Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 396 Decapitation and Strangulation!

Outside a dilapidated castle.

Duncan sat on a rock, eating silently, a greatsword resting beside his knees, its blade gleaming coldly. Thursta White knelt beside him, her ornate gold sash stained with blood. Her slender waist and full hips, encased in a long skirt, trembled slightly as she rose, seemingly possessing an astonishing elasticity. The hem of her skirt was stained with blood, filth, and bits of flesh.

Wearing a skirt meant she couldn't maintain a presentable appearance, but thankfully her upper body remained clean, her face radiant. She knelt down beside Duncan, her expression showing a hint of respect, and said, "Lord Duncan."

"Have a drink."

Mrs. Thursta White's slightly low-cut top revealed a glimpse of her fair cleavage. The magical glow faded, and Duncan reached out, took the water bottle, drank it all in one gulp, and then continued to eat silently.

Not far from her, the clown's eyes were filled with vigilance, constantly watching the beautiful woman's every move.

Since wiping out the group of torturers in the valley, Cesta-White's attitude towards Duncan has completely changed. It could even be said that he is being intimate with Duncan in a somewhat deliberate way. Not only has he become more aggressive in battle, but he is also extremely obedient to Duncan's orders. When he has free time, he stays by Duncan's side and serves him attentively.

This shows they've recognized its value.

Or rather, all the goddesses in the entire Bright Water Domain lack truly powerful henchmen.

Even the powerful goddess of love, Shuni, doesn't have many notable figures, let alone Duncan, whose value extends beyond his individual strength. Among the many powerful deities, Shuni, the goddess of love, is definitely at the bottom. She can't even defeat many opponents of moderate power, so love is looked down upon, ridiculed, and considered insignificant. Her church can only spread its teachings in big cities, and when she encounters trouble, she can only ask for outside help.

The clown was wary of her.

Because he was the most insightful person in the entire Joyful Church. These people, with the High Priest of Joy at their core, were thinking about the future of the entire church, and even seemed to be trying to involve the gods in the transformation.

This is no joke; some of the personality changes of the goddess of joy, Lira, also owe partly to the church.

It's not that only deities can influence the church; the church can also influence deities in return.

"She seems to be trying to win over Lord Duncan."

The Dream Musician's voice rang out, using a secret telepathic technique. Her gaze toward Mrs. Cesta-White was equally unfriendly. After the battle, all the main members of the Scarlet Musician's group had turned into green markers.

Could the other party be a mole of the Church of Wealth?

Were we worried that he would kill us during the operation?

We must be careful of this guy from unknown origin.
Duncan wiped away all their worries with just one brilliant victory. Korver's disgusting tricks were nothing in the face of a resounding win.

The Scarlet Actor Order's biggest concern was the rumors surrounding Duncan's identity. In such an important and dangerous operation, having someone suspected of being a mole in the Church of Wealth lead the operation was inherently risky.

But all of that is now in the past.

Almost everyone was convinced. Duncan proved everything with his actions. They were true allies. No matter how much infighting there was among the higher-ups, they shared common interests.

At this critical juncture, Mrs. Thursta White's deliberate closeness to Duncan, even serving him and staying by his side while he ate and drank, seemed rather conspicuous.

Your Pleasure Cult doesn't trust this man? That's fine. Our Love Church has great respect for the strong!

money?
We have it.

beautiful?

We have more churches.

Not only does it provide physical pleasure, but it also offers emotional comfort. The Love Church is full of beautiful, considerate, and understanding women.

This is practically blatant poaching.

Moreover, Lady Thursta-White has a huge advantage: the goddess of love is the chief deity of Lady Joy, and with her powerful divine power, the chief deity is far stronger than any of the gods below her.

Duncan could certainly sense it, but he didn't care at all.

Since he wants to demonstrate his value, he will inevitably be courted by many forces. After this battle, they will all have to give him more leverage. When he sees the Mother of Great Bliss again, Duncan will not have the same attitude as before. The five shrewish women of the Church of Wealth will have to bow their heads and speak obediently. If they continue to act like arrogant swans, they will be shot in the neck.

"Lord Duncan."

