Strider and Sage shouted as they struggled to get up.Remy felt like time had stopped as the world around him spun. He was drenched in blood, and the wound on his chest was ghastly. He could hardly even raise his hand. He managed to inflict some damage on the emperor during their clash, but it was so minor that it seemed to have done nothing to the emperor. And to make matters worse, the emperor's wounds healed quickly thanks to his enhanced cells.Taking slow and menacing steps toward Remy, the emperor sneered. "End of the line. You're going to pay for your insolence."In a dangerously cold voice, Remy stated, "It's the end of the line for you, actually." He raised his right hand, which was holding a remote control.Beep, beep, beep!The remote beeped frantically after Remy clicked it. Suddenly, an explosion went off, and the tremendous force sent the emperor flying. The explosion was even more powerful than the previous two. It even blew the emperor's left arm off, and blood o
"I can't fall here… I promised I’d go home with gifts!"Remy's body shook as hope surged through him. Summoning all his strength, he got back on his feet.The emperor was taken aback. He had not expected such a severely injured man to be able to get back on his feet. Sage and Strider had also gotten up and were attacking him from different directions. He had sustained too much damage because of them, including losing a limb. He knew he could not take them lightly."I promised my siblings I'd give them the happy life they deserve. As their elder brother, I can’t fall here. For them, I’m going to kill you!”"Why you…"The emperor was shocked to meet someone like Remy, and fear welled up inside him. He was incredulous at how the trio were still able to fight against him."Soldiers of Wyvern Peak,” Remy calmly called out as he clenched his fists.Sage and Strider's expressions were filled with murderous intent. They trembled as they stood to attention. They answered, "Yes, sir!"Th
As the battle raged on, Adrian and Mya got closer to the lake. They could now sense the chilling aura coming from it.Suddenly, the weather changed. Dark clouds covered the whole desert, and a storm blew up. It looked like it was evening time."Something's up ahead!" Mya yelled when they were close to the lake. There was a horde of zombie guards defending the lake with spears in hand, exuding a chilling aura. They were a group of disciplined soldiers, with someone dressed in armor and riding a horse taking the lead. The person within the armor was nothing more than a rotten corpse, and it looked like the army had been waiting for them."Something's up with the lake. This must be the place Dragonking's weapon is sealed in." Adrian was now sure he had come to the right place. The zombies would not make it easy for him to reclaim Dragonking's sword. "The Gost emperor must've summoned them. We’re in the right place. Dragonking's weapon must be at the bottom of the lake."The pair
Secondly, he could not launch a comprehensive search as time was not on his side. Everything would go south if he dragged this out too long.Right at that moment, he found a mark embedded into the lakebed. It was an arrowhead, firmly pointing in a direction. The mark seemed to be leading him somewhere.Following the arrow, Adrian found three more markers, which all led him to a statue. It was of nine dragons, and they were coiled around a sword. The sword itself was covered in intricate patterns but had become rusty after being submerged in water for so long. There was hardly anything visible aside from this. 'Is that Dragonking's sword?'Furrowing his brow, Adrian pulled at the sword, and the entire statue suddenly broke into pieces. Almost out of oxygen, he quickly headed for the surface with the sword in hand.As the statue crumbled after Adrian pulled the sword out, the Partingian princess opened her eyes.Splash!!! Adrian resurfaced.Mya was surrounded from all sides. Th
Right at that moment, a streak of light flew in from across the horizon. Like a shooting star, it crashed into the emperor and sent him flying.A young man with a powerful air appeared before the trio.The emperor crashed into the ground, clearly not expecting to be assaulted all of a sudden. Enraged, he jumped back to his feet and yelled, "Who is?! How dare you stand against me!"Another figure with a sword flashed past the emperor a few times before pressing it against the latter’s neck. The figure was so agile the emperor did not even have time to react."What?!" he yelled and reflexively slashed out his ax.Predicting his moves, the figure disappeared from sight. When the figure stopped moving, they saw it was a woman as beautiful as Sage. "Who are you?" the emperor angrily asked as he looked at the pair before him. "Nicholas… Lacey…" Remy said as he struggled to get up. Strider and Sage looked at the pair when they heard this. "You know who I am?" Nicholas asked.Rem
The addition of Nicholas and Lacey put a large pressure, and tremendous pain, on the emperor. Lacey's toxic needles had disrupted his mutated cells, plunging him into agony.Using this opportunity, the five warriors tried their best to keep the emperor at bay and to wound him. Their attacks were relentless, and the enemy could do nothing but scream in pain.The emperor was now drenched in black blood, and the wounds on his body were a gruesome sight to behold. Within minutes, his hideous body was severely damaged.Struck with endless rage, the emperor yelled out and shot out beams of black light. The five warriors were sent flying upon impact.Lacey cursed, "Damn it. He mutated."The emperor's skin started splitting, and horrifying-looking tentacles crawled out of the openings. The tentacles had eerie-looking mouths at their ends. "His cells are mutating at an explosive rate. He's transforming into a monster. We don’t have that much time left to defeat him," Nicholas said in a s
