Chapter 468: Who is the backstabber?
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The Lord of Darkness that’d been so overbearing was now like an old dying dog, using a sword to prop up its body. Its mouth was letting out reluctant roars, but it seemed as powerless as mumblings of somebody about to die. As for Lin Li, the cause of everything, his face was as pale as a sheet of paper. The magical wave on his body was as weak as a candlelight that was about to be extinguished in the wind.
As long as one was not blind, they could see that both sides were undoubtedly injured. At such a time, nobody would even suspect that Lin Li was faking anything. In fact, to achieve mutual destruction with the Lord of Darkness was already something that made people feel ridiculous. Even those old men that had entered the Legendary-realm for a long time might not able to achieve this.
Everyone would be greedy. If greed was steered properly, it would become motivation. Otherwise, it would be a sin that destroyed themselves. Even Hutton, who was just watching from the sidelines, could not help but feel moved when he saw this scene. But when he thought of Stephen was left behind in the arena, he could not help but be in a dilemma. The budding greed within Hutton instantly vanished completely. Of course, he quickly rejoiced that he did not take any action, because the person that was the most qualified to benefit from this had appeared.
In the world of void and stars, a certain section of space was contorting without a sound. It was like the surface of water that a rock was thrown into. An inhuman existence had submerged into this world within the ripples. With this, a powerful aura that made people shudder had appeared.
The Lord of Souls, Mephistos, had once lost the battle for reign over the Abyss of Tharlen. This poor thing had been bombarded till his soul was suppressed from all directions. But now, nobody dared to relate “poor thing” to him.
His head had two horns that were curved and threaded. He had a tall forehead and deeply set eyes. The rims of his eyes were peerlessly black. The closely woven scales were made indistinct by the cyan-colored soul flames that surrounded him. Just like most Demons, there was a pair of gigantic wings growing on his back. It was just that the wings were enveloped by the soul flames as well, and seemed to be constantly burning. Although the long tail was not thick and muscular, it was serrated till the end. An average person would not be able to handle a hit.
“It’s been 1,300 years. I’ve long waited for this day. I can finally take back what belongs to me!” Mephistos, who showed his whole body, threw his head back and roared as though he was venting.
It was definitely a pleasant moment for anybody that was suppressed for more than 1,000 years. Excitement and agitation… All sorts of feelings interlaced when the wait of 1,300 years to reap rewards had finally ended. This made the soul flames that enveloped his body flicker constantly.
“Me… Mephistos…” Hutton covered his mouth forcefully, fearing that any noise would attract Mephistos’ attention. His current mood was like he had just placed his clothes in the sun to dry after the rain but another rain cloud overshadowed the sun completely. Despair, especially despair that came after hope, was something unbearable that was far beyond anybody’s tolerance.
Now, he could only fight, but could he win? Hutton turned around and saw the feeble Mage Felic. Could it be that this miracle creator in his eyes could create even more miracles?
Up till this point, Hutton suddenly thought of everything he had experienced since entering the Abyss. How could they be pleasant scenes if not for this young president that was constantly creating miracles? Thinking about this point, he could not help but be in a dilemma again. It was as though everything that happened was unexplainable to him—except for encountering the Azteks. Be it locating the Throne of Darkness or going through the Ancient Arena, and then the encounter with the overwhelming Lord of Darkness, if it were not because of this Mage Felic, it was as though he would not have accomplished anything. The arrangement that the family had passed down was not like a treasure passed down to future generations, but instead more like a trap with no way out.
“Grrrr!” Mephistos let out a roar that echoed in the whole space, and the soul flame covering his body was restrained. “Lord of Darkness, have you already become so useless? You actually got beaten up to your last breath by a little mage that had just entered the Legendary-realm!” Seeing the current state of this enemy that had suppressed him for 1,300 years, his heart was indescribably elated.
It was as though the Lord of Darkness understood the mockery within Mephistos’ words, for it dragged its body and replied with a furious roar. It was just that when it was heard by Mephistos, that roar no longer had any threat. It was just so amusing and comical.
