Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

"Because I'm afraid..."

I'm afraid you coward wouldn't dare to share our battle situation with everyone!

Saying that we must free all comrades from the enemy's control isn't just lip service!

Now, everyone should be able to see it, right!

His Gun Fighting Skill activated instantly, and Bai E, with a pistol clenched in his mouth, performed a flip kick and propelled himself into the air.

While midair, Bai E sheathed his gun.

The dexterity of his manual skills allowed him to perform all these intricate movements with remarkable agility.

He drew his bow in the air, his fingers quickly locating the specially marked arrow in the quiver on his back.

Drawing the bow, nocking the arrow...

Instant Kill Hundred Heads!

Ninefold power!

Shoot!

Under one arrow, several afterimages followed closely, and almost transcending time, the arrow struck precisely into the chest of the master of fear, muscled and brawny.

"Puchi!"

The arrowhead buried deep, unmatched in sharpness.

Ever since he realized the problem, he had always been able to hurt the opponent; it was just that he feared letting the enemy discern this and had thus never taken the initiative to attack.

With "Absolute Defense" at his disposal, Bai E didn't mind playing along with the enemy's act.

Following closely behind the arrowhead was a sizzling smoke, spreading from the point where the arrow had penetrated the flesh, akin to the hissing of roasting meat.

The arrowhead of that particular arrow had been completely soaked in Exorcism Essential Oil by Bai E before arriving at this final dungeon.

[Exorcism Essential Oil (99ml): Apply by smearing or soaking to bestow weaponry capable of striking demonic flesh with astonishing Spiritual Energy power! Upon hitting the demon's body, the weapon will inflict irreversible damage. (Note: The empowering effect lasts for a maximum of 2 hours, beyond which it dissipates.)]

"Puchi!"

The master of fear violently yanked the steel arrow from his chest; in his absolute strength, the arrow instantaneously bent.

In the gap left where the arrow was pulled out, a light green gas continued to erode His body like sulfuric acid, leaving behind an unwoundable gap under the faint white smoke.

Bai E stood his ground, his voice echoing calmly, "So, you can be hurt after all?"

All his displays of weakness were to achieve this moment.

To defeat a demon that draws power from fear, one must first sever its source of power.

The moment Bai E started bringing each teammate back, experiencing their individual nightmare illusions, he surmised all that the demon required.

Emotions are temporary; the half-real, half-illusory visions that lack logic cannot immerse someone indefinitely.

To continuously enhance His power, He needed to occasionally expose those intelligent beings under His dominion to new levels of fear stimulation.

A once-daring and arrogant challenger repeatedly hitting a wall under absolute power, conquered in despair and pain by Him, would undoubtedly instill shared fear in other humans.

This demon that reigns over fear wouldn't miss any chance to sow seeds of terror; it's His authority, His instinct.

But now... He is not invincible.

"You too can be hurt... you're just an ordinary demon..." Bai E slouched, using time to heal his wounds, laughing coldly.

Whether his attack can affect the opponent depends on whether he has unwittingly been included within the enemy's dominion of fear.

But after completely examining his heart, casting away any possible emotions of fear and worry, certain "real" elements began to emerge.

The master of fear's power, truly immense, is powered by the transformed Spiritual Energy from the multitude of refugees' emotions of fear, greatly strengthened His physical body.

Even if his attacks could effectively hit, he would still not be a match for the opponent's strong power and speed, alone at the end.

Without breaking the terror "worship" of all refugees, including his teammates, towards this demon, it would be difficult to truly defeat Him.

When was this plan set?

From the first time He targeted me specifically!

The first step is to take away the faith from His hands!

"Thinking of shutting off the link?" Bai E laughed coldly, "My companions are not foolish idiots; to cut off the link now would only prove your own insecurity."

The master of fear, initially intent on shutting off the visual link shared with the human warriors outside, suddenly dismissed the thought.

"Then... kill me!"

Bai E raised his bow, his voice resounding through the cavern, "After killing me, continue your false reign. The beings under your rule will engulf the entire territory of the human empire, and the new fifth Demon God begins His step from here!"

If He could start from this cave and gradually erode every human city until truly bringing all of humanity into fear of Him, perhaps His power could indeed rival the legendary Four Demon Gods.

In that high-dimensional space of pure "intelligent beings' thoughts" known as Spiritual Energy space, as long as there are enough "believing" thoughts, anything is possible.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

But Bai E won't give Him that chance.

Every word he utters, contains a trap!

"Whoosh!"

The arrow tore through the air, with double power.

