Chapter 562: The Fall Begins

Chapter 562: The Fall Begins

In the face of the current Rayne, the various incarnations of the deities felt a bit uneasy.

Each incarnation's arrival was a minor drain on their deity's divine essence. While the power consumption of a projection was only a fraction, at most a thousandth, an incarnation would consume a full percent.

If this happened too often, it would greatly slow down the deity's recovery process, which was why the deities were reluctant to let their incarnations fall.

As the deities were still pondering what Rayne meant by "waste", Rayne didn't say anything more. Instead, he raised his hand and unleashed a full-power 5th-Circle Wizardry, "High-Frequency Slash", at the gathered deities.

Instantly, the attack that had slain the Great Sage Temeril reappeared!

Five massive, humming Dark Silver Metal Disks shot toward the deities' incarnations like lightning.

"Quick! Scatter!" the Hunting God Rune, who was the most wary of Rayne, shouted first.

During the battle with the Vile Demon, the deities' avatars had already expended a significant amount of energy. Now, facing Rayne, who could easily slay a demigod-level Vile Demon, they had no desire to engage in a prolonged fight.

On the other hand, the deities also thought that since Rayne was alone, he couldn't possibly catch all of them. If sacrificing one could save the other six, it would be a worthwhile trade.

As for which one would fall, that would depend on each one's strength and skill.

The Hunting God Rune and the Sea Goddess Hela, both quite clever, fled in the same direction as the Devouring Serpent.

The injured Devouring Serpent was naturally slower, and this trio perfectly illustrated the saying, "When you encounter a tiger, you don't need to run faster than the tiger; you just need to run faster than your companions."

The Hunting God Rune and the Sea Goddess Hela couldn't outrun the Dark Silver Metal Disks, but they were faster than the Devouring Serpent. They flashed ahead, putting themselves in front of the serpent.

This left the Devouring Serpent, which had been lagging behind, suddenly facing three Dark Silver Metal Disks.

"Roar!!!"

With a pained roar, the massive Devouring Serpent froze. Its solid form began to fade, and in the end, only a palm-sized, dark red crystal remained, floating in the air.

As Rayne approached, a ghostly serpent's form within the crystal snarled at him.

Meanwhile, the other two Dark Silver Metal Disks successfully slew two more deities' incarnations. The more powerful Limb-Appending Eldritch Deity Graec and another hooded Eldritch Deity punched through the metal ceiling of B3 Level and fled to B2 Level in a panic.

"This must be the Devouring Serpent's Divine Shard."

Rayne stepped forward, quickly picking up the Divine Shards of the Devouring Serpent and the other two Eldritch Deities. However, he didn't choose to absorb them immediately; instead, he pocketed them and followed the fleeing deities at a leisurely pace.

"Damn! How can this human advance so quickly!"

"And the power and proficiency of his 5th-Circle Wizardry don't match that of a newly ascended Full Moon Wizard at all. It's more like an experienced Full Moon Wizard!"

The Hunting God Rune, while fleeing, recalled the scenes of Rayne slaying the Vile Demon's avatar and the Devouring Serpent, his eyes flashing with fear.

However, just as he broke through the metal ceiling of B3 Level and reached B2 Level, a massive black shadow, not much slower than him, suddenly pounced on him.

As Rune crashed to the ground, he saw that it was a rare steel dragon that had stopped him.

It turned out that the two dragons and Tirion the Sword Saint, along with three others, had been waiting for the right moment to strike.

With the deities' incarnations focused on escaping, the ambush was perfect.

The Black Dragon Mithus unleashed a shadow breath attack on the emerging Limb-Appending Eldritch Deity Graec!

Meanwhile, Tirion the Sword Saint, Helm, Og, and Otto, being slightly weaker, joined forces to attack the more familiar Sea Goddess Hela.

The hooded male deity, with no one to stop him, managed to break through B2 Level and escape to the ground floor.

But as soon as he reached the surface, he saw three Federation fire-element Dawn Wizards waiting there.

For a moment, both sides stared at each other in surprise!

The next second, the unexpected encounter turned into a clash!

"Three insignificant worms think they can ambush me!"

The hooded deity roared, unleashing a wave of gray smoke.

The three Federation fire-element Dawn Wizards hastily defended themselves, but in their panic, they could only rely on their innate wizardry.

However, facing the enraged attack of a peak Dawn-level deity's incarnation, that wasn't enough.

Moreover, this hooded deity, a figure of worship and reverence in the Plague Cult, had every move and attack laced with potent toxins.

