Chapter 83: Flee Without Fighting
Silence, a deathly silence, once again blanketed the entire Dawn Arena.
The recent battle, which seemed to take so long to describe, in reality, occurred within just a few seconds.
Most people hadn't even had time to react before they saw the once-arrogant, murderous Bel get his head blown off by Jeremy.
Golden Lion Weber's old eyes widened, and he nearly fainted on the spot.
Bel was the most promising of all his sons, even having a chance to break through level 70!
Yet, in just a few breaths, he was killed!
How could Golden Lion Weber possibly endure this?
At this moment, Nina erupted into a burst of laughter that was entirely uncharacteristic of her ladylike demeanor.
"Hahaha, excellent, truly an exciting fight."
"Mr. Jeremy, thank you for bringing us this battle!"
After clapping her hands unceremoniously, Nina provocatively looked at Golden Lion Weber.
With a deliberately fake smile on her face, Nina said to Weber, "In the arena, weapons have no eyes. Uncle Weber, please accept my condolences."
Weber tightly gripped his gold-embellished ivory cane and snorted coldly, "No need for your concern, Miss."
Meanwhile, after collecting all the items that Bel had dropped upon death, Jeremy casually glanced at the other family heads.
Being stared at so blatantly by Jeremy, the once-arrogant family heads couldn't help but lower their heads.
Even though each of these family heads had reached over level 70 and were renowned superhuman awakeners, at this moment.
Jeremy's mere presence made them not dare to meet his gaze.
Finally, a sinister-looking Sinner, with a black goat head, stepped forward. "Hmph, no matter how strong you are, you're just one person! Do you think you can take on all of us?"
He pointed to a member of his clan standing behind him. "Brook, you go!"
The words of the Sinner with the black goat head instantly lifted everyone's spirits.
"The old goat is right. There are so many of us. Are we really going to fear a mere level 39 player?"
"If that's the case, we might as well abandon our homes and hand Dawn City over to this new batch of players."
"Brook? I heard he's the only one in the old goat's family who has had contact with a deity. How could the old goat bear to let him fight?"
"Haha, let's see how long this Jeremy guy can keep up his arrogance."
Amidst the crowd's expectant gazes, a Sinner emerged, gaunt and skeletal, leaning on a staff that appeared to be made from the spine of a giant.
As soon as Brook appeared, an evil wind arose out of nowhere.
As Brook walked, the people around him seemed to see something horrifying. Their faces turned pale, and they hurriedly backed away.
The scene was like a withered bone blade slicing through waves. No one could stand in its way.
For a moment, there was even a stampede beneath the arena.
Even Nina showed a trace of fear in her eyes as she looked at Brook.
Jeremy, however, simply watched Brook approach him calmly.
Having already used The Eye of Omniscience, Jeremy wasn't afraid of this seemingly eerie Sinner.
The reason was simple: although Brook appeared powerful, he was actually a spent force, his life essence completely drained by some unknown entity.
...
[Notification: Necromancer Brook's soul is hollow. Any soul attack will deal true damage and is guaranteed to crit.]
...
Coincidentally, Jeremy had a soul attack skill, [Soul Roar].
[Skill]: Soul Roar
[Level]: lv10
[Grade]: High
[Type]: Mental Attack
[Description]: Upon activation, this skill deals 300% mental damage to surrounding targets. Targets with lower mental strength than the user will be stunned for 5 seconds. Cooldown time: 20 minutes.
Jeremy's mental attribute was over 10,000. With 300%, that meant over 30,000 damage. Adding in critical hits, true damage that ignores defenses, and various damage boosts from his gear, Jeremy was confident he could instantly kill the sickly-looking Sinner in front of him with this one strike.
Finally, under the expectant eyes of the crowd, Brook stepped onto the Dawn Arena.
A hollow, eerie, gravelly voice, as if it were mixed with sand, came from Brook's mouth: "Jeremy, if you hand over the information about your race, I might spare your life."
Hearing this, Jeremy was momentarily stunned. He was exceptionally intelligent, and Brook's words made him realize why these Sinners were targeting him so persistently.
Seeing Jeremy's dumbfounded look, Brook shook his head and continued in his hollow voice, "Forget it, I'll just imprison your soul and find out everything I need to know."
As he spoke, Brook struck the ground heavily with his staff, which looked like it was made from a giant's spine, and a chilling voice echoed: "Wraith Torrent."
