A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

Chapter 684 Sky Fire - II

The fifth-stage warrior's unadulterated physical might struck the immutable earth with unrestrained fury, unleashing a shockwave more terrifying than any tempest. This cataclysmic force shattered the deathly miasma that had ensnared him, spawning countless fissures that serpentined for hundreds, if not thousands, of meters, nearly reaching the distant Red Valley City.

The ground then ruptured with such dramatic intensity that the resultant cacophony, akin to mountains crumbling, seemed but a whisper in comparison to the initial impact.

Fernando's single hammer blow transformed nearly two thousand meters of terrain into an immense crater littered with stone debris.

"Hah... hah..."

Fernando expectorated a bloody spittle, his breath ragged. Wary of potential counterattacks and opportunistic interlopers, he had restrained his full might, yet his current condition was far from optimal.

"Damn it all..." the man growled, removing his arm guard and glowering at his atrophying, seemingly malformed limb. "Accursed necromancer, what a nuisance. If this doesn't unveil a dynastic relic, it'll be a damned waste."

"If you knew, why did you, squander time?"

Gravelight's voice suddenly resonated from the depths of the crater. Fernando's expression shifted as he tightened his grip on the war hammer. "You abominable half-dead thing... You still have strength left?"

"As, do you, Fernando. However..."@@@@

Although Fernando's hammer strike had obliterated nearly all corpses on the battlefield and imbued it with potent anti-magic properties, theoretically preventing Gravelight from absorbing death essence at will, an endless tide of miasma still surged skyward, gradually delineating a spectral figure easily a hundred meters tall, draped in a cloak!

Gravelight, having amassed sufficient death essence before Fernando's assault, spoke slowly: "Alas, my remaining power, surpasses yours."

In the specter's grasp materialized a scythe at least twice the length of its hundred-meter form, its terrifying visage clearly visible even from Red Valley City.

The airborne shadow of death raised its scythe high, while the still-unseen Gravelight intoned in a hoarse, dispassionate voice: "The third time, and, the last."

Should that scythe descend, it would likely claim the lives of two-thirds of a major city's population instantly.

"..." Enjoy new stories from My Virtual Library Empire

Fernando gazed up at the colossal scythe, silent for a moment before gradually shrinking to about three meters in height. Gravelight, in turn, ceased its assault on his body, magnanimously withdrawing the death essence.

Adventurers, particularly those of their caliber, shared an unspoken understanding about many things.

Regardless of whether he appeared gloomy or cheerful, violent or peaceful, they were to avoid any conflict with him. If possible, they were to avoid any interaction at all.

Gravelight still remembered his leader's meaningful words: "This is for your own good."

He had thus far adhered to Valrhona's instructions, showing no disrespect to Ansel. However, Gravelight believed that relinquishing the first exploration rights out of fear would be absurd.

Thus, he merely reiterated his previous words to Ansel: "Let us hope, it stops here."

Then, as a show of respect, Gravelight unhesitatingly animated the spectral form in the sky. Harnessing the power of countless pure death essences from the battlefield, he directed a strike straight at Faust's neck, attempting to reap his life with the most impartial force—death itself!

Ansel calmly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist.

In truth, he had no obligation to adhere to the so-called adventurer's code. If he desired to plunder the treasures within the enigma's portal, he could do so with impunity, using either his Hydral identity or Faust's formidable power.

Yet, he chose to abide by the rules established by the adventurers. This decision stemmed not only from his habitual rule-following but also because... the countless adventurers of the Western Lands were potentially valuable pawns, their utilization already factored into Ansel's grand design.

The sole complication was that Ansel had not deliberately concealed his strength on this journey. Facing a veteran necromancer and top-tier guild enforcer like Gravelight, it was inevitable that he might not be able to fully restrain himself. If he failed to control his power, it could potentially complicate the carefully crafted identity of Faust.

What method would be best to destroy that spectral form? Should he cleave it in two with a single sword strike, or perhaps—

As Ansel contemplated how to defeat Gravelight in a manner both stylish and not overly shocking, his expression suddenly changed.

Simultaneously, it wasn't just Ansel's countenance... that altered.

It was also the portal, which should have opened at noon today, some seven or eight hours hence.

All eyes, previously fixed on Faust, now shifted skyward, towards the "portal" that resembled a second, fierce sun.

It... had opened.

In the next instant, the blood-tinted firmament poured down a sea of fire.

*

Happy September guys!