The Remnant looked at the needles that were halting every trace of his movement and muttered in a voice quivering with disbelief, "How can this be…?"

Haden seized The Remnant's head by the hair and demanded in a sharp, cutting tone, "If only gods and devils can kill them, why do you want to take over Rion's body?!"

A broad grin tore across The Remnant's face, and he replied, "His body is special — perfect, even. He possesses an unimaginable reservoir of life essence, and through it, I would command one of my siblings: Noir, Devil of Freedom." His voice carried such dense malice that it alone could send chills racing down the spine of most beings.

But Haden was not among them. He stepped forward, his eyes blazing with a fury so profound that even his own aura struggled to remain close to him.

"You have lived long enough," he spat, driving his fingers into the fractures at his chest and ripping them open. The ancient chain swirling around the Corrupted Abysmal Flame was laid bare.

The Remnant felt the needles restraining him shift ever so slightly. The corners of his lips twitched into a barely perceptible smile, and he spoke in a delighted tone, "Thy strength has made thee complacent, Half-God of War."

At those words, Haden finally realised that he had made a fatal misstep. His aura surged violently around him as he hastily shaped it into a solid shield that enveloped him from every direction.

The Remnant chuckled at what he deemed Haden's childish ploy. "Slumber."

The instant those words left his mouth, purple chains erupted from his chest.

Haden raised his spear and began to charge his attack, but it was already too late. The chains passed straight through the aura shield as though it did not exist at all.

Haden's expression darkened. He struck one of the chains with his spear, shattering it, but the others continued their relentless advance. He wrenched another free with his hand and wrapped several around his spear before tearing them out.

More and more chains burst forth from The Remnant's chest, and Haden began to feel overwhelmed. The chains were unnatural; they bypassed his aura entirely, leaving brute physical force as the only means to resist them.

Within moments, the number of chains reached double digits, and Haden could no longer keep pace. He broke one with his spear, destroyed another with his free hand, but the third pierced into his chest. In the same instant, six more chains plunged into him.

The seven chains constricted tightly, and a groan tore from his throat. He felt his aura drain at an alarming rate, and the dome of aura around them collapsed. Exhaustion flooded his limbs, and his body grew unbearably heavy.

His eyes widened in utter disbelief, and he muttered in a hoarse, dry voice, "What...?"

The needles restraining The Remnant shattered, and he stepped forward.

Sensing the movement, Haden clenched his teeth and swung his spear sideways. The Remnant calmly raised his katana and blocked the strike.

Haden spun and attacked from the opposite direction, and just as before, The Remnant deflected it with effortless ease.

A cruel grin spread across The Remnant's face, his lips parting to speak, but before he could utter a word, warning bells rang violently within his mind.

He turned and swung his katana just in time to cleave an incoming arrow in two.

The two halves of the arrow struck the chains whose other ends were embedded in Haden, and fractures formed around the locks of the chains.

The Remnant's eyes burned with unrestrained fury as he roared, "DESCENDANT OF BOW!!"

Far away, atop one of the peaks of the Redwood Den.

Jura stood with an arrow drawn upon his bow. His lips curved into a smirk as he muttered, "My arrows bypass The Zones. Do you have eyes in the back, dastard ghost?"

The Remnant's eyes turned icy. He released the katana, and a bow of demonic energy manifested in his grasp.

He aimed at Jura and drew the string back. A massive surge of purple flame gathered at the bow, condensing into the shape of an arrow.

Just as he was about to release it, Haden — his fatigue having eased slightly — rose and slammed into The Remnant's back.

The Remnant's aim faltered, and the purple arrow streaked past Jura.

"Hoh. I just died," Jura remarked as he released his own string.

Three arrows formed entirely of green aura struck the chains embedded in Haden's chest. Two were shattered, leaving five intact.

Haden felt the aura course through his body, his exhaustion rapidly diminishing, and he brought his weapon down upon The Remnant.

The Remnant swung the dark bow toward him, and mid-swing, the bow reshaped itself into a dark katana.

Sparks exploded as the weapons collided, and arrows buried themselves in The Remnant's back.

The Remnant hissed in irritation and stomped his foot into the ground. A quake rippled through the earth.

Haden grasped the five remaining chains, tore them from his chest, and used them to drag The Remnant toward himself.

The Remnant slid toward Haden with his katana raised high.

Haden twisted his torso and thrust forward.

The two weapons ground violently against one another, and Jura's arrow pierced straight through The Remnant's head.

He ignored Jura entirely. The sound of splitting reached his ears, and he glanced downward at the cracks spiderwebbing across his body.

Leaping back, he circled Haden and muttered, "There is no purpose in prolonging this further."

Haden, who had already expended half of his aura, clenched his jaw and slammed his weapon into the ground with all his might.

Cracks surged outward, and the ground rose in violent waves from the impact.

The Remnant, who was preparing to end everything, was thrown off his feet.

Haden appeared beside him, seized his leg, and smashed him into the ground. He lifted him once more and slammed him down again.

Suddenly, a deafening roar ripped through the sky, and Haden shifted his gaze toward the Redwood Den.

His vision pierced through every obstruction and landed upon the skull of a drake, its eyes blazing with purple flames.

"What...?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.