“Little human mage, you really prepared a decent gift for me.” Cyan soul flames appeared on both Mephistos’ hands. He turned his face slight and looked at the feeble Lin Li. Everything was progressing smoothly, and it was all within Mephistos’ calculations. Originally, he planned to let them weaken the Lord of Darkness by a bit and save himself some strength. He had not thought that this young human mage would’ve actually fought with the Lord of Darkness till both were worn out, and all he needed to do now was to reap the rewards.
Reaping rewards was the most exciting thing, especially after waiting for a millennium. Especially so when he could collect the rewards without doing anything—just like now. “Lord of Darkness, you’ve humiliated me 1,300 years ago. Now, it is time for me to return the favor. Your soul shall enjoy eternal sorrow and pain within the storm!” Mephistos brutally roared and clapped the soul flames in his hands furiously. Immediately, a wave was produced in the space.
The soul flame was like thunderclouds covering the entire sky above everybody’s head. The cyan flames burned the void overhead. Actually, none of this could be seen by the naked eye, but it was reflected in the audience’s souls. With that, there was a suffocating pressure and a soul-tearing pain.
Nobody thought that the Lord of Souls, Mephistos, would be so impatient. He actually did not investigate further, and used a powerful spell even though he was facing two enemies that were heavily wounded to try settle things within the shortest time.
“Roar! Offer your souls and become my, the almighty Lord of Souls Mephisto’s, strength. This is the highest honor I confer to you!” Mephistos excited roar and the cyan fiery clouds in the sky produced a giant vortex. The tearing force became even more irresistible.
“Ah!” The final hope in Hutton’s heart had been completely shattered by the descent of the Soul Storm. That pain of soul being torn apart made him curl up on the ground. All of the muscles in his body were tense, shivering while waiting for the final moment to arrive.
It’s over, it’s really over this time. Fear and despair took over Hutton’s whole mind, and he suddenly felt powerless. Facing the battle of the Legendary level, he was too weak, weak like an ant that was constantly stomping on an elephant’s head. The elephant wouldn’t even notice its existence…
“Hey, stop acting. If you continue acting, we are all goners!” Connoris shouted at Lin Li in panic. His hopes of escaping were resting on this kid’s shoulders. If he were to be finished, Connoris would definitely not have a good ending when he ended up in Mephistos’ hands.
Lin Li, too, was suffering under the Soul Storm, but he had to wait for an opportunity—an opportunity to make a move. Whether this opportunity was correctly grasped by him could be said to be the most crucial part of this plan. If there were any slight mistake, it would end in self-destruction. The current Lin Li was now like walking on a tightrope. On his left was the Lord of Darkness, and on his right was Mephistos. If everything proceeded smoothly, then there’d be nothing to discuss. But if anything were to go wrong, Lin Li would definitely die without leaving any remnants even if he now had Legendary-realm powers. The battle between Legendary powerhouses was too dangerous. Every move had a cataclysmic power. To enter the vortex without ample preparation was no different from courting death…
The Lord of Darkness roared continuously, venting the anger and unwillingness within. However, that level-18 curse made from demonic runes was like 10,000 mountains crushing its body, making it impossible for it to stand straight. It could only allow Mephistos’ Soul Storm wreak havoc above it.
Mephistos had been suppressed for 1,300 years, so his powers were far from his peak’s. Other than taking back the position of the ruler of the Abyss of Tharlen, it was more important for him to regain his powers. In his eyes, the Lord of Darkness that had been severely injured by Lin Li was the best source of power. If he devoured the Lord of Darkness’ soul, not only would it immediately replenish his strength, but he would also master the laws of darkness, allowing his power to completely change.
Mephistos shifted the eye of the Soul Storm to the Lord of Darkness while holding onto this thought. The two human mages were irrelevant to him. Even if one of them had already reached the Legendary-realm, the Lord of Darkness was better when compared.
The Soul Storm was wreaking havoc in between the void and stars. Light, Darkness, and Ice. The magical domain created by three magical elements was like a cottage shaking and crumbling in a storm. Mephistos’ powers grew stronger and stronger. Every swirl of the Soul Storm was directed at the depths of the soul. This was a fatal test for any living being. Even with Lin Li’s strength, he could only desperately raise his mental strength to protect the Soul Brand.
