Chapter 853: Raul’s Ruthlessness

So when Raul gave the order, the creature obeyed without pause, launching itself into the Fish Lizard swarm with a shriek that split the lake’s depths.

The result was brutal and bloody. The centipede was indeed powerful, its hardened black carapace shrugging off blows as its sharp mandibles tore through Fish Lizards one after another. It bit one, then two, then three—its movements swift and vicious, killing scores of them in moments. But the Fish Lizards were small, swift, and relentless.

For every one it crushed, five more latched onto its long segmented body, tearing at its flesh and cracking through its armor-like scales. The swarm came from all directions, biting and clawing as if in a frenzy, their bloodthirsty nature driving them mad.

No matter how powerful the centipede was, it was only one creature. Under the unending tide of Fish Lizards, its massive body gradually slowed, blood gushing out into the water as the swarm literally ate it alive.

The once-clear lake turned crimson, and a thick, metallic scent of blood permeated everything.

Raul’s eyes went wide in shock as he saw his strongest trump card, his proudest life-saving treasure, being devoured in such a gruesome way. His body trembled in disbelief, and then fury overtook him.

“Max, I’m going to kill you!” he roared, his voice echoing through the bloody waters, filled with boundless hatred.

But Max was already on the move.

“Swish, swish, swish!”

The sound of swords ripping through the air followed as Max unleashed the Crimson Sun Burial Sword Art without holding back. His sword rose high, blazing with crimson flames that danced wildly as he infused it with his power.

The concepts of flame and sword, both at level two, fused perfectly together as he slashed downward with all his might. Giant sword shadows, blazing with scorching fire energy, descended from above like judgment itself.

The deafening roar of sword splitting the air filled Raul’s ears, shaking him to his core. With his cultivation only at the fourth level of the Legend Rank, blocking these devastating strikes was impossible.

To make matters worse, the Fish Lizards below, now covered in blood and maddened by the scent of death, surged upward in another frenzy. Raul found himself being attacked from both sides—the raging Fish Lizards from below and Max’s fiery sword shadows from above—leaving him unable to control his remaining insects to defend himself properly.

This was Max’s strategy all along. He didn’t just want to wound Raul; he wanted to drown him in chaos, to suppress him in the depths of Mirror Moon Lake while forcing the savage Fish Lizards to do the dirty work.

Max’s blade wasn’t just cutting down—it was sealing Raul’s fate.

“Hateful!” Raul’s roar echoed through the blood-stained waters, his face twisted in rage and humiliation. He had always seen himself as a genius of the Void Soul Tower, a favored son blessed with talent and resources.

Yet here he was, pushed to a desperate corner, humiliated by someone he considered beneath him. The fury in his eyes was almost tangible, but beneath that rage burned a fire of sheer determination.

Raul was not just arrogant—he was relentless. Even at this critical life-and-death moment, he didn’t freeze. He bit down hard on the tip of his tongue, so forcefully that his mouth instantly filled with an intense, metallic sweetness.

With a guttural growl, he spat out a mouthful of blood, but this was no ordinary blood. It glimmered unnaturally, glowing a cherry-red hue so pure and vivid that it looked like liquid crystal—his essence blood, the very core of his life force.

It was a desperate move, one that would weaken his foundation later, but Raul didn’t hesitate. Survival came first.

Max’s eyes widened slightly in surprise as he saw the crimson droplet floating mid-air, burning with an unnatural glow. “So ruthless…” he thought, slightly caught off guard. He hadn’t expected Raul to go this far, to sacrifice something as vital as essence blood just to survive.

But the results were immediate and terrifying. The insects covering Raul’s body shuddered violently, their bodies swelling slightly as the energy from that essence blood poured into them.

A violent and savage aura erupted like a storm, rolling across Mirror Moon Lake and shaking its depths. The lake itself trembled, ripples spreading like waves of pure killing intent. Raul’s body blurred and twisted into a streak of blood shadow, moving so fast that the eye could barely track him.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

One after another, the powerful Fish Lizards that had once swarmed him were smashed aside, their tough scales cracking under the empowered assault of Raul’s blood-fueled swarm.

From Max’s perspective above, it looked like a massive black storm cloud of Gu insects had erupted from the lake, tearing through everything in its path. That eerie cloud shot upward, breaking free of the water’s surface, and within it was Raul, wrapped in a blood mist so dense it looked like an aura of slaughter.

The Fish Lizards gave chase, but their speed was no match for Raul’s essence-enhanced blood shadow form. In just moments, he was free of their range and soaring high into the sky, leaving behind the chaos he had just carved through.

“Go to hell!” Raul’s eyes locked onto Max with pure ferocity, his killing intent sharp enough to slice through bone. The blood mist clinging to him boiled outward, surging into the cloud of insects around him, empowering them even further.

Together they shot down toward Max like a living tidal wave, and the surging blood energy accompanying them was so intense it dyed the very air crimson. It was as if a bloody storm had been unleashed from the heavens themselves.

Yet Max stood unshaken. His expression remained calm, his body relaxing into a stance of absolute focus. In one fluid motion, his Dragon Scales Transformation erupted to life. Black, glowing scales rippled across his body like armor as a thunderous pulse of energy radiated outward.

At the same time, the full might of his 700 Draconic Essences roared to life, flooding his body with strength so immense it made the very void tremble.

Max tightened his grip on his sword, infusing it with his level 2 sword concept and level 2 flame concept. Black flames twined around the blade as he swung it upward in a devastating arc, meeting Raul’s blood-powered strike head-on.

“Bang!”

The collision was deafening, a shockwave rippling outward and cracking the ground below as if the sky itself had been cleaved apart. Blood energy and flame-infused sword energy clashed violently, hissing and sparking as their powers struggled for dominance.

But in the end, neither side yielded. Both Raul and Max were pushed back slightly, suspended mid-air, their gazes locked with unshaken resolve. It was a draw.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay