Chapter 224: One Hammer to Ash

When Se Li Ke's evil aura spread, the next second exposed the Death Knight's identity.

Some of the supernaturals acted without hesitation.

Every undead creature is a mortal's mortal enemy; they are the Lord of the Dead's minions, desecrating all life, leaving no room for hesitation—once encountered they must be eliminated on the spot, especially in densely populated cities, or they will bring greater disaster.

Ai Mi Li Si immediately cast, preparing to conjure a fireball.

A Ka Lan De raised his right arm, the whole limb mechanically twisting into a massive barrel, its rune‑etched shell glowing as energy gathered for release; at the same time, he summoned a dozen tall humanoid mechanical puppets around the trade hall, sealing every exit.

Xia Lan Wei muttered draconic words to cast.

Master Ge Lu Nusi, the dwarf, grasped the rune‑inscribed war hammer behind him.

Si Tu Wa, deputy commander of the Storm Legion and a legendary iron guard, drew his longsword and charged.

More supernaturals below legendary rank, several Wizards from Weizelan's Fu Kong Cheng, also began casting…

Their reaction was swift; no supernatural wanted to miss the chance to kill Se Li Ke.

It wasn't that they were especially hateful; they all thought of one thing: this Death Knight had taken part in the Thunder Hammer's bidding, meaning he carried cash or items worth no less than the Thunder Hammer!

With so many supernaturals present, Se Li Ke was bound to die.

In Ai Lun E Si, Demons and undead are slain by anyone without regard for law or morality; shoulder to shoulder they charge, and whoever lands the first kill indisputably claims the loot.

At that moment, the Death Knight was, in everyone's eyes, just a stinky fart.

But everyone was a step slower than Lei En.

Lei En was closest to Se Li Ke; he didn't hammer the opponent down on the first strike, in order to expose the Death Knight's identity, then he could openly take the demon soul of the luminous jellyfish.

His original plan was to wait until the trade hall ended, quietly follow Se Li Ke, and then strike from the shadows.

Unexpectedly, Se Li Ke leapt out first.

"You forced me to do this."

Lei En thought to himself, noticing others moving, and muttered under his breath, "Whoa! They're all trying to snatch the monster from me!"

At the same time, the second war hammer was already swung.

For this swing, he gave his all, expending extra stamina to activate the runes; currents burst from the hammer, strands of lightning densely coiled around the head, emitting a shrill screech.

Hiss!

Se Li Ke did not close his eyes and await death; as a Death Knight he neither feared nor retreated, and he lacked the mortal's last‑minute surge of courage. His expression remained calm, the blue flame in his eyes flickering as he made the optimal combat decision.

With no retreat, he could only gamble his life, sacrificing himself to harvest souls for the Lord of the Dead!

The Lord Ge La Mo Gen before him was the sole choice.

"His soul's scent is exquisitely fragrant; if offered to my master, it will surely please him,"

The Death Knight drew his waist‑sheathed greatsword, and a layer of bone armor manifested on his body, making him even paler, colder, and undeniably indestructible.

He was confident that his "Bone Armor" combined with his "Frozen Body" could at least block an enemy war hammer strike.

If he could block that blow, he would harvest the opponent's soul.

In that instant, the Death Knight calmly contemplated, took a massive stride, and swung his greatsword at Lei En's head; the death energy on the blade solidified into pallid runes, exuding a terrifying aura, forming a spell that shot toward the nearby Lei En.

Soul‑strike!

This is the Death Knight's premier spell against the living, using death force to strike the soul directly, achieving the dual effects of Fear Technique and mental freeze, after which the victim is left for slaughter.

Ordinary people with weaker Willpower, if hit by a soul‑strike, might die on the spot.

In other cases, Lei En would dodge the spell, but with so many eyes on Se Li Ke, he was too lazy to evade.

The Death Knight's soul‑strike landed almost simultaneously with Lei En's war hammer on the opponent.

The scene resembled a mutual annihilation, sending shivers through the crowd.

Then they saw the soul‑strike embed in Lei En's head, yet it had no effect; Lei En didn't even blink, and his hammer swing continued unabated.

Bang!

The Thunder Hammer struck true, smashing the Death Knight Se Li Ke's head.

The thunderous blow tripled Lei En's power!

Even without the Dragon Power boost or battle music, the thunderous amplification raised this hammer's force beyond one hundred thousand pounds!

Under such terrifying force, the bone armor was as fragile as paper, the frozen body shattered instantly, and the pallid, shriveled head exploded, yet not a drop of blood splattered.

