Chapter 55: Strangling the Banshee!

The giant charged forward aggressively.

It possessed true giant strength, even more exaggerated than Duncan's, capable of uprooting a small tree with a single hand.

If one were to take a direct hit from that, survival would undoubtedly mean crippling injury.

Fortunately, it had already taken an arrow to the knee. Even though the shaft had snapped, the armor-piercing arrowhead remained wedged deep between its bones, severely hindering the behemoth's mobility.

Anyone who had played World of Warcraft knew that warriors always opened a fight with Hamstring.

Facing the oncoming giant, Duncan breathed steadily, drawing his bow and building tension like a seasoned hunter whose rich combat experience had long been forged from piles of severed heads in relentless slaughters.

Whoosh!

The armor-piercing arrow roared through the air.

This time, Duncan was well-prepared; his entire quiver was filled with heavy armor-piercing arrows.

With a single shot, he pierced the knee of the monster's other leg. Over a distance of dozens of meters, the Bow of Norden combined with a heavy armor-piercing arrow was capable of penetrating even a heavy knight's plate armor, yet now it could only wedge the arrowhead deep within the creature's bone joints.

Its hide was truly thick!

Without an extraordinary item like the Oathkeeper, which possessed inherent sharpness and armor-piercing properties, ordinary weapons would likely struggle to break through its defense.

Germanic forging technology was simply inadequate; standard iron weapons were completely useless, requiring refined forged steel weapons to even have a glimmer of opportunity.

Otherwise, one would have to use a ballista to blast it to death!

The giant's speed dropped instantly. It hurriedly grabbed a tree to use as a shield, seemingly realizing that its enemy was an expert archer. The monster suddenly accelerated, charging for dozens of meters before swinging the tree trunk in a heavy, cleaving strike aimed at Duncan.

Too slow!

The movements were too wide, leaving far too many openings.

Duncan lunged to the right, rolling to evade as dust flew behind him and a massive crater was smashed into the ground.

A real man never looks back.

——Valian Flying Axe.

A razor-sharp throwing axe spun at high speed through the air, striking the monster squarely in the neck. At such close range, blood gushed forth instantly, the volume of hemorrhage far exceeding that of a mortal. Lately, Duncan's physical strength had been growing steadily, taking on the air of a legendary half-giant.

He discovered that supernatural entities possessed astonishing physical stats and unique abilities, but their combat techniques were mediocre, resembling ancient, feral beasts relying purely on brute force.

Duncan's thoroughly honed combat skills completely surpassed them; he even doubted whether this giant had ever received formal combat training.

It relied entirely on pure brute force coupled with a tough hide.

The monster let out another strange sound, its agonizing wails echoing far into the distance.

Duncan remained unhurried.

Increasing the distance slightly, he notched another arrow and drew his bow once more. From fifteen meters away, he fired a devastating shot that pierced straight through the enemy's lungs, sending it crashing back to the ground.

At this range, an iron plate would have been punched right through!

Even with regenerative capabilities, the monster was being slowly worn down by Duncan bit by bit. By the time Duncan had exhausted all the armor-piercing arrows on his person, the giant was on its last breath, practically turned into a porcupine with a full twenty-four heavy armor-piercing arrows protruding from its body.

Against such a massive target at close range, he could have hit it with his eyes closed.

Beneath the moonlight.

Duncan lunged forward like a striking hawk, the Oathkeeper transforming into a cold flash of light that pierced straight into the giant's heart. Its massive hand attempted to grasp Duncan, but with a casual, unremarkable slash, Duncan severed its wrist. Amidst a fountain of gushing blood, Duncan landed lightly on his feet, gripped his sword with both hands, and swept the Oathkeeper in a residual arc, lopping off the fallen giant's colossal head.

——Combat Style: Decapitation!

Squelch!

Blood gushed like a fountain, staining the surrounding dozen meters crimson.

A thick stench of blood carried far on the wind.

Duncan suspected this monster might not even be fully grown; its combat performance felt more like children brawling, relying entirely on terrifying brute strength.

