Ch. 501: Chapter 501-510
Chapter 501 Time For Round Two. Come Here You Bastard! [Part 2]
"Bastard!" Lux shouted. "Let go of Cai!"
The silver-haired man chuckled and wagged a finger at the Half-Elf on the ground. "Sorry, but it's not happening. Now, go on. Fight fairly, and I will let this Boar live."
Nero's Benefactor then glanced in the direction of his chosen candidate and smiled.
"Nero, if you still can't defeat him with this handicap in place, it means that this is only as far as you can go," the silver-haired man stated. "Do not disappoint me. I hate being disappointed."
The silver-haired man's eyes glowed crimson red, which made Nero feel a great pain in his chest, making him pant for breath.
"Go," the silver-haired man ordered. "I will not repeat my order a second time."
Nero growled in frustration but he obeyed his benefactor's orders.
This time, he dove straight towards Lux with the intention of carrying out the silver-haired man's command.
The silver-haired man was the one who had given him the power to realize his ambition. If he lost the other party's support now, he would also lose the power to control the Seed of Corruption that had fully bloomed inside his heart.
Lux roared in anger as he transformed his right arm into Dragon Claws and punched in front of him.
The Half-Elf's scaled fist collided with Nero's own, creating a shockwave that sent the Half-Elf flying backwards.
If not for the fact that he had transformed his right arm into that of a dragon's, it might have been torn apart in the exchange just now.
'Dammit!' Lux thought hatefully as he felt a stinging pain in his right arm.
Due to his anger and the unfairness of the situation, he had temporarily lost control of his emotions and decided to vent out his frustration by punching Nero with everything he had.
Unfortunately, he was fighting against a Ranker, and because of that, his right arm got bent in an unnatural angle due to the disparity in strength.
Nero didn't follow up with the attack and simply stared at the Half-Elf who was glaring at him.
He had felt Lux's hatred within that punch, which was something he had never felt in the past.
Whenever they fought, the Half-Elf would just fight him, but there was no shred of hate in his attack. Only killing intent.
This time, it was different.
For the first time, Nero felt Lux's anger and hatred directed towards him, which made him feel as if he had achieved something he hadn't done before.
"Yes, that's it," Nero said as he looked at his opponent. "Hate me! Hate me just as much as I hate you!"
For some reason, Nero felt a great joy in his heart after he felt Lux's great anger and hatred towards him.
This was something that Nero had not felt in a long time, and it made him want to make Lux feel the same hatred he felt, when the Half-Elf stole everything away from him.
Nero then stomped his right foot on the ground and reappeared beside Lux in order to deliver a punch to his chest.
However, this time, the Half-Elf teleported a short distance away from him, and summoned several spinning blades that attacked his opponent from his blindspot.
Unfortunately, Nero transformed himself into a black lightning bolt and evaded Lux's attack with ease.
"Bravo!" the silver-haired man clapped his hands in amusement. "Now, this is a fight I want to see!"
Due to the difference in Ranks, Nero had now full advantage of the battle and attacked Lux relentlessly, sending the Half-Elf flying each time one of his attacks connected.
Orion, who couldn't bear to see his Master suffer, attacked at the same time Pazuzu did. However, both of them were too slow to hit Nero, and the Ranker didn't have any trouble dodging their attacks.
"Annoying insects. You should just disappear!" Nero smashed Orion's head with his foot, after hitting the Jade Golem several times, breaking off its limbs one by one.
"You too," Nero sneered as he applied pressure on Pazuzu's head with his hand, which he had forced to kneel in front of him. "Go to the afterlife with your friend!"
Increasing his grip strength, Nero twisted Pazuzu's head, making a cracking sound. A moment later, the Fortress Defender's body turned into particles of light and disappeared from the battlefield.
Just as Nero was about to walk towards the Half-Elf, who was currently lying on the ground after receiving a kick from him, the ground under his feet cracked and three Dragon Breaths erupted under his feet.
Eiko, who was no longer able to tolerate the hateful devil continuously injuring her Papa, finally unleashed a synchronized attack with her clones, attacking Nero at point-blank range.
Due to the timing of the attack, Nero was unable to dodge it completely, and was engulfed by the blazing flames that the Baby Slime unleashed to avenge her Papa.
"I almost forgot about you," Nero glared hatefully at the Baby Slime, who was also glaring back at him.
However, a second later, Eiko dug underground because she knew that she wasn't a match against Nero with her current strength.
"I won't let you get away!" Nero shouted as he dove down from the sky with the intention of punching the ground, killing the Baby Slime that was hiding under it.
However, at this exact moment, a draconic tail smashed against Nero's body which sent him flying for hundreds of meters through the air until he finally crashed on the ground.
"Play time's over," Lux growled as he held the Dragon Token firmly in his left hand.
He could still tolerate the beating that Nero was giving him, but Eiko was one of his reverse scales.
The Baby Slime had already died once in the past, and her death had caused his fiance, Iris, grief beyond words, making him vow that he wouldn't let the same thing happen again.
After seeing that Cai was being used as a hostage and his Baby Slime was about to be killed in front of his eyes, the Half-Elf no longer cared about the consequences and used one of his Trump Cards.
A Crystal Dragon hovered above the Half-Elf, and its gaze landed on the silver-haired man in the distance, whose eyes widened in shock.
Earlier, he sensed that there was something in the Dungeon that could threaten his life, but because of lack of evidence, he decided to kidnap Cai and force Lux to fight against Nero with a handicap.
Now that the Half-Elf had summoned the Crystal Dragon, who for some reason, had transformed into an Argonaut Rank World Boss, the silver-haired man finally understood where the feeling of dread was coming from.
"Keoza, I'll let you deal with him," Lux ordered. "But, before that, save Cai first."
"Very well," Keoza replied.
The Crystal Dragon made a rune in the air with its Dragon Claws, and Cai's body immediately turned into a crystal statue.
The silver-haired man, who saw this, immediately slashed down on the Crystal Boar with the intention of cutting it to pieces. But when his sword collided with the Boar's crystalized body, a metallic ring reverberated in the surroundings, making the silver-haired man look at his sword in disbelief.
A second later, Keoza drew another rune and Cai's crystal statue turned into a beam of light, flying toward the Crystal Dragon's chest.
"I'll keep Cai safe," Keoza said before spreading his wings wide in preparation to fly in the sky. "You don't have to worry about this Devil. I won't let it escape. Do whatever you need to do."
Without another word, the Crystal Dragon flew into the sky and engaged the silver-haired man who had bullied Lux earlier.
Now that one of his problems had been dealt with, the Half-Elf's burning gaze landed on Nero, who had recovered from Keoza's attack.
Earlier, Nero had toyed around with him.
The Abyssal Creature made sure that each of his punches were not fatal but strong enough to hurt the Half-Elf's body, giving the latter great pain and allowing himself to enjoy every second of his opponent's suffering.
Now that he was no longer bound by the handicap placed to him by the silver-haired man, who was currently engaging Keoza in a dogfight in the sky, the Half-Elf no longer hesitated and decided to repay the hateful bastard for everything that he had done to him, tenfold.
"Time for round two," Lux said as he took a step forward and pointed his finger at the person who attempted to kill his Baby Slime for the second time. "Come here, you bastard!"
"Duel [EX]!"
Chapter 502 Don’t Even Think About It
The enraged Lux didn't hesitate to take the initiative to use Duel [EX] against Nero, who had just been hit by Keoza's Dragon Tail.
Now that the silver-haired man was busy dealing with the Crystal Dragon, he was unable to cancel Lux's skill to prevent Nero from being affected by it.
The brown-haired teenager thought that Lux was still clouded with anger and couldn't think properly, so he decided to turn into a black lightning bolt to attack the Half-Elf just like he liked.
However, something he didn't expect happened.
Lux had summoned his two clones by his side, and together, the three of them opened their mouths and unleashed three Dragon Breaths in his direction, which made Nero's heart shudder.
He didn't think that despite Lux's seething anger, the latter was still able to think properly and use his rage to fuel the blazing flames that he unleashed from his mouth as he imbued them with the power of the Abyss!
The black lightning bolt and the three Dragon Breaths collided, and the latter eventually pushed the black lightning bolt back dozens of meters away before it exploded.
Nero threw up a mouthful of black blood as his body crashed towards the ground after receiving Lux's devastating attack head-on.
However, before he could even prop himself up from the ground, he felt another strong attraction forcing him to exchange blows with the Half-Elf, who was now preparing to fire another Dragon Breath in his direction.
However, it was not only three Dragon Breaths--it was six.
Eiko and her clones appeared beside her Papa and opened their mouths wide.
The Baby Slime had really wanted to punish Nero for hurting her Papa, so after Lux had fired the first shot, she decided to join him and ordered one of her clones to activate the skill, Duel [EX], as soon as possible.
'N-No!' Nero screamed internally as his body moved against his will.
However, he was only able to take a few steps forward before the Six Dragon Breaths collided against him, which made him feel as if he had been run over by a truck.
Although he was now a Ranker, and Lux was a Grade A Apostle, the difference in Ranks didn't hold that much of an advantage against the Half-Elf because he had the ability to force his opponents to attack him, or his allies, whenever he wanted.
One can even say that when it came to one-on-one battles, Lux was a very despicable and downright disgusting opponent.
Just as he declared earlier, a Necromancer didn't fight one-on-one battles. They fought with Legions of Undead under their command.
Nero's entire body was now covered with wounds after getting hit by nine Dragon Breaths, which not only ignored his defenses, but was also super effective against him because he was now an Abyssal Creature.
But, the greatest damage he received was not to his body, but his very soul.
The silver-haired man noticed that Nero's state was now at a critical point, so he decided to save him from further harm. However, that was easier said than done.
Truth be told, the body that the silver-haired man was using was only an avatar.
Before Keoza appeared, he was the strongest presence in the Sacred Dungeon because his avatar had the strength of a B-Ranker. His original body was behind the Fifth Gate, and it would only open once the other four Gates were conquered, so when the Crystal Dragon made his appearance, he found himself hard-pressed to overpower the Argonaut-Ranked World Boss Dragon.
Monsters were inherently stronger than other creatures, especially if that monster was a Dragon, a creature considered as one of the mythical creatures that stood on top of the food chain in Elysium.
If Keoza were to be based on mortal standards, it would take at least six A-Rankers to defeat him, which was something that a measly B-Ranker wasn't capable of doing.
Truth be told, the Crystal Dragon could easily defeat the silver-haired man, but he wasn't doing that.
The reason was simple.
He wanted to see if the Abyssal Creature had other tricks up his sleeves or perhaps other allies that still hadn't made their appearance known yet.
Keoza wanted to know if Nero was the only one that the silver-haired man had corrupted among the teenagers that had come to the Sacred Dungeon to challenge it.
Of course, he had other reasons, but they were mostly out of curiosity. He had been with Lux for quite some time now, and he wanted to see how the Half-Elf would deal with the hateful Human who had now fallen under the corruption of the Abyss.
"Don't even think about it." Keoza growled as he slapped the silver-haired man who was about to interfere with the battle between their chosen candidates.
The silver-haired man cried out in pain before he helplessly slammed into the ground face-first.
Keoza then sealed the surroundings, trapping the silver-haired man in a dome, giving the Abyssal Creature no place to run and hide from him.
"How did you arrive in this place?" Keoza asked the silver-haired man through telepathy. "From what I can tell, you are a noble from the Abyss. Did you perhaps get sealed inside the Domain of the Fallen?"
"I have nothing to say to you, Dragon," the silver-haired man replied hatefully. "If you want to kill me then kill me! This is just an avatar. My real body is out of your reach!"
"Don't worry, I don't plan on killing you. At least not yet, not until I get the answers I want."
"You won't get any answers from me, you pitiful Dragon Soul who has lost your body!"
Keoza narrowed his eyes and slashed his tail at the Abyssal Creature, who was crushed under its weight.
The sound of something breaking was heard, but the damage that he had given the Avatar wasn't enough to break it completely.
"I can easily guess where your true body is, so you don't have to be impatient," Keoza said in a teasing tone. "Knowing Lux, we will arrive there sooner or later, and when we do... you will have nowhere to hide from me."
The Crystal Dragon then emitted a pressure that made the silver-haired man lose his earlier arrogance. He regretted his decision of kidnapping Cai in order to use her as a hostage to force Lux to give himself a handicap while fighting against his chosen candidate.
Now that the Half-Elf had summoned the Crystal Dragon to deal with him, the teenager that he had chosen would have no choice but to face the Half-Elf's anger, who was hell-bent to obliterate the corrupted teenager with his Dragon Breaths.
Chapter 503 A Very Painful Way To Die
Lux wasn't aware of Keoza's on-going nice chat with the silver-haired man that kidnapped Cai because he was busy giving Nero a piece of his mind.
Each time the Abyssal Teenager was hit by several Dragon Breaths, the Half-Elf would once again order his clones or Eiko's clones to activate Duel [EX], giving Nero no time to recover or catch his breath.
Currently, the recognized prodigy of Wildgarde Stronghold was feeling pain beyond the threshold that he could endure, and he screamed as he bathed in the blazing flames that were once again fired in his direction.
Lux looked at this scene without any shred of mercy in his eyes. Anyone who would dare to hurt or attempt to kill any of his family members was his enemy.
"S-Stop!" Nero pleaded as he tried to prop himself up from the ground, with blood gushing out of his lips. "I give up! I surrender! You win!"
Nero knew that if the Half-Elf's attack continued, his soul would be damaged beyond repair, making him unable to retain his control over his body.
"We belong in the same faction!" Nero shouted. "Both of us are from the Wildgarde Stronghold! How about we talk this out properly, and wipe out all our grievances with each other? What do you say?"
Lux looked at his enemy who was on all fours after getting hit by fifteen Dragon Breaths after he had summoned Keoza to deal with the silver-haired man, who had used Cai as a hostage.
Nero's body was covered with black blood due to the countless injuries he received from Lux's devastating attacks.
His armor had been torn off in several places, and the earlier arrogance he displayed was nowhere to be seen.
"I say…," Lux replied while smoke oozed out from his mouth. "F*ck you!"
Nero immediately tried to fly up in the sky in order to gain distance away from the Half-Elf and escape his one-sided punishment, but it was already too late.
One of Lux's clones had used Duel [EX] once again, and Nero couldn't do anything but shout in anger, regret, and frustration, knowing what was about to come next.
However, before the Half-Elf could unleash his attack, the ground behind him rose up, and Jasper, the temporary leader of the opposing team, slashed his sword to cut off the Half-Elf's head from behind.
Jasper knew that Nero's existence was important to overturn the situation of the war, and he couldn't allow him to die at this point in time.
So, after kicking Einar away, the prodigy from the Xynnar War Pact, merged with the ground in order to travel towards Lux's location.
Since Einar couldn't detect where his enemy was headed, he warned his teammates to be careful about any possible sneak attacks from the ground.
Since Lux was a good distance away from where they were fighting, he didn't expect that someone would come and sneak attack him from behind in order to save Nero, who was about to die in Lux's hands.
However, there was someone who was paying close attention to the changes in the battlefield, and it was none other than Asmodeus, whom Lux had assigned to assist him, just in case something similar to what Jasper was planning to do happened.
Just as Jasper's blade was about to hack the Half-Elf's neck, his body stiffened, and his sword blade paused mid-swing.
A moment later, he found himself being pulled towards an eager crowd of Skeleton Gangbangers who were holding their sharp and sturdy swords, ready to punish the person who dared to sneak attack their Master from behind.
Since Asmodeus was capable of using all the skills that Lux had, with the exception of his Draconic Powers, he was easily able to use the skill, Duel [EX], to force Jasper to attack him.
The blonde-haired teenager's face immediately became grim when he understood what had just happened to him.
Asmodeus stood with his arms crossed over his chest, while Morpheus (Death Tyrant) and Lazarus (Great Flame Skull) hovered beside him, eyeing the fear-stricken teenager with contempt.
"Gangbang Time!" one of the Skeleton Gangbangers shouted before charging towards Jasper with his sword raised high.
The hundreds of Skeleton Gangbangers, who were similar to Rugby Players who were dead-set on pinning down the person that was holding the ball, followed.
"N-Noooooooooo!" a blood curdling scream escaped Jasper's lips as he tried to protect himself from the hundreds of Rank 4 Skeleton Gangbangers, who were about to screw him a hundred times over!
(A/N: Kekeke pun intended).
As an Initiate, he was several times stronger than the Skeletons that had charged towards him en masse. Unfortunately, he didn't have full control of his body, and helplessly ran towards Asmodeus, who was at the very rear of the formation.
