Chapter 4603: Resolve
Chapter 4603: Resolve
*Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang...*
Soon, the twins’ group could see the experts of the Natak Region attacking the barrier from the inside. With Doluno’s innate bloodline ability activated and the fact that he had used the blood of a Region God to amplify it, several layers of Rean’s Array Barrier were being affected at once.
Instead of trying to properly dismantle each layer, Doluno’s group found it much faster to simply attack the barriers directly, especially since their protective capabilities had already been greatly weakened. Now, they were breaking several layers every few seconds, and it genuinely looked as though they would eventually manage to get out.
Seeing that, Aurundi couldn’t help but ask, "Shouldn’t we use this chance to retreat?"
Rean shook his head. "It’s fine. If anything, they’re only digging their graves faster this way."
Aurundi was taken aback, but he turned his attention back to the inside of the array. For the first minute or so, he didn’t see anything particularly unusual. The attacks continued to tear through the barrier, and more than half of Rean’s layers had already been destroyed. However, after that, something began to change. Doluno’s group started sweating profusely, their breathing becoming increasingly ragged as they continued attacking the barrier without pause.
"I see..." Aurundi finally understood. "They obviously need to use more energy to attack the barrier now. Their reserves must be depleting several times faster than before."
Rean nodded. "Exactly. It’s quite boring, actually, since I even gave them a clue."
"A clue?" Everyone turned toward him.
"You heard it, didn’t you? I told them my array had 1,276 extra layers after their leader destroyed the first one. They could also feel their energy being drained the entire time. Naturally, attacking the barrier wasn’t exactly the smartest thing they could do," Rean explained with a shrug. "However, after their leader used that ability, he thought it would be enough to get them out. Do you know why he thought that?"
Kentucky suddenly seemed to realize something. "Because he still didn’t believe your array truly had that many layers. He knew there were many layers, but he definitely didn’t believe there were 1,276."
Rean smiled. "Bingo! Even now, that’s still their belief... and that belief is dying fast. There are still 432 layers, but they definitely won’t have enough energy to destroy them all. They’re desperate."
"Oh, look! It’s happening!"
Suddenly, Tapoqi vomited blood, and his body collapsed to the ground. A Godly Predator Crystal was still clutched in his hand, and he desperately tried to absorb its energy. However, because of Celis, most of that energy was being drained away before it could even reach his Dantian, leaving Tapoqi unable to replenish his rapidly declining reserves.
"Tapoqi!" Krava immediately rushed over and checked his condition, feeling relieved when she realized that he had merely overexerted himself and wasn’t in immediate danger of dying.
Rean hadn’t made a slaughtering array, so it didn’t possess any real killing power. Celis was also focused entirely on absorbing energy, even though he couldn’t use the energy of Law Gods for his own cultivation. His ability wouldn’t kill them either. Still, by the time the battle ended, the three Law Gods would be fortunate if they were left with a power much higher than that of an Initial Stage Celestial Realm Expert, which was already the lowest cultivation realm in the Celestial Plane.
"Focus!" Doluno shouted.
Krava gritted her teeth and immediately returned to attacking the barrier alongside him. Yet, not even half a minute passed before she was also forced to her knees. She had lasted longer simply because her cultivation was higher than Tapoqi’s, but the relentless energy drain was catching up to her as well.
Doluno was the last one left.
As a Peak Stage Law God, he continued shouting as his attacks slammed into the barrier one after another, each strike causing another layer to collapse. However, his eyes betrayed the determination in his actions. He wasn’t an idiot. By now, even if he desperately wanted to deny it, he understood the truth.
Rean hadn’t been lying.
The array really had that many layers.
The situation became even worse when Krava fell. Without her assistance, destroying each remaining layer became considerably more difficult. Doluno still tried to push forward, refusing to stop, but then—
*Puft, puft, puft, puft...*
*Arrgghh...*
Various veins across his body suddenly began bursting one after another. It wasn’t because he had completely run out of energy. Doluno still had some left. Rather, he had maintained his innate Thousand-Script Race ability for far too long, and the Region God blood he had used was finally beginning to unleash its backlash.
"Hum?" Celis was the first to notice the change. He observed Doluno’s condition. "Their leader is in pretty bad shape. His cultivation is dropping quite quickly, and that’s not because he’s out of energy. He still has something left."
Roan nodded slightly. "It must be that skill of his that spread the bloodline runes everywhere, combined with that blob of blood he used earlier. Anyone could tell that such a huge increase in power would come with an equally huge price. The time to pay that price has simply arrived."
"Doluno!" Krava tried to get back on her feet, but her body barely responded. Tapoqi was in an even worse condition and could only lie there helplessly. Through their Godly Senses, however, both could clearly feel Doluno’s cultivation being dragged down.
Peak Stage Law God...
Late Stage...
Middle Stage...
In a matter of a few tens of seconds, Doluno’s cultivation had already dropped all the way to the Initial Stage, and it was still falling.
Krava finally couldn’t take it anymore and shouted so everyone outside could hear her. "We give up! We’ll pay anything! All we ask is that you save Doluno!"
Tapoqi also shouted, "Whatever your conditions are, we’ll accept them! Just save Doluno!"
Roan glanced toward Celis, who immediately confirmed his suspicions. "That isn’t a play. That guy called Doluno is genuinely in terrible condition. If his cultivation keeps falling this quickly, forget about recovering it later. I doubt his body can withstand it much longer."
"Is that so?" Roan snorted. "Then our job will be much easier."
Rean scratched the back of his head. "It almost feels like we’re the ones bullying them."
Roan narrowed his eyes. "If you dare step in to help them, I’ll cut your head off myself. They came here to kill us. They had no intention of showing mercy to anyone. They needed to conceal their attack because they wanted to acquire Luxa and Lunelle without attracting attention. I have no intention whatsoever of letting any of them leave this place alive, regardless of how much they have to offer."
The mood immediately became heavier, but Roan wasn’t wrong. The various Regions were allied against the Godly Creatures, and the survival of all their forces depended on that cooperation. Yet these Natak Region experts had broken that understanding and had even intended to cover their actions by killing everyone who witnessed them. There was no reason for Roan to believe they would suddenly become trustworthy simply because they were losing.
Suddenly, from inside the array, Doluno slowly opened his eyes as he fought against the pain wracking his body. Krava and Tapoqi could tell immediately that he wasn’t going to last much longer. More importantly, there was a different expression on his face now.
Acceptance.
"Don’t do it!" Krava and Tapoqi shouted at the same time.
However, it was already too late.
All the bloodline runes covering Doluno’s body lit up simultaneously. His cultivation, which had just fallen to the Initial Stage of the Law God Realm, suddenly rebounded all the way to the Peak Stage once again!
*Plack, plack, plack...*
The sound of something breaking deep inside Doluno’s body echoed through the array, but he ignored it. His eyes remained cold and determined as he turned toward the section of the barrier where he had already destroyed most of the layers.
"Make sure you get the Fox and Raven."
Then, he acted.
*Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom...*
Doluno looked like a god of war, completely different from what anyone would expect from a Thousand-Script Race member. Every movement was fueled by his own life force, while he forcefully drew even more of the Region God’s blood power into himself. His body was already breaking under the strain, but he didn’t slow down for even a moment.
For the next minute or so, he would be stronger than he had ever been in his entire life.
At the end of that minute, however, only death awaited him.
*Kaboom!*
Finally, with one overwhelmingly powerful punch, Doluno shattered the last layer of the array.
They were free!