Greg shook his numb arms and grumbled silently to himself: Follow a deity my foot! I'm just an unlucky bastard who was forcibly bound!
But he had no time to explain, nor did he need to.
After a brief moment of shock and suspicion, the hooded man's gaze grew even more dangerous and resolute.
Clearly, the fact that Greg harbored the power of another lost deity only fueled his intent to kill even further.
"You cannot be left alive!"
The hooded man let out a low growl, an indescribable spiritual pressure abruptly bursting from his body!
It was not a pure exertion of force, but a corruption acting directly upon the soul level—a mixture of insane whispers, twisted desires, and extreme fear!
Greg felt a wave of dizziness as the sight before him distorted slightly. Endless mad mutterings and weeping seemed to ring in his ears, while his limbs felt bound by invisible shackles, instantly making his movements sluggish.
"Careful! It's a Mental Erosion method commonly used by believers of the Mother of Depravity! Guard your mind!"
Nightmare's voice rang out in his mind like an alarm bell.
Greg bit down hard on the tip of his tongue. The intense pain and the metallic taste of blood snapped his mind alert, allowing him to forcibly break free from the trance!
Almost simultaneously, he pushed off with his feet, tumbling awkwardly to the side!
Boom!
A sharp stone pillar, as dense as a steel spike, thrust past his back, smashing the thick wooden boards where he had been standing into pieces!
That was close!
Still shaken, a fierce light glinted in Greg's eyes.
Now!
"Dark Pulse!"
He flung the inconspicuous little black dot toward the hooded man, who had just cast a powerful spell and seemed slightly relaxed, confident Greg wouldn't be able to dodge.
The hooded man was clearly surprised that Greg had broken free from Mental Erosion, and instinctively felt disdain for the incoming black dot. He casually swung his battle-axe, intending to swat it away.
However, Dark Pulse seemed to lack physical form. It passed harmlessly through the axe blade and sank straight into his chest.
The next instant—
The hooded man's movement froze abruptly.
【Target has fallen into "Weakness" (Moderate)!】
【Target has fallen into "Blindness"!】
【Target has fallen into "Confusion"!】
【Target has fallen into "Fear" (Mild)!】
【Target has fallen into "Mana Disorder"!】
【Target has fallen into "Life Drain" (Slow)!】
...A cascade of negative status effects began taking effect.
The hooded man's aura visibly withered. His movements became sluggish, and the pale yellow shield on his body flickered unsteadily. Letting out a low growl of pain mixed with fury, he tried to swing his axe, but his movements were crooked and feeble, as if he had lost his sense of direction.
Joy surged in Greg's heart.
Sure enough, against a humanoid target without Dungeon protection, the effects of Dark Pulse were far more pronounced!
As long as he dragged this out a bit longer and waited for the negative status effects to fully set in...
However, just as Greg thought victory was within his grasp, a sudden change occurred!
"Haa... haa... Mother Goddess... grant me... clarity!!"
The hooded man suddenly let out a beast-like growl. He abruptly raised his left hand, curved his fingers into claws, and dug them viciously into his own forehead!
His fingernails sank deep into his flesh, and blood dripped down between his fingers!
At the same time, the last trace of sanity in his eyes was replaced by madness—superseded by a vicious ferocity willing to self-mutilate to forcibly squeeze out potential!
He was actually using spiritual pollution on himself to temporarily force away part of the negative status effects!
Though his breathing remained unstable and his body was wounded, his movements grew noticeably swift and lethal once more!
"Damn it!"
Greg cursed inwardly, his expression turning ugly.
His skill proficiency was still too low!
The strength of the negative status effects wasn't enough!
After consecutive fights and casting high-cost dark-attribute magic, the mana inside his body was nearly drained.
And though his opponent was severely injured and in poor condition, that desperate ferocity and remaining strength were still enough to pose a fatal threat to him.
"My other half, this cannot continue."
Nightmare's voice rang out again, this time with a hint of decisiveness:
"Your dark-attribute magic proficiency is currently too low to unleash its true power. I possess a method that might help you elevate your shadow power in a short time, but... the process is painful, and carries some risk."
