Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 567: Leaving the Howling Chasm

Chapter 567: Leaving the Howling Chasm

The Voroe Sage wore a wide and twisted smile, expecting to see his Sage Ability shatter the small yellow cat into pieces that he could devour later. However, what happened next froze that smile in place. Just as the massive, demonic, horned lamb was about to crash into the tiny feline, the Depravita of Gluttony transformed into a sea of dark fog that swallowed the monstrous creature whole.

The demonic lamb struggled, its flames burning brightly and its body thrashing violently, but the dark fog seemed to feed off its resistance, growing stronger with every desperate struggle. The energy it unleashed was absorbed rather than repelled, and within seconds, the massive creature—over five hundred thousand meters long—was completely devoured by the abyssal mist.

The sight left the Voroe Sage speechless. In all his hundreds of years of combat, he had never encountered such an ability. But the battle was far from over.

The dark fog began to condense, reforming into the small yellow cat. However, this time, Jormungandr’s body glowed like a miniature sun, charged with an overwhelming amount of energy that seemed on the verge of detonation.

"Doomsday World Snake!" Jormungandr roared as he unleashed all the energy he had consumed, enhanced by the power of his own energy and Depravita Aura. From the explosion of energy emerged a massive world serpent, its body charged with an insatiable thirst for destruction. The colossal beast surged forward, its very presence distorting the air as it bore down upon the Voroe Sage.

Reacting as swiftly as he could, the Voroe Sage generated shields of dark fire, constructing layer after layer between himself and the incoming serpent. However, the six-hundred-thousand-meter-long beast tore through every barrier as if they were paper, crashing into the Voroe Sage with cataclysmic force.

The impact sent the Sage hurtling into the ground, drilling deeper and deeper into the canyon floor. The sheer force shattered all his bones, ravaging his body with an unforgiving storm of lightning and fire. His flesh was incinerated, his muscles burned away, and his internal organs charred beyond recognition. By the time the Doomsday World Snake’s power finally faded, a massive crater had been left at the canyon’s base. The earth was blackened from the sheer heat and energy released, and within the center of the destruction lay nothing more than the scorched remains of the Voroe Sage.

Despite his incredible magic, as expected from a Mage, the Voroe Sage’s body lacked the endurance of a warrior. He simply couldn’t withstand such overwhelming power.

Jormungandr’s breathing was ragged, his body trembling from the strain. He could feel his blood vessels rupturing due to the sheer pressure of the energy he had just unleashed. But despite the pain, a broad smile stretched across his face—he had successfully slain the Voroe Sage.

Wasting no time, he grabbed the Voroe Sage’s corpse and collected his space storage treasure before departing the battlefield. That last explosion was far too noticeable, and though he seemed fine on the surface, another battle against a Voroe Sage could be more than he could handle at this moment.

Luckily for Jormungandr, the advanced scanning functions of his A.I. Chip allowed him to detect potential enemies before they could sense him. Using this advantage, he was able to alter his course accordingly and avoid unnecessary fights.

---

After thirty-six grueling hours inside the Howling Chasm, Vlad, Jormungandr, Fafnir, and Ouroboros reunited at the entrance of the labyrinthine canyons. Deep and ghastly wounds marked their bodies, yet the only expressions they wore were wide smiles.

They could feel it—how much stronger they had become.

Though only thirty-six hours had passed, each hour had been spent either in combat or preparing for another fight, pushing their bodies, energy, and minds to the absolute limit. This was precisely what they needed—to force their potential to explode and rise to new heights.

After ensuring that none of them had life-threatening injuries, Vlad, Ouroboros, and Jormungandr turned their attention to Fafnir. The fire dragon had undergone a remarkable transformation.

He was no longer just a fire dragon. Now, both fire and ice revolved around his form, generating an explosive synergy that had significantly enhanced his power.

Fafnir grinned widely at the awe on his comrades’ faces. He didn’t leave them wondering for long before explaining the cause of his change.

"It’s my Depravita Ability—Envy’s Embrace," he explained, pride evident in his voice. "It allows me to consume and integrate unique internal characteristics of a target into my genetic makeup. So far, I can only assimilate one entity at a time since my genome cannot handle more than that. Back in Terra, there was nothing that interested me enough to use this ability. But here, one of the Voroe Sages wielded ice-based powers, so I chose to add that to my body, enhancing both my defensive capabilities and my attacks."

Vlad’s eyes widened in awe—and, if he were being honest, a little envy. The ability was truly incredible. It bore some resemblance to Ouroboros’ Depravita Ability, but unlike the white werewolf, who could manifest the physical traits of those he consumed, Envy’s Embrace went even deeper, creating a genetic transformation.

Of course, there was a tradeoff.

While Ouroboros could mimic half a dozen physical traits simultaneously, Fafnir could only permanently integrate one unique trait into his being. Determining which ability was superior was difficult.

As Vlad pondered this, his gaze shifted to Ouroboros, wondering if he had acquired any new physical traits. However, upon closer inspection, the white werewolf remained unchanged.

Sensing Vlad’s unspoken question, Ouroboros let out a long sigh. "Ahh... those monsters’ physical traits aren’t inborn. They’re a result of metal fusing into their bodies combined with their cultivation techniques. Because of that, I can’t assimilate them into my body."

The realization made sense, and the other Sky Seed Depravitas could not help but show complicated smiles as it seemed that the Depravita of Greed would not be able to fully use his racial abilities with the Vorometallicae.