Walking into the sewers, the atmosphere quickly changed

The warning sign faded into the gloom behind them as they stepped into the true underbelly of the sanctuary.

The environment was claustrophobic. The ceiling was low, lined with rusted pipes that leaked neon-green alchemy runoff.

The floor was slick with sludge that hissed faintly as it touched their boots.

However, for this level of filth, Damien had long since been prepared.

Although the zero mask he wore was purely decorative, and didn't have any air filter qualities, but at someone at his level, blocking out his senses was more than easy

At least he went it came to the rancid smell of abyss waste, he couldn't percive much of it.

'Incredible,' Damien thought, his chest expanding

With every step he took, the fact that he was now still played as a shock to him

Thanks to the massive amount of Dp he spent, no longer was he the same as when the air, heavy with sulfur and concentrated Abyss Mana would have burned his lungs like acid.

He would have needed to circulate Isabelle's mana constantly just to survive.

Now?

He felt the [Hollow King's Authority] humming within his shadow or now Hollow King core,

He felt the Dragon aura within him like a river ready to make some waves

His will core, now crystalised, condensed and stronger before

The three of them had overgone a collective evolution since before he entered the abyss

So much so he felt he could defeat a thousand of his past self, Yes, that was just how large the current different was

"Also now that I'm seventh order, I am more sure the Charron we faced before was a projection or clone of some sort, otherwise there was no way would survive"

Thinking back to the past, he couldn't help but laugh at his naivety.

Around him shadows in the corners of the tunnel began to subconsciously react to his shadow core, they curled around him affectionately, welcoming him like a lost kin.

His Affinity had gone to new heights he could never imagine before, even his celestial Life physique seemed to have gotten an upgrade

His evolved Celestial Life Physique acted like a divine filter.

It stripped the toxins from the air and converted the heavy mana into pure energy. Every breath made him stronger.

'At this rate I'm practically a perpetual motion machine,' Damien realized, flexing his fingers.

'At least when it comes to a battle of attrition among the same level, I doubt they are many who can out last me.'

SKREEE!

Just as he was lost in thought, a screech echoed from the ceiling.

From the rusted pipes above, four shapes dropped.

They were Abyss Rats, Tier 2 monsters the size of large dogs, with mangy fur and teeth made of scavenged scrap metal.

They landed in the muck, their red eyes glowing with hunger.

Isabelle's hand ignited with Hellfire. "Master, I will—"

"No," Damien commanded, holding out a hand. "Save your mana."

He stepped forward. Wanting to test out his new found strength he didn't give Isabelle a chance

With a slight motion, he held out his Pantheon sword, channeling a bit of mana into it

SHING.

The Pantheon Sword blurred.

Damien moved with the raw speed of a 7th Order warrior. To the rats who were much lower rank than he was, he was like a ghost.

In an instant side-stepped a lunging bite, the metal teeth snapping inches from his coat. In the same motion, he brought the sword down.

THWACK.

The Pantheon Sword, hungry after weeks of dormancy, bit into the rat's flesh. As the blade connected, the white light flared.

The rat under the power of the sword instantly turned into ashes, as the void quality in Damiens shadow core mana begun to act.

Even without deliberate intervention, the gab between his previous shadow mana and Hollow King mana were obvious for all.

One slash. Two slashes. Three.

In seconds, the four rats lay dead in the sludge.

Damien flicked the blood off the blade. "Weak. But it's a start."

He knelt and dug his knife into the chest of the largest rat, prying out a small, dull-grey crystal.

[Item: Abyss Rat Core (Tier 2)]

[Value: Low]

"Five cores," Damien muttered, tossing it to Isabelle. "We need hundreds of these just to buy decent gear in the Bone Hall."

Remembering the pricing on some gear he saw back at the hall, Damien silently made a calculation

The two of them needed to change their word out cothes after so many days and battles, so with this in mind, they moved deeper.

And as they moved deeper, the rats became more frequent, attacking in packs of ten or twenty.

"Fireball!" Isabelle shouted.

BOOM.

An explosion of green hellfire vaporized a cluster of rats. The shockwave shook the pipes, causing slime to rain down on them.

"Isabelle, stop," Damien sighed, wiping sludge off his shoulder.

Isabelle panted, her horns glowing. "But Master, they're dead."

"And you used enough mana to kill a Wyvern just to kill six rats," Damien scolded gently.

He pointed at the scorch marks on the walls.

"what happens if a pipe explodes and we get drowned in waste"

Sighing slightly, although he was slightly angry, but he didn't blame isabelle too much, after all she was the only one here with him

Plus due to the powerful nature of her blood, she always had problem controlling her fire power

And Isabelle hearing this looked down, her head drooping. "Sorry... I just wanted to help."

Damien walked over to her. He tapped her forehead.

"It's fine, however you're going to try something different now," Damien said.

"Remember how you wanted to learn the will Arts I used at the gate earlier."

He held up his hand. A faint, distorting pressure gathered around his fist, a film of pure intent.

"Will, this is the same power I used to defeat the second prince, that battle taught me that will, Will... Will overwrites reality."

He punched the air. There was no sound, but the sludge ten feet away splashed violently as if hit by a hammer.

"Concentrate," Damien whispered. "As long as you can do it, then even without your gravity or flame, you will be no less as strong than before."

He gestured down the dark tunnel.

"Try it on the next batch. Coat your fists in your Obsession. Make your desire to kill heavier than their desire to live."

Isabelle looked at her hands, then at her Master's back. A fire different from Hellfire lit up in her eyes.

"Yes, Master."

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.