NOVEL WEB Chapter 669: Struggle
The Heaven's Wrath continued to consume a large amount of Spirit Points every second. To his estimate, the consumption gets stronger whenever he hits a target multiple times that couldn't die.
Although it doesn't seem to be cost-effective, Shane continued using it and attacked the Zombie Lord. Then, as soon as the Zombie Lord was hit by another lightning strike, he used this moment to launch Spirit Chains, shackling the monster briefly, followed by a Mana Bullet into its left eye.
This had all happened almost in an instant.
Zar'Zhul howled as it couldn't counterattack at all.
But it was not done. Its wing snapped forward like a blade and caught Shane's chest.
This move took a lot of toll on its own body, but it was completely ready for the Zombie Lord in order to deal with Shane.
CRUNCH.
Shane crashed back… This time, he stumbled across the cratered ground and he felt almost coughing up blood, but he was able to swallow it in…
Still, as long as he had some Spirit Stones with him, his regeneration was just a matter of time.
Zar'Zhul then hovered above. It was also badly injured and was taking its time to recover… Nonetheless, Shane noticed that it had lost its wing's full wing function.
And Shane, despite the weariness he was feeling due to the constant battle, was still activated Meditation, drawing in ambient energy around him as his stamina recovered slowly.
It seemed such a bold move to use Meditation in the middle of the battle, but it was alright!
"Whew~"
The technique slowed his heartbeat, soothed his nerves, and even restored a sliver of stamina.
After all, with the activation of Meditatio, his Stamina Regeneration Rate increased by 75%...
Then, the Zombie Lord tried to attack Shane once again, but the Heaven's Wrath was triggered still! Because of that, the Zombie Lord had to flee…
"You have to do better than that if you want to kill me." Shane muttered as he looked at the flying Zombie Lord while still meditating.
Then, with a grunt, he disabled Heaven's Wrath.
Shane then took a few more seconds to meditate but thankfully, the Zombie Lord was also wary of him.
Still, reactivating Heaven's Wrath was probably impossible now.
His muscles screamed due to overuse of the skill... But his mind was clear thanks to his Mental Clarity, cooling his thoughts and helping him calmly use his set of Survivor Skills...
Even if the Zombie Lord wanted to stop him from meditating, Shane still had a couple of snipers from afar!
Those two managed to pressure the Zombie Lord somehow, and it focused on recovering instead of attacking Shane…
Then, after some time, when the Zombie Lord had also recovered, Shane knew that it was time for another round.
Shane snapped his arm out and stored his greatsword inside his inventory…
As soon as he did that, he activated Phantom Rush again.
It seemed as if he vanished, but he simply moved so fast as he reappeared behind Zar'Zhul just as the creature flapped backward.
But Shane didn't attack.
Instead, he raised his right hand and summoned a different weapon from his Inventory.
The Sylph's Whisper—a longbow made of ethereal wood and elven runes—materialized in his grasp.
[ Sylph's Whisper ( Mythic ): Crafted by the Elder Elves of the Moonlit Glade, this bow resonates with the natural mana of its surroundings. It automatically generates arrows infused with elemental energy—fire, ice, lightning, or wind—based on the user's intent. It is also capable of firing long-range, guided shots. ]
This item was soulbound to him. It was one of his rewards from absorbing all his Memory Spheres related to his past during the Fairy Realm Invasion.
As soon as he pulled it out, the wind around him shifted.
Mana gathered at the tip of the bow, forming a glowing arrow of ice.
Indeed, as the item description said, there was no need to create an arrow for his bow!
The Sylph's Whisper created an Ice Arrow, and Shane felt that it also triggered the Guided Shot Mode…
Shane no longer hesitated as he released the arrow!
Zar'Zhul turned after feeling the threat, but it was too slow.
Shane had already shot his arrow...
The ice arrow curved through the air and slammed into the half-healed joint of the damaged wing.
CRACK!
The attack sent Zar'Zhul spiraling to the ground.
However, Shane didn't stop as he immediately followed up with a Lightning Arrow, firing three shots in quick succession—each enhanced by his Quick Draw, Faerie Insight, and Heightened Awareness to ensure that he had a full grasp of the surroundings.
