Having lured this Corpse of Rot into a cabin at the stern, Fang Senyan casually tossed in two corpses whose blood had nearly drained away. He then stood steady, locking gazes with the colossal monstrosity. The creature gripped one corpse by the head and leg, hoisting it high above its head, then savagely twisted it as if wringing out a cloth, opening its massive maw to catch the cascading blood. The sound of tearing flesh was bone-chilling, utterly gruesome to behold.

But these two corpses had been bled by Fang Senyan beforehand; their internal blood had either clotted or been completely drained. The Corpse of Rot twisted the two bodies in vain, failing to extract sufficient sustenance. It tossed them aside with a furious roar and turned its attention to Fang Senyan, who stood opposite in the cabin!

By now, Fang Senyan was bracing himself, holding a massive tower shield he had hastily procured, staring coldly at the monster.

The Corpse of Rot took a heavy step forward, spun its great-axe where it stood, executing a motion reminiscent of an athlete throwing the hammer in a sports competition! A fierce rush of wind immediately filled the narrow confines of the cabin—it felt like the violent shudder of a sail stuffed full of wind under a gale—and the colossal axe whistled as it swept across in a horizontal slash!

Fang Senyan settled into a low stance, slamming the tower shield onto the deckboards with a resounding thud, then braced it tightly against his shoulder! This shield had been salvaged from the cargo being transported; though cumbersome, it was designed to withstand cavalry charges. Its thickness approached thirty centimeters. The roaring axe struck the shield dead center, eliciting an ear-splitting, earth-shaking clang. Even after the sound was filtered and dampened by multiple layers of wood plating, the pirates hauling cargo over twenty meters away instantly turned ashen, their ears ringing violently, feeling as though they had been punched square in the chest and knocked reeling seven or eight steps back!

Fang Senyan, who bore the brunt of the impact, suffered even worse. Blood immediately leaked from the corner of his mouth as he stumbled backward several paces, his ears throbbing with agonizing noise! Yet, his Health Points had only dropped by less than thirty. This was because he had equipped the hidden title, "Pirate Captain," boosting his Strength and Stamina by +2, bringing his Strength to 13—equal to the monster's! Thus, he offset a significant portion of the damage. However, a clear fissure had already appeared on the shield's surface; it was clear that one more blow of this magnitude would likely shatter it into fragments. This fragility was the inherent flaw in weapons found randomly within the world.

Of course, the backlash transferred through the great-axe upon striking Fang Senyan was equally immense. Had the Corpse of Rot been a living man, the shockwave would surely have cracked the web of skin between its thumb and forefinger, causing deep lacerations, but it was a monster devoid of pain sensation. It was only spurred to greater fury by the impact of Fang Senyan's defense! With another shriek, it began to spin its body again, taking a step forward and swinging the great-axe down in a devastating vertical chop! The sheer power of this strike surpassed the last; as Fang Senyan raised the shield once more, he clearly saw several sprays of dark, viscous fluid erupt from the monster’s presumed knuckles!

Just as axe met shield, Fang Senyan’s eyes suddenly blazed with manic, almost arrogant fervor! At that precise moment, he let go of the shield entirely and dropped flat onto the deck!

With a deafening clang accompanied by an indescribable crack, under the force of that immense blow, the already fractured shield instantly disintegrated, shards flying everywhere. Behind Fang Senyan, the deck planking was brutally cleaved open with a smash by the great-axe! Splintered wood sprayed outward, some pieces even sailing out over ten meters into the sea. From a distance, it truly looked as if a violent explosion had occurred inside the merchant vessel. A ghastly, two-meter-long gash appeared on the hull, less than half a meter above the waterline. A gust of fresh sea breeze immediately swept into the previously oppressive gloom of the cabin, blowing away much of the Corpse of Rot’s indescribable stench.

Fang Senyan grunted, violently yanking a sharp shield fragment embedded deep in his thigh. Blood immediately surged forth. Battlefields are always rife with unforeseen variables; as the shield shattered, a shard had whipped out and buried itself deep in his leg. This blow not only dealt him a solid 40 points of damage but also inflicted a Bleeding effect lasting thirty seconds. Smelling the fresh blood, the Corpse of Rot went completely berserk, gripping its heavy axe with both hands and bringing down a furious upward-slashing sweep, much like a golfer driving a ball!

At the last possible instant, Fang Senyan drew the sailor’s knife from his belt and blocked in front of him! The knife, still in its sheath, immediately bent into a U-shape and flew from his grasp. However, simultaneously, his left hand began to glow with a metallic sheen—the viciously designed Cobalt Steel Alloy Exoskeleton emerged, managing to parry the wild sweep. Yet, the exoskeleton was primarily designed for offense, not defense, and the residual force still slammed into Fang Senyan heavily.