Although the blonde-haired teenager was able to hack, and dismantle dozens of Undead Warriors, there were simply too many for him to fight, which resulted in him being overwhelmed by their numbers.
After getting pinned to the ground, Jasper was stabbed repeatedly by countless swords, making him cry out in pain.
Even so, the Skeleton Gangbangers didn't show him any mercy and gave the pitiful teenager a taste of what it was like to fight against hundreds of Undead all by himself.
"Maaaaaan, that looks sick," Lazarus commented after seeing Jasper's pitiful state. "And very painful as well. Dear God, the poor boy's backside is nothing more than a tenderized piece of meat. What a very painful way to die."
Asmodeus nodded before rubbing his chin. "The Skeleton Gangbangers are a different breed of Undead. In fact, I think Master is the only Necromancer in Elysium and Solais who has Skeleton Gangbangers under his command.
"I'm afraid that when that child returns to Elysium, he will awaken with a different kind of fetish due to this experience. Welp. That's what he gets for trying to kill our Master. I think he got the easy way out, don't you think so?"
Lazarus and Morpheus both nodded their heads in agreement.
However, the representatives of the different factions, who were watching Jasper's current situation from outside the Domain of the Fallen, had complicated expressions on their faces.
The teenagers, on the other hand, subconsciously covered their backside with their hands as they looked at the projection of the distressed prodigy from the Xynnar War Pact.
If it were them, they would have already committed suicide in order to escape such a punishment that could potentially haunt them for the rest of their lives.
On that day, all the teenagers vowed to never, ever, antagonize Lux again.
After seeing what the Half-Elf was capable of doing, they decided that, whatever would happen in the future, they would stick with him, even if he kicked them out of his party the next time they challenged the Hell Difficulty of the Sacred Dungeon.
After two agonizing minutes, Jasper reappeared outside the Gate of the Domain of the Fallen.
His body was covered with wounds, but his life was not in danger.
The Elders of his Faction immediately poured high-quality healing potions over his body, especially over his backside, which had received a lot of punishment.
Although the damage his body received wasn't as serious as the damage he had taken inside the Dungeon, Jasper's current mental state was unstable after the experience that he had been through.
To his credit, no one among those who witnessed his plight made any comments, allowing the prodigy of the Xynnar War Pact to retain a shred of his dignity.
Even the members of the Skystead Alliance, who were always at odds with the Xynnar War Pact, couldn't bring themselves to tease the blond-haired teenager, who was forced to drink a sleeping potion, so that his immediate superior could wipe the memory of what happened from his mind.
They were afraid that the experience the teenager suffered would hinder his growth, so they resolved themselves to erase a part of his memory in order to protect his future.
"Such brutal Undead," Natasha commented as she made a sign of the Goddess in front of her. "I think I should have a little talk with Lux when he gets back. Some things must never be done to other people, especially to the members of the Factions of the Xynnar War Pact, who can be considered as our allies in Elysium."
Gerald and Rainer nodded their heads in agreement.
Although they knew that they couldn't blame Lux for what just happened to Jasper, they were still worried that there would be a repeat of this incident in the future, which might make the relationship between the different Factions and the Half-Elf turn sour, creating more troubles for him after this expedition in the Sacred Dungeon came to an end.
Chapter 504 Keoza’s Proposal
Too focused on fighting against Nero, Lux didn't even notice that Jasper had appeared behind him, about to launch a sneak attack.
However, even if he noticed, he wouldn't care because he wasn't fighting alone.
There was a reason Asmodeus and Diablo weren't joining his fight, and that was because they were on the lookout for any potential threats that would take advantage of him as he fought against a Ranker, whose strength surpassed his own.
The Half-Elf knew that his Named Creatures were always watching his back and wouldn't allow anyone to hurt him as long as they lived.
This was why Orion and Pazuzu engaged with Nero even though they had no chance of winning. It was all to give Lux an opportunity to catch his breath from the continuous one-sided beating that he received from the teenage boy who had been corrupted by the power of the Abyss.
Now, the Ranker who had beaten him a few minutes ago, was pleading for him to stop, but the Half-Elf had no intention of doing so.
"""Dragon's Breath!"""
For the umpteenth time, Nero was once again bathed in Dragon Flames.
By now, he was already hoarse from screaming in pain as smoke oozed from his entire body.
He was like a classical vampire whose body started to burn up the moment they were hit by sunlight.
The smell of burning flesh was so strong that even the teenagers who were fighting in the distance could smell it.
Nero had now completely lost his mind and was no longer in control of his body. Unfortunately for him, that didn't matter to Lux.
The Half-Elf roared in anger as he charged towards the unmoving Abyssal Creature with his left fist raised high.
A moment later, his fist smashed Nero's face, making the latter take a step back.
Lux's right arm was broken, so he could only use his left fist to repeatedly to smack Nero's face over and over again, until the latter collapsed on the ground.
The Half-Elf knew that his opponent was already a spent candle and no longer had the power to resist him.
Truth be told, Lux was also at his limit, and the only thing that was sustaining him was his rage. Just like a beast acting only on his instinct, the Half-Elf pummeled Nero's face repeatedly until his fists were covered not only with Nero's blood, but also with his own blood.
"Die!" Lux pulled back his arm to give Nero one last smack on the head using all of his strength.
However, before he could bring his fist down to finally bring an end to the hateful bastard's life, a bony hand held his arm, stopping him from delivering the final blow.
"Killing him will not solve anything, Master," Asmodeus said as he held Lux's hand. "Besides, he will not die for real even if you kill him here in the dungeon. He will just reappear outside of the Domain of the Fallen and be treated by the Guardians of Wildgarde Stronghold."
Lux panted for breath as he listened to the Archlich's words.
Asmodeus was the wisest among his Named Creatures, and his words carried a lot of weight.
The Half-Elf knew that his Named Creature's words were correct. Killing Nero in the Sacred Dungeon would only temporarily satisfy his anger, but it wouldn't solve anything. Also, he had to think about the reactions of the Guardians of the Wildarde Stronghold.
'Speak your mind,' Lux said through telepathy. 'Since you stopped me, you have already thought of a way to deal with this, right?'
Asmodeus nodded before letting go of Lux's arm. 'Yes, Master. Right now, the root of Nero's power is the Seed of the Abyss that had taken control of his body. If we can take it out, not only will he lose one of his powers, we can also gain something from it.'
'You're quite ambitious, Asmodeus. Do you have a way to do what you are proposing?'
'I don't. But, there might be someone who will be able to help us.'
The Archlich then shifted his gaze on the Crystal Dragon, who was crushing the silver-haired man with his clawed hand, making the latter scream in pain.
As if sensing his gaze, Keoza glanced in Lux's direction and gave the Half-Elf a mischievous smirk.
'I overheard your talk a moment ago,' Keoza said, which made Lux's, and Asmodeus' bodies stiffen. 'Don't worry. We're all on the same side, so it's fine even if I eavesdrop in your conversation every now and then.'
Lux and Asmodeus were very tempted to say "it isn't fine!", but since they were going to ask Keoza for a favor, they kept their mouths shut and just waited for the Crystal Dragon to continue speaking.
'I can indeed take out the Seed of the Abyss from that brat,' Keoza stated. 'However, the seed that has fully bloomed in a person's heart will immediately die after it had been taken from the body of its host. For me, this is such a waste. So, I have a proposal to make.'
The Crystal Dragon then completely crushed the silver-haired man in his clawed hand, making the latter turn into particles of light.
After that he descended from the sky and landed beside Lux, and the unconscious Nero.
'My proposal is to transfer the Seed of the Abyss to a new host,' Keoza stated. 'And I have the perfect candidate for it.'
Lux and Asmodeus exchanged a glance at each other before shifting their attention back to the Crystal Dragon who had a devilish smile on his face.
'Who is that candidate?' Lux asked.
Keoza chuckled before pointing at the baby slime who had just crawled up on the top of Lux's head, where she belonged.
'No!' Lux shook his head firmly. 'I refuse to transfer the seed of the Abyss to Eiko. I'd rather destroy it before that happens.'
'Calm down and don't jump to conclusions,' Keoza said as he gave Lux a mischievous gaze. 'I'm not saying that we'll transfer the Seed of the Abyss to Eiko's body. I'm saying that Eiko has someone that could use the power of the Abyss to its fullest potential.'
The first one to realize what Keoza was referring to was none other than Eiko, who immediately spat a corpse out of her mouth.
