strictlysupreme Chapter 178 Ono's Tragic Experience and Brown's Desire for Revenge
Chapter 178 Ono's Tragic Experience and Brown's Desire for Revenge
Chapter 178 Ono's Tragic Experience and Brown's Desire for Revenge
"Number Seven! Move quickly!"
At another point, Ono listened to the impatient urging of the people around him, bit his lip and remained silent, just burying his head and desperately pouring the little bit of magic power in his body into the black artifact in front of him.
"Number Seven! What are you spacing out for! Do you want to be thrown into the furnace and burned as firewood?!"
The foreman's hoarse and fierce roar suddenly exploded, and Ono could even feel the spittle flying off his neck.
His thin body trembled violently, his face turned deathly pale, and he frantically channeled his magic power into the magical artifact in front of him, which was constantly emitting a draining force.
He could clearly feel that his pitiful magic power was like a stream flowing into a bottomless pit, instantly swallowed up completely, along with his physical strength and faint life force being slowly drained away.
A cold, weak feeling kept spreading.
He doesn't understand.
He really couldn't understand it.
I'm just an ordinary person who barely has the talent of a wizard thanks to potions. I was forcibly dragged to this godforsaken place. I haven't even learned the most basic meditation techniques yet. Why am I being pushed here to do this kind of thing?
He looked around and saw that the apprentices, who were dressed in the same gray robes as him, were all emaciated and had either numb or fearful eyes. They were being driven like livestock, constantly channeling energy into those strange magical artifacts.
Occasionally, someone would collapse from exhaustion and be immediately dragged away expressionlessly by the patrolling members in black robes, disappearing without a trace and never to return.
He also saw in the middle of the valley—the enormous altar built of corpses and bones.
It was like a living, greedy monster, constantly emitting a low hum, and the twisted runes on its surface flickered with a chilling black light.
It is frantically devouring the invisible energy flows that are converging from all directions, and sending them underground to who knows where.
Just looking at that altar made Ono's soul tremble.
What exactly is this place?
What exactly are they doing all this for?
"Hurry! The node's energy supply cannot be interrupted! Whoever messes up dies!"
Another black-robed wizard walked by, his cold gaze sweeping over the group of apprentices as if they were a pile of disposable consumables.
Ono lowered his head, not daring to meet anyone's gaze, and just pushed himself even harder.
Tears welled up in my eyes, but I dared not let them fall.
He missed home, missed that poor but at least warm little house, missed his parents who knew nothing about him.
He was really scared.
I'm afraid that I'll collapse like everyone else and be dragged away.
I fear that I will eventually become one of the corpses on that altar.
Just then, a pure white fox carrying a girl with white hair and red eyes appeared silently.
"Ginny, Lady Ginny?! Why did you come in person? This is a small matter, I can handle it—"
The once high and mighty figure, who even the overseers had to bow and scrape before, now stood respectfully before the young girl, his posture even more humble than that of the overseers.
"How are the preparations going?"
Ginny didn't care about the other person's attitude. She turned her gaze to the huge altar and asked in a gentle tone.
"Sir, it's operating at full capacity! Our men are keeping a close watch and dare not let their guard down!"
Ginny's red eyes, which seemed to be filled with pools of blood, swept indifferently over the apprentices, including Ono, who were desperately channeling their magic power.
There was no pity or disgust in her gaze; it was as calm as if she were looking at a pile of insignificant pebbles.
Her long, snow-white hair swayed slightly in the eerie wind emanating from the altar, creating an eerie yet beautiful scene with the proud, pure-white fox beneath her.
"The efficiency is too low."
Ginny's voice remained gentle, yet it sent a chill down the spine of the obsequious manager.
"How much energy can be squeezed out of these disposable batteries? They're full of impurities."
"Yes, yes, yes, you're right, sir!"
The manager bent down even lower, almost kneeling.
"It's just that the higher-ups are pressing us hard, so we can only use these apprentices to tide us over for now—we're trying our best to find more qualified people—"
Ginny gently raised her hand, interrupting his explanation. Her slender finger pointed to the constantly humming altar of corpses.
"Initiate the sublimation process. Combine these substandard batteries with the previously stored firewood to refine them."
O
She spoke casually, as if she were talking about a trivial matter.
The manager froze, his face drained of color, and his voice began to tremble.
"M--My lord! Initiate the ascension now? But these apprentices—and the ones we painstakingly collected before—"
"Um?"
Ginny tilted her head slightly, her red eyes quietly looking at him.
His gaze remained gentle, yet it instantly plunged the manager into an icy abyss, rendering him speechless.
"Are you questioning me?" she asked softly.
"I wouldn't dare! Absolutely not!"
The manager knelt down with a thud, burying his head deeply.
"I'll get on it right away! Initiate the 'sublimation' process immediately!"
He scrambled back to the altar control area, his voice shrill and distorted with extreme fear.
"Quickly! Activate the Ascension Array! Flow all energy—including the supply from the Apprentice Zone—into the Main Altar! Quickly!!"
The moment the command was given, the entire operation of the valley node changed dramatically!
Those black magical artifacts, which had been slowly drawing magic and life force from the apprentices, suddenly unleashed a terrifying suction force!
"ah--!"
"No! Don't!"
A heart-wrenching scream erupted from the apprentice area!
Ono felt an irresistible and terrifying suction force coming from the magical artifact. The meager magic power and life force in his body surged out uncontrollably like a flood bursting its banks!
Excruciating pain swept through his entire body; he felt as if he were being drained dry!
He watched in horror as the apprentices around him shriveled up at a visible rate, their skin lost its luster, and their eyes quickly dimmed!
