Chapter 162: The Ridiculous Output of the [Flowing Water] Law
This player struggled miserably for a while, vomiting large chunks of his internal organs, before succumbing to death.
His face was twisted in agony, his body convulsing violently, clearly experiencing excruciating pain.
Sterl felt a twinge of guilt. He wasn\'t one to enjoy torturing his enemies. In fact, he always considered himself someone who disliked conflict. But in his quest for power, he could set aside any psychological or moral scruples.
From his pre-transmigration knowledge, Sterl knew that visceral pain was one of the most intense forms of pain a human could endure.
He realized that the third player\'s death was particularly gruesome.
However, Sterl wasn\'t about to mourn for his enemy. A flicker of excitement flashed in his eyes.
This was the power of the Law!
A small-scale test of the Flowing Water law had already brought him considerable surprise.
Just now, he had used the [Flowing Water] ability—manipulating the liquids within his opponents\' bodies to silence and interrupt their skills while causing damage.
Clearly, this move, which included a silence effect, was much weaker than directly manipulating an enemy\'s blood to cause harm.
But for these third-class players, it was still enough to kill them easily.
The key point was that the Flowing Water law\'s abilities, including this one and the direct blood manipulation attack, allowed Sterl to freely allocate his energy.
Sterl hadn\'t invested much energy, about the same as one Star Point Finger.
Yet the effect was equivalent to three Star Point Fingers, instantly killing the three players around him with significant damage overflow.
Law Power was indeed exaggerated!
As Sterl pondered, a loot orb appeared on the corpse of the last player.
At this moment, the atmosphere on the battlefield changed dramatically.
NPCs killing each other wouldn\'t drop items. Only player-versus-player kills produced loot orbs!
Anyone with half a brain would realize that "Nathan" was an imposter!
This person couldn\'t possibly be the civil servant from the Divine Mountain Empire but was a player in disguise!
The few who didn\'t grasp this were simply ordinary soldiers and players who didn\'t know who "Nathan" was.
In an instant, everyone was stunned!
The princes and princesses whispered among themselves, "Who... whose subordinate is this? So powerful?"
"Did you recruit him?"
They looked towards the fourth prince. In fact, the other princes and princesses never had a chance to vie for the throne, so they hadn\'t recruited any players.
This "Nathan" could only have come to help the fourth prince.
But the fourth prince himself shook his head in confusion.
The strongest players he had recruited were the third-class ones from earlier, perhaps along with David.
This Nathan, who had just appeared, didn\'t ring a bell at all.
"Who are you, really?"
The fourth prince looked at the powerful figure who had just taken down three enemies, not with joy but with alarm, and he stepped back repeatedly.
The other princes and princesses, realizing that this mysterious newcomer might not be an ally, quickly distanced themselves as well.
Someone of such prowess appearing at this critical moment could not have good intentions!
There wasn\'t much to gain from them.
Local players and factions opposing the emperor faced high risks and offered little reward.
If anything could justify such a powerful intervention, it would be their legal status as heirs to the Divine Mountain Empire, capable of instigating internal conflict.
In an instant, the fourth prince and others came up with a plausible explanation.
If "Nathan" were a player sent by an enemy nation like the Atlantic Empire, aiming to exploit the internal strife within the royal family, everything would make sense.
Because the internal turmoil within the Divine Mountain Empire could help them ignite a war!
Moreover, Nathan\'s daring act of directly confronting Octavius, known for his legendary prowess, and rescuing the princes suggests that his motives are far from trivial. Only a rebel sent by an enemy nation with the intent to overthrow the Divine Mountain Empire could achieve such feats!
The princes quickly formed a rough conclusion. Although filled with fear and a desire to survive, they didn\'t wish to become tools of an enemy nation to harm the Divine Mountain Empire.
So, despite being rescued, they looked at "Nathan" with hostility and suspicion.
At this moment, numerous soldiers, who had been intending to capture the princes and princesses, now looked tense.
"Protect the princes and princesses!"
A general shouted, and second-class soldiers clad in black armor quickly surrounded Sterl, trapping him in a tightly formed circle!
At this point, after a series of changes, the ordinary people present finally began to react.
One by one, they couldn\'t help but shout:
"There\'s a traitor trying to hinder the emperor\'s rise to power!"
"Unforgivable!"
"Soldiers! What are you waiting for? Capture him!"
"Why struggle in vain? Princes and princesses, it\'s an honor to sacrifice yourselves for His Majesty!"