The three fire-element Dawn Wizards from the federation began to rapidly develop red swellings, pus-filled sores, and yellowish discharge. Their skin quickly rotted and decayed, as if wax figurines had been placed in a scorching fire, instantly losing their human form.

Only the small amount of foul-smelling pus and fabric fragments left on the ground testified to what had just been there.

As for Rayne, he had already arrived at Level B2.

"Blasphemer, don't get too cocky!"

"Swish!"

Two beams of Dark Silver light intersected, and the Sea Goddess Hela, unable to dodge in time, was both shocked and furious. She didn't finish her sentence before her incarnation was shredded, leaving behind a black Divine Shard floating in mid-air.

Rayne's figure flashed, and he pocketed it, then nodded slightly to Tirion the Sword Saint and the other three, expressing his gratitude.

Next, he focused his gaze on Grek, the Limb-Appending Eldritch Deity, who was fiercely battling the black dragon Morthes.

Grek, startled by Rayne's intense gaze, immediately risked his left arm being bitten off by the black dragon and charged upward.

"Swish!"

Just as he was about to break through the metal ceiling of Level B2, three beams of Dark Silver light flashed across his body!

Instantly, another Divine Shard dropped.

"Five of them!" Rayne's figure flashed, and he picked it up.

This scene caused the Hunting God Rune, who was entangled in battle with the steel dragon Doric, to narrow his eyes sharply.

"I will return!"

With a roar of anger, the next moment, a violent explosion sounded.

"Roar!!!"

The Hunting God Rune's incarnation had chosen to self-destruct, causing the steel dragon Doric to be blasted several dozen meters away. Even with the steel dragon's formidable defenses, he let out a pained howl in response to a deity's incarnation self-destructing.

"Actually self-destructed!"

Rayne was also taken aback by this sight.

He hadn't expected the Hunting God Rune to be so resolute!

Tirion the Sword Saint and the others were even more stunned. Forcing a deity's incarnation to self-destruct?

This...

"His injuries are not severe."

"More metal will help him recover quickly." Rayne quickly approached the steel dragon Doric and checked his injuries.

Thanks to timely evasion and the steel dragon's tough hide, Doric's injuries were not serious. Additionally, this was the Sky City, where metal was abundant, so he should recover soon.

"Lord Rayne... another deity's incarnation has already gone up", Helm said, hurrying over.

"Hmm, no need to chase. I've already sensed his aura fading; he must have fled", Rayne shook his head and replied.

Suddenly, Rayne's expression changed!

He said solemnly, "Lord Tirion, you all be careful. Something seems to be emerging from below."

Before he finished speaking, Rayne had vanished, leaving the stunned Tirion and the others.

Because just then, Rayne had sensed that the several Vile Demon forces he had separated and confined were becoming increasingly agitated, as if trying to break free. Moreover, a chilling aura was rising from the lowest level of the Sky City.

What was even more peculiar was the presence of a special aura mixed in.

As Rayne arrived at Level B3, he suddenly thought of something and stopped in his tracks.

He quickly pulled out the five Divine Shards of varying colors and shapes from his pocket, and after a moment's thought, he tightly gripped the smallest one.

It seemed that the Devouring Serpent had been partially corrupted by the Vile Demon in the previous battle, so its Divine Shard was the smallest in volume.

"The thing below seems extremely difficult to handle."

"First, I'll absorb the Devouring Serpent's Divine Shard to boost my strength", Rayne furrowed his brow and thought.

In the next instant, as a dark red mist dissipated, the Devouring Serpent's Divine Shard vanished from Rayne's palm.

Instantly, the System Prompt sounded:

[Ding! A Divine Shard capable of enhancing psi energy fission has been detected. Would you like to accelerate absorption? (Note: System absorption can purify and complete the process in one go.)]

Rayne, familiar with the process, immediately chose "Yes!"

In an instant, he felt a powerful and malevolent energy surge from the Divine Shard, accompanied by the hissing of a giant snake's tongue.

This had no effect on Rayne, but if it were someone like Helm or Og, a Dawn Wizard, they would likely be influenced by the residual will of the Eldritch Deity and suffer a mutation.

After being purified by the system, the residual will of the Devouring Serpent was completely erased, and the remaining pure energy surged up Rayne's arm and into his mind.

In Rayne's mental sea, the psi energy core, which resembled a cracked earth core, pulsed even more powerfully.

Two seconds later, Rayne checked his attribute panel:

Psyche: 414 (Fission 9%)

"Hmm, the smallest one increased it by 8%?!"

