Chapter 227: Blue-Eyes White Dragon
Honestly speaking, Gaskell's strength wasn't much different from Niam's, but unfortunately for him, Harrison Rivers' ancestral power was formidable. In just a few moves, he had broken through Gaskell's defenses, allowing Zhou Ning to simply go all out with his attacks.
Once Gaskell was taken down, the remaining enemies were all small fry. Zhou Ning didn't even need to lift a finger—just relying on his Conqueror's Haki alone, he cleared out the large crowd ahead of him. Only a group of recently resurrected players stood at a distance, looking at each other in hesitation, not daring to charge forward.
Watching recordings before didn't feel like much, but facing it in reality was another story—it was overwhelmingly brutal. They saw one Skeleton ally after another rush up, only to drop like they'd been struck by lightning, collapsing one after another.
Just like in novels and manga—antagonists really can't stand up to the protagonist! the players screamed inwardly.
Thud!
As the last small fry within his field of vision collapsed at his feet, Zhou Ning retracted his Conqueror's Haki and silently took a breath, keeping up the persona of someone always in complete control before his enemies.
Of course, in truth, it hadn't been nearly as easy as he appeared. [Conqueror's Haki] and [Bohemian Requiem] were both massive drains on stamina and focus. Zhou Ning's consumption was actually quite high. Luckily, after obtaining the [Legendary Physique] feat, he had a regeneration rate of 8 HP/sec and a stamina recovery rate of 8/sec, greatly improving his endurance.
He had also deliberately refrained from using his clan motto ability, because he had a vague sense that the two remaining opponents were his true threats.
Currently, in his dungeon mission, Blood and Fire and Patience and Slaughter I and II were already completed. If he was right, the last two targets should be Harrison Rivers and the mysterious researcher mentioned in the quest.
Elsewhere, Harrison Rivers and Professor Bislok were hurrying through an underground passage toward the outside.
"Gaskell's presence has vanished. Seems your enemies this time are quite troublesome. Could it be that Wayne Sturwell?" Professor Bislok said with a faint smile.
"Better if it is. As long as the two of us work together, he's dead for sure." Compared to before, Harrison Rivers' eyes now carried a faint trace of madness as he spoke in a low voice. "Will you help me or not?"
"Since our cooperation's been pleasant, I can lend a hand. But I'll say this first—don't expect me to go all out. There are too many complications on my side. If the two major churches notice, it could very well trigger a divine descent," Professor Bislok replied.
"No problem. I don't need you to risk your life—just your involvement guarantees his death," Harrison Rivers said coldly.
…
Following the direction of the two auras, Zhou Ning once again summoned Ivan Rivers, strolling casually into the manor. Before long, he stopped in his tracks, suppressing his spiritual presence and gazing calmly ahead. His Observation Haki told him that two exceptionally powerful auras had arrived nearby. Both of these people posed a definite threat to him.
At Zhou Ning's command, lion-headed, human-bodied Ivan Rivers stood before the tightly closed gate, his arms cradling a pile of potent homemade explosives.
This was the one real advantage of summoning such a powerful creature—when your own power level wasn't enough to manifest its full might, it tended to react very sluggishly, following the summoner's orders without question.
A moment later—Bang!—the gate swung open, revealing Harrison Rivers' ashen face. Beside him stood a refined-looking middle-aged gentleman.
The instant Zhou Ning saw him, he immediately recognized the man—it was him… Professor Bislok, whom he had met before!
Harrison Rivers' gaze instantly fixed on the lion-headed Ivan Rivers. His pupils shrank slightly, and he muttered under his breath, "…Ancestor?!"
At the same time—snap!
Zhou Ning lightly snapped his fingers. Ivan Rivers, without the slightest hesitation, pulled the fuse on the explosives in his arms. In an instant, his body was engulfed in crimson fire.
Boom!
With a deafening explosion, Ivan Rivers vanished into a flash of white light, while Harrison Rivers, caught at point-blank range, was left covered in soot, losing a chunk of his HP. By contrast, Professor Bislok remained mostly unscathed—he had apparently been extra cautious and never stepped forward.
A prompt popped up:
[Your homemade explosives dealt 472 damage to Harrison Rivers!]
[Your homemade explosives dealt 494 damage to Harrison Rivers!]
[Harrison Rivers has suffered Minor Burns!]
[Harrison Rivers has entered a Berserk state.]
"Sorry—your ancestor just blew up," Zhou Ning said with a smile.
"Knowledge is power!"
Before Harrison Rivers could respond, Zhou Ning activated his clan motto without hesitation, separating the ebony and ivory pistols in his hands and firing in a Reaper ult stance from Overwatch, unloading bullets toward Harrison Rivers and Professor Bislok.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several loud gunshots echoed through the manor. Harrison Rivers was hit by two Ripple Bullets, with damage numbers "-325!" and "-247!" appearing. It only left him with minor burns, but his expression turned murderous as he glared at Zhou Ning and chanted:
"Will creates miracles."
In an instant, violent flames of light surged around him!
Zhou Ning: …
This was their third fight, but it was the first time he'd seen Harrison Rivers go all out. It was obvious—this time, he was really angry.
On the other side, after taking a single bullet, Professor Bislok's figure quickly turned transparent and vanished from sight. Zhou Ning could sense he hadn't gone far—he was lurking nearby, waiting for the chance to strike a fatal blow.
With a sharp sound, Harrison Rivers shot toward Zhou Ning, chanting: "Stasis!"
Counting this one, Zhou Ning had now been hit by this move three times—but this time, it was different!
A clear white magic circle appeared beneath his feet, continuously shrinking. His movement was clearly hampered, forcing his body to falter in place.
A prompt appeared:
[You have been subjected to Harrison Rivers' Will Judgment! Your Will: 85. Enemy Will: 75. Check succeeded. You are afflicted with Minor Slow—movement speed reduced by 35%.]
Even though his Will was higher, Harrison Rivers' Will Judgment under the clan motto was practically a cheating hard CC, forcibly slowing him down.
Then, Zhou Ning saw a skull wreathed in black mist rushing toward him, radiating death and decay.
Zhou Ning remained perfectly calm. He instantly activated the Traveler's Ring, blinking a long distance away and escaping the skull's range. In one smooth motion, he kept firing Ivory at Harrison Rivers with his right hand, while his left hand slipped into his pocket, reaching for a stack of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards.
With the aid of his exceptional Observation Haki, Zhou Ning flicked his fingers gracefully, drawing precisely the card with the intricate patterns and the silver-white dragon illustration.
It was the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon," the legendary dragon in Yu-Gi-Oh! famed for its high attack power. In the Yu-Gi-Oh!: Memory World arc, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's power could rival that of a god.
He began attempting to manifest it. First try—failure. Second try—failure. Third try—still failure!
Only on the fourth attempt, when Zhou Ning lifted his hand from the card, did he finally, within the rift between time and space, touch upon a certain image.
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