Chapter 169: Golden Cicada Shedding

【Enslavement Failed】.

"Hm?"

Luo De was startled.

Even this doesn't work?

This was Luo De's second enslavement failure.

The first was during the Ruins Brotherhood's ambush, when he, Tally, and the ghoul Pan Ni teamed up to ambush and kill the half-werewolf.

At the time, he assumed its rapid regeneration caused the enslavement to fail.

The avian before him wore a look of bitter defiance—clearly not willing—but her wounds were real.

Her body was riddled with burn-through blood holes, most the size of a cup, some even fist-sized.

Even Luo De would struggle to survive such injuries.

Besides, she showed no signs of powerful regenerative spiritual arts.

Luo De drew his broken sword.

He stabbed again.

Pain, muffled groans, and the sizzle of blood erupted simultaneously.

【Enslavement Failed】.

"Why?" Luo De felt an odd sense of strangeness.

The avian Carolin glared at him: "Kill me if you will! I thought you were a honorable warrior—you're just another scum who tortures enemies."

Luo De: "I want you to serve me. If you agree, I can let you live."

Unable to find the cause, he spoke bluntly.

She was proud by nature—not like Pan Ni, who could be enslaved by threats to her life. Nine times out of ten, this would fail.

"Heh."

The avian let out a scornful laugh.

At the same time, the figure's aura reappeared, like an unstable film projection, flickering and dragging faintly.

Luo De: "I don't want to torture you or kill you. If you agree to form an enslavement spell with me, I'll grant you maximum freedom."

Carolin's scornful expression didn't change: "Heh."

Her tone and expression remained nearly identical.

The bracelet given to Luo De by the half-deer girl Xiao Ke vibrated violently.

His face darkened; he swung 【Sacrificial Sword】 with all his strength, severing the neck beneath him.

The sensation was correct—the spray of flesh and blood was real.

Yet after a flash of aura, the severed neck wound filled with a mosaic-like phantom shadow.

Carolin's face still wore that same disdainful expression, laughing "heh."

"A high-level illusion spell?"

Luo De released his perception.

He immediately detected the avian limping away nearby.

She hobbled painfully, her body wrapped in tattered rags, gasping out blood with every breath.

Luo De immediately strained to unleash 【Scream Slash Wave】—and struck true.

But that was all.

【Blessing of the Celestial Ancient Tree】's power had let him severely wound a seventh-rank foe in one strike—but left him powerless to fight further.

The avian Carolin endured the blow, screamed, and collapsed.

Then she turned, glaring at him with hatred.

Luo De had no strength left to pursue; he could only watch as she activated a spell ring and vanished.

"Tsk."

He clicked his tongue.

The side effects of 【Blessing of the Celestial Ancient Tree】 were too severe.

He needed to find a way to counter this.

The phantom severed by Luo De's blade dissolved completely, leaving behind all her gear and spell satchel—none of it taken.

It seemed the avian had sacrificed all her equipment for this Golden Cicada Shedding technique.

Luo De didn't inspect them further; he swiftly gathered everything.

Then focused on restoring his physical strength.

Five minutes later.

Luo De's condition returned to roughly half his normal level.

He refused to wait longer and immediately charged toward the demon Artu's position.

Soon.

Amid collapsed buildings, he found the buried zombie Selina first.

Check her.

Chest pierced, half her heart destroyed.

Both arms torn apart.

Fortunately, she was a zombie—most internal organs were useless anyway, and she possessed the innate zombie spiritual art 【Undying Body】.

She couldn't die.

Still, Luo De felt some disappointment in her combat power.

You, a half-seventh-rank, went down first? How embarrassing.

"After all, she's a researcher."

He left her where she lay—she wouldn't die anyway.

Following the battle traces, Luo De realized their battlefield had shifted from Shi Ying Town to the outskirts.

Far ahead, he spotted the witch Dimea hovering in midair.

Her face was pale—clearly overextended from excessive mana use.

On the ground, Amy, under 【Rage】, and the demon Artu clashed wildly with their blades.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Air blades spilled with every strike, carving countless gashes across the grassy outskirts.

Amy, drenched in blood, was gradually being overwhelmed.

The witch's fingers flickered with threads of mana, piercing into the beastman's body.

【Bull's Savage Strength】

【Bear's Endurance】

Simultaneously, the Decay Ray and the Stun spell struck the demon Artu.

His body stiffened.

His face twisted with frustration and rage.

Only then did Luo De notice—he'd lost one arm.

The other arm's wrist had sprouted a sharp bony blade.

Amy seized the moment of his hesitation, roaring as she swung her great cleaver in a full arc.

But it was a deliberate opening by Artu—he twisted away with premonition, the bone blade poised to pierce the beastman's chest.

Darkness surged from the ground like shadowy strips, binding his limbs.

The succubus Tally had emerged from nowhere, wielding a massive 【Scythe-Claw Reverse Blade】, slashing open a gash across his crimson back.

The ambush succeeded—but the wound was shallow.

All three were exhausted; defeat was merely a matter of time.

The demon spun on the spot, snapping the shadows, then delivered a spinning kick that sent Amy flying.

The force sent the beastman tumbling countless times across the earth, dragging a long furrow behind her.

She cried out in pain, reverting to her green-skinned form.

She exited 【Rage】.

Amy struggled to rise, slamming her cleaver hard into the ground.

Dirt sprayed.

Suddenly, a hand rested on her shoulder.

Familiar touch. Familiar warmth—the same warmth from when he trained her muscles.

"Master!"

Luo De looked at her horrific wounds and couldn't bear to send her back into battle.

He patted her head gently in comfort.

Amy blinked, wiped a streak of blood from her nose.

She obediently crouched, reaching for his pants.

"... hat are you doing?"

"Every time you pat my head, you want me to eat this, right?"

Are you Pavlov's dog?!

Luo De slapped her hand away: "Rest well. Borrow me the knife."

"Oh, really no need to suck?"

"Stay put and don't speak!"

Luo De lifted the cleaver.

He took a deep breath.

This place was closer to the forest; he could feel the trees grieving for his condition, frantically pouring natural spirituality into him.

Weakness had left me.

"If I can't keep her, can't I keep you?"

Luo De opened his eyes; the crystal cleaver in his hand erupted with blinding spirituality.

Hum!

He vanished from his spot instantly.

Demon Atu turned his head as if foreseeing the attack.

A column of spiritual light slashed toward him.

He acted without hesitation; flames exploded violently over his entire body.

They collided, unleashing violent energy waves.

In the night, light pollution surged to maximum.

When all fell silent.

Luo De slung the cleaver over his shoulder, face sour.

Demon Atu's bone blades on his arm were shattered, a deep cut across his chest revealing his ribs.

"Caroline, did you lose?"

"She's still holding on. You're much weaker."

"Hmph. If not for your strange blade and that zombie's self-sacrifice technique, do you think you'd have brought me to this state?"

He staggered: "Forester Luo De, you're truly suited for Hell. I renew the Duke's invitation to you."

(End of Chapter)