An Understated Dominance - Chapter 2417

Marcell, who was once weak and frail, began to change rapidly. His muscles and bones grew quickly, and in no time, he shot up from five feet three inches to nearly six feet tall, and he was still growing.

His thin body filled out with strong muscles, and his skin stretched tightly. His hunched back straightened, making him look very powerful.

In just a few seconds, Marcell became a completely different person. He now stood close to six feet five inches, with bulging muscles and eyes filled with a fierce intensity. He had transformed from a weak wildcat into a fierce tiger.

At that moment, dark energy swirled around him. His face changed into a terrifying and hungry expression, making him look like a demon from hell.

“It is so delicious,” Marcell said, licking his lips after absorbing the surrounding energy of death and resentment.

He was using the Soul Abyss Technique, his strongest ability, which he rarely activated because it shortened his lifespan. But now, he had no other choice.

After absorbing the dark energy, this technique temporarily boosted his strength to the level of an Ultimate Grandmaster. Although the effect would only last for half an hour, it was more than enough to handle Aven.

“Such a wicked technique! You must be stopped!” Aven exclaimed, his face hardening as he looked at Marcell’s new form. His intent to kill was clear.

Aven understood the Soul Abyss Technique well. It was an evil martial art that grew stronger by taking human lives. The more lives the user claimed, the more powerful they became.

Years ago, a notorious villain had used this technique and caused chaos in the martial world. It was only when Aven’s mentor, Arion, intervened that the villain was finally defeated.

Now that Aven was faced with Marcell…

Facing Marcell, the master of a dark technique, Aven was determined not to show any mercy.

“You think you can kill me? Let’s see if you have what it takes,” Marcell said with a wicked grin.

“Stormcraft!” Aven shouted as he raised his hand, sending a blast of purple lightning straight at Marcell’s chest.

Marcell didn’t flinch. Instead, he punched the air, and dark energy formed a black spear that met the lightning in a powerful explosion.

The purple lightning fizzled out, and the spear shattered on impact. Neither fighter gained the upper hand.

Aven frowned, surprised. Stormcraft was supposed to counter dark arts like the Soul Abyss Technique, but it hadn’t worked.

“What’s wrong? Are you surprised?” Marcell taunted, still grinning. “I’ll be honest with you. After Arion killed my mentor, I prepared for this day. I’ve improved the Soul Abyss Technique, so your Stormcraft won’t work on me. Today, I’ll avenge my master and wipe out your Sacred Wrym Summit.”

With that, Marcell’s body split into three black skulls, each flying toward Aven from different directions. The skulls radiated intense death energy and moved in unpredictable patterns, making them hard to track.

Aven knew he couldn’t take any chances. He clapped three times, sending three bolts of purple lightning toward the skulls.

But at the last moment, the skulls swerved and narrowly avoided the strikes. They crashed into Aven’s Glow Incantation. The impact caused the skulls to explode, releasing torrents of black death energy that engulfed Aven.

An eerie scene unfolded as the once indestructible golden light began to sizzle in the surrounding darkness.

Aven watched in shock as green smoke began to rise, slowly consuming the golden light. His heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t expected the Soul Abyss Technique to counter his Glow Incantation. He could feel the death energy creeping through the golden light, and if it reached him, it would drain his life force.

“Sanctuary Seal!” Aven shouted, throwing three golden talismans into the air. They spun rapidly above him, forming a massive golden bell.

“Down!” Aven made hand seals, directing the bell downward. It crashed down, pushing back the death energy and creating a protective barrier around him. But the dark energy didn’t give up; it continued to pound against the golden bell, trying to break through.

“Spin!” Aven quickly formed another hand seal. The golden bell began to spin faster, sucking the black death energy into its vortex.

The bell rose into the air, and the trapped death energy struggled to escape, but it was held tight.

“Seal!” Aven made more hand seals. The golden bell shrank quickly until it was the size of his fist. He attached a Divine Talisman to the bottom of the bell to lock the death energy inside.

The bell dropped to the ground, and everything went quiet. Marcell and the dark energy had vanished, sealed within the golden bell.

Once the dust settled, Aven sighed in relief. Anyone who could use the Soul Abyss Technique was formidable. Luckily, he had the Divine Talisman to counter it. Defeating Marcell would have been much harder otherwise.

“Return!” Aven waved his hand, and the golden bell floated back to him. But just as he began to relax, the bell suddenly exploded. Black death energy erupted like a swarm, overwhelming him.

Demonic spirits rushed out and flooded into Aven’s body through every opening. His face went pale as he understood it was already too late to stop it.