Volume 5: Protracted War Chapter 32: Overcoming the Tribulation
The "heavenly calamity" is rapidly brewing and may suddenly come at any time. Since it is called a "calamity", it will not be so easy to survive. There will always be only a few lucky ones. This is why the Destruction Knights in the "Dead Soul Space" are so rare. The stronger the strength, the greater the power of the "heavenly calamity", and the smaller the chance of successfully surviving the calamity. Even if it is the "small heavenly calamity" that has completed its first evolution, if I remember correctly, the success rate of surviving the calamity will not be more than half. In a sense, the Destruction Knights are also "god-defying" who have broken the inherent rules of the "Dead Soul Space" and have to suffer "heavenly punishment".
The thunder has become more and more dull and frequent. Perhaps because I am close to Wu Ma, the continuous thunder seems to hit my heart. My mind is shocked and my thoughts are interrupted. Even the mental power representing life is slightly depleted. I am a bystander. Wu Ma, the "victim" at the center of the attack, is probably under greater pressure. This should be just a prelude. The purple lightning is still dancing wildly in the vortex of the rolling black clouds and has not struck down. The "heavenly tribulation" has not officially begun. How powerful it will be when the time comes, and whether Wu Ma can withstand it, I can't estimate.
If I had to face the "heavenly tribulation", I would never choose to escape. If it was Taotao who faced the "heavenly tribulation" when he transformed into a dragon, I would not retreat either. But now it is Wu Ma who is facing the "heavenly tribulation", and it is very likely that Wu Ma will evolve into a knight of destruction. I can't help but hesitate. I must weigh the pros and cons in advance and think clearly. Should I stand by and watch, leaving everything to fate and relying on Wu Ma's own luck, or should I lend a helping hand in a critical situation, help Wu Ma resist the "heavenly tribulation" together, and share the risk of the tribulation? This is a serious matter, and I can't make a decision blindly.
There is not much mention about the Destruction Knights in the Undead Creatures Encyclopedia. Without exception, they are butchers with blood on their hands, destroying countless lives. They cannot be created out of thin air, but can only be transformed from the Dark Knights or the Terror Knights - even among the undead, no one is a natural killer. The reason for this alienation phenomenon is that they are overly stimulated, resulting in a huge change in their mentality, and their behavior completely violates the rules and principles that the Undead Knights should follow.
Generally speaking, the Destruction Knight should have a dark, shameful, or even miserable past. Take Wu Ma for example. He unfortunately lost his mount in the battle, and lost the honor and dignity of an Undead Knight. He was killed by everyone and despised by his peers. Although he was lucky enough to meet me and survive, he was only of some use in the initial short period of time. As I had more and more available men, he became less and less important. Even though he later regained his mount and barely regained his status as a Dark Knight, it did not bring him any benefits. As the only acquired knight in the Dark Knight Corps, his physiological defects and lack of strength made him still despised and rejected by other Dark Knights, and he was bullied everywhere and looked inferior. In the end, he ended up being left alone by me, becoming an "idle person" who was not cared for or noticed. In the vast world, it seemed that there was no value for his existence.
Perhaps it was precisely because of the stimulation of these "inhuman" treatments that Wu Ma's mind was distorted, and he became cynical and chose to kill and devour madly to enhance his strength. I had noticed this change in him before, but unfortunately I didn't pay enough attention to him and didn't connect him with the growth process of the "undead public enemy" Destruction Knight. Now such a change has suddenly occurred. For me, I really don't know whether it is a blessing or a curse.
It is true that the Destruction Knight has strong power and unlimited growth potential. It should be a powerful helper, but it is also a time bomb buried beside it, which means great trouble. The name of "Public Enemy of the Undead" is not for nothing. According to the relevant records of the "Encyclopedia of Undead Creatures", it is definitely a rat crossing the street, and everyone wants to kill it. As its owner, if I want to protect it, it means that I will almost be an enemy of the entire undead world. At that time, it will help me, or I will save it. It is really hard to imagine now. There is too little information for reference, so I can't estimate the dangers I will face in the future.
Without giving me time to think, the "Heavenly Tribulation" finally started. In an instant, there were lightning and thunder, and the sky and the earth shook, as if it was going to destroy everything. Just looking at the momentum, it was definitely better than the "Heavenly Punishment" I had faced before - after all, it was launched by the "Law Enforcer" Santos alone. Human power is limited, but the sky and the earth are endless, so the power is naturally not on the same level.
