Turning around, Greg looked down and glanced at the shadow-flowing 【Dark Abyss Armament】 covering his body. He clenched his fists, which were encased in hideous gauntlets, and felt the surging power within that far surpassed anything he had felt before. He was secretly shocked.
He had never expected that swallowing a finger in that lake would bring him such massive progress.
And the skill that had undergone a metamorphosis wasn't the only one!
“I thought I was going to be buried with you, but to think... Why did your strength suddenly increase so much?”
Nightmare’s somewhat excited voice suddenly rang out in Greg’s mind.
“I...”
Greg had wanted to briefly explain the horrifying things he had seen and heard in that pool of blood.
However, the moment he uttered a single syllable, his throat felt as if it were being choked by an invisible hand!
All descriptions regarding that blood-red space and the red-haired girl were locked tight by an invisible force, impossible to express in any form!
Greg's heart sank, and a chill ran down his spine.
This was far more unsettling to him than receiving direct physical damage.
Because this meant that swallowing that severed finger had not only brought him a boost in power, but was also a mark, or perhaps the prototype of a contract.
That casual promise to “take Her out” was probably... not going to be so easily laughed off.
If he didn't fulfill it, who knew what consequences the thing left in his body would ultimately bring?
It seemed he had really gotten himself into deep trouble this time...
Changing his tune, he said to Nightmare in his mind:
“...I don't know exactly what happened either. After I was swallowed, I lost consciousness. By the time I came to, I felt my strength explode, as if... I naturally broke through? Maybe my potential was stimulated in a life-or-death moment?”
“Stimulated potential?” Nightmare’s voice was filled with skepticism.
“Roar!!!”
A roar packed with rage and frenzy interrupted Nightmare’s questioning.
The Thirsting Maw had already stood back up. There was no time to explain further.
Greg took a deep breath, temporarily pushing down his worries about the Mother of Fragmentation. He turned his head and spoke to Vivian behind him, whose breathing was still unstable:
“Leave the rest to me. You're badly hurt, so rest in the back for now.”
Vivian looked up, her ice-blue eyes staring deeply at him. The despair and emptiness from before were gone, replaced once again by calmness and resolve.
She didn't try to be brave, simply nodding her head gently.
At this moment, silent trust was more powerful than any words.
“BANG!!!”
Using its even more massive yet clumsy mutated body, the Thirsting Maw slammed its feet against the ground, charging toward Greg like an out-of-control chariot of flesh, carrying a mad momentum to crush everything in its path! Wherever it passed, the ground cracked and debris flew!
Greg neither dodged nor retreated. His legs, covered in the 【Dark Abyss Armament】, bent slightly before he suddenly exerted force. A ring of air exploded beneath his feet as he shot forward like a black cannonball fired from a barrel, meeting it head-on!
The two closed the distance in an instant!
The Thirsting Maw's giant, split flesh petals opened to their limit once more. The spiral teeth and purplish-black flesh tongue inside trembled wildly as a destructive energy frantically gathered within.
“ROAR!!!!”
A massive roar erupted, causing the surrounding space to vibrate slightly.
But this time, the black armor on Greg's body was not affected in the slightest, let alone shattered directly.
“Did you really think the same trick would work twice on the great Dark Saint?!”
With a low shout, Greg twisted his waist and threw his shoulder forward. His right fist, covered in the 【Dark Abyss Armament】, carried a momentum that seemed capable of crushing any obstacle ahead, slamming squarely into the inner side of one of the Thirsting Maw's flesh petals!
“BOOM!!!”
The Thirsting Maw's massive body, as if struck head-on by an invisible giant hammer, flew backward at an even faster speed than its charge!
With a loud crash, its giant body slammed hard into the headless stone statue of the Mother of Fragmentation, which was already in ruins behind it.
Under this impact, the already heavily damaged ancient stone statue shattered completely, turning into a pile of rubble that half-buried the monster.
A moment later, the rubble rolled aside.
The Thirsting Maw struggled to climb back out of the ruins.
But it immediately noticed that the petal of its flesh throat that had just been struck by Greg's fist now had a bizarre, deathly gray color. It had completely lost its vitality and sensation, drooping limply as if all the life and energy inside had been thoroughly devoured in an instant.
