Chapter 119: The Enemy is Also a Paper Tiger
Ever since Abyss launched the attack using the alchemical golem, Hom’s comfortable state of waiting for people to deliver themselves to his doorstep below the city gate had been completely shattered.
Although the elves on the city wall didn’t know what had happened, they could clearly see Hom becoming restless. His mood seemed poor, as if the person who had appeared and been quickly defeated had somehow destroyed a core belief of his. The strong man looked dejected, even somewhat pitiful.
The city residents began speculating about what had happened outside, wondering what kind of existence this human named Hom had defeated to end up like this.
Hom, too, had just figured out what he had experienced.
The enemy, using some unknown means, had placed his soul, or perhaps something else entirely, into a puppet to trouble him and bait out his skills. The “Abyss” he had just faced acted illogically and lacked normal human reactions precisely because he wasn’t human at all, but a puppet pre-programmed with actions!
With Hom’s knowledge, he couldn’t possibly imagine how such a puppet was created. This was natural; although Abyss had used alchemical golems in the Ossi Kingdom, he hadn’t told anyone except the tight-lipped Givia. This information hadn’t leaked through any channel. No matter how deep the Iron Lilies investigated, they couldn’t have guessed this move.
He paced restlessly below the city wall, contemplating his current situation.
Abyss had arrived here, which was good news – but he was now hiding in a very concealed location, undetectable even by Hom’s highly enhanced intuition. This turned Abyss’s arrival from good news into bad news.
He knew Abyss was probing his strength this time. Perhaps Abyss would only make his real move after thoroughly testing his abilities.
Such a cunning opponent!
Hom immediately began racking his brain for a solution.
It wasn’t over yet! Hom was still very confident in his abilities.
This power was a gift from the Lord of Bullying! Hom was originally just a mid-tier Dou Qi Master, a high-ranking member in the Iron Lilies, below the Vice-Commanders. But during this invasion of the Elven Kingdoms, he had seized an unexpected opportunity. After the leader struck a deal with the Lord of Bullying, he had actually gained the favor of this Outer God. The Lord of Bullying had given him the keys to the “Divine Arena” and the chance to increase his own power.
These teeth, serving as keys, granted entry to the arena. If he successfully challenged and defeated someone stronger than himself inside, he would gain additional teeth on top of the crystal. The stronger the enemy relative to him, the more he would gain. Since then, he had acted proactively, using the arena’s rules to defeat many Golden Rose Legion soldiers in just a few days. The Golden Rose was an elite force, its soldiers well-educated, trained, and strong. Thus, he had rapidly accumulated a large number of teeth.
He had also consumed the crystals formed from many people, gaining their powers. He discovered that although these powers couldn’t coexist, they could exist within his clones. Thus, he developed his current methods.
The leader had tasked him with probing Abyss’s strength. As long as he could bring back as much intelligence about Abyss as possible, he would earn the leader’s commendation, become a Vice-Commander, and rise through the ranks! The Iron Lilies had a strict hierarchy; the resources available to a Vice-Commander were more than ten times those of a high-ranking member like him! And if he could defeat Abyss and obtain the power of this legend… then the leader’s position would be his. At that point, the current leader’s words wouldn’t count anymore. Hom quite fancied making the handsome leader his private possession.
As for this city? Hom never intended to actually conquer it, nor would he – if he used his power on civilians, the teeth serving as arena keys would be consumed just like before. That was completely unprofitable; he wouldn’t make such a bad deal.
He considered the abilities he had acquired, hesitating for a long time about whether to consume the two crystals from the high-ranking mages.
But then, his eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had thought of a solution.
…
“He seems to have thought of something,” in the Shadow Realm, Leona sat on the ground near Hom, leisurely chewing on a piece of dried meat. “Look at him, he seems so confident.”
“Actually, I’ve thought of it too. Let’s see if our ideas collide,” Abyss, however, just smiled faintly.
Flora was holding Agnes in her arms, playing with her. Hearing Abyss, she asked curiously, “You thought of it? What means will he use to deal with you?”
“Firstly, he won’t actively attack the city. He can’t use that action to force me out either, because summoning the arena consumes the teeth on his neck. And if the enemies he defeats with it are too weak, he’ll end up with a pathetic little tooth like the one just now, almost as small as a rat’s molar,” Abyss sat comfortably beside Leona, showing none of the urgency expected when facing a major enemy. “Honestly, I was initially a bit worried he might lash out and harm the city’s citizens out of desperation, which is why I had you, Flora, prepare to use Divine Arts. But the result now tells us he actually doesn’t have many options. This siege was really just a probe; he’s not as powerful as he seems.”
“So, he’s actually weak?” Leona burst out laughing. “I thought he was someone strong, able to defeat so many experts. Turns out it’s just this?”
“To say he’s weak, he does have extremely fatal flaws. We could even just cut off his supplies, let him starve, and he’d run away himself,” Abyss casually patted the long-missed Leona’s head. “But to say he’s strong, he really does have methods. Not only can he change his abilities with clones, but he can also use the Lord of Bullying’s power to restrict us and enhance himself.”
“Then let’s just cut off his supplies? That shouldn’t be hard, right? He only brought one backpack of rations. We just need to throw his bag away… hehehe…” Leona chuckled mischievously.
“We could do that, but I still have to fight him now because I want those teeth around his neck,” Abyss pointed at the necklace around Hom’s neck. “Agnes seems to need those things. They seem to react with the Lord of Nightmares.”
Hearing Abyss mention her, Agnes happily waved her hands: “Tree! Drink water! Tree! Grow!”
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