Chapter 287: Chapter 252: The Undead War, Who Can Kill Me?
Entry "[Why did you engrave your name on my pipe?]" Effect: "As long as you declare this phrase to the owner of an object righteously and then forcefully seize it, you shall possess it permanently. Not only will you gain physical possession, but you will also inherit the mystical ownership."
As long as Governor Velazquez of Havana was killed, the other half of the contract would still belong to Byron. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have torn it up so decisively and neatly in the first place.
BOOM—!
With a thunderous noise, the lighthouse, which was already quickly eroding and collapsing after losing its master, was blown apart by an arrow from Byron. The entire upper half tumbled down, RUMBLING. That one arrow was comparable to a six-pound cannon blast, its power far superior to that of the former Storm Battle Axe. The consumption, of course, was not small, and he was reluctant to use it too often.
At the same time, those bizarre half-human, half-cicada creatures swarmed towards these outsiders. Velazquez, just in time, spurred his flame-spewing skeletal warhorse, carrying Herman, and leaped down from the exploding lighthouse top. Bracing against the bullet-like debris, they charged back to the opposite side of the fissure. The Sea of Origin Matter was far too dangerous; he did not wish to make it their battleground.
No sooner had they landed than he waved the black Faustian Pact in his hand, invoking the authority within the labyrinth.
CLICK!
Accompanied by the sound of a flintlock sparking, a maid appeared in the light of the fire and respectfully bowed.
"Master, your commands?"
"Gather the troops for me! Transport all the members of my Governor’s Guard who are still on the second level here!"
"Yes, Master."
The Faustian Pact is somewhat similar to the Law Network. Within the range of the treasury labyrinth, it is its domain, capable of realizing various miraculous abilities. In the blink of an eye, a group of Governor’s Guard soldiers, who had been contending with the miser on the second floor, were transported by the maid to this place. Hands emerged from Velazquez’s shadow beneath his feet, like snakes slithering on the ground, forcibly seizing the skeletal gold coins from around the necks of the insect-men by the lake. He distributed them to his soldiers immediately.
Byron and Violet followed suit, charging out of the World Rift with a gust of wind. With a snap of his fingers, he summoned an elegant and intelligent butler maid, ordering her to transport Andrew, Bruh, and a group of pirate officers from the second level to their location as well. He also didn’t forget to release fifty elite Marines who had been stationed in the overseas development decree.
Raising his hand, the Storm Spirit Light burst forth in his palm.
"Command Storm Spirits!"
One after another, blue Storm Elves with wings appeared from thin air on the third level of the labyrinth. Fluttering their small wings, they dragged out Azkek’s Cursed Coins from the chaotic and scattered treasures all around, forcefully tossing them into the hands of each Marine and several pirate officers.
The moment they came into contact with the cursed coins, the vibrant life essence of the pirates instantly vanished. Their skin turned pale, their hair withered, their eye sockets darkened, and cold, green eerie light shone from their eyes. In an instant, they were transformed into true, complete "undead"!
At this moment, they were forcibly locked between life and death, immune to all physical attacks. Only higher-order transcendent abilities or enchanted weapons could break this state. Any external wounds they had would heal back to their original state under the moonlight. Returning the coin to the chest would turn them back into normal people.
"With the Wings of Death, I am invincible!"
Under the leadership of the Bayfolk Berserker, Eight Fingers, and the Artillery Expert, Wayne Dote, they strode towards the likewise undead Governor’s Guard. Now bolstered by the cursed coins, Byron’s Guardsmen were the true Wings of Death, capable of standing toe-to-toe with the hero units.
Behind them, the singer Jacqueline began singing the Bayfolk’s exclusive battle anthem:
"The raven sweeps across my vast domain;
Ballads of battle and legends are fated to be;
I am both the shield and the spear;
Sharing joy and hardship, plundering from mortal foes..."
"Valhalla’s Call," originally a funeral march, was now fittingly casting a crimson halo over these undead beings. Strength and speed surged.
"Fire!"
The Deck Cleaners, far superior to the ordinary flintlock guns in their opponents’ hands, were the first to belch flames, clouded with gunsmoke, sending steel balls scattering. The equally numbered Governor’s Guard, no pushovers themselves, immediately formed ranks and fired back. Men from both sides fell from time to time but would quickly rise from the ground, riddled with holes. Even with their intestines spilling out and eyeballs bursting, it did not affect their fighting power in the slightest. Only when a bullet accidentally hit a gold coin, and the power of the curse left the body, would they die on the spot.
