Substitute

Boom!

"The sky... turned dark?"

My Cat Can Do Backflips looked unexpectedly at the suddenly dark and dripping sky, a mysterious power surging within his body.

In his memory, the two suns in the sky seemed never to have been obscured.

"Ah—"

A bolt of lightning struck Black White directly, but Black White was not harmed by the lightning; instead, he was absorbing its power.

Under the scouring of lightning-type dark energy, purple and white patterns appeared on Black White's body, and the wings behind him emitted crackling sounds of breaking bones.

Whoosh!

Six pure white wings instantly unfurled.

Unlike the slightly slender three pairs of wings behind My Cat Can Do Backflips's Feather Shaman Class, the wings behind Black White unfurled up to three meters wide, possessing a strong sense of power.

Feeling the power within Black White, which was derived from the same source as his own but far stronger, My Cat Can Do Backflips realized something. He stopped casting the First Sequence ability [Whisper] and dedicated all his strength to [Wind Assist].

Yes, if anyone had paid attention to My Cat Can Do Backflips during the fight, they would have noticed that he had been simultaneously using two abilities since the battle began, without interruption.

This was certainly due to Sorrowful Sword Elegy's deliberate protection, but it also demonstrated My Cat Can Do Backflips's personal dark energy reserves and the Feather Shaman Class's talent for support.

Without the interference of [Whisper], the Primeval Swamp Sawtooth Crocodile King seemed to suddenly sober up, becoming significantly faster in reaction and speed.

But it didn't matter. The Primeval Swamp Sawtooth Crocodile King was inherently a cumbersome Transcendent Creature, and these speed enhancements were negligible to the outcome of the battle.

Furthermore, [Whisper] was inherently ineffective against targets whose level was far higher than the caster's.

However, without [Whisper] dividing his focus, [Wind Assist], when concentrated solely on Black White, was like adding wings to a tiger.

"[Lightning Light Blade]!"

The five-meter-long light blade descended. Rather than a Lightning Light Blade, it was more like a Sword of Judgment from the Spokesperson of the Witch God.

"Black White, drive it back into the lake!"

The lake water and the surrounding mud could conduct electricity.

However, since the start of the battle, Sorrowful Sword Elegy had already ordered the guild members to throw lightning bombs into the lake regardless of the cost.

Although the Primeval Swamp Sawtooth Crocodile King had detonated some of them before coming ashore.

But the real main course had been prepared for it all along!

"Understood!"

Due to the abundance of lightning-type dark energy within him, dense lightning light overflowed from Black White's eyes, making him truly resemble a god judging all sentient beings.

With the help of [Wind Assist], the lightning power surrounding Black White intensified. Black White raised his hand, and the lightning power above the clouds was drawn down, transforming into countless lightning pillars attacking the Primeval Swamp Sawtooth Crocodile King.

"Roar—"

The Primeval Swamp Sawtooth Crocodile King roared in pain, forced to retreat back to the bottom of the lake, where it had long resided and which gave it a sense of security.

"Now!"

Sorrowful Sword Elegy shouted loudly.

Hearing this, the guild members positioned around the battlefield simultaneously detonated the lightning bombs in the water.

"Detonate!"

Tens of thousands of lightning bombs instantly detonated, and the surface of the lake immediately lit up with dazzling white light.

Many guild members instinctively shielded their eyes, but Black White was completely unaffected:

"Strike for me!"

Thousands of lightning bolts transformed into screaming birds rushing toward the lake. Black White's body began to break down, unable to withstand the high-load power.

Dense cracks began to appear on his skin. Before the blood could flow out, it was evaporated by the high heat generated by the electricity clinging to his skin.

His bones and internal organs began to shatter, and even the wings on his back, symbols of his Spokesperson of the Witch God status, started to twist.

"Stop, Black White! You're going to die!"

Night Raid Widow Village was practically crying blood.

Although death in the game allows for resurrection, it doesn't mean it won't completely affect one's real-life state.

Even when the pain sensation in the game is lowered to the minimum, it is still ten percent.

If a person truly experienced being evaporated into a mist of blood by powerful overloaded force, and didn't possess far greater endurance and tolerance than ordinary people, wouldn't their mind collapse even if 90% of the pain was blocked?

"No! I can feel that it's not dead yet!"

He was the Captain's sole teammate, sharing honor and disgrace with him.

If a single sacrifice in the game could help the Captain prove himself, then it was worth it!

Boom!

It seemed the dust had settled, and the smell of burning floated in the air.

Black White... "Did he win?"

Night Raid Widow Village urgently wanted to know the result. He wanted to log off immediately to check on Black White's condition, but he also knew that if that creature hadn't been killed, he absolutely could not leave the field.

My Cat Can Do Backflips's eyes glazed over momentarily. Just as he suppressed the ringing in his head and decided to use psychic power to investigate, he saw a surge of water splash across the lake surface.

"Roar—"

The Primeval Swamp Sawtooth Crocodile King's injuries looked more severe, and consequently, it entered a berserk state, drastically increasing its combat power at the cost of burning its vitality and sanity.

It was similar to Sorrowful Sword Elegy's Second Sequence ability, Frenzy Blood Technique.

