Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Buck’s Death
The overwhelming threat of death completely shattered Buck’s resolve.
[Fleeing]!
The power of the Source Material instantly coursed through Buck’s body.
His movement speed was forcibly cranked up another notch.
’Run! I have to run, now!’
’Only by getting away from this inhuman monster do I have a chance to live.’
’As long as I survive today, I can run to another town and start over under a new name. Once I’m strong enough, I can find a chance to come back for revenge.’
Buck abruptly dashed to the side, vaulting over the courtyard wall.
[Temporary Attribute: Agility +1.5 (Current Total: 15.5)]
Lance’s current Dragon Form was only at the Young Dragon stage. In this form, the bonus to his Agility Attribute wasn’t as exaggerated as the one to his Power.
In terms of pure, straight-line sprinting speed, Lance couldn’t outrun a veteran Thief hell-bent on escaping.
But there was something Buck couldn’t possibly imagine.
The one controlling his body at that moment was a combat instinct operating in a state of absolute rationality.
Lance’s right knee bent sharply, the muscle fibers throughout his body tensing like a fully drawn bow.
He chose the most violent technique in the Azure Dragon Extreme Intent Style.
[Dragon Leaping Tail].
In that instant, his internal Ethereal Energy Pool was violently drained, every last drop infused into his right leg.
Lance viciously stomped the ground. The hard stone slab beneath his foot shattered with a BOOM, leaving a spiderweb of cracks in a deep crater.
Harnessing this terrifying Burst Power, which had been stacked to its absolute limit...
Lance’s body shot forward like a heavy crossbow bolt tearing through the air, leaving a dark red afterimage in its wake.
Before Buck’s eyes, wide with absolute terror, the scorching figure crossed the vast distance in an instant, locking onto his back.
’There’s no escape.’
The last shred of hope in Buck’s heart was utterly crushed.
The scorching, wild aura behind him had completely cut off all his escape routes.
His scarred face contorted, completely twisted by utter despair.
’If I’m destined to die in this nameless courtyard...’
’Then I’m taking this monster to hell with me!’
While still running at high speed, Buck spun around abruptly.
He decisively threw away the two short blades in his hands.
His right hand shot like lightning to his waist, pulling out a small Mechanical Dagger.
Sealed within this weapon was a virulent poison he was normally never willing to use.
Like a rabid beast, Buck faced the terrifying, dark-red figure and thrust the dagger straight at Lance’s abdomen.
He had completely abandoned all defense.
’Since he has no intention of letting me live...’
The only thought in his mind now was to trade his life for his opponent’s.
’If he tries to dodge my dagger, I might have a chance to escape while his explosive burst is on cooldown.’
Faced with this desperate counterattack, any normal person with such a clear advantage would definitely choose to evade.
But the Lance of this moment made a move that went against all biological instinct.
In his Dragon Form, his face showed no trace of emotion.
He completely ignored the lethal dagger stabbing toward his abdomen.
Lance pressed the five fingers of his right hand together, the muscles in his fingertips instantly tensing to their limit.
He met Buck’s attack, his entire right arm thrusting forward like a heavy spear, merciless and unhesitating.
PSHCHT!
The Poisoned Dagger pierced the tough muscle fibers of Lance’s abdomen with great difficulty.
As the mechanism in the hilt sprang, it let out a crisp CLICK.
The deadly, toxic liquid was instantly injected under high pressure into Lance’s body.
In that very same second,
Lance’s Refined Steel-like fingertips also made contact with Buck’s chest.
There was no resistance at all.
The dark red fingers easily pierced his opponent’s coarse skin, brutally tore through the chest muscles, and drove straight in through the gap between his ribs.
In an instant, his fingertips completely pierced the wildly beating heart.
Lance twisted his wrist, his face devoid of expression.
A muffled squelch immediately came from within the chest cavity as organs and muscle tissue were forcibly pulped.
Buck’s mouth hung wide open, unable to even let out a final scream.
His eyes, bloodshot with madness, quickly lost their light, and his arms hung limply at his sides.
The lethal Mechanical Dagger remained lodged deep in Lance’s abdomen.
Lance maintained his cold, forward-thrusting posture.
His right arm had passed straight through Buck’s entire torso, hoisting the heavy corpse into the air.
Blood dripped continuously down Lance’s arm.
Then, Lance violently pulled his right arm back.
The unsupported corpse fell like a sack of potatoes, crashing heavily onto the stone ground and kicking up a small cloud of grayish-white dust.
Lance lowered his head slightly, looking at his abdomen, which was steadily leaking blood.
His Dark Gold, vertical pupils still held nothing but absolute indifference.
He reached down, grabbed the dagger’s hilt, and brutally yanked it out of his flesh.
A foul-smelling, black fluid flowed down the blade.
When the poisoned blood dripped onto the stone slabs, it made a grating, corrosive sound, even giving off wisps of acrid white smoke.
The wound in Lance’s abdomen had already started to putrefy.
A few seconds passed.
As his Life Value dropped below 1%, Lance was suddenly and forcibly pulled out of his terrifying Dragon Form.
His once-cold face instantly turned ashen.
Although his Talent reduced his sensitivity to pain, waves of agony still crashed against his newly-restored human senses.
’What the hell did Buck mix into that poison? How can it hurt this much?’
His current state had officially triggered the Combat Continuation countdown granted by his achievement.
In just three short minutes, this body would face its final death.
Lance gasped for breath.
’This Dragon Form state is terrifyingly strong in actual combat.’
’There’s no denying I just used this state to kill a Professional Level Thief in the most direct way possible.’
’Even if he seemed to have been gravely injured before he got here.’
’But the most treacherous part of this system is hidden within the Combat Stance’s "absolute rationality" judgment mechanism.’
’Why didn’t I try to dodge the dagger just now, while I was in Dragon Form?’
Because that absolute rationality, which had abandoned all humanity, had directly incorporated the revival Effect of the Ouroboros Ring into its tactical calculations.
In that split-second judgment,
Taking a fatal wound to kill Buck, then using death to reset his state and recover from all injuries...
In the system’s eyes, this process was the tactical choice with the lowest cost and highest margin for error.
And his body, taken over by instinct, had faithfully executed that calculated outcome.
Looking at the mangled corpse on the ground,
Lance endured the searing pain in his abdomen and slowly crouched down.
He fumbled around in Buck’s clothes for a moment and successfully retrieved the strangely shaped Compass from his pocket.
Then, Lance skillfully opened the Illustrated Guide function on his panel.
He quickly scanned Buck’s exclusive secrets.
Through this text, he finally understood the specific tracking ability of this Fire-Stealing Marvel.
The Effect of this thing was truly powerful, practically impossible to guard against.
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