The capital of Cang Ting, the residence of the Grand Duke.
The sky is falling and the earth is collapsing.
It is not an exaggerated rhetoric, but the real reality.
Five hundred tons of TNT-level explosive clay completely blew through the large hole thirty meters underground in the Grand Duke's mansion.
In the core area of the Cang Ting Principality, the symbol of the Brunstadt family is gradually collapsing.
First the foundation was shaken, then the walls, tiles, and eaves.
Fly away, then peel down.
There was a heavy roar in the wind.
After just a few dozen breaths, this magnificent mansion slowly sank into the ground like the ancient city of Atlantis that was swallowed by the sea.
...
...
Char's figure appeared on a high point that had not collapsed, silently watching the end of this magnificent building complex.
His mental power radiated out, penetrating through layers of building debris, sand, and soil.
Then, it reached the deepest part of the ground.
At the bottom of the collapsed rock formation, several extremely weak life forces were rapidly weakening and slowly returning to nothingness.
However, at the moment when those several breaths of life completely disappeared.
Suddenly, a new breath of life sprouted.
At first, the breath was very weak and distorted, as if it contained elements of many different life races at the same time.
But then, the originally weak breath began to thrive and expand rapidly in an instant.
Covering the sky and the sun.
The next moment.
boom--
A twisted, bloody monster broke through the collapsing and falling rock ruins.
And along with that huge monster breaking the seal and coming out.
The endless dim halo, with unimaginable momentum, seemed to cover the entire world.
Dusk is falling.
The night sky, which was originally full of stars, suddenly became dim and turned into a depressing, solidified dimness.
The stars disappeared, leaving only a red full moon hanging high above the curtain of dusk.
Grayish-white metallic textures covered most of the moon's surface, a mixture of paleness and blood, appearing eerie and depressing.
"I'm alive!"
"I'm alive!"
The bloody Norton let out an earth-shattering roar, and the solidified dim yellow halo around his body trembled with the roar.
No, to be precise, the term "Norton" is not accurate to describe the twisted life form in front of us.
Because the real Norton is actually dead.
Died in the violent explosion in the huge hole underground.
Even if he was at the peak of the Five Rings, a strong man who was only one step away from the title level—
When one's mental power is interfered with by the blood of the sage, wanting to stand at the center of the detonation and withstand an explosion equivalent to 500 tons of TNT is nothing but a pipe dream.
Even if he survived the explosion by chance, what would Norton face next?
There was also the holy water of the Fiery Sun Church that was sublimated into steam in an instant, as well as collapsed and crumbling soil and rock layers that were tens of meters thick.
This is the cemetery carefully designed by Char to bury Norton.
Unless one possesses the spatial ability of teleportation, even a beastmaster of the sixth ring title level would be in danger of death in the face of such a desperate situation.
What’s more, this is Norton, whose ascension ceremony had just been interrupted and whose soul origin circuit had been destroyed.
so--
In the gap between the explosions.
Norton gave up.
He gave up the plan he had been planning for many years, and also gave up the so-called path to becoming a god.
Norton released his long-standing control and suppression of the power of Dusk, and chose to actively embrace the pollution and whispers of the ancient god.
He voluntarily dedicated his demigod body, which was already extremely compatible with the power of dusk, to become the carrier of the awakened ancient consciousness.
Because only in this way can Norton survive from the desperate situation of the collapse of the sky and the collapse of the earth.
The cemetery used to bury a human beastmaster cannot bury the resurrected half of a god.
Yes.
He now.
No, perhaps it would be more appropriate to describe Him.
He is just an ancient god walking in the world who has retained some of Norton's consciousness and revived with the help of Norton's body.
…
The twisted life form with Norton's consciousness still inside let out a deafening roar at the sky shrouded in dusk, and even the blood moon mixed with iron patterns trembled.
His blurry and hideous flesh and blood were mixed with dark shadows and twisted beast torsos. At this moment, thick white smoke was coming out of the flesh and blood. The blurry flesh and blood was constantly burned by the light of the scorching sun, and then grew out again.
Those were the traces left by the holy water vapor. The holy water of the Fiery Sun Church was harmless to ordinary people and could even cure some minor illnesses after drinking it, making people feel refreshed.
However, once it falls on cultists or abyssal races, it can cause damage equivalent to facing the power of the scorching sun.
