Chapter 315: Ignite the Embers! The Ritual Begins Tonight

Chapter 315: Chapter 315: Ignite the Embers! The Ritual Begins Tonight

But what truly drove them to despair...

...was the scene that unfolded next.

In the very instant Baal was killed in a single blow...

All the remaining Life Force in his body was forcibly stripped away.

It transformed into a ball of grayish-white light and was instantly absorbed into Lance’s body.

This was Pale Embers!

Lance withdrew his arm, casually flinging Baal’s corpse aside like a piece of trash.

Then, without hesitation, he ignited the embers.

"BOOM!"

A mass of illusory, grayish-white flame suddenly erupted across Lance’s body.

Then, a miracle occurred.

All the damage Lance had sustained in the battle, as well as the Life Force that had been steadily draining from him due to activating Dragon Form, began to rapidly recover and heal under the grayish-white flames at a rate visible to the naked eye!

This scene.

It left the remaining two, Cassis and Cyrus, completely dumbfounded.

’They had fought with everything they had, barely managing to leave a few small marks on this monster.’

’And yet he kills one person and instantly recovers completely?!’

’So what was the point of all their effort, all those Spells?!’

Besides healing his injuries and replenishing his Life Force...

...the burning of the Pale Embers also granted Lance a temporary buff: a massive boost to his agility!

With this newfound speed, the slowing effect of the Abyssal Blood Swamp, which had previously hindered his steps, was now negligible.

Lance pushed off with his legs.

He dashed forward like a phantom.

Charging straight for Cyrus the Priest.

"Stop him!"

Cassis shouted as he watched Lance approach like the Death God himself.

Second Ring Spell: Deceptive Refraction Barrier!

A diamond-shaped Magic Light Shield had just materialized in front of Cyrus.

But Lance was simply too fast.

He didn’t even spare the Light Shield a glance.

He brought the fingers of his right hand together, silver-red Ash Dragon Breath burning wildly at his fingertips.

Dragon-Slaying Spear!

Lance’s hand became an unstoppable spear.

"CRACK!"

With brutal force...

...he instantly pierced the seemingly sturdy Light Shield.

Then, without losing any momentum, it plunged deep into Cyrus’s chest.

Lance’s fingers twisted violently inside Cyrus’s body, utterly destroying the heart that was hammering with Fear.

Cyrus didn’t even have time to scream before he collapsed, becoming another warm corpse on the ground.

At the moment of Cyrus’s death...

...the Spells he was maintaining completely dissipated.

The disgusting swamp of blood and flesh beneath Lance’s feet vanished, revealing the hard stone floor once more.

The Reversed Blood Burning Heart Curse on his chest, which had been constantly sucking his blood, also vanished without a trace.

At this moment.

On the devastated battlefield.

Only Cassis, the leader of the Crimson Bell Squad, was still standing.

A chill ran through Cassis as he looked at the bodies of his teammates scattered on the ground.

’A fight is out of the question.’

’Grom, our team’s Blast Master with the highest burst damage, was already ruthlessly sacrificed by my own hand.’

’Now, I’m a general without an army.’

’Even if I wanted to take this monster down with me, I realized with a sad pang that I couldn’t even do that!’

’After all, who’s crazy enough to learn a bunch of self-destruct skills just for a kamikaze attack?’

However.

Cassis had not given up his final struggle.

In truth, when he cast the Deceptive Refraction Barrier for Cyrus...

...he knew full well that the shield would never be enough to save him.

His real goal was simply to use Cyrus’s death to buy himself even a single second from Lance!

He seized the opportunity while Lance was killing Cyrus.

He had already reached the brazier.

With a flash of Magic Power, the brazier transformed into a tiny, black Magic Cube, which he clutched tightly in his palm.

’As long as I can escape this cavern with this item, I still have a chance to survive.’

In his mind, even taking the immense risk of breaking through the encirclement of rampaging Demons outside...

...offered a much higher chance of survival than staying here to face this monster!

The very instant Lance withdrew his blood-soaked hand and turned to look at him...

...Cassis acted without a shred of hesitation.

He activated his ace-in-the-hole, a Second Ring Spell.

Illusion Boundary·Formless Magic Ball!

"VMMM!"

Under the Spell’s effect, Cassis’s body instantly dissolved.

He turned into a ball of gray mist with no physical form!

In this state, he was completely immune to all forms of physical attack. He planned to pass straight through the cavern wall to escape.

Watching the rapidly Fleeing ball of mist...

...Lance stood his ground, not giving chase.

His chest swelled.