The war hammer kept pounding, crushing everything in its path.

The Death Knight's headless torso shrank a foot, the hammer's force rippled through, the rotting, icy body fragmented inch by inch, exploding like a statue carved from ice, the overwhelming blow triggering a chain reaction that turned it into a shower of ice shards.

Simultaneously, the hammer emitted dazzling lightning, scorching the ice shards into ash.

Clang—clank.

The Death Knight's greatsword fell to the ground; the broken armor lay empty, his body vanished entirely, leaving only dust and a charred smell as proof of his existence.

"Sss…"

The guests' screams ceased, the supernaturals' casting halted, and they stared at Lei En, who still carried the Thunder Hammer, all drawing a collective gasp.

For millennia since his birth, the Death Knight has left countless terrifying legends in Ai Lun E Si, harvesting innumerable souls for the Lord of the Dead and raising a fearsome reputation in people's hearts.

They wield death's power, serving as the Death God's messengers.

Every human and sentient race grew up hearing the Death Knight's dreadful tales; they fear neither blade nor spell, and are exceedingly hard to kill.

Even a legend finds confronting a Death Knight troublesome.

Yet this high‑rank Death Knight was smashed into powder by Lei En's hammer, leaving no corpse, completely shattering the terrifying image of Death Knights.

The might of a single hammer, terrifying indeed!

Lei En himself was startled; the Thunder Hammer's power was even stronger than he had imagined.

Nevertheless, he did not forget the most important matter.

He crouched, slipped his hand into Se Li Ke's armor, and felt a palm‑sized metal box in an inner groove, its surface etched with runes and locked.

It was an enchanted treasure box.

Lei En didn't find the key, nor know the incantation to open the treasure box, but that didn't defeat him; his finger pressed the latch, activating the living metal, the box softened and deformed slightly, and its internal structure was instantly destroyed.

He opened a slit and looked into the interior of the box.

A soul stone was stored inside, intact, and within the soul stone a strange magic soul emitted a faint glimmer.

It was the Luminous Jellyfish.

Crack!

Lei En immediately closed it, tossed the Enchanted Treasure Box into the Dimensional Ring.

Only then did the crowd come to their senses; the looks they cast at Lei En were filled with awe.

A Ka Lan De's arm returned to normal, and the dozen‑plus mechanical puppets were also retracted. He walked over with a wry smile and said, "Lei En, you acted too quickly, leaving us no chance."

"Hehe…" Lei En let out a slightly smug laugh.

You all want to snatch my monster, no way!

Ai Mi Li Si was also quite helpless; her fireball was only half‑cast when the battle ended.

The other supernal beings ready to act all wore looks of regret.

They didn't know what was inside the Enchanted Treasure Box, but since it could be used to trade for the Thunder Hammer, it must be valuable; each felt both envy—Lei En made a fortune—and remorse— they were a step slower.

Only Xia Lan Wei knew best that Lei En had obtained the Luminous Jellyfish, and couldn't help feeling a bit melancholy.

"Lord, how did you know he is a Death Knight?" Xia Lan Wei said, already suspecting that Lei En had long seen that Se Li Ke was a Death Knight, so he seized him on the spot.

Lei En waved his hand and vaguely replied, "Intuition."

That answer failed to convince anyone.

Clearly Lei En hadn't told the truth, but that was his secret, and everyone politely refrained from probing.

Lei En picked up Se Li Ke's Rune Greatsword; it was merely a premium enchanted weapon, worth a few thousand gold, far less than the Thunder Hammer.

That set of Rune Armor was of decent quality, but already broken, no different from scrap metal.

Death Knights are powerful, but Death Power can only destroy, not create, so it is unsuitable for forging weapons and gear; thus Death Knight equipment is generally shabby, usually inherited relics from life or taken from others.

This also explains why Se Li Ke coveted the Thunder Hammer so much.

Lei En sheathed the Rune Greatsword, scanned the surroundings, and shouted, "Who among you knows him well, knows where he lives? Any companions?"

Everyone hurriedly shook their heads, indicating they didn't know.

Even those few guests who had previously chatted animatedly with Se Li Ke dared not speak now, instantly distancing themselves from him.

Lei En's Soul Eye observed covertly, trying to pinpoint one or two informants.

Yet the appearance of the Death Knight left everyone still shaken; the vast majority's emotions fluctuated—confusion, fear, shrinkage, disgust—colors shifting unpredictably, making it impossible to tell who was problematic.

In the end it was Xia Lan Wei who spoke up: "Count, this Death Knight has always been a lone wolf; I've never seen anyone travel with him."