...
Initially, they genuinely thought Sterl was a top general from the faction of the princes and princesses.
However, their voices gradually grew quieter.
They noticed the change in the scene: the rebels from the princes\' faction were extremely wary of the mysterious figure! Moreover, the most elite soldiers of the Divine Mountain Empire, the Black Armored Army, had surrounded him tightly.
They slowly began to understand.
The situation wasn\'t that the rebels had gained a new powerful ally. Rather, this newly appeared figure was being suppressed by the most elite soldiers of the Divine Mountain Empire and was encircled. Even the princes looked at him with a cold attitude.
From the perspective of the situation, this "Nathan" wasn\'t here to save anyone. He was challenging the entire Divine Mountain Empire on his own!
Instantly, everyone was stunned by this concept.
Even a legend wouldn\'t dare play it this way!
There were numerous second class and third-class powerhouses gathered here. An ordinary legend would be dragged down and killed, not to mention Octavius, who had already absorbed the bloodlines of many descendants.
The Emperor of the Divine Mountain Empire now had the combat power of a legend with three golden skills!
An ordinary legend was no match for him.
At this moment, it was the players who reacted first.
Faye was conversing with Felicia in her consciousness space: "Ancestor, who is this person? He just instantly killed three third-class players!"
"Can you see through him?"
"All the information I have shows that he\'s just Nathan, a civil servant of the Divine Mountain Empire. This powerful figure must have strong hidden attributes or abilities."
"Let\'s keep our distance and not take any risks. If he has some ultimate move that can take others down with him, we don\'t want to get caught in it."
"Although I suspect his hidden trump card is likely an escape skill." Felicia continued their conversation, advising her to stay cautious.
Felicia had only one plan for her prized disciple: avoid all danger and develop slowly.
Apart from seizing some rare, heaven-sent opportunity like joining the Hall of Valor, it was best to stay out of trouble. With so many legendary items already in her possession, Faye\'s ascension to legendary points was practically guaranteed, and even reaching demigod status was within reach.
Why take unnecessary risks?
However, within Felicia\'s words lay another implication: she believed that although the mysterious player had instantly killed three third-class players, he was undoubtedly doomed in the current situation. He might even be forced to use a suicidal move!
There were differences in strength even among third-class players. A powerful third-class player could easily crush an ordinary one. The three players who were instantly killed earlier were not exceptionally gifted.
So, Nathan might not even be a legend!
Even if he were a legend, facing the current situation would almost certainly lead to his death!
Octavius himself was formidable, backed by the entire royal family. The number of trump cards at his disposal must be vast. What could Nathan possibly use to fight against that?
Other players also whispered among themselves:
"Who is this guy?"
"Doesn\'t seem like he\'s from the princes\' faction."
"Is he here to stir up trouble? Could he have received a quest from another country?"
"Facing a legend head-on, the quest reward must be insanely high."
"Nathan must have some powerful life-saving items. It\'s just a question of how he plans to escape."
...
The players speculated, sharing Felicia\'s view that Nathan couldn\'t possibly be here to fight to the death with the Divine Mountain Empire. He was likely carrying a high-reward mainline or hidden quest and would probably flee once he met the task\'s conditions.
The reactions of the onlooking citizens and nobles of the Divine Mountain Empire were much more straightforward.
"Attack! Kill him!"
"Anyone who dares to challenge the Empire\'s authority must die!"
...
The crowd was incited. Though they couldn\'t kill the princes and princesses, the atmosphere was already highly charged—tens of thousands had gathered, and the army had mobilized. It was the perfect moment to use this unknown strongman as a sacrificial pawn for entertainment.
In fact, there was no need for anyone to shout.
Around Sterl, nearly a hundred second-class soldiers and a dozen third-class generals surrounded him, forming an inner and outer layer of encirclement.
Additionally, mages within the army were chanting spells to reinforce the surrounding space, severely limiting any teleportation or displacement abilities.
The elite soldiers of the Divine Mountain Empire closed in slowly. As if acting as one unified entity, they compressed their auras and energies together. Countless soldiers slowly placed their hands on their waists, ready to draw their weapons.
The battle was about to erupt!
The NPCs of the Divine Mountain Empire had bloodthirsty looks in their eyes, eager to see this newly appeared figure killed!
Meanwhile, the players\' highest expectation for Sterl was simply that he might have a life-saving item to escape...