In order to allow the newly found host to survive the explosion, the ancient consciousness used the soul contract to devour all of Norton's pets in an instant.
Then, the flesh and blood of those pets were fused with Norton's body, and forcibly stitched together to form such a twisted life form.
Ferocious, ugly, yet extremely powerful.
“Char!”
"And Sylvia!"
The roar was extremely furious.
At this moment, Norton's consciousness still dominated his body. The seal set by the legendary strong man was very strong. Even the shocking explosion just now did not completely destroy it, but only left a gap.
The sealed ancient god is still in the stage of slowly waking up from a long sleep, which requires a process.
If he really waits until the Twilight God is fully revived, then Norton, who only has five rings of self-consciousness, will naturally be swallowed up without any ability to fight back, but before that, he still has the last bit of time.
If he could find Sylvia's key before the ancient god fully revived, he would be able to rely on the divinity and authority on the key to barely maintain himself, and then engage in a tug-of-war with the revived ancient consciousness. This would be Norton's last chance.
and--
Finding Sylvia is equivalent to finding Char.
Norton wanted nothing more than to chop Char into pieces, for this rebellious chess piece who had ruined his plans time and again and had brought him down from the clouds to dust.
Norton's scarlet eyes swept across the ruins.
But the next moment, Norton was suddenly stunned.
Because he had expected that after doing all this, Char should have used his spatial ability to quickly escape from the scene, and it might take a lot of effort to catch him.
At this moment, he was actually standing on a raised rock not far away, looking at him with silent eyes.
"Little bastard!"
"You still don't run away, you dare to appear in front of me!"
The moment he saw Char's figure, Norton could no longer control his rage and resentment.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you!"
"I will leave you with one breath, and then eat the flesh and blood of that little girl Sylvia bit by bit in front of you."
"You can only helplessly watch as the girl you love is devoured, feeling the pain and despair swallowing your body and heart bit by bit..."
Norton's vicious curse came to an abrupt end before he could even finish it.
Because the next moment, he saw that Char's pair of dark eyes had turned into pure golden color, like flowing lava.
And in front of Char, a roll of pitch-black metal pages appeared at some point.
The metal album suddenly spread out in mid-air, making a clanging sound.
Then, on the metal page that seemed to be made of black iron, a line of ancient characters in light gold was written majestically and squarely.
"The Black King's Order—"
"This place is forbidden by the gods"
At this moment, a pale golden area spread out.
Thousands of illusory chains emerged from the void, crossed over, and tightly locked Norton's bloody and twisted body.
Those chains are all red-gold in color, the embodiment of the rules of royal power.
This was the result of the combined effect of Char's "Royal Domain" and the "Judgment Order" he obtained from the Second Princess. The two were more compatible than Char had expected.
Perhaps it was because the decree that forbade the gods resonated with the original intention of the first guardian god of the Foresta Empire, the beast of order - the Black King.
With the blessing of "Judgment Order", the effect of Char's royal domain has also been improved, achieving an effect of one plus one being greater than two.
"I see!"
"I see!"
Norton, pierced by the red-gold chains, was still roaring.
Deep in Norton's soul, the ancient consciousness seemed to have sensed the familiar aura of its old rival, and at this moment a violent emotional fluctuation came over it, suddenly accelerating the process of recovery.
"Forrestal's legendary guardian beast, the first Black King!"
"I see. You are someone sent by the Foresta Empire. Did Augustine II send you?"
"It calls itself a "godless country" and is founded on iron, blood and order. It believes that human power can surpass gods."
"Now you can't bear the loneliness anymore, are you going to covet the authority of the ancient god?"
"I've already said it before. I'm just a hero who does this out of interest. I don't have any status, background or connections."
"I don't know that Augustine II either. He's just an old antique in history books."
Char landed lightly from the stone pillar where he was standing before, and looked at Norton who was pierced by thousands of chains of rules.
"Don't misunderstand anything, otherwise I will make enemies for the empire, and then that Isadella will come after me and it will be troublesome."
Xia Ya's words were still calm: "Oh, but it doesn't matter if you misunderstood."
"Anyway, the dead can't cause any trouble."
Facing Xia Ya's direct and taunting sentence of death, Norton's expression suddenly froze.
Then, his expression began to change rapidly.
Meanings of despair, madness, and struggle emerged one after another.
After a moment, the expression on Norton's constantly distorted face finally became stable.
