Necromancer's Second-Original Chat Group

"Then, to the core control tower, that's my primary objective!"

At Wilting's command, the action team moved towards the control tower of the core city. Although there were resistance forces from the Reunion Movement along the way, they were all taken down in one encounter, and those who escaped were ignored.

The previously high-profile integration movement now seems to have reduced to nothing more than empty rhetoric.

During this process, Wan Qi discovered a small surprise: the little girl named Rosemary was also quite powerful in combat. She was a rare mental combatant who could wield a huge weapon and was good at both offense and defense. Moreover, the weapon was clearly made specifically for her and was a perfect match.

She's a good candidate for magic; I'll find an opportunity to ask her if she's interested in magic.

Both Hong and Xiao Ke are very strong fighters. The former is an elusive assassin who can kill someone with a single blow whenever she appears.

Xiao Ke, on the other hand, is a pure brute force attacker, unleashing a variety of weapons in turn. Although she usually seems silly, she is actually a weapon master. She can use any weapon she has, and she even uses a mix of different ones in rotation. Her battles are like a weapon exhibition, combining both lethality and visual appeal.

But the most surprising thing is Kal'tsit. Her close combat ability is also extremely strong. Wan Qi witnessed someone who wanted to ambush her being accurately hit in the forehead by a scalpel and died on the spot without pain.

So, the strongest fighting force on Rhodes Island is actually its medical personnel?

It feels strangely natural, yet somehow reasonable.

The smooth advance did not last long, because a resolute figure stood in front of everyone.

Patriot and his shield guards are a formidable force, not only within the Reunion Movement but also within the Ursus Empire's system; they are a force that even the Inner Guard must be wary of.

"Proceeding is prohibited here!"

Halberds blocked the way, and shield guards stood in formation, as if a mountain was blocking the way.

If this were a regular company employee or mercenary, they would have run away by now; they wouldn't do it no matter how much money they were offered.

But the Rhodes Island operators, though their expressions were solemn, remained steadfast in their posts. With such a level of training and organization, you might say this is the kind of force a company should have, but Wan Qi would rather believe that Lobotomy Corporation's main business is treating traumatic brain injuries.

Neither side has made the first move, so negotiations are still possible.

"Lord Patriot, we are Rhodes Island, here to stop the tragedy created by the Reunion Movement!"

Amiya stepped forward. Although she was not tall, her aura was not weak at all, completely different from the cute little rabbit she usually was.

Wan Qi recalled the image of Virtin he had seen in the maze of memories. Virtin was just as adorable as a child, but he would always stand up for everyone in crucial moments, becoming the most reliable leader.

There was no response from the other end, but Amiya knew that Patriot must have heard her.

Whether to talk it out or start fighting immediately depends on the other party's next reaction.

At this moment, the shield guards spread out to both sides, and the tall Patriot stepped to the front. Although his equipment was worn out, its heavy appearance still showed the inviolable majesty of its master.

A seasoned warrior, a fearless hero.

Wan Qi admired this kind of awareness and aura that carried everything, because he didn't really have that kind of thing himself.

A person who went mad and died in the Red Sea, died and was reborn, and finally became numb before gradually returning to normal, has absolutely nothing to do with courage. He was able to persevere entirely because the Red Sea wouldn't let him die, and because of that endless imprisonment. He is now a humanoid being that has been built up over time.

In any case, Wan Qi doesn't think his current mental state is healthy enough; at most, he hasn't gone crazy.

They are completely different from patriots, who know what they want to do and are willing to risk everything.

If Wan Qi were to gamble with Virtin's life, he truly wouldn't dare, and wouldn't be willing to.

"Here...there is no...negotiation...only...fighting!"

"Sir Patriot, we have no need to fight. We were never enemies to begin with."

Kal'tsit stepped forward, and Patriot's expression changed noticeably when he saw her.

“Kal'tsit… Lord… it’s been so long… You… are still the same… as before.”

Wanqi and Velting frowned simultaneously. Hmm? Lord, the Patriot actually calls Kal'tsit that? Interesting.

Kal'tsit said calmly, "We only look the same. You and I have both changed a lot, Bozokasty."

"It's such a...nostalgic...name...just like...back then."

The patriot seemed to be lost in some kind of memory, but only for a brief moment.

Wanzie and Virtin were thinking: Bozokasti, it's the name of the Patriot, it seems to have some meaning.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing similar suspicions in each other's eyes.

"Your battle is over, Bozokaste. There is no prince here, no enemy, only a group of warriors who want to end the suffering of this land. We will take Talulah and end this man-made disaster. You can join Rhodes Island and continue to fight for your ideals."

After a brief silence, Patriot shook his head and declined Kal'tsit's invitation.

"I have...chosen...to fight...my meaning...my unwavering commitment...I...will not retreat...a warrior...will only advance!"

"Sir Patriot, there is really no need for us to fight!"

Amiya was somewhat anxious. They had just rescued Frostnova, but now they had to fight the Patriots. However, bringing up Frostnova now seemed like threatening the Patriots, which put her in a dilemma.

