After a brief rest, the group of Heroes moved toward the area beyond the great gate.
Behind it was a vastly spacious hall.
The walls around were dark red, and the air was thick with the smell of sulfur.
In the center of the hall was a metal platform spanning over twenty meters.
On the platform was a giant statue nearly ten meters tall.
This statue was only half intact. A
significant portion of the body seemed to have been melted away by some horrific power.
Only some features allowed for the identification of its original appearance—a tall dwarf holding a giant axe.
The statue was entirely crafted from metal, making it difficult to guess what kind of devastating attack could have mutilated it this way.
Mist suddenly began to fill the hall, both black and white.
The entire hall was quickly shrouded in a layer of mist.
The black and white mist began to intertwine in the air, gradually forming a massive water globe that then started to boil.
First, four slender arms stretched out from the water globe, followed by the water globe distorting into an oval shape.
A single red-eyed skull suddenly appeared on top, and its body violently expanded, transforming into a horrifying monster dozens of meters tall.
Red lava and blue water alternated throughout its body, while the boundary between the two colors constantly generated black and white mist, drifting in all directions.
Black shadows and Mist Wolves once again emerged from the mist, followed by fire and water elementals, significantly larger in size.
This was the ruler of this underground city, a terrifying Elemental Lord.
"Roar!"
The Elemental Lord let out an enraged roar.
Terrifying waves of water shot from its hands like a whip, lashing out at the Heroes.
At the same time, the elemental creatures born from the mist howled and launched their attack.
"Charge!"
Avoidance was futile.
The Heroes raised their weapons and met the onslaught.
The two sides engaged in fierce combat, and within moments, several Heroes fell into a pool of blood.
The Elemental Lord's bloated body abruptly contracted, and a terrifying beam of light erupted from its mouth.
The blinding light targeted the closest Heroes, penetrating their chests in an instant.
However, something bizarre happened.
The bodies pierced by the light didn't show any physical wounds.
A few Heroes screamed in pain as the water in their bodies evaporated, leaving them to become mummified corpses.
"This is impossible... this is a mutant Elemental Lord, we can't win." Ling, the young girl, fell to the ground with a thud, her lips trembling.
Her eyes were full of despair.
Mutant elementals were extremely rare, only formed under specific circumstances.
And the one before them, a terrifying mutant elemental composed of fire and water—two mutually restraining elements—had been a formidable force at the A-rank since its birth.
Now, this mutant elemental had advanced to the level of an Elemental Lord, its strength definitely at Rank S or above—of the extremely potent kind.
With the strength of their current team, there was no chance of surviving against such an Elemental Lord.
"We're doomed...we're all going to die..."
As if to confirm Ling's words, the Elemental Lord casually waved its right hand.
Flecks of dark green firelight fell from the sky.
Several unlucky Heroes touched by the firelight suddenly popped as flames ignited from within them.
In an instant, these Heroes melted into a puddle of goo.
"Haha, hahaha!"
Scott suddenly began to laugh manically, then moved like a ghost, appearing next to a Hero.
His arm inexplicably pierced through a Hero's chest, heart clenched in his hand.
Almost simultaneously, the Dark Core Heroes made the same decision—they chose to attack the Heroes next to them without hesitation.
"Scott, what are you doing?" Henry roared, looking at the crazed face of Scott.
"My lord, grant me eternity!"
Scott yelled with a frantic expression, and the heart in his hand began to emanate a terrifying black light that floated into the air.
The other Dark Core Heroes did the same; countless streams of black light spilled from their hands, converging in the air.
A terrifying figure was outlined in the sky, radiating a wicked and cold aura that felt like the end of the world.
He had four pairs of cold eyes, and where his gaze fell, it felt as though one's soul would freeze over.
"The sacrifice... it's not enough..."
The figure outlined in the black light was noticeably incomplete.
Scott muttered to himself, pulling out a pitch-black bone spike, which he plunged directly into his chest.
The rest of the Dark Core members followed suit.