But the side effects and the effect itself were clearly much greater.

"How could this happen?"

Under the despair of having exhausted all efforts only to result in the enemy entering a stronger state, many guild members began to consider retreating.

"Guild Leader... maybe we should retreat first," Your Dad Flies in the Sky spoke up. He was the only player present who had suffered almost no injuries. "Wait until Sister Rose and Brother Dog resurrect..."

"What are you doing!" Night Raid Widow Village suddenly said, his eyes red. "It's true this is its strongest state, but it's also a sign that its health bar is about to be depleted!"

"Black White used a cost you can't imagine to successfully push it to the brink. Why should we retreat?"

"Since we have to wait eight hours anyway, why shouldn't it be eight hours after we die fighting!?"

Night Raid Widow Village turned to look at Your Dad Flies in the Sky, his voice, though calm, trembling as he said, "You are truly pathetic. From now on, we are finished."

Your Dad Flies in the Sky looked at Night Raid Widow Village in disbelief, as if he had been struck over the head.

They had the best relationship when they were in *infinite sequence*.

There was no need to mention Rose with Leg Hair and her two companions; the bonds of blood and affection naturally made the three of them closer.

As for Sorrowful Sword Elegy and My Cat Can Do Backflips, one had the strongest combat power, and the other was the brains of the operation.

The admiration for the strong naturally made them the core and soul of the squad.

As for him and Widow, they were two ordinary people with no special talents who, by a strange coincidence, formed an insignificant guild with Sorrowful Sword Elegy and the others in *infinite sequence*, becoming the laborers and the comic relief.

When did the two of them start drifting apart?

It was probably the time they prepared to wipe out the Steel-Toothed Rock-Crushing Rat swarm, when Widow unhesitatingly chose the plan that required self-sacrifice.

Since then, although Widow's strength remained at the bottom of the seven members, only slightly stronger than his own.

Everyone's attitude toward Widow was noticeably different.

Even the great Sorrowful Sword Elegy was willing to satisfy Widow's wish to become the Squad Leader, even though everyone knew Widow had no leadership talent.

Your Dad Flies in the Sky looked at Night Raid Widow Village's merciless retreating back, opening his mouth but unable to utter a sound.

"Am I really... that pathetic?"

Perhaps being afraid of death wasn't wrong, but he stood among the group, enjoying the same core member treatment as the other seven people who founded the guild together.

Did he have the right to be afraid?

"Help me!"

Night Raid Widow Village said this to a pure strength-type Beast Clan Player.

Other players with long-range attack capabilities were restraining the Primeval Swamp Sawtooth Crocodile, preventing it from coming ashore.

But this player's First Sequence ability was [Charge], which increases strength, and his Second Sequence ability was not yet apparent.

The surrounding area was muddy swamp, making it impossible for him to fully utilize his strength.

"Yes!"

That member quickly understood Night Raid Widow Village's intention.

Night Raid Widow Village took a running start and leaped. The player immediately caught Night Raid Widow Village, using his hands as a springboard, and forcefully threw him toward the lake surface.

"[Thunder Armor]!"

The power of thunder condensed and pulsed on Night Raid Widow Village's body surface, erupting the moment he plunged into the lake.

The entire lake surface was covered by the power of thunder, and the Primeval Swamp Sawtooth Crocodile King entered a brief state of paralysis again.

Your Dad Flies in the Sky stared blankly at everything.

He was afraid of pain, afraid of death, and even afraid of blood... Childhood memories that had been subconsciously sealed away resurfaced in his mind.

But this time, it wasn't just the shattered corpses, but also the army that had desperately rescued him.

If those people had also been afraid of death, would a coward like him have had a chance to survive?

"You are truly pathetic..."

Night Raid Widow Village's voice echoed in his mind, shattering the constantly flashing memories.

"No... that's not right! I always wanted to become a Transcendent, I always wanted to possess..."

The power to protect everyone!

Your Dad Flies in the Sky raised his head, his eyes crimson.

The power of thunder on the lake surface had calmed down, and the out-of-control Primeval Swamp Sawtooth Crocodile came ashore again.

Fortunately, Sorrowful Sword Elegy had already completed his final Charge under the countless stacked uses of [Frenzy Blood Technique].

Your Dad Flies in the Sky finally made up his mind and chose the Second Sequence ability he had long struggled with: [Life Exchange]!

[Cursed Blood Corpse: Life Exchange]: Swaps the user's status with the status of the marked target. (Note: Negative statuses can only be transferred from a higher-level party to a lower-level party.) (200,000 yuan energy)

This was a special skill he had inquired about, which was not available in many people's Crystal Core Shops.

He knew this might be his unique talent, and his only chance to catch up with the other six members and maintain his position as a core member.

But when he broke through Level 20, he hesitated.

Because once he absorbed this crystal core, it would mean he would bear most of his teammates' damage in the time to come.

He was afraid... "Fear is normal..."

"I won't judge your fear, because I don't know your past experiences."

...Your Dad Flies in the Sky took a deep breath. This time, the speed of crystal core absorption far exceeded his expectation.

"Big Shot! My Second Sequence ability can transfer the marked target's negative status onto me!"