Chapter 486

Chapter 486

Yanar’s forward charge was knocked sideways, its trajectory thrown off course by the violent impact. On the opposite flank, Moro simply plowed through the remaining larvae, ramming them as it went.

“Crazy…” Diana muttered, her eyes following the violet streak that had just flown past.

Yanar, with its side that had been struck completely caved in, was still being pushed backward before it finally collapsed into the sand, thrown off balance.

Boom, boom, boom—

A wave of sand erupted over it.

I didn’t think it would be this effective.

Even as he drove himself deeper into the creature’s hide, Ian couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

It was the effect of Shattering Charge, a skill he had gained from killing the chief of the cannibal demon tribe. Of course, it wasn’t the skill alone that had produced such a result. His current stats were even higher than when he had received the Blessing of Battle.

Bwooooo—

Crack…

He yanked his arm back, and the tough shell tore away with surprising ease. As the yanar thrashed and convulsed, Ian slipped completely inside its body.

A sticky warmth enveloped him. The space was constricting, but he wasn’t suffocating. It was then that Ian realized he no longer needed to breathe. His vision went dark, and in the blackness, only the reddish-brown chaos flowing through the creature became clear.

Rumble… Rumble…

The thrumming of his essence bead spread through him. A powerful urge rose to the surface—an impulse to tear everything apart and devour it. Having already accepted the creature's emotions, Ian did not refuse this impulse either.

—You’re too excited. The situation warrants it, I suppose, but calm down, my friend.

I know, so shut up.

Replying only in his thoughts, Ian pushed deeper, his tentacles propelling him forward.

Bwooooooo—

Yanar’s screams vibrated through him, but Ian, of course, paid them no mind. The dark green cracks were already spreading across him.

Crrrrrunch—

Next, the Roots of Cycle erupted from him. Just as before, they shot out, piercing everything in their path.

Chaos power poured in. Satisfaction and elation spread through Ian. Perhaps this was the sensation his essence bead felt whenever it absorbed chaos.

If it’s like this every time… I can see why it’s so greedy.

Even as the writhing movements and screams brushed past his ears, Ian continued to accept the flood of chaos. He didn’t want to stop.

—You should probably stop drinking soon, Friend.

At last, Yog’s languid whisper roused his consciousness.

—Unless you want to be swallowed by your chaos with me.

Ian barely suppressed the temptation to ignore Yog. He had to take its advice. Not only had his chaos power been fully restored, but the thrumming of his essence bead and its emotions were being transmitted more clearly. It was undoubtedly growing, even amid this.

Crackle…

The roots that had spread like cancer cells dissipated. At the same time, the thrumming of his essence bead became clearer, and the powerful urge to extend the roots again, or to open his mouth and drink it all down, surged violently.

Shaking off the lingering desire, Ian extended his tentacles. They shot upward, then pulled him up. With yanar now sprawled on its side, the hole he had entered through was now directly above him.

Squelch…

Ian rose through the tar-like ichor. The fluid clinging to him slid off like oil on water. In the blink of an eye, Ian—his form now clean and composed—landed atop yanar, which was sunken in as if a herd of elephants had trampled over it.

Yanar only twitched convulsively. No matter how powerful a demon, it could not survive having its chaos siphoned away and its insides turned into a complete wreck. Though the urge to send down his roots and drain the rest of its chaos stirred within him, Ian turned his gaze instead.

Boom, boom, boom—

Far in the distance, the battle was still ongoing. Moro was making a wide turn while Seren swung her flail, shaking off the larvae. Their numbers had dwindled since the beginning, but dozens of larvae were still pursuing the group.

—To think you’d worry about your vassals in the middle of all this… You will become a very merciful transcendent, Ian.

Yog whispered as a dark-red light spread across Ian like veins.

I told you, I have no intention of becoming anything of the sort.

Muttering inwardly, Ian held out his right hand. Dozens of dark-red thorns bloomed around him. It was Blood Blade, a skill he had obtained from the Vampire Empress, a being who, looking back, could easily have been called an archdemon.

