Reforged Chapter 44: Call me the Reaper of Hundred Hands (Part 2)

Under the watchful gaze of hundreds of murlocs and nearly a hundred naga, Duke slowly approached the naga leader. He gently raised his right hand and spoke in the clearest murloc language, "As the price for offending me... I will now impose upon you the 'Hundred Hands Dismemberment' punishment!"

The next moment, nearly a hundred [Mage Hands] swarmed forward.

These human-palm-shaped Mage Hands suddenly grew long and sharp nails, transforming into something resembling demonic claws. Each fingertip became a deadly hook!

The naga leader's dark grey scales were ripped off piece by piece and discarded onto the sandy beach.

His thick and tightly bound skin, impenetrable even by a normal human dagger, was torn off, exposing his crimson muscles and tendons.

But this was not the end; the torture continued.

Every muscle and tendon was ripped off alive...

Listening to the naga leader's relentless screams, both murlocs and naga ceased their fighting, staring at the massacre with a mixture of horror and confusion.

Even Duke himself hadn't noticed how indifferent his expression was at that moment. It was as if he wasn't flaying a giant humanoid creature twice his height but merely gutting a live fish.

Naga were incredibly resilient creatures, and as a male leader, he had the strongest constitution among his clan. Consequently, he suffered even more.

He wailed for a full five minutes before finally succumbing to death.

By that time, the other naga had silently retreated into the depths of the ocean.

Only hundreds of murlocs remained, prostrating themselves near Duke in reverence.

When Duke finally came to his senses, he realized he had killed the most formidable naga alive.

"Uh, did I do this?" Duke was taken aback.

"Host, to be precise, you did it while in the ruthless mode just now," the System Spirit informed Duke.

"Is this... the side effect of losing my moral compass?"

"Losing humanity to a certain extent can indeed lead to various mental conditions. However, in that mode, your casting speed increased by 45%, and your spell power increased by 32%. If you face a formidable enemy in the future, I would recommend you forcibly enter this state."

"Are there any side effects?"

"None have been discovered so far."

"Alright, I'll consider it."

After the fight, Duke felt hungry, and his stomach grumbled without any restraint. Miraculously, the murloc leader named Fishspear presented his prized possession at just the right moment—a fresh, live fish.

System prompt:

"Murloc leader Fishspear hopes that you will publicly enjoy this [Fresh Silverhead Salmon]! Doing so would help increase the loyalty of the two murloc tribes."

...

Duke felt a bit embarrassed. If he remembered correctly, "Fresh Silverhead Salmon" was a specialty of Stranglethorn Vale. Well, Stranglethorn Vale was just south of Westfall, so it wasn't surprising that the Murloc leader managed to get some.

Looking at the pitiful eyes of the Murlocs, Duke relented.

Salmon was still salmon, and he had eaten raw salmon before. Unfortunately, there was no soy sauce or wasabi.

Wait! There was wasabi after all.

Not far from Duke, he saw a pile of weeds that the Murlocs had somehow gathered, and among them were wasabi plants. Wasabi, when dried and ground into a powder, becomes mustard, and typically grows near rivers in valleys.

Duke took the wasabi directly, skipping the grinding process, and ate it raw with his knife.

Unbeknownst to Duke, this scene was witnessed by the Naga who had fled to the small river earlier.

Due to the distance, all they could see was Duke gesturing over the bloody male Naga and then eating raw fish...

"Ugh!" One of the Naga vomited.

This human was definitely a demon! Not only was he incredibly powerful, but he also dared to eat Naga flesh raw.

The Naga leader, Avis, trembled all over.

"Blub blub!" Suddenly, the cry of the Murlocs sounded not far from Avis.

Not good! They had been discovered!

It was too late to silence the Murlocs, as the entire tribe was already on alert. Eager to please their new master, Duke, the Murlocs grabbed their weapons and swarmed toward the Naga.

Unlike last time, there were no other targets to divert the Murlocs' attention, and the Naga had personally proven that the small river was a dead end. Moreover, they could not venture too far from the shore. Leaving the small river meant entering the barren lands of Westfall, filled with various monsters. Even then, many carrion birds and vultures were already circling in the sky.

It could be said that the Naga had trapped themselves in a dead end.

"Naga Avis, will you surrender your weapons and come with me, or should I have the Murlocs bring me your corpses?" Duke spoke in Common, knowing that the Naga would understand.

The Naga, descendants of the high elves, were quite talented in language.

Avis gritted her teeth, realizing that they were at a disadvantage. She finally dropped her staff, allowing the traitorous Murlocs to surround her and her subordinates, confiscating their weapons.

Most of the injured Naga stayed dozens of steps away, while only Avis was brought before Duke, who was sitting leisurely on a large rock on the beach.

Not daring to look up at Duke on the rock, Avis glanced at the male Naga who had been brutally torn apart nearby, then recoiled in fear. With her four smooth, translucent arms crossed over her shoulders, she bowed in respect.

"Honorable human, Vara Wrathscale Avis salutes you."

"Oh? Wrathscale? Why would the Wrathscale Naga of Bloodmyst Isle come to Westfall?" Duke asked casually, unintentionally stirring up a storm in Vara's heart.

How did this human mage know about Bloodmyst Isle, a place so secretive that many human historians were unaware of its existence?

Suddenly, Vara felt as if Duke could see right through all her secrets.

"We... we are the exiles."

"Ah, exiles, huh!"

Exiles were those who had been abandoned by their tribes, left to fend for themselves. Those who fared well, like the high elves of Quel'thalas, managed to establish new territories and make a name for themselves. Those who didn't fare as well, like Vara before him, were constantly hunted and pursued.

"What is your name, sir, and... what will you do with us?"

"Me?" Duke initially wanted to give his real name, but upon second thought, he realized that as a human, especially an insignificant mage without much fame, it would be unwise to reveal that he had taken in so many non-human minions. So he made up a name on the spot: "I am 'Hundred-Handed Death God Hujia,' and you can call me Lord Hujia."