Chương 76: Chapter 66 — You Can One-Shot Me?

What was this again? Watching the slowly rising purple orb, Balana frowned. Let me think… mm… A memory flickered from deep in his mind, and a chill ran through him. This is… the World-Ending Heaven-Thunder?! A Forbidden Curse?! How could that be? Flying Saber Town sat on the Blade Dynasty's frontier—remote, sparsely peopled; no figure of that caliber should exist here. And in the Blade Dynasty, no one was known to master magic. These people only swung sabers, didn't they? Magic—and a Forbidden Curse, no less?

Are you joking? Think This King so unworldly, so easily cowed by your petty trick? Ridiculous. You think that little thing can one-shot me? You can one-shot me*?! * Balana sneered, scorn in his eyes. The World-Ending Heaven-Thunder was a Forbidden Curse, yes. In his youth he'd watched human archmages array themselves to cast it, and he remembered its terror well—it began as a palm-sized purple orb too, but when it burst and loosed the energy within, it devoured the Calamity host of that age in the blink of an eye.

Had he not been far enough away, he'd have died then and there. Such was the terror of a Forbidden Curse. But the World-Ending Heaven-Thunder, forged by over a hundred human archmages in concert, took a grand, sprawling cast—nothing like this, an energy orb popping out of nowhere. A Forbidden Curse, cast instantly? Scorn thickened in Balana's eyes. These humans do love covering their own ears to steal a bell. Think This King so easily fooled? Think a counterfeit Forbidden Curse can frighten This King off?

Don't make me laugh! Watch—This King will tear your lie to shreds! Instant Forbidden Curse? Spare me. His gaze sank, a cruel arc curling his lips. He clenched both fists; two masses of night energy wrapped them, and he drove them straight at the rising purple orb. Your delusion is fragile as glass! Both fists struck home on the orb in an instant.

"Heh heh heh… and now, to pull the weed up by the roots!" Having smashed the orb, a cruel light crossed his eyes; he flapped his wings, about to drop to the ground. Hmmm— Just then, a heart-stopping ripple of energy erupted behind him. The purple orb he'd shattered became a purple energy black hole, dense lightning crackling around it as if tearing space itself—and a mighty, nameless pull dragged Balana backward.

"What's going on? This—" His expression froze, an uh-oh crossing his face.

"Don't tell me… it really is the World-Ending Heaven-Thunder?!" That's impossible! He strained with all his might to break free—in vain. Real or not? An instant Forbidden Curse? How is that possible?! And… who in the hell cast it? Why was there no warning at all? His whole face crumpled, features bunching together, sweat beading on his high hooked nose. Someone tell me this isn't real! He bellowed like a madman; he didn't want to die. But this was the World-Ending Heaven-Thunder—a true Forbidden Curse.

And detonating at zero range. He was dead beyond all doubt. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. In his panic, Balana suddenly spotted a figure wrapped in black night-garb amid the dark—and understanding dawned. Damn! So it was him! Cursed thing! A nobody, a downy-cheeked brat! What right has he to cast a Forbidden Curse?! What right?! Above, the King raged and screamed; below, Ryan finally breathed easier.

He'd feared the slow-rising World-Ending Heaven-Thunder might be spotted early and let Balana flee—who'd have thought the King was such a fool, smashing the not-yet-detonated Heaven-Thunder with his own hands? Most satisfying. Now if you don't die, who does? A zero-range Forbidden Curse detonation—even an Obsidian Boss would be dead through and through. Pity about my Dark Cudgel, though—one Forbidden Curse and it's scrap. He looked down at the ruined cudgel and shook his head, helpless.

But he had the Mystic Spirit Disassembly Art—he could get the blueprint and forge a fine new one himself, with the Mystic Spirit Forging Art besides.

"That's that settled at last." Ryan sighed. He'd only meant to exploit a loophole, and gotten saddled with a monstrous hidden event. If not for his luck rolling a Forbidden Curse, and the townsfolk reaching the underground fortress in time, his effort would've been wasted. But no twist, no tale—without this hidden event, who knew when he'd have gotten an Amethyst-Boss First Kill?

Endless purple lightning swept heaven and earth in a flash; the whole region of Flying Saber Town trembled, a suffocating pressure in the air, as if a hand gripped the throat. The black hole of purple lightning spread and then snapped inward, and the world fell deathly still. BOOM—!!! Suddenly the compressed black hole detonated, a deafening roar splitting the heavens; endless purple lightning, like countless sword-blades, raced through all creation, seeking to annihilate everything.

The whole expanse became a purgatorial sea of thunder in an instant. Countless things turned to ash; for tens of li around, all was leveled in a single moment. Crackle—crackle—! In all of heaven and earth, only Ryan remained, alone. Countless electric sparks flickered over the parched ground—an indescribable desolation. Such was the terror of the World-Ending Heaven-Thunder.

"The others hid deep underground—they should be fine?" He swept his gaze around, fixed roughly where the fortress had stood, and strode toward it. And then the System prompts, at last, came late. System: [Ding! Hidden event "Night Demon Raid" complete!] System: [Ding! Amethyst-Boss First Kill complete! Reward: Talent—Bloodthirst!] System: [Ding! For slaying the Calamity Legion chieftain Dark Night Demon King Balana, Calamity Legion hatred +2, 000! For the coming month, you will be hunted endlessly by the Calamity Legion!] System: [Ding! Your feat has stirred the Blade Dynasty! All Blade Dynasty residents' favorability +2, 000!] System: [Ding! Plunder successful! Obtained the skill "Night Demon Bloodline"!] System: [Ding! Plunder successful! Obtained the skill "Night Demon Hunt"!] System: [Ding! Plunder successful! Obtained the skill "Night Descends"!] System: [Ding! Plunder successful! Obtained…] The endless prompts left Ryan's head spinning.

This time he'd plundered so many skills! And this "Bloodthirst" talent—a divine-tier talent! As ever, his luck held. Looking at the loot raining down in every color of light, Ryan couldn't help but marvel.