Chapter 498
Chapter 498: 498
Several terrifying presences erupted at once.
The abyss itself seemed to howl as SSS-rank beings descended from every direction. Their auras crashed together, forming crushing waves of pressure that bent the land. The ground split open as their power overlapped, and the sky above twisted into spirals of black and crimson.
One of them raised both arms.
[Abyssal Art: Sovereign Funeral]
A sea of black flames poured down like rain, burning not just flesh but space itself.
Another slammed his staff into the ground.
[Curse of Ten Thousand Graves]
Countless spectral hands burst from the earth, dragging corpses, bones, and screaming souls upward to form a living wall.
A third roared and charged.
[Obliteration Fang: Devouring Rush]
Kael barely had time to react.
He grabbed lesser abyssal creatures and threw them forward, using their bodies as shields while riding behind them, turning living beings into moving barricades.
BOOOOOOM!
The attacks slammed into him all at once.
His body was blasted backward like a broken doll. Blood burst from his mouth as his ribs cracked. He smashed through piles of corpses, each impact sending up sprays of gore and dust.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosion after explosion stacked on top of one another.
Finally, a massive detonation erupted.
A mushroom-shaped cloud rose into the abyssal sky, swallowing everything beneath it. Shockwaves rolled outward, flattening the terrain for miles.
Silence followed.
The SSS-rankers stood still, breathing heavily.
"...Is it over?" one muttered.
"What the hell was that thing?"
"I don’t know, but he was destroying everything."
"Bastard..."
Another let out a shaky laugh. "Thank God. He neutralized every—"
BOOM!
A crimson light flared from the center of the crater.
The entire abyss was flooded with murderous intent so dense that even SSS-rankers gasped. Their hearts skipped. Their instincts screamed.
Then they heard it.
A voice.
Soft.
Calm.
Deadly.
[DEVOUR]
The world dimmed.
A violent vortex formed at the heart of the crater. Corpses, blood, shattered souls, and lingering life force were dragged inward. The screams of the dead echoed as everything was pulled into that single point.
From the vortex, a figure walked out.
His body was soaked in blood. Bones were visible beneath torn flesh, yet his wounds were already closing. He held two swords, one in each hand. Half of his mask was shattered, revealing a wild, sinister grin that made the abyss shudder.
"Hahahahahaha!"
His laughter echoed unnaturally.
"It feels like home."
[DEVOUR]
BOOOOOOOOM!
The suction intensified. Energy poured into him from every direction. The strength he had lost surged back, climbing higher and higher.
The abyssal creatures screamed.
"FUCK!"
"It’s him!"
"Arghhh!"
"Damn it!"
"That madman!"
"What do we do?!"
"What can we even do?! Even our god was beaten like a dog by him and had to crawl away to survive!"
"....."
A deep silence fell.
Despair settled over them like a shroud.
Some stared at Kael with hollow eyes, unable to move.
Then a furious voice roared.
"Shut up and attack! He’s still recovering!"
"GOOO!"
Desperation exploded into action.
Spells, curses, blades, and forbidden arts flooded the air.
[Abyssal Meteor: Black Rain]
[Curse Lock: Soul Sever]
[Void Lance: Heart Breaker]
Blades of darkness, beams of corruption, and screaming constructs shot toward Kael in an overwhelming storm.
Kael watched calmly.
He adjusted his stance, planting his feet firmly into the shattered ground.
"It’s not enough to cut through everything," he muttered.
"But I might manage a bit."
He exhaled slowly.
"I’ve played enough."
"If this drags on, I’ll die for real."
The attacks were already upon him.
Instead of retreating, Kael stepped forward.
Crimson aura erupted around him, sharp and oppressive. His swords hummed violently as space warped around their edges.
His eyes were cold.
Absolute.
"Come," he said softly.
The abyss trembled.
And despair deepened as Kael raised his blades to fight back once more.
As Kael raised both of his swords, the air around him changed.
A heavy and deadly aura burst out from his body like a storm breaking free. Crimson light wrapped around him, slow at first, then faster, crawling over his arms and shoulders before flowing toward the blades in his hands. The glow was thick, almost liquid, and it pulsed like a living thing.
The energy gathered at the edges of the swords.
It did not explode.
It condensed.
Layer by layer, intent piled onto the blades. The air screamed softly as space bent inward, as if the world itself was being dragged toward the swords. Even the abyssal flames nearby flickered and shrank, afraid to come closer.
Kael took a single step forward.
He crossed both swords in front of him and shouted, his voice calm but absolute.
"Dimensional Slash: Fourth Form."
He swung.
Nothing flashy happened at first.
There was no light, no shockwave, no explosion.
Yet every attack flying toward him suddenly stopped.
Dark spells, cursed beams, abyssal blades, and twisted constructs were cut apart mid-air. They did not clash or burst. They were simply erased, sliced cleanly into nothingness as if they had never existed.
The abyssal creatures froze.
"What... what the fuck just happened?" one of them screamed.
Another’s eyes widened in horror.
"Fuck... it’s the fourth form of his Dime—"
He did not finish his sentence.
RUMBLE. RUMBLE.
The ground shook violently. Cracks spread across the abyssal land like broken glass. The sky above twisted and split, spewing flames and violent lightning.
Then came the brutal slam.
CRACKLLLLLEEEE!
It was like the entire world shattering.
A massive crimson flare erupted from the cut space. The slash Kael released finally revealed itself. It was not a line. It was a tear, ripping through the abyss itself.
Flames roared out of it. Lightning struck in all directions. A terrifying intent poured from the rupture, swallowing everything in its path.
Abyssal creatures screamed in panic.
"RUN!"
"FUCK!"
"I’M GOING!"
"Ahhhh! This is cheating!"
"Why can you come here and beat us when we can’t go to your realm!"
"This is unfair!"
"What about the invasion?"
"Fuck the invasion!"
They fled in despair, tripping over one another as the crimson wave chased them.
It caught them anyway.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The abyssal plane exploded.
Land collapsed. Mountains vanished. Creatures were wiped out without even leaving ash behind. Kael’s intent flooded the entire area, erasing everything it touched.
When the light faded, nothing remained but destruction.
Kael turned around and walked toward the portal.
Before stepping through, he paused and looked back at the ruined world.
"Next time I appear," he said calmly, "either prepare to get yourself killed or run away."
Whether anyone heard him did not matter.
The message would reach its owner.
Kael stepped through the portal and disappeared, leaving behind a devastated abyss and screams that echoed long after he was gone.
Seeing this they questioned themselves.
Who was the real monster?
It certainly wasn’t them.