Lux and Asmodeus looked down on Second's Body, whose upper body, especially the face, had suffered from third degree burns.
He didn't look like someone who had a quick and painless death. Even his pained expression was still etched on his face, proving how excruciating his death was.
When Eiko stored Second's body inside of her, the Vice-General had just died, so the corpse was still quite fresh—warm even.
Just like Lux's coffin, Blackfire, which could store dead and near-dead humanoid creatures inside of it, the baby slime's "spacial storage" worked the same way. She could even store living bodies inside of her, as long as the latter agreed to be swallowed up by her or was unable to resist being swallowed by her.
'I'm sure you will reanimate him sooner or later, so why not do it now?' Keoza said as the tip of his draconic claw pricked Nero's chest, making the latter's body start twitching.
A few seconds later, the Crystal Dragon raised its claw and sticking to it was a black gem. If one looked closely, they would be able to see a faint crimson glow at its center, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Keoza then unceremoniously pricked Second's chest, embedding the Seed of the Abyss in the dead body's heart.
As if sensing that it only had one option in order to live, the black gem hurriedly turned into a black liquid, and merged with Second's heart.
The dead man's heart then turned black as ink as the power of the Abyss took complete control over it.
'Make him your subordinate before the Seed of the Abyss takes full control of his body,' Keoza stated. 'As long as you do that, you will be able to gain another powerful underling who will have the same power Nero had before his power was taken away from him.'
Lux nodded and began to use his skill, Animate Undead, on Second's body.
The Crystal Dragon was right. He already planned on turning Second as one of his subordinates, but he was thinking of waiting until he reached the Initiate Rank before doing so. However, since an opportunity presented itself, he thought that it would truly be a waste if he didn't take this chance to get a strong subordinate that had the power of the Abyss.
Several rows of text appeared in front of Lux, which made the Half-Elf pause for a bit. This was the first time that he had seen this prompt, and found it quite to his liking.
—----------
< You are attempting to revive a dead body that has a high chance of evolving into a Unique Creature >
< Choose which group you plan to register this Unique Creature >
Choice 1: Necromancer's Covenant
Choice 2: Make the Unique Creature the Commander of your Animate Undead Legion.
Chapter 505 Light Is Easy To Love, Show Me Your Darkness
Lux didn't bat an eye and chose the first option.
From the very start, he had already decided to make Second a part of his Necromancer Covenant.
Right now, he didn't have an Animated Undead Legion because he had only used the skill, Animate Undead, to revive the dead soldiers of the Ammarian Kingdom, so they could be used as cannon fodder.
Although he had the option to revive those killed Animated Creatures using Beast Cores, Lux had no plan to do that. He would rather revive other dead Creatures than spend his resources on reviving mere cannon fodders.
Of course, he only thought this way because he had become very picky when it came to choosing his subordinates.
Besides, Lux already had a candidate to become the Commander of his Animate Undead Legion, and it was none other than General Revon, who had tried to kill him in the past.
After choosing the option of adding Second to his Necromancer's Covenant, a magic circle appeared under the Vice-General's dead body.
Second's body then floated into the air before it was wrapped up in a black and white cocoon that gave it a very sinister presence.
Two minutes later, the cocoon cracked, and a Creature that Lux had never seen before in his life emerged.
It looked very much like a devil with two crimson horns coming out of the top of his head, but the most distinguishing feature of this Creature was the crescent blade-like weapons protruding from his arms.
Just a glance was enough to tell him that these two blades were attached to the Creature's body, making it known that this was a Creature that specialized in close combat.
Also, another unique trait of this Creature was that half of its body—from head to toe—was black, and the other half was white. The two eagle-like wings on its back were the same color as their respective side of the body.
It reminded Lux of the concept of Yin and Yang back in his old world. His interest was piqued, making him look at this Creature with great curiosity.
As soon as the Creature's feet landed on the ground, it immediately knelt down like a knight and bowed his head respectfully towards his Master.
"Please bestow a name upon me, Master," the Creature said in a calm and respectful manner.
Lux looked at the information of the newly born Creature in his Soul Book, but all he could see in it was countless "????", which made him scratch his head in confusion.
"A name…," Lux thought as he placed his hands over his waist as he looked at the horned creature kneeling in front of him.
Truth be told, he was very tempted to call him "Second", just like the Creature's previous name, but giving a number as a person's name was not something that Lux was comfortable with.
Because of this, he decided to think long and hard on what name he would give to the new member of his Covenant, so that the latter wouldn't hate him in the future, just like the children who hated their parents for giving them trashy names.
"Zagan," Lux said. "From now on, your name will be Zagan."
Immediately after that, several rows of text appeared in front of him as the information about Zagan was updated in his Soul Book.
All the "????" he had seen earlier disappeared completely.
—-------
< Zagan >
"Light is easy to love, show me your Darkness."
– Named High-Ranking Demon
– Strategist of the Covenant
– Rating: S
– Progress ( 0 / 20,000)
Health: 50,000 / 50,000
Mana: 150,000 / 150,000
Strength: 500
Intelligence: 500
Vitality: 250
Agility: 1000
Dexterity: 250
Unique Skill: Shield Breaker [EX], Yin-Yang Slash [EX], Duel [EX]
Active Skill: Summon Blood Golem, Black Lightning Bolts, Lightning Steps, Blink Teleport, Lightning Slash, Double Fury Slash, Sky-High Rush.
Passive Skill: Lightning Reflexes, Levitate.
Unique Ability: Counterfeiter
< Counterfeiter >
– Able to turn water into wine, and wine into water.
– Can transform any metal into coins, and coins into metal.
(Example: turning gold into a gold coin, and reverting a gold coin to gold in its natural form).
—-------
< Shield Breaker [EX] >
– Able to break any kind of barrier, whether it be physical or magical in nature, without fail.
—-------
< Yin-Yang Slash [EX] >
– A Powerful attack using the Power of Yin and Yang. This attack is especially effective when fighting against Demons and Abyssal Creatures.
—-------
< Summon Blood Golem >
– When fighting in the battlefield, one can merge the blood of the dead to form a Blood Golem.
– Zagan can only summon one Blood Golem at a time, and its size and strength depends on the amount of blood that was used to summon it.
– The Blood Golem can also continuously absorb the blood in the surroundings, increasing its size and strength.
– Blood Golem's maximum height is 100 meters tall.
– The Blood Golem's size will increase by ten meters for every thousand dead Creatures in its surroundings.
—-------
A sigh escaped Lux's lips after reading through the information of the newest member of his Necromancer's Covenant twice.
He finally understood what the High-Ranking Demon was capable of doing.
Zagan's highest stat was his agility, and his skills were mostly lightning based. Lux immediately understood that he was a fighter that excelled in quick attacks and long range magical warfare.
He wasn't a glass cannon, which was a term used for someone, or something, that had strong offensive capabilities, but weak defensive capabilities.
Zagan was a Blitz Attacker that specialized in hit and run tactics when facing strong foes, and eliminating weaker foes before they could even understand what killed them.
When it came to the total of combined stats, Lazarus' and Zagan's stats were higher when compared to Diablo, Ishtar, Pazuzu, and Orion.
The reason for this was that Lux's Named Creatures weren't in their final evolutions.
Lazarus was in its fully evolved state, which was a Great Flame Skull, and Zagan was a Unique Creature that had been birthed through the power of the Abyss, making him stronger than ordinary Monsters and putting him on par with Dragons.
"Thank you for the name, Master," Zagan said. "I will treasure it for eternity."
Lux nodded his head before shifting his gaze to Nero, who had reverted to his Human form, now that the Seed of the Abyss had been removed.
He didn't care if the Guildmaster of the Storm Dragon's Guild would hate him more once he found out that his powers had been taken away from him.
"The next time you get in my way, I will kill you for real," Lux said. "I've already given you enough chances to live. You are only alive now because of the care that was given to me by the people of Wildgarde Stronghold. There won't be a next time."
Lux then turned around to walk away.
Zagan then used the blade protruding from his arm to stab Nero's chest, piercing his heart and killing the brown-haired teenager once and for all.
As Nero's body turned into particles of light behind his back, Lux raised his hand and summoned his Undead Army, including Pazuzu and Orion, who had died protecting him earlier.
"Kill the remnants of Jasper's team," Lux ordered. "Leave none alive."
Lux's subordinates then spread out to assist Einar and the others, who were fighting against the Initiates from Jasper's team.