The giants of legend were far more formidable than this, and their martial prowess was top-tier.

Woooo!......

A strange whisper echoed. Beneath the brilliant moonlight, Duncan caught sight of a Valkyrie clad in bird-winged golden armor. She had appeared from nowhere, gazing down at Duncan from mid-air before turning to point toward a distant lake.

This Valkyrie was even dragging the soul of a fallen warrior in her hand, appearing directly as if sensing Duncan's aura.

A piercing shriek tore through the night sky!

It was as if a dark shadow had swept across the firmament, approaching at an astonishing speed. Moments later, a winged, seductive, and eerie silhouette glided among the tall treetops, its slender tail winding around the branch tips, a pair of cold, vertical pupils staring fixedly at Duncan not far away.

She extended a crimson, slender tongue over twenty centimeters long, cast a pitying glance at the decapitated giant, and then focused all her attention entirely on Duncan. Her exotic eyes were filled with astonishment, lust, and greed.

——Mother of Monsters (Demon) (Banshee) (Blasphemer) (Otherworldly Being) (Three-Star Gold) [Hostile].

………………

Dimensional Space.

A line of characters flashed rapidly into view.

"Warning! Warning!"

"Enchantment spell detected!... Unknown illusion detected!..."

"Special domain fluctuations detected."

By this time, the bird-winged golden Valkyrie had vanished. Duncan felt as though he had suddenly been transported to the edge of a lake, entering a dim, damp underground cavern.

Dripping water echoed from the stalactites hanging upside down within the cave, and a mountain of golden treasure materialized in the distance.

An exceptionally exotic and tall beauty emerged, her figure flickering in and out of the darkness. Her exposed, seductive silhouette resembled a mind-bending succubus from a past life, her slender, barbed tail scraping against the ground with a metallic sound.

She emerged directly from Duncan's shadow, leaned close to his ear, and breathed softly, "You killed my child... so you must give me another..."

Clang!

The Oathkeeper sword leaped from its scabbard instantly, its sharp blade slicing through the air to sever the banshee's head directly.

Yet no blood flowed.

A ghostly, sinister giggle echoed, and the banshee's figure materialized once more, retaining her exotic and alluring appearance, complete with a pair of wide, dark-gold bat wings on her back. Her form seemed to shift in accordance with Duncan's consciousness, growing increasingly resembling the succubus morphology of his past life; even her feet transformed into hooves, and her exposed skin transitioned from dark red to fair and delicate.

Within the god's-eye view, the projection interface also mirrored the illusions.

Impressively powerful!

It felt like a true illusion. As ripples of magic stirred, the banshee's seductive sorcery quietly eroded the will of Avatar Number One, making it somewhat difficult for Duncan to control Avatar Number One even from within the dimensional space.

"Stop resisting!... Yield to me!..."

"I shall grant you supreme pleasure!..."

"What is it you desire? Power? Strength? Treasures? I can give you all of it!..."

The banshee's eerie laughter pierced his eardrums, continuously eroding Avatar Number One's will. Her form shifted constantly, attempting to break Duncan's resolve through words and expose a flaw in his mind: "It's useless."

"This is a domain untouched by reality; here, I wield the power of the Mythical Era!"

Dimensional Space.

Unmoved, Duncan directly inscribed the 'Dragon Bloodline' while simultaneously loading it into Avatar Number One.

When he raised his head—

Unbeknownst when, his eyes had transformed into a pair of icy-blue, slit-pupiled dragon eyes. The abruptly altered gaze caused the banshee lurking in the darkness to let out a cry of terror, her figure rapidly retreating at top speed.

A piercingly cold wind whipped up.

Duncan's mana bar surged by a small notch and continued to grow, his breath turning frosty as the air gradually froze.

"The power of the Mythical Era, you say?"

Duncan slowly raised his palm, shattering a nearby boulder with a casual punch, and murmured, "I believe I can feel it too!..."

Within the projection interface.

