Chapter 58: Chapter58- Bloodwing Slaughterer
At this moment, John was unaware of the external developments.
He was currently in the tenth layer of the trial, vexed by a particular issue.
Damn it, why are there flying monsters in this trial?!
John was standing atop a towering peak, with less than a hundred square meters of space beneath his feet, surrounded by sheer cliffs.
Looking down, he could see only a vast sea of clouds, with no ground in sight.
Not far from John, in mid-air, a creature with blood-red bat wings, purplish skin, a humanoid figure but with sharp fangs, was relentlessly launching skills at him.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!"...
It continuously flapped its wings, hurling clusters of blood-red flames and crimson wind blades at John as if they cost nothing.
John could only dodge incessantly.
Usually, he was the one using others as targets, but now the tables had turned, and he found himself in the role of the target.
[Name: Bloodwing Slaughterer (trial)]
[Level: Lv15]
[HP: 140,000]
[Spirit: 1710]
[Strength: 1589]
[Defense: 671]
[Speed: 501]
[Skills: Crimson Wind Slash, Bloodthirsty Demonic Transformation, Shadow Snatch, Frenzy, Blood Flame, Steel Wings…]
…
John had also tried to retaliate, but his offensive skills were easily dodged by the opponent, and even when they did hit, they were blocked by the creature's bat wings.
This led to a rather awkward situation where he could only take hits without being able to inflict any damage.
Moreover, as the opponent destroyed the mountain peak beneath him, the raging blood-colored flames continued to shrink his maneuvering space.
Most crucially, John's condition was not good.
Although he had quickly passed through the eleventh layer of the trial, he had expended a lot of HP and MP.
Recovery potions couldn't be used in the trial, and John reckoned that if this continued, he would eventually be doomed.
The Bloodwing Slaughterer seemed fully aware of John's predicament, its face wearing a mocking expression.
Its crimson vertical pupils stared at John as if looking at prey it was toying with.
The Bloodwing Slaughterer spoke with a taunting tone, "Is that all you've got? Compared to that Godkeep who possesses my lord's inheritance, you're far too weak."
John looked at the Bloodwing Slaughterer, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He hadn't expected it to be able to speak, but it wasn't surprising since some higher-level monsters indeed possess human-like characteristics and learning abilities.
What caught John's attention was the "Godkeep" mentioned by the Bloodwing Slaughterer.
The term "Godkeep" is generally used to describe those favored by the gods, and among awakers, such individuals are also known as "God's Chosen," referring to those who receive divine favor.
In a sense, awakers with an inheritance class can be considered "God's Chosen."
This implies that an awaker with an inheritance has entered the trial secret realm and has already defeated the Bloodwing Slaughterer, and this person might also possess the Crimson Demon's inheritance!
Although this doesn't necessarily mean the individual has passed the eleventh layer of the trial, since the trial's monsters appear randomly, a sense of urgency still arose in John's heart.
If someone were to obtain the Crimson Demon's treasure or inheritance before him, all his efforts would be in vain.
This was something John couldn't accept; he had to speed up.
John's expression gradually regained its calmness, his eyes under the black mask as serene as an ancient well, his body adorned with a magnificent golden armor adorned with scales.
"Gold Mail Armor!"
Simultaneously, his staff glowed with an ice-blue light, and an ice spear exuding cold air formed in his hand, its sharp tip alone enough to send shivers down one's spine.
"Ice Spear!"
The Bloodwing Slaughterer initially paid no mind to John's actions, considering them mere death throes in its eyes.
However, when its gaze fell upon the Necrostaff in John's hand, the Bloodwing Slaughterer's crimson eyes suddenly narrowed, brimming with overwhelming murderous intent.
A sinister smile spread across its face as it sneered, "The Ghost Wizard, that traitor, I thought it had long perished. I never expected it too had descended upon this world. Should I get the chance to leave, I will make it pay dearly for its past deeds!"
Hearing this, a thought struck John.
When he learned that the trial had only eleven Apostles, he speculated that the Ghost Wizard might have betrayed the Crimson Demon and stolen the Crimson Key.
The Bloodwing Slaughterer's words, coupled with the Sand Scorpion King's earlier reaction, seemed to confirm his suspicions, although John was unaware of the details.
