Chapter 1305:- Three Seconds Until Destruction
Chapter 1305: Chapter 1305:- Three Seconds Until Destruction
’Not again!’ Aditya immediately realised what had happened. Another black tentacle had appeared without any warning and wrapped itself tightly around his right leg.
Having already experienced this situation twice, Aditya reacted almost instantly. He tightened his grip around Raiketsu and raised his katana, intending to cut the tentacle before it could begin absorbing his strength.
Unfortunately, this time, Ren had prepared something different.
Before Aditya could bring his katana down, the black tentacle suddenly began splitting into several smaller tentacles. The process happened so quickly that Aditya barely had enough time to react. Within a fraction of a second, the newly formed tentacles spread across his body, moving in different directions as though each one had a mind of its own.
Two tentacles wrapped themselves around his left leg, while several others immediately moved toward his waist and chest. Another tentacle suddenly shot toward his right arm, wrapping itself tightly around his wrist before he could swing Raiketsu.
"What the hell?!" Aditya exclaimed in shock as he desperately tried to pull his arm free. However, the tentacle only tightened its grip, preventing him from moving his katana. Before he could use his other hand to remove it, several more tentacles wrapped themselves around his left arm and pressed it against his body.
Within moments, Aditya found himself almost completely restrained.
Naturally, he was not going to allow himself to be captured so easily. He immediately gathered Mana and attempted to activate his teleportation ability.
However, the moment he began gathering Mana, the tentacles started absorbing it at an alarming rate. The Mana that should have been used to activate his ability was being drained away before he could gather enough of it.
Aditya tried once again, this time attempting to forcefully gather a much larger amount of Mana. Unfortunately, the result remained the same. With so many tentacles attached to his body, the amount of Mana being absorbed was far greater than what he had experienced during their previous exchanges.
Meanwhile, the tentacles continued multiplying. Several of them wrapped themselves around his shoulders and neck, while others began covering his head. Aditya desperately tried to resist using his physical strength, but the tentacles were surprisingly strong.
Even with his powerful Dragon physique, he could not easily break free from their grip. Soon, the black tentacles had completely covered his body.
His arms were tightly pressed against his sides, while his legs were bound together. Several more tentacles wrapped themselves around his neck and head, leaving only his eyes and ears uncovered. Even his mouth had been sealed shut, preventing him from speaking.
From a distance, Aditya now looked like someone who had been completely wrapped inside a thick mass of black, slimy tentacles. The surface of the tentacles continued moving slowly, almost as though countless small creatures were crawling beneath the black substance.
However, what frightened Aditya the most was not being unable to move.
It was the terrifying speed at which his strength was disappearing.
His Mana reserves were rapidly decreasing, while his health, stamina, vitality, and life force were being absorbed at an alarming rate. Unlike the previous two occasions, when only a single tentacle had been attached to his leg, almost his entire body was now in direct contact with the strange black substance.
As a result, the amount of energy being drained from him was several times greater than before.
’Damn it! At this rate, I will lose a huge portion of my strength!’ Aditya thought while desperately trying to move his arms. He could feel his muscles gradually becoming weaker as more of his stamina was absorbed. Even the simple act of struggling was beginning to require more effort than before.
Aditya attempted to release his Crimson Flames directly from his body, hoping that the intense heat would force the tentacles to loosen their grip. However, the moment the flames appeared, the black tentacles began absorbing their Mana as well. The crimson flames barely managed to spread before disappearing into the strange black substance.
’Even this is not working?!’ For the first time since their battle began, Aditya felt genuinely frightened by the situation. He was not afraid of fighting Ren, nor was he afraid of suffering injuries. What worried him was the possibility of losing his strength before he could find a way to escape.
Meanwhile, Ren slowly approached his trapped cousin with a satisfied smile on his face.
Unlike before, he was no longer in a hurry to attack. He simply floated toward Aditya while watching him struggle against the tentacles. Seeing the powerful Dragon Monarch, who had defeated so many powerful enemies, completely restrained before him brought Ren an enormous sense of satisfaction.
"Finally, I have caught you." Ren said with a creepy smile as he stopped a short distance away from Aditya. His blood-red eyes carefully examined the black tentacles covering his cousin’s body.
"You have no idea how troublesome it was to deal with your teleportation ability. Every time I tried to catch you, you would simply disappear. But now, even that annoying ability will not be enough to save you."
Aditya glared at Ren with furious eyes. Although he desperately wanted to respond, the tentacles covering his mouth prevented him from saying anything. He could only watch as his cousin slowly moved closer, looking far too pleased with himself.
Seeing Aditya’s angry expression, Ren could not help but laugh.
"Hahahaha! Do not look at me like that, Aditya. You should be happy. After everything that has happened between us, I have decided to share something very important with you." Ren spoke in an almost cheerful tone, although his frightening appearance made his words sound extremely disturbing.
"You see, there is something I have not told you about my new cultivation technique. It is called the Abyssal Heart Devouring Art, and everything you have witnessed until now is only a small part of what this forbidden technique is capable of doing."
Ren slowly spread his arms while the dark aura surrounding his body became increasingly unstable. Beneath his clothes, the cracks spreading across his chest and back continued growing. A few of them had already reached his shoulders, while several smaller cracks were slowly spreading toward his neck.