At that moment, a wanderer appeared in the darkness, looking at Duncan with awe, and even knelt down on one knee, saying, "The one in pain has been alerted."

"Their men are on their way."

A six-man squad of mercenaries, or rather, adventurers of dubious origin, had been completely subdued by him. Unlike the church members, they were true veterans who had fought on the front lines and knew all too well how astonishing the victory in the previous battle was.

Without a single casualty, they wiped out an evil god's torment cult, a group they had never even heard of in all their years of adventuring in the Fallen Star Sea.

Everything was so precise, it was like a high-speed machine.

These people, as long as they acted on his orders, would almost certainly achieve victory.

Let such a person out.

They could become a powerful force in the Fallen Star Sea at any time, and some even wanted to join Duncan to wipe out the Fallen Star Sea pirate crew and become the regional overlord of the southeastern part of the continent.

They also have men under their command, hundreds of bandits, pirates and ronin, but most of them are only two or three stars insignia. If they can be organized, they can still make a name for themselves.

Strength cannot be faked.

This man's command skills far exceeded his expectations. Despite being evenly matched opponents, he annihilated them with overwhelming force.

"very good."

"Get ready to take action."

Duncan slowly rose and picked up the greatsword beside him. Mrs. Thursta White immediately stood up and began to cast various enhancement spells in advance. The Dream Musician prepared illusions according to orders, while the Clown disappeared into the shadows and followed the Wanderer. The Stage Master drew his rapier and wiped the bloodstains with a handkerchief as if in a Western gladiator fight.

From God's perspective.

Duncan had already marked the enemy's location. He checked the enemy units that had appeared on the strategic map and said in a deep voice, "Dream Musician, set up realistic illusions in the woods to the southwest to confuse the enemy's judgment."

"Lady Cesta will accompany me."

"The others are lying in ambush downstream of the Arken River."

"Prepare invisibility potion."

At this point, Duncan's gaze sharpened. He had already spotted a rogue marker moving in their direction, so he immediately said, "The enemy may have sent out a rogue to scout."

"The clown and the shadow dancers are clearing out each other's spies along the direction of the Bow Forest."

"Be careful."

"Don't let any fish that slip through the net get away."

The clown nodded slightly and quickly disappeared from the spot, joining up with the Shadow Dancer Kevin not far away. A few minutes later, they encountered the enemy. After a very brief exchange, the two wanderers of the Church of Pain disappeared from the map marker.

"Without powerful mages, I could fight directly beyond visual range."

Duncan began marking high-threat enemy units. Soon, a battle erupted, and these units became key targets. Lacking a magic archer, Duncan himself took on that role. Frankly, the Crimson Cult's combat strength was decent, but their internal composition was rather poor. A conjurer, a spellcaster, a shadow dancer, and a wandering swordsman—none of them could be considered top-tier professionals.

Normally, a powerful mage and a skilled archer, preferably an elf or half-elf, would make Duncan's record even more brilliant.

As for the priest, Mrs. Cesta-White is also unqualified because she cannot join the battle as a reserve.

What Duncan needs is a tank priest who is fully armored and wields a shield and a mace.

Such a priest can heal the entire field, and then, in case of emergencies, can be directly deployed as a reserve force to fight, and may even create an overwhelming advantage.

The people of this world place greater emphasis on individual combat prowess and prefer one-on-one, small-scale battles.

But for Duncan, even a legendary warrior could be easily overwhelmed and killed by a three-star Gallic Oath Warriors squad.

It's nothing more than having stronger vitality and higher physical fitness. As long as you can break through their defenses and cause damage, even a legendary character can be surrounded and killed.

Even without large-scale battles, small-scale skirmishes, javelins and arrows for fire coverage, and front-line formations to block movement, can encircle and kill from all sides. A mere two-hundred-man Imperial Eagle Banner Legion has a seventy percent chance of killing an ordinary legendary warrior.

As for chapters with special powers, even the British swordsman Merlin dared not charge head-on into the Gallic Oathbrooks chapter.