However, John didn't want to waste his precious energy on this matter, as knowing the story behind it held no significance for him.
His goal had always been clear: the Crimson Demon's treasure, and nothing else mattered.
The wind swept across the mountaintop, causing the sea of clouds below to churn. John's short hair and the hem of his clothing fluttered in the breeze.
The altitude was high, and the temperature somewhat low. Despite the blood-colored flames burning around, they provided no warmth.
John slowly exhaled a breath of white air, looking up at the Bloodwing Slaughterer and said coldly, "Are you done talking? If you're going to make a move, make it quick. I'm short on time."
"So eager to die?" The Bloodwing Slaughterer's crimson eyes narrowed, its words laden with murderous intent. It looked down at John from mid-air, as if beholding an ant.
John met its gaze without a hint of fear or trepidation, his eyes as calm as still water, as though it wasn't the Bloodwing Slaughterer looking down on him, but he looking down on the Bloodwing Slaughterer.
John calmly stated, "I'm just eager to send you to your death."
Hearing John's words, the already savage crimson vertical pupils of the Bloodwing Slaughterer grew even more ferocious.
A dense murderous intent and blood energy surged from its body, seemingly lowering the surrounding temperature a few more degrees.
The Bloodwing Slaughterer looked at John and suddenly laughed, saying, "You humans, like mere ants, always fail to grasp your situation."
As it spoke, its hand radiated blood light, and a long spear wreathed in blood energy appeared in its grasp.
Its body began to rapidly transform, with black scales surfacing on its skin and its stature swiftly increasing.
Its originally somewhat normal face gradually became incredibly fierce and horrifying.
In just the blink of an eye, the Bloodwing Slaughterer, previously in a human form, had transformed into a monstrous figure with a green face, sharp fangs, three meters tall, and with a pair of wings on its back!
"Bloodthirsty Demonic Transformation!"
The transformed Bloodwing Slaughterer didn't halt its actions.
A rich blood light suddenly emerged around it, and its figure vanished from the spot, leaving only its maniacal laughter echoing in John's ears.
Laughing crazily, the Bloodwing Slaughterer said, "Since you're so eager to die, I shall grant your wish!"
"Frenzy!" "Shadow Snatch!"
As its words fell, the Bloodwing Slaughterer's figure had already appeared behind John, its blood-red spear striking like a venomous snake, viciously aiming for John's back.
John seemed unguarded but was actually fully prepared.
As the Bloodwing Slaughterer's spear thrust towards him, a streak of blood light flashed across the "One-Eyed Lich King's Furious Bracers" on John's wrist.
Immediately, a dense blood light radiated from John, releasing a wildly ferocious aura that was in no way inferior to the Bloodwing Slaughterer's!
"Berserk Transformation!"
In the astonished gaze of the Bloodwing Slaughterer, John twisted his body to face it, his ice spear turning into a streak of light, boldly colliding with the blood-red spear in its hand!
"Boom!!!"
The immense force of the collision spread out from the center where the two stood, causing the stones beneath their feet to shatter loudly.
The blood-colored flames that had been raging around them were instantly swept away by the fierce wind!
As the dust settled, John's ice spear forcefully blocked the Bloodwing Slaughterer's blood-red spear, not yielding an inch!
The Bloodwing Slaughterer's eyes widened in disbelief, hardly able to comprehend what it was witnessing.
"How is this possible?!" it exclaimed in shock.
This individual was clearly a magus, yet he had managed to staunchly resist its attack!
Had it not been for witnessing John use magus skills earlier, the Bloodwing Slaughterer would have had no doubts in believing he was a strength-based warrior.
Noticing the astonishment in the Bloodwing Slaughterer's eyes, a curve formed on John's lips.
His intention in provoking this creature was precisely to circumvent his own inability to fight in mid-air, compelling the Bloodwing Slaughterer to engage him in direct combat.
At that moment, he could rely on his Gold Mail Armor and Berserk skill to deliver a significant surprise!
Whether the Bloodwing Slaughterer was pleasantly surprised, John couldn't tell, but its shocked expression was unmistakable.
Seizing this rare opportunity, John's eyes suddenly gleamed with a dark light!
"Dark Marsh!"