For a mage at Lin Li’s realm, forcibly raising mental strength was already something very harmful. Every time he compressed, his mental strength, it would bring great harm to his body. Such harm would require a lot of time to recover from.
But Lin Li had no choice. If he were not to be desperate at this time, he would no longer have a chance to when Mephistos had completely swallowed the Soul Brand.
The Soul Storm was like a vortex in the sea, deep and gloomy yet irresistible. Initially, it only covered an area of 100 meters, but as Mephistos’ powers grew, the area of the Soul Storm grew larger. In just under 10 seconds, the raging Spiritual Force had already covered the whole world constructed by the stars and the void.
“What the hell…” Connoris’ voice was filled with panic. A being like himself that had survived for countless eons, he would be beyond redemption if his Soul Brand had been completely consumed.
“Its over…” The distant Hutton’s face grew pale. The powerful Spiritual Force was like a chain that locked down Hutton’s body. He could not even summon the strength to cast a low-level spell at this time. The only thing he could do was look at Mephistos wreaking havoc with a face full of despair.
But for Lin Li, this overwhelming Soul Storm made him see a dawn of victory.
“Now!” Lin Li’s acutely sensed the change in the Soul Storm. When Mephistos’ placed its center on the Lord of Darkness, Lin Li furiously released the bindings fettering the Lord of Darkness.
“Roar!” The Lord of Darkness’s body immediately become light. The powers that disappeared re-emerged in its body. This happy feeling that enveloped it made it roar into the sky. It stood up while making use of this opportunity, and the sword in its hand was raised again.Read more chapter on ReadNovelFull
If it was a mentally sound person, the target with the highest priority would be the one that threatened him the most. In this case, it would be Lin Li that grasped the ancient demonic runes that could suppress the Lord’s powers. However, the current Lord of Darkness was a killing machine running on basic instincts. It could not be reasoned with. Whoever was attacking it would have to suffer its rage. Thus, Mephistos who was trying to swallow it became the biggest target in its eyes.
“What!?” Mephistos saw the Lord of Darkness stand up. Coupled with the tragic experiences of the past, it immediately gave him a shock, but he calmed down after a while. He would not imagine that Lin Li was using the ancient demonic runes to suppress the Lord of Darkness. He only thought that the Lord of Darkness used some sort of desperate means to recover a bit of strength.
“Stop struggling, your powers belong to me!” he shouted hideously. The soul flames on his body abruptly erupted. The vortex in the Soul Storm became smaller through compression, but the soul tearing power became stronger, and it was directed at the head of the Lord of Darkness.
The Lord of Darkness was inside the Soul Storm, but its majestic body did not move. Its destructive aura constantly rose, and the sword in its hand was accumulating terrifying power.
“BOOM!”
The Lord of Darkness’ cataclysmic strike slashed at Mephistos’ Soul Storm. With this strike, Mephistos’ complexion finally changed. The destruction it brought reminded him of an identical strike that had shattered his soul 1,300 years ago.
Even though the destruction this time was not like before, this heaven-splitting strike split apart Mephistos’ Soul Storm from within.
“Sh*t, you actually plotted against me with a human!” Mephistos yelled in exasperation. At the same time, he lifted both his fists and the soul fire on his body abruptly exploded. “I want to trap your soul and use the Soul Fire to burn it for thousands of years!”
Seeing that the Lord of Darkness and Mephistos were fighting each other and causing loud booms as their bodies moved, Lin Li finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Hehe, they are fighting. Although the Lord of Darkness isn’t as powerful as before, there shouldn’t be any issues for it to fight against Mephistos, who had been suppressed for over 1,000 years, on its home grounds.” Connoris sheepishly laughed. As Lin Li’s accomplice, seeing that notoriously cunning Lord of Souls Mephistos falling into Lin Li’s trap gave him a sense of achievement.
Lin Li did not carry on the conversation. Although he was still pale, he was constantly watching the battle between the two rulers—past and present—of the Abyss of Tharlen. Such a scene was not something that could be seen every day. The two powerhouses—even though one had lost all reason, and the other had his shattered soul sealed for 1,300 years—weren’t something that an average Legendary-realm powerhouse could compare to.