Chapter 287: Cheng Tian's Fake Wild Dad
Facing Dalles, who was in a self-induced frenzy, Cheng Tian's burning skull suddenly emerged again from the Hell Serpent's cockpit. His gleaming cranium then erupted with astonishing light, and a small flying serpent, woven from light and shadow, shot out from his forehead, smashing into the BOSS unit, who was instinctively shielding his eyes from the blinding glare.
Light revealed his HP bar, and shadow displayed his MP bar; Dalles's more detailed character panel was then generated.
[Dalles (Root of Demonic Power): Leader Template. Demon-Human, Demon Mage. HP = 5000 / 5000 (Root of Demonic Power, HP doubled), MP = 4667 / 5000 (Root of Demonic Power, MP doubled). Strength 50, Agility 42, Spirit 50, Charisma 48.]
[Demonic Traits — Root of Demonic Power Host, Triple Demonic Body (Incomplete), Dark Demonic Arts, Incomplete Fusion (Negative)]
Due to the hasty fusion with the already incomplete Root of Demonic Power under Cheng Tian's threat, and without the true power of the Black Pearl as a mediating agent, Dalles's current form was a far cry from the perfect state he had envisioned.
If he had achieved his true perfect state, he would not only have been able to push his body to the extreme in all four attributes but also break through the limits of those extremes, truly reaching the next realm.
Yet, even so, Cheng Tian would not underestimate him. In the Ys Origin worldview, where any spellcaster knows how to use a magic shield, Dalles could be directly considered a BOSS unit with a maximum of ten thousand HP, and what's more, this BOSS was the type with multiple HP bars.
This refers to the "Triple Demonic Body" in his Demonic Traits.
Under normal circumstances, Dalles, in his perfect demon-human form, would have three HP bars. However, this trait now had a "(Incomplete)" suffix, leading Cheng Tian to estimate that he was most likely missing one form.
Though it would be difficult, it wasn't entirely unwinnable, provided that the Hell Serpent he was controlling could still hold up.
However, just as both sides were about to officially engage, Cheng Tian suddenly felt an indescribable palpitation, almost instinctively looking towards the White Tower.
Almost simultaneously, the powerful magic belonging to the Twin Goddesses suddenly erupted from within the White Tower!
A certain image flashed through Cheng Tian's mind, and he unhesitatingly maneuvered the Hell Serpent into a giant serpent tail whip, turning around and charging back towards his own White Tower!
Although its appearance was similar to a giant serpent, it was, after all, a siege machine used for mining. Its ground speed was even faster than its subterranean speed.
There was no S-shaped movement; it charged in a straight line, its wide-open mouth pulverizing every obstacle in its path, leaving behind only an extremely wide fiery trail on the ground.
Cheng Tian's sudden act of fleeing stunned Dalles, who was already overflowing with killing intent, for a moment. His already maxed-out rage meter then spiked even higher.
A sudden thought struck Dalles; he recalled the situation that Axe Man Kishugar had encountered earlier. In a scene that should have been a battle, the opponent had unhesitatingly chosen to flee… At this moment, the burning skull emerging from the serpent's head merged with Cheng Tian's hateful face.
It was you?
It really was you!
"Orange Knight! You coward! You wretch! You choose to flee! You dare to show your back!? How much do you despise my existence!? How can you so blatantly disregard my threat!?"
Even Dalles, who hadn't truly broken down upon seeing his ugly form after being forced to fuse with the incomplete Root of Demonic Power, was genuinely broken down at this moment.
Originally, he had indeed been both suspicious and expectant of Cheng Tian.
After all, legendary status was indeed quite rare.
But as much as he had expected Cheng Tian then, all of that had now transformed into resentment towards Cheng Tian.
Dalles crossed his arms, conjuring a magic circle by hand. Intense flames condensed within it, forming an enormous fire elemental sphere. Since there was no additional interference, the magic condensed smoothly, and its power directly rose to the maximum Dalles could achieve. Then, with a raised hand, he slammed it fiercely onto the back of the Hell Serpent.
In a sense, Cheng Tian himself had become one of Dalles's obsessions. Despite knowing that both the Hell Serpent and Cheng Tian clearly possessed fire attributes, he still chose to use fire magic. This clearly indicated that he wanted to crush his opponent at their strongest point, and only then could his extremely frustrated mood be released.
However, something even more infuriating for Dalles soon occurred.
Cheng Tian, controlling the Hell Serpent, neither resisted nor dodged, simply allowing the scorching fireball to smash into his machine!
A small mushroom cloud immediately rose into the air.
Many demonic units caught in the aftermath were instantly reduced to ashes... But amidst the intense firelight, the Hell Serpent steadfastly charged out again.
Clear signs of melting had already appeared on the serpent's body. It was evident that this version of Dalles's Gaia Energy Cannon had breached the Hellfire's defenses, but it hadn't caused a fatal wound.
Not only that, but the already melting areas were actually moving and healing on their own, like slime. They had already been fully repaired during the advance, and no trace of the impact could even be seen—
Hellfire Reshaping!
The Ghost Rider not only possessed the ability to enchant items, mounts, and vehicles but could also adjust their appearance to a certain extent. This act of using Hellfire to repair vehicle damage, while temporarily lowering the vehicle's durability limit, could also maintain the vehicle's usability to the greatest extent throughout.
Additionally, because Cheng Tian was driving the vehicle, some of his own attributes would be synchronized with the vehicle. And Cheng Mouren's fire resistance had already reached a value of 55%.
As long as Dalles remained stubborn and continued to attack the Hell Serpent with fire magic, Cheng Tian could continue to ignore his existence.
The battlefield situation changed too quickly—the collapse of the Black Tower, Dalles's transformation, Cheng Tian's retreat—all of this left the players present dazzled.
However, some perceptive players realized the problem and immediately chose to retreat as well.
If their own people could use this mechanical fire-breathing serpent to steal the enemy's tower, did that not also mean that others could steal their own tower?
Sure enough, problems arose at the White Tower of the Twin Goddesses' faction.
The combined old-timer duo of Saul and Sion, who had originally been in an advantageous position, were both injured because they had been ambushed by "their own side"—
Yug Fact, who exuded ominous magic, and Tor Fact, who looked conflicted but whose body was not obeying him.
Meanwhile, inside the first floor of the White Tower, sisters Leah and Fina were jointly controlling the suspended Black Pearl, erupting with magic to resist a middle-aged man who was shrouded in ominous magic and whose appearance was very similar to both Yug and Tor.
"Lady Leah, Lady Fina… your magic, which has barely changed for a hundred years, has actually risen to this level. Is this all thanks to the so-called illegitimate son Yug spoke of?"
The dignified, black-armored, black-robed middle-aged man spoke proactively, his tone carrying respect but also an extremely forceful, aggressive air.
He was the chief of the Six Priests, the biological father of Yug and Tor, and the wild dad corresponding to Cheng Mouren's false identity—
Cain Fact.