Mercenary Wars

Chapter 136 The Mark of Slavery
[Status Acquired: Energy Infusion]

[Level: Third Ring]

[Effect: All attributes +3, and gain additional, prioritized, stamina and mana.]

[Time remaining: 3 minutes]

When Nikon finished casting the spell, a faint layer of golden energy immediately covered Gao Jiano's body, not only sweeping away his fatigue but also bringing him to an unprecedented state of vigor.

Gaucano raised his hand to mark Matolius with the hunter's mark, then drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

"call out--"

A black steel arrow shot out and arrived in an instant.

However, as the leader of the grey dwarves, Matolius's black steel heavy armor was incredibly sturdy, and Gaucano's arrows couldn't penetrate it at all, serving only a minor harassing purpose.

To inflict effective damage, one must rely on the Blood Summoning Sword.

Then Gaucano immediately activated Blood Rush, rushed over the chaotic crowd, and arrived in front of Matolius in a second. He then activated Earth Skin and, with the power given by the earth, looked down and slashed down with the Blood Summoning Sword!

"boom!"

Restrained by Groin and Brown, Matolius was unable to dodge in time and was immediately struck in the shoulder!
Under the sharp edge of the Blood-Summoning Sword, the black steel heavy armor was deeply pierced, and blood was faintly visible, causing Matolius to let out a muffled groan and reveal a trace of fear.

Groin and Brown were pleasantly surprised, as they knew very well how sturdy Mattorius's black steel armor was.

So much so that after fighting for a long time, Matolius didn't have many decent wounds.

Not only that, they also suffered heavy losses. Initially, there were three people dealing with Matolius: Groin, a level 6, Brown, a level 5, and another level 5 Redbeard thief.

The thief is now dead, and Groin and Brown are both wounded, with Brown having lost an arm.

Seeing Gao Gano's powerful reinforcements arrive, Brown immediately said breathlessly, "I won't cause you any more trouble. This spell is for you!"

Before he could finish speaking, several lines of information flashed through Gao Jiano's senses.

[Status Acquired: Reaction Spark]

[Level: Level 5]

[Effect: Any collision you make will send a burst of intense sparks flying away from you]

[Time remaining: 5 minutes]

With no one to translate, Gaucano couldn't understand what Brown was saying, but he could roughly guess.

As for the "Reaction Spark" that Brown left him, he had some doubts. After all, he wasn't a redbearded gray dwarf with outstanding fire resistance, so he might not be able to make good use of the spell. Besides, the enemy was level 7, so there might not be any real damage.

Before he could think it through, Matolius's attack had already arrived.

The black steel battle axe came down fiercely, aiming straight for Gaucano's chest!
Gao Jiano was unable to dodge in time and was immediately struck!

"Boom!" A loud noise was heard, and blood splattered from his chest, the wound almost breaking his bones.

Gaucano was greatly alarmed.

Matolius's attack was too fierce!
This was only because of the protection provided by the Earth Skin; if it were anyone else, that axe would have cleaved them in two long ago.

As they continued to retreat, Gaucano quickly activated Blood Regeneration, and his flesh and bones rapidly healed.

Seeing that he had failed to kill Gaucano in one blow, Matolius frowned slightly, dodging the sparks as he turned to parry Groin's warhammer.

"Boom!" Groin's warhammer burst into flames, mingling with the sparks of the reaction.

"Boom boom boom!" The two gray dwarf leaders clashed several times in an instant.

“You shameful traitors, not only have you betrayed Durag, but you have also colluded with alien races and heretics!” Matolius cursed.

“We’re no longer compatriots!” Groin, though at a disadvantage, didn’t back down verbally. “Drag is a dark and despicable evil god!”

Matolius glared at him, "I will offer your flesh and soul to Durag, and I hope you'll still dare to say that then!"

“The flames will eventually purify everything!” Groin replied. Not far away, Gaugano, having recovered from his severe injuries, carefully observed Matolius's position and movements, searching for an opportunity to attack.

Having experienced Mattorius's ferocious attacks firsthand, he naturally devised a more cautious tactic—to strike once and then run.

A few seconds later, Gaucano once again charged at Matolius with his sword, keeping Blood Rush active the entire time.

"Boom!" The Blood-Summoning Sword once again cleaved through Matolius's black steel armor, this time with even greater force, sending sparks and sprays of blood flying.

Matholius roared and swung his black steel battle axe backhand down with a fierce chop.

Gaucano was prepared. After striking with his sword, he immediately retreated with a Blood Rush, narrowly avoiding Matolius's counterattack.

"Boom!" Groin's warhammer followed closely behind, giving Matorius no time to pursue.

Gaucano took a deep breath and stood a short distance away, continuing to look for an opportunity to attack.

After a while.

He charged at Mattorius again, repeating his previous tactic.

Matolius also learned his lesson and reacted even faster.

Gaucano anticipated this and promptly unleashed ten swift breezes to slow Matolius's movements.

After sustaining minor injuries, he wounded Mattorius again and managed to escape.

After being struck three times by the Blood-Summoning Sword, even someone as strong as Matolius was starting to feel the strain.

He also had to face Growing's ridicule.

Groin burst into laughter: "Ha, how many more 'Crushing Strike's can you use? Three Crushing Strikes and you still couldn't kill a level 5 Named One? You should be glad the northern passage is blocked, otherwise who knows what the other grey dwarves in the Underdark would think of you!"

Matolius's face turned ashen, then he turned to look at Gaucano: "As a level five human, you are very powerful. In that case, become my slave!"

Before he finished speaking, his eyes immediately emitted a hazy light.

Gao Jiano's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately sprinted away, appearing a hundred meters away in the blink of an eye.

But no matter how fast he is, he can't outrun a glance.

Matolius turned his head slightly, and then a glint flashed in his eyes.

[Status Acquired: Mark of Enslavement (Level 7)]

[Reciprocal Countermeasure: Mark of Enslavement (Level 7)]

【Successful countermeasure】

……

Matolius enslaved you.

You have enslaved Mattorius.

The air was suddenly quiet.

At least for Gaucano, the air was still; and for Matolius, the air was even stiller.

Gao Jiano discovered that he had almost lost all control over his body, except for his facial expressions.

Fortunately, his will remained free.

Thanks to the timely notification from the panel, Gaucano reacted a little faster and immediately gave Mattorius the order in his mind—suicide!

Matolius's expression changed abruptly, and he then clearly gave the same order.

So, almost at the same time, the two, who were master and slave to each other, began to commit suicide.

Mathorius slashed his own neck with the Black Steel Battle Axe, and Gaucano also slashed his own neck with the Blood-Summoning Sword!
(End of this chapter)