Rayne was a bit surprised, but also delighted.

He was surprised because he had originally estimated that the Divine Shards would not significantly enhance a Full Moon Wizard.

But now, it seemed his estimate was off.

The effect of the Divine Shards was much higher than he had anticipated.

His delight was simpler.

Because enhancing a Full Moon Wizard was extremely difficult.

Previously, Rayne had consulted ancient tomes and learned that, in the past, most Full Moon Wizards needed decades, if not a century, to achieve such a significant advancement.

But he, in a flash, completed the process.

Immediately after, Rayne began absorbing the second and third fragments.

However, when he absorbed the fourth, a peculiar figure suddenly emerged from beneath the metal floor of B3 Level, and the gas cylinders that were restrained began to shake violently.

Imperial Capital Temeril.

In the front courtyard of the Roin Estate, Mint was feeding a piece of roasted meat to Cookie while petting the dog's glossy fur, creating a serene and content scene.

"Cookie, do you think—" Mint, half-crouching, seemed to be speaking to herself.

But at that moment, Cookie's head, which had been lying down, suddenly lifted, and its half-closed eyes widened as it looked toward the distant sky.

This sudden action naturally interrupted what Mint was about to say.

"Ruff! Ruff!!" Cookie, who had been lazy a moment ago, now stood alert and barked loudly.

Surprised, Mint immediately followed Cookie's gaze. The next second, her eyes widened and her mouth opened in shock.

In the distance, above the towering spire of the Kolong Cathedral, a large mass of Black Mist was rising. If it were just Black Mist, it wouldn't be unusual, but this mass was moving like a living thing, continuously surging.

Even from a distance, Mint could vaguely see sharp claws and a mad mouth emerging from the Black Mist, as if some terrifying creature was about to break free!

Just by looking, an intense sense of fear welled up inside Mint.

"Sister Lagrelle!"

"Sister Claire!" Mint couldn't help but tremble and shout.

In an instant, the graceful Claire darted out of the villa, and soon, another lithe and agile figure appeared beside Mint—it was Lagrelle.

As soon as they emerged, both women followed Mint's gaze, and their expressions immediately turned grave.

Although their strength wasn't at the top tier in the Empire, they had both reached the Quasi-Legendary Peak.

Even so, the moment they looked at the Black Mist, a strong sense of fear arose within them.

At that moment, Griffin Knights were already flying toward the Black Mist from the sky. However, before they could get close, they were ensnared in the tendrils of Black Mist, suspended in mid-air.

Even the Imperial Griffins they rode were restrained, emitting painful cries.

No matter how the Griffin Knights struggled, the sinuous Black Mist, like shifting steel, held them fast.

Within seconds, these Imperial Griffin Knights began to convulse as if electrocuted, and then, to everyone's horror, they suddenly regained their mobility and turned to attack other approaching Griffin Knights.

"Controlled?"

The two women exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

"Claire, the feeling this Black Mist gives me is no less intense than when we encountered the divine incarnation last time. The pressure is even stronger!"

The Barbarian Maiden, having broken through using the most primitive methods, had a natural alertness to danger.

At that moment, her face was pale, and beads of sweat had formed on her smooth forehead, clearly sensing the immense danger.

"Right, Lagrelle, we need to organize an immediate evacuation!" Claire said after a moment's thought.

She had a feeling that the Imperial Capital might not be able to withstand this time, as the terror of the Black Mist seemed to surpass even that of the divine.

Fortunately, after the last great battle in the Imperial Capital, Rayne had discussed with her how to quickly evacuate in case of an emergency.

"Roar!!!"

Suddenly, a loud dragon cry echoed through the sky!

The Imperial Dragon Knights, who had always avoided appearing in the public eye, were now boldly flying above the Imperial Capital.

One...

Two...

Eight...

Their numbers continued to grow!

Now, there was no need for notifications or alarms; the entire city of Imperial Capital Temeril was in turmoil, with panicked citizens, and frantic commands to stablehands to quickly drive carriages for escape.

For a moment, the Imperial Capital was filled with the screams, cries, and shouts of men, women, and children of all ages and social statuses.

In the air.

"Bad news! It's a Vile Demon!"

"The ancient Vile Demon has escaped the suppression of the Church of the Goddess!"

"But how is this possible!" exclaimed the oldest and strongest Imperial Guardian, Valkemar.

"What! A Vile Demon?"

Many of the Imperial Guardians who had heard this name changed color!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end