Volume 6: Fighting for the World Chapter 259: Mutation
Another point is the most critical and what worries me the most. The challenge for the "magma cave mouth" is life-threatening. If you are unwilling to admit defeat and withdraw from the challenge when the situation is unfavorable, the only outcome is a fight to the death, and you can't give up at any time. According to the relevant rules of the "magma cave mouth" battle, in order to maximize the fighting spirit and courage of the participants and sharpen their tenacious will to fight hard, once the challenge officially begins, there is only one chance to admit defeat every twelve hours, and the rest of the time must persist in fighting. The reason given is also high-sounding and there is nothing wrong with it - the initiator of the challenge can only be the Hell Dragon or other top-level alien undead occupying the low-energy "magma cave mouth", and there is only one chance to actively challenge the same opponent. Since you dare to provoke a war, you must have considerable confidence in your own strength. The strength of undead of the same level will not be too different, and there should be no problem in persisting for twelve hours. Under normal circumstances, this is indeed the case, but if Hades, the king of the Hell Dragon, is involved, it is very likely to cause abnormal phenomena. There were dozens of lower-level tenth-level Hell Dragons, and the one occupied by Let'diva was only the "magma cave entrance" ranked around tenth in this area, which was not very good. Why did that Tambizi choose it to challenge? In the area controlled by Hades, he was always lurking in the dark, watching, I had to be cautious and be careful, and I couldn't pin my hopes on coincidence.
Due to the rules, Hades could not directly intervene in the challenge of the "Malta Cave|Mouth". If it was really a conspiracy designed by him, the specific target of implementation would definitely fall on Tambizi. Let's not know much about this opponent who took the initiative to challenge him. He only had a general understanding that he should be an alien hell dragon evolved from the alien volcanic undead. He was very low-key in his behavior and had been practicing hard. He did not like to interact with other hell dragons in the same area. The specific age of the dragon was unknown, but according to what Let's learned from chatting with other hell dragons in the past, he must be at least two or three hundred years older than Let's. It may be because of his poor qualifications that his strength has improved slowly. So far, he has only occupied the "Malta Cave|Mouth" ranked around 17th or 18th. Choosing to challenge Let's not be a normal behavior on the surface. The difference in strength between the two sides is not too big, and there is a possibility of victory, which is not very abrupt. Moreover, the higher-ranked Hell Dragons are all older and stronger old guys. Even Leted Ivar does not have the confidence to defeat them alone. It is reasonable for Tambizi to choose it as the challenge target.
But in my opinion, the more I think about it, the more suspicious it seems. Unless that Tambizi is really a blockhead who is oblivious to the outside world and is not aware of the recent changes, otherwise, knowing that Let'diva has been conquered by me, he can join forces with me to fight. With an extra helper, it will naturally be more difficult to win. Will he still insist on challenging Let'diva? With its usual low-key style, it should be more cautious and choose to challenge the Hell Dragon that occupies the "magma cave mouth" ranked one or two lower. It will definitely be more certain. Moreover, Hades knows my methods. If Tambizi is defeated, he will definitely not be able to escape my clutches and will be forcibly conquered by me. Although Hades cannot control the independent will of the Hell Dragons on the surface, with its authority as the Hell Dragon King, facing the lower-level Hell Dragon of level 10 that obeys its direct leadership, it should still have the ability to make Tambizi miss Let'diva and choose to challenge other Hell Dragons. According to its style and methods, it will definitely not let the weak Hell Dragon take the initiative to deliver itself to me to take advantage. Could it be that the challenge for the throne has not yet ended, and Hades has no time to take care of it, so Tambichi took advantage of it? I immediately shook my head. No, Hades has always been very wary of me. Even if he is temporarily unable to deal with me, he will never ignore my affairs and make such a mistake.
Light Dyvar is still too young. He has been focusing on his own growth. He didn't spend too much time to understand the situation in the Hell Dragon Clan, so he knows very little. After signing the "Soul Contract" with me, he was rejected by other Hell Dragons and cut off all contact with him. He lost his source of intelligence and could not provide me with much specific information. He didn't even know the basic abilities of Tambizi, whether he focused on attack or defense, and how fast he was. He had almost no idea, so I couldn't formulate a suitable tactic in advance. If Hades was really behind the scenes, he knew the details of Light Dyvar and me, but we didn't know Tambizi's strengths and abilities, so we were at a disadvantage from the beginning.
At this point, the other party has taken the initiative to provoke a war. I cannot lose without a fight. No matter how worried I am, I can only bite the bullet and move forward, and I must strive to win. Even if I take the initiative to admit defeat and avoid death when I see that the situation is not good, once I lose the war, I will lose the "magma cave|mouth" I currently occupy and exchange it with the winning party. This will inevitably affect the growth of Lete's Ivoire, which is very unfavorable to my expansion plan in the "Hell Volcano". It may delay a lot of time, which is definitely not what I want to see. The date of accepting the challenge was set on February 10th. I tried my best to adjust the status of Lete's Ivoire and I. At the same time, I strengthened training and practiced effective tactics that could be used when only Lete's Ivoire and I fought together, further increasing the tacit understanding between the two of us. I also took advantage of these few days to consider various unfavorable situations that might be encountered, and came up with ways to deal with them one by one, so as not to be caught off guard by sudden changes and lead to an unfavorable outcome.
