Chapter 378: Destroyer Lotus

THUMP. THUMP.

Kael’s Transcendent Core pulsed violently as the Void Core completed its formation, the dark, compressed sphere of mana slamming into his chest. BOOM! His aura erupted outward, skyrocketing from Spirit Soul Rank 5 to the absolute peak of Spirit Soul Rank 9.

But he wasn’t done.

FWOOSH!

He activated Heart of the Carnage Deity, dragging his Slaughter Intent and Wrath Intent directly into his bloodstream. His eyes turned a deep, violent crimson, his muscles bulging as his physical limits shattered. The sheer pressure of his combined auras cracked the polished black stone beneath his feet.

The Void Behemoth, despite its suppressed state, sensed the terrifying shift. It roared, its crimson eyes narrowing.

BAM!

Kael vanished. He reappeared directly in front of the massive beast, his right palm thrusting forward. "Sky Destroyer Palm!"

CRASH!

A colossal, golden palm formed entirely of dense Aura erupted from Kael’s hand. It was massive—fifty meters wide—and it slammed into the Behemoth’s chest with the force of a meteor.

SCREEEE! The Behemoth was sent skidding backward, its claws tearing deep trenches into the stone. It immediately tried to fold space, its horn flickering with spatial rule power. But the suppression of the Colosseum had crippled its control. It could only teleport a few dozen meters instead of across the battlefield.

Kael smirked.

Void Step.

WHOOSH!

He appeared at the Behemoth’s flank, his twin Shadow Slayer blades gleaming in the starlight. He channeled his two intents into the Blood-Iron Alloy, the blades humming with a dark, crimson resonance.

"Sky Rending Technique, Third Form: Crimson Cataclysm."

SWISH-SWISH!

He swung both blades in a devastating cross-slash. Two massive, crescent-shaped waves of crimson-black energy erupted from the blades. Each wave was over thirty meters tall, tearing through the air and aimed directly at the Behemoth’s exposed flank. This was a new variation of the third form of the Sky Rending Technique.

The Behemoth reacted instantly. It slammed its massive front legs into the ground, its plates glowing with a dark, absorptive light. "Aegis of the Lightless Void!"

BZZZT!

A dome of pure, pitch-black void energy materialized around the beast, absorbing the light around it. The Crimson Cataclysm waves crashed against the Aegis. CRACK! BOOM! The shield held, but spiderweb cracks appeared across its surface.

The Behemoth didn’t wait for a second attack. Its horn blazed with a terrifying, concentrated beam of void energy infused with spatial power. The beam folded space itself, appearing directly in front of Kael before his brain could even register the attack.

SHLICK!

"Guh!" Kael grunted as the beam tore through his right shoulder, severing his arm cleanly. The limb spun through the air, dissolving into shadow particles.

The Behemoth charged, its massive claw descending toward Kael’s head.

Void Step.

WHOOSH!

Kael reappeared fifty meters away, blood pouring from his shoulder. He didn’t panic. He activated the Nine Rivers Soul Mending Art, channeling his Aura into the wound. HISS! The flesh began to knit, bone and muscle regenerating at a visible rate.

I need to end this quickly, Kael thought. Even with the suppression, this beast is a monster.

He formed a hand seal with his remaining hand. "Soul Net: Grasp of the Abyss."

BUZZZZZT!

An invisible, dense web of soul power erupted from Kael’s mind, wrapping around the Behemoth’s consciousness. The beast froze mid-charge, its crimson eyes glazing over as its mind was temporarily paralyzed.

Kael didn’t waste a second. He formed another hand seal, his eyes turning pure silver.

"Shadow God Transformation. Third Form: Shadow Demon Monarch."

BOOM!

A pillar of absolute darkness erupted from Kael’s body, tearing into the starlit sky of the Colosseum. The shadows around him twisted and solidified, forming a set of jagged, abyssal armor that radiated a divine, suffocating pressure. A crown of black, flickering flames materialized above his head. His dark hair turned pure white, and two massive, curved horns grew from his temples, crackling with demonic energy.

His aura multiplied by 250%. His soul and body cultivation synchronized perfectly. Every technique, every ability, every physical strike was amplified to an insane degree.

Ding!

[Warning: Shadow Demon Monarch activated. Time Limit: 3 Minutes.]

Kael flexed his newly regenerated arm, the muscles bulging with power. "Now, this is more like it."

Kael thought, glancing at the timer. Three minutes. If I die here, my soul will only suffer some damage, but finding the Void Behemoth again might prove difficult. I need to end this now.

The Behemoth shook off the Soul Net, its crimson eyes snapping open with renewed fury. It roared, its maw opening wide as it gathered a massive sphere of void energy. WHOOOSH! The blast was colossal—a swirling vortex of spatial distortion and dark energy that threatened to erase everything in its path.

Kael raised his hand. FWOOSH! His demonic mana blazed, fusing with the Demonic Asura Lotus Flame turning into demonic hellfire. The purple-black flames swirled in his palm, condensing into a massive, multi-layered lotus flower. Each petal was a blade of pure, concentrated fire and demonic energy.

"Destroyer Lotus."

SWISH!

The lotus flew from his hand, spinning like a buzzsaw. It tore through the void blast, splitting it in half, and slammed directly into the Behemoth’s chest. BOOM! The explosion sent the massive beast flying backward, its armor cracked and smoking.

Kael didn’t let it recover. He extended his hand, channeling his Gravity Rule Power. "Star Pull."

BZZZT!

A massive gravitational force erupted from his palm, dragging the Behemoth back toward him. The beast tried to resist, its spatial power flickering, but Kael brought down his other hand. CRASH! A heavy wave of gravity rule power slammed onto the Behemoth, pinning it to the ground.

Lightning steps.

Kael appeared directly in front of the beast with lightning sparkling all over his body, his Shadow Slayer blades humming. He channeled all his darkness mana into the blades, the edges turning pitch-black.

"Dark Slash."

SHLICK!

He swung both blades in a devastating downward arc. The attack tore through the Behemoth’s outer skin, carving deep, smoking wounds into its flesh. The beast groaned in pain, its regeneration struggling to keep up.

Kael then wove a series of rapid hand seals. Snap. Snap. Snap. A massive, dark rune formation spread out beneath them, covering a hundred-meter radius.

"Devouring Darkness."

FWOOSH!

A massive pool of absolute darkness spread throughout the formation. The Behemoth felt its mana being violently drained, sucked into the dark pool. It tried to fly up, but multiple hands of darkness erupted from the pool, lashing onto its legs and wings, pinning it down.

Kael raised both of his hands to the sky. RUMBLE! A massive cloud of lightning formed above the Behemoth, crackling with terrifying energy.

"Thunder God Technique, Second Form: Wrath of the Thunder God."

CRACK-BOOOOOM!

All the lightning mana in the cloud condensed into a single, devastating bolt. It descended like a divine spear, striking the Behemoth directly. SCREEEEE! The beast screamed as the lightning tore through its body, burning its armor and frying its nerves.

When the smoke cleared, the Behemoth was on the ground, heavily injured. Its plates were shattered, its wings were torn, and its breathing was ragged. It let out one final, weak growl before its eyes rolled back, and it collapsed unconscious.

THUD.

Kael landed on the ground, his Shadow Demon Monarch form fading. He let out a long, exhausted breath, staring at the defeated beast.