Keoza, who had already accomplished his mission, chuckled and returned to the Dragon Token in Lux's possession.
He had no intention of joining the war because he was confident that Lux could handle everything on his own.
Just like how the silver-haired man had chosen Nero to be his candidate, Keoza had chosen Lux to be his candidate.
In order to let him grow and reach greater heights, he didn't want the Half-Elf to rely on his strength too much when facing difficult challenges.
Also, Lux could only summon him one more time.
Until then, Keoza would remain inside the Dragon Token and watch the Half-Elf's adventures before he dealt with the loose ends that he had left behind in the Draconic Kingdom of Karshvar Draconis.
Chapter 506 It’s Quite Unfortunate That I Didn’t Meet You Sooner
A flash of light appeared, and Nero's body materialized at the entrance of the Gate of the Domain of the Fallen.
Rainer immediately ran to his side and checked his condition. He had been very anxious ever since he saw that Nero had fallen into the corruption of the Abyss, and had been wracking his mind to think of all possible ways he might be able to help the latter reverse his condition.
He knew that there was a high possibility that Nero would be captured alive or, worse, executed the moment he left the Domain of the Fallen because Abyssal Creatures were the mortal enemies of Elysians.
Natasha also appeared by his side to help diagnose Nero's current situation.
After some initial checks, the two were surprised because they couldn't find a single trace of Abyssal Powers inside Nero's body, which made the two of them breathe a sigh of relief.
The last thing they saw was Lux fighting against Nero. What happened afterwards was unclear because the other representatives of the different factions were engaged in a fight against each other, preventing them from seeing what was happening between the Half-Elf and the Abyssal Teenager who had challenged him to a duel.
'Fortunately, the worst case scenario didn't happen,' Natasha patted her chest after double-checking Nero's condition.
Although the teenage boy was unconscious and had suffered some serious injuries, his life wasn't in danger.
Gerald, on the other hand, stood beside the two with his arms crossed over his chest, standing in the way of the members of the Xynnar War Pact and the Skystead Alliance, who also wanted to check on Nero's condition.
"Step aside, Commander Gerald," one of the Rankers that belonged to the Skystead Alliance said. "Although this kid belongs to your Faction, Abyssal Creatures must be dealt with as soon as possible."
"And if I refuse?" Gerald asked back.
"Hah! Do you even need to ask?" the Ranker from the Skystead Alliance sneered. However, before he could even do anything, a hand rested on his shoulder, holding him in place.
"Calm down, friend," Aron, who was the highest Commanding Officer at the site, said with a smile. "There's no need to be violent. I'm sure that Commander Gerald also understands our concern. Let them check Nero's condition first. We can inspect him after his superiors have gotten a good look at him."
"O-Of course, Sir Aron," the Ranker stuttered. "We will do as you say."
The Vahan Empire was the leader of the Skystead Alliance, so no one would dare to disobey the order of Emperor Andreas' right-hand man.
Truth be told, all the Rankers at the entrance of the Domain of the Fallen had already spread their senses towards the unconscious boy that was lying on the ground, but they couldn't detect any Abyssal Power coming from his body.
Fifteen minutes later, Rainer tapped Gerald's shoulder and gave him a brief nod.
Gerald then glanced behind him to look at Nero, who was undergoing a healing treatment by Natasha. Seeing that the Guildmaster of their subsidiary guild seemed to have returned to his normal self, Gerald moved aside and allowed the other Rankers to check Nero's condition.
A few minutes later, all of them returned to the only two projections remaining on the wall, which was being shared by Einar, the Barbarian Prince, and Malcolm of the Vahan Empire.
The defeated teenagers weren't berated by their superiors, but the disappointment on their Elder's faces was enough to make them feel ashamed with the outcome of their mission.
They knew that they would be getting a harsh and long nagging when they returned to their respective kingdoms, but for now, they stared at the projections with solemn expressions on their faces.
They wanted to see the outcome of the war, and whether Lux and his team would emerge triumphant.
Truth be told, none of them want to see Lux and his teammates win. They were also hoping that the Rankers of the Ammarian Army would kill them all, so the Gate of Conquest would remain unconquered.
But they all had a feeling that what they were hoping for was just wishful thinking.
—---------------
At the Great Plains inside the Gate of Conquest…
"That's about all of them, I think," Einar said after killing the last member of Jasper's team with his Axe.
Lux checked his Soul Book and used its map function to confirm if there were any nearby hostile enemies around them, but he saw nothing suspicious.
"I think so too," Lux replied as he glanced at his allies who had suffered different levels of injuries.
Right now, they were only Apostles, with the exception of Val, who could transform into an Alpha Giant Spider, and Malcolm, who had been an Initiate from the start.
Keane, Einar, and Henrietta had several wounds on their bodies and were currently treating themselves with potions.
Eiko had summoned her Angel and Water Slime to help heal their teammates, which the three injured people happily accepted.
They were still at war, so the sooner they could return to their peak the better.
"Keane and Val, I need a favor," Lux said after the two had recovered a bit after getting their treatment. "I didn't know if you noticed it earlier, but a silver-haired B-Ranker appeared when I was fighting with Nero. He took Cai as hostage in order to force me to not fight with my full power against Nero.
"Since he managed to successfully kidnap Cai, I'm afraid that Xander might have suffered serious injuries. Can you return to the Yelan Camp first and check if he is fine? You can take Whitey (Angel Slime) and Mara (Water Slime) with you. Both of them have the power to heal, so if the injury isn't too serious, they will be able to patch Xander up in no time."
Keane glanced at the Boar, who was currently being carried by Orion, before shifting his gaze back to Lux and nodding his head.
"Okay," Keane replied. "We'll see what we can do."
"Thank you." Lux nodded.
All of them knew that there was a possibility that Xander had died under the hands of the B-Ranker that captured Cai, but none of them said this out loud because they didn't want to think negatively.
"Rejoin us once you have checked his condition," Lux stated before looking in the distance where several spells were raining down from the sky and various explosions were erupting in the background. "We will be joining the war for now."
Keane and Val nodded their heads and summoned their mounts.
Val had exhausted himself from helping his teammates survive the clash against the Initiates, so he couldn't transform into his Spider Form for the time being.
If not for him, Keane, Val, and Henrietta might have already been eliminated by their opponents, whose Ranks and power surpassed their own.
All of the representatives that the different Factions had sent on this mission were prodigies of their respective kingdoms. They were not pushovers, and their skills were the real deal. The mere fact that none of Lux's original members were killed was already a miracle, and it was only thanks to their teamwork that they were able to emerge victorious against their enemies.
"Let's go," Lux said as he summoned Jed to return to the frontlines of the war. "Let's finish what we started."
"Finally!" Einar said as he also summoned his Sabertooth Tiger. "Let's conquer this Dungeon as well!"
"Just make sure you don't kick the bucket," Malcolm chided. "Who knows? You might be the first to die."
Einar just chuckled after hearing Malcolm's remark. The Barbarian Prince knew that although Malcolm had become their enemy in the past, the last representative of the Vahan Empire was more serious about clearing this dungeon than any of them.
This was Malcolm's last chance in order to leave a good impression on Emperor Andreas, as well as save the reputation of his father, because of the shortcomings he experienced in the past.
More than anyone else, Malcolm was willing to go above and beyond his limits in order to ensure that he would survive and his team would clear the dungeon, allowing him to return home victorious.
Henrietta only shook her head helplessly as she looked at the two boys before shifting her gaze to the Half-Elf whose body was covered with dried blood stains.
Lux didn't even bother to clean himself up after his battle with Nero and simply ordered his mount, Jed, to return to the frontlines as soon as possible.
'Iris, I can now understand why you like him very much,' Henrietta thought as she followed behind Lux. 'You chose your partner well.'
Even though Lux's body wasn't as big and sturdy like Einar's, who was the Barbarian Prince, the Guildmaster of Serenity felt that Lux's back was very broad from behind and gave her a feeling of security that she hadn't felt in a long time.
As the Guildmaster of the Guild that belonged to Barbatos Academy, it had always been her who stood at the frontlines of every battle. She was the one carrying the burden of the responsibilities that were expected of her, and protected her Guild Members from any harm.
Seeing someone take this role made her realize how important the part she had played in the past was.
'I wonder, did Iris and my guildmates feel this way when they looked at my back whenever we did dangerous missions together?' Henrietta mused as she urged her four-tailed Fox Mount to follow their temporary leader in this expedition.
