Chapter 584.1: Trap (1)
The sky glowed fiery red as if another sun had descended upon the world. A spear of blazing lava compressed to the extreme flashed across the sky, shooting toward the distant darkness.
An intensely ominous feeling welled up in Roel’s heart when he saw the manifestation of the darkness sitting on the three-armed giant deviant’s shoulder. It prompted him to instinctively strike so as to prevent the birth of a potential threat.
His plight couldn’t get any worse.
He stood alone against the manifesting darkness and an Origin Level 1 transcendent, not to mention that the deviant army was lurking in the vicinity. This was a fight he could never win. Thus, his only option was to make the first move.
If he could at least snipe a potential threat before it formed, his slim chances of survival could be improved by a tinge.
His attack might have been driven by instincts, but that didn’t mean that it was performed without thought. Magma Core was a spell from Sire Darkness, an entity embodying volcanoes and the earth. It hadn’t been long since Roel obtained it, but he was certain of its prowess.
Its burst damage was tremendous, unlike Time Devourer. Its nature was complemented by the surrounding desert environment, unlike Glacial Touch. Its prowess was much more concentrated, unlike Death Rain. Its side effects were known, unlike Silver Devourer.
The blazing lava was his best choice in this situation.
Most importantly of all, the Six Calamities harnessed a portion of Sia’s powers, making it an inviolable divine retribution.
The blazing spear of flame furiously roared as it shot out. Even the Origin Level 1 giant deviant wasn’t able to react to it as a red whiz pierced through the black figure forming on its shoulder. Its unbelievable heat swiftly suffused the black figure, causing its body to quickly expand before popping with a resounding explosion.
Boom!
Searing lava spilled out from the exploded darkness, and thick ashes cloaked the sky and concealed everything in the vicinity. Even the giant deviant was hidden beneath the ash veil, its huge arms barely visible as it anxiously waved off the ashes. Only its furious and fearful roars could be heard.
Roel quickly repositioned himself before warily assessing the situation amidst gasps of air.
His attack might not have appeared to be anything much, but it had expended a fourth of his mana in a single breath. His mana wasn’t consumed in vain, however, as the blazing spear’s offensive prowess was comparable to even that of Primordial Earth Goddess Peytra.
Even so, Roel wasn’t confident that his attack was effective.
The Deviant Sovereign was an existence towering above the Race Sovereigns. It was hard to gauge its strength; even the united army knew next to nothing about what it was capable of. That was also precisely the reason Roel knew he had to collect intelligence first.
Appearance, special traits, physical prowess, magic resistance… These bits of information were crucial not just for humankind but in determining whether Roel would survive this ordeal or not.
The giant deviant continued waving its arm, stirring up furious winds that gradually dissipated the cloud of dust. That allowed Roel to catch a clearer look of the situation.
The result was unacceptable to him.
“How is this possible…” Roel’s eyes narrowed in disbelief as his heart hastened, almost as if warning him of the threat before him.
Amidst the flames was a tall and muscular male deviant who stood on the shoulder of the giant deviant, gazing in his direction.
Roel was certain that his lava spear had struck its target, and the explosion of the manifesting darkness was not an illusion. It should have been impossible for it to emerge unfazed from such an attack.
Neutralizing the power of the Six Calamities should not have been possible, even if one had a high mana immunity or possessed special means. Even an immaterial body would not have been impervious to Magma Core’s searing heat. The evidence lay in how the Origin Level 1 giant deviant was screaming from having its scales melted down despite being known for its unparalleled defensive prowess.
What did it do?
Roel wondered with an increasingly grave expression as he further channeled the mana in his body, knowing that he ought to make the next move.
Whether it was because it had sustained damage from the earlier attack or that it was simply provoking him, the dark figure was not making a move right away despite having manifested its body. Naturally, Roel wouldn’t allow such an opportunity to slip past his fingers.
Thus, he dissipated the lava in his hands and began releasing a surge of frost aura.
“Glacial Touch,” he murmured coldly.
The silhouette of a gigantic monster could be vaguely seen behind Roel as the desert’s temperature rapidly plummeted. He opened his arms wide, and the frost swiftly diffused into the surroundings. Then, he closed his arms down toward the enemy, and the diffused frost aura quickly closed down on the dark figure like the jaws of a ferocious beast clamping shut.
The partially melted body of the giant deviant immediately stiffened up. At the same time, the fearless Deviant Sovereign was encased in the frost aura too.
Frost aura should work here… Roel thought nervously as he awaited the results.
What happened was so shocking that it transcended his comprehension of what was possible.
Within a mere instant, beyond what even a high transcendent of Roel’s caliber could perceive, everything suddenly vanished.
Be it the surging flood of frost aura, the slowly hardening lava, or the drifting ashes, everything suddenly vanished in an instant as if someone had erased it with a brushstroke. All that was left was the white desert sand.
Roel’s mind went blank.
What happened?
But there was no time for him to ponder the answer.
The Deviant Sovereign standing atop the giant deviant’s shoulder had already raised its hand toward Roel.
This is bad!
On the spur of the moment, Roel’s survival instinct drove him to put up his strongest barrier. Powerful winds revolved around his body, forming a nigh impenetrable defense around him.
Time Devourer was the most enigmatic spell Roel had grasped from the Crown’s Stones. It was the best choice when dealing with attacks of unknown nature. Nothing in the world could escape from the senescence of time, after all.
The absolute defense formed by the multiple layers of revolving pale yellow wind assured Roel, granting him the confidence to deal with the Deviant Sovereign’s upcoming attack. Even so, he still subconsciously performed an evasive maneuver by reflex.
And that was precisely what saved his life.
The moment he moved, the world suddenly fell still once more. He inexplicably felt an invisible hand passing through his body and taking away a part of him.
“!”
When the world finally reverted to normal, the surroundings remained unchanged, unlike the first time. He was protected by Time Devourer’s wind barrier. Yet, excruciating pain suddenly gripped his body, and fresh blood spurted from his mouth.
He was still in the midst of performing his evasive maneuver when the pain struck, such that he lost his balance and had to stagger a few steps back. He was startled by the happenings before it belatedly registered to him what had just happened.
Half his heart had been taken away.
…
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l