Greg shook his numbed arms, mentally complaining: Follower, my foot! I'm just an unlucky guy forcibly bound to this!
But he had no time to explain, nor any need to. After a brief moment of shock, the hooded man's gaze became even more dangerous and resolute.
Clearly, the fact that Greg possessed the power of another lost deity only fueled his murderous intent.
"You cannot be allowed to live!"
The hooded man let out a low growl, and an indescribable spiritual pressure suddenly erupted from him!
It wasn't pure physical pressure, but a form of pollution that acted directly on the soul—a mixture of frantic whispers, twisted desires, and extreme fear!
Greg's head spun, and the scene before him distorted slightly. The crazed murmurs and cries of countless people seemed to ring in his ears, and his limbs felt bound by invisible shackles, causing his movements to instantly become sluggish!
"Careful! This is the Mental Erosion technique commonly used by followers of the Mother of Depravity! Guard your mind!"
Nightmare's voice rang out in his mind like a warning bell.
Greg bit his tongue hard. The sharp pain and the metallic taste of blood jolted his spirit, forcing him to break free from that dazed state!
Almost simultaneously, he kicked off the ground and threw himself to the side in a desperate dive!
Boom!
A sharp stone pillar, as solid as a steel spike, erupted right where he had been standing, pulverizing several thick floorboards!
That was close!
His heart still racing, a look of ferocity flashed in Greg's eyes.
Now!
"Dark Pulse!"
He flicked that inconspicuous small black dot toward the hooded man, who had just finished casting a powerful spell and seemed slightly relaxed, certain that Greg couldn't have dodged.
The hooded man was clearly surprised that Greg could break free from the mental erosion. He showed instinctive disdain for the flying black dot, casually swinging his axe to swat it away.
However, the Dark Pulse acted as if it had no physical form, drifting effortlessly through the axe blade and sinking into his chest.
In the next instant—
The hooded man's movements suddenly stiffened.
【Target is afflicted with "Weakness" (Moderate)!】
【Target is afflicted with "Blindness"!】
【Target is afflicted with "Confusion"!】
【Target is afflicted with "Fear" (Light)!】
【Target is afflicted with "Mana Disorder"!】
【Target is afflicted with "Life Drain" (Slow)!】
A string of negative status effects began to take effect.
The hooded man's aura withered visibly, his movements becoming sluggish as the pale yellow shield on his body flickered. He let out a low growl of pain and fury, trying to swing his axe, but the motion was skewed and weak, as if he had lost his sense of direction.
Greg felt a surge of joy.
As expected, against a humanoid target without dungeon protection, the effects of Dark Pulse were significantly more pronounced!
If he could just stall for a bit longer until the debuffs fully took hold...
However, just as Greg thought victory was within reach, a sudden change occurred!
"Hrr... hrr... Mother Goddess... grant me... clarity!!"
The hooded man suddenly let out a beast-like growl. He abruptly raised his left hand, his fingers curving into claws, and raked them savagely across his own forehead!
His nails sank deep into his flesh, and blood streamed down through his fingers!
At the same time, the last trace of clarity in his eyes was replaced by madness—a ferocious intent that sought to forcibly override the debuffs by self-mutilating and squeezing out his latent potential!
He had actually used mental pollution on himself to temporarily suppress the influence of the negative status effects!
Though his aura remained unstable and his body was wounded, his movements clearly became swift and lethal once again!
"Dammit!"
Greg cursed under his breath, his expression turning grim.
His proficiency was still too low!
The intensity of the debuffs wasn't enough!
After the continuous fighting and using the high-cost dark-attribute magic, the mana in his body was nearly depleted.
And while his opponent was badly injured and in poor condition, that desperate ruthlessness and remaining strength were still enough to pose a fatal threat.
"My other half, this cannot continue."
Nightmare's voice rang out again, this time with a hint of decisiveness.
"Your current proficiency in dark magic is too low to unleash its true power. I have a method that might help you boost your shadow power in a short time, but... the process is painful and carries some risk."