I drove away the Red Stars, and they were useless in the face of the "Heavenly Tribulation". I was still hesitant, undecided about what to do, and subconsciously stayed where I was, not fleeing far away. The power of the "Heavenly Tribulation" naturally affected me, but I had already used the "Three Shields to Protect the Body", and the focus of the attack was not on me, so I didn't suffer much damage for the time being, but was shaken by the thunder and felt a little dizzy.
Since it was hatched, Wu Ma has been standing quietly, motionless, facing the "heavenly calamity" that is coming, it silently endures it, but changes its posture, raises its head to the sky, crosses its shield in front of its chest, and raises its saber in its right hand, pointing directly to the sky, as if to show its fearlessness, and as if to respond to the challenge of heaven. If you can't destroy others, then you should be destroyed yourself. Perhaps this is the origin of the name of the Destruction Knight. Compared with my past actions, perhaps the Destruction Knight is the real "god-defying person", despising or even ignoring all rules.
The thunder grew louder and the lightning became more frequent, while the originally steady body of Wu Ma began to shake gradually, showing that the blow it was bearing was getting heavier and heavier. Although I didn't know much about "Heavenly Tribulation", the vortex was still turning rapidly and the shrouded black clouds were still thick. It should last for a relatively long time. Now Wu Ma could hardly bear it anymore, and the outlook was not optimistic.
As the situation developed, it seemed to be getting more and more unfavorable to Wu Ma. I was constantly wavering whether to rescue him or not, because I couldn't confirm what it meant to me to have a Destruction Knight. If Wu Ma could successfully survive the calamity, it was God's help, and I naturally had nothing to say. But if I were to get involved in the "heavenly calamity", I would first have to take on a huge risk. As the saying goes, the power of God is unpredictable, and no one knows what kind of consequences will be caused. I couldn't help but weigh the pros and cons carefully. After all, the Destruction Knight is just a noun to me now. I don't know how capable it is. What kind of limitless future it has? It must be able to evolve to a higher form. As the "public enemy of the undead", and with many tests of "heavenly calamity", is this possible? I don't have much confidence.
The power of the "Heavenly Tribulation" has been fully exerted. Wu Ma's body is shaking more and more. He almost fell to the ground several times. Even I was forced to retreat repeatedly to avoid being knocked down by the thunder. I don't care too much about the lightning. They seem to have crosshairs and always strike Wu Ma. The occasional residual power is offset by the "Lightning Cloak" I wear - this was distributed when I slayed the dragon. It was used to cross the "Thunder Frog Swamp". It was left as a souvenir afterwards. Now it comes in handy. Otherwise, I really have to stay away. The lightning beam is getting thicker and thicker. I'm afraid it's not so easy to bear it. It's really hard for Wu Ma to endure it until now. If it was the Horror Giant Bear Knight, he would have been struck into charcoal long ago. It seems that at least in terms of magic defense, the ability of the Destruction Knight is far superior to that of the ordinary Horror Knight.
It's a pity that the will is there but the strength is not enough. Wu Ma seems to have reached the end of his strength. Perhaps it is because he evolved from the Dark Knight and has poor innate qualifications. He seems unable to hold on by his own strength. Although he still tries to stand upright under the bombardment of thunder and lightning, both he and the horse are shaky and it is obvious that he cannot survive.
"Boom", another round of thunder and lightning, Wu Ma was finally knocked to the ground, but his body did not leave the mount, slapping the skeleton horse, struggling to get up again, even though he knew he would fail, he was still unwilling to give up, life would not stop, fighting. Seeing Wu Ma's lonely and helpless but still unyielding figure, I finally couldn't help it, it is a blessing, not a disaster, it is a disaster that cannot be avoided, since Wu Ma evolved into a knight of destruction, it means that this is God's will, as its master, I must face all of this, if I want it to truly grow into a tyrannical existence that can destroy the world, how can I ask for it without paying first?
He quickly raised his left hand and activated the "Touch of Death" to wrap around Wu Ma's body, not to attack but to assist in defense. He wrapped it up layer by layer, and relying on the protective ability of the artifact, this round of attack by "Heavenly Tribulation" was fruitless. Wu Ma stood up tenaciously again.