On the road to Serren, a strangely dressed religious order was hurrying along. Leading the procession were mounted Dark Guards, torturers serving the local nobles but also acting as the church's eyes and ears. Behind them were sadists, executioners, and attendants of torment. In the center of the group stood a tall, thin man wielding an iron whip, his exposed skin covered in scars. He was a Painful One, marked with five silver-gray stars, equivalent to a regional bishop.

A mournful neigh of a warhorse.

The dark guard at the front of the group immediately fell off his horse. He nimbly rolled to his feet, then drew his longsword with a clang and roared, "Trap!"

"Enemy attack!"

boom!
There was an explosion.

The entire team was thrown into chaos instantly; it was the Wanderers' explosive trap, and the enemy had been watching them for a while.

call out!
An arrow came flying.

Before he could even cast a spell, a priest next to the Painful One was instantly shot in the head. The armor-piercing enchanted warbow pierced through his energy deflection field, and a defensive gap instantly appeared on the Painful One's right side.

The next second, a group of enemies appeared directly in front of them, but when they hurriedly defended themselves, they realized that it was a very real illusion.

The enemy has a very powerful illusionist!
puff.

Blood suddenly appeared.

The clown made a grand entrance, his gleaming scythe slicing through the throat of a priest behind him, while the shadow dancer emerged from the shadow of another, his poisoned blade piercing the heart, delivering a backstab to another servant of pain.

Everything happened so suddenly.

They had no idea how many enemies there were. By the time they realized what was happening, a hail of crossbow bolts came flying. A priest hurriedly cast a spell to block the powerful crossbow bolts at close range, but before the Dark Guardians could regain their footing, the enemies on the other side rushed in front of them.

Caught off guard.

A one-eyed warrior wielding a scimitar charged into their left flank. With a whirlwind sword strike, he ripped open the bellies of two Painful Servants. A sweeping slash cut through the air, and another priest was cut in half at the waist.

"An enemy has gone invisible!" someone exclaimed.

In the shadows not far away.

Duncan, wielding his elven warbow, called out names one by one. Several arrows pierced the air, and apart from a very few warriors who withstood them, the right flank was completely exposed.

All this happens in an instant.

The enemy seemed to have figured out their team composition long ago. An enchanted net was thrown over, directly covering the front-line Dark Guardians. The next second, the people in the back row raised their crossbows and fired, clearing them out. Then they picked up armor-piercing hammers and swung them directly at the head.

The fighting style of the Gulf slave hunters!

Only they know how to use a large net.

This special fishing net is extremely tough. Once it covers the enemy, a flurry of slashes and arrows can cause even a legendary player to be caught off guard and lose.

The dark guards at the front swung their swords, but couldn't cut through the tough fishing nets. One of them hurriedly raised his shield, while another was hit by a crossbow bolt. Soon, a burly man with a shield knocked him over, and a wanderer next to him plunged a short sword into his throat.

They were all seasoned veterans, and their teamwork was excellent; this wasn't the first time they had ganged up on heavily armored warriors.

Only at this moment did a large-scale magical aura begin to emerge, because only one minute had passed since the start of the operation.

The enemy didn't even reload their crossbows after firing all their rounds; they immediately switched to melee weapons and charged forward.

—Implosion!

In the midst of the chaotic battle, the assassin who had just killed the Dark Guardian suddenly exploded, his body disintegrating from the inside out, scattering into pieces of flesh all over the ground.

Under the protection of the Pain Guardians, the Painful One completed a ninth-circle divine spell. As he channeled the spell, he first blasted an assassin into pieces, and the next second he continued chanting and channeling, locking the Implosion spell onto another burly warrior.

This spell can lock onto one target per round. If a target cannot be immune to physical immunity, they will die instantly, their body disintegrating and exploding from the inside out.

At this distance, as long as the guidance is completed, you can get a kill almost every six seconds.

A muffled groan.

The burly warrior actually withstood the effects of the implosion spell, which caused the enemy's expression to change slightly. Extraordinary physique; only someone with such an astonishing physique could possibly be immune to magic.

The next second, an arrow came flying. Duncan, holding the elven warbow, moved at high speed and fired three arrows in quick succession, interrupting the enemy's spellcasting. With a flash of cold light, he charged like a lion. In the instant his figure crossed paths, he cut an executioner in half at the waist.

