An Understated Dominance - Chapter 2418

When the black death energy entered Aven’s body, he felt as if he was being torn apart. The pain was intense, like a swarm of poisonous insects eating away at him from the inside. It wasn’t just his body that hurt; his soul felt like it was being ripped apart too.

“Curse you! Get out of my body!” he shouted angrily, trying to push the black death energy out.

The dark energy had burrowed deep into his bones. It was relentless, draining his life force with every moment. Even his inner strength was being consumed to feed it. If this continued, he would be completely drained in less than three minutes.

“Won’t leave, huh? Fine. We’ll die together!” Aven’s anger surged, and he prepared for a powerful attack.

He raised his hand, and dozens of Divine Talismans flew into the air, forming a circle above him. As they spun, a massive black thundercloud began to form. Lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled with fierce power.

This was a demonic-banishing formation based on Stormcraft, much stronger than a simple thunderstrike.

“Stormfall!” Aven shouted, forming a hand seal and pointing at himself.

From the swirling storm clouds above, a thick bolt of purple lightning struck him directly. His clothes disintegrated instantly, and his skin was burned.

Aven looked exhausted, as if every bit of energy had been drained from him. He fell to his knees, trembling.

The dark energy inside him was mostly destroyed by the lightning. He wasn’t pretending—he was ready to sacrifice his life to take Marcell down with him.

“Again… Stormfall!” Aven formed another seal.

Aven made a hand seal and pointed at himself.

Above him, storm clouds rumbled, and purple lightning began to gather in the sky.

The dark energy inside Aven panicked and surged out of him, trying to escape. It formed into Marcell’s figure, but he looked worse than before. His face was pale, his body shook, and blood dripped from his nose and mouth. He was badly injured.

“You… you’re insane! Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Marcell exclaimed, fear written all over his face as he looked at the swirling storm clouds above.

He never thought Aven would be so reckless, drawing the lightning directly into his own body without a second thought for his safety. It was a dangerous move that could hurt them both. Strangely enough, this act disrupted Marcell’s Soul Abyss Technique.

Marcell felt the effects of the last lightning strike; it had nearly taken his life and left him weak, resetting his powers to nothing. If he got hit by the lightning again, he knew he wouldn’t survive.

“Abomination! I’ll gladly sacrifice myself to take you down with me,” Aven shouted, gritting his teeth as he formed another hand seal with shaking hands.

Marcell’s eyes widened in fear as he saw the lightning ready to strike again. He knew he couldn’t survive another hit. If it struck him, he would be destroyed.

“Sir, please spare me! I’ll leave right now. I promise I won’t come back!” Marcell cried out in terror, begging for mercy. He was completely frightened.

Just as the purple lightning was about to hit, Aven suddenly shook. He coughed up a mouthful of black blood and collapsed to the ground.

He was soaked in sweat, and his breathing was weak and shallow.

Above him, the storm clouds rumbled for a moment, then went quiet.

Marcell paused, realizing what had happened. Aven looked worse off than he did and couldn’t handle the purple lightning anymore.

Suddenly, Marcell burst into wild laughter, his face smug. “Filthy monk, I thought you were tough, but you’re just all talk.

“Weren’t you so confident before? Didn’t you want to go down together? Come on, show me another strike of that purple lightning. Let’s see if you still have it in you.”

“Y-You…” Aven struggled to stand, coughing up more blood.

Using the purple lightning had been a desperate, reckless move. His injuries were too serious now; he could barely stay upright, let alone create any more formations.

Still, Marcell wasn’t in great shape either. If he were, he wouldn’t have begged for mercy just moments ago.

“You think you’re getting away?” Marcell sneered. “My reinforcements will be here soon, and then it’s over for you!”

He was badly hurt and knew better than to attack. If he went in too soon, Aven might strike back in a last-ditch effort. That was a risk he didn’t want to take. Now, he just had to wait for backup to guarantee his victory.

“Are you waiting for me?”

A cold voice came from behind them.

Both turned to see a tall figure stepping out of the thick fog. The newcomer wore a mask, looking calm and collected, with eyes that seemed to see right through them. It was Dustin.

“Ha! Filthy monk! My reinforcements have arrived. Let’s see how you’re going to escape now.”

Marcell’s face lit up with joy when he saw Dustin. He had thought Dustin was trapped in the fog, but to his surprise, he had emerged. It was a twist he hadn’t expected.

“Surprise!”

“Brat, we’re on the same side. You need to help me take down that filthy monk,” Marcell said, pointing an accusing finger at Aven. “Once he’s gone, all the treasures in the Forbidden Ground will be ours.”

Aven’s face went pale. He hadn’t expected Marcell to have backup. Now, he felt completely trapped.

Marcell noticed that Dustin wasn’t moving and assumed he was unsure. He quickly added, “Don’t worry, Brat. He’s already tired and can’t fight back. You can take him out easily.”

“Why would I kill him?” Dustin suddenly asked.

“Huh?” Marcell was caught off guard. The question surprised him. He thought, “If he’s not going to kill that filthy monk, is he going to come after me instead?”