Chapter Eleven: Witch Spear and Lance · Dragon Thorn

Upon hearing what Night Feather said, “Hero Trapped by a Cup of Wine” shuddered involuntarily. As memories of past events surged forth, a chill ran down his spine, and his expression grew grave. Without hesitation, he swiftly retreated.

He glanced back at Night Feather, a look of awakening mixed with gratitude etched across his face, clearly thankful for the words spoken.

“If it weren’t for you, the buffs from those Evil Church devotees would have surely ended my life.”

“So the buffs had already stacked up? I nearly died,” Qu Zheng realized from “Hero Trapped by a Cup of Wine’s” words. It was clear that to confront these Evil Church followers, one must avoid their silver needle attacks; enduring them head-on would only cause the buffs to stack and result in instant death.

“I almost forgot about that,” murmured “Hero Trapped by a Cup of Wine,” still shaken. Suddenly, his black longsword vanished from his right hand, replaced by a black-and-silver spear-halberd that shimmered like finely polished matte black iron.

Grasping the spear tightly, he blurred into a shadowy silhouette and instantly retreated nearly fifty meters away from the Evil Church disciples. Then, with a slash across the ground, sparks flew.

“Witch Spear: Dragon Sting!”

A cold shout resounded as “Hero Trapped by a Cup of Wine” took a step forward, transforming into a terrifying streak of black light. Accompanied by a deafening rush of wind, he surged toward the Evil Church followers.

Night Feather’s eyes flickered with restrained awe as he observed the spear’s razor-sharp tip cutting through the air ahead of the black light, slicing and parting the surrounding airflow with lethal precision.

“Remarkably, the dash that extends attack range continuously amplifies the damage upon impact. The surrounding black mist converges toward the spear’s tip, condensing there,” Night Feather whispered, a faint smile curving his lips. He clearly held great respect for this “Witch King” — to see an offensive witch-class player wield such a skill was unexpected. His talent rivaled the apex players of the “Divine Ruin” offensive witch class.

Such a player was rightfully called “Witch King.” Watching the attack unfold, Night Feather could already infer the devastating damage this spear strike would inflict.

This skill was evidently self-designed within a customized talent tree—unlike the standard witch-class, which lacked spear-halberd abilities. “Hero Trapped by a Cup of Wine” had integrated skill attributes and passive abilities seamlessly, crafting a dash-charged attack skill.

The black light struck the Evil Church devotees. They were swept by a terrifying gale, instantly engulfed in black flames. A dark spear suddenly plunged downward from above, piercing through their bodies as their health plummeted at an alarming rate.

These Evil Church disciples possessed AI beyond that of novice monsters, struggling desperately. Some even attempted to abandon their physical forms to escape the rapid loss of life, but it was futile. Their formation was shattered by “Hero Trapped by a Cup of Wine,” leaving them no chance.

“As expected of the ‘Witch King’—truly formidable. But your custom talent tree seems to rely on drawing power from shadowed areas, correct? Offensive witch-class passives depend on environmental conditions. Isn’t that a vulnerability?” The question came not from Night Feather but from Luo Feng, who spoke on behalf of Tan Cong, who had been silently observing the earlier battle.

“What if shadows are scarce? In the harsher zones of Divine Ruin—like the blazing desert, the Scorching Flame Isles, or the Nine Islands—how do you manage?” Tan Cong’s question drew a slight pause from “Hero Trapped by a Cup of Wine,” who recognized Tan Cong as a fellow witch-class player. After a brief moment, he replied:

“That’s not much of an issue. Since the introduction of custom talent trees, the witch class’s shortcomings in this area can be overcome by creative design without breaking the class’s core identity. New skills can be created accordingly.”

With that, the “Witch King” shed his armor, draping himself in a black cloak. A faint trace of dark energy quietly rose around him.

Then, he raised his left hand, fingers spread wide, and slammed his palm onto the ground. At that moment, the shadows of the fallen Evil Church disciples nearby detached from their bodies and converged beneath his feet. Within moments, an eighty-meter-wide black shadow circle formed at his feet.

From this dark circle, terrifying blades surged upward, like supple serpents, piercing outward toward the approaching Evil Church devotees. About a dozen of them fired volleys toward “Hero Trapped by a Cup of Wine’s” position.

Yet the serpent-like blades instantly struck back, impaling those dozen disciples repeatedly in the blink of an eye.

“Is that a physical-attribute attack skill?” Night Feather’s voice betrayed his surprise. After enhancing physical attack power earlier, “Hero Trapped by a Cup of Wine” had crafted a skill to match. Unlike the previously magic-based black flames, these serpent blades were purely physical, penetrating defenses and increasing damage through impact.

“I draw the surrounding shadows beneath my feet, and I can also create a shadow domain myself for battle. If intense light surrounds me from multiple directions, my shadow area shrinks significantly, limiting my attribute boosts. Although this is a drawback, I’ve developed strategies to counter such situations,” he explained calmly.

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