He was sent flying five or six meters, vomiting a streak of gruesome blood in mid-air. When Fang Senyan managed to scramble back up, he let out another sharp gasp and heaved up a pool of blood, even as scarlet fluid trickled from his ear canals and nostrils, winding down his skin like a tiny red serpent. The merciless prompt from the Nightmare Sigil arrived:

“You were struck by the Corpse of Rot’s sweeping attack, receiving 107 damage – 25 Shield Defense. Actual damage taken: 72!” “You are currently in a Bleeding state, losing 5 Health Points every 5 seconds, lasting for 30 seconds. Remaining time: 13 seconds.” “Your Health Points remaining: (45/180)!” (Fang Senyan had previously fought the Spanish sailors; though he had rested, he could not return to peak condition facing the Corpse of Rot.) “Your Health Points are in the Danger Zone. Replenish Stamina quickly or vacate the dangerous area.”

A dangerous light flickered in Fang Senyan's eyes. His gaze remained full of confidence. If the Corpse of Rot retained its reason and intellect, it would certainly feel a genuine sense of caution. However, now free from the Wizard’s control, it was merely a beast acting on base physical instinct!

The Corpse of Rot’s massive, thick arms tensed again. The force it generated was so great that the thick black threads stitching its flesh together strained visibly, pulling the needle holes into tight ovals from which greenish-black fluid seeped. It slightly shifted its stance, ready in the next second to step forward and unleash another massive horizontal axe swing. But in that precise instant, Fang Senyan sprang up like a leopard, accelerated with a few powerful strides, then leaned his entire body back as far as possible, legs forward and head back in a maneuver akin to a soccer slide tackle, slamming his feet heavily into the right ankle of the Corpse of Rot’s supporting foot!

The dark, enormous axe swept past two feet from Fang Senyan’s face, the ferocious gale it generated powerfully lifting the hair off his forehead. Then, Fang Senyan felt a distinct thump where his feet connected, like something hard and brittle snapping out of place. Immediately, the massive silhouette lunged forward over him, rushed a few steps, couldn't stop its momentum, and with a loud crash, smashed directly through the large hole it had just cleaved open! Still surging forward, it tumbled with a splash into the seawater!

Three times! Though Fang Senyan had only exchanged blows with this giant monster three times, it was the crystallized result of Fang Senyan’s meticulous and exhaustive planning! His first hard block was not only to test the monster's destructive capability and gauge if he could survive a second impact! It was also meant to provoke the monster. The purpose of the second exchange was to bait the creature into actively destroying the waterside of the cabin. Taking a hit was necessary to dull its senses, giving it the illusion that the "prey had nowhere left to run," thus tempting it, on the third swing, to commit all its strength to a single, decisive attack, ensuring it would be carried by the sheer momentum of its missed strike straight into the sea.

Furthermore, the reason Fang Senyan dared such a risk was his observation that the monster possessed a mere 4 Agility / 3 Perception, while his own Agility had reached a full eight points—exactly double the monster's. His Perception needed no comparison. Had the monster reacted faster, slightly lowering its wrist, Fang Senyan would have certainly met a gruesome death on the spot!

The Corpse of Rot was not so easily eliminated, however.

Fang Senyan’s objective in setting this trap was aimed squarely at the great-axe that seemed fused to its being. This tireless, pain-ignoring monstrosity, paired with that terrifying, massive weapon, saw its combat effectiveness increase by a factor far beyond 1+1=2—it was at least a 1+1=4 calculation! Once this colossal axe was removed, the horrific undead creature was like a tiger stripped of its claws, or an unmatched general without his bow—the remaining threat would be manageable.

Fang Senyan had accounted for this clearly in his prior calculations: since the Corpse of Rot was constructed from numerous stitched-together organs showing signs of putrefaction, even if it couldn't swim, it certainly wouldn't drown—rotting corpses are less dense than water, and bodies of people who drowned in the real world often float to the surface after some time—however, if it carried that massive axe, it would inevitably sink.

There were only two possible outcomes:

One: The Corpse of Rot would refuse to abandon the axe and sink with it, rendering it incapable of threatening him further. Two: The Corpse of Rot would abandon the axe, surface, and climb back to settle accounts with him. This was the scenario Fang Senyan most desired. Not only would the creature lose its handy weapon, but its right leg had been violently kicked and broken; even if it didn't register pain, its mobility would surely be hampered!

....................... Recommending a friend's book: The Soul-Devouring Celestial Tome. The protagonist joins a sect called the "Huan Sect"—yes, you know what that implies. Friends with kind dispositions might want to check it out, hehe. (To be continued. Please visit [URL] for the latest chapter.)