'Lightning should be painful, right?' Shane thought to himself as he saw the guided arrow bolts move through the air, striking the chest, one in the thigh, and one straight into the still-bleeding eye socket.
The Zombie Lord flailed and screeched as arcs of lightning danced over its body.
Shane then activated his Predator's Edge and Shadow Hunt.
[ Predator's Edge Lv10: Enhances the user's natural stealth capabilities, allowing them to move undetected. It also provides a slight advantage in detecting hidden enemies in dark environments and masking personal scent, making the user harder to track by sight or smell.
Cost: 2 Spirit Points for 10 seconds ]
[ Shadow Hunt Lv10: The art of stealth and ranged combat. Use the skill to become nearly invisible while simultaneously hunting the enemies with a weapon of your choice without being detected.
Cost: 10 Spirit Points for 30 seconds ]
These two skills are Shane's favorite skills when he needed to assassinate his targets.
The Predator's Edge came from the Fusion of Silent Strike, Keen Eye, and Scent Mask. On the other hand, the Shadow Hunt came from the fusion of Ghost Stride, Archery, and Firearm Mastery Skills.
Shane then stored the bow in his Inventory once again.
After all, as soon as the Zombie Lord realized that it couldn't follow Shane's movement, it started preparing a strong wave of corruption energy!
Shane predicted this, and he dashed forward with his Mistwalker's Pendant activated, keeping him immune from the fear aura the Zombie Lord exuded.
Soon, a wave of corruption rushed toward him. It was meant to stun him but thankfully, his Mistwalker's Pendant had also negated the effects!
"Nice try…" Shane snarled.
Shane couldn't continue being invisible, so he used his Armored Dash!
As he dashed, it felt like he cloaked himself in kinetic energy and slammed shoulder-first into Zar'Zhul midair.
Bam!
The hit wasn't lethal, but it destabilized the creature once more.
As they crashed down together, Shane activated Titan's Roar, unleashing a concussive soundwave that shattered rock and sent nearby zombies scuttling away.
RAAAAAAAAAHHH!
The Titan's Roar had an Area of Effect Knockback. With this full force, the targets within his range should be stunned for a second or two!
Then Shane activated Vortex Spin and pulled out his sword for a wide sweep!
Ssaaakk!
Shane struck low at the Zombie Lord's tendons.
Just like that, a leg bent the wrong way as Zar'Zhul collapsed onto one knee.
That's when Shane decided it was time.
He then focused on his Binder's Gauntlet.
[ Binder's Gauntlet ( Epic ): A gauntlet forged from cursed metals. Increases critical hit chance by 15% and allows the wearer to drain 3% of the target's health with every critical strike. ]
Soon, Shane pulled out several Silver Daggers…
These daggers were meant to deal with the Vampires, but since he still had a lot of them left, he decided to use them for now…
Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~
Soon, he threw them to the Zombie Lord using his Basic Throw Skill.
These projectiles could be said to be more powerful than bullets with Shane's Strength, Gauntlet, and Basic Throw Skill.
The Zombie Lord either dodged or blocked these daggers. Needless to say, blocking it was not a good choice!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Each dagger pierced through Zar'Zhul's body!
Then, Shane didn't miss the chance and leaped.
His gauntlet was soon filled with energy, and he drove it into the monster's ribcage.
CRIT!
The gauntlet absorbed a portion of the creature's health as Shane gritted his teeth.
With the Critical Hit, the Zombie's vitality had drained by 3 percent!
It may be a small amount, but if he continued to do this, it would just be a matter of time before the battle ends!
Zar'Zhul roared, retaliating wildly with its claw…
However, Shane caught it with Mars Shield… Unfortunately, it was already scratched from earlier.
Boom!
The impact shattered the Mars Shield, and Shane stumbled. Still, before Zar'Zhul could follow up, he activated Flash Step. He swiftly dodged and reappeared ten meters away, unharmed.
At this time, Shane could tell that Zar'Zhul was also reaching its limit...
One wing hung limp. Most of its fangs were gone, and its mobility had dropped.
But still, it was a Zombie Lord, and it was only a matter of time before it could regenerate again.
"Fine… Let's push it a bit more." Shane muttered as he knew that he could no longer wait… This battle has to end.