Chapter 376 - 361: Wielding the Thunderbolt

Chapter 376: Chapter 361: Wielding the Thunderbolt

His fingers clenched around the still-burning Thorn Chain, a frigid touch and searing Flame assaulting him at once.

In that dazzling series of attacks and defenses, Roland had already sized up his opponent.

He was indeed swift, far exceeding the limits of an ordinary Transcendent’s motion perception. Even the Extraordinary Professional, the [Assassin] he’d encountered before, couldn’t compare.

But his Power did not match it.

At least, it was a far cry from his own Power after activating [Dragonification].

And while the Fire of the Nine Prisons clinging to the Thorn Chain seemed fierce, as long as he wasn’t pierced by the tip of the Chain Blade, his [Dragon Scale Armor] was more than enough to completely withstand the aftershocks and intense heat.

Other than that, the attack methods of this Demon named Malcolm before him were truly...

Underwhelming.

’If this is all he has...’

At this thought, a cold glint flashed in Roland’s eyes. The arm clenching the Thorn Chain suddenly exerted its strength, yanking it back with brutal force.

The sudden burst of irresistible Power traveled along the Chains to the other end in an instant.

"How is this possible?"

Malcolm’s pupils contracted abruptly as he felt the immense Power coming from the other end of the Thorn Chain in disbelief.

Although his Power had already greatly diminished, his opponent was, in the end, just a Dragon Descendant whelp!

How could he be overpowered in a pure contest of Power?

The absurd thought had barely crossed his mind when he began pulling back desperately, trying to regain control of his weapon, his arm trembling from the excessive force.

However, the very next moment, as he gave it his all...

An even more violent, completely irresistible force surged through the Thorn Chain.

Malcolm didn’t even have time to react. He only felt a searing pain in his palm as the Prison Fire-wreathed Thorn Chain was ripped from his grasp.

He staggered back a step and looked down to see that the tough body of the chain had torn his palm open, and dark blood was seeping out.

Before the shock and humiliation could fully set in, a sharp, whistling sound was already upon him.

He snapped his head up, his vision filled by the cold, brilliant gleam of a golden sword.

The golden sword light didn’t come in a straight line, but carved a cold arc through the air, cleverly cutting off all of Malcolm’s escape routes.

The Shadow of death loomed over him, forcing him to squeeze out the last of his Power for a desperate tumble to the side and back.

"SHRAAAK!"

The sword’s edge swept past where he had just stood, tearing a deep, scorched-black gash in the ground.

The dissipating Positive Energy seared the air, which crackled softly.

Before Malcolm could even regain his footing, Roland’s figure closed in again like a phantom.

The Secret Silver Longsword in his hand was as light as a feather, transforming into a suffocating storm of sword shadows.

Having lost his main weapon, the Demon could only rely on his speed to constantly dodge, occasionally conjuring a brief Dark Energy Shield or flicking several scorching, dark-red fireballs from his fingertips.

However, these attacks, imbued with Hell Power, lost much of their potency upon reaching Roland.

The unholy fire struck the silver Scales, only to futilely burst into a few dim sparks before being swiftly annihilated.

As for the cold aura that could erode the mind and freeze one’s will, it was like a gentle breeze against a mountain rock, unable to shake his firm will in the slightest.

"Is this the extent of your tricks?"

Roland’s cold voice cut through the whistling of the blade.

He was no longer satisfied with simply suppressing him.

At the instant a masterful feint forced Malcolm off-balance, Roland’s unused left hand shot out like lightning.

That palm was now completely covered in thick Dragon Scales, their edges glinting with a cold, metallic light.

His five fingers curved into a claw, letting out a piercing shriek as they tore through the air, aimed straight for the Demon’s throat.

Malcolm, horrified, hastily raised his arm to block.

"CRACK!"

The sickening sound of a bone fracture rang out clearly.

The Demon let out a pained grunt and was sent flying by the immense force, crashing heavily into a distant pile of rubble and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Roland gave him no time to breathe.

He dashed forward, his speed soaring to its peak, leaving a faint, blood-red Residual Shadow in his wake.

At the same time, the Longsword in his hand once again erupted with a golden radiance even more brilliant and pure than before.

It was a Supreme Slash, holding nothing back, infused with all his faith and Power.

In the dust cloud, Malcolm had just struggled to his feet when he saw the golden torrent of death fill his entire vision.

A look of terror appeared on his face. He roared madly, frantically gathering what little Energy he had left in front of him.