"What method? Tell me fast!"
Greg asked urgently in his mind while struggling to dodge the hooded man's increasingly frenzied attacks.
"The nature of shadow power lies not only in erosion and weakness, but also in devouring and assimilation. The stone tablets and the Breath of Slumber in your hands contain the power of the Mother of Depravity. If you can forcibly devour their power and make it your own, you can instantly elevate your understanding and mastery of shadow power, driving your magic to advance."
"However, this process is like inviting external malice into your body, making it extraordinarily dangerous. The slightest misstep could instead pollute your soul. I originally intended to guide you through such plunder only after your foundation was more stable and my divine soul had somewhat recovered..."
Greg had no choice left.
His mana was almost gone, and his enemy fought without fear of death. If this dragged on any longer, let alone protecting Silvia, he would lose his own life right here.
"I'll gamble on it!"
He growled softly. Seizing the window after dodging a heavy slash, he violently pulled the stone tablets and the vial containing the Breath of Slumber from his chest. Pushing the power of the Bracers of Darkness to its absolute limit, the pitch-black armguards instantly expanded like two greedy, colossal jaws, biting fiercely down on the stone tablets and the vial!
"No!! Sacrilege! How dare you desecrate the power of the Mother Goddess!!!"
Seeing this, the hooded man let out a heart-wrenching roar filled with ultimate rage and horror, as if Greg had committed an unforgivable taboo.
Throwing all caution about his injuries to the wind, pale yellow earth-attribute mana erupted wildly from his body. Gripping the battle-axe with both hands, he raised it high above his head as a dense yellow light, heavy enough to crush mountains, gathered upon the blade!
"Die!! Earth Shatter!!!"
Screaming, he brought down the strike carrying all his remaining mana and rage, hacking violently at Greg who was busy devouring the power!
The power of this strike far surpassed everything before it!
RUMBLE—!!!
Terrifying earth-attribute mana exploded outwards—it was no simple slash, but a force triggering localized ground collapse and energy explosion!
The already teetering ruined wooden hut completely shattered to pieces under this blow!
Thick wooden beams snapped, rotten plank walls burst into fragments, and the ground caved in to form a deep crater. Dust and stone erupted skyward like a geyser, completely engulfing the spot where Greg stood!
The intense explosion echoed far across the silent wilderness.
Leaning heavily on his battle-axe, the hooded man knelt on one knee, gasping for air. Blood poured like a river from the wound on his forehead, his aura weakened to the extreme.
Forcibly suppressing the negative status effects and unleashing that final strike had nearly depleted everything he had.
Yet a glimmer of pleasure and cruelty flickered in his eyes.
"Damned blasphemer... finally..."
He gasped a few times, struggling to stand as his eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for the pink-haired girl who might be hiding nearby.
"This is Lord Divine Messenger's command; it must be fulfilled."
However, just as his gaze shifted toward the center of the dust-shrouded ruins, his body froze abruptly.
The dust slowly dissipated in the night wind.
In the center of the ruins, at the edge of the collapsed ground, a figure still stood straight and tall.
It was Greg.
His clothes were severely damaged, covered in dirt and bloodstains, making him look quite wretched.
But terrifyingly, the ink-black armor that had originally covered only his arms had undergone a striking change.
It had become much denser, and the black mist flowing across its surface seemed to turn into a living creature, squirming slowly and emitting an even deeper, more ominous aura.
Furthermore, this dark armor had spread down from his arms, extending over his legs all the way to his ankles, forming an even more complete dark armament.
He slowly raised his head, his amber eyes shining with breathtaking brightness in the gloom, a black whirlpool seeming to flash briefly within them.
He flexed the fingers encased in the dark armguards, producing a bone-chilling grating sound.
At the same time, deep within Greg's mind, system prompts clearly emerged:
【Dark-attribute mana limit increased.】
【Dark-attribute magic understanding deepened.】
【Bracers of Darkness LV1 → Dark-Erosion Armament LV2.】
【Dark Pulse LV1 → Void Erosion LV2.】
Rate on N.U.