“Hiss... Roar... #%&!!”
It let out a screech of mixed pain, shock, rage, and unintelligible Ancient Language. Its remaining flesh petals opened to their limits simultaneously, desperately drawing in the thin mana from the surrounding space, even burning its own life essence to charge up one last, and most powerful, 【Fragmentation Screech】!
Dark red energy gathered deep within its throat, and more and more cracks appeared in the surrounding space as the entire prayer hall began to vibrate!
Although he couldn't use the Silent Covenant to nullify it this time, Greg didn't panic in the slightest.
A ball of black and extremely ominous flame suddenly appeared in his hand. This was a dark-attribute magic upgraded from Void Erosion: [LV3 World-Devouring Black Flame].
Its effect: during the accumulation of the original debuffs, it could additionally apply mana-loss debuffs and deal a small amount of fire-attribute damage.
He threw the black flame in his hand straight at the charging Thirsting Maw.
Upon hitting, it enveloped its entire massive body, beginning to burn violently.
Although in intense pain, the Thirsting Maw did not stop charging its attack.
Meanwhile, Greg had already deactivated his Dark Abyss Armament, crossing his arms over his chest as he quietly watched its solo performance.
Within its chaotic consciousness, the Thirsting Maw seemed to read his contempt, and its already disorganized rage and madness were instantly ignited to the limit!
It directed all of its destructive energy, which was enough to turn the entire hall to dust, at the black figure with crossed arms, and then—
“ROOOOOOOAR!!!!!!”
A massive wave of sound surged toward Greg, but...
...it was only sound, devoid of any other force.
After the roar abruptly ceased, Greg hadn't suffered a single scratch, nor had he even budged from his spot.
Instead, the Thirsting Maw's split flesh petals drooped limply, and its massive body trembled violently from power overexertion and skill backlash before crashing to its knees.
It tried to gather its power again, but its inside was completely empty, with barely enough energy left to sustain basic life functions.
Only then did Greg unhurriedly extinguish the black flame, casting a glance at the system notifications that had been floating in the corner of his vision:
【Target has fallen into "Mana Attrition"!】
【Target has fallen into "Mana Drain"!】
【Target has fallen into "Mana Disorder"!】
【Target has fallen into "Mana Depletion"!】
“Heh, the debuffs from 【World-Devouring Black Flame】 stacked to the max, draining your mana bar dry.”
“Without mana, even the most terrifying skill is completely useless.”
He stopped looking at the dying monster, turned around, and walked with steady steps to Vivian, whose breathing had stabilized significantly.
Then, he extended his hand.
“Can you still move?”
His voice carried a reassuring warmth:
“The final blow, let's do it together.”
Although he had managed to make it in time, he had still nearly gotten her killed, so Greg felt it was only right to give her a bit of compensation.
“...”
Vivian was stunned.
The tall figure extending a hand before her slowly overlapped with a distant scene buried deep in her memories.
Back then, she had hesitated, and ultimately failed to grasp that hand.
But now—
A faint, yet genuine smile slowly appeared on Vivian's pale face.
Then, she raised her somewhat cold hand, which was still covered in blood and dust, and gently grasped that large hand in return.
The soft sensation from her palm seemed to carry a warmth capable of dispersing all gloom.
With a gentle pull, Greg steadily lifted her off the ground.
Side by side, the two walked toward the Thirsting Maw, which was now unable to even struggle.
Vivian raised her other hand, and her ice-blue mana flowed once more. Though weak, it was exceptionally condensed.
A translucent ice crystal sword quickly condensed into shape in her hand.
Greg held her hand, guiding the ice sword to point directly at the Thirsting Maw's final core of life.
Squelch.
The ice sword cleanly pierced into the twisted core of flesh.
The Thirsting Maw's massive body convulsed violently, letting out a sigh-like hiss before all of its vitality vanished in an instant.
Its mutated body, as if stripped of all support, went completely limp. It rapidly shriveled up, finally turning into a puddle of evaporating dark red ash.
Golden words suddenly materialized clearly in the center of Greg's vision:
【Redemption of the Villainous Noble: Phase Two Complete! Phase Three Pending Unlock.】
Rate on N.U.