Swoosh—

As Ian clenched his fist, the thorns shot out in countless straight lines, precisely targeting the wave of larvae chasing his group. The larvae, swept up in the crimson trajectories, exploded without a chance to react. The blades that passed through them also vaporized, scattering like blood.

“Sir Ian!”

The group all turned their heads at once. For a moment, he met their gazes calmly.

Suddenly, Ian’s eyes flickered. The chaos of Yanar Tash—long pushed to the edges of his awareness—had flared into startling clarity.

Woosh!

A raging gale erupted, plunging the world into darkness just as Ian leaped with all his might toward his companions. His forward momentum was abruptly smashed into the earth, and he bounced off the ground.

Crash—

After tumbling a few more times, Ian drove his tentacles deep into the ground to stop himself. His gaze swept over the darkened surroundings.

This was a sandstorm.

Is this how it created the last one?

Crouching low, Ian’s eyes narrowed. It seemed that the final phase wasn’t a sand vortex, but a full-blown sandstorm.

A surge of intense anger rose with the thought that he had been too careless. It wasn’t just because he had seen his group members thrown in all directions by the blast.

Swoosh—

It was because, piercing through the swirling darkness, a great shadow was falling over him. A huge, dark-red trajectory was approaching—and at its center was a darkness of much greater density. The entrance to an abyss, lined with countless sharp teeth, was the maw of Yanar Tash.

However, Ian neither pulled out the tentacles he had plunged into the ground nor prepared to evade. He simply narrowed his blazing eyes, staring past the massive, descending maw and into the abyss beyond.

—That seems a bit reckless.

Yog whispered, as if it had read his mind. Ian, of course, pretended not to hear.

Fwoosh—

At the same time, a gray haze spread over him like a fog. Almost simultaneously, a gray, tentacle-like tail sprouted—Wild Fury. It was a skill he had got from killing Inaskurgl, one that would surely consume an extreme amount of chaos power.

At the same time, Ian reactivated Hunting Time. His eyes glowed with a violet light.

“Grrrrr…” A sound like that of a predator escaped from between his teeth.

Woosh!

Ian leaped with all his strength into the heart of the pitch-black abyss descending through the sandstorm.

***

Woosh—

The swirling sandstorm swept violently over the cloak Lucia had pulled over herself.

Despite being thrown and tumbling in the gale, Lucia had not lost consciousness. She had coughed up a mouthful of blood, but she had instinctively dropped low and covered herself with the cloak. The result was a resounding success. The Cloak of the Undying was doing its job perfectly, even in this storm.

She couldn’t check on the rest of the group, but she wasn’t too worried. Moro and Seren were currently overflowing with chaos, and Diana was a fairy to begin with—not to mention she was wearing a mask that was practically an artifact. They might have lost consciousness, but at least they wouldn’t suffocate in the sand.

Crash—

A vibration that shook her spread through the ground. Lucia immediately knew what this vibration and roar meant. Yanar Tash was burrowing back into the ground. That it lasted for quite a while was enough to turn her guess into a certainty.

Woosh.

The raging wind, which had continued for some time after the earthquake and roar subsided, finally died down. The storm had passed. Shaking off the heavy layer of sand from the cloak, Lucia pushed herself up.

Fssshh—

As the sand that had piled on her cloak scattered, the scenery of the gray desert, still swept by the wind, was revealed. As expected, Yanar Tash was nowhere in sight. Only a pair of small sand mounds, once a yanar, now rose quietly in front of and behind her. Lucia narrowed her eyes, scanning her surroundings.

Fssshh…

It was then that the forms of her companions emerged here and there. Seren and Moro were standing up, shaking off the sand. Both seemed to be fine, apart from being covered in sand. A few seconds later, the sand burst up once more, and a platinum-blonde fairy appeared—Diana.

“As I thought.”

However, Ian was nowhere to be seen. He had disappeared with Yanar Tash again.

