Put simply, it was a mobile focal point that could receive power from Abyss. Its own strength was also considerable, piled up from vast numbers of souls and Magic. If driven personally by one of the Four Heavenly Kings like Augustus, its effect was far beyond one plus one, like upgrading from a mass-produced unit to an ace's personal machine.
"What the hell is that thing in the distance?" After Belial wiped out the area with a roar and a small area skill, he thought it was over. Yet those big monsters were still standing there, as if they had accepted their fate.
He was almost at the destination, and now several big targets suddenly clustered together, especially one whose presence was still rising. That made him anxious, not because he feared fighting them, but because his weaker teammates could not hold up.
"You'd better stand still and wait until I get the people back, then I'll kill you all… huh?" Before he could finish speaking, Belial felt his long-range positioning suddenly vanish, then reappear much farther away, making his eyes widen.
"What is this? So there was a hidden blink too. Fine, this is good. At least no one will get wiped by area damage, and I won't be late saving them." "And now, I can stay here and kill you all with peace of mind."
Belial felt a surge of excitement, then narrowed his eyes and looked at the thick dark power in the distance and the countless soul lights drifting toward a single point. He recognized that familiar scent. Interesting, was this aimed at him or someone else? It was not that simple, and while he was not afraid, he still had a teammate on his back.
Sylvia looked even more serious. Her own Silver Dragon Authority and bloodline were calling out, almost wailing, and she was all too familiar with the faint presence emerging far away. "It's Edward, and Bronze Dragon too. Damn it, he has already started."
She did not know Edward's true goal, but just his intent to devour all high-ranking dragon species was enough to make her unable to tolerate it. On top of that, he had spent the past thousand years devouring the Dragon Soul of other Great Dragon, creating countless Dragon Calamity that ruined the reputation of Dragonkin, and now he was entangled with the forbidden Abyss.
"This is bad. Ham's presence is over there too, and another one as well. Something must have happened, I can't sense them anymore. Could it be…" As the darkness ahead grew thicker, her expression worsened. She sensed more than one presence nearby, all connected to Edward.
So many of them together, what were they trying to do? And with the strength of this Black Dragon, could a three-on-one really work? It was not distrust, but earlier only a Clone had been instantly killed, which did not represent the full strength.
And judging by this situation, Edward's main body had arrived. Even if that could be suppressed, two shameless ones were standing in front trying to gang up. This was bad. "This is bad. Should we split up? I'll hold the front, Black Dragon go save Ham and deal with Edward…"
Before she could work out a plan, she felt an invisible force lift her up and push her far away to a place that should not be affected, setting up a magnetic barrier around her. She only saw Belial spread his massive wings, let out a sky-shaking roar, and charge forward without hesitation.
"You bastards, die already. Today none of you are getting out alive." Facing two targets that were likely Clone, Belial was not sure he could kill the main body outright, but he was confident he could trace the link and slap it hard.
As for the one behind them, massive and likely the main body, he had no intention of letting it go. "One of you troublemakers has to die today. One might be the main body, and I know where the other one's main body is too. Your days are numbered."
"Hm? What the hell is that?" On the ground, a vast pool of black sludge, actually formed of pure darkness and souls, was rapidly assembling into a giant humanoid over a hundred meters tall.
First, Augustus merged into the armor and fused with the Blasphemous Demon Weapon, his expression unchanged as his body dissolved into the black sludge and rose to the head. Dark, steel-like horned scales spread from the crown down, covering the whole body, leaving only a V-shaped blood-red viewing slit on the head.
The head itself was inhuman, with a sharp gray-white beak full of fangs, jagged mouthparts, and spikes on the crown, letting out an emotionless, machine-like roar. The armor, carved with countless blasphemous runes and reliefs, covered the body. One hand held a thorn-wrapped greatsword shaped like a cross, the other a serrated, cold scythe.
Spikes protruded along the spine, forming a sharp drill-like tail, and a pair of blood-red, demonic wings extended from its back. With a roar, glowing crimson lines lit up through the armor's seams, a massive blasphemous Magic Array hovering behind it, while black chains coiled around its body.
"Come, Great Dragon. Let me see your true power." To counter Belial's size, Augustus created this massive body, empowered not only by Elfido's rituals but also by his own imperial Authority.
In the name of one of the Demonkind Four Heavenly Kings, he drew the lives, strength, and morale of all nearby territories into himself. He still did not believe he could win, but he should be able to hold on for a while.
Belial said nothing, only rubbing his eyes. "Not sure. Let me look again."
He looked down at the increasingly familiar shape. Despite many differences, it was clearly an old acquaintance. "Damn, this time it's Gigan. Looks like some final version too. Fine."
He quickly judged it, noting that it did not even have the upgraded twin chainsaws. How did it expect to fight him? "These people are really something."
Before he could decide how to tear it apart, a massive blood-red Magic Array appeared above Gigan's head, condensing into a torrent of Magic that blasted straight at him. Though meant as a test, Augustus opened fire at full power, knowing he had no room to hold back.
"Come, let me see it." The colossal blood-red torrent surged skyward, spreading into a massive crimson tree of light that covered every inch of the sky.
Power enough to tear the land into a Canyon poured down on Belial without restraint, driving into the clouds. Yet Augustus received no response. The darkness in the sky only deepened, and a cold, pale glow began to show through.
An ominous rumble followed. Augustus frowned, sensing something wrong. Then he realized that all traces of Elfido were gone. The support rituals remained, but that old coward had erased even his own presence.
Unease rising, Augustus looked up and desperately searched for the Black Dragon's trace. What had happened? "To be honest, there are plenty of ways to kill you. Close combat or any kind of Magic would do."
"But thinking about it, I'll do it the movie way." Belial casually grabbed the incoming Light Cannon, toyed with it, and swallowed it whole, reprocessing and amplifying the energy inside himself.
Blue-white light lit up along his back spines as a long-lost roar sounded. "I wanted to use Corona Beam, but for better accuracy, I'll go with the lower-tier Spiral Heat Ray." "Now die."
A towering blue-white pillar of light erupted, far surpassing anything from decades ago, instantly piercing everything. The sky was blown open, and the light of destruction filled Augustus's vision. He tried to defend, to block, to teleport, to raise barriers.
It was too fast. "Boom!"
The demon weapon's head was burned through and pierced by extreme heat and energy, then hurled backward, exploding on the ground like a nuclear blast. A massive fireball rose, shockwaves sweeping in all directions, and when the light faded, only a vast crater remained.
Sylvia stared in shock from afar. What kind of Dragonkin could spit out something like that?
"Damn it… what is this?" The body Augustus created was regenerating rapidly as black sludge surged under the power of sacrifice and resentful souls, but after that exchange he understood. This was hopeless.
No wonder Elfido ran so fast. "Yo, so it's not just Gigan. You even stitched in some Black Ghidorah."
Belial dove down from the clouds. Up close, the materials and power forming that body were far too familiar. "In the end, you're all going to die anyway. Taking a bit of time to chew through you is fine."
The aura of resentful souls, spirits, and massive Magic stirred a bit of his interest.
After several close exchanges, Augustus finally seemed to understand what Elfido meant by telling him to stall. It was not about meeting the enemy head on and trading blows. He was meant to be a snack, betting that he could buy time before being eaten, with himself as the plate holding the food.
Again and again he regenerated, swinging the great sword and scythe in his hands with desperation. Those attacks were strong enough to cleave mountains, tear apart the land into Shard, and even cut through Space itself. Yet a massive dragon claw caught them barehanded, and amid twisted gravity and energy blasts, everything shattered into Shard dust.