Alastair was brimming with confidence initially, but later, he discovered that the power within him seemed to be fading gradually!
Meanwhile, the force of thunder inflicted massive damage upon him!
Although his HP remained unchanged, his body now bore mark after mark from the thunder strikes!
Impossible!
How could this be?
He had already become a semigod!
Apart from divine power or something of equivalent strength, nothing should be able to harm his body!
Why then could this thunder cause such damage to him? What was happening?
A flicker of panic crossed Alastair's mind.
The thunder from above struck him repeatedly, leaving large patches of skin looking like charred ash, a frightening sight.
"The dwarves never surrender!"
Old Nick roared, lifting his iron hammer high again!
With a thunderous bang, he slammed it into the void!
At that moment, the skies changed, and the heavens trembled!
Thunderclouds gathered, brewing with the wrath of thunder.
Thunder crashed down heavily, as if to eradicate all evil in the world.
Alastair's pupils shrank!
Instinctively, he withdrew his hand, attempting to dodge, but how could the thunder from above be so easily evaded!
He was directly targeted!
The thunder's formidable force pierced through his crown and coursed through his entire body!
"Ugh…"
Alastair grunted, a trickle of fresh blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, horrified to see the black spots on his body multiplying!
What's going on? What in the world is happening?! How could this be?
His heart was filled with panic, yet he could not show any weakness on his face; instead, he endured stoically.
He could only calmly take a step back and silently observe the group before him.
Old Nick's face had lost all its color, but his thick beard made him appear no different from usual.
He gave a hearty laugh, then looked at Alastair still suspended in mid-air.
"How much longer can you hold on?"
Wayne, though somewhat concerned, also smiled lightly, feigning ease.
For them, endurance was the key to victory!
Showing any weakness now could mean being eliminated in the next second!
Alastair's eyes were fixed sternly on the group before him, his heart beginning to falter.
In his eyes, these people were merely ants that he could crush with a flick of his finger!
Yet now, the strength of these ants had surpassed his expectations, even causing him injury!
John also keenly felt that his control over the power of control had reached 55%!
It was indeed working!
Alastair was never a pure semigod, and now, after being injured, the strength he had forcibly accumulated was rapidly diminishing!
Although his level had not decreased and his HP had not fallen, his control over the power of control was dwindling.
If he could only secure an overwhelming power of control...
Even the oppressive might of a semigod-tier would not pose a problem! Therefore...
Inflicting damage on Alastair was their best chance for a narrow escape!
This statement might sound simple, but in reality, it was exceedingly difficult!
Because of the level suppression, it was already hard to break through his defenses!
Even with the help of their own level's strength, causing such extensive damage was impossible.
This time, they were indeed incredibly fortunate to have Abby and Old Nick's assistance, which allowed them to breach Alastair's defenses.
Otherwise, they would have faced a war of attrition they simply could not afford!
The number of energy stones in the entire secret realm was limited.
Given the current circumstances, even after 15 days, they still wouldn't be able to leave.
They had to kill the man before them!
Only by completely destroying the formation could they have a chance to escape!
If initially this mission seemed impossible for them, now it bore a few shades of difference.
Even facing a semigod-tier powerhouse, they possessed the strength to fight!
"Mere ants! How dare you act presumptuously towards a semigod-tier powerhouse!"
No matter how panicked Alastair felt inside, he still managed to maintain this facade, while John scoffed coldly.
"What of ants? Aren't you still unable to kill us now?"
Upon hearing John's words, the bystanders couldn't help but draw a sharp breath, feeling a mix of awe and fear.
Even if they had injured him, what then?
He was still a semigod-tier powerhouse!
What if something went wrong?
They couldn't afford the consequences!
But then, thinking it over, they realized that John must have said such bold words because he had something to rely on!
Alastair's eyes turned bloodshot with rage, but he ultimately managed to hold back, laughing furiously in response.
"Fine, fine, I didn't expect you to have such courage. Well, I want to see just how long you can last!"
Alastair raised his hand again, gathering a massive energy ball that formed a white orb in his palm.
Everyone's hearts leapt to their throats, worried about their ability to withstand this attack.
It could mean death if they failed!
Both Old Nick and Wayne appeared to be in poor condition!
But not a single person backed down; instead, they stared intently at everything unfolding before them.
Old Nick gripped his hammer tightly, as if ready to smash it down at the slightest provocation.
John, too, was intently watching, showing no signs of retreating.
However, Alastair soon realized something was amiss.
Although he could still gather energy, the power he mustered now was vastly inferior to before.
Something was wrong!
As a semigod-tier powerhouse, how could he possibly only muster this little energy?
He felt as if his strength was merely at the transcendent-tier now.
Had his level dropped during the recent exchange?
No, that couldn't be possible!
Suppressing his inner fear, he checked his attributes and found no decline.
So, what was the reason?
His stats hadn't decreased, yet the actual energy he could wield wasn't as formidable as before.
Could it be...
Could it really be that the old dwarf had done something to him?
Alastair's confidence wavered, and the orb of light in his palm slowly dissipated.
Everyone stared intently at what was unfolding before them.
They didn't understand what was happening, only that Alastair had been ready to launch an attack, but it had vanished.
What was going on?
This wasn't quite what they had expected.
But John understood very well.
It was because Alastair's power of control was gradually fading!
In just these brief moments, his own power of control had risen from 55% to 55.1%!
Although it was just a 0.1% increase, it signified that his grasp on the power of control was slowly strengthening.
Once he reached 60%, that would mean absolute suppression!
Even the level suppression of a semigod-tier opponent wouldn't prevent him from breaking through.
It wouldn't be like before when he could only be hit without any chance to retaliate.
Alastair sensed something was off, but still gritted his teeth, desperately gathering energy for his mightiest blow, smashing it once more against the protective shield in front of him.
Boom!
Old Nick, not to be outdone, joined Wayne in slamming their hammers heavily into the void.
Thunder roared again, countless bolts striking Alastair!
Now, he distinctly felt a foreign energy coursing through his body—an energy belonging to the thunder from above.
This power of thunder wreaked havoc within him, wreaking internal chaos.
"His HP is decreasing!" someone shouted.
Everyone was shocked to see that above the figure suspended in midair, an HP bar had appeared!
The long, dazzling HP and the frighteningly high defense value didn't scare them; instead, it sparked excitement.
As long as his HP could be reduced, they had a chance to fight!