"Fix bayonets!"
This was especially true when Byron’s side got close enough to the enemy. Once the Deck Cleaners had bayonets fixed and the three-three formation set up, they commenced a fearless bayonet fight. Even if killing the enemy was inefficient, the scales of victory still began to tip with the help of advanced weapons and tactics.
"Uncle, help me hold off Herman."
"Leave it to me."
Skeleton Knight Andrew immediately stirred up a bone-chilling gale and threw himself towards Doppler Swordsman Herman on the opposing side. After becoming an Undead Creature, it seemed that the nature of the abilities of this Storm Admiral had shifted somewhat. It wouldn’t be surprising if he later earned the title "Storm of Death."
Byron himself summoned the Wild Hunt Knights again and transformed. He had already reached the Third Order. When transforming, there was no longer a three-minute limit. As long as he wished, he could maintain the state of a fully-equipped Wild Hunt Knight. Of course, if he wanted to gain additional power boosts, the rules were still the same: he needed to burn a certain number of Undead Servants of the same tier in order to fight across tiers.
Moreover, as Byron advanced to the Third Order, the compatibility between the titles "Storm Knight" and "Mad Hunt" grew higher. Even the size of the warhorse swelled violently, standing over two meters at the shoulder. Coupled with full-body heavy armor, it was comparable to a heavy war chariot. With each charging stride, hooves ignited, and the storm followed suit.
In the legends of the Bayfolk, the Mad Hunt was a group of ghostly hunters who relentlessly pursued their prey, and no one who encountered them ever escaped. They were bound to disappear without a trace from this world. The emergence of the "Mad Hunt" also heralded Calamity: wars, storms, plagues. A perfect fit for Byron, the Storm Admiral, the Father of Immunology. Of course, it’s also possible that the ancestors of the Lancaster Family, when they first created the occupation of pirate, drew inspiration from the Mad Hunt.
CLIP-CLOP! CLIP-CLOP! CLIP-CLOP!...
The Phantom Warhorse trod upon the wind. Byron leveled his Knight’s Spear, and for the first time like a true knight from the Middle Ages, he charged.
"Hmph, you clueless fool. I’ll indulge you a bit."
The Governor of Havana, holding several trump cards, had absolute confidence in controlling the situation. It was just that he was reluctant to waste his ultimate moves before it became necessary. With a stomp of his right foot, his shadow instantly spread over his body, completely enveloping him. This time, Velazquez chose to fully merge with the Bone Gnawing God, transforming entirely into the terrifying form of that Curse Spirit. His head transformed into a gruesome white skull, ghostly fires burning in its eyes. He donned a filthy deerskin war robe, brandished an obsidian spear, and, mounted on a skeletal warhorse, launched a counter-charge at Byron.
The vassals of both sides had turned into living dead, and both lords had transformed into abnormal "Death Knights." The murderous and deathly auras soaring into the sky made even the cicada-like creatures around the Blood Lake involuntarily hold their breath, not daring to make a sound.
CLANG—!
The two riders passed by each other’s side, the Knight’s Spear and the obsidian spear creating dazzling sparks. In the blink of an eye, it was undeniable that Byron’s "Secret Sword Technique: Fingertip Spear" was superior, piercing through Velazquez’s heart with ease. However, in just a breath’s time, the shadows surged, and the Bone Gnawing God’s Undying Body repaired his form completely.
"Hahaha, who can kill me?"
Velazquez laughed three times, undeterred, continuing to turn and charge again. He could fail countless times, but just one hit on Byron would grant him the final victory.
And at the moment of their recent contact, Byron had also read the intelligence on him. His brows knitted then relaxed, and the corners of his mouth curled into a cold smile.
An Undying Body? If your Undying Body was like that of Redbeard Edward or the Bone Gobble Joker Koraskin, I might have no way to deal with you. But, lucky for me, your power source is the Bone Gnawing God, right? Do you think it’s going to be hard to break an Undying Body bestowed by the Bone Gnawing God, or more accurately, one from the Death God Apuche of the Aztec Empire?
He raised his hand to catch the "Cursed Object: Shaman Mask" tossed by Bruh and twisted it onto his own face.
"Activating ability one, [Divine Emblem]! Now, I am... Death God Apuche!"