It temporarily eased Wu Ma's crisis, but my situation was not good. My rash intervention violated the prohibition of " Heavenly Tribulation ". Thunder roared all over my body, and several lightning bolts struck down continuously. Its quick reaction and strong power were beyond my expectation. I felt that the momentum was even stronger than that against Wu Ma. Not only did the three "Undead Shields" protecting my body break, but I also fell to the ground with black eyes and almost unconscious. Fortunately, the "Lightning Cloak" offset part of the lightning attack, which only paralyzed my body and limbs, and did not turn into charcoal immediately. This is too bullying. Although my magic resistance may not be as good as Wu Ma's, I can't vent all my anger on me, a helper, which is even more cruel than dealing with the main person.
Maybe it used up all its energy on me, so the next round of attacks on Wu Ma seemed a little weak, and only offset the protection of my "Touch of Death", and did not hurt Wu Ma, and his body did not even shake. With this little time, I recovered and quickly activated "Touch of Death" to protect Wu Ma layer by layer. Its broken body could not withstand a few more blows. Although I was a little embarrassed, dizzy and numb, the actual damage was not serious, and I could still hold on for the time being.
Perhaps it sensed that I was stronger at the moment, the "Heavenly Tribulation" slowed down its attack on Wu Ma and shifted its focus to me. The swirling clouds rolled, the thunder rolled, and the lightning bolts shuttled, all coming straight at me. I don't know if it happened to be the moment when the "Heavenly Tribulation" was most powerful, but it felt that the attacks were getting more and more fierce, and the damage was getting heavier. Even the "Lightning Cloak" was hit by several consecutive bucket-thick lightning bolts, which exceeded the maximum damage it could withstand, and it was immediately shattered into pieces and turned into wisps of flying ashes. If it is bombarded a few more times like this, I am afraid that I will be annihilated instead of Wu Ma.
"Death Touch" cannot be withdrawn. Since I have intervened, I cannot give up easily. Wu Ma is even more vulnerable than me. Without the protection of "Death Touch", he will definitely die. But I can't just passively take the beating like this. I am just a mortal body and can't hold on for too long. The so-called attack is the best defense. I can only try to attack instead of defend, and use my strongest attack skills to see if I can use external forces to disperse the vortex cloud that formed the "heavenly tribulation".
I didn't intend to use the "ghost fire". Under normal circumstances, it is indeed my most powerful skill. However, in the "dead space", especially in the zombies' sphere of influence, the "mental attack" launched by the three zombie kings can be called my "killer move". As soon as I thought about it, the other three zombie kings responded immediately. In a short time, their spirits were connected together. Taking advantage of the gap between the "heavenly tribulation" and fiercely "stabbed" the vortex in the air.
"Boom", I felt dizzy, everything went black, and I lost all consciousness. When I woke up, I was lying on the ground. Although the posture was not elegant, as long as I was still alive, it was fine. I hurriedly checked my status. I only had one third of my mental strength left, so I was not in danger for the time being. Because I temporarily lost consciousness, the "Touch of Death" was automatically retracted, but Wu Ma was still standing there, and was not defeated by the "Heavenly Tribulation".
Using "mental attack" to fight against "heavenly tribulation" seems to have surprisingly good effect. Although I paid a heavy price, "heavenly tribulation" did not gain any advantage. The black cloud became a little thinner, the vortex's rotation speed also slowed down a little, the thunder and lightning's momentum was not as strong as before, and its power seemed to be gradually weakening. I originally wanted to be more cautious and continue to consume it, but the time for resurrection was approaching. If I delayed, I was afraid that Wu Ma would suffer another loss alone, resulting in all my previous efforts being wasted. I gritted my teeth and hit it with another "mental attack". The same scene was played out again, but this time the dizziness was shorter, and there was less than 10% of my mental power left, which was very dangerous . Of course, the harvest was not small. The black cloud was dissipating quickly, the vortex was shrinking rapidly, and the thunder and lightning were no longer as powerful as before, and could only occasionally make one or two weak groans.
The "heavenly calamity" completely disappeared, and with the help of my master, Wu Ma finally survived the calamity and became a true Knight of Destruction!
