Chapter 2005: Core |
Kane exhaled deeply as he soothed his nerves.
Operation Prisonbreak was on the cusp of commencement, and while his role was not as absurdly difficult as Rui's, it was equally necessary. The Divine Doctor was unable to exercise his mind manipulation on the beasts due to the dungeon already doing so. Thus, he was stripped of the many offensive options that he had come prepared with.
Without Kane, he would never be able to reach the core of the dungeon alive. Kane would not only have to protect him to the core, but he would also have to aid the man in incapacitating whatever monstrosity was the source of the manifold.
Kane would be lying if he felt super confident in doing the latter. The manifold was a godlike feat far beyond anything he could ever imagine. Any lifeform that was capable of conjuring and maintaining it was probably an extraordinarily powerful creature.
Yet, considering that both Rui and the Divine Doctor had independently arrived at the conclusion that the dungeon itself was benign and harmless and thus needed to manipulate creatures as its tools, it was apparently something that any high-grade Senior ought to be able to accomplish.
Thankfully, that was exactly what he was.
In the past two years, Kane had honed himself extremely well. While this place was something that Rui abhorred training in, it was actually something Kane found quite amenable. His raw, prodigious talent in Martial Art meant that a large amount of time worked extremely well for him. It allowed him to strengthen his foundation and develop more powerful maneuvering Martial Art that would be particularly useful for Operation Prisonbreak. "Ready?"
He heard Rui's voice ringing in his ears from across the planetoid.
Kane glanced at the cheery Divine Doctor beside him. The man's nonchalance was in sharp contrast to Kane's severity.
"READY!" Kane yelled back before putting one hand on the shoulder of the Divine Doctor.
BADUMP!
His Martial Heart immediately burst into power, empowering raw physical prowess tremendously. It was better to get it done before Rui began than after, for he did not want to waste even a millisecond of precious time once Rui drew out the Master-level beast from the core of the open dungeon.
And then, it commenced.
Kane shuddered as he felt Rui's fake yet powerful Master-level aura spread across the entire dungeon.
RUMBLE!!!
The world shook as the depths of the core of the dungeon stirred.
And out came the most disgusting monster Kane had ever beheld in his entire life. Just the mere sight of it sent chills crawling up his spine, and an expression of horror appeared on his face.
The horrifying three-headed creature radiated a malevolent peril that paralyzed every single living being in fear. Every single living being was reduced to a statue frozen in horror.
Well, not every living being.
"…A tier-three chimera that has consumed an earthen dragon, a tekhan phoenix, and an angel." the Divine Doctor's tone was that of clinical interest. "A rather fascinating creature. I wonder how he'll fare. Rather poorly, if I had to predict, it would be far beyond merely statistically anomalous if he could buy us even two minutes. Operation Prisonbreak's probability of success is 0.075%."
Kane stared at him.
Not even the slightest iota of fear could be detected on the man's face. Not even the horrifying visage of the chimera could stir his emotions. It appeared that his little speech about fear to the Elder Tree was more than just bravado. Fear was alien to the man.
Kane couldn't help but feel that that was more terrifying than even the chimera itself.
RUMBLE!!!
The world shuddered as heaven and earth screamed in pain. With a single leap, the monstrous horror reached the other side of the dungeon as its powerful wings propelled it at an unfathomable speed, crossing a hundred kilometers in the blink of an eye.
In just a moment, it had departed from the dungeon and had arrived at Rui.
""ROOOOOOEEEEEAAAAAAUUUUURRRRRR!!!!!!!" "
A horrifying cacophonic symphony of roars inspired most disgust and terror than Kane had ever experienced in his life yet—
"It's time!" Kane activated a breathing technique before rushing forward with the Divine Doctor at high speeds!
WHOOSH!
Normally, running at top speed through dangerous areas was extremely risky and not recommended. However, in the past two years, Kane had successfully developed Fulminata Instinct, a technique that he had been working on since the Garden of Salvation. He had successfully managed to employ the electrical stimulation of Fulminata to greatly enhance and heighten Primordial Instinct.
This gave him an extraordinary sense of danger and instinct, which allowed him to travel at full speed across dangerous areas while avoiding extremely dangerous creatures. This was one of the measures that he had taken for Operation Prisonbreak.
Considering how much chaos and devastation the horrifying power of the Master-level beast caused spread, it was the right option. Kane and the Divine Doctor would have died had he not mastered this technique.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!
The battle had commenced. Considering the sheer depths of the horrifying power of the chimera, Kane could only pray that Rui could stall it for as long as possible. He weaved through the chaotic fauna and flora that had been thrown in disarray from the after-effects of the chimera's devastating power.
Not once did he falter, crash, or slow down, rapidly surging inwards. Thanks to Rui having confirmed that not a single creature in the dungeon could detect him through Void Step, he didn't need to worry about being sensed through it either. While he considered using Godspeed instead of Void Step, his nascent system of thought, which he had slowly worked on for three years, suggested that the latter was better.
And it was right, considering how flawlessly he fulfilled his end of the bargain of Soon enough, the two of them had arrived at the core of the dungeon, a deep, dark region that suffocated the senses.
Yet, amidst the darkness, a bright light shined at the center of the region.
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