The black aura enveloped Zkeron like a deadly egg of darkness. With a serious expression, he began retracting his soul altar, trying to conserve his soul energy to avoid complete depletion. He knew the consequences of losing his altar would be fatal.
Lein had no intention of prolonging the moment. With a confident gesture, he activated one of his deadly destructive skills.
(Skill 12: Soul Constellation Dance) Within 10 minutes, the ruler gains the ability to draw soul constellations in the sky that generate sacred explosions at every star point, damaging and purifying enemies within a 10,000-kilometer radius below.
Lein's right hand began to glow with an intensely radiant white aura.
At the tip of his fingers, where the energy condensed, it resembled a diamond shining brightly in the night. With a graceful movement, he raised his hand into the air and formed a single luminous point.
Slowly, that point was followed by others appearing in the void. As he connected the points with lines of light, a star pattern began to take shape in the sky.
"Absolutely stunning," Lyra whispered, standing not far from him. Her eyes were glued to the increasingly brilliant star patterns.
Aurora, standing beside her, could only nod in agreement. "Such pure power," she murmured in awe. Every connecting line seemed to carry both peace and a threat of death for enemies beneath it.
Meanwhile, Zkeron began to feel doubt creeping into his mind. The starlight emanating from Lein was overwhelmingly oppressive, as if dictating a foregone defeat.
"No, I can't fight this power. I need to regroup," he muttered with determination. In an instant, he opened a dimensional rift with the intent to escape.
However, before Zkeron could enter the dimensional crack, a devastating slash shot toward him. The slash not only tore through space but also shattered his illusion of safety. The streak of light moved like a hot knife through butter, sending tremors that echoed in the air.
"Damn it!" Zkeron shouted angrily, his body moving swiftly to evade. But the slash was too fast and too precise. Frustration mixed with fear began to show on his face. He realized Lein wouldn't let him escape so easily.
Panic started creeping into his heart, making him aware that his escape plan wouldn't go smoothly. With no other options, he immediately transformed his human body into its spirit form.
In an instant, his physical form faded, replaced by a pitch-black figure with two sharp red horns protruding from its head. A pulsating red crystal sat in the center of his chest, emitting an ominous and intimidating glow.
Zkeron's spirit body expanded, growing to a height of a hundred meters. Black energy flowed from the pores of his body like a dense fog surrounding the massive figure. With a swift motion, he swung his gigantic hand in a slicing motion.
From the tips of his fingers, a massive black slash shot out, splitting the empty air and aiming to counter Lein's cosmic slash released earlier.
A massive explosion shook the void as the two slashes collided. Waves of energy spread, creating ripples of force that shook the surrounding area. However, this time, Lein's cosmic slash was unstoppable. Its energy continued to surge forward with relentless power, pushing toward Zkeron's spirit form.
"Aaaarrgh!" Zkeron roared, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and fear.
He knew that relying solely on his current strength wouldn't suffice. Using both hands, he extended the black energy around his body before suddenly vanishing, as if swallowed by the empty air.
Lein furrowed his brows, his eyes narrowing as he tried to sense Zkeron's presence. Within seconds, he felt the enemy's aura reappear not far behind him. Without turning around, Lein moved his hand.
Four massive swords materialized in the air, each radiating such powerful energy that the surrounding void trembled.
"Why is the young master summoning swords into empty space?" Lyra asked hesitantly, squinting as she observed the enormous swords slowly hovering above the battlefield.
She couldn't detect Zkeron's presence. To her, Lein's actions seemed like a waste of energy.
"Don't worry, the young master knows exactly what he's doing," Hanes replied confidently, his tone firm and devoid of any doubt.
He wouldn't dare underestimate Lein's decisions or actions, which had repeatedly proven to exceed everyone's expectations.
Lein remained calm, ignoring the voices around him. He continued forming constellations in the sky, connecting the glowing points of light one by one.
At the same time, the massive swords he had summoned began to descend slowly, encircling the area where Zkeron was hiding. The swords' auras merged, creating a formation that grew increasingly solid until it finally formed an unbreakable energy prison.
(Skill 4: Sword Heaven Prison) Summons a sword prison to trap enemies for 1 minute. Reduces enemy attributes by 80%, blocks teleportation, and spatial manipulation.
- Cooldown: 30 minutes.
Zkeron, who had reappeared, looked up in horror. The four colossal swords now surrounded him, exuding immense pressure from all directions.
The dark energy enveloping his body seemed to scatter, unable to withstand the pure aura emanating from the swords.
"Damn it… What is this man doing?" he muttered in a shaky voice, as if his body was beginning to lose its strength.
The swords were connected by energy channels, forming walls that restricted his movement. The prison was now complete, trapping him entirely.
"No! No!!!" Zkeron roared, his voice filled with panic.
His divine consciousness tried to break through the barrier, but every attempt ended in vain. The prison's energy was far too strong, even for someone like him.
For the first time, Zkeron felt fear piercing his heart. His pulse quickened, and he screamed in desperation, "I don't want to fall again!"
In his massive spirit form, Zkeron performed an unusual movement. He spread his arms wide, and his chest slowly opened, revealing a massive, rapidly beating heart at its center.
The red glow within the heart grew dimmer as black veins crept across its surface, resembling horrific roots of darkness.