Rumble—

Just as Lucia nodded and stepped forward, another earthquake spread.Moro stumbled to a halt, and Seren and Diana dropped flat on the ground. Lucia did the same. Landing on her rear, she reflexively pulled the edge of her cloak up over her nose.

Swoosh!

The sand exploded upwards just after. She couldn't gauge the exact distance, but it was at most a hundred meters away from the group. As Lucia's vision filled with the churning gray explosion, a reddish-brown color flickered beyond it.

Bwoooooh—

The archdemon's roar erupted once more. Lucia realized its condition was different from before.

Bwoooooooh—

Without casting a single spell, it emerged from the cloud of dust and dropped straight down like a club. It was in the group's direction, but landed on an empty patch of ground where nothing stood.

“What… in the world,” Diana muttered blankly, sitting on the ground. She wasn't the only one who didn't understand what was happening.

“Agent of the Saint?”

“Sir Ian?”

Seren, on one knee, and Lucia were muttering blankly, their eyes wide.

Just then, Yanar Tash, who had been writhing on the sand, rose again. Not only was it staggering, but the reddish-brown chaos enveloping it was also wavering precariously.

However, Lucia’s eyes narrowed for a different reason.

Bwohohooooh—

As her gaze swept over the full length of Yanar Tash’s body, the creature let out a roar that sounded almost pained and came crashing down—this time in the opposite direction.

Thud, boom!

A dull vibration spread through the ground.

As Seren, Diana, and Moro cautiously got to their feet again, Yanar Tash staggered up once more through the scattering sand dust. It was covered in cracks that looked alarmingly deep. Reddish-brown chaos was seeping out from between them.

However, Lucia’s eyes only grew narrower. “Where is he?”

Ian was inflicting a severe blow, and yet, he was nowhere to be seen on Yanar Tash. The convulsing body, the mournful roar, and the precariously flickering reddish-brown chaos were the only signs that he was doing something.

Bwohooo…

With a mournful scream, Yanar Tash tilted to the side. Unlike before, it was more of a collapse.

Crumble…

Gray sand shot up, crossing Lucia’s vision. Yanar Tash, still half-buried in the ground, was writhing feebly, spewing reddish-brown chaos.

However, Lucia did not look away. From her experience with Inaskurgl, she knew not to let her guard down until the very end.

“Cough… N-No!” An unexpected sound came from behind her.

It was only then that Lucia turned her head, and her eyes widened as if they would tear. “Sir?”

Over there, Seren was collapsing, clutching her chest and vomiting blood. Violet chaos was flaring ominously across her.

Grrr… Grrrk…

Moro wasn’t in good shape either. It had sunk back down and was panting heavily, steam snorting from its nostrils. The violet hue along its rippling mane brightened and dimmed in waves.

“What… is this?”

Only Lucia and Diana were unharmed. As she met the eyes of Diana, who was the farthest away, in bewilderment, a deafening roar erupted from Yanar Tash’s direction.

Lucia’s head snapped back, and what she saw was the center of its back exploding, shattering into pieces.

Boom!

As a mix of reddish-brown and violet chaos spread out like a fog, Lucia’s mouth finally fell open.

“My goodness…”

She realized why Ian had been nowhere to be seen—he had been inside the archdemon. Yanar Tash must have eaten him. But clearly, it hadn’t managed to digest him properly. In fact, far from being digested, the prey inside its belly seemed to have dragged the predator to its death.

Swoosh—

The two different colors of chaos swirled, and from its center, a single violet figure slowly rose.

At last, color returned to Lucia’s face. “Sir Ian!”

It was Ian, his head bowed, his body limp. He seemed to be floating—likely lifted by the tentacles on his back.

That was when he suddenly, unnaturally, lifted his head with a creaking motion.

Lucia’s smile froze.

There were four glowing eyes flickering across his face. His teeth had grown long and sharp and his horns far larger and more vicious.

“Sir… Ian?” As Lucia murmured blankly, the four violet eyes flared to life.

“-----!”

The archdemon, Ian Hope, roared.