Chapter 139 - 122: The Best Counter Mechanism to One-Hit Kill!

Chapter 139: Chapter 122: The Best Counter Mechanism to One-Hit Kill!

"BOOM—"

The Deep Red Demon Lord’s Demon’s Might, which had just slightly subsided, violently surged back. The sea of blood beneath His feet churned into monstrous waves, and the entire hall trembled violently under the invisible oppression. Clearly, He had been utterly enraged once again by Yu Zhun’s words.

Clenching His fists, He sneered after a moment of silence.

"Just you?

"Relying on your SSS-grade talent, Open and Aboveboard?

"Or relying on your Nether Three-piece Set and the Bloody Sacrifice formed from a mere Sub-Demon Origin?"

The Deep Red Demon Lord glanced mockingly at the boots Yu Zhun wore. "Oh, there’s also an extra pair of boots. Where did this piece of trash come from?

"Kill me? Are you even worthy?"

Yu Zhun fell silent. He blinked, a strange mix of emotions churning within him.

He was shocked that the other party had seen right through everything he had during their last encounter, even knowing his talent perfectly well, yet puzzled as to why He hadn’t noticed the Legendary Equipment he was currently wearing. It gave him the feeling that this entity was somewhat smart, but not by much.

Watching Yu Zhun stand frozen in shock, a trace of smugness flashed through the Deep Red Demon Lord’s eyes.

Entities at the God level had the authority and ability to rewind completed Dungeons, similar to watching a video replay. At His level, He could easily analyze every detail and hidden message within the replay. Therefore, He could see through Yu Zhun’s talent at the time, as well as all the Equipment he wore and their corresponding effects.

It had to be said that after reviewing it, the Deep Red Demon Lord truly felt threatened by Yu Zhun. The "One-Hit Kill" mechanism that forced Life Value to zero was one of the most overpowered top-tier mechanisms among SSS-grade talents. However, there were no unsolvable mechanisms in this world, and "One-Hit Kill" was no exception.

As for the Nether Three-piece Set...

That entity’s belongings would ultimately make the Deep Red Demon Lord somewhat wary. However... it was merely somewhat wary. After all, they were just three pieces of Red Equipment; to that entity’s power, they were as insignificant as a drop in the ocean.

Last time, in the special Dungeon Red Moon Tide, the Deep Red Demon Lord’s pre-designed avatar mechanism had blocked all players attempting the raid, but it had uniquely failed against Yu Zhun, this mechanism freak. There was nothing that could be done about it; after all, according to the penalty rules, a preset Boss mechanism could not be modified. So, He knew clearly that Yu Zhun could bypass His second and third-tier mechanisms to kill Him, and could only watch helplessly.

But this time, it was different.

The Deep Red Demon Lord had come with a mechanism specifically designed to counter Yu Zhun! He was here. He had arrived, bringing a brand-new mechanism with Him!

Having conducted extensive prior deductions, the Deep Red Demon Lord was certain that with Yu Zhun’s current talent and Equipment effects, it was absolutely impossible for him to win this highly targeted interception!

Although the other party had an extra pair of boots whose origins He didn’t know, the Equipment effects of boots were always one-time use. A one-time effect could not possibly bypass His mechanism either.

Thinking of this, the smugness in the Deep Red Demon Lord’s eyes deepened. He looked at Yu Zhun and spoke faintly.

"You guessed correctly. I did pay a significant price to intervene this time.

"If I can kill you and return the Origin Power from Red Moon Tide, paying such a price is worth it.

"Conversely, if I fail, I must pay an even greater price."

A cold, nether-like glint surfaced in the Deep Red Demon Lord’s eyes as He slowly raised a hand, pulling a Bloody Demon Sword from the sea of blood beneath His feet. "But... this time, you are the only one who will die!"

[Deep Red Demon Lord Avatar (Lv35)]

[Attributes:

Life Value: 10,000,000

Mana: 50,000

Physical Attack: 50,000

Magic Attack: 50,000

Physical Defense: 20,000

Magic Defense: 20,000]

[Skill 1 (Blood Debt): When Life Value is about to decrease, immediately enter the [Blood Debt] state, locking Life Value for the next 10s.]

[Skill 2 (Blood Compensation): While in the [Blood Debt] state, mark multiple targets within range. When [Blood Debt] ends, each target bears 20% of the avatar’s Life Value reduction.]

[Skill 3 (Crimson): When Life Value drops to zero, immediately restore all Life Value and enter the Crimson posture. Damage is converted to True Damage, and gain 10 stacks of Crimson Power. Each stack grants immunity to one attack.]

The moment he clearly saw the Deep Red Demon Lord’s skills, cold sweat WHOOSHED down Yu Zhun’s forehead.

