YM778.TV Chapter 57: Chapter 57: The Hellhound!
Everyone watching was left stunned.
A battle between two high-level spells was not something one could see every day, not even in the larger cities, let alone in a place like Notting City. After all, mages who could master high-level spells held positions of great importance throughout the entire planet of Meze. Why would they engage in battle so casually?
"Is Lord Dean really this powerful?"
"The opponent is a Magus from the Nine Provinces Alliance! And yet, Lord Dean seems to be effortlessly neutralizing every one of his attacks."
"This is insane!"
"With power like this, why would Lord Dean stay in a small city like Notting? With this strength, he could easily hold a high-ranking position at our temple\'s headquarters!"
Voices of amazement rippled through the group. Even Lina Jones\'s eyes brightened as she gazed at Dean Bruce.
To be able to handle an enemy casting high-level spells so easily—Dean Bruce\'s magic must be incredibly powerful. At that moment, Lina Jones made up her mind. She would fully dedicate herself to understanding and mastering the magic Dean Bruce had been teaching her.
Unaware of what the others were thinking, Dean Bruce kept a close eye on his own mana consumption.
The problem was, his level was still too low, and his mana reserves were limited. He had to use them sparingly. Fortunately, The Compassion of Heaven and Earth was an incredibly efficient spell, combining both offensive and defensive capabilities with tenfold strength, allowing him to absorb all of the tiger\'s lightning attacks.
But if the battle dragged on, his mana would surely run out before Boken Nadra\'s did.
Narrowing his eyes, Dean Bruce began contemplating how to turn the tables on Boken Nadra.
What he didn\'t realize was that Boken Nadra was even more panicked than he was!
The fact that his lightning tiger couldn\'t break through the earthen walls and get anywhere near Dean Bruce made him instinctively believe that Dean Bruce had far more mana than he did. This thought immediately made him consider retreat.
His eyes darted around, and without a second thought, Boken Nadra dispelled the lightning tiger. Turning sharply, he sprinted toward the sacrificial temple.
Laughter echoed through the air, followed by a voice: "Well, well, you\'ve got some skill, boy. But do you dare face me in a proper duel in an open space?"
"…"
Hearing this, Dean Bruce quickly scanned the area, detecting no immediate magical fluctuations. He decided to cut off The Compassion of Heaven and Earth to conserve his mana.
Seeing that Dean Bruce remained silent, Lina Jones immediately spoke up, "That\'s a taunt! There\'s definitely an ambush waiting for us up there. We can\'t just charge in blindly."
Her words made everyone frown.
They all knew an ambush was likely.
But the key issue was that if they wanted to leave this ruin, they had no choice but to fight their way up.
Taking a deep breath, Alita Miller turned to Ebner Mondo, her voice steady as she said, "Village chief, we\'ve made it this far. Now that we\'re facing such a powerful enemy, isn\'t it time for you to lend us a hand?"
"My abilities are limited," Ebner Mondo sighed, "Even with the Moon God\'s power, I can only provide support. Otherwise, why would I have been hiding underground all these years?"
Ebner Mondo say: "My strength alone isn\'t enough to defeat those outsiders. I\'ll help you, but you must give it everything you\'ve got. If not… we\'ll all be trapped here for the rest of our lives!"
"…"
The gravity of his words sank in, and everyone\'s expressions turned serious.
Even Horton Martin and Alita Miller showed regret on their faces. If they had known there were Magus and even Grand Magus-level enemies inside this ruin, they never would have entered in the first place!
Ebner Mondo looked toward Dean Bruce and asked softly, "Young man, are you really going to give up? Do you want to stay trapped here with this old fool forever, at risk of being affected by their strange magic?"
Sensing everyone\'s eyes on him, Dean Bruce opened his eyes and responded calmly, "As long as I\'m here, he won\'t cause us any trouble. But since we\'re working together, it can\'t be just me fighting. You will take him down!"
"Exactly. If this is a collaboration, you can\'t just sit back and watch."
As soon as Dean Bruce finished speaking, the group nodded in agreement, their united response causing Ebner Mondo to hesitate and catch his breath.
Ebner Mondo studied Dean Bruce carefully, noticing his resolute demeanor. Knowing that his own strength was no match for Dean Bruce, he didn\'t dare push too hard. With a wry smile, he said, "Alright, as long as you can hold that guy off for fifteen minutes, I\'ll take care of the rest."
He paused for a moment before explaining, "Inside the sacrificial temple, there\'s a hidden magical formation. If you can buy me fifteen minutes to activate it, we\'ll be able to take him down."
"Deal!"
Dean Bruce nodded, finally feeling a sense of relief.
Having a plan to kill Boken Nadra was crucial. His own level was too low, and even with his tenfold magical power and insights, taking down Boken Nadra would have been an exhausting ordeal.
If others saw him struggle that much, his carefully crafted image of a powerful mage would be shattered.
By forcing Ebner Mondo to take action through this "collaboration," Dean Bruce only needed to block Boken Nadra\'s attacks and make it look effortless. That way, he could maintain his facade of strength.
In the eyes of the others, it wouldn\'t appear as if he lacked the power to kill Boken Nadra—he would just be avoiding unnecessary effort, so the natives wouldn\'t reap the rewards for free.
As expected, Dean Bruce\'s calm expression led Alita Miller and the others to completely misunderstand the situation. Their fears eased, and they confidently marched toward the sacrificial temple in force.
Due to the earlier moonlight, many of the people on the mountain path had collapsed, twitching uncontrollably, with their fate uncertain.
This scene caused Ebner Mondo to sigh repeatedly, quickening his pace, eager to reach the temple and deal with the mastermind behind it all.
"Something\'s odd…"
A voice spoke up in surprise. "Why does it feel like, apart from the transformed villagers, there\'s no other defense?"
Ebner Mondo sighed again, "After they developed the potion that could turn us into monsters, they moved most of their forces elsewhere, leaving only a few to guard this place."
"If you hadn\'t killed Lennar and allowed me to reconnect with the Moon God, you wouldn\'t have stood a chance against those villagers in their mutated forms."
No one in the group responded to Ebner Mondo\'s