They collectively chose self-sacrifice, unhesitatingly turning themselves into offerings for this unknown entity!
Beams of bloody light emanated from them, sketching into the black light.
The terrifying figure in the sky became more substantial.
His body was covered with scales with magma-like patterns flowing over them, and on his forehead, a bundle of winding black horns.
He had four arms, each holding a fearsome artifact.
A terrifying evil god!
"Plunder!" Scott let out a chilling roar.
The terrifying shadow of the evil god fell and merged with him.
Then he transformed into a black light, instantly disappearing into the eyebrows of the mutant Elemental Lord.
The monstrous body of the Elemental Lord staggered.
Then, a horrifying red light burst from its eyes, and a raspy, frantic voice slowly rang out from its mouth.
"The four-armed Devil will rule the world!"
"My lord will grant me eternity!"
The Elemental Lord roared angrily again.
It violently raised its arms and hammered down, shattering the surrounding ground.
A horrifying shock wave instantly spread around, and the surviving Heroes, hit by the impact, spat out blood, flying dozens of meters back.
Only a few could barely stand their ground amid the shock wave.
The Elemental Lord let out a chilling laughter, its wave-like arms swinging down towards the Heroes.
"It's over, it's all over... I haven't even spent all my money, dying now would be a damn huge loss," Henry struggled to get up, looking at the looming Elemental Lord, and let out a bitter smile.
"No, no! I can't die yet, I'm the only protagonist of this world!" Jonathan let out a manic roar, then frantically started to flee towards the hall.
But it was all in vain, the Elemental Lord's arm thundered down from the sky, directly smashing Jonathan from the air, swatting him into the ground like a fly.
Jonathan's body broke into pieces, letting out a miserable howl...
"Jonathan, brother, don't!" Ling let out a mournful cry, crawling with difficulty to Jonathan's side.
A white light constantly surged from her hand, flowing into Jonathan's body.
"Ah, love, such a beautiful thing... But die!" The Elemental Lord roared, swiping a hand towards the two.
Ling, hugging the bloodied and barely alive Jonathan, closed her eyes in despair.
Bang!
A terrifying explosion suddenly rang out.
The Elemental Lord's arm was blasted away, and its massive body was thrown dozens of meters away, crashing heavily onto the ruined statue.
Ethan clenched his fist, looking at the Elemental Lord in front of him, or more accurately, Scott, who had taken over the Elemental Lord's body in some special way.
Rank S?
Since his promotion to Rank S, it seemed he had never fought with his full strength.
"You..."
Ling's eyes were filled with disbelief.
She could clearly feel a terrifying aura gradually emanating from Ethan.
Before she could finish her words, an invisible force enveloped the two of them and threw them next to Henry.
"Take them and run," Ethan told Henry, then slowly walked towards the Elemental Lord.
"Brother Ethan..." Henry swallowed, he had always thought he had high expectations of Ethan, but it seemed he had still underestimated him.
"Perhaps, we really have a chance to survive." With this unrealistic thought flashing through his mind, Henry struggled to get up from the ground, called to the few Heroes who could still move, and began to evacuate everyone.
Whether to live or die, it all depended on Ethan now.
"Run? Do you think you can escape?"
Scott suddenly let out a deafening roar, then opened his mouth and sprayed a thick column of dark green fire at Ethan.
Wherever the fire column passed, everything was reduced to nothingness.
Ethan halted, a black spear gradually materializing in his hand.
He twisted the spear and stabbed it forward into the column of fire.
It was as if an invisible force spread out, causing the fire column that Scott had blasted out to twist and then dissipate...
"The Dragon Slayer Spear's first battle, baptized with a Rank S life, couldn't be more fitting."
Ethan's body vanished in an instant, only to reappear in front of Scott the next moment.
He thrust his spear towards Scott's head.
Scott's arm thundered forward, successfully blocking Ethan's strike.
The collision of their terrifying powers produced an explosive sound, then their figures, one large and one small, were instantaneously blown dozens of meters away.
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