"In the end, we still have to take action." Wan Qi shrugged, stepped out from the crowd, and said to Amiya and Kal'tsit, "Leave this to me. Don't worry, I'll make sure someone is alive."

Wanqi's appearance caused some unease among the Shield Guards. In the previous battle, the terrifying sense of oppression had made the souls of all the Reunion Movement members involved tremble. Now that the Nightmare had reappeared, it would evoke fear in anyone.

"It's you!"

Patriot's eyes instantly sharpened.

"The older people get, the more stubborn they become. You can only reason with them, don't you think, Mr. Patriot?"

Kal'tsit raised an eyebrow. Although the words weren't directed at her, she was genuinely annoyed.

However, the two have different definitions of the elderly. In Kal'tsit's eyes, the elderly are almost as old as heaven and earth, but in Wan Qi's words, the elderly are those who have accumulated more than sixty years of life experience.

Facing Wan Qi's raised scythe, Patriot slowly assumed a fighting stance.

At this moment, Wan Qi noticed that Patriot's shield was not the same as the previous one, because that one had been shattered in the previous battle with him. So, although the one he was using now was similar in appearance, it was actually standard equipment, just enlarged and thickened to fit Patriot's size.

The quality of standard equipment and customized equipment is definitely different, so at the beginning of this battle, Patriot was in a weakened state and even had a mental pressure debuff.

But retreat is not in a soldier's dictionary!

Patriot signaled the other shield guards to retreat, and he faced Wan Qi alone.

From any perspective, this was blatant suicidal behavior, but at that moment, three altar-like objects suddenly appeared behind Patriot, with black shadows swirling around the red crystals, as if they were some ominous thing.

Sacrifice, but not a sacrifice of living people. Oh, I see. It's a kind of death sacrifice. No wonder there weren't any soul fragments or corpses to collect around here. It's been handled quite cleanly. Is it targeting me, or is this some kind of ritual?

In the necromancer's memory, the essence of magical rituals is to extract a portion of the energy cycle from the natural environment and guide it to the target by conforming to the characteristics of this cycle. The non-human casting patterns of effects magic such as strengthening, weakening, cursing, and accelerating are all based on this application logic.

However, the rituals of this system are very misleading, making people think that "as long as I do this, I can gain power," and then they develop path dependence, knowing what to do but not why, and stop further research, until one day the ritual suddenly becomes completely ineffective, is abandoned, and is understood as "God taking back his gifts."

Mystical rituals have a similar effect; they are essentially the same. It's just unknown how far Originium Arts has come down this path.

Wan Qi silently activated his Elemental Vision. From this perspective, a portion of the death cycle in the entire environment was intercepted by the altar built by the Patriot and became his power. He himself was at the center of this cycle. However, the effect of the ritual was actually less than 30%. If a cycle of natural law were formed, even if 100% energy utilization could not be achieved, 80% or 90% could still be guaranteed.

With the infusion of these powers, Patriot's body visibly swelled, but it wasn't just his strength that was enhanced. The three altars, within their range, also served functions such as providing vision, healing wounds, and replenishing energy. The extent of the altars' effects depended entirely on how many additional effects the user added to them.

Got it, just destroy the altar, that's its biggest weakness!

Wrong! That is the most robust defense in the entire system. Because the altar itself is only responsible for the effect of the ritual, it is constructed with the strongest materials and is solid. After activation, the effect of the entire ritual is integrated with the user. However, the damage suffered by the user will be distributed and borne by the altar, but the damage suffered by the altar will not be reflected back to the user.

It's like having three scapegoats. And when you attack the altar, the opponent can quickly move to the altar's location within a certain range. It's not an exaggeration to call it spatial teleportation, which will put you in an even more passive position.

Furthermore, if the attack damage does not exceed the damage the altar can withstand, then there is no damage.

For example, under normal circumstances, killing someone only requires stabbing them in a vital spot. But if that person is bound to the ritual altar, you can stab them and they won't bleed, get hurt, or feel anything, as if you punched thin air.

The most disgusting combination is the "divine sacrifice and priest" miracle - divine punishment lightning, consisting of a priest, a sacrificial priest, and a cleric.

The miracle was essentially the effect of a super-large magic circle, but the priests described it as the power of divine punishment. From a purely destructive perspective, its power reached the standard of a sacred magic circle of number 8, exceeding that of number 9.

Patriot's strategy clearly doesn't meet this standard. If a Holy Number 9 Skyfall were to crash down from the other side, Wanqi would immediately carry Veltin and run away, perhaps with Little Carter on his back, grab Amiya, hug Red, and the rest of them would have to fend for themselves.

"Give it your all!"

Patriot threw his halberd at Wan Qi, unleashing absolute ferocity, absolute destruction, and absolute power.

"Everyone get out of here, now!"

As Wan Qi shouted these words, he decisively used his mental power to erect a huge shield, blocking the battle halberd and dissipating all its power. Otherwise, the killing radius of that attack would have been about the same as that of a standard-load Scud missile.

But this is just an appetizer. Patriot's halberd has Originium Arts effects. The moment the attack arrives, the halberd itself is just an afterimage, and what falls is only the force attached to it.

