Chapter 261 - Death's Protection

The God King of Light stood frozen in shock. He had believed his nemesis, Darkness, was the only one meddling in the battle. Yet now it seemed Death had intervened as well. Otherwise, the Death Attendant Tower would not have become the battle's central force.

“Life, do you admit defeat?” Death asked, his voice laced with dark amusement.

Life clenched his jaw so hard he nearly cracked his teeth. He had to admit he'd been careless. He hadn't expected anyone to break through the Holy General's Defense. Yet Han Wu had combined four towers to bring it down. Though Death and Darkness had secretly interfered, Life and Light had also, in a way, aided Elina. He had lost, but with a reason he could justify.

Light refused to concede. “You're cheating. I won't admit defeat.”

Death fixed him with a cold stare. “You agreed to this gamble. Now you want to avoid the consequences of losing? You shame everything Light stands for.”

Light suddenly felt his Divine Jurisdiction tremble. This power was more than a mere attribute; it demanded that its wielder act with a clear conscience, like a pure ray of light.

Light's attempt to evade the consequences of the wager clashed with the very nature of his Divine Jurisdiction, causing its slight instability. He quickly regained control and forced himself to calm down. “It's still too early to decide that. Elina hasn't lost.”

Death laughed. Elina had already lost the first half of the battle, along with all the advantages she had accumulated so far. It was only a matter of time before she lost.

Nevertheless, Light refused to accept her defeat until the very end. As such, Death chose to wait a little longer, watching with amusement as Han Wu closed in on victory. He looked forward to seeing how Light would wriggle out of the situation when the time came.

...

Even after the Holy General's death, Han Wu and Elina's battle raged on with unrelenting intensity.

The Holy General was gone, but Elina continued to summon Holy Knights in waves. She only needed a little more time to forge an even stronger one.

Han Wu had no intention of giving her that chance. After slaying the Holy General, he absorbed a massive surge of Energy. With the steady influx he gained from selling enhanced Sacred Objects, his total quickly reached 100,000. He used it without hesitation to construct another Dark Locustman Lord Tower.

The Dark Locustman Lord Tower's Dark Domain proved ineffective against the Holy General but devastated the Holy Knights. Its vast range engulfed and struck numerous towers under Elina's control. Soon, the combined effects of Confusion and Erosion drained the Holy Knight Towers' Armor to 0, leaving them helpless targets for Han Wu.

The more towers Elina lost, the quicker her ability to resist collapsed. Ultimately, Han Wu seized her entire territory. The stubborn and proud Elina was forced out of the wargame without ceremony.

Although Han Wu emerged victorious, he had to admit that this was the toughest battle he had faced in the wargame.

Shortly after his triumph over Elina, a notification echoed in his mind.

[The Great God King of Death is very interested in you. You have obtained the special status: Death's Protection.]

[Death's Protection: Large Domain

Effect 1: Energy gain +100%, Sacred Object and special object acquisition rate +100%. Only applicable within the Death's Protection domain.

Effect 2: Infuses the aura of death onto every tower within the domain and grants a 40% chance to execute lower-ranked enemies, 10% chance to execute same-ranked enemies, and 1% chance to execute higher-ranked enemies.

Effect 3: Towers have a 5% chance to increase their stats after killing a target.

Effect 4: Towers have a 20% chance to unlock a special upgrade path.

Effect 5: Upon killing a target, the tower will absorb 2% of the damage dealt as Lifesteal, which can be used to recover Armor. Excess Lifesteal converts to a shield.

Effect 6: Deadly Attraction. All representatives of the opposing faction that have made contact with your territory will be forced to attack you first.]

Han Wu was startled as he read the effects of Death's Protection. It was a direct upgrade of Death's Gaze. Not only did it strengthen the first four effects, but it also added two new powers: the ability to restore his tower's Armor through Lifesteal and to draw the opposing faction's aggro.

Death's Protection pushed him to engage the enemy as much as possible. The moment it activated, Han Wu immediately sensed units from the opposing faction linked to his territory advancing into his territory.

Many low-ranking enemies fell swiftly within the Dark Domain of the Dark Locustman Lord Tower. As they slaughtered units on the edge of Han Wu's territory, their stats increased rapidly.

Meanwhile, Han Wu gained a wealth of Energy, Sacred Objects, and special items. Before long, he had gathered ten Elite Upgrade Stones and hundreds of Sacred Objects. As long as he stayed in the wargame, his gains would only multiply.

The God King of Life's representatives grew frustrated as their armies fell. They never intended to attack Han Wu, especially after witnessing his strength, but Death's Protection twisted their units beyond control. Instead of fighting the weaker representatives, their forces charged relentlessly into Han Wu's territory and fought to the death.

The God King of Life's representatives had no choice but to fight Han Wu. Unfortunately, he was too strong. The Dark Locustman Lord Tower alone had slain countless units and grown monstrously powerful. It not only possessed an absurd amount of Armor and relentless rapid attacks, but its wide attack range and debilitating status effects made it exceedingly deadly.

It was unbeatable!

The skirmishes dragged on for half a day, yet no unit from the opposing representatives broke through Han Wu's frontline defenses.

Meanwhile, the endless battles bored Han Wu.

It's so dull to be this strong.

To pass the time, he sifted through the loot he'd gathered from destroying Elina's towers. Most were Upgrade Stones and Final Battle Cards, nothing remarkable. Then he found a new type of card.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

[Party Card: Choose another representative and send an invitation to form a party with them. Once accepted, both representatives can build towers on each other's territory, defending together against common enemies.]

“Oh, this is a good card. At least having an ally will improve my chances,” Han Wu remarked as he held the card and carefully weighed his options.