"Impossible! My scales!"
"How could they lose their effectiveness?" Amit, impaled by Zhang Nu's sword, was filled with disbelief.
It wasn't just the Abyssal Scales that had failed. Under normal circumstances, even without any preparation, a single stab from Zhang Nu shouldn't have caused such exaggerated damage. This one strike had taken away more than half of the powerful Hero's HP.
The reason Zhang Nu could inflict such high damage was not only due to the suppression effect of the Abyssal Scales contaminated by the Corrupted Blood but also because Amit's own defense had been weakened.
"This power! It's the power of the Evil God!"
"You possess another Evil God's power!"
Amit finally realized what was happening. He noticed that not only were the Abyssal Scales on his body infiltrated by a mysterious Evil God aura, but even his skin, flesh, and internal organs were now filled with this eerie energy.
This power, stemming from the Evil God fragment known as the Source of Corruption, was created by consuming Zhang Nu's own life force. While its offensive and defensive capabilities were not as strong as those of other Evil God fragments, it was insidiously pervasive. In theory, as long as there was enough of the Corrupted Blood, and it was pure enough, it could nullify the effects of all equipment in this world and prevent people's abilities from functioning.
Zhang Nu had seemingly launched a series of meaningless attacks with dragon breath, lightning, and various spells against Amit, which had caused no harm at all. However, in reality, during these attacks, Zhang Nu had burned a significant portion of his own life force to create a large quantity of Corrupted Blood, mixing it into the attacks and letting it all fall on Amit.
This vast amount of Corrupted Blood, produced at a great cost to Zhang Nu's life force, should have been detectable by Amit, who could have noticed the unusual drop in Zhang Nu's life force. Yet, Zhang Nu had used the Eye of Regeneration to keep his HP stable, masking the depletion.
In this way, it seemed as if Amit had been washed by a round of meaningless attacks, but in truth, he had been thoroughly drenched in the Corrupted Blood from head to toe. This pervasive energy had corroded his scales and entered his body, spreading through every inch of his flesh, organs, and bones.
By the time Amit realized this, it was too late. The Corrupted Blood was not a spell and could not be dispelled by any potion or spell. Once an ordinary person was contaminated by a drop of the vile blood, they could never rid themselves of its influence for life. Even top-tier legendary weapons, once polluted by the Corrupted Blood, would become worthless scrap, impossible to repair by ordinary means.
Amit had been thoroughly soaked in the Corrupted Blood. Now, not only were the effects of his Abyssal Scales suppressed, but his own defense had been nearly completely dismantled. This was why a single strike had caused such tremendous damage.
Zhang Nu said, "You've already lost!"
Amit, furious beyond measure, roared, "Damn you, you despicable creature! You dare to use such underhanded tactics against me!"
As he spoke, Amit's three Evil God Eyes activated simultaneously, launching another powerful soul attack on Zhang Nu, causing him minor damage.
"Still not admitting defeat?" Zhang Nu laughed heartily. "Your scales do have impressive damage absorption capabilities, but ultimately, it's just a fragment of an Evil God. Do you think that, even under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have a way to counter your defenses?"
Indeed, the Abyssal Scales were not invincible. If Zhang Nu focused the power of his four Evil God Eyes and repeatedly attacked, he could use Death's Gaze to inflict severe damage on Amit. Moreover, if Zhang Nu used the Eye of Domination to launch a direct attack, Amit would likely be unable to withstand it. The Abyssal Scales did not possess the ability to absorb psychic attacks, so Zhang Nu had no shortage of methods to deal with Amit.
Even in a head-on confrontation, Zhang Nu was confident. However, there was no need to go to such lengths when simpler methods would suffice.
Zhang Nu activated the Evil Dragon of Annihilation form, instantly transforming into a dragon over a thousand meters long, with a body composed entirely of surging lightning flames. The overwhelming power emanated from him, enveloping everything.
"Shit!"
Amit could sense that this opponent aimed to take advantage of his current weakened state to finish him off. However, being corroded by the blood of pollution, Amit's condition was extremely dire. His resistances and defenses had been eroded away, and his various innate abilities and skills were sealed and unusable. The dominance of the Corrupted Blood was evident.
Despite his innate skills being rendered useless, Amit still had some means of defense. He activated the three Evil God Eyes, creating a layer of elemental shield and a layer of soul shield. These shields, formed directly from the power of the Evil God, were incredibly strong, not inferior to S-rank defensive magic.
Yet, the next moment, the elemental dragon that Zhang Nu had transformed into descended upon him like an overwhelming tidal wave.
Realizing the severity of the situation, Amit quickly activated the Eye of Destruction, shooting out a black beam of destructive energy in an attempt to counter the oncoming torrents of lightning flames. The black energy continually destroyed and dispersed the lightning flames, but the sheer volume of lightning flames that Zhang Nu released was too much.
Amit couldn't sustain the Eye of Destruction indefinitely, so within a few seconds, he began to falter. In that brief moment, the lightning flames engulfed him. The torrents of energy flowed through his body like countless rivers, each second releasing immense energy and explosions, tearing apart the elemental shield, evaporating the soul shield, and rapidly destroying every inch of his body.
"No! Stop! Stop it!" Amit realized with horror that, in his current state, his resistance and defense were almost negligible. There was no way he could withstand such terrifying lightning attacks.
Finally, amidst his agonized screams, Amit's scales shattered completely. His body turned to charcoal, inch by inch disintegrating into ashes and vanishing into the air. Ultimately, his massive form was almost entirely pulverized into dust, and even his soul did not escape unscathed. In the end, only a few items survived. These were three eyeballs and a translucent black crystal scale. At the same time, Zhang Nu received a notification:
[You've slain a Level 6 Hero, Hero's soul +1, Legend crystal +1, Skill stone +14, Hero Leaderboard Chest +1!]
It was a success. Zhang Nu had successfully killed this powerful Hero.
In truth, Amit was not weak at all. He was the strongest opponent Zhang Nu had encountered thus far. However, from the beginning, Zhang Nu had dragged him into his divine realm, nullifying Amit's home-field advantage and securing his own.
Amit's racial talents were no less than Zhang Nu's, and he possessed the strength of a Level 6 Legend. A head-on confrontation would have required considerable effort to defeat him. But Zhang Nu had started by catching him off guard and controlling him with the Corrupted Blood. Under these circumstances, Amit stood no chance. His abilities and information had been completely exposed, rendering any tactics meaningless.
The biggest gain from this encounter was not just the three Evil God Eyes, but also a piece of Evil God Fragment and the luxurious rewards of a Hero ranked around thirties. This journey had indeed been highly rewarding.
For Zhang Nu, the significance and value of this victory were immense."