Chapter 137: Heretic And Lord!

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Unlike the other zombies, this one bore no visible blood or scars. If not for its red eyes and pale, bluish skin, one might have mistaken it for a human evolutionary rather than a zombie.

The face looked eerily familiar.

Even Novak, normally composed, was taken aback. He never expected to see someone familiar among the countless zombies in the apocalypse. What were the odds?

But this familiarity, whether in life or death, would not bring any fond memories to either party.

The moment Novak locked eyes with the zombie, he felt as though his head had been struck by a heavy hammer.

A psychic attack!

Novak squinted, gritting his teeth against the pain, and immediately extended his sharp claws, blocking an attack from above.

Another tyrant had appeared. However, this one was slimmer than the previous one Novak had encountered, a mutated female zombie. While physically weaker, it was far faster and more agile.

Despite the searing pain in his head, Novak swiftly and precisely drove his sharp claws into the tyrant's skull. 

The Lord at the end of the corridor, hesitated for a moment, a flicker of fear—an almost human emotion—crossing its eyes. That fear had been carved into its very being when it had faced Novak before, back when it was still alive.

This fear explained why, despite having two powerful bodyguards and being surrounded by a legion of corpses, the Lord had fled the moment it recognized Novak's presence. But now, that fear was overtaken by a deep resentment and rage. The Lord's clouded mind was consumed by a single, driving desire: to kill Novak and feast on his brain. Only then could it find peace!

From the perspective of the surrounding zombies, the tyrant had been invincible. Yet here was this human, effortlessly taking down the newly born tyrant. Now, the lord had only its final weapon left.

Novak's attention shifted to the mutant standing next to the lord. Its body was jet black, riddled with cracks that glowed with red, like molten magma. From its form, black energy oozed out.

A Fire Element Heretic?

"Heretic" was the term for mutated zombies with elemental powers. There were many types, but among them, the fire element was known for its extreme combat power, despite being relatively common.

Suddenly, another mental attack struck Novak. He cursed under his breath. He needed to find a skill to defend against these psychic attacks soon. His own mental power was strong—stronger than the lord's—but there was still no way to shield himself from the assault.

Fighting through the excruciating pain, Novak narrowed his eyes, preparing for the next move.

Without warning, a massive explosion of flames erupted. The intense heat incinerated everything in its path, reducing even the city wall to ashes. But within moments, an even more terrifying inferno began to burn inside the structure.

Novak removed his bird-beak mask, revealing his cold eyes. His body was engulfed in pitch-black flames.

Neither of the mutants showed any signs of retreat. On the contrary, the heretic's body blazed with magma-like patterns, and instead of launching an explosive fireball, it rushed straight toward Novak.

It was fast—faster than the tyrant from earlier.

A flame ignited on the mutant fist.

"A melee fighter, huh?" Novak thought. "That makes things easier."

Black hellfire engulfed Novak's body as he advanced, meeting the heretic head-on. Shocked, the heretic tried to strike, but Novak's flaming fist connected first.

'Crack!'

The sharp, sickening sound of breaking bones echoed through the battlefield.

Zombies, it seemed, had bones too.

But the most horrifying part was the fire. While the Heretic had strong control over flames, Novak's hellfire was on a different level entirely. His stats were nearly at the 200 mark, and his combat skill, the Hellfire, was immensely more powerful than standard flames.

As their fists collided, the hellfire spread, instantly enveloping the heretic. The inextinguishable black flames consumed the creature, reducing its life force by 500 points in mere moments.

Novak then turned his attention to the Lord, who had been bombarding him with mental attacks.

"Roar!" the Lord screamed, unleashing yet another psychic shockwave. While such attacks could never be lethal unless there was a significant difference in mental power, they still caused unbearable pain.

Now, with its bodyguards slain, the Lord was vulnerable. Novak wasted no time. He lunged forward, claws outstretched. For psychic beings like the lord, once an enemy got close, it was as good as over.

Novak grabbed the lord by the neck, lifting it effortlessly.

At that moment, the zombie's bloodshot eyes focused, and from its cracked vocal cords, it rasped, "No…vak…"

Novak's expression remained unchanged. His eyes only flickered with a brief emotion before he swiftly finished the job. Two thuds echoed as bodies hit the ground. After extracting the essential parts he needed, Novak stepped back, allowing the blood-red tendrils vines to engulf the remains.

The dead were truly dead now.

Novak narrowed his eyes, satisfied with the outcome. The rewards from this mission were substantial.

And finally, he could make use of the biochemical disaster blueprint he had obtained.