However, Ren no longer appeared concerned about his physical condition.
"The greatest ability of the Abyssal Heart Devouring Art is not absorbing Mana, increasing my strength, or even creating these tentacles. Those are merely the abilities that allow me to prepare for its final stage. The real power of this cultivation technique is something far more terrifying."
As Ren spoke, he briefly recalled the day Leo had given him the ancient cultivation manual.
It had happened a long time ago, when Ren was still trying to strengthen his position within the Celestial Dragon Empire. At that time, Leo had shown him several ancient cultivation techniques, including the Abyssal Heart Devouring Art. However, because of its terrifying requirements and consequences, Ren had never seriously considered cultivating it.
After all, the technique required him to absorb corrupted Mana from the dead, and its final ability would completely destroy his soul. Back then, Ren had considered it nothing more than a dangerous technique that no sensible cultivator would willingly practice.
Yet now, he had not only mastered it but was also preparing to use its final ability.
’That bastard Leo...’ For a brief moment, Ren’s expression became unusually cold.
’He gave me this cultivation manual a long time ago. At that time, I thought he was simply showing me another ancient technique from his collection. But now that I think about it, everything feels strangely convenient.’
Ren remembered how Leo had refused to provide him with additional Seventh Order cultivators when he desperately needed their help. Despite everything Ren had done for the organisation, Leo had abandoned him the moment the situation became unfavourable.
’Did that bastard know something like this would happen? Did he deliberately give me this technique because he knew that one day I would become desperate enough to use it?’
The more Ren thought about it, the more suspicious the situation seemed. ’It almost feels as though he wanted me to reach this point. As though he knew that I would eventually use this forbidden technique and destroy myself along with my enemies.’
However, Ren had no way of knowing whether his suspicions were correct. Leo had always been an extremely mysterious individual, and even after working with him for so many years, Ren knew very little about his true intentions.
A bitter smile appeared on Ren’s face. ’Well, it does not matter anymore. Whether that bastard planned this or not, I have already made my decision. There is no turning back now.’
Ren pushed those thoughts aside and turned his attention back toward Aditya. "Do you want to know what happens when this cultivation technique reaches its final stage?" Ren asked while slowly looking down at the enormous battlefield beneath them.
Even from their current altitude, they could clearly see the countless soldiers fighting against one another. The battle between the two factions was still continuing, and none of the people fighting below had any idea what Ren was preparing to do.
"When the final moment arrives, all the corrupted Mana I have gathered will be released at once, creating an enormous explosion."
Ren continued while looking directly into Aditya’s eyes. "And believe me, Aditya, this will not be an ordinary explosion. Its destructive power will be enough to wipe out everything within its range."
Hearing those words, Aditya’s expression immediately changed.
His eyes widened slightly as he looked toward the battlefield below. From his current position, he could see the enormous armies spread across the Northern Grassy Plains. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were still fighting, completely unaware of the danger gathering above their heads.
Ren noticed the change in Aditya’s expression and smiled even more.
"Not just you and me, but everyone fighting on that battlefield. Your soldiers, my soldiers, the commanders, and even those precious women of yours. Every single one of them will be caught in the explosion."
Aditya’s eyes widened in horror. For a moment, he completely forgot about the tentacles draining his strength. His mind immediately went toward Athena, Lilith, Riya, Amelia, Sasha and the others. He also thought about Boris, Malakar Harrington, Spencer, Nathan, and the countless people who had followed him into this war.
They were all somewhere on the battlefield. And none of them knew what was about to happen.
’No...!’ Aditya desperately struggled against the tentacles once again. He tried moving his arms, gathering Mana, and even forcing his body to transform, but the tentacles remained tightly wrapped around him.
The thought of losing everyone he loved filled him with a fear far greater than anything he had experienced during their battle.
Ren watched his cousin’s desperate struggle with an expression of pure satisfaction.
"Of course, there is one more thing you should know. Once this ability is activated, there is no turning back. Even I will not survive the explosion."
Ren briefly looked down at his own body. He could feel the cracks spreading across his Mana heart, and the enormous amount of corrupted Mana stored within him was becoming increasingly difficult to control.
"But that does not matter anymore." Ren continued as he raised his head.
"As long as I can take you and everyone you care about down with me, I will consider it a victory."
His smile widened as he imagined the destruction that was about to take place. "After all, if I cannot remain the Emperor of the Celestial Dragon Empire, then there is no reason for this Empire to continue existing. I would rather destroy everything than watch someone else sit on the throne that should belong to me."
Aditya stared at his cousin with an expression of complete disbelief. He had known that Ren was obsessed with the throne, but he had never imagined that his cousin would willingly sacrifice his own life just to destroy everyone around him.
Worse still, Ren did not appear to feel even the slightest regret about what he was preparing to do. Instead, he looked excited.
Ren slowly raised three fingers in front of Aditya’s face.
"And now, my dear cousin, the countdown begins." Ren said with a crazed smile.
"You have exactly three seconds before everything is destroyed."
"Three seconds, Aditya. I challenge you to try saving yourself or your loved ones before the time runs out."
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