'It's quite unfortunate that I didn't meet you sooner,' Henrietta sighed in her heart.
She had already been engaged by her family to one of the most outstanding young men of their generation. Because of this, she could no longer entertain the fancy of sharing that strong and broad back with her close friend, Iris, who had become Lux's fiance.
For the time being, Henrietta set this matter aside because there were more important issues to attend to.
The war was nearing its conclusion, and she wanted to be there to see if she and her teammates could conquer the Gate of Conquest and gain the rewards that were promised to all of them.
Chapter 507 Kill In Our Master’s Name!
When Lux and Nero left to fight their duel, the Ammarian Army took this opportunity to attack the Yelan Army.
Their main concern was Lux's Corpse Explosion Skill, which gave them a sort of invisible pressure that weighed on their hearts. They even hoped that Nero would be able to kill the Half-Elf, so they would no longer need to worry about him.
Since they were all busy fighting against each other, they could not spare any of their attention on the duel between the two teenagers. For them, the enemy in front of them posed more danger than the fight between the teenagers.
Just as expected, the Yelan Army was at a great disadvantage when it came to numbers.
The size of the Yelan Kingdom was only a third of the Ammarian Kingdom, which gave them the disadvantage in manpower. Even though the Ammarian Army had lost two Generals and several Rankers, their military might was still stronger than the Yelan Army.
As the fight went on, the brave warriors of the Yelan Kingdom were slowly being pushed back. The battle between the two armies was so fierce that thousands of people died every minute.
Great General Watson, General Carran, and General Fahad were all fighting on the front lines, helping boost the morale of their troops with their mere presence.
Although they were slowly being pushed back, the Yelan Army fought tooth and nail with their enemies, making the Vanguard of the Ammarian Army feel as if they were facing an army of people who weren't afraid to die.
"Impressive," Great General Gideon said as he watched the ongoing battle from on top of his mount. "But, how long will you be able to last?"
Great General Sherlock, who was watching the battle from the top of his elevated platform, narrowed his eyes because he understood that the Ammarian Army's advance was slowly gaining momentum.
'Should I give the order to retreat?' Great General Sherlock thought.
Just as he had made up his mind to order a retreat, he saw something out of the corner of his eye.
A dust cloud could be seen in the distance, and from its size, he could tell that there were at least a few hundred riders headed in their direction.
Great General Gideon also noticed this sudden change in the battlefield and frowned.
'It's coming from the direction where Nero and that Half-Elf had their duel,' Great General Gideon mused. 'Is their fight over already?'
Great General Gideon was very confident that the one who would emerge victorious in the duel was none other than Nero. After all, the latter was a Ranker, and his opponent was a mere Grade A Apostle.
Even so, his sixth sense was telling him that the approaching dust cloud was very suspicious, so he ordered the soldiers on the leftmost flank of their army to take a defensive position.
When the dust cloud neared their location, Great General Gideonnand Great General Sherlock were finally able to see what kind of riders were approaching their ongoing battle.
""Skeleton Riders!""
Both Great Generals gasped, but for different reasons.
One was out of delight, the other was out of surprise.
Great General Sherlock chuckled after seeing the Skeleton Riders because there was only one Necromancer on the battlefield, and he was fighting on their side.
Lux and Eiko, along with their clones, used the skill Skeleton Make to create Skeleton Horses for their Skeleton Gangbangers.
Behind these Skeleton Riders were hundreds of Zombies that Diablo and Asmodeus had painstakingly collected whenever there was a battle in the Great Plains.
Originally, they were meant to be used as cannon fodder for Lux's Corpse Explosion Skill, but since Great General Watson and Great General Sherlock had agreed to use the bodies of their fallen soldiers to activate the devastating skill, the Half-Elf no longer needed to hold back and revived the dead to attack the left flank of the Ammarian Army.
Diablo and Einar led the charge, with Diablo at the front, holding a shield and blocking any incoming attacks toward the Barbarian Prince, who had an important role to play.
Einar rode alongside Lux's first Named Creature and raised his War Axe high as he gathered all the strength he could muster. When they were only dozens of meters away from the Ammarian Army's defensive line, Diablo moved to the side, giving Einar space to unleash his strongest attack.
"Storm Breaker!" Einar roared as he threw his War Axe, which was imbued by the power of flames, into his enemies.
The War Axe flew so fast like a cannonball and headed straight towards the Ammarian Defenders, who had all raised their shields to block the incoming attack.
When the Axe collided with the shield of the Defenders, it created a powerful explosion, sending everyone at the front flying backwards and pushing the rest to the side, due to the power behind the force in Einar's attack.
Before the Ammarian Soldiers could even close the gap that was left open by their injured comrades, the cavalry of Undead, led by Diablo, arrived in front of them, and tore through their ranks like a bowling ball hitting several bowling pins.
'I almost forgot that all of these Skeleton Gangbangers are Rank 4 Monsters,' Einar mused as he raised his hand to call his Axe back to him. 'Also, that Death Knight is not so simple. Fortunately, I am on the same side as them.'
After helping Diablo and the Skeleton Riders break through the Ammarian Defenses, Einar returned to where Lux was observing the battlefield.
He was confident in his strength, and he believed that as long as he wasn't fighting against a Ranker, he would be able to fight anyone without suffering a loss. However, war wasn't a one-on-one battle.
Einar understood that charging alone towards tens of thousands of soldiers was suicide.
Only Lux's Undead Army would not hesitate to perform such a suicidal method because they had no life to lose.
"Whirlwind Slash!" Diablo swung the Mythical Sword, Blood Moon, which was Randolph's prized weapon.
He had given this sword to Lux, to help the Half-Elf handle the tough challenges he was going to face after leaving Leaf Village.
In the hands of ordinary warriors, Blood Moon was an exceptional weapon.
However, in the hands of Diablo, whose attack drastically increased with the number of the dead people in his surroundings, Blood Moon was like a weapon of mass destruction that allowed the Death Knight to regain the health he had lost because of the sword's "Lifesteal" ability.
It only took Diablo a single swing of his sword to annihilate dozens of the Ammarian Soldiers in front of him.
Right now, his attack stats had already stepped into the hundreds of thousands, making him a threat to everyone, including the Rankers among the Ammarian Army.
However, before Great General Gideon could even give an order to one of his Commanders to eliminate the Death Knight, a blood-curdling roar erupted at the frontline of the battlefield, where the bloodiest battle was being fought.
Without any warning, a giant bloody hand emerged from the ground and swiped at the soldiers that the Yelan Soldiers were fighting against.
A moment later, a twenty-meter tall Blood Golem rose up from the blood-soaked battlefield and roared towards the sky.
"What in the heavens…" General Herodes who was also fighting in the front lines muttered when he saw the towering creature that he was only seeing for the first time in his life.
"Go," Zagan ordered the Blood Golem as he pointed at the Ammarian Army. "Kill in our Master's name!"
The Blood Golem let out another roar before charging towards the enemy soldiers like a berserk bull on steroids.
Blood oozed out from its body with each move it made, but this blood loss was immediately replenished by the blood of the people that died in its wake.
Chapter 508 A Convenient Tool
"This strategy is even better than I expected," Asmodeus commented after seeing the carnage that was happening in the battlefield. "That Blood Golem is one fascinating creature. Maybe I can artificially make one with Zagan's help."
"Just ask him about it later," Lux commented before shifting his gaze to where Diablo and the Skeleton Gangbangers were fighting.
Diablo had led the charge and over four hundred Skeleton Gangbangers, mounted on Skeleton Horses, that had accompanied him in battle.
Now that a foothold had been made, the Death Knight did what it was best at and used his AOE skills to kill as many soldiers as he could from the get go.
As Rank 4 Monsters, the Skeleton Gang Bangers were not an easy opponent to defeat, and with Diablo leading them, they became even more of a threat.
"The Zombies are not too shabby either," Lazarus said as the revived Undead Soldiers, who were all Rank 3 Monsters, joined the Skeleton Riders in wreaking havoc throughout the enemy's left flank.
Although they weren't as strong as the Skeleton Gangbangers, their presence in the battlefield had a demoralizing effect on the Soldiers, who were left with no other choice but to fight the walking corpses of their slain comrades.
Suddenly, something caught Lux's attention, so he immediately raised his hand, and summoned Diablo back to his side.
At the exact same time, one of the Commanders of the Ammarian Army arrived at the scene with his elite units and immediately engaged the Skeleton Army to battle.