Within seconds, they turned into withered, dried corpses, and then, along with the sorcery artifacts in front of them, they transformed into a pure yet dark energy stream mixed with despair and pain, which was forcibly absorbed by the altar!
The energy fuel stored at the altar and collected from various places was also activated, surging towards the center of the altar like a black torrent!
The altar emitted an unprecedentedly loud hum, its surface runes shining brightly, and the entire valley trembled!
"No—I don't want to die—I still—"
Ono's consciousness rapidly blurred as extreme pain and fear overwhelmed him. He felt like a candle flickering in a storm, about to be extinguished completely in the next second.
However, just as his consciousness was about to completely sink, Sean's figure appeared silently beside Ono like a ghost. With a gentle flick of his pale, slender fingers, the black sorcery that was frantically draining Ono's life force instantly broke its connection with him, and the runes on its surface dimmed.
Ono suddenly collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, as if he had just been pulled back to the surface from a drowning abyss. His whole body was soaked in cold sweat, and every cell was screaming in pain and weakness.
He looked up and saw that pale, silent face, and almost instinctively struggled to get up and bow.
"Lord Sean!"
His voice was hoarse and weak, filled with the fear of surviving a disaster and a trace of bewildered gratitude.
Sean didn't look at him; his unfathomable black eyes were fixed on Ginny, who sat atop the white fox. He bowed slightly and explained in a calm, even voice.
"Lady Ginny. This apprentice has a special physique and is the first experimental subject of the Primal Potential Potion, which is personally overseen by Lord Hick."
His data is crucial for subsequent research, and for now—it cannot be consumed as a regular "battery."
Ginny's red eyes shifted slightly, her gaze moving from the loudly buzzing altar that was purifying energy to Sean, then lightly sweeping over Ono, who was shivering on the ground as if he had just been pulled out of the water.
"That medicine really took a lot of effort from the adults and me."
She looked at Ono, but saw nothing particularly special about the boy, then turned to Sean and asked, "Sirius, where are we now?"
Sean didn't hide anything: "We'll be reaching Brown's node soon—"
At another location, Brown watched his men busily setting up, his face grim.
Sean had already informed him that Silrian was heading this way.
The thought of almost being beaten to death by that woman last time ignited a fierce rage in Brown's eyes.
"Sirius—this time, I'll make sure you don't leave alive!"
Feeling the bones within his body, which had been further strengthened by Lord Hick and were now completely dragon-like, Brown stood in the center of the node, his massive body trembling slightly from suppressed rage.
Beneath the skin covered in dark dragon scales, newly formed, more powerful dragon bones emitted a faint hum.
He stretched his incredibly thick neck, the joints making a sickening "crack" sound.
"Is everything ready?!" he growled, his voice like a rumbling thunderclap.
"My lord! All defensive formations are activated at full power! The entire undead army has been awakened and deployed at the entrance passage! The Lich King's Legion is in position and ready to unleash the curse storm at any moment!"
A subordinate in black robes quickly stepped forward to report, his voice filled with awe and a hint of fear.
The aura emanating from Lord Brown now is more violent and powerful than ever before, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at him.
"Very good!" Brown grinned maliciously, his huge, dragon-scale-covered bone claws clenching tightly, creating a sonic boom as the air was squeezed.
"Silian—Hmph, Radiant Flame?"
He spat out a mouthful of sulfur-smelling saliva, which landed and corroded a small pit.
"Last time it was just my carelessness that let you get the upper hand! This time, I'm going to tear every single bone in your body off and grind them to dust! I'll make sure your holy light is completely extinguished before my dragon bones!"
He recalled the pain and humiliation of being nearly burned to a crisp by that terrifying purifying light tide, and his eyes almost burst with rage.
But then, that anger was replaced by an extremely confident and cruel expectation.
The power bestowed by Lord Hick is magnificent!
He felt an almost inexhaustible dark energy flowing through his body, every bone was indestructible, and contained the power of a dragon!
He can even sense the slightest energy flow in the air and anticipate approaching danger—this is part of the dragon's instinct!
He deliberately chose this narrow, defensible valley location.
He would crush that woman here with absolute power and defense, and wipe away his shame!
He wanted everyone to know that he, Brown, was the strongest warrior under Lord Hick!
"Get your act together, all of you!"
Brown roared at the entire node, his voice echoing through the valley.
"That white rat is about to walk right into our trap! If anyone messes up, I'll be the first to tear them to pieces and feed them to the altar!"
All the dark wizards and undead creatures sensed the commander's boiling fighting spirit and killing intent, and the defensive atmosphere of the entire node became even more solemn and deadly.
The dark energy was so dense it was almost tangible, various defensive arrays flickered with eerie light, and the soul fire in the eye sockets of the undead creatures pulsed wildly.
Brown stood at the very front of the node entrance, like a gatekeeper, casting a massive, suffocating shadow. He closed his eyes, carefully sensing the distance.
coming!
He suddenly opened his eyes, a violent glint flashing in his scarlet pupils.
In the distance, a pure and blazing aura of light was rushing toward this direction with resolute speed and without any concealment! He knew that aura all too well—it was none other than Sirius!
"It's finally here—"
Brown licked his sharp teeth, a hideous yet expectant smile spreading across his face.
"Sirius! This time, let's see how you die!"
The dragon bones within his body seemed to sense the approach of their nemesis, trembling slightly as bone spurs emerged, emitting an excited, low hum.
Dark energy surged across his body like boiling magma, making him appear like a demon god emerging from the abyss.
The entire valley node has opened its all-consuming maw of death, awaiting the intrusion of "Radiant Flames".