Chapter 509 Corrosive Toxin

"Awooo!!!"

A long, deep wolf howl erupted from the depths of the night.

Bathed in moonlight, the pitch-black Winter Wolf landed lightly on its long, slender limbs, its mane swaying. The biting astral winds swirling around it acted like countless razor-sharp blades, kicking up a storm of shredded flesh and blood among the crowd.

The Sahuagin fared a bit better, their fine scales barely providing a layer of sturdy defense. But the Ebb Tide Gang thugs, who hadn't even earned a Class Level yet, couldn't withstand the onslaught for a single second.

Most didn't even have time to react. They only heard a wolf howl brush past their ears and caught a fleeting glimpse of a savage, pitch-black phantom. By then, their once-healthy bodies were already riddled with holes from the astral wind. They screamed, passing out from the agonizing pain.

The scenery blurred rapidly backward, but his highly concentrated focus made the target in his vision seem to move in slow motion, allowing him to sharply and clearly capture the enemy's every subtle movement.

Xia Nan's target, naturally, was the Sahuagin Priest holding the horn.

In a group battle, the enemy's core Spellcaster had to be eliminated first. This was a consensus among nearly all adventurers in this world.

He hadn't struck earlier, instead hiding his strength and observing from the shadows, simply because he was wary of the "Carrion Vulture" Gerry guarding the fishman like a bodyguard. He feared that a rash attack would trap him in a forced two-on-one situation.

Right now, Agu, the gnome Rogue from the Shield of Iron Rock Squad, had drawn the pirate leader away from the Sahuagin Priest at the cost of his own life. Xia Nan naturally wouldn't waste this opportunity.

The distance of several dozen meters vanished in an instant.

The instantaneous burst of speed granted by [Fang Hunt] didn't slow down as his Class Level grew and combat intensity increased. Instead, it became even more swift and fierce as Xia Nan's physical attributes improved.

Time seemed to freeze.

From Xia Nan's perspective, which felt close to half-speed, he could even see the thick blood dripping from the edge of Gerry's cutlass not far away, as well as the opening and closing of the fishman's fleshy gills.

He had no intention of holding back.

Given his personality and combat habits, since this was a decapitation strike, it was best to deliver a fatal blow in a single hit.

No matter what trump cards the enemy held or how rigorous their plans were, once the head was separated from the neck, everything would be reduced to nothingness.

The gray-black [Ember Fall] straight sword reflected the moonlight, its blade gathering an ochre-red energy glow. The surrounding air distorted slightly with the shift in gravity.

[Fang Hunt] + [Spinning Slash] + [Gravity Etching] + [Heavy Tide]!

The four combat techniques fused together, transforming into the strongest sword strike Xia Nan could unleash in his normal state.

At the same time, his mental focus was highly concentrated, with [Gravity Control] ready to deploy at a moment's notice.

If the Sahuagin Priest in front of him showed the slightest intent to cast a defensive spell, he would do everything possible to interrupt it from afar using gravity.

What was certain was that Xia Nan, acting on instinct under the influence of his acute Perception, had seized that fleeting opportunity in the battle.

But no matter what, the one standing on the other side of the battlefield right now was a Sahuagin Priest with a Class Level as high as Level 5, capable of using 3rd Circle Spells.

Its combat experience was incredibly rich.

Having led the fishmen to ravage the seas for so many years, whether facing adventurers or other enemies, it had countered decapitation tactics countless times.

Therefore, even though it smelled the unprecedentedly thick scent of death in the air, it didn't show any signs of panic.

Casting "Faerie Fire" and "Hold Person" in succession—two spells requiring intense concentration—was a reward for completing the Sacrificial Ritual, a special talent bestowed by its racial deity.

Although this had rapidly reduced the enemy's numbers in a short time, it also pushed the priest's mental load to its absolute limit, requiring a brief rest to adjust before it could continue casting spells.

But as a rare elite Spellcaster among the Sahuagin race, how could it not have its own life-saving trump card?

"Buzz..."

The magic particles around its body suddenly fell into disarray, and a bright yellow glare burst from its neck.

There, a necklace adorned with a small shell pendant was vibrating violently in the light.

Then, with a crisp sound like a cracking egg, it violently shattered!

The entire necklace, along with the shell pendant below it, crumbled to pieces.

The bright yellow light rapidly expanded outward from its neck.