In a bleak space, an isolated human launched a lone resistance against the high and mighty demon.

"Swoosh!"

The afterimage flashed by, and the demon's claw, made of red muscles, grasped the arrow that shot toward it.

Without the "Instant Kill Hundred Heads" driven to its maximum extent, it was very difficult to match Its speed and strength.

"You're right..."

The Lord of Fear spread its wings, its body rising into the air as it stretched its arms with relish, as if embracing something.

Its voice was deep and hoarse, as if numerous layers of resonance rose at the same time, exploding directly in the heart, easily stirring the heartbeats.

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

The heart was pounding violently, as if drumming directly on the eardrum.

"Kneel down now!"

"The true God is angry."

The scout from before was prostrate on the ground in an instant, trembling violently.

The wrath of the Lord of Fear, like a tsunami, instantly engulfed every heart connected by fear, making all the humans in the cave instantly remember the most terrifying nightmares.

Even a soldier in a vehicle on the ground lost himself in this burst of fear.

Those different terrifying illusions once again dragged them into a void of fantasy, as if the haziness between half-awake and half-asleep made it difficult for them to focus enough attention on guarding their own minds.

The emotions of fear that erupted instantly transformed into tangible power, like rivers flowing into the sea, merging into the body of the Lord of Fear, who was suspended in midair.

The powerful aura surged out violently, and even the space in the cave seemed to carry a hazy sense of fluctuation as if dissolving into a higher-dimensional space.

The thick demon's claw suddenly clenched tight, and the fine steel arrow in its hand turned to dust in an instant.

Feeling the power raging and surging inside it, the Lord of Fear, with its head up and eyes closed, slowly opened its eyes, its gaze coldly locking on the distant Bai E.

"You do indeed deserve to die..."

Any change in emotions requires a gradual process. To gain the same power growth, one needs layered and progressive emotional fluctuations.

Stimulating the fear memories deep in the hearts of living beings can't be used without limits, and every use is like overexerting the total emotional change that each individual can provide in the future.

But to capture this only variable with absolute power, all of it is worth it!

"As long as I kill you..."

"You're wrong..." Bai E took out the small glass bottle from his arms and bit open the cork with his mouth.

In the midst of intense heartbeats and howling winds, his lone voice resounded boldly, "Do you know... I actually quite like this era."

"Even with so much suffering, they continue to live bravely."

"Even when facing unknown dangers, some are willing to sacrifice themselves to create new living spaces for humanity."

"They confront the whole world with their tiny bodies, courage being the only thing they can proudly wield."

As he bit open the cork, Bai E took out all the remaining arrows from the quiver on his back with his other hand.

"Do you think I'm that special one?"

"You're wrong."

"Kill one of me, and there will be thousands, millions more."

"After I die, everyone can be me..."

"You think you can make humanity surrender, but I believe they will eventually break free from your control."

The slightly viscous yellowish liquid dripped from the bottle, soaking the arrows.

Bai E's eyes swept over the group of prostrate people on the ground, his voice passionate and assertive.

"My brothers and sisters, if you're scared, just open your mouth wide."

"If you want to make a sound, then call my name."

"Bai E! Remember this name!"

"As long as the sound of arrows piercing the wind continues, as long as gunfire flashes before your eyes, it means I haven't fallen!"

"I will be here, always here!"

The yellowish Exorcism Essential Oil appeared to be a tangible liquid, but this substance, being between Spiritual Energy and material form, would not truly flow like water over the arrows and onto the ground.

They flowed like real life, instinctively enveloping every corner of the arrowhead the moment they made contact.

The arrows, now with spirits attached, exhibited a faint glow under the occasional focus of consciousness.

Bai E's voice continued, invading the hearts of those humans sinking into dark fear.

"Even if, I fall here today, then in the gunfire that reappears in the future..."

"It means I have come back!"

Bai E nocked an arrow, making a light decision in his mind.

[Payment: 2 Latent Points, 1,000 Combat Experience Points.]

[Skill Acquired—Powerful Shot.]

[Powerful Shot: You shoot an arrow that transcends the ordinary, which will not veer off course or stop for any reason until it reaches maximum range; the kinetic impact of this strike is doubled, the piercing attack power is doubled, but the power reduces by 10% after passing through each target, dropping to a minimum of 60% (used in combination with "Special Attribute—Wind Fixing," it forms "Special Skill—Piercing Wind Breaker").

Cost: 3 Spiritual Energy points (30 Action Power Reserves) per use.]

"Wanting to control humanity with fear..."

"Do you think you're worthy?"