When the plot-skips players into the game world
Chapter 1113 - 442 Death of the Lord

Chapter 1113: Chapter 442 Death of the Lord

Aiwass’s mind flashed with information about this dungeon.

This dungeon is called [Blood Altar Ancient Ruins]. It’s not a main storyline dungeon but rather the type designed for quick runs to reliably produce the final piece of a Priest’s level 50 endgame gear—it belongs to the Fallen Celestial Marshal expansion.

After the Fallen Celestial Marshal descended, the leyline mana flow in many areas of Star Antimony went out of control. This caused a series of earthquakes, resulting in numerous underground ruins cracking open once more, allowing Prophets to pinpoint precise locations. As a result, many dungeons with suffixes like "Ancient Ruins" or "Primordial Ruins" were created.

Once inside this dungeon, after clearing one wave of mobs, the player directly encounters the boss. There are no successive "Phase One" or "Phase Two" mini-bosses bringing the fight to the player before the core showdown; this is a classic "straight path" dungeon. The entire layout has only one route—rushing forward nonstop leads directly to the final boss. The mobs ahead of it can be bypassed entirely, allowing a player to pull and kite them all to the boss room entrance in a single train for resolution.

Because of this setup, there are plenty of swift-clear videos for this dungeon. Watching a wall of mob health bars all get wiped out in one screen at the dungeon’s entrance—even by mass pulling with a literal train—is an oddly satisfying experience... Something akin to grooming cow hooves or shampooing carpets. So much so that Aiwass instantly recognized this dungeon upon seeing the Blood Pool.

"Why aren’t you speaking, intruders?"

The noble-dressed, middle-aged, black-haired Son of the Moon spoke sternly: "Did you kill my guards?"

"Do you know...?"

As he spoke, his hands, which had been clasped behind his back in a pose resembling a leader inspecting his domain, naturally stretched forward.

They instantly accumulated a heavy aura of Blood Qi, and within a blink, lightning crackled into white arcs that reduced the bishop-like Aiwass into ashes!

However, that "Aiwass" merely shattered like a mirage, along with Cardinal Galatea beside him, dissipating amidst crackling electricity and vibrations.

This wasn’t the effect of [Upright Summon·Mirror of Night Terrors]—it was merely an illusion arranged by Cardinal Galatea.

Advanced Divine Arts don’t require prayers to activate, so prior to the opponent’s turn-around, Cardinal Galatea had already concealed both himself and Aiwass, ensuring the enemy’s observed locations were all incorrect.

—"Oh, you think you’re slick, sneaking a quiet spellcasting as if I wouldn’t notice?"

Hidden behind Cardinal Galatea’s mirror shroud, Aiwass gave a cold chuckle at the sight.

Oh, the average fool might indeed fail to notice.

Feigning to speak while covertly preparing a spell.

Launching an ambush the moment the opponent replies... This is a tactic only those who require neither chanting nor materials nor visible Rune Arrays or elemental ripples—such as Blood Magi and Blood Lords—could pull off.

"Against you, this card feels just right..."

In Aiwass’s hand, the Book of Law materialized; alongside it appeared a deep crimson card, which promptly burned to ashes.

"...Is this an illusion?"

The man’s brows furrowed in scrutiny and suspicion, his gaze darting left and right, but no trace of the intruders was visible.

He wandered to the door but found no evidence the door had been opened.

"—Lord Lester, is something the matter?"

A guard’s voice called from outside.

"Did anyone come through here?"

Lord Lester, the Son of the Moon, frowned deeply and questioned.

"No, my lord!"

The guard answered confidently, "We’ve stood guard the whole time—no one passed through here!"

"...Alright then, stay vigilant, gentlemen."

"Understood, my lord."

The guards responded, their voices accompanied by the sound of clashing steel and retreating footsteps.

Lester furrowed his brows tighter.

Those two intruders had slipped away unnoticed—as if they never existed at all.

He felt certain he was plagued by illusions yet couldn’t discern which perspective was real.

If someone remained invisible or utilized Illusion Techniques to hide within, he would need to use area-affecting spells to uncover every inch of space; otherwise, once the ritual began, he’d stand powerless. But now, at the critical juncture of his Ritual Array, doing so risked undoing his progress entirely.

If undone, this sacred ritual would take years to prepare anew...

"...Those two... Why does it feel like they weren’t illusions? But they seemed to say nothing."

Lord Lester muttered softly, reaching up to clasp the black cross hanging from his throat—the [Helasal Radiance], engraved with the number "007." This was the Empire’s highest honor given to those of non-noble birth who contributed greatly to its prosperity. It also served as recognition of their elevation to nobility.

This was Lester’s most cherished possession, a treasure among all his wealth that was utterly irreplaceable.

He had resolved to carry it with him to his funeral, completing his transformation. And in moments of unease or hesitation like this, he reflexively grasped it.

—The cost of interrupting the ritual was too high, and everything he’d seen could very well be illusions conjured to disrupt his Ritual Array. Thus, instead of acting decisively, he paced in uncertainty.