Blood Lock for 10s when Life Value decreased, designated targets bearing the reduction, a second state upon reaching zero Life Value, attack immunity, and True Damage. The Deep Red Demon Lord truly came prepared this time! Every single mechanism within these skills was meant to counter him!

From the moment He revealed His health bar, the Deep Red Demon Lord had been anticipating Yu Zhun’s expression upon seeing the skills prepared specifically for him. And Yu Zhun’s expression seemed exactly as He had expected. This brought a satisfied smile to the Deep Red Demon Lord’s face.

"Open and Aboveboard is a good talent," the Deep Red Demon Lord said, raising a single finger. "I already know your name and that you intend to kill me. With just one strike, you can drop my Life Value to zero.

"Then, I will trigger [Blood Debt] and maintain full health for 10 seconds." Seeing Yu Zhun’s solemn expression, the Deep Red Demon Lord laughed. "Pop quiz: guess what will happen 10 seconds later?"

Without waiting for Yu Zhun to speak, He provided the answer Himself.

"One-Hit Kill is a mechanism, not damage.

"Its ultimate goal is to force Life Value to zero.

"To achieve this goal, One-Hit Kill automatically seeks the simplest method within the constraints of Equipment, talents, skills, and other effects.

"Therefore, a 10-second Blood Lock isn’t enough to cancel out the One-Hit Kill effect; it can only delay the forced zeroing of Life Value by 10 seconds."

The Deep Red Demon Lord grinned broadly. "After 10 seconds, my Life Value will still drop to zero, and you... your Life Value will decrease by 2 million.

"Let me guess, are you banking on the Equipment effect [Sanctuary] from the Bloody Sacrifice to help block this strike?

"Unfortunately, a decrease in Life Value isn’t necessarily damage.

"You cannot block this strike!"

The Deep Red Demon Lord burst into triumphant laughter, stepping across the blood pool toward Yu Zhun step by step. "To prevent anyone among your companions who might have class-changed to Resurrection High Priest from giving you a chance at Resurrection, I even prepared the gift of Crimson for you."

He stopped in front of Yu Zhun, His handsome face contorting into a ferocious grimace. "It’s just a pity... you probably won’t have the fortune to enjoy it."

"Not necessarily." Yu Zhun, who had been silent for a moment, abruptly raised his head.

If he were still wearing his previous Red Equipment and was still an Assassin, everything might truly play out exactly as the Deep Red Demon Lord said, leaving him no escape.

But... he was Doomsday’s Thorn.

[Death Bell], activate!

"BONG—"

A bell toll, sounding as if struck from the void, echoed throughout the hall.

The Deep Red Demon Lord’s expression stiffened slightly as a blood-red dagger mark appeared above His head. At the same time, a message abruptly surfaced in His mind.

[[Doomsday’s Thorn] Yu Zhun has tolled the funeral bell for you!]

"Doomsday’s..." the Deep Red Demon Lord muttered subconsciously. On the other side, Yu Zhun had already thrust out the Nether Mourning Demon Blade without hesitation.

[Life Value -10,000,000]

Red text popped up above the Deep Red Demon Lord’s head, but it was as if someone had pressed pause—only half of it emerged. Blood-red mist surged around the Deep Red Demon Lord, and the health bar above His head remained completely full. He looked at Yu Zhun with a trace of regret in His eyes.

"All flash and no substance. I thought you would bring me a surprise.

"In the end, it makes no difference.

"You have 10 seconds left to compose your last words."

Saying this, He fiercely thrust His Demon Sword at Yu Zhun.

[Life Value +75,000]

Looking at the green text and the growing shield above Yu Zhun’s head, the Deep Red Demon Lord shook His head and lowered the Demon Sword in His hand. Since He had confirmed that His attacks were insufficient to harm Yu Zhun under the effect of Deep Embrace, there was no need to waste His effort.

Anyway, Yu Zhun was dead in 10 seconds.

"Last words?" Yu Zhun looked at the Deep Red Demon Lord with a strange smile. "Those should be your last words."

As long as the Deep Red Demon Lord’s Life Value was cleared, the kill reward from [Death Bell] would take effect, boosting All Attributes by 50%. Combined with the 100% boost to All Attributes from the helmet Equipment effect [Roar]...

His 480,000 Life Value would reach 840,000.

The restriction of the helmet Equipment effect [Fearless] would ensure that the 2 million Life Value reduction could not be inflicted all at once, but rather spread over 5 seconds. Meanwhile, the presence of the Armor Equipment effect [Existence] allowed him to easily restore Life Value equal to the damage per second.

Moreover, since it was a full 50% Life Value deduction every second, the opponent’s True Damage could not inflict extra damage on him, effectively equating to a Blood Lock.