Chapter 1756 - 1036: Master of the Abyss • Manus (Part 2)

The Dark Bomb, so thick it seemed about to congeal, struck Artorias once more.

Everyone present heard the sound of shattering armor, a sound that was particularly piercing and clear.

"A good opportunity!"

Tami and Maru exchanged a glance, not caring about the risk of being accidentally hit by the Dark Bomb, they charged forward, one to the left and one to the right, launching a surprise attack on Artorias.

"Ahhh!!!"

Artorias let out a howl of the utmost pain, yet this howl was somehow missing the usual madness, could it be—

He suddenly leaped into the air, and the attacking Tami and Maru instantly adopted defensive stances, ready to face the upcoming Wolf Jump attack.

But they mispredicted.

"Do not... move forward..."

Artorias kicked a nearby pillar, and as it shattered, his figure darted into the distant darkness.

His increasingly distant howls echoed from the darkness until they completely vanished, as if he was never there at all.

"Boom!"

The pillar collapsed with a roar, and people looked at each other, saying, "Didn’t he just speak?"

"He advised us not to move forward."

Tami took a gulp of Life Potion, wiping the corner of his mouth, he said, "Seems his mind still retains some reason, better than when we encounter him again in the future."

"What a pity..." Chaos showed a look of regret.

"Is everyone unhurt?" Maru asked.

The battle with Artorias started and ended in an instant; from encountering him until his departure likely didn’t last more than five minutes, not enough time for the experienced ones to get hurt, even the stamina and Magic Power consumed just now could be replenished with potions.

So...

"That was a good warm-up."

The adventurers were ignited with the will to battle by Artorias, and their now burning bodies needed a fight.

"Let’s go!"

Everyone replenished their physical state and plunged into the abyssal lair ahead.

At the moment everyone entered the cave, familiar white mist appeared at the cave’s entrance, blocking their retreat.

Maru looked back, in this abyss, even the white Fog Gate was tainted with black, turning into a black-and-white mixed appearance.

She couldn’t help but say, "The Abyss is terrifying."

Chaos glanced back too, showing an interested expression, murmuring to himself, "The Abyss is impressive."

"Can you guys stop, I’m so nervous here I can’t even speak..." Tami complained to them.

The atmosphere no longer suited for jokes.

In the lair, there was none of the "plummeting temperatures," "sudden abyss expansion," or "overwhelming pressure" typical of Boss Monsters.

Yet just being here brought about an unprecedented feeling.

Uncontrollable solemnity, silence, heads bowed.

Just like a commoner accidentally entering a king’s palace, unable to lift their head to look at the king’s visage.

And the king of this place was right before them.

The magician mustered the courage to cast a light, but the sphere of light was instantly swallowed by darkness, the owner of this space disallowed any brightness to appear.

A few pairs of crimson eyes appeared before everyone the moment the light was devoured.

The Sain Dungeon contained countless red-eyed monsters, some driven to frenzy, some naturally red-eyed, and some with a red-eye ailment, among them were formidable fighters.

However, such blood-red eyes causing hearts to pound fiercely at first sight, almost leaping out of one’s chest, was a first in the adventurers’ careers.

People were mistaken; those were not the dignified eyes of a king, but the gaze of a pure predator.

The eyes brimmed entirely with malice towards prey!

The distribution of eyes was entirely random and dispersed, if one were to infer the appearance of its owner solely based on the distribution of eyes, nine times out of ten it would render a highly abstract imagination.

The pervasive darkness in the air actively dispersed to the sides at this moment, revealing the Abyss’s lair with slightly better visibility than other places.

And the owner of those blood-red eyes was fully exposed before the crowd.

Chaos saw an indescribable giant god appear before him.

As if the Abyss had transformed into an endless giant mountain, appearing before him, a single glance was enough to be amazed by its magnificence.

But that was merely an illusion conjured by his eyes, once it dissipated.

In front was a grotesquely distorted demon god.

Master of the Abyss, Manus.

The ancient King of Ulashiro, ancestor buried beneath this nation’s ground, deeply connected to the Abyss, undoubtedly a human.

But when the Urasil people desecrated his tomb, humanity spiraled out of control, causing consequences that would affect millennia — the birth of the Abyss here.

As the Master of the Abyss, Abyss Father, Manus mutated as a result.

His body swelled during the mutation, expanding to the size of a giant.

The entire body bore skin similar to the Four Kings of Little Longdu, resembling both a shell and steel, twisted protrusions signaling savagery, and the dark body exuding authority.

The mutated body on his head bore numerous growths, coupled with the red eyes set upon them, akin to a bizarre crown inlaid with rubies, perfectly matching the beast-like face.

Manus’s left arm had already twisted and mutated into a massive fist, while his right hand gripped a scepter larger than that fist.

It appeared utterly monstrous.

Yet one could sense a creator-like majesty.

To the Abyss and creatures born from it, Manus was a creator, the Heavenly Father who birthed all.

Upon witnessing the true form of the Master of the Abyss, adventurers bristled, not with fear, but with a profound sense of awe.

This sensation was rare, the last time adventurers felt such...

was during the image of Scameroon when they witnessed the presence of Sunlight King Gwyn.

At this moment, Master of the Abyss Manus was elevated in the adventurers’ hearts to stand alongside the Sunlight King.

Too scared to move?

No such existence.

Tami’s arm trembled, the tremor born from emotions constantly shifting, culminating in excitement to the point of agitation, the brain in a mere moment made the choice — it’s better to boldly start the fight than to stand idly by!

They faced an unwinnable battle, a fact known since seeing Manus, or perhaps when they set the Master of the Abyss as their target.

But to shrink back because of this would be low in purity!

"Haaah!"

Tami charged forward, since this was a battle of insurmountable despair, he resolved to fully enjoy it, to fight in the boldest yet tactless manner.

The Golden Law radiated from his Straight Sword.

A divine blade sliced through the air, cleaving several meters, the golden sword Qi condensed from holy attributes instantly struck Manus’s head.

The sword Qi shattered in an instant, Manus’s gigantic body unmoved by the blow, unchanged.

The others also launched their attacks, various magics hurled towards Manus, among them Chaos once again opting to cast the Dark Bomb.

Finally, Manus moved.

It leapt like a feral beast, slamming heavily in front of Tami, swinging its enormous fist at him.

This plain strike carried the power to obliterate a Steel Giant Puppet!

Tami instantaneously pulled out the Barrier Shield to defend, a warm barrier emanating the power to resist the Abyss —

"Bam!"

Manus’s fist, worthy of being classified as a King of Boxing punch, shattered the Barrier Shield.