Instantly, it was as if the sky had torn open, revealing a gray-black passage above the Dawn Arena.
A ghostly wind blew, and eerie, ghastly laughter began to rise.
Below the stage, people felt as if something had suddenly appeared around them, and the temperature plummeted.
However, upon closer inspection, there was nothing to be found.
Jeremy, however, remained icy and composed.
In his perception, the gray-black hole in the sky, which looked like a segment of a pipe, was filled with countless souls.
These souls had beast heads and human bodies, clearly the Sinners from the Land of Eternal Night.
At this moment, these Sinners' souls were howling in torment, twisted and numb, flooding towards Jeremy.
Most of them were clad in burlap garments, looking simple and honest, just like the typical Sinner.
Seeing the tormented expressions of these souls, it was clear that Brook had forcibly imprisoned them using his necromancer skills, making them the fuel for his evil abilities.
Moreover, the majority of these souls were like Heber—peaceful civilians who had no desire to fight and simply wanted to live in tranquility.
Jeremy's Bone Spear flashed in his hand, and in the next moment, the bone-white spear vanished, replaced by a skeletal staff.
Jeremy scoffed coldly, "Soul Roar!"
Instantly, a transparent ripple appeared around Jeremy's body.
In the blink of an eye, the ripple swept through all the souls in the sky and over the arena, including Brook.
As the Soul Roar ripple passed through the tormented souls in the sky, a series of faint shattering sounds echoed continuously.
Wherever Jeremy's gaze fell, no soul could withstand his attack.
All of them shattered like balloons in an instant.
When these imprisoned souls shattered, a fleeting moment of clarity appeared in their once-numb eyes.
They seemed to instantly understand their situation and cast grateful glances toward Jeremy.
As all the souls disappeared, the gray-black hole in the sky also dissipated into thin air.
For a moment, the crowd below the arena looked up at the bright sky in confusion.
"What happened? Why did Brook's skill stop?"
"Did Brook kill that Jeremy guy instantly?"
...
Amid various speculations, Brook, who had been standing still with his staff, suddenly collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Though Brook's fall made a small sound, to the Sinners below, it was as loud as rolling thunder.
"What happened? Why did Brook suddenly fall?"
"Wait, why did that Jeremy guy switch weapons? A staff? Isn't he a warrior?"
"He's a demon, that guy's a demon!"
The reactions of these ordinary Sinners were nothing compared to the expressions of the top families in Dawn City, like the Golden Lion Clan, who looked equally grim.
Having lost two of their most talented heirs in succession, how could they possibly accept this?
In an instant, the other top families, who had yet to take the stage, started to reconsider their next moves.
Jeremy showed no change in expression as he stood on the arena. He walked straight to Brook and stripped him of all his equipment.
Seeing Jeremy, who appeared completely unscathed and unaffected, the other families solidified their decision: "We can't go head-to-head with this guy!"
After collecting all of Brook's gear and items into his inventory, Jeremy declared, "Next!"
Hearing this casual tone, as if he were ordering food, the heads of several families pretended not to hear Jeremy and began to turn away.
This made Jeremy anxious. "Wait, continue! Even if you don't come, you should still give me the elemental essence you promised earlier."
Seeing this, Nina's eyes lit up. She finally found something she could do for Jeremy.
Stepping forward, Nina said, "You all are prominent figures. Surely, you wouldn't think of reneging on your promise?"
Given Nina's status, the old foxes had no choice but to hand over the elemental essence, despite their reluctance.
After receiving the elemental essence, Jeremy finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, Jeremy turned to Nina, who was about to approach him, and said, "Miss Nina, I have urgent matters to attend to. I will visit the City Lord's Mansion another day."
As he spoke, Jeremy walked towards Heber.
Making his way through the crowd, Jeremy reached Heber and patted him on the arm. "Heber, I need your help with something."
Hearing this, Heber ignored the other Sinners and hurriedly pulled Jeremy back to the merchant guild.
Inside the guild, only a few solitary stewards and servants remained. None of the previous guards were in sight.
Heber explained to Jeremy, "Those guards are mercenaries. They only protect me if I issue a task."
Once inside, Heber poured Jeremy a drink that resembled coffee and then asked, "Bro, whatever you need help with, just let me know."