And his wild and dim eyes also calmed down a little at this moment.
"You are arrogant." Although the twisted flesh and blood body was still bound by the red-gold rules, Norton's words were no longer full of violent and helpless rage, but carried a hint of deep and ancient tranquility.
Xia raised an eyebrow: "Dusk?"
He could feel that the soul of the ambitious clown had disappeared from this twisted, stitched body.
Instead, there is some kind of ancient existence that has mastered all of Norton's memories, but is deeper and more difficult to fathom.
"I have many names. Dusk is indeed one of the titles given to me by my followers in the mortal world. It comes from a certain authority that I hold."
Norton, no, it should be said that the incarnation of dusk that occupied Norton's body spoke again.
It was clearly the same voice, but it sounded like the sound of a bronze bell, simple and profound.
"Speaking of which, I have to thank you."
"If you hadn't interrupted this man's plot, this half of my body might have really been replaced in my eternal sleep and become someone else's wedding dress."
"It was thanks to you that you took out the item that contained the power of the Black King, that my dormant consciousness was awakened one step ahead of time because I sensed the breath of my nemesis."
The incarnation of dusk's dark, deep gaze locked onto Char.
"You are very capable. Whether it's your scheming, talent, or planning, you are far more capable than this lunatic named Norton."
"For us, subordinates of the fifth or sixth ring are not rare. We can create them at will as long as we infuse them with enough power of faith."
"But you're different."
There was no trace of emotion in the words of the Incarnation of Dusk, but he did not hide his admiration for Char.
"The road to legend requires nothing but external things—"
“The birth of every legend is a unique and unrepeatable miracle in this world.”
"And you have already walked out of your own legendary path."
The ancient sound that sounded like the ringing of a bronze bell paused slightly.
"Become my beloved."
"I can help you reach the legendary level at the fastest speed, or even touch the higher divine realms above that."
"Don't worry. For a rare legendary seed like you, I will not use the same rough brainwashing methods as for ordinary believers. Instead, I will allow you to retain your complete self-awareness."
"Believe me, this will only benefit you. It's a win-win deal for both of us."
Listening to the invitation from the incarnation of dusk, Char shook his head: "Not interested."
It seems that I am really popular. Any evil god wants to win me over as his follower. The Lord of Ashes even wanted me to be the Son of God.
Although it is said that "a man's knees are made of gold, now is the time to cash it out."
However, Char still had a very high opinion of himself. This second-rate evil god whose half body had been sealed for more than ten years was not worthy of his attention.
"That's a pity."
The incarnation of dusk shook his head slightly and did not try to persuade him further.
Unlike Norton himself.
As a resurrected ancient god, he is well aware that everyone who walks out of his own legendary path is a person of firm determination, and once he makes a decision, he will never waver.
In other words, those who are indecisive and not firm enough in their determination cannot embark on their own legendary journey.
Therefore, He did not waste any more words to persuade him.
"You have many tricks, many of which are beyond my expectations."
"Holy water blessed by the scorching sun, highly concentrated blasting materials, and alchemical materials that I have never seen or heard of before, which can directly interfere with the soul's origin circuit."
"You even got the Scroll of the Order that sealed the power of the Black King."
“But all this is meaningless.”
"Even the Black King himself couldn't kill me, not to mention that it's just a scroll that houses some of his power!"
The dim light lingering above the sky suddenly fell.
Then, it rushed into the flesh and blood that once belonged to Norton.
The body of the incarnation of dusk was wrapped with chains of royal rules, but he did not kneel on the ground like the cultists who were crushed into powder by Char's royal domain. Instead, he stood up with the chains on his head.
He has made a decision. Since Char is unwilling to become a Favored One, he will wait until Char is defeated and then transform him into a Favored One.
Although such a forced transformation will undoubtedly cost Char some of his potential to become a legend in the future, it may not be impossible to make up for it.
And as long as He transforms Char, He can also rely on Char's guidance to find the key named Sylvia.
Then, fill in the last bit of missing divinity.
The incarnation of dusk is well aware that his resurrection will inevitably attract covetousness, not only from the righteous gods of order, but even other evil gods will not let go of a piece of fat meat like him that has no power to resist.
Therefore, in order to deal with all of this, He must restore His condition to its peak before those divine descents occur.
But most of His power is still sealed, and the only thing that can move freely at this moment is the body provided by Norton.