"Yes, yes…" others immediately echoed.

"He said he has companions on the New Continent, but they've already split up."

"He just returned to Mo Du last month."

"We've never heard him mention where he lives," the guests who had spoken with Se Li Ke chattered, but no useful information emerged.

Lei En felt regret.

The Death Knight's soul had transferred fifteen units of electricity to him; if he had allies, he would kill them outright, perhaps then he could level up and perform a third Soul Transformation.

"What a pity."

"A big fish was taken down early, cutting off the trail."

While Lei En was thinking, he suddenly noticed that Ms. Luo Yi Si, who had been disguised as Fa Lin Na, had left at some point.

It seemed she left after buying the Hurricane Staff.

So it appears Fa Lin Na has no connection with Se Li Ke.

Seeing no useful answers forthcoming, Lei En fell silent; the trade fair was far from over, and Xia Lan Wei tried to soothe the guests to keep the trade going.

But after such a thrilling event, few guests still had the mind to stay.

People left one by one early.

Lei En exchanged a few words with A Ka Lan De, promising to keep in touch, then also bade farewell to Xia Lan Wei, who hurriedly set aside the other guests and personally escorted Lei En downstairs.

She originally had many matters to discuss with Lei En after the trade fair ended, but would have to wait for the next visit.

They rode a carriage back to the castle.

Lei En left the melancholy‑eyed Ai Mi Li Si, said goodnight to her, and entered his bedroom, locking the door.

He took out the Enchanted Treasure Box and opened it.

The Soul Stone appeared before his eyes; upon close inspection, a jellyfish‑like magic soul was contained within, its state relaxed, as if swimming freely in the ocean.

It seemed to sense Lei En's gaze.

The Luminous Jellyfish instantly changed shape, swelling as if countless light spheres overlapped, emitting dazzling brilliance too bright to stare at directly.

The glare stung Lei En's eyes, and a nameless horror rose in his mind.

It felt as if he had touched an indescribable existence, seen something he shouldn't have, his eyelids twitched, his heart throbbed, and every hair on his body stood on end.

"Radiant Bubble!"

Lei En involuntarily closed his eyes and quickly turned his head away.

A few seconds later, he sensed the Radiant Bubble had reverted to the Luminous Jellyfish form, then opened his eyes and placed the Soul Stone back into the box.

In that brief instant, Lei En saw five Elements inside the light sphere.

At the deepest core was the Key of Doors.

It was the most peculiar Element rune he had ever seen, overall resembling a halo surrounding obscure, intricate runes; within the circle lay a door, and the door bore a hole, its destination unknown.

The Soul Eye detected a wealth of information about the Key of Doors.

Besides gaining a mystery affinity equivalent to Void Resonance, it allows the Element's holder to be extremely sensitive to the surrounding spacetime.

It is akin to a sensing field, making the temporal and spatial changes within its range as clear as the palm of one's hand.

All time- and space-based spells, whether cast by oneself or released by an opponent, will be under one's control—amplified or weakened, nullified or reversed, and can be exploited.

All the "doors" in the world, regardless of form—stone doors, iron doors, wooden doors, magical doors, teleport doors, Anywhere Door, real doors, illusory doors—can be opened and entered at will without a key, incantation, or permission.

Because the Key of Doors is the key to every door.

Each ring the Key of Doors advances grants an Arcane.

The Luminous Jellyfish's demonic soul contains four additional Elements, indicating it has reached the fourth ring and thus advanced to a superlative Element.

Lei En identifies four Element runes.

They are, respectively, Light Burst, Vector Shield, Flash, and Anywhere Door.

The initial ring numbers of these four Arcane are exactly one, two, three, and four; clearly, the Luminous Jellyfish chose these Arcane for itself, focusing on defense and movement, and not excelling at offense.

Perhaps this very choice led to its being slain and falling into Serik's hands.

Lei En, almost without hesitation, decides to fuse it after the next Soul Transformation.

The Key of Doors' potential is immense; the future is limitless.

For that, he is willing to sacrifice a chance at fusion, attempting to merge with the Luminous Jellyfish. Even though he already possesses two thunder‑electro affinities, which normally cannot coexist and would cause a violent clash, he still intends to fuse the Key of Doors into his own soul.

A Wizard who simultaneously cultivates two affinity spells is exceedingly rare, but not impossible.

If successful, he will count himself as an Arcane practitioner!

It's the end of the month, please give me a vote! Any vote works, thanks!

(End of chapter)