"What method? Tell me!"
Greg asked urgently in his mind while struggling to dodge the hooded man's increasingly frantic attacks.
"The nature of shadow power lies not only in erosion and weakness but also in devouring and assimilation. The stone tablets and the Breath of Slumber in your possession contain the power of the Mother of Depravity. If you can forcibly devour that power and make it your own, you should be able to instantly elevate your understanding and control of shadow power, forcing your magic to evolve."
"But this process is like inviting external evil into your body. It is exceptionally dangerous; a single mistake could result in the pollution of your soul. I originally wanted to wait until your foundation was more stable and my own soul had recovered slightly before guiding you through this kind of plunder..."
Greg had no other choice now.
His mana was about to run out, and his opponent was fighting without regard for his own life. If this dragged on, he wouldn't be able to protect Silvia, and he'd likely end up dead himself.
"I'll gamble on it!"
He growled. Seizing a gap after dodging a heavy cleave, he snatched the stone tablets and the vial containing the Breath of Slumber from his robes. He pushed the power of the Bracers of Darkness to the limit; the pitch-black bracers instantly extended like two greedy, gaping maws, sinking their teeth into the tablets and the vial!
"No!! Sacrilege! You dare desecrate the power of the Mother Goddess!!!"
Seeing this, the hooded man let out a heart-wrenching roar of extreme fury and horror, as if Greg had committed an unforgivable sin against heaven.
Ignoring his own injuries, the pale yellow mana surged violently around him. He gripped his battle-axe with both hands and raised it high above his head. Upon the blade, a heavy yellow light condensed, seemingly capable of crushing mountains!
"Die!! Earth Shatter!!!"
He shrieked, swinging the strike that gathered all his remaining mana and rage toward the Greg, who was currently devouring the power!
The power of this strike far exceeded anything before it!
Rumble—!!!
Terrifying earth-attribute mana exploded. It wasn't a simple slash, but a localized earthquake and energy explosion! The already rickety wooden shack completely disintegrated under the blow!
Thick log beams snapped, rotting wooden walls blew into fragments, and the ground collapsed into a deep pit. Dust and stone geysered into the air, completely swallowing the spot where Greg stood.
The sound of the violent explosion traveled far across the silent wilderness.
The hooded man leaned on his battle-axe, kneeling on one knee and gasping for breath. Blood poured from the wound on his forehead, and his aura had weakened to the extreme.
Forcibly suppressing the debuffs and unleashing that final strike had exhausted nearly everything he had.
But his eyes flickered with satisfaction and cruelty.
"Damned blasphemer... finally..."
He gasped a few times, struggling to stand. His gaze began to sweep the surroundings, searching for the pink-haired girl who might be hiding nearby.
"This is the Divine Messenger's order. It must be completed."
However, just as his eyes moved toward the center of the dust-filled ruins, his body suddenly froze.
The dust slowly dissipated in the night wind.
In the center of the ruins, at the edge of the collapsed ground, a figure remained standing upright.
It was Greg.
His clothes were severely torn and covered in dust and blood, making him look quite bedraggled.
But what was heart-stopping was that the layer of ink-black armor that had previously only covered his arms had undergone a significant change.
It had become more solid. The black mist flowing over its surface seemed to have turned into a living thing, slowly writhing and emitting a deeper, more ominous aura.
Furthermore, this layer of dark armor had spread from his arms down to his legs, reaching his ankles and forming a more complete set of dark armaments.
He slowly raised his head. His amber eyes shone with startling intensity in the gloom, and a black vortex seemed to flash within them for a fleeting moment.
He flexed his fingers, which were covered by the dark bracers, producing a grating sound.
Simultaneously, deep within Greg's mind, the system prompts clearly surfaced:
【Dark-attribute mana limit increased.】
【Understanding of dark-attribute magic deepened.】
【Bracers of Darkness LV1 → Dark-Erosion Armament LV2.】
【Dark Pulse LV1 → Void Erosion LV2.】
Rate on N.U.
