Chapter 178: East Anekta Crisis (17)

The top floors of the hotel skyscraper were in ruins.

Eden rushed through the building, his footsteps barely touching the ground as he ascended the remaining flights of stairs. The walls were covered in blood, and the corridors were littered with bodies. Some belonged to ordinary civilians, while others wore the uniforms of the island’s security personnel.

There were hundreds of them.

He didn’t need to examine the corpses to understand what had happened. Their Essence had been drained, leaving behind little more than empty shells. Whatever Aphelios was preparing, he had been using the people on the island as sacrifices.

And judging by the enormous concentration of Essence gathering above him, the ritual was nearing completion.

Damn it.

Eden accelerated.

He had hoped to reach Aphelios before the summoning was complete. Leonard’s information had given him a chance, but the time spent dealing with Luka had cost him more than he would have liked.

The air grew heavier as he approached the top floor.

A faint vibration ran through the building.

Then another.

The entire skyscraper seemed to groan beneath the pressure of the Essence gathering above it.

Eden reached the final staircase and didn’t bother opening the door.

He kicked it off its hinges.

The door flew across the room.

Aphelios stood at the center of an enormous chamber, surrounded by a glowing ritual formation. Crimson and black runes covered the floor, arranged in several concentric circles. Hundreds of thin strands of Essence stretched from the bodies scattered around the room, converging toward the old man.

Aphelios slowly turned his head.

His black eyes widened.

"Oh?"

Eden didn’t give him time to say anything else.

He crossed the room in an instant.

Aphelios barely managed to raise his arm before Eden’s foot struck his chest.

The impact sent the old man flying.

He crashed through several pillars, shattered a section of the chamber’s wall, and continued rolling across the floor until he finally struck the far side of the room.

Eden landed where he had been standing.

"Found you."

Aphelios coughed violently.

Blood spilled from his mouth as he struggled to sit up.

"You...!"

"Save it."

Eden approached.

Aphelios raised both hands.

The ritual circle beneath him flared.

Several portals opened throughout the chamber, and creatures began crawling out of them. They varied in size and appearance, but none seemed particularly powerful. Some resembled oversized insects, others were twisted humanoid creatures with elongated limbs and distorted faces.

Low-Rank Abyss Creatures.

A dozen.

Then two dozen.

Then more.

They immediately rushed toward Eden, shrieking as they flooded the chamber.

Aphelios used the opportunity to drag himself away.

"Buy me some time!"

Eden stopped.

He looked at the approaching creatures.

Then he sighed.

"Really?"

Malicious Spirit erupted.

The pressure descended upon the chamber like an invisible mountain.

Every creature froze.

Their bodies collapsed simultaneously, crushed beneath the overwhelming spiritual force. Several were reduced to splattered remains against the floor, while others simply stopped moving, their Essence dispersing as their bodies crumpled.

The portals flickered.

Then vanished.

The entire exchange had lasted less than a second.

Aphelios stared.

Eden continued walking.

"That’s all?"

The old man’s expression twisted.

He tried to retreat, dragging himself toward the remaining ritual formation.

Eden raised his hand.

Golden chains materialized around his wrist.

Malevolent Chains.

The links shot across the room, extending toward Aphelios from several directions. One wrapped around his leg, another around his torso, while a third coiled around his arm.

The chains tightened.

Aphelios screamed as his body was pulled off the ground.

Eden closed his fist.

"Got you."

The old man struggled, but the chains held him in place.

For a moment, Eden thought the fight was over.

Then Aphelios began laughing.

It was a weak, raspy sound at first, almost indistinguishable from his coughing. But it quickly grew louder.

"Oh... Oh, dear."

Eden’s eyes narrowed.

"What?"

Aphelios looked up at him.

"I was hoping to avoid this."

The ritual formation beneath them began glowing brighter.

The Essence gathering around the room surged.

Eden felt the change immediately.

His Malevolent Chains trembled.

Aphelios lowered his head, his smile widening.

"Seems I’ll have to summon it early."

Eden’s expression changed.

"Summon what?"

Aphelios didn’t answer.

The entire chamber turned white.

An explosion erupted and hotel skyscraper disappeared.

One moment, the building stood above the island. The next, an enormous explosion swallowed it whole.

A sphere of destructive energy expanded outward, consuming the upper floors before tearing through the lower levels. Windows shattered across neighboring buildings, and the shockwave swept through the surrounding streets with enough force to overturn vehicles and rip apart already damaged structures.

The sky itself seemed to split.

For several seconds, the entire district was obscured by smoke, dust, and a blinding light.

Then something was thrown out of the explosion.

A human figure.

Eden crashed through the side of a nearby skyscraper, passed through several floors, and finally smashed into the building’s central support structure.

Concrete collapsed around him.

His body slid across the ruined floor before coming to a stop among the debris.

For a moment, he couldn’t even move.

Blood ran down his face.

His chest hurt.

His vision was blurry.

Then his body began to recover.

Violent Vitality converted his remaining Essence into healing, gradually repairing the damage inflicted by the explosion. His ribs shifted back into place, and the wounds across his torso began closing.

Eden coughed.

A mouthful of blood hit the floor.

"...That was close."

He slowly pushed himself upright.

His golden chains had mostly disappeared, their remaining links scattered around him. Most of them had been destroyed during the explosion, but not before absorbing a substantial portion of the impact.

Eden stared at the remnants.

If Malevolent Chains hadn’t absorbed the force of the explosion, he would have died.

He had no doubt about it.

Even with his regeneration and extraordinary physical attributes, his body wouldn’t have survived a direct hit from that attack.

Eden wiped the blood from his mouth.

"What the hell did he summon?"

He looked toward the destroyed hotel.

And froze.

Something emerged from the smoke.