novelkee Chapter 131 Madness Part 3: Calamity
Chapter 131 Madness Part 3: Calamity
Flames danced around her, and Ling Qianqing, burning with the scorching flames, wielded the sword in her hand, all to protect those she considered her companions and to slay the pitch-black monster before her!
The flames were abruptly cut off, carrying Ming, who had been attacked, away at high speed. All the trees along the way were burned, and finally, after flying a great distance, they turned into pillars of fire.
boom--!
In the deep pit left by the dissipation of the pillar of fire, Ming steadied himself and looked at Ling Qianqing, who was walking towards him step by step with her sword in hand. Her eyes were even more determined as she looked at him.
"It's not over yet!" she hissed, as flames erupted from her body once more.
The remaining five people, seeing Ming knocked down again, immediately gave chase, their figures flashing and creating gusts of wind.
In that bottomless pit, Ming knelt on one knee, clutching his head in agony. His other hand tightly covered the gruesome wound on his abdomen, slashed open by the raging flames.
The raging flames of regeneration, like a tenacious fire of life, persistently repaired its hideous wounds. However, compared to usual, the power of these flames seemed to be gradually waning.
"Hoo... Ahhh!"
Amidst the billowing dust, Artemisia calmly charged in, thrusting her sword straight into Ming's heart, who offered no resistance, pinning him firmly to the ground.
"The Flame Beast has been severely wounded and captured. Now, let DEM destroy it."
As Ming's consciousness was being torn apart by murderous intent, he vaguely heard Allen tell the remaining people that his head was throbbing and his reason was being shattered.
"You think you're so ruthless only to your own kind who are also villains, but intentionally let these innocent girls who are unaware of it all go free? You're really merciful~" That incredibly mocking male voice echoed in Ming's mind.
'Asmodeus! What are you doing out here...'
'Hmm, you're so heartless, Ming... I was just trying to kindly remind you. You have the immortality bestowed upon you by me and that [tree], so why are you squandering your kindness so recklessly? Know that since the start of the battle, your spiritual power has been nearly exhausted.'
'so what?'
"So, putting aside the question of immortality for now, whether you can regenerate and replenish your spiritual energy later is another matter entirely. With both hands severed and the frequent use of the [Angel] to deplete the spiritual energy you need to maintain your human form, you must have very little left... truly pathetic~"
Hearing Asmodeus's reminder, Ming gritted his teeth, thinking to himself: 'So what are you trying to say!'
"It's not difficult at all. You just need to abandon morality. Although 'cruelty' is a fiery element, its most valued ability is not immortality, but the latter: 'releasing desire.' You just need to let go of your thoughts, allow your body to be controlled by killing intent, and annihilate them all."
Ming closed his eyes tightly, his heart in turmoil. He didn't want to give up the little kindness she had given him, but his current situation was indeed difficult.
He was pinned to the ground, but if he didn't resist, the result would be that his spiritual power would be used to block his technology and he would be studied. However, because of his immortality, it would only prolong the time before he saw Sawa again... He was very clear about this.
Ming's forehead was covered in sweat, and his inner struggle grew stronger.
'Don't hesitate any longer! Didn't you become a "monster" after that girl left? Why are you still clinging to what you believe was the kindness she gave you...? Come on! Stop suppressing it! You'll only drift further and further away from your dream!'
Ming slowly opened his eyes, a look of bewilderment flashing in them. He shouldn't have hesitated just because others shared her beliefs. Since he was going to be a villain, instead of hesitating, he should atone for his sins later!
"I'm sorry... but I won't stop until I see her again! Even if you have your own reasons for fighting, I must overcome you!!"
The faint flames that had been flickering on the body pinned to the ground suddenly ignited, and the black flames burst into flames, forming a jet-black pillar of fire that shot into the sky!
Artemisia, who was gripping the hilt of her sword tightly, was horrified when she saw this and instinctively tried to loosen her grip to avoid being hurt.
"What's going on..."
With a soft "hiss," Artemisia's two hands were completely vaporized by the extreme heat in the blink of an eye!
Before she could even utter a painful cry, she stared in utter horror as her hands vanished before her eyes.
"wrong!!"
Just as Allen was about to step forward, he realized something was wrong and quickly took a few steps back.
Standing at the very back, Möbius stared at Ming with growing excitement. Undoubtedly, Ming in the battle just now was completely different from the battle more than twenty years ago, which was filled with pure killing intent. Only in that berserk moment was he the most perfect being in his mind!
As the black flames burned, Ming slowly stood up. The sword that had pierced him fell to the ground with a clang, and a scarlet cross-shaped pattern appeared on his forehead.
Bang-!
At this moment, the black flames surrounding Ming pulsed rhythmically like a heart. He slowly raised his head, and a change had occurred in his red and blue beastly eyes; the whites of his eyes were completely devoured by black, and the expression beneath the mask gradually turned frenzied…
"Hahahahahahaha!"
As the deafening, manic laughter rang out, the temperature in the forest enveloped by the random domain continued to rise, the land rapidly became dry, and the trees began to vaporize from their centers in an instant.
...deaths and tragedies
Everyone stared wide-eyed at Ming, their faces filled with terror, as if they were witnessing the end of the world. Their bodies trembled slightly, and low whimpers escaped their throats.