A massive amount of oxygen was drawn into his lungs, causing a violent chemical reaction with the Ether Energy in his body.

The next second...

...Lance threw open his mouth.

"ROAR!"

A torrent of searing, silver-red Dragon Breath...

...like a burst dam...

...gushed from Lance’s mouth.

It formed a thick pillar of fire that precisely struck the Fleeing ball of mist.

Although Cassis had turned into mist and was immune to physical damage...

...but...

...Lance’s Ash Dragon Breath was true Fire Energy damage!

What’s more, the flames were infused with the imposing pressure of a Giant Dragon!

"AHHH!!!"

Cassis’s bloodcurdling scream echoed from within the ball of mist.

The gray mist began to roil violently and evaporate under the terrifying heat.

After less than two seconds...

...Cassis could no longer endure the soul-searing agony.

He was forced out of his mist form, crashing back to the ground.

He writhed in agony on the ground, his body smoldering with black smoke.

Lance looked down at the powerless Cassis.

He raised his right hand.

Heart Intent Martial Structure activated.

A sharp spear, condensed from Dragon Remains Crystal, appeared in his hand.

"WHOOSH!"

The Crystal Spear shot from his hand, becoming a streak of red light.

It pierced straight through the struggling Cassis, pinning him firmly to the hard stone floor.

By now.

The entire cavern was filled with the lingering flames of the Ash Dragon Breath Lance had spewed.

The silver-red flames clung to the rock walls; even the hard stone itself began to crackle and split under the terrifying heat.

Lance slowly exhaled a plume of white vapor.

He had now disengaged his Dragon Form.

He shook his slightly aching arms and walked with a steady gait.

He walked over to the pile of rubble from the earlier explosion.

There.

Pinned beneath the rubble, was the Dark Elf, who had long been on the verge of death.

He stared with terrified eyes at the man who now stood before him.

Lance looked down on him.

Without a single word.

He simply lifted his right foot, clad in a heavy leather boot, and aimed for the Dark Elf’s head.

"SQUELCH."

It was like crushing a ripe watermelon.

And with that.

The Crimson Bell Squad.

...was completely annihilated.

After confirming that every last enemy was dead...

...Lance stood in the blood-soaked cavern.

...and let out a long, slow breath.

"That felt good."

A genuine smile touched the corners of his lips.

The pent-up anger in his heart.

...had finally been unleashed.

’I’ve wanted to kill these scumbags with my own hands for a long time. Today, I finally got my wish.’

’This is what it means to be free of a nagging thought.’

After calming himself, Lance walked over to Cassis’s body and squatted down.

He reached out and rummaged through the man’s burnt, tattered robes.

Soon.

He pulled out several black Magic Cubes.

"This Underground City is pretty thoughtful."

Lance commented, fiddling with the Magic Cube in his hand.

These special items from the Underground City’s mechanics automatically transform into these small Magic Cubes when not in use, making them incredibly convenient to carry.

The next second.

With a thought.

The small Magic Cubes in his hand vanished.

’As expected. Any item with an Underground City tag can ignore the laws of physics and be stored directly in my Imaginary Space.’

Having verified his theory, Lance nodded in satisfaction.

However.

As he looked at the confiscated items and connected them with the hidden secrets revealed in the system’s Illustrated Guide after their deaths...

...Lance’s expression grew grim.

He finally understood why the Crimson Bell Squad had been so fanatically hunting and killing other Adventurers.

He also figured out how these guys had managed to hide out and survive in the wilds of this dangerous Underground City, even escaping encirclement by Demons on multiple occasions.

But what truly alarmed him...

...was the true mastermind hiding behind the so-called Crimson Bell of Death.

The Faceless Hermitage Association.

It was a fanatical cult that truly worshipped an Evil God.

The secrets deciphered from the Illustrated Guide revealed that...

...the organization was preparing to initiate a "small-scale Earth-Sundering Monarchy."

This gave Lance the distinct feeling that a storm was brewing.

Moreover.

According to the speculative intelligence left behind in Cassis’s secrets...

...if all went according to plan, the exact time for the ritual’s commencement...

...was tonight!

Cassis was even certain in his secrets that once the ritual succeeded, the affected area would descend into unimaginable chaos!

"Looks like I’ll be busy tonight."

Finally, Lance took out his Steam Chain Blade.

As skillfully as skewering candied fruit, he threaded the corpses of Cassis, Baal, Cyrus, and the Dark Elf...

...onto the Chain Blade, binding them all tightly together.

He planned to drag the bodies back to camp.

Everyone deserved to see this blood debt paid in blood!