do not resist."
The Valkyrie Armor's auxiliary AI took over all systems. The previously faltering Diana suddenly stood up, her body glowing red, and appeared in front of Akorn at an unimaginable speed.
Pfft!
The longsword pierced through his chest, drawing a large gush of blood.
"How is this possible?"
Akorn's eyes widened. He was completely shocked. How could she still move after being ravaged by the black mist for so long?
"Princess Diana, should I eliminate them?"
"No, cough, cough!"
Diana coughed painfully. "Leave two alive. I need to know how to break the curse."
"Understood."
The blade streaked through the air, and two arms dropped to the ground. Seeing this, the remaining three Imps didn't hesitate and turned to run. The next moment, a shadow suddenly appeared in front of them, followed by the world spinning.
Two heads rolled onto the ground, their wide-open eyes filled with confusion and incomprehension. They seemed baffled as to why they had died so quickly.
The last Imp was grabbed by the neck by the AI and hoisted into the air. Electricity flowed from the hand as the AI slammed it forcefully into the ground.
Bang!
The ground cracked. The Three-Eyed Imp spat blood and shrieked in agony. Its body violently convulsed from the electric shock, and it passed out within seconds.
"Princess Diana, are you well?"
"I strongly recommend immediate medical aid."
"It's no use," Diana coughed in pain. "It's a curse. Medicine won't work."
A curse?
A question mark appeared on the display. The AI couldn't comprehend the scientific meaning of a curse.
"When will Luke return?"
"An emergency distress signal has been sent, but I cannot guarantee the young master will receive it. There is a strong interference field in the vicinity."
"That's all we can do."
Diana breathed weakly, struggling even to speak. "Retrieve Clark and J'onn. Protect them, and these two. Do not let them escape. Tell Luke everything when he returns."
With that, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
The AI strictly followed Diana's orders, rushing into the black fog to rescue Clark and J'onn. It settled them, then dragged the unconscious Imp to Akorn's side, staring at him motionlessly.
This sight terrified Akorn, whose face went pale. Ignoring the pain of his severed arm, he pleaded continuously for mercy,
"I was wrong! Don't kill me! It was the Underworld Dragon! It was all him! That damned monster forced me to do it! If I hadn't agreed, he would have eaten me!"
"Let me go! I swear I won't tell anyone what happened today, and I won't cause you any trouble."
"Please, spare me."
Akorn whimpered and begged, showing none of the authority of a City Lord.
The AI tilted its head. It couldn't understand the Underworld language, but it could read his expression. The creature seemed to be crying, which the AI didn't understand. Since it couldn't figure it out, it decided not to worry about it. Everything would wait until the young master returned.
The more silent the AI became, the deeper Akorn's despair grew. He felt like a lamb with a knife to its throat, ready to bleed out at any moment.
He didn't want to die. He didn't want to become the Dragon's excrement, and he certainly didn't want to die so miserably.
Terrified, the Dragonhold City Lord desperately begged for mercy, spilling everything he knew and didn't know. He even offered to serve Diana as his master, help her fight the Underworld Dragon, and become the ruler of this land.
Without realizing it, twenty minutes passed. Akorn's throat was dry from talking, yet the figure in front of him hadn't reacted at all. Seeing this, he began to feel puzzled.
Did the curse work on her after all?
Excited but uneasy, he paused, carefully tried to crawl backward, and, seeing no reaction, bolted.
A red light flashed across the air.
The longsword struck, grazing his knee.
Blood sprayed out, accompanied by a painful shriek. Akorn collapsed onto the ground.
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"
"I wasn't running! I was just... just... Please, don't kill me! I'll do whatever you want! Please, spare me!"
Akorn lay on the ground in despair.
The AI flicked the blood from the sword, still standing coldly in place.
The atmosphere was profoundly bizarre.
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