—Anti-magic field!

At this moment, Mrs. Thursta White, who was following Duncan, also finished casting her spell. As an anti-magic field was activated, an invisible barrier gradually spread. Her breathing became rapid, her face flushed, and her expression tense. She followed Duncan step by step. The man in front of her was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, unstoppable. Wherever he went, there were broken limbs and severed bodies everywhere.

On either side of Duncan, the clown's figure also charged forward at high speed, while the shadow dancers on the other side weaved through the shadows, forcing several priests of the Church of Pain to be unable to cast spells. The enemy's shadow leaps made them hesitant to act, and they could only cast protective spells first. Meanwhile, the stage master, wielding a rapier, moved at high speed, his figure like a butterfly flitting among flowers, killing enemies while also protecting Duncan's right side, carving out a path forward.

His abilities are strange, combining the skills of a wandering swordsman with those of a cunning assassin.

The members of the Joyful Cult act as they please, with very few being pure professionals. They are jacks-of-all-trades but jacks-of-all-trades, master of none. Only a very few are true masters, all of whom are exceptionally talented. Those who are not talented and practice haphazardly are basically ruined.

not good!

They want to behead me!

The Painful One's pupils contracted slightly. Now that he was wide open, Duncan's figure was already close by as the anti-magic field spread. He hurriedly swung his iron whip, but then a tremendous force struck, and the whip flew out of his hand. The Shadow Dancer leaped into his shadow, and a poisoned dagger stabbed towards his back. The Stage Master swung his sword, creating a gust of wind. The sharp sword light pierced through the Painful One's body and blocked the guard beside him with a clang.

Duncan, like a rampaging human tank, clad in heavy armor, ignored everyone else, locked onto the one in front of him who was vulnerable, and swept his greatsword across.

Heads flew up.

Blood spurts.

The last suffering servant standing in their way was killed.

Under the cover of the crowd, Duncan rushed to within three meters of the Painful One. By this time, he had already escaped the range of the anti-magic field, but the enemy no longer had a chance to cast spells. In the blink of an eye, he was the enemy. Duncan withstood several spell arrows and cut off the Painful One's right arm with a sword. His figure rushed forward and spun around, and his greatsword was like a wildly dancing whirlwind of death, instantly cleaving the Painful One in two at the waist.

Decapitation strike successful!

Just like when they assassinated the Mother of Great Bliss, Duncan completed the decapitation of the Painful One in just one or two minutes, and the surrounding members of the Church of Pain immediately fell into panic.

How they assassinated the Mother of Great Bliss before, how Duncan is now turning the tables on them.

Click.

Duncan stomped on the head of the man in pain, splattering white brain matter and bright red blood. He roared and knocked over the Dark Guard in front of him, then snatched the man's shield and smashed it into the gap in the man's helmet.

boom! boom! boom!
When Duncan stood up again, the shield was completely deformed, with bits of blood and brain tissue sliding off, and the enemy's head, along with his helmet, was dented from the impact.

The entire battle situation has become completely one-sided.

The dust has settled.

When it was all over, dozens of corpses of members of the Church of Pain were left on the ground. In the entire region of Serren, the core members of the Church of Pain had been almost completely wiped out.

The enemy bishop was beheaded, and unless a new high-ranking church official is sent, the remaining people will not amount to anything.

Two dead and six injured.

The dead were all hired adventurers. They had no choice; they had no background or connections, so they had to be the first to charge into battle, risking their lives to fight for a way out. Now that this battle is over, they have managed to earn a living by risking their lives.

With the support of the Church of Wealth, whether they want to go ashore and become legitimate businessmen, or continue to cultivate the gray area, compete for the smuggling trade in Falling Star Sea, and become major pirates who sell stolen goods, they will have a powerful backer.

This world is not lacking in skilled professionals, nor is it lacking in ambitious individuals. Unskilled adventurers without connections might just die quietly one day.

The gods are the real power behind everything, and below them is the church of the gods.

Everything else has to step aside.

………………

(End of this chapter)