Ultimately forming a translucent shield of pure energy around the priest's body.

The very second the shield took shape, the gray-black straight sword, brimming with forcefield energy, descended amidst the wolf howl.

"BOOM!!!"

This exaggerated strike, condensing a full four combat techniques, unleashed an instantaneous power that undoubtedly far exceeded the expected limits of Xia Nan's Class Level.

The majestic force granted by [Spinning Slash] + [Fang Hunt] pushed the sharpness and toughness of the [Ember Fall] straight sword to their absolute limits;

Plus the forcefield energy of [Gravity Etching] stacking with the bonus gravity damage of [Heavy Tide].

As the sword fell, that one-time bright yellow shield the fishman relied on as a life-saving trump card couldn't even hold on for a single second before shattering completely into countless specks of light.

Clearly not expecting Xia Nan's sword to possess such might, visible shock appeared on the Sahuagin Priest's scale-covered face.

But even so, the thoroughly shattered translucent shield had ultimately bought it a desperately brief window of opportunity to act.

Allowing the fishman to grip the horn tightly with its four arms and raise it to its lips.

It inhaled, and blew.

Dwooooot—

The sharp, piercing blare of the horn erupted abruptly.

Invisible soundwaves carrying a powerful airstream surged in all directions.

His eardrums aching from the vibration, Xia Nan—who had leaped into the air to slash downward, shattering the light shield and continuing his strike with residual momentum—only felt a gale like a maritime storm slamming into his face.

Suspended in the air with nowhere to anchor his footing, the intense airstream swept him right off his feet.

Of course, this wasn't another defensive spell used by the Sahuagin Priest.

This surging gust accompanying the horn's blast was a special ability inherent to the horn itself.

By the time Xia Nan adjusted his center of gravity midair, rapidly dissipating the force through his [Tidal Stabilization] Feat, and landed gently like a feather, the Sahuagin Priest ahead had already retreated rapidly.

Meanwhile, the "Carrion Vulture" Gerry, who had been lured away by the Rogue Agu, had already charged forward.

"Clang!"

Sparks flew!

The pirate's fiercely descending cutlass violently collided with the cold, dark shield raised to meet it.

With his robust physical attributes bolstered by multiple Secret Realms, he didn't fall at a disadvantage in the slightest—even when facing a professional adventurer a full two levels higher than himself.

Exerting only a bit of force with his left arm, he shoved the cutlass right back.

The vicious figure borrowed the momentum to step back a few paces, blocking the path to the rapidly retreating Sahuagin Priest.

With that, a single exchange concluded.

Xia Nan stared at the "Carrion Vulture" Gerry in front of him, and the Sahuagin Priest behind him.

His expression remained unchanged, but thoughts raced through his mind.

Clearly, his decapitation tactic was only half-successful.

Using the instantaneous burst from [Fang Hunt] to rapidly close the distance and catch the enemy off guard, he had combined his combat techniques into one strike to obliterate the Sahuagin Priest's trump card. However, he had still failed to kill the fishman on the spot, giving it a chance to catch its breath and recover.

How should he handle this next?

Should he continue the decapitation plan against the Spellcaster, or deal with the pirate leader in front of him first?

No!

A Spellcaster's priority should always be the highest; he still had to kill the Sahuagin Priest first!

As Xia Nan rapidly formulated his next battle strategy, the "Carrion Vulture" Gerry, not far away, suddenly spoke up.

"'Sea Fang' Xia Nan?"

"I didn't expect to run into you here."

"You shouldn't have any conflict with our Ebb Tide Gang. If this is about that incident at the wharf, I can compensate you. I can even hand over the thug who provoked you for you to deal with as you see fit."

"Let's stop here. Continuing this won't do any good for me or you."

"Or... we could talk, work out a little cooperation?"

"Gold coins, combat techniques, enchanted gear—we can discuss anything. What do you say?"

The response he received was a fierce wolf howl brimming with killing intent.

Xia Nan never wasted his breath on the dead.

"Tch."

Knowing his stalling tactic had failed, the "Carrion Vulture" Gerry gritted his teeth.

He flicked his right hand gripping the cutlass, and a dark green luster exuding a lethally sweet scent surfaced along the blade's edge.

The class he had taken was called [Corrosive Blade Marauder], an obscure variant of the [Warrior].

In terms of Strength and speed, it was inferior to the main class, but it granted special abilities involving corrosive toxins.

