Chapter 8: The Horrifying True Damage
Laster shortened the blade formed from her fingers and stabbed its tip toward the Realm Severing Thread.
Laster couldn't cut through the Realm Severing Thread, but she could pierce it. The title of strongest spear was not just a name.
Zzzz~.
Su Xiao retracted the Realm Severing Thread, knowing it might be pierced.
Though Laster missed, she was now free.
Regaining her freedom, Laster turned and fled without looking back.
Su Xiao couldn't use Alchemy Bombs now—leaving traces would be troublesome. He lunged forward in pursuit.
Laster wasn't fast in her escape. Before she got far, Su Xiao's blade struck her back.
The blade sliced through muscle and severed Laster's spine.
Though Laster was an artificial human, a broken spine still rendered her immobile.
With a thud, she fell face-first to the ground. Blood smeared across her face as she looked at Su Xiao.
"Why? Your aura is unfamiliar. We've never met."
Su Xiao said nothing, only slowly walked toward Laster.
Laster's face paled. In over a hundred years of life, she had never encountered such a terrifying enemy.
Cold, ferocious, and taciturn.
"You leave me no choice."
Laster pressed both hands to the ground.
"Impaling Punishment."
A hissing sound came from beneath the earth. Su Xiao paused mid-step as a sense of crisis surged.
Boom!
Countless black spikes burst from the ground—at least a hundred of them. The entire church was engulfed, transformed into a hell of thorns.
Each spike was three meters long, all of them the strongest spears. If directly struck, Su Xiao would be dead.
At Laster's previous position, only a pool of blood remained. She had vanished.
Su Xiao hung expressionlessly in midair within the church, his left arm raised. He had wrapped the Realm Severing Thread around the ceiling beams, contracting it to dodge Laster's attack.
Closing his eyes to sense, Laster had fled westward.
Su Xiao swung back and forth in the air a few times, then released the Realm Severing Thread, landing at the church entrance.
Stepping out of the church, he disappeared into the night.
...
In a pitch-black alley, Laster ran unsteadily, leaving a trail of blood. The energy from the Philosopher's Stone was running low—once it was gone, she was doomed.
From ahead came hurried, heavy footsteps. A round, bald little fat man appeared at the other end of the alley.
The little fat man looked somewhat dull-witted, his bald head making his round figure even more pronounced.
"What's wrong, Laster?"
The little fat man was named Gluttony, representing gluttony.
"Gluttony, run!"
Laster fell to her knees, her wavy black hair stained with blood.
"Huh?"
Though confused, Gluttony felt he had to protect Laster.
Among the seven artificial humans representing the seven deadly sins, Gluttony and Laster (Lust) had the closest bond, often acting together.
Gluttony loved to devour every living thing he saw, but before eating, he always asked: "Can I eat him, Laster?"
If Laster said yes, Gluttony would pounce immediately. If no, he would suck his thumb and restrain himself.
"Laster, I'll help you."
Gluttony hurried forward.
"Don't come near! This is a trap. A monster is coming—run!"
Laster shouted, despair in her voice.
Su Xiao emerged from the shadows behind Laster, azure arcs of electricity surging across the surface of Dragon-Slaying Flash in his hand.
The long blade descended. Laster's head flew into the air, and a crisp crack came from within her body—the Philosopher's Stone shattered.
Su Xiao had activated Azure Steel Shadow for ten minutes, triggering the Mana Combustion effect.
Notification: If the Hunter activates (Azure Steel Shadow) consuming 30 mana points per minute, and maintains peak energy output for 10 consecutive minutes, the Hunter will gain the Mana Combustion effect. The next attack deals 60% of the enemy's consumed mana as True Damage. (If the enemy consumed 100 mana points, it deals 60 true damage.)
Notification: Mana Combustion cooldown is 48 hours.
Laster had been struck many times by Su Xiao's blade, each strike burning 50 mana points. Even if Laster had over a thousand mana, it would be drained to nothing.
Laster's mana wasn't over a thousand. She had 320 mana points, plus 360 from the Philosopher's Stone, totaling 680.
The higher the mana, the faster the death. Mana Combustion dealt a full 408 true damage, plus the base 50 true damage from Azure Steel Shadow, shattering the Philosopher's Stone inside her.
The Philosopher's Stone wasn't depleted—it was broken. True damage was effective against it.
Laster's body convulsed a few times, then her raised arm fell limply to the ground.
[You have killed Laster.]
[Laster is a key plot character. Obtained 5.3% World Source. Total World Source obtained: 6.5%.]
[Your talent 'Soul Devourer' activates. Permanently increased mana by 15 points. Current mana: 929 points.]
[You obtained a Treasure Chest (Purple).]
Picking up the chest, Su Xiao turned his gaze to Gluttony.
"Little fatty, your turn."
He slowly approached Gluttony. This one was far more dangerous than Laster.
Laster was the type with strong attack power but poor defense and attack speed.
Ordinary contractors would find such an enemy troublesome, but Su Xiao excelled against this type.
For someone skilled in combat techniques, Laster was like a child wielding the 'Longinus Spear.'
But this little fatty was different. His attack power wasn't strong, his defense wasn't outstanding, and his recovery was average. However, he possessed an ability that, once it hit, was nearly unstoppable.
If hit by that ability, Su Xiao would either die or face mission failure, resulting in attribute point deductions.
Gluttony was a failed product of the Homunculus's attempt to create the Gate of Truth. Though a failure, Gluttony's stomach contained an infinite space with no exit.
That space was the gap between the real world and the Gate of Truth. The original story's protagonist, Edward Elric, had once been swallowed into it.
Edward Elric found a way out, but Su Xiao couldn't replicate it.
Edward Elric performed human transmutation inside that space—but on himself.
Alchemy is decomposition, reconstruction, and reformation.
During human transmutation, one enters the Gate of Truth, which then sends the alchemist back to the real world.
Edward Elric first decomposed himself to achieve human transmutation, then reassembled himself upon reaching the Gate of Truth.
Since he transmuted himself, no equivalent exchange was needed, so the Gate of Truth immediately sent him back.
Back in the real world, Edward Elric reconstructed himself, thus escaping Gluttony's stomach space.
Edward Elric perfectly utilized decomposition, reassembly, and reconstruction.
Su Xiao faced an awkward problem: he didn't know alchemy at all. He mastered alchemy science, which had nothing to do with alchemy.
Alchemy science is the exploration of the world, using discovered knowledge to create certain items.
Alchemy is decomposition, reconstruction, and reformation. Even the literal meanings differ.
Su Xiao lowered his body. He absolutely could not be swallowed by Gluttony. The penalty of -10 to all attributes was too severe.
His luck was already poor. If it dropped to -9 luck, it would be a disaster—even choking on cold water wouldn't be an exaggeration.