A dark barrier inscribed with distorted Runes instantly formed, emitting an ominous ripple.

"BOOM!"

The holy sword light and the foul barrier collided violently, producing a deafening explosion.

Energy violently intertwined and annihilated, and the resulting shockwave sent all the surrounding rubble flying.

The stalemate lasted only for a moment.

Under the purifying force of the Supreme Slash, the dark barrier flickered violently and was covered in cracks, but ultimately, it did not completely shatter.

It barely managed to deflect the direct impact of most of the destructive Energy. Malcolm himself was sent flying backward again as if struck by a sledgehammer, landing clumsily on one knee only after being thrown dozens of paces, cutting a sorry figure.

The aura of the Nine Prisons surrounding him had become extremely dim. The arm that had blocked the Dragon Claw was twisted at an unnatural angle, clear evidence that he had paid a heavy price.

Seeing Roland’s Dragon Mighty rise once more, and feeling that cold killing intent press down on him as if it were tangible, alarm bells screamed in Malcolm’s mind.

Close-quarters combat was a dead end.

A hint of resolve flashed in his scarlet eyes. He could no longer be bothered to maintain his false elegance.

The next moment, the space around him began to twist unnaturally.

’Trying to run?’

Seeing this, Roland immediately saw through his intentions.

Just as Malcolm’s figure was about to merge into the Shadow to teleport...

"BOOM!"

The ground where Roland’s feet had been standing suddenly exploded, creating a shallow crater.

His entire body transformed into a blood-red meteor tearing through the air, his speed instantaneously breaking the limits of sight!

It was the very Combat Skill Graham had taught him—an unstoppable advance.

[Charge]!

Relying on the pure brute force and speed erupting from his Dragonified body, Roland forcefully shattered the not-yet-fully-formed Teleportation Force Field.

Malcolm, having just left his physical form and with one foot already in the Shadow Plane, felt a tyrannical force intervene, violently "yanking" him out from the rift in space.

He staggered into view, his face a mask of horror and disbelief, only to be met by the merciless edge of Roland’s sword, once again blazing with golden Flame.

’Damn you, Dragon Descendant! If it weren’t for the changes in the Nine Prisons, a whelp like you... scum like you...’

Malcolm roared in silent despair.

The successive setbacks, especially now facing the threat of complete annihilation, finally crushed his last shred of reason.

Ordinary escape methods were now a fantasy, and begging for mercy was out of the question.

’Then, I have no choice but to sacrifice everything!’

A glint of madness and anguish flashed in his eyes.

Without further hesitation, he began to chant the forbidden Secret Spell, one that came at the cost of permanently damaging his very essence.

The next moment, the Demon’s body suddenly swelled and twisted, then, with a boom that seemed to echo from the depths of the Nine Prisons, it exploded into countless Purgatory Bats burning with faint Prison Fire.

This swarm of bats let out piercing shrieks and, like scattered ink drops, frantically fled in all directions.

A pale flame flickered on the wings of each bat, an attempt to confuse his Perception and find a sliver of a chance to survive.

Roland’s sharp gaze swept over the sky full of bat shadows. He extended his Perception to its fullest, only to be surprised to find that the soul fluctuations carried by each bat were identical, perfectly concealing the location of the main body.

"Heh..."

Faced with this desperate escape ploy, Roland only responded with a cold sneer.

He stood his ground firmly, looking up at the swarm of bats that tried to blot out the sky, his voice ringing clearly across the battlefield.

"Since I can’t find your real body..."

Before he finished speaking, he bent his knees slightly. The ground beneath him let out a muffled thud, and his whole body shot into the sky like a cannonball, hovering above the swarm of bats.

"...then I’ll just have to purify this false skin of yours, along with all these disgusting clones!"

He hovered in mid-air, looking down from on high at the scattering swarm of Purgatory Bats. He slowly raised his right hand, covered in silver Dragon Scales, and then softly spoke.

The next moment, a blazing ball of Energy gathered in his palm.

However, this time, it was not the warm and holy golden Positive Energy...

It was Thunderbolt!

More blinding than the sun, more violent than the radiance of Positive Energy!

Countless incandescent white electric snakes burst from his palm, hissing and leaping, twining together into an ever-expanding sphere of lightning that let out a deafening roar.

[Dragon’s Breath]!

The destructive Energy illuminated Roland’s stern face, as well as the countless despairing bat eyes below.

Wielding the Thunderbolt, he was like a Deity commanding divine punishment.