The green sheen rippling across the cutlass's surface carried not only a deadly toxin but also a potent corrosive effect capable of eroding any defensive gear it struck.

Based on his past battles, enemies were usually caught entirely off guard by his venomous blade due to the information gap. Not only would their gear be corroded, but their bodies would also be gradually weakened by the toxin.

Of course, since corroded equipment couldn't fetch a good price, Gerry rarely used this combat technique unless he encountered a particularly troublesome foe.

Right now, facing "Sea Fang" Xia Nan, who had already made a name for himself in Barracuda Bay, Gerry had to go all out. Even putting aside the man's terrifying record of wiping out the Horned Shark Gang's upper echelon, the sheer explosive power Xia Nan had displayed in those short few seconds was reason enough.

Facing the charging black wolf, a vicious glint flashed in Gerry's triangular eyes, and he chopped down head-on with the dark green cutlass.

"Clang!"

A crisp sound rang out.

The pirate's cutlass clashed with the pitch-black Arm Shield once again.

'Got him!'

Gerry rejoiced inwardly.

A collision of this magnitude was more than enough for the corrosive venom coating the blade to erode and soften this oddly shaped Arm Shield.

Just two more strikes—three at most—and he could completely rot away the only piece of defensive gear the man was wearing.

At that point, this "Sea Fang" Xia Nan would likely be forced to use the longsword in his hand to block, triggering a chain reaction.

After a few exchanges, once the opponent's Arm Shield, longsword, and even armor were completely corroded by the venom, his overwhelming strength wouldn't matter. Facing Gerry and his pristine equipment, Xia Nan would inevitably lose the upper hand, gradually losing control of his body as the toxin seeped in.

These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

But the very next second, the expression on Gerry's face froze.

The cutlass had indeed struck the Arm Shield solidly, and the dark green venom on the blade's edge had splashed onto the shield's surface upon impact.

Yet to his disbelief, this corrosive venom—which had never failed him before—seemed to have absolutely no effect on the pitch-black Arm Shield gleaming with cold light.

It slid off like rainwater on glass. Forget eroding or rotting it; it didn't even leave the faintest white scratch.

'Why!?'

Gerry wondered in shock.

Of course, Xia Nan would never explain to him that one of the effects of his [Darkscale Coiled Guard]—crafted primarily from the scales of a Secret Realm giant serpent—was "Corrosive/Acid Damage Immunity (Non-Legendary origin)".

In fact, he didn't even notice, nor did he care about, the petty scheming in the pirate's head.

Because his true objective wasn't the "Carrion Vulture" Gerry in front of him.

"Clang-BANG!!!"

Unlike the forced defense earlier, this time Xia Nan proactively thrust the Snake-Scale Arm Shield forward to meet the cutlass. To some extent, this was an "attack."

This also allowed him to apply [Heavy Tide] to it.

Compared to the vivid ochre-red forcefield energy of [Gravity Etching], gravity fluctuations were visually nothing more than a faint distortion of space.

Without sufficient observational skills, they were incredibly difficult to detect.

The "Carrion Vulture" Gerry didn't notice them either.

Or rather, even if he had spotted the abnormality in the air around the Arm Shield, lacking detailed information about Xia Nan's combat techniques, he wouldn't have been able to deduce the cause.

Therefore, when the Agility check for the imbalance effect triggered by the hit from [Heavy Tide] descended upon him, he was completely unprepared.

He only felt an indescribably bizarre force transmit from his right hand gripping the cutlass. It spiraled upward, spreading through his entire arm and across his entire body.

His once-steady center of gravity abruptly gave out, as if he were stepping not on solid ground, but on rolling waves.

When Xia Nan drove the Arm Shield forcefully forward into him, he was sent flying backward.

'I'm done for!'

Gerry instantly sensed disaster. He held his cutlass horizontally across his chest, kicking his legs as he tried to regain his balance in midair.

But strangely, the gray-black straight sword he expected to come slashing down again never appeared before him.

Instead, a high-pitched wolf howl rang in his ears, and a biting gale swept past him.

As if realizing something.

Gerry's pupils contracted. Acting on pure instinct, he snapped his head around to look behind him.

He saw the pitch-black Winter Wolf, its mane swaying, having already seized the opportunity to vault right past him.

Its target... was the Sahuagin Priest rapidly retreating under the cover of several elite guards!

"Damn it!!!"