I also saw the true appearance of Tambizi when we agreed on the specific time of the challenge. Even among the alien hell dragons, its appearance is quite different. Unlike other hell dragons, it has dozens of bone spurs on its body, like a big hedgehog. The length of the bone spurs in different parts of the body is also different. The longest one is more than one meter, mostly distributed on the head, back and tail, with sharp tips, which should be used for attack. The shortest one is about one foot, mainly distributed on the abdomen, which is relatively dense. The top of the bone spurs is scattered into sheets. If they are opened together, it seems to be covered with a layer of bone armor, which should have a certain protective effect. No wonder Tambizi has always been low-key and rarely interacts with his kind. According to the aesthetics of the hell dragon, it is really ugly. It is probably because of its inferiority complex and is embarrassed to show up. Excluding the visual impact of the bone spur, Tambizi's body shape is similar to Let's Ivory Coast, but he seems to be deliberately hiding, and every move is very careful, so I can't guess how agile he is and how fast he moves. However, Let's Ivory Coast intuitively feels that Tambizi's agility is at least not inferior to his, and it is probably difficult to get rid of the opponent's entanglement with speed alone, which adds to my ominous premonition - without the advantage of speed, it means it is difficult to effectively dodge Tambizi's attack, and I have to fight hard with my opponent. If Hades's shadow is really behind this challenge, then even if Let's Ivory Coast wants to survive twelve hours and voluntarily admit defeat, it may not be possible to do it smoothly. I don't know what Tambizi or Hades is thinking. Just want to seize the "magma cave" occupied by Let's Ivory Coast to curb its growth? Or do they have other calculations and are sure to kill it in one fell swoop?
The days before the challenge were as calm as usual. I specially arranged for Kekexili to monitor Tambizi's actions. I reduced the time I spent soaking in the "magma cave" every day and tried my best to adjust my state. These were all normal behaviors before the challenge. I didn't find anything abnormal. Hades didn't show up, and there was no sign of it secretly interfering. I guess even if there was a conspiracy, it had been arranged in advance, and I wouldn't be able to see any clues or preparations. Everything can only be seen after the official start of the war.
The agreed challenge time was 00:00 on February 10th. After a good rest and recuperation, I went online half an hour in advance and appeared at the "Hell Magma Pool". Let's go there. Under its guidance, we dived into the "Hell Magma Pool" and went to the place where the challenge was officially held - a dedicated independent space deep in the "Hell Volcano". Only by directly participating in the challenge, as a necromancer, can I temporarily not be affected by the hot magma, swim in the magma flow, feel the warmth all over my body, and not damage my mental strength. Otherwise, even if I was equipped with the top-level "Fire Unicorn Horn Cloak", it would be impossible to go deep into the deep space of the "Hell Volcano".
Everything was red. The interior of the special challenge space was very spacious. The four sides and the top were endless. It should have adopted the "space expansion" technology, so there was enough space for us to fight. Tambiqi was already waiting for us here. He stayed aside with his eyes closed and concentrated. He was indifferent to our arrival and did not say anything. He was really a loner by nature and did not like to talk much. I suspected that it might be Hades's lackey. I had no intention of getting close to it. After adapting to the environment, everything was the same as the outside world. It did not have any adverse effects on me. It was just that the terrain in the challenge space was flat, and there was no protruding object for hiding and covering. This was particularly disadvantageous for me. It was impossible to deal with Tambiqi with the help of the terrain as before. There were no other undead subordinates for me to replenish my mental strength. There was not much room for me to take shortcuts. It was clear that I could only fight Tambiqi head-on, and each of us would speak with strength.
Not long after, the challenge countdown began. The two sides were about 500 meters apart, facing each other. I stood behind Let'd'Ivoire, waiting for the battle to officially begin. When the time limit was up, there was no delay. Tambizi rushed over first. As expected, just as Let'd'Ivoire had judged, his speed was faster than his, and his flexibility was probably not bad either. It might not be so easy to delay time by using guerrilla evasion tactics. Let'd'Ivoire also rushed over, and I slowly retreated. I didn't want to participate in the battle for the time being. I let Let'd'Ivoire test Tambizi's true strength first, and see what level he reached before making any plans.