Although the Skeleton Gang Bangers fought bravely, the enemy they were fighting against was still a Ranker, so their numbers decreased very quickly as the minutes passed by.
"Let's do it, Asmodeus," Lux ordered as he activated the skill that the Ammarian Army had grown to hate.
""Corpse Explosion!""
A moment later, a bloody explosion erupted in the Ammarian Army's left flank, which made the Commander, who had come to deal with the Skeleton Army, hastily retreat.
Lux's Corpse Explosion skill was no laughing matter, and the moment it spread, only scattered pieces of flesh would remain.
The other Ammarian Soldiers did the same, and all of them retreated like a tide. They didn't need anyone to tell them to run because they had already seen what would happen to them if they got caught in the deadly chain reaction of corpses exploding in front of their faces.
Of course, even if they knew about this, some were not fortunate enough to escape in time, so all of them died, screaming in pain as Lux's horrifying ability decimated their ranks, sending flesh, and bones flying in every direction.
Blood mists formed in the surroundings, which immediately flew in the direction of the Blood Golem, increasing its size by another twenty meters.
The horrifying creature was now over forty-meters tall, and even the attacks from Rankers were only enough to disperse its body for a few seconds before it reformed fully once again.
It was then that they realized that the Blood Golem would not be defeated as long as the blood of the soldiers on the battlefield flowed like a river.
However, there was nothing they could do about it.
As the two sides fought, more people died, and the stronger the Blood Golem became. Lux finally understood why only one Blood Golem could remain active on the battlefield.
Having more than one didn't necessarily mean that it would be more effective on the battlefield. In fact, more Blood Golems would only split the amount of blood in the battlefield and slow the rate they could grow into their fullest potential.
"It is quite unfortunate that we can only summon a Blood Golem in large scale wars," Lux said. "Summoning it in normal battles would not have the same effect as it is having now."
Asmodeus nodded his head in agreement to his Master's words.
"Still, having one is better than not having any," Zagan stated as he landed beside Lux. "Master, the way I see it, we will need to use more drastic measures in order to tilt the battle in our favor. We may have stalled the Ammarian Army by a bit, but after they regain their composure, the Yelan Army will be pushed back again.
"While they are still reeling from our show of force, we need to concentrate our forces on one side and distract their high-level fighters, giving the Yelan Army time to breathe."
Lux nodded before summoning his Soul Book.
Right now, Diablo's attack boost was a little over three hundred thousand, giving him enough strength to make a Ranker reel in pain if they are hit by his attack.
"Let's use a different strategy," Lux stated. "Asmodeus, Zagan, do any of you have any good ideas?"
The Archlich and the High-Ranking Demon glanced at each other before nodding their heads at the same time.
""Leave it to us, Master.""
—------------
Outside the Domain of the Fallen…
All the Rankers of the different Factions looked at the projections with a solemn gaze. Time and time again, they were surprised by the things that Lux had shown to them.
The Blood Golem in particular made them very wary.
Unlike ordinary Monsters, Blood Golems gain strength by the quantity and quality of the blood that they absorb in battle.
Right now, Lux's Blood Golem had grown into a Deimos-Ranked World Boss, which could only be defeated by a team of Rankers or an Army that numbered in the tens of thousands.
The problem with this arrangement was that the Yelan Army would not allow any of the Rankers to team up and destroy the Giant Abomination that was fighting for them.
Great General Watson, General Carran, and General Fahad were guarding the Blood Golem closely, thwarting any attempts by the enemy Rankers to disperse it completely.
The only thing they could do was to unleash long-range attacks that would blow the Golem's body parts off. However, these destroyed parts would reform again as more people died on the battlefield.
Perhaps, the only time a Blood Golem could be stopped was when the two armies stopped fighting and allowed one side to attack the Golem freely, giving it no opportunity to replenish the blood that it had lost.
'Perhaps we should have killed this brat in the Vahan Empire when we still had the chance,' Aron frowned after seeing Lux's performance in the Gate of Conquest. 'Letting him grow might get in the way of my Emperor's ambition.'
In the past, they tried to play a trick to make Lux indebted to them, but this plan backfired when Lux's grandma, Vera, appeared to save him.
Now that Lux and the Vahan Empire were at odds with each other, they felt that the Half-Elf might become a hindrance in the future.
The High-Ranker of the Vahan Empire then glanced in the direction of the unconscious Nero, who was lying on a bedroll not far from him.
'... I guess it's worth a try,' Aron thought as he gazed at the teenager who hated the Half-Elf very much.
If he dealt with the Half-Elf personally, there might be dire consequences that even he couldn't infer. Dealing with an angry Saint was never an easy matter, so he needed to use a tool in order to carry out the plan in his mind.
And what better tool to use than someone who already had a deep-seated hatred towards the Half-Elf, who had taken everything away from him.
Chapter 509 Clemence, The Chalice Of Reversal [Part 1]
Lux, Asmodeus, and their clones summoned Skeleton Warriors left and right, and would, from time to time, use Corpse Explosions to deter the Ammarian Army from going all out against the Yelan Army, who were now starting to gain momentum.
"I'm starting to hate Necromancers now," Great General Gideon muttered as he raised his hand to issue an order to one of his Aides. "Send a message to General Herodes to reinforce our right flank. Also, tell the Clerics to focus on setting up barriers to contain the spread of the Corpse Explosions."
"Yes, Great General!" The Aide bowed his head respectfully before carrying out the orders given to him.
Aside from the Skeleton Gangbangers, Skeleton Grand Archers, and Skeleton Mages, the Rock Golems had also joined the battle.
The Rock Golems' main role wasn't to join the vanguard in battle, but to throw big boulders behind the enemy lines tp break the formation of the Ammarian Army.
Although they weren't as numerous as the Skeleton Army, which numbered in the hundreds, they were still sixty golems strong.
These mobile catapults that kept on using the skill Rock Throw were formidable in their own right, and the Ammarian Army couldn't do anything about it.
Lux had positioned these Rock Golems behind the Blood Golem, who had now breached the enemy's formation.
The Ammarian Army was forced to choose between the Abomination in front of them and the Rock Golems that were throwing giant rocks over their heads.
Making a decision was simple. The Blood Golem was the immediate threat that towered above them and was also easier to attack compared to the Rock Golems that were throwing rocks from a safe distance away.
General Herodes, who had been ordered to send most of the bulk of his army to contend against the Blood Golem, was having a difficult time because the strongest General of the Yelan Kingdom, General Carran, was preventing him from attacking the Blood Golem directly.
"Get out of my way, you punk!" General Herodes roared as he swung his polearm towards the Yelan General who calmly blocked his attack with ease.
Instead of giving a reply, General Carran unleashed a powerful attack that pushed the Ammarian General back, making the latter curse out loud.
"The Blood Golem proved to be a very good distraction," Asmodeus said with a smile. "Unfortunately, it will take some time before the preparations for our Plan B are done."
Lux nodded. "We just need to be patient until Eiko is done with her task."
Just as Lux was about to summon more Skeleton Gangbangers to replenish his Undead Army, Keane and Val finally arrived at the frontlines, alongside a pale-faced Xander, who seemed to have suffered from a serious injury.
"Xander, you don't need to join the battle right away," Lux said as he looked at the young man who was barely standing on top of his Flying Manta Ray. "Just meditate and try to recover as much as you can. Cai is currently up there with Bedivere, so you don't have to worry about her safety."
Xander raised his head to look at the Wind Dragon who was hovering at the rear of the Yelan Army. Not far away from Bedivere, the Griffin Riders of the Ammarian Army as well as the Hippogriff Riders of the Yelan Army were having a bloodbath in the skies of the battlefield.
Lux had ordered Bedivere to stay at the back of the formation, so that they wouldn't be targeted by the Griffin Brigade and be put in danger.
As an extra precaution, Ishtar, who was currently riding a Griffin that Lux had stolen from the Ammarian Army, was by their side and keeping watch for anyone foolish enough to head in their direction.
"Keane, Val, you can go and assist Einar and Malcolm at the frontlines," Lux stated. "Make sure that those two don't kick the bucket."
Keane and Val smirked, knowing that Lux was just joking. As long as Einar and Malcolm didn't find themselves facing off against a Ranker, the two of them would not die so easily.
Even so, since they were itching to join the battle, the two didn't hesitate and regrouped with their teammates.
