Chapter 154: The World in the Fissures
Data scan!
[Nightmare Skeleton]
The same skeleton monster could appear at either A-rank or S-rank, and each rank came in four difficulty levels: Normal, Nightmare, Hell, and Purgatory!
It was just like the S-rank zombies Chen Mo had encountered in the Battlegrounds dungeon. After mutating, those S-rank zombies had become Nightmare-difficulty S-rank zombies—far more powerful than ordinary S-rank ones!
And now, Chen Mo was facing four Nightmare-difficulty S-rank skeletons!
If magic attacks didn’t work, he’d use physical attacks!
There were no other green dots nearby on the map, so Chen Mo could use his skills without holding back.
Fire and Thunder Swords!
Using Fireball and Lightning, Chen Mo forged two swords of flame and lightning, condensing energy into solid form. That was a feat only a peak Marquis could manage—but the Phoenix’s Claw could do it with ease!
Annihilating Blades!
Chen Mo swung both swords at once. Each blade unleashed five streaks of fire-and-thunder sword energy, one set to the left and the other to the right, cleaving toward the Nightmare Skeletons!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Flames erupted skyward like fountains, yet all four Nightmare Skeletons remained unscathed, blocking the sword strikes.
Dark Frenzy!
The four Nightmare Skeletons activated their frenzy skill. Their movement and attack speeds surged. They seemed to teleport, becoming four afterimages that surrounded Chen Mo.
Whip! Whip! Whip!
The fiery chains crackled as they burned with black flames. Chen Mo also noticed that the ground where the Nightmare Skeletons passed was left with molten marks. The instant any part of his body touched one, his health plummeted!
-1,000 HP!
-1,000 HP!
Whoa! Chen Mo was forced to huddle in the middle of the ring of fire, the soles of his feet burned through. These Nightmare Skeletons were ridiculously strong!
The four skeletons kept circling, steadily shrinking the area enclosed by the fiery chains. They meant to trap Chen Mo inside and kill him!
Annihilation Demon Wings!
No longer caring about revealing his abilities, Chen Mo spread a pair of black demon wings from his back and leapt into the air, trying to fly over the flames and vault past the four Nightmare Skeletons.
Bam!
A translucent barrier stopped him dead in midair!
So the four Nightmare Skeletons had formed a square sealing formation. No one could break through its barrier!
Molten fire covered the ground, and a barrier sealed the sky. The skeletons were immune to both magic and physical attacks!
Damn it!
Was there really no way out? How could this be possible?!
Whip! Whip! Whip! Whip!
The four Nightmare Skeletons hacked at Chen Mo relentlessly. Fortunately, his footwork was incredible; no matter how they attacked, they couldn’t land a single blow.
But the ring of fiery chains was shrinking fast—from twenty meters, to fifteen, to ten, and now barely five!
Soon, even if the Nightmare Skeletons’ axes couldn’t hit him, the molten fire on the ground would burn him to death!
No. There had to be a way to break this deadlock!
Watching the fiery chains close in, Chen Mo suddenly understood.
What a fool he’d been!
The Nightmare Skeletons were invincible inside the square formed by the chains. That didn’t mean they were invincible outside it. If he couldn’t break through the formation, he could knock a Nightmare Skeleton out of it—then find a chance to kill it!
Phoenix’s Claw! Invincible Inch Force!
Ignoring the damage from the molten ground, Chen Mo drove his fist forward!
The punch was packed with a concentrated, explosive force. He wasn’t trying to kill the skeleton with it. He meant to use the sudden burst of power and the force of the flames to knock it away, opening a gap so he could finish it off!
Heatwave Punch!
Kyaaah—
The Phoenix cried out again!
It seemed that whenever he unleashed the Phoenix’s Claw at full strength, he triggered a hidden Phoenix attribute.
But these Nightmare Skeletons weren’t fools. All four attacked at once, releasing Soul Harvest and merging their powers into a flaming hand of souls that seized Chen Mo’s Invincible Inch Punch!
Boom!
A violent collision rang out. The skeletons lost no health, while Chen Mo’s dropped by 2,000 HP in an instant!
Luckily, Chen Mo was tough as nails, and Kill Mode had raised his health to a whopping 40,000. Any other, slightly weaker Evolver would probably have been killed on the spot.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The Phoenix’s Claw clashed again and again with the hand of souls. At this rate, even 40,000 HP wouldn’t be enough to keep him alive!
At the critical moment, Chen Mo remembered the equipment he’d just picked up: a Skeleton Round Shield, with a 15% chance to block any magical or physical attack!
Nothing to lose by trying!
Chen Mo raised his other hand, gripping the round shield, and rammed it hard into the skeleton’s chest.
Bam!
The Nightmare Skeleton flew backward like a ping-pong ball, but the fiery chains still connected it to the others. The remaining three hurriedly yanked on the chains, trying to haul it back!
Hah!
As if Chen Mo would let it return!
Tenfold Fire-Powered Piercing Shot!
Chen Mo hadn’t forgotten he was an archer, too. He summoned his longbow and fired ten blazing arrows at once!
The arrows pierced different parts of the Nightmare Skeleton.
-1,000 HP!
-3,000 HP!
-1,000 HP!
…
-3,000 HP!
A regular piercing shot dealt 1,000 damage. A critical strike dealt triple!
Even after taking such terrifying damage, the Nightmare Skeleton still wasn’t dead. Each one had a staggering 50,000 HP!
The Nightmare Skeleton was about to be pulled back to reform the fiery chain formation.
Hah!
A smile tugged at Chen Mo’s lips.
Explosive Flame! Detonate!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ten piercing arrows still held their flames. That was Chen Mo’s follow-up!
During the Hell-difficulty Temple Run, he had fought the Hell Three-Headed Hound nearly a thousand times a day. He’d mastered his skills inside and out—their applications, their reinvention, and their advanced uses.
Rumble!
A colossal explosion shook the air!
The Nightmare Skeleton shattered to pieces midair!
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
A dozen pleasant chimes rang out, but Chen Mo had no time to look.
Even with one Nightmare Skeleton gone, the fiery chain formation continued, reshaping itself into a triangle.
Chen Mo whipped around and swung the round shield again!
It slammed into another Nightmare Skeleton!
The skeleton tried to block with its hand of souls, but the shield’s deflection triggered, negating the attack completely!
Bam!
Another heavy blow sent the Nightmare Skeleton flying!
Up you go!
Tenfold Fire-Powered Piercing Shot!
Boom!
See you in hell!
With the special barrier of the fiery chain formation gone, Chen Mo drew his S-rank Golden Scale Twin Blades and made a simple crescent slash.
The two remaining skeletons were cleaved in half!
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
The ground glittered with loot!
Along with precious crystals, three pieces of equipment had dropped!
Red! Violet! Pink! A dazzling array of colors!
Chen Mo’s eyes lit up. Damn! A Nether God Crystal (Strength), B-rank equipment: Strength +20%!
And an A-rank piece, a Skeleton Breastplate: Constitution +100! That meant ten thousand extra health! Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic! The Skeleton Breastplate and Skeleton Round Shield were both part of the Skeleton Set!
Suppressing his drool, Chen Mo opened the Neural Map.
Pillars! Pillars!! Wherever there were pillars, there were high-level skeletons. Don’t even think about taking them—I’m claiming them all!