Chapter 213: Unsealing the Second Primordial Beast—Primordial Purgatory Phoenix

As Cain’s Core underwent the transformation, he started absorbing the purified 3rd and 2nd Echelon Zombie Cores.

The enormous amount of energy contained within the Cores poured into his body and was gradually absorbed by the transforming Ruin Mana Core.

Cain continued the absorption without opening his eyes.

The transformation was progressing smoothly.

Then without warning, his consciousness was pulled away from his body.

The battlefield disappeared from his perception, and Cain once again found himself within the endless black space he had experienced when he first awakened in the bathroom.

Cain had only experienced this place once before, when the first Primordial Beast had awakened.

Back then, a colossal golden eye had appeared within the darkness, and merely looking at it had been enough to make his consciousness tremble.

But this time, the darkness remained silent for only a moment before something else appeared within it.

A pair of enormous eyes slowly opened.

Cain’s consciousness froze.

The eyes were surrounded by a faint violet radiance, while their irises burned with a deep crimson color that gradually became darker toward the center.

Thin golden lines moved through the crimson like molten metal beneath a layer of glass, giving the pupils an ancient and unnatural appearance.

Cain had never seen anything resembling them before.

Yet the moment he looked into those eyes, his soul trembled violently as a terrifying pressure descended upon his consciousness.

It was far heavier than what he had experienced the first time he encountered the Primordial Chaos Dragon.

Heat followed the pressure afterward.

Cain felt it spreading through his consciousness, and then deeper into his soul.

It was as if an invisible flame had wrapped around his very existence and begun burning it from within.

His consciousness shook.

Cain tried to endure it, but the pain continued increasing.

The sensation was completely different from physical pain.

His body wasn’t even present in this place, yet he could feel every part of his soul being scorched beneath the gaze of the enormous creature.

There was nothing Cain could do except endure the overwhelming pressure.

The crimson eyes remained fixed on him.

Cain’s thoughts gradually became difficult to maintain as the heat continued penetrating deeper into his consciousness.

For a brief moment, he wondered whether his soul would actually be destroyed.

Then the enormous eyes slowly closed.

The pressure disappeared.

Cain’s consciousness was thrown backward as the darkness rapidly faded from his perception.

He opened his eyes.

Cain immediately took a deep breath as his consciousness returned to his body.

He remained seated where he had been before, but his breathing was noticeably heavier as sweat covered his forehead despite the strange warmth still surrounding his body.

Before Cain could understand what had just happened, several System notifications appeared.

[Ding!]

[Core Metamorphosis completed.]

[Ruin Mana Core has advanced to the 2nd Echelon.]

[Core Stage: Solidified.]

[Physical reinforcement completed according to the Perfected Stage foundation recorded upon mission acceptance.]

[You have successfully advanced to the 2nd Echelon.]

Cain slowly opened his eyes.

He had finally advanced.

But the transformation of his Core had not ended there as the purified Zombie Cores were still being absorbed.

Cain could feel the enormous amount of energy continuing to flow into his solidified 2nd-Echelon Ruin Mana Core.

The Core had already completed its transformation, but it was still far from the stage he wanted.

Cain didn’t stop the absorption as he continued feeding it energy from the 3rd and 2nd Echelon Zombie Cores.

The newly formed Core gradually became denser.

Its rotation grew steadier as the energy inside it continued accumulating.

Cain could clearly sense the difference.

The Core had just entered the 2nd Echelon, yet it was already being strengthened by the enormous amount of energy he had gathered from the battlefield.

Two minutes later, the last traces of energy from the Zombie Cores flowed into his body.

Cain focused entirely on his Mana Core.

The newly formed Ruin Mana Core continued rotating as the energy within it became increasingly concentrated.

Then the System notification appeared.

[Ding!]

[Ruin Mana Core has reached the Perfected Stage.]

Cain’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Perfected Stage.

He had finally done it.

Even after advancing to the 2nd Echelon, he had managed to immediately raise his newly formed Core all the way to the Perfected Stage by using the resources he had gathered from the battlefield.

Cain slowly released a breath.

Only then did another notification appear before him.

[Ding! The seal restricting a Primordial Beast within the Black Menagerie has been lifted.]

Cain’s expression changed.

A second notification followed.

[Ding! A second Primordial Beast has been unsealed within the Black Menagerie.]

[Beast: Primordial Purgatory Phoenix]

[Flame: Purgatory Flame]

[Purgatory Flame]

[A primordial flame possessing the authority of Purgatory.]

[The flame possesses powerful destructive and purifying properties, allowing it to burn physical matter, Mana, energy, and supernatural forces.]

[As the user’s mastery over the Primordial Purgatory Phoenix increases, Purgatory Flame will gradually evolve into higher forms.]

[Purgatory Flame → True Purgatory Flame → Soul Purgatory Flame → Primordial Purgatory Flame]

Cain’s gaze remained on the notification.

The Primordial Purgatory Phoenix.

That must have been the creature whose eyes he had just seen.

He still remembered the sensation of that gaze.

Before Cain could think further, another notification appeared.

[Ding! The Primordial Purgatory Phoenix has resonated with the user’s existing Solar Origin.]

Cain immediately felt the Solar Origin inside his body react.

[Ding! Solar Origin Body has begun evolving.]

The golden-white energy that had once existed within his body began undergoing a transformation.

An unfamiliar primordial power gradually merged into it, causing the entire Solar Origin to change.

[Ding! Solar Origin Body has been transformed.]

[You have obtained the Purgatory Origin Body.]

[Purgatory Origin Body — Origin-rank Talent]

[Transforms the user’s body into a higher form of Origin energy through the fusion of Solar Origin with the primordial power of Purgatory.]

[Strength: +100% additional bonus.]

[Agility: +200% additional bonus.]

[Physique: +200% additional bonus.]

[Sense: +100% additional bonus.]

[Mana: +500% → +600% additional bonus.]

[Magic: +500% → +600% additional bonus.]

[Greatly increases the user’s affinity with Purgatory Flame, Mana recovery, vitality, resistance to extreme heat, and control over Fire-attributed energy.]

[The Purgatory Origin continuously refines the user’s Fire Mana into Purgatory Flame, greatly increasing its purity, temperature, density, compression, stability, penetration, and destructive power.]

[All Fire-attributed abilities used by the user will naturally inherit the characteristics of Purgatory Flame.]