But--
That is the moment when the dusk incarnation infuses all the remaining divinity and authority into this body without reservation.
He saw Char in front of him, and the light in his golden eyes gradually brightened.
"Since all remaining divinity and authority have been infused into this body."
"Then, it shouldn't be that easy to hide again..."
At that moment, the Incarnation of Dusk understood the look in Char's eyes.
That's the look in a hunter's eyes when he sees his prey taken to the bait.
Everything before that——
From Norton's ascension ceremony being interrupted by a gunshot of the Sage's Blood ammunition, to the explosion in the underground square, Norton was forced to give up himself and become the carrier of dusk in desperation.
Before that, when the "Judgment Order" was launched, Norton was suppressed by the rules of royal power, while Dusk's consciousness was stimulated by the breath of the Black King and revived ahead of time, occupying Norton's body.
Even until this moment, the incarnation of dusk has poured all of its divinity and authority into this incarnation in order to break the impasse.
All these changes were actually within Char's imagination.
He took the initiative to arrange all of this, quietly waiting for all of Dusk's divinity and authority to gather in this body, which was the moment when the prey fell into the trap.
But how dare Char?
The incarnation of dusk was at a loss.
After several rounds of twists and turns, He had indeed suffered great weakening.
The injuries caused by the Sage's Blood and the Holy Water of the Fiery Sun Church are still affecting this body, and the chain of royal power brought by the judgment order of the "Black King" is still restricting the actions of the incarnation of dusk. Any movement will be restricted by the rule of "God's Forbidden Action".
But after taking over this body, even if he lost all his pets, he was still a Five Rings being.
And unlike Norton when he was a human, this is His home ground.
As time went by, the power of the abyss would continuously seep out from the broken seal below and be mobilized by Him.
In his own home turf, how could Char hunt him down across two levels of status?
As if seeing through the thoughts of the incarnation of dusk, Char's calm voice rang out.
"yes."
"This is truly your home turf."
Char's gaze slowly turned toward the dim sky around him.
And above the night sky, there is a blood moon stained with iron-colored textures.
"Even if a stronger person than your current incarnation comes, he will be suppressed."
"So, if I want to defeat you here."
"Then, I can only become like you—"
"No, it's something that is more evil than an ancient god like you, and closer to the abyss."
In Char's hands.
A bottle of silver-white medicine appeared quietly at some point.
Then, the bottle cap was opened, and Char raised his head and drank the silver-white liquid in it.
"Advanced Armoring Secret Potion"
Then, a red light flashed.
Red appeared silently beside Char.
Then, the little silver spirit, which took on the form of a star spirit, gently closed its eyes.
At this moment, the culprit who killed its parents and forced Chihong to experience such a miserable childhood, the culprit named "God" was right in front of it.
When Char contracted it, he promised to give it a chance to avenge the murderer of his parents.
Chihong originally thought it was just a casual joke. Anyway, Char had not agreed on a time, so even if it happened decades or even hundreds of years later, it wouldn't be considered a breach of contract.
But Chi Hong never thought that in just half a year -
This opportunity for revenge actually came to him.
then.
The fluctuations of the souls between the master and the servant resonated in an instant.
One hundred percent soul compatibility.
The next moment.
"Armored."
As Xia Ya'ana spoke calmly, a stream of blue silver light fell.
The metal body of the little silver spirit slowly melted.
It transformed into two flowing beams of light, one silver and one scarlet, which slowly built up around Char's slender figure and finally took shape.
When the glow faded, what appeared was a blood-red full body armor.
Every corner of the blood-colored armor has a sharp arc, like the horns of a demon.
Behind the heavy armor, there stretched out long swords made of red metal. The blood-red metal merged and spread out, transforming into ferocious sword wings.
In stark contrast to people's traditional impression of the holy wings of angels, the two pairs of sharp metal sword wings behind Char can only remind people of the demon lord under the abyss, the king of purgatory who controls death and disaster.
Above the earth, under the starry sky.
Char, whose entire body was covered in blood-red armor, stretched out his hand slightly.
The next moment.
A red light condensed on Xia's gauntlet-covered right hand.
Then, it turned into a one-handed sword that was as red as blood and ink, reflecting a clear light.
The one-handed sword reflected Char's evil and ferocious appearance at the moment, like a devil, as well as the glow of the blood moon in the sky.
It's as if——
The sword demon under the blood moon.
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