An Understated Dominance - Chapter 2419

Marcell was momentarily shocked, but he quickly explained, “This man is the guardian of the Forbidden Ground. If we kill him, we can take the treasure.”

He was badly injured and needed Dustin to handle Aven, so he had to convince him.

“We can talk about the treasure later. Right now, we need to settle some old scores.” Dustin reached out, and the long sword on the ground flew into his hand.

“Settle old scores? What are you talking about?” Marcell asked, confused. When he saw the sword in Dustin’s grip, a sense of unease washed over him.

“You and that big guy planned to use me as bait. You sent me into the fog to clear the way for yourselves,” Dustin said flatly. “Did you really think I didn’t hear that? If you want to hurt me, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

“What… What are you going to do?” Marcell panicked. “We’re both working for the Hall of Gods. There’s no need for betrayal. If this mission fails, we both die. You need to calm down.”

“Who said I’m with the Hall of Gods?” Dustin raised an eyebrow.

“If you’re not one of their people, why do you have their emblem?” Marcell pressed.

“Curious? Go ask Death himself.” Dustin lifted his sword without hesitation, ready to kill someone like Marcell, who betrayed others for his own benefit.

“I’ll take you down!” Marcell gritted his teeth as he saw Dustin preparing to strike. He was willing to risk everything and used the Soul Abyss Technique again.

A surge of dark energy burst from his body, twisting like deadly tendrils aimed at Dustin.

Since Dustin wasn’t protected by the Glow Incantation, if the energy reached him, Marcell could drain his life force while restoring his own.

If it failed, the backlash from using the technique would be severe.

The Soul Abyss Technique was extremely dangerous. Even if Marcell somehow survived, he would be left severely weakened. But at that moment, he didn’t care; he was in a fight for his life.

“Soul Abyss Technique? That’s just a cheap trick,” Dustin scoffed. He didn’t even bother to defend himself. Instead, he swung his sword in a smooth motion.

The blade unleashed a wave of energy that shot forward like a crescent moon, slicing through the dark energy with ease.

Without pausing, Dustin attacked again. The fiery sword energy engulfed the remaining dark energy, leaving nothing behind.

His pure energy naturally countered the darkness. With his superior skills, dealing with those energies felt effortless for him.

As the last traces of dark energy vanished, only Marcell’s bones were left—his flesh and blood completely erased.

This was the downside of the Soul Abyss Technique. While it could drain someone’s life force, it came with serious risks. One mistake could be disastrous for the user.

“Think you can escape? Die!” Dustin shouted, looking coldly at the bones on the ground. Without mercy, he slashed his sword again, breaking the bones into dust.

With a desperate scream, Marcell’s essence faded. Even though only bones remained, a small part of his soul lingered behind.

If Dustin hadn’t noticed, Marcell could have used that fragment to possess another body and return to life. That was one of the tricks of the Soul Abyss Technique. But Marcell’s clever plan was no match for Dustin’s sharp instincts.

Dustin had studied the Soul Abyss Technique in an ancient manuscript and knew exactly how it worked. He was prepared for anything.

Dustin wasn’t going to give Marcell a second chance.

“Sir, you’re badly hurt,” he said, turning his attention to Aven after dealing with Marcell.

Aven was barely hanging on. Most of his life force had been drained by the Soul Abyss Technique, leaving him weak and on the verge of collapse. He needed restoring tablets fast, or he wouldn’t last much longer.

“Who are you?” Aven asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

Even though Dustin had killed Marcell, Aven thought it was just a petty fight, like dogs squabbling over scraps.

“Don’t worry. I’m not here to hurt you,” Dustin replied, pulling out a healing tablet and tossing it to Aven. “You need to heal quickly. From now on, I’ll guard the Forbidden Ground.”

Dustin knew there was a Dracan force hiding below. As a member of Dragonmarsh, he couldn’t let the Hall of Gods win, whether for personal reasons or duty. With Aven injured and no backup from Sacred Wyrm Summit, it was up to him to protect the Forbidden Ground for now.

Aven stared at the healing tablet in his hand, frowning. He hesitated because he didn’t know anything about Dustin and didn’t trust him.

“This isn’t poison,” Dustin reassured him, noticing the hesitation. “You can hardly move. If I wanted you dead, it would be easy. You should focus on healing, just in case.”

After a moment, Aven accepted the tablet. He didn’t have the strength to resist. If Dustin wanted to harm him, he would have no chance. He guessed that Dustin might be sent by Sacred Wyrm Summit.

“Sir, someone’s coming. Be careful!” Dustin suddenly warned, turning to scan the area.

As the fog began to lift, a group of people slowly appeared.