"Scatter! Approach the control tower from another direction!"

At Amiya's command, Rhodes Island's operators immediately obeyed. At the same time, Patriot, wielding a halberd, rushed in front of Wanqi and stabbed a blur of afterimages.

Wan Qi flashed behind the opponent and unleashed a devastating Death Harvest, but this time it was blocked, and the opponent even managed to slam Wan Qi away with a backhand.

The Patriot's power greatly surprised Wan Qi. Based on the efficiency of the altar's transformation during the ritual and the Patriot's previous combat performance, this shouldn't be the case, unless...

"You're burning the candle at your own throat!"

Section 68: Can't think of a title

(Please leave comments and votes! (?一▽一)?)

The ruthless fear those who are fearless. This has been true throughout history and across the world.

Wan Qi had seen this kind of fighting style, which involved burning through one's health bar, many times in the necromancer's memories. People who did this usually had a reason to fight desperately, the most common being "I don't want to die."

But not everyone who works hard can create a future; many more simply collapse after their energy is depleted.

So the patriot also had a reason to fight desperately, and his resolute gaze had already given his answer.

That is to make a choice and then fight on.

"So, what's your reason for fighting so hard?"

With a flick of his right hand, Wan Qi's sickle folded into a two-handed axe, but with a sharp spike at the front. Its overall shape resembled a spear with an added axe, but its length was only slightly longer than Wan Qi's height, not an extra-long weapon.

At this level, the line between cold weapons and firearms has become very blurred; how about learning about intercontinental ballistic fireballs?

"I...choose...twice...there will be no...third...time..."

As a warrior, Patriot served two monarchs, but ultimately received neither what he desired, and twice he chose to leave. This time, however, he will stand by his choice.

"Then do you know if Talulah has any problems?"

"I know...some things...but I...have no evidence...and cannot...stop it..."

"No evidence, no evidence. Just standing by and watching without aiding and abetting wrongdoing is also a choice!"

"I have...chosen...to be a warrior...without regret!"

Got it, got it. To put it simply, after making two choices of betrayal, Patriot has become very obsessive about loyalty and choice. As a soldier, he is obviously not good at solving problems, so he decides to use the method he is best at to carry out his will, which is to fight.

It sounds incredibly admirable. After all, regardless of whether you're right or wrong, fighting to the end for your beliefs and accepting all the consequences makes you a true man and deserves praise.

But to have such a person stand on the opposite side as an enemy is truly frustrating, helpless, and evokes sighs.

There was absolutely no reason for either side to fight, but they were forced to fight because of the battle.

Of course, people have their own thoughts and life experiences, but if they haven't experienced the suffering of others, they shouldn't question their choices. That's impolite, especially towards truly courageous warriors who are willing to die for their cause.

In another clash, Wan Qi bluntly asked, "Then why don't you try Rhodes Island? The Reunion Movement is indiscriminately killing innocent people, while Rhodes Island is healing and saving lives. If you truly believe in your convictions, then come and see Rhodes Island!"

"I am... a warrior... who only knows... fighting... and will prove it with your weapon!"

"As you wish!"

Wan Qi was really annoyed because the cost-effectiveness of this battle with Patriots was too low. The opponent was not an enemy, but the consumption on him was exactly the same, which was too much. He had directly reduced the stay time, which was the maximum health bar for this time travel. If he disappeared, the safety of Virtin would go from a question mark to an exclamation mark.

Defeating Patriot is not difficult, killing him is not difficult either, the difficulty lies in minimizing your own time loss.

Given the opponent's current state, if Talulah were to unleash her ultimate attack, Wanqi wouldn't be able to guarantee that he would have enough time to face two enemies who are both burning health. The ideal solution would be to wear down Patriot without consuming any time he has left, and then use his ultimate attack to finish off Talulah, regardless of whether she lives or dies.

He deserved to be beaten to death; there's no such thing as tender affection in the adult world.

Then there's Frostnova, who was sent to Rhodes Island for recuperation. That girl still has a chance to persuade her to join Rhodes Island, but if Patriot dies at her own hands, how can she expect him to express his understanding?

It's not impossible, but everyone will have reservations. Understanding is one thing, accepting is another.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be the phrase "understandable, but unforgivable."

Damn it, I've started wanting both things at once too. I used to complain about the official channels, and now I'm doing the same thing!

Wan Qi was furiously criticizing himself, but at the same time he understood that everyone in the midst of change hoped to achieve the most perfect ending and ultimately achieve the greatest victory with the least cost.

That's a world where everyone can be happy! (Chuunibyou).

It's not entirely hopeless, but some preparation is needed, and...

With this in mind, Wan Qi's offensive became more aggressive. The area within a 200-meter radius of where he and Patriot were located became a death zone. The flying debris was highly lethal, forcing others to move to other buildings. Even the Shield Guards had to move behind other buildings and observe the situation through their thick protective shields.

This is now the home ground of Vanchi and the Patriots; everyone else has to back down.

In this way, the battlefield was also divided into two parts. The areas where Vanchi and the Patriots operated were blocked, and the others could only fight for the other entrance and exit.