A powerful head-on collision during high-speed flight, a method of attack that the Hell Dragon used to rely on its strong body. Neither side was willing to give in. First the head, then the back, and then the two tails collided, all of which were the hardest parts of the body, making a loud bang. Tambizi paused and shook a few times, but Let's Ivory Coast staggered and was forced to retreat a few steps, obviously not as strong as him. Let's Ivory Coast rushed forward again, unwilling to accept it. After a few rounds of fighting, he did not gain any advantage, and was always calmly repelled by Tambizi, which made me more and more worried. Fast movement speed, flexible movements, great strength, strong defense ability, even older age, and more mental strength, in comparison, Let's Ivory Coast did not have any advantage. Such a Hell Dragon actually only occupies the "Magazine Hole|Mouth" ranked 17th or 18th, giving people the impression of poor qualifications. That can only mean that it has been deliberately hiding its strength before. A Hell Dragon will suppress its instinctive desire for growth and evolution, and have such intentions, and choose to challenge Let's Ivoire at this sensitive time. It is almost certain that it has evil intentions and is instructed by Hades to oppose me this time.
Let's not be a match for Tambizi alone. Both are fire-attributed undeads with strong fire resistance. Only physical attacks can cause great damage to each other, but Tambizi's head, back and tail are covered with sharp bone spurs, which have additional damage effects. Every time they come into contact, Let's suffer a little loss and are restrained everywhere. After a few tentative attacks in the early stage, Tambizi has begun to boldly let go and attack, and his movements are more flexible than Let's, forcing it to be stretched and exhausted, and not much power to fight back. If this continues, Let's will definitely be defeated. I dare not stay out of it, and rushed to the vicinity of the battle circle. Facing the lower-level tenth-level Hell Dragon, the flying speed is relatively fast. "Touch of Death" and "Dead Scepter" can't play a big role. I can only use "Primary Puppetry" to contain Tambizi and buy Let's buy some time to dodge. Although Tambizi was stronger than Let'diva, his level was still lower than level 10, and his mental resistance was not much stronger. He would also be affected by the "Primary Puppetry" that I had practiced to five-star proficiency, and would be absent-minded for a moment, which was enough for Let'diva, who was in tune with my mind, to effectively dodge most of the attacks and not suffer too much damage. With my help, the battle situation eased slightly. Let'diva had no hope of turning the situation around and was still at a disadvantage, but he was not forced into a too embarrassing situation. Tambizi turned to attack me several times, but I used "Blood Bat Transformation" in time to dodge. I have accumulated rich experience in this regard. The Hell Dragon is not an undead race known for its speed and agility. With careful precautions, it can't threaten me.
If Tambizi's ability is limited to this, it can definitely defeat the combined forces of me and Let's Ivory Coast, but it can only seize the right to use the "magma cave entrance" by force, but it is impossible to kill Let's Ivory Coast within twelve hours. As long as we survive the time limit and voluntarily admit defeat, we can keep ourselves safe and not be in danger of life. However, I still feel a little guilty. I don't believe that Hades arranged such a challenge just to seize Let's Ivory Coast's "magma cave entrance" ranked around tenth. Every design it made before would threaten the personal safety of me or the volcanic undead under its command. It has never been so "kind", which is not its style of doing things. It can only be seen that Tambizi seems to have exerted its full strength - no matter how strong it is, it is only at the lower level of level ten. The "magma caves" it occupies contain relatively low fire energy, so its growth rate will not be very fast. Even if Hades secretly supports it, it cannot be too obvious to help it grow into a fully mature body and reach the strength of a level 10 intermediate hell dragon. Even if there is a gap, it is not so big that it can kill us in one fell swoop. During the challenge, we cannot rely on external help, and Hades dare not use his own power to openly intervene. What else can Tambizi rely on to deal with me and Letediwa? Did Hades suddenly show kindness and not have the intention to kill me this time? Or did I guess wrongly, and Tambizi was not assigned by Hades to come to challenge?
Unable to use the "Touch of Death" to replenish my spiritual power, I dared not consume it wantonly, and my performance was limited. Facing the much stronger Tambizi, it was impossible for me to help Let's win. If I just passively took the beating, I could only barely hold on and not be completely defeated. If I continued to develop like this, the best result would only be that Let's lose the right to use the "Magma Cave|Entrance" ranked around tenth, and I would never expect to subdue Tambizi and gain another Hell Dragon. However, I was not willing to give up my own interests and end up in such a bleak way. I hesitated for a while, considering whether to use the backup tactics to try my best to defeat Tambizi and subdue him. It's just that I lack relevant experience, and I don't know how the actual combat effect of doing so will be. If the battle cannot be resolved within a limited time, and Tambizi takes the initiative to admit defeat when he sees that the situation is not good, it will be impossible to force him to sign a "Soul Contract", which is equivalent to a waste of time .
I was still hesitating. Tambizi had not been able to gain an overwhelming advantage, causing serious damage to Let's Ivoire, nor was it able to effectively threaten me. It seemed quite dissatisfied with the situation. After forcing Let's Ivoire to retreat, it suddenly and quickly withdrew, leaving a distance between us, and then stopped. It let out a violent roar, and its entire body suddenly glowed red, with a faint trace of black air. The skeleton that made up its body crackled and made a series of explosions, which could be clearly heard from a hundred meters away. It was obviously undergoing strange changes.