"How about you?" Lux asked Henrietta, who was standing beside him. "Aren't you going to join the battle?"
The corner of Henrietta's lips rose before replying to Lux's question.
"My mission is to keep watch over you," Henrietta replied. "It is the Headmaster's orders, so I can't leave even if I wanted to."
Lux scratched his head because Henrietta's answer was fool proof. Right now, Iris, Alexander, and Alicia were probably watching him, so he decided to just let Henrietta do what she wanted.
Also, he didn't mind letting the purple-haired beauty stay by his side. The battle was getting more fierce with each passing minute, and he didn't want her to die accidentally due to any unexpected twists and turns.
As for the others?
Lux believed that they wouldn't allow themselves to die, especially now that they were so close in completing their mission.
"What are you thinking right now?"
The sudden question that came from behind him broke Lux out of his daze.
"A lot of things," Lux replied. "But, I'm sure that Great General Sherlock is thinking more than I am."
The Gnome smiled after hearing Lux's reply. He was very happy that Lux had decided to join their faction. The mere thought of facing the Half-Elf's undead army was enough to give the Great General a headache that he didn't want to experience.
"Is there anything you need from me, Great General?" Lux asked.
Now that the battle was at its most intense phase, the Great General of the Gnomes should be at the center of the army and giving out orders, instead of having a casual chat with him.
"Yes," Great General Sherlock replied. "I noticed that Eiko is not with you right now. Are you planning something that I don't know?"
The Half-Elf smiled before nodding his head.
"Yes. I am preparing a surprise for the Ammarian Army, and Eiko is busy setting up the stage for it."
"Oh? I love surprises. Can you tell me what this surprise is?"
The Half-Elf trusted Great General Sherlock, so he didn't mind sharing his plan with him. After hearing the Half-Elf's strategy, the Gnome chuckled before narrowing his eyes to look in the direction where the Main Flag of the Ammarian Army was located.
"What a bold move," Great General Sherlock stated. "But, it is the thing we need to break this stalemate. Although the Blood Golem is truly powerful, Great General Gideon has a powerful artifact in his possession that can be used to destroy it completely.
"The only reason why he isn't using it right now is because it can only be used at a limited number of times. He understands that you can summon another Blood Golem, so wasting the artifact against it is useless."
Henrietta, who was listening to the conversation at the side, frowned before voicing out her thoughts.
"Great General, wouldn't they lose more soldiers if they allowed the Blood Golem to become stronger?" Henrietta inquired. "What will they do if it reaches Argonaut Rank?"
"Good question!" Great General Sherlock sighed. Truth be told, he came to talk to Lux and tell him that the artifact was in General Gideon's possession.
Aside from its ability to instantly kill strong Monsters, it had another ability, and that was taking control over them.
In fact, Great General Sherlock believed that Great General Gideon was only waiting for the Blood Golem to become an Argonaut-Ranked World Boss before forcefully taking control of it and making it do his bidding.
Chapter 510 Clemence, The Chalice Of Reversal [Part 2]
A frown appeared on Lux's face after hearing the Gnome's words. If Great General Gideon really had an artifact that could forcefully take away Zagan's control over the Blood Golem, then they would face a complete reversal of the momentum they had right now.
"Zagan, come," Lux ordered.
Immediately, the High-Ranking Demon descended from the sky and landed beside him.
"I heard what Great General Sherlock said, and all I can say is that the possibility exists, Master," Zagan stated. "The Blood Golem isn't that smart. At most, it can understand basic commands like 'kill the enemy' or 'defend your allies'.
Lux thought long and hard after hearing that even Zagan thought that there was a possibility of having the Blood Golem be controlled by others.
"Change of plans," Lux said after organizing his thoughts. "Unsummon the Blood Golem, now!"
Zagan nodded and immediately unsummoned the Blood Golem.
At the exact same moment, a blue beam of light shot out from the center of the Ammarian Army, and headed towards the Blood Golem, who had suddenly stopped moving.
Lux, Henrietta, and Great General Sherlock felt as if their hearts were being squeezed inside their chest.
They were just talking about the possibility of the Ammarian Great General taking over their strongest fighter on the battlefield, and Great General Gideon had done just that.
Making them feel as if Fate was playing games with them.
The Blood Golem, which had stopped moving earlier, turned its head to look at the Yelan Army before giving a deafening roar.
It then raised its leg to take a step forward towards Lux's direction, but it suddenly lost its balance, and fell on its back, crushing the Ammarian Soldiers that weren't able to escape in time.
A giant wave of blood pushed everyone away, as the Blood Golem's body disappeared without a trace.
Lux, Henrietta, and Great General Sherlock, placed their hands over their chests and sighed in relief after seeing this scene.
'That was too close!' Lux thought as he tried to regain his calm after seeing how Great General Gideon succeeded wrestling their control over their Blood Golem and making it one of his lackeys.
Zagan looked at this scene with a calm look on his face, but deep inside, he was feeling a bit annoyed. After all, someone had tried to manipulate his own Summon into fighting against his allies. Because of that, he was now holding a personal grudge against the Great General of the opposing army.
"Fortunately you were able to unsummon it in time." Great General Sherlock wiped the cold sweat that appeared on his forehead after almost seeing a complete reversal of the situation on the battlefield.
Lux, Henrietta, and Asmodeus shared his thoughts because this was indeed a close call.
Dealing with an Argonaut Ranked World Boss, especially a Blood Golem that could regenerate endlessly, as long as it was on the battlefield, was a nightmare.
—----
Meanwhile on the Ammarian Army's Side….
"Dammit!" Great General Gideon cursed as his grip tightened over the golden chalice in his hand. "What happened?!"
He had patiently waited for the Blood Golem to reach the rank he wanted before activating their Kingdom's National Treasure, which had a very high chance of taking control of any kind of Monster that was Argonaut Ranked and below.
Great General Gideon planned to give Lux, as well as the Yelan Army, a lesson they wouldn't forget, so he waited and endured the loss of the lives of his men in order to reverse their current situation.
The Golden Chalice, which was also called Clemence, the Chalice of Reversal, could only be used a limited number of times.
Having failed his attempt to take control of the Blood Golem, the artifact had lost one of its precious charges, leaving only two behind.
This also meant that Clemence could only be used two more times to take control of any Argonaut-Ranked Creature before it was destroyed completely.
Before Great General Gideon could even vent out his frustration, the ground underneath their feet shook.
The soldiers at the center of the Ammarian Army's formation did their best to remain standing and keep their balance.
A few seconds later, the ground under their feet collapsed, creating a giant sinkhole, making the soldiers, who were standing on solid ground a minute ago, fall helplessly without even understanding what happened.
Great General Gideon was also caught up by the sudden turn of events, and his mount fell into the giant hole that suddenly appeared under their feet.
Due to the suddenness of the situation, the Great General's grip on the artifact loosened, making him drop their Kingdom's National Treasure.
'Oh, no!' Great General Gideon hurriedly stretched out his arm to grab the Golden Chalice that had fallen from his grip.
However, at that exact moment, something almost round and golden swallowed the Golden Chalice in front of him.
Before the Great General could even process what had just happened, the Golden Baby Slime, Fei Fei, used a skill called Solar Flare, emitting a flash of light, which momentarily blinded the Ammarian Great General.
"Fei Fei!" Eiko shouted before using her skill, Entangling Vines, to summon several vines that Fei Fei could use as a foothold, in order to run in her direction.
Truth be told, Fei Fei had moved subconsciously after sensing a Legendary Artifact that she could steal for her Master, Cai, nearby. When the Golden Baby Slime came to her senses, she had already eaten the Golden Chalice, and was looking straight at the Great General of the Ammarian Army.
Fei Fei immediately used Solar Flare in desperation because she knew that this was the only skill that would allow her to gain a few precious seconds to escape.
Eiko's voice reached her just in time, so she was able to use the vines as footholds to escape as fast as she could.
Knowing that her best friend was still not out of danger, Eiko ordered her two clones to come and help Fei Fei buy some time to reach safety.
The Baby Slime's two clones then appeared behind Fei Fei and mimicked the Golden Slime's skill, Solar Flare, emitting a blinding radiance that turned the surroundings white.
"Dig!" Eiko shouted as soon as Fei Fei reached her location, and together, the two Slimes burrowed on the ground and headed straight to where Lux was waiting for them, leaving the enemy Great General behind, who was now roaring in anger after their Kingdom's National Treasure was snatched before his very eyes.