Chapter 446 446-Efforts to Thwart the Enemy
In the mid-air above the Sunset Mountain's Defend Wall, a standoff was unfolding between Karthus, John, and General Yorick.
John, holding the top spot on the player ranking leaderboard, naturally possessed immense strength and a multitude of spells that allowed him to unleash a power almost godlike in nature.
With General Yorick's assistance, John should have been able to swiftly defeat Karthus.
However, the devil wand in Karthus's hands revealed its tremendous power.
With the aid of the devil wand, Karthus was able to hold his own against both John and General Yorick.
Enveloped in an immense aura of dark energy, Karthus was continuously spawning devils.
These devils, materializing instantaneously, lunged towards John and Yorick.
Even with John's formidable strength, facing such an opponent demanded caution.
After the initial clash, John refrained from going all out, hoping to identify a weakness in Karthus that could be exploited for a fatal strike.
John, of course, had no opportunity to share his thoughts with General Yorick.
Thus, to Yorick, the situation appeared as a critical, life-or-death confrontation.
"John, I must say I've underestimated you! As the top player on the leaderboard, you still can't defeat me alone. You need the assistance of a Demigod-level NPC just to match me evenly. Haven't you been improving a bit too slowly lately? If you wish to enhance your power more quickly, why not consider joining our Dark Faction?" Karthus taunted, feeling confident of his victory.
He was delighted to see his devil wand successfully countering John's god-tier spells.
The battlefield was charged with tension, with each participant calculating their next move in this high-stakes struggle.
John and General Yorick, facing Karthus's relentless onslaught and devil wand's suppressing effect, were in a position where they needed to find a breakthrough, and fast.
Karthus internally expressed immense gratitude to the mysterious figure in black.
In his view, the figure had not lied; the devil wand given to him indeed possessed a combat power akin to that of a deity.
Faced with Karthus's taunts, John remained expressionless.
He harbored a deep disdain for people like Karthus, and when John detested someone, he was loath to engage in conversation or form any association with them.
However, he had no choice in this matter. Since Karthus had aligned with the Dark Faction, he was an enemy to John, and anyone who joined the Dark Faction was a target John felt compelled to eliminate.
"Do you truly think you have the upper hand? You can't defeat me even with the devil wand. Without it, how could you withstand my attacks?"
John wasn't about to let Karthus remain arrogant for long. Still, he hoped to extract more information about the Dark Faction from Karthus.
Thus, John deliberately provoked him, hoping his anger would lead him to reveal more.
Once he had all the information he needed, he planned to eradicate Karthus from this world.
In response to John's questions, Karthus became even more arrogant, believing that John failed to comprehend the true nature of the devil wand.
"Without the devil wand, I am indeed no match for you. But your assumption is impossible because the devil wand is now mine. You don't know yet, do you? The devil wand isn't just any ordinary god-tier equipment. It's a special god-tier item that locks to its owner. Once I possess this equipment, there's no way for you to take it from me."
As Karthus spoke, his face beamed with joy.
He indeed cherished the devil wand as an invaluable piece of equipment.
However, upon hearing Karthus's words, John had already formed his own judgment.
Karthus was foolishly unaware that the devil wand wasn't just any god-tier equipment; it was, in fact, a real devil.
This actual devil was gradually eroding Karthus by providing him power.
Once the erosion reached a certain level, the devil could manifest in this world through Karthus's body.
"You're as foolish as ever. Can't you see the immense threat the devil wand poses to you?" John finally let a smile slip, his question tinged with irony.
Faced with John's counter-question, Karthus showed a moment of hesitation.
He had indeed considered the significant threat posed by the devil wand.
However, after using it, he felt that compared to other Sacred Relics of the Dark Faction, the devil wand's degree of erosion on its user was considerably lower.
John's mention of this issue gave Karthus an unpleasant premonition, but he was far too committed to retreat now, determined not to fall into John's trap.
"You needn't try to sow discord! Even if the devil wand poses a great threat to me, what does it matter? As long as it can greatly threaten you, that's all that counts. John, I will avenge the arrow you shot at me before. I will eradicate you completely! Just wait for my revenge!"
Karthus decided not to engage in further dialogue with John.
He was resolute in launching a direct attack, intent on killing John at least once as his form of revenge.
In this high-stakes confrontation, both sides were locked in a battle of wits and strength, each trying to gain the upper hand.
While Karthus relied on the devil wand's power, unaware of its true nature and the danger it posed to him, John was strategically probing for weaknesses, looking for the right moment to strike decisively.
Facing Karthus' attack, John didn't make any attempt to dodge; he was confident he could withstand this assault.
Meanwhile, in the barracks of Storm City, SkyStars and Emma were discussing the current events.
They had noticed that the palace of Duke Arsena was completely shrouded in mist.
"Do you think this is normal? As the lord of Storm City, Duke Arsena wouldn't let his palace be sealed off like this, right?"
SkyStars asked Emma, looking towards the direction of Duke Arsena's palace.
Being a player of a much lower level, he was naturally unaware of what the palace's usual state should be.
Emma was also slightly puzzled.
Although her level wasn't very low, she wasn't as passionate about exploring the game's lore as John was.
"Maybe. Right now, we should focus on leveling up. Whatever is happening at Duke Arsena's palace doesn't concern us much. As long as we increase our levels and strength, we can protect ourselves no matter what happens."
Emma continued to level up following John's advice.
After all, besides trusting John, who else could she believe in?
SkyStars nodded silently, seemingly agreeing with Emma's words.
The two returned to the training field to continue leveling up.
However, at that moment, a violent explosion occurred at the entrance of the training field.
A burst of pure black light blew open the gates of the training field.
SkyStars and Emma hurried out to assess the situation and saw a horde of devils pouring into the training field.
This sudden invasion left both of them bewildered and unsure of what to do next.
Emma reacted more quickly to the unfolding chaos.
Seeing the devils invading, she urgently said to SkyStars, "This must be an attack by the Dark Faction on Storm City. We need to eliminate these devils as quickly as possible!"
As she spoke, Emma unleashed her [Burning Flames] spell.
A fierce flame erupted from the sky, rushing towards the devils.
The devils at the forefront were instantly incinerated to ashes by the blazing fire.
However, Emma's spell couldn't hold back the tide for long due to the sheer number of devils outside.
SkyStars, although far less powerful due to his lower level and lack of strong equipment, also engaged the devils in combat.
His approach was more one-on-one, lacking the area impact of Emma's spells.
After fighting for a while, both realized that they were insufficient to stop the devil's onslaught.
To ensure their own safety, they knew they had to quickly move to a different location.
Emma grabbed SkyStars and hurried towards the deeper parts of the training field.
In her view, the depths of the training field should offer more safety.
This was because Drill Sergeant Betack had previously mentioned a very special training area located in the deeper parts of the field.
Hoping to find refuge and possibly a way to counter the attack, Emma led SkyStars deeper into the training ground.
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