The hearts of these women, hailed as world-class magicians, were pounding wildly as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the intense rhythm so loud that the "thump-thump-thump" sound could be clearly heard.
This fear does not come from external threats or specific things, but rather from an instinctive reaction deep within the heart and buried in the soul.
It was like a raging torrent, instantly overwhelming everyone's consciousness and reason. People couldn't control their emotions and physiological reactions, and could only let this fear sweep over them like a tidal wave.
This is an innate fear, the most fundamental fear!
Ming glanced casually at the DEM being monitored by the drone, as if he were looking at trash.
The atmosphere inside the DEM social conference room, where advanced drone technology was being used to observe the entire battle situation, was unusually tense.
At that moment, all the board members sitting at the conference table, staring intently at the screen, were suddenly enveloped by an indescribable sense of terror.
In the video, Ming seemed to sense that someone was secretly watching him; his cold and ruthless gaze flashed across the screen like lightning.
With just that one glance, everyone present felt as if their heart was being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, and their breathing became rapid.
Immediately afterwards, those board members who were usually pampered and aloof turned ashen-faced, their eyes wide open, and their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
Some clutched their chests, groaning in pain; others collapsed to the ground, their limbs convulsing. Soon after, they lost consciousness; some suffered cardiac arrest, while others died from ruptured blood vessels in their brains.
The entire conference room fell silent instantly. Only Westcott, a pure-blood magician, managed to hold on, but his eyes were bloodshot and his body was frozen in fear.
Yet he experienced a spiritual joy, a joy that even Mio had never given him, as if he were about to fall in love.
"Pure... Ahh~ So pure, pure destruction, pure annihilation, death of unparalleled purity... This is simply the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! Even that god cannot compare to it..."
"Like the legend... that creature recorded in the village's ancient books as the opposite of life—the Beast! So beautiful!!!"
Westcott had never been so ecstatic; the sheer joy made him wish he could be there in person to experience it for himself.
Let's switch our focus back to Ming's side.
Ming took a step forward, and with each step, the ground beneath his feet turned scorched black. The surrounding air seemed to be ignited, and waves of heat rolled over him.
Ling Qianqing gripped her sword tightly. Despite her immense fear, she forced herself to remain calm. "No matter what you become, we will not back down!" Upon hearing this, the others were able to move slightly.
Ming burst into wild laughter, "Hahahaha! Then let's bring it on! Let's enjoy the purest form of slaughter!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ming's figure flashed, and where he had been standing, a scorched pit the size of half a building suddenly appeared.
In an instant, he passed Artemis and appeared before Allen. Artemis felt a light touch on his shoulder, and the left half of his body was instantly vaporized by the intense heat.
"Oh no! Lord Allen!!"
"Sister Allen!!"
To Ming's left, Ye Mo gathered the primordial essence into a spear and thrust it forward, while to Ming's right, Ling Qianqing's flaming sword, based on a single point of magic, also slashed at him simultaneously!
In the blink of an eye, Mingxiao went wild, but Ye Mo stared wide-eyed, his face full of disbelief.
He couldn't understand why his all-out attack was tightly grabbed by a hand.
What's even more deadly is that before he could even react, two invisible attacks, as ghostly as ghosts, silently emerged from Ming's body.
One of the arrows shot straight towards Ye Mo's heart with lightning speed, its speed astonishing.
Ye Mo felt a blur before his eyes, followed by a sharp pain. Looking down, he saw a horrifying hole in his heart, from which blood was gushing out.
"Lord Allen... I can no longer pursue you..."
In comparison, Ling Qianqing's reaction was slightly faster.
When she noticed the subtle change in the airflow, she immediately realized it and used her maximum speed, enhanced by the midday sun, to barely dodge it.
Although she ultimately managed to avoid vital areas, the fierce attack still left a deep scar on her shoulder.
"It's so hot... It's air that's been heated and compressed, how... is this possible!"
In the instant Ling Qianqing was astonished, Ming's figure flashed again. His palm was already on his forehead, and he stomped on himself, pressing him to the ground. His foot was on his abdomen, and the mouth of the goat mask opened, violently sucking up the flames he had generated with magic.
"Ah ah ah ah ah!"
"Hahahaha, come on! Aren't you good at playing with fire? Keep going, why aren't you moving? Don't you like to move?"
Hearing his painful cries, for some reason, Ming seemed to enjoy it, and his smile became even more morbid.
"Stop it, you darling!"
Joliana's giant hammer struck Ming's back with the force of a thunderbolt, but Ming showed no signs of injury whatsoever.
"Are you done yet! Green-haired dog, have you brought Artemisia and that guy back yet? Never mind that for now, let's get out of here! This monster is definitely beyond human capabilities!"
Jolina shouted to Möbius, who had already pulled the two of them back with the mechanical arm, but in an instant, a chain bypassed her and stabbed straight at Möbius.
Möbius was pierced through, and his body was completely engulfed by the flames emanating from the chains, burned to ashes as if being devoured by a wild beast.
"Green-haired dog!!"
"Wait, Allen, we can't..."
"It's too late. If we don't escape now, we'll all die here..."
Before Jolena could even grieve, Allen, seeing this, immediately activated the recycling device they had originally set up.
Immediately, everyone who had verified the display device, except for Möbius, including Ling Qianqing who was standing on Ming's feet, was transformed into countless light particles and sent away from this place in the form of positioning.