Chapter 282: Coffins and Virtual Wings |
The front lines were tense, and so were the rears.
Harvey tore open a Snow White candy wrapper, popped a candy into his mouth, and lit a Catnip Cigarette, exhaling smoke rings that looked like sweet doughnuts.
Candy and smoke, endless joy.
“What pattern do you like?” asked Harvey.
“Violets. What kind of grave do you prefer?”
“Just sell my Corpse for a good price. The value of a Necromancer is reflected in the price of his Corpse.”
“Alright, you take the right, I’ll take the left.”
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
As Drone swarms appeared from both corners, Harvey and Annan turned and stepped into their defense zone!
The dark coffin suddenly emitted a bright green glow. From its sides, seven ethereal chains burst forth, connecting to the walls on both sides, the ceiling above, and the floor below. Between the chains, a barrier resembling soap bubbles materialized, instantly sealing off the entire corridor with the coffin and the luminescent barrier.
The coffin closed, and no machine could open it!
Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!—
The sound of Shot Bullets filled the air, crisscrossing the corridor like torrential rain. Yet, not a single bullet could harm Harvey behind the coffin. That seemingly fragile fluorescent foam was as solid as a wall of iron and copper—no bullet could penetrate the barrier!
Miracle Immortal Coffin Burial!
Although Banjeet had advised them to spend these days frivolously, Harvey was not so obedient. He had secretly prepared his weapon: this coffin.
The world often misunderstands Necromancers, thinking the Necromancy Faction is just about manipulating Corpses. This is incorrect—compared to Corpses, it is the coffin that receives most of the Necromancer’s affection.
After all, good Corpses are rare, and since Corpses are consumables that must be replaced after use, anyone with even a slight knowledge of finance knows not to invest too much in consumables. Resources should be invested in assets that can be held over the long term.
As for the corpses of exterminated dragons, Titans, and Sanctuary mages, these indeed have investment value. However, the problem is that ordinary Necromancers do not have access to such prime assets. Therefore, Necromancers turn their attention to something that can accompany them for a longer time—their beloved coffin.
The disadvantages of coffins need not be mentioned, but their advantages are almost irresistible to Necromancers: finding a good Corpse can be directly stuffed into it for transformation, Ritual Tracks can be set up on the coffin for fast spellcasting, and there is no need to carry a tent during field trips… For Necromancers, a coffin is as indispensable as beauty is to Igor.
Every Necromancer should have a coffin personally crafted by themselves; a coffin is the most worthy asset to invest in and the only fortress that can shelter a Necromancer from the elements. Without a good coffin, a good Corpse will eventually leave; with a good coffin, even a lesser Corpse can be gradually nurtured into a fine Necromancer.
It’s like buying a house when getting married—the logic is the same.
Unfortunately, when Harvey was captured, the coffin that had accompanied him for five years was confiscated by the Blood Mad Hunter, and it’s unknown which member of the sacred bloodline got it for a bargain.
After his escape from prison, being homeless under the vast Blood Moon, there was simply no room for a coffin.
It was only after arriving in the Gospel Kingdom that Harvey had time to create his own little world.
The Immortal Coffin Burial is a Miracle performed using the coffin, creating a temporary barrier Area according to the terrain. All damage is absorbed by the barrier, then dispersed through chains connected to nearby structures.
However, as a Two Wings Miracle, the Immortal Coffin Burial has an upper limit to its damage absorption. With such intense shooting by the Drone swarm, the coffin’s glowing green light grew increasingly intense, and the walls and floor connected by the chains were on the verge of collapse, indicating that the barrier was about to shatter!
Yet Harvey showed no concern at all, his hands pressed against the back of the coffin, as if feeling the heartbeat within.
“Alice, save me.”
But as the green light reached its limit, the barrier burst open with a loud explosion. And with the barrier, the coffin opened as well!
With a snap, the coffin lid fell, and from it stepped a petite Corpse radiating with necromantic green glow. A second later, a green flash streaked through the air, and the foremost Drones were blasted into oblivion!
Perhaps Shot Bullets could catch up with Alice, but the Drone’s gun barrels couldn’t turn fast enough!
Combined Miracle: Immortal Coffin Burial, Agony Awakening Ritual!
At first glance, the Agony Awakening Ritual seems utterly useless—a Miracle whose effect is that when a Necromancer suffers an unstoppable attack, they gain a layer of “Agony.” The more layers of “Agony,” the better the overall qualities of the Necromancer become. However, these “Agony” layers have a time Restriction and quickly disappear.
In other words, the more they are hit, the stronger they become.
Normally, even if a Necromancer can efficiently heal a Corpse, the Corpse can only accumulate two or three layers of “Agony,” making the enhancement effect negligible. However, when combined with Immortal Coffin Burial, the Agony Awakening Ritual ascends to the pinnacle of Necromantic Miracles.
During the casting of Immortal Coffin Burial, the Necromancer and the coffin are unified, meaning that any destructive strike against the coffin can add layers of “Agony” to the Necromancer.
The barrage of Shot Bullets from the Drone swarm broke the barrier in just a few seconds, stacking at least 100 layers of “Agony” on Alice! Although this combined Miracle has a short duration and requires specific terrain conditions, it is perfectly suited to counter these Drones.
Thinking about whether to help Annan or not, the Necromancer turned to see Annan deploying her virtual wings.
Silver Wings, Golden Wings unfolded behind her, but their color was not silver or gold, but a profound purple. The virtual wings are not for flying; instead, their tips extend into gun barrels, acting like dense artillery turrets guarding Annan’s sides.
As Annan, along with her assault rifles, opened fire on the Drone swarm, the twin wing turrets silently spewed arcane energy Shot Bullets. The dense barrage of bullets forcefully pinned the Drone swarm against the corner!
No wonder she said she could handle the rear… In a narrow corridor setting, Annan’s firepower alone was enough to suppress the entire Drone Legion!
Squeak!
Suddenly, the light fixtures above shook and fell, dimming the light slightly—such a large house naturally had lights everywhere, and it wouldn’t miss one. However, along with the falling light fixtures came two Mechanical Spiders!
Harvey managed to destroy a Mechanical Spider leaping towards him, but Annan, facing the corridor and overwhelmed by the noise of gunfire, didn’t notice another Mechanical Spider dropping down from above—
Bang!
A Shot Bullet grazed Annan’s hair. She tilted her head slightly and saw Lise, both hands on her Handgun, smoke rising from the barrel. A pierced Mechanical Spider fell at her feet, its eight legs curling up like a dead spider.
“Thanks, Lise.”
“You’re welcome.”
Annan glanced at the calm, white-haired young girl without showing any surprise and continued to maintain her firepower advantage, suppressing the Drone Legion around the corner.
But her arcane energy wasn’t infinite, and Harvey’s Alice couldn’t maintain her frenzied battle state indefinitely, while the Drones seemed endless—now, the entire city’s delivery drones had been turned into killing machines by Moonlit Harmony Home Firm.
Not to mention, every second they stayed here, the ‘Baroness Cicada’ drew closer!
Even without having met her, Annan knew they were no match for the leader of one of the top ten firms in the country!
The Breakthrough in this Battle still lay ahead on the front lines!