The emperor was no longer a person, but a tentacled monster through and through. "War Legate Draco!""Sir!"Adrian, holding a gun, was walking over with Mya next to him. The three youngsters yelled out to him, while Nicholas lay on the floor with one hand over his chest. Lacey, too, seemed to be in a lot of pain based on how much her face was twitching. "You're here, sir!" Remy said."You've all done enough. It's my turn now." Everyone heaved a sigh of relief when they heard this.Adrian commented, "Good work, everyone." Strider and his team felt overwhelmed upon receiving a compliment from him.Seeing Adrian walking toward him, the emperor said, "It's you. I was going to kill you before, but these people saved you. You dare come back here to meet your doom?"Adrian smiled. "You probably don’t know that someone is here to end your life one thousand and two hundred years in the future. The princess had already stated that you will be laying down your life here today, one a
Since discovering that metal in the basement of St. Elmer's Church. Adrian already had a theory. These textures, more commonly known as runes, worked like a human's circulatory system. Also, the princess wouldn’t have carved a rusty sword onto the tablet. Thus, Adrian used all the knowledge and clues he had to awaken the sword. As the sword turned blood red, the princess' necklace glowed brightly.Finally, the princess sat up and looked toward the distance. Sensing she had woken in a different era, she slowly removed her necklace and said, "Your new master has appeared. Go to him!" The necklace’s gemstone glowed brighter and brighter, seemingly responding to what the princess said. The gem became a green ball of light and flew out the window. Everyone saw it fly through the sky and toward Adrian.After making a few rounds around him, the light entered the rusty sword and revealed a crevice. The sword then seemed to come to life, emitting a golden light so radiant it seemed capabl
The Daemon Emperor was startled."What is happening? This power..."Formless energy was surging forward, pressuring his nerves and senses.Below, Andy and the others trembled uncontrollably."Who is it?" Finnian stared into the crimson mist.Even Andy was horrified, his gaze locked on the unfolding scene in disbelief, and asked, "What is this? What exactly is happening?" At this moment, Adrian abruptly opened his eyes.Apparently, the Daemon Emperor had once conspired with Adrian's subordinates to ambush him.However, Adrian had managed to annihilate the traitors and sealed this Daemon Emperor. Now, fate had brought them together again."If I killed you once, I can kill you again." Adrian stood tall, his white robes fluttering in the air.The Daemon Emperor was stunned into silence."This is impossible! You're not that mortal boy!""Is that so? In this life, your end has come, and so has the era of the daemons." Adrian's voice was calm yet resolute. He stretched out his han
Adrian's face hardened at the words. He despised threats above all else. While he understood what the mysterious entity desired, he couldn't yet fully comprehend its implications or find a way to counter it. His only choice was to focus on growing stronger.Within the hot spring, waves of raw, terrifying power surged and crashed violently against Adrian's body.The force, though beneficial, was brutal and overwhelming. Adrian's body struggled to endure, cracking as though it were disintegrating."Arghhh!"A heart-wrenching scream echoed as Adrian's flesh was torn apart and his aura gradually dimmed."Ahhh!"His agonized cries echoed once more. He could no longer withstand the pain.In the distance, a towering figure appeared and sneered. "What's this? Can't take it anymore? Pathetic. Humans are truly the epitome of stupidity."Suddenly, Adrian erupted with an explosive surge of energy, and in that instant, he broke through to the pinnacle of the Void Stage."Hmm? He actually b
At that moment, the crowd was speechless.Adrian had ascended as if it were the easiest thing in the world.Faced with such a sight, no one could say much beyond admiration. Even if the Holy Son claimed Adrian had cheated, many secretly wished they could cheat the same way.Lacking Adrian's means, all they could do was envy him.Finnian chuckled. "Haha! You really caught us all by surprise, kid. Still, I'll count this as you repaying me a favor."For Finnian, the outcome couldn't have been better. With a broad smile, he seemed to have achieved his desired result. Adrian's successful climb was all that mattered to him.Once Adrian had vanished, the focus shifted to the rest of the group and their trials.When Adrian opened his eyes again, his entire body ached, but an oddly comforting sensation flowed through him. Surveying his surroundings, he realized he was now in a pond."Where am I?" he asked.Though uncertain about the place, Adrian knew he had cleared the trial and arriv
