157: Chapter 157 I was careless!

Seeing this, Nie Ning's astonishment reached new heights.

He originally thought that the short sword's ability to corrupt souls was already formidable, but he never expected it could even corrupt Elemental Power!

Seeing the Light Spear about to be corrupted, Nie Ning decisively detonated it.

'Boom!'

An explosion rang out, and the immense energy shockwave destroyed the surrounding buildings.

Nie Ning then summoned a gust of wind, blowing away the rising smoke and dust.

He glanced at Krister above, who was still fixed in the sky by the wind element, his staff shining with dazzling light.

Sensing the malevolent fluctuations emanating from the center of the explosion, Nie Ning couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

As long as it didn't escape, everything was manageable. It might not be possible to catch it again if it got away.

As the smoke and dust cleared, a hundred-meter-wide pit was left on the ground, with a figure as black as ink standing within it.

Under the influence of the Light spell and with the surrounding buildings cleared, the assassin could not escape using shadows.

Seeing this, Nie Ning waved his hand, summoning over a dozen Wind-Thunder Blades to attack the assassin.

At this moment, the assassin was moving slowly, and even with the Blade of Corrosion, it was difficult to block all the Wind-Thunder Blades.

However, Nie Ning dared not approach.

The scene just now was too shocking.

Even elements could be Corrupted; his small body couldn't withstand that kind of attack.

Even Supernatural Adaptability would be useless, as it had a weaker effect against such aggressive methods.

If it were like the elemental erosion from before, Nie Ning would truly have nowhere to cry.

Under Nie Ning's continuous attacks, the assassin's body would explode like ink washing away, but it would quickly return to its original state.

And it began to approach Nie Ning's direction.

Nie Ning frowned slightly at this.

He infused the Wind-Thunder Blades with Power of Corruption, and the gray Wind-Thunder Blades directly severed the assassin's shoulder.

With this strike, the Corruptor's recovery speed was noticeably much slower.

Having lost the ability to Shadow Shuttle, the assassin's strength was almost weakened to the extreme, becoming a living target to be slaughtered at will.

Nie Ning felt that this would likely be his easiest time killing a Corruptor.

By the time it reached Nie Ning, most of the assassin's body had been worn away.

Seeing this, Nie Ning sped up his attack frequency, wanting to kill it quickly and then return to collect his reward.

Just as Nie Ning thought victory was assured, the assassin suddenly threw a Rotting Dagger at him.

Nie Ning saw this and paid it no mind, shifting his body to the left to avoid the dagger.

Suddenly, the assassin vanished.

When Nie Ning's spiritual perception located the assassin, it had already bizarrely appeared beside Nie Ning, short sword in hand, striking directly at Nie Ning's chest.

'My Flying Raijin!'

Nie Ning's eyes widened involuntarily.

Seeing that he couldn't dodge the assassin's attack, Nie Ning quickly summoned an Ice Shield, hoping to block the assassin's strike.

But the assassin's short sword possessed a corrosive ability beyond comprehension; the Ice Shield was torn apart like paper and turned to ash with ease.

Nie Ning gritted his teeth, and white mist gathered in his chest, instantly forming a giant bear head.

The Jerky Bear Head's upper jaw was torn open by the Blade of Corrosion, but then the Blade of Corrosion, along with the assassin's half-crippled body, was swallowed whole by the Jerky Bear Head.

Nie Ning watched this scene with trepidation.

Upon seeing the deep gray color on the Dried Meat Bear's upper jaw, Nie Ning's expression darkened, feeling immense heartache.

He was too careless!

The cost was unimaginably heavy.

Not only because the Jerky Bear Head had accompanied him for a long time, but it was also a one-of-a-kind devouring Corruptor!

One must know, there had never been two identical Corruptors.

They might be similar, but there would always be slight differences.

And for a type like the Jerky Bear Head, even if one were to find another Frenzied Giant Bear, it would be almost impossible for a similar ability to reappear.

This had been thoroughly researched by wizards; it would most likely mutate into other abilities.

Even if there were similarities, the strength was an uncertain factor, and whether the complete ability could be plundered was also uncertain.

Not to mention, Nie Ning had checked The Federation's Corruptor archives.

Getting stronger by killing is a universal ability of Corruptors.

And if similar abilities appeared, it would most likely be judged that the previous Corruptor hadn't died completely.

It was possible that before its death, it infected some creature, causing it to mutate into a Corrupted entity with similar abilities, or it simply hadn't died.

At this moment, the dark gray color on the Jerky Bear Head's mouth had already begun to spread, clearly indicating that killing the assassin did not nullify the Corruption.

Feeling the Jerky Bear Head's malice beginning to weaken, Nie Ning's expression was grim, and for a moment, he didn't know what to do.

"My Lord!"

Just then, Krister's voice came from above.

Hearing the voice, Nie Ning, to prevent the Dried Meat Bear from infecting himself, could only make it hide underground for now, planning to try and save it later.

Under Nie Ning's control, Krister, enveloped by the wind element, landed on the ground.

"My Lord, what was that just now...?"

Krister thought of the bizarre, giant transparent bear head and couldn't help but ask.

Because no matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem like a normal creature, nor did it resemble a conventional soul body.

"It's just the soul body of a Frenzied Giant Bear I killed before. After many battles with Corruptors, only its head remained, and it also got a little Power of Corruption infection."

Nie Ning said casually.

Krister heard this and did not press further.

Most wizards had eccentric personalities; if it weren't for his curiosity, he wouldn't have asked.

As for researching Corruptors, he was already a Second Ring Wizard, so he surely knew what he was doing; it wasn't his place to worry.

...

Now that the assassin had been killed, Nie Ning immediately took Krister back to the Wizard Tower.

Perhaps due to the assassin's death, Okima's complexion had actually improved somewhat.

However, her injuries were too severe; this could only slow down the pace of death, nothing more.

After listening to Nie Ning's account, Okima, dragging her heavy body, tried hard to sit up and speak.

Krister, who was beside her, quickly stepped forward to help Okima sit up.

"Thank you, Mr. Bronk, for solving that Corruptor problem for the city residents; otherwise, who knows how many more people would have died."

Okima said with a face full of gratitude.

The assassin's speed was extremely fast; almost no one could escape, and each use of Shadow Shuttle meant one person would die.

If it weren't for it not appearing during the day, who knows how many people would die in a single day.

"It's merely mutually beneficial. You are the one they should thank the most; without you, who knows how many people would have lost their homes and families."

Nie Ning shook his head slightly, saying with a hint of emotion.

Not every wizard would genuinely treat ordinary people.

Most wizards, when unable to deal with Corruptors, would choose to turn a blind eye and wait for rescue from The Federation headquarters.

And those like Okima, who paid out of their own pocket, were a minority.

After all, one or two years' salary from a Federation Branch couldn't buy a treasure like ghost spirit silkworm thread.

The Federation would not compensate for these losses; at most, they would give some other rewards, but overall, it would definitely be a loss.

...