Chapter 490: 490

Kael and Ariana raised their guards at the same time, their bodies reacting on instinct as killing intent flooded the chamber.

Kael’s grip tightened around his sword. His eyes locked onto the figure ahead.

"What’s the meaning of this, Brawn?" he demanded.

Brawn did not answer.

Instead, he walked forward slowly, his steps heavy and deliberate.

"As requested, I brought two of them," Brawn said in a calm, hollow voice.

As soon as he finished speaking, a sickening sound echoed through the chamber.

Crack.

Brawn lowered his head, and his entire body began to twist unnaturally. His bones shifted under the skin, and his posture warped. Flesh peeled away in strips, falling to the ground with wet sounds, revealing dark, necrotic muscles underneath.

The man they knew vanished in seconds.

What stood there now was something else entirely.

"Good job."

A figure slowly descended from above, landing lightly on the ground. He leaned on a staff as if he were merely taking a stroll. His presence alone made the air feel heavier.

He lifted his head and looked at Kael and Ariana.

Their shocked expressions made his lips curl into a satisfied smile.

He enjoyed it.

"You must be wondering what’s going on, right?" the man said lazily.

"Then let me tell you."

"You managing to come here was all part of our plan. We needed pure souls to anchor the portal, so we allowed you to come this far."

He tilted his head slightly, watching their reactions closely.

"What happened?" he continued mockingly.

"Shocked?"

"Scared?"

"Do you want to beg for your lives?"

"Hahahahahahah!"

Eerie laughter burst from his mouth and echoed through the chamber. The sound was sharp and unnatural, crawling across the walls like insects.

At his signal, the dark priests standing around began to laugh as well.

Some laughed softly, others screamed with joy, and some shook violently as if the sound itself was driving them mad. The shrill laughter scraped against the ears like nails dragged across metal.

"Did you have enough fun?"

A cold voice cut through the chaos.

The laughter faltered.

Randulo’s eyes narrowed as he turned toward Kael.

Kael’s expression had changed.

The shock was gone.In its place was something far darker.

Kael stared at the twisted mass that had once been Brawn. His jaw tightened, and his eyes burned with restrained fury.

"Tell me," Kael said quietly.

"What happened to Brawn?"

"Oh?" Randulo chuckled. "Those from the Heretic Sect?"

"We ate them alive."

Ariana’s body trembled.

Her breath hitched, and for a moment she felt sick. She closed her eyes tightly and forced herself to breathe. The words were so disgusting that her mind tried to reject them completely.

She opened her eyes again which had became steady despite the storm inside her.

"Alright," Randulo said casually, waving his hand.

"We’ve had enough fun."

"Go drag that guy," he continued, pointing vaguely toward Kael, "and let’s finish things before they mess up our ritual."

At his command, the ground began to writhe.

Dark masses seeped out of the floor like thick shadows made of flesh. They stretched and expanded, forming crude humanoid shapes. Dozens of twisted arms burst forth, fingers clawing wildly as the creatures lunged toward Kael and Ariana.

The stench of decay filled the air.

Hands reached out, trying to grab, restrain, and tear them apart.

Before any of them could touch Kael—

SWISHHHH!

A sharp sword strike cut through the air.

The sound was clean and cold.

The dark masses were sliced apart instantly, their bodies splitting and dissolving into black mist that scattered across the chamber.

Silence fell.

Then a voice echoed, calm and deadly.

"Good."

Randulo blinked in confusion.

"No," Kael corrected, lifting his blade slowly. His eyes were cold, empty of mercy.

"No congratulations."

The priests frowned, unsure of what he meant.

Kael took a step forward, his killing intent flooding the chamber like a rising tide.

"Congratulations," he continued slowly, "because now you have successfully angered me."

The air around him seemed to freeze.

Ariana tightened her grip on her weapon, light gathering faintly around her.

The real battle was about to begin.

Without waiting, Kael leapt forward.

He crashed into the flock of abyssal creatures and dark mages like a falling meteor. His sword moved before thought, cutting wide arcs through the air. Flesh spli apart and bones shattered. Dark magic collapsed mid-cast as bodies were torn apart.

There was no elegance rather brute destruction.

A cultist raised his staff, screaming a spell, but Kael smashed his face in with the hilt of his sword before the chant could finish. Another lunged from the side, claws reaching for Kael’s neck. Kael twisted, grabbed the arm, and ripped it off, then drove his blade straight through the creature’s skull.

Randulo shouted from behind.

"Stop him! Kill him! Don’t let him advance!"

No one listened.

They could not.

Kael was already among them.

BOOOOOOOM!

A shockwave erupted as Kael slammed his sword into the ground. The floor cracked, and dark bodies were thrown into the air like broken dolls. Smoke and dust swallowed the narrow passage as screams echoed and then died one by one.

Kael moved forward through the chaos.

Step by step.

Each step felt heavier than the last. The air grew thick, heavy with blood, mist, and something rotten that burned the lungs. The chanting from deeper inside the city grew clearer. It was no longer a distant hum. It was a rhythm.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Like a heartbeat.

BOOOOOOOM!

Kael burst out onto a broken rooftop and crouched low. He scanned ahead, eyes sharp. Beyond the ruined houses and burning streets, a towering structure rose into the sky. It looked like a black fang piercing the clouds.

"That’s it," he muttered. "The ritual site."

Kael clenched his jaw.

They had let him come this far on purpose. They wanted anchors to stabilize the gate however... if they failed to force one.

"These madmen," Kael growled. "They’ll sacrifice themselves if they have to."

"Fuck."