The onlookers stared in bewilderment, their faces etched with confusion as they struggled to grasp the unfolding events.Meanwhile, Adrian seethed with barely contained rage. This wasn't his first encounter with such torment. Every few steps he ascended, another trial awaited.To Adrian, the relentless punishments felt suffocating. Yet he pressed on—this was the final stretch of the climb. "Adrian, hang in there!" Andy shouted, urging him to conquer the last step. To Andy, reaching that final step symbolized Adrian's growth. He had witnessed Adrian's remarkable resilience countless times and held unwavering faith in his potential. In Andy's eyes, Adrian was destined for greatness. Adrian's expression turned cold as he locked his gaze on the steps ahead. Determination flickered in his eyes. "If reaching the top guarantees a reward, it doesn't have to be me up there. As long as someone makes it, that's enough." With that, he shifted his focus to the void above and formed
Adrian felt as if every nerve in his body was beyond his control. A deep sense of grievance filled his heart as the divine thunder from the void relentlessly crashed down.Rage surged within him, but under the onslaught of endless forces, he felt weak and constrained.Still, he had no choice but to press forward. He knew victory was within reach if he could endure a little longer—giving up now would mean death.If he fell, the shame and humiliation would crush him.Below, the Holy Son and others waited, eager to see him fail and mock him. This left Adrian no option but to push forward, striving toward the void above and his ultimate goal.The violent forces continued to bombard him from the sky.With every step, the thunder's impact intensified tenfold. His soul, already battered from a fierce battle with a horde of beasts, now felt as though it was dragging his exhausted body forward.Anyone else would likely have succumbed to despair. After all, under such immense pressure, ev
The oppressive forces descending from the void seemed determined to halt Adrian’s ascent up the staircase.Yet he refused to yield. To him, these overwhelming challenges were merely obstacles to conquer.He pressed forward with relentless determination.Thunderbolts continued to rain down, but the ominous red light from before did not return—a relief, as he never wished to endure its crushing weight again.The memory of that light still haunted him, leaving a lingering sense of helplessness. Its suffocating pressure had drained his strength, reducing him to a gasping, powerless state.Despite the toll on his body and mind, Adrian remained singularly focused on reaching the final step. His burning desire for greater power drove him forward, unwavering and resolute.Step by step, he ascended, reaching the 95th step in what felt like an instant.Only five steps remained. His gaze locked onto the summit, and a wild glint lit his eyes. A daring idea sparked within him, consuming his
Adrian pondered his situation, his cold gaze reflecting simmering frustration. Yet deep down, he recognized that whoever had designed the staircase was far from ordinary.Creating such a formidable trial required unimaginable power.Even a pinnacle Void Stage expert—or perhaps someone of the Multiply Stage—might bow in reverence before the ladder's creator."He won't last much longer. The divine lightning in this void is utterly destructive. In moments, he'll be reduced to ashes," sneered the Holy Son, his sharp eyes gleaming with malice.To the Holy Son, Adrian's demise was inevitable. Adrian had dared to offend him, and he was certain such audacity could only lead to death.Adrian caught the Holy Son's words and cast him a frosty glare. His intent to kill was unmistakable, though now wasn't the time.The staircase was no place for personal vendettas—eliminating him here would require careful planning.He also knew the Holy Son carried seals of immense power. A reckless move co
Finnian's sharp gaze reflected a hint of admiration. "Kid, you owe me a big favor this time. You'd better treasure this opportunity."Adrian remained silent, unsure how to respond. His cold eyes revealed no emotion, though he fully grasped the challenges ahead.Fear was a luxury he couldn't afford—he'd come too far to back down now.Suddenly, a streak of red light surged from the void, hurtling toward Adrian with terrifying speed. His eyes widened in shock as the crimson beam struck him, slamming him against the staircase.Caught off guard, Adrian collapsed, sprawled helplessly on the steps.The crowd below watched in astonishment. No one had expected his seemingly indestructible body to be overwhelmed so easily.The Holy Son sneered. "Haha! It seems he's triggered some kind of taboo. Let's see how arrogant he is now!"His voice dripped with schadenfreude, his eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction as he relished Adrian's struggle.Despite the crushing force, Adrian refused
"What exactly is up there pulling me so strongly?" Adrian's expression hardened as he pondered the mysterious force drawing him upward.A surge of violent energy erupted across the sky, crashing down like a raging storm.Adrian advanced cautiously, each step deliberate and precise.Gone were the reckless strides of before—now he moved with steely determination, fully aware of the lurking dangers.He'd learned that the void's formidable forces seemed to target him directly, compelling him to proceed step by step. Any attempt to bypass its unseen barriers would provoke a devastating strike."Ridiculous," Adrian muttered. "If I've chosen to climb, nothing will stop me."The void's relentless power intensified.Bolts of thunder hammered down mercilessly, battering Adrian's body. Yet fear never crossed his mind.What was there to be afraid of?To him, the divine thunder wasn't an obstacle—it was a crucible, a tool to temper his body and strengthen his resolve.Despite the storm, A