Mystic Scholar

": Getting NTR'd!"

": Light-Chaser Garden's move is too ruthless."

": There's that feeling of powerlessness when the aggrieved party sees their person being snatched away and can only clench their fists."

": Now Dark Gold Rose and Smiling Jazz are definitely sworn enemies."

Inside the palace, upon seeing the provocative video Xu Xiaoyou had so ostentatiously posted, Smiling Jazz felt a sudden surge of blood pressure. He exposed a flaw in his guard and was struck heavily by the Incurable Crown, sending him flying backward.

"Guild leader!"

"Leader, are you all right?"

Amidst the settling dust, Smiling Jazz stood up in a disheveled state. He truly had not expected that fellow to use such a tactic.

To him, things like provocations were nothing more than childish and laughable tricks; he certainly didn't care about the insult itself.

But the problem was that in such a short amount of time, nearly twenty members had lost contact one after another.

One must understand that every member of the Silent Sequence would be considered the elite of elites in any other guild. At the very least, they were substitute players from professional teams at grade 4 or higher. Every single person lost was like carving flesh from his own heart.

He didn't understand what method that madwoman had used to lead her subordinates so ghost-like and elusive, making it impossible for the alliance members he sent out to form an effective encirclement, leading them to be divided and destroyed one by one.

Furthermore, he truly could not grasp the other party's abilities.

He had been observing Dark Gold Rose's battles these past few days and couldn't understand why she could use abilities from every class.

She even used mental suggestion at grade 3, a skill only accessible to a grade 5 mind inquisitor. She must have used that very method to force the elites under him to join Light-Chaser Garden.

In Pangard, their attributes were all restricted to grade 3, making it naturally difficult to resist grade 5 mental skills. Moreover, this Dark Gold Rose was very likely a player specialized in psyche; some estimated her psyche value to be over a thousand.

While these thoughts swirled, the scepter in the Incurable Crown's hand swung down, and thunder descended from the sky.

Smiling Jazz dodged it easily, flitting rapidly through the stray arcs of electricity. As he dashed at high speed, he pressed his palms together, and countless void tentacles with purple patterns surged from behind his cloak, binding the Incurable Crown's body.

The current situation was shifting rapidly, and he had to refocus his attention on the Incurable Crown.

As a mystic scholar, he could guide the power of mystery through a medium for his own use. He didn't possess great raw combat strength himself, but by relying on the powerful traits of mystery, he stood as a top-tier magic caster in the Oasis.

Clang!

With a crisp ringing sound, a giant orange-yellow eyeball manifested behind Smiling Jazz. Slender arms made of shadow crawled out frantically, spreading like a thicket of tangled thorns.

A terrifying aura of pressure surged, making the Incurable Crown's knees buckle. The phantom of a deformed, giant bird with three legs and three eyes stepped out from behind Smiling Jazz. Wherever it passed, darkness spread. The bird's three pairs of hands held a set of scales, a codex, and a hammer—corresponding to weighing, mandate, and retribution.

"That's—!"

The alliance members present were all shocked. They had long heard of Smiling Jazz's connection with mystery. Now that they saw it with their own eyes, they still couldn't clearly see the bird's silhouette. Their vision was consumed by darkness, leaving only a massive black shadow carrying a lamp as it moved forward.

"Don't look at that monster!" someone shouted.

Clang!

Another crisp sound rang out. Someone's gaze fumbled through the layers of darkness, finally meeting a pair of orange-yellow eyes, causing cold sweat to pour out instantly.

Only then did they realize with horror that those yellow things weren't lanterns—they were the monster's eyes!

In an instant, across the virtual barrier, countless amounts of contaminated knowledge flooded into the player's mind. His mental energy was instantly depleted. He bled from all seven orifices, his mouth hanging wide as thick black fog poured out from his eyes, nose, and mouth.

Before long, the player turned into a light, withered corpse and logged out of the Oasis, his life or death unknown.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment as the trial began. Everyone couldn't help but hold their breath.

A black hand reached into the Incurable Crown's chest, pulled out a heart covered in slime, and placed it on the scales of judgment.

The gold-patterned silver scales tilted completely to one side. The pure white feather on the other side rose to the highest point, symbolizing sin that was beyond measure.

"Return!"

The giant bird let out a shrill, screeching cry. The codex in its hand flipped through pages at high speed every second, listing countless crimes. Finally, it raised the hammer high and smashed it onto the Incurable Crown's head before slowly fading into a phantom.

It seemed like a plain, unremarkable strike, but the moment time resumed its flow, a startling red number erupted over the Incurable Crown's head!

"HP -47,000! 'Three-Legged Bird?' dealt a strike to 'Incurable Crown'. The damage is determined as soul damage, triggering a critical hit!"

The Incurable Crown's health bar suddenly dropped a massive chunk. He clutched his head in agony as the soul-shattering effect forced him into a weakened state, simultaneously triggering his second stage.

The Incurable Crown was suddenly enveloped in electricity as his lightning shield was triggered. Lightning rained down across the entire field, turning players who couldn't dodge in time into charred remains on the spot.

The bodies of these dead players did not disappear. Instead, under the king's roar, they stood up again, mutating into rat-men that pounced frantically at the surroundings, clashing with the surviving players.

Meanwhile, the Incurable Crown dragged his heavily injured body back to his throne, his entire being covered by a position shield.

Smiling Jazz's aura plummeted after using the giant bird's power. He pulled his cloak tighter around himself and temporarily handed over command to the Sleeping Count. "The BOSS has entered stage two."

Beside him, the Sleeping Count took a deep look at Smiling Jazz.

"Prioritize figuring out the Incurable Crown's attack patterns in stage two. Play it safe. If anyone dares to drop the ball at a time like this..."

She knew in her heart how fragile this so-called alliance was. Once the BOSS's health hit rock bottom, countless jackals would pounce, including that Dark Gold Rose. Therefore, the guild leader planned to use a powerful finishing move to slay the Incurable Crown directly during the next opening, cutting off any possibility of it being stolen.

That group of greedy fools had no idea just how high the leader's execution threshold for lords actually was. To think they actually imagined they could compete with the Silent Sequence for the kill—how ridiculous.

The kill of the Incurable Crown could only belong to the Silent Sequence!

The sounds of slaughter reached all the way to the distant city walls. As if sensing something, General Belisa, who was locked in combat with Angelina, raised her head and let out an earth-shaking roar.

The female general suddenly kicked Angelina away while thrusting her double-edged spear to repel the charging Yan Ze. With her right hand, she tore the cats off her body and hurled them toward the city wall with a boom.

"No, she's trying to run!" Yan Ze shouted, his mind reeling from a wave of dizziness.

Angelina's gaze was sharp and cold. She took a step forward, and her lance shot out, instantly piercing through the female general's chest, collapsing several walls before pinning her to the ruins.

She thought this would enrage the opponent, but instead, a cold, sharp gaze met hers from beneath the mask. The general's breathing turned into a hissing steam through the gaps in her helmet. She reached out with her right hand and violently ripped the standard-issue lance out, bringing with it a fountain of blood.

The female general didn't even look back. She turned and exerted force through her legs, shattering the ground in an instant. She turned into a meteor rising into the sky, streaking rapidly toward the distance.

The members of the King's Clan were momentarily stunned.

The monster that had just been sworn to tear them into pieces had just... reset its aggro and run away?

Yan Ze was the first to snap out of it, his pupils shrinking. "No, the direction that fellow is heading... is the palace!"