Everything about Avatar Number One was undergoing constant transformation. His icy-blue dragon eyes emitted an eerie glow, and the characters 'Assimilating' flickered ceaselessly in the corner of the projection page. Within this unreal illusion domain, Duncan's consciousness gradually merged into it, followed by the emergence of intricate, dark-golden runes.

"Blood of the Holy Grail unlocked!"
"Gluttonous Might unlocked!"
"Giant Strength (One-Star) unlocked!" (Upgraded after slaying the giant.)
"Relentless Carousing, Greater Frenzy merged, Relentless Frenzy unlocked!"
"Weapon Master - Sword, Spear, Axe breakthrough critical threshold!... Legendary Combat Techniques unlocked!..."
"Intimidation unlocked!"
"Dread Gaze unlocked!"
"Mythical Era (Illusion) Law Synchronization!... Heart of Slaughter unlocked!... Intimidation and Dread Gaze transformed into Gaze of Death!..."

Boom!

Duncan took a single step forward, spiderweb cracks spreading across the ground.

Reaching out casually, he snapped a half-ton stone pillar in half, weighing it in his hand as if it were weightless. Amidst a howling rush of displaced air, he hurled the half-ton pillar like a cannonball.

Ah!

A piercing shriek rang out.

Dark red blood splattered in the shadows, accompanied by fractured dark-golden scales resembling those of some reptilian beast.

"You are no mortal!!!"

"Why do you also possess Mythical Bloodline within you?!"

The banshee's terrified shriek echoed. Her seductive form shifted once more, transforming into a pitiful human female appearance as she pleaded with Duncan, "Spare me!"

"I am willing to serve you as my master!"

Unmoved, Duncan locked his will onto the red marker within the projection interface. With a sudden leap, the rock beneath his feet shattered inch by inch, leaving behind a three-meter-wide spiderweb-like fracture. He surged toward the banshee as if teleporting, throwing a casual punch accompanied by a sharp sonic boom!

Boom!

Blood sprayed.

Half of a shattered bat wing was torn apart by Duncan, and broken shards of dark-golden scales rained onto the ground with a metallic clinking sound.

"No... My scales..." the banshee shrieked, her claws striking out like shadows.

Clang!

Expressionless, Duncan parried with his forearm. The sharp claws sliced through his skin, drawing a stream of blood, but his health bar dropped by only a sliver. The skin on his right arm was unimaginably tough, resembling dragon hide, and blocked the blow with barely a scratch.

"Dragon-blooded?!"

"You are dragon-blooded!!!" The banshee's shrill voice carried a trace of genuine fear.

Duncan's icy-blue dragon eyes were gradually piercing through the illusions. With a sudden lunge, he tackled and grappled the alluring figure of the banshee. Crack, crack—the sound of breaking bones rang out as all of the banshee's ribs shattered, and even her spine began to warp and twist.

"Don't kill me!..."

The banshee's visage morphed rapidly.

First a seductive succubus, then a pitiful young maiden, followed by the face of Anya, and finally transforming into the likeness of the Raven Queen, Triss.

Within Duncan's icy pupils, killing intent surged violently in an instant!

Die!

Snap.

The banshee's seductive body folded nearly in half. Reaching out, Duncan grabbed her by the neck, and amid a hair-raising tearing sound, terrifying giant strength erupted. Gripping her neck, he literally ripped out the banshee's spine along with her metal-like, barbed tail.

"Not just any monstrosity can seduce me!"

Duncan's icy vertical pupils held no trace of lust, resembling an iron-willed warrior who had climbed out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Everything within the projection interface dissipated.

Duncan's figure reappeared in reality. At his feet lay a humanoid monster with dark-golden, scale-covered skin, a seductive female physique, and wings on its back—its head, spine, and tail having been ruthlessly ripped out by Duncan's bare hands.

In mid-air, the bird-winged golden Valkyrie covered her mouth in absolute shock.

Duncan had slain the Mother of Monsters, who had plagued the darkness for hundreds of years!

………………

The extra chapter for the guild leader has been completed; the ones that follow are for subscription milestones.

Continuing to stockpile chapters.