Chapter 569 - 224: Master of True Slaughter

"Ready to face the truth?"

Wei’en’s eyes turned blood-red as he stared at the Grave Digger on the carriage, his gaze filled with a crazed, bloodthirsty malice. A tentacle erupted from his throat, replacing his lips and mouth. It coiled grotesquely to the side of his head, its sharp fangs CLACKING together as saliva dripped from them.

In his vision, the Grave Digger before him had no distinct form. Instead, he and the carriage merged into a single Pyramid, its body composed of smaller, silvery-white Pyramids arranged neatly from top to bottom.

Moreover, the Pyramid was shrouded by a blood-red phantom.

The phantom was immense yet slender, like a giant python. But as it constantly twisted and contorted, countless bizarre feelers extended from it, making it look like a writhing centipede, poised to devour its prey.

Wei’en’s gaze fell upon the edges of the blood-red phantom, where slender, twisting tendrils, much like the tentacle by his own mouth, reached out into the void.

The destination of most of these tendrils was unknown, but a few of them were clearly connected to the eight tombstones and the four black shadows.

’Is this the power the Grave Digger uses to control those black shadows?’

’It seems the panel was right. The Grave Digger’s body isn’t corporeal. Under the protection of that blood-red phantom, only attacks of the source, soul, or spiritual type can harm him.’

’The same goes for those four black shadows.’

"Maggot of the Illusion World, you have thoroughly enraged me!"

The Grave Digger’s prayers had been answered, which set him slightly at ease.

Although the great Master of True Slaughter’s blessing would take time, he was confident he could stall until his power overflowed.

This encounter also served as a wake-up call for him—he really shouldn’t have provoked other Extraordinaries during a mission, especially an existence like the Puppet Queen.

For a fleeting moment, he had even feared that this bizarre Wizard would kill him while he was under the influence of that forbidden item. If that happened, the thing in the carriage behind him...

However, the loss of his power also filled him with rage. The multiple mouths on his chest opened simultaneously, roaring at Wei’en in a furious chorus of madness and cold indifference.

"You deserve to die!"

"Even with the power of that forbidden item, you will still die here!"

"I will devour you and turn you into a vessel for the endless True World! You’re dead—"

Before him, the four black shadows stood silently on the sea’s surface. They were deathly still, like Vengeful Spirits devoid of any aura, their jet-black eyes fixed on Wei’en, no longer speaking as they had before.

Wei’en watched them in silence for a few seconds. The aura radiating from him grew even colder, causing the four Water Elemental Spirits at his feet to stir with agitation.

"Don’t die too quickly. I still have some questions for you!"

As he spoke, he casually snapped his fingers. With a thought, he sent a command to the driver through his source, ordering him to cast his Magic.

"Abdeljalil!"

With a rumble, a Mechanical Gate slowly materialized before him.

As the ancient mechanical door swung open, several Iron Heart Furies wielding Burst Sniper Rifles stepped out. They had well-proportioned frames, their polished bodies glinting with a metallic luster. The Core Runes on their chests were faintly visible, and streaks of light traced along their Rune Patterns, extending to their limbs and controlling their movements.

In a moment, a full nine Iron Heart Furies had taken their positions behind Wei’en. They loaded their Burst Sniper Rifles with bullets, each one glittering with a dim black glow.

KLICK, KLACK...

With the crisp, clear sound of bolts being chambered, they raised their sniper rifles and took aim at the black shadows and the Grave Digger, silently awaiting their next command.

"Heh heh, is it finally my turn to act?"

A wide smile spread across the driver’s face as he floated above the heads of the Mechanical Puppets. Thin threads extended from his rounded jaw, connecting to the puppets’ bodies.

The Ghost, Red Demon, and Secret Master heads shot him a disdainful look, then separated to prepare different kinds of Magic to provide Wei’en with combat enhancements.

"Mechanical Puppets?"

There was a strange note in the Grave Digger’s voice as he sized up the Iron Heart Furies. A flicker of contemplation crossed his eyes, as if he had seen them somewhere before...

But the thought was fleeting. He knew the Dusk Sect’s history could be traced back to the end of the Second Era, while Mechanical Puppets first appeared in the middle of the Third Era with the Mechanical School. It wouldn’t be strange for him to have seen similar ones before.

"You intend to use this manufactured trash against me? Compared to that forbidden item, these things are only fit to be sunk into the Deep Sea!"

Wei’en glanced at him but said nothing.

’Of course, I have my reasons for this. The Mechanical Puppets aren’t that strong. Even the damage from their Burst Sniper Rifles is only at the Director level.’

’But both their bodies and the bullets from their sniper rifles are imbued with the death attribute, which makes them a potent weapon against the Grave Digger and the black shadows he summoned.’

’Besides, during my recent gladiatorial fights against the Abyssal Creatures, I’ve also used Mechanical Puppets in battle. The effects of those puppet-type Magic spells were quite good, greatly increasing my mobility and defensive capabilities.’

"Maggot, you—"

"Shut up!"

In that instant, Wei’en’s figure vanished, reappearing beside the black carriage. He didn’t linger, simultaneously using his talent to convert his body’s basic attributes while having his other three source-offspring, excluding the driver, cast their Magic.

"Nico, Ruke."

"Jia, Lier, Kings."

"An Jie, Te, Jinsen!"