Meanwhile, Aiwass had completed his preparations.

Behind him, Liya, dressed in a black and red robe and in full manifestation with four butterfly wings, appeared!

"Liya!"

Aiwass wasted no time and directly commanded, "Guiding Flame Stream!"

With hands raised high, Liya unleashed golden-red flames that swiftly coalesced and shot toward Lord Lester’s back in a roaring blast!

"Sneaky little thief! I knew it!"

Lester roared in anger, turning in an instant!

He had long braced himself for an ambush; scarlet pupils erupted with vibrant azure Radiance—his pale skin turned chillingly cold, vivid purple veins surfaced in vast webs, and a frigid layer of ice solidified across his body, enabling him to withstand the Defiant Flame Butterfly’s fiery assault directly, unharmed!

He exhaled a bone-chilling mist, dispersing parts of the flame stream.

"The price for disrupting my sacred ritual!"

He spoke with rapidly freezing teeth and tongue, slurring as his voice distorted: "Will be paid by you!"

"What an ungracious threat."

Aiwass’s voice emerged leisurely, laced with sarcasm: "I’m saving you, after all."

His silhouette remained hidden; his voice projected elsewhere by Cardinal Galatea.

Lester snapped his head abruptly, locking eyes on the region.

His pupils dazzled.

In that blink, the entire section froze and condensed into liquid—white frost like countless wings burst forth, chilling the Blood Pool, frosting the iron pillars. Sacrificial victims bound tightly to posts froze into twisted corpses.

Yet, he failed to pinpoint Aiwass’s location, as the gradually heating flame stream became impossible to ignore.

Lester exhaled furiously, clenching his fist.

As ice spikes like bone spikes perforated his skin, spiraling outward, each breath infused him with an icier aura, his body becoming more frostbitten blue.

Pure water materialized from the void, forming ice walls that thickened layer by layer. Meanwhile, [Guiding Flame Stream] reached its full state following three seconds’ preheat.

The former golden red grew brighter, shifting into scorching platinum white.

The flame stream tore through air, generating highly visible white shockwaves that roared into storms.

In the chamber, cold clashed fiercely against heat, yet Lester faced the Superior Phantom Defiant Flame Butterfly without any retreat—the ice walls thickened further, frost blanketed the room, and when resisting the fully prepared Guiding Flame Stream, the frost displayed an advantage!

This was the unique combat style of the dungeon’s [Tainted Blood Angel]!

Apart from its nimble Blood Magic, it wielded unparalleled ice manipulation—a capability Moon Sons theoretically couldn’t command. After all, Winter’s techniques counter Moon Sons’ immortality, and the eternally youthful Moon Sons shouldn’t follow the Dusk Path.

The reason is simple...

Because Lord Lester stored inside his body a mysterious blue gemstone packed with immense energy.

He didn’t know what this gemstone represented, but merely contacting it granted him boundless power.

To prevent theft or destruction, he had stored the gemstone directly in his body!

Despite causing him pain akin to a clam cultivating a pearl...

Still, pain means little, true power is everything!

He extended his hand, fiercely clenching toward the Defiant Flame Butterfly!

Countless transparent ice blades emerged from all directions, aiming to fatally pierce the Defiant Flame Butterfly!

The Defiant Flame Butterfly immediately took a defensive stance, but this was meaningless against attacks perfectly aligned with her weakness.

She was heavily injured, crying out as she fell to the ground.

Immediately, Lester clasped his hands together.

Two ice walls materialized on both sides, instantly squeezing in. Layers of ice engulfed them, solidifying into an enormous ice mountain.

This was the ultimate ice, impossible to melt even for a Fifth Power Level Transcendent!

Lester exhaled in relief.

But he remained cautious, suddenly unleashing a blast of Frost Nova—icy chills erupted outward in all directions, the Celestial Marshal-level strength ravaging everything. Iron pillars shattered, corpses disintegrated instantly into dust, and the ground cracked entirely.

Yet, he felt like he’d hit nothing.

Confirmed. Those two individuals had left or perhaps never existed at all... Only the butterfly-shaped Phantom Demon remained.

"Such potent illusion demon blood..."

Lester greedily eyed the frozen Defiant Flame Butterfly encased within the ice mountain: "Such burning blood... Surely it could ease my suffering..."

The protective ice layer enveloping his body, shielding him from virtually all harm, quietly dissipated.

Such was the mysterious gemstone’s power—it granted genuine invincibility but inflicted agonizing torment... that sensation of frostbitten skin so excruciatingly sharp it could numb a normal person instantly, freezing their blood solid. Only Moon Sons can maintain their skin and blood’s vital state... Thus, he endured this perpetual frost pain.

After combat, the protection was abandoned as swiftly as possible.

It was at that moment that a slicing sensation came upon his neck.

Lester felt his vision suddenly soar upward—

While his body froze entirely.

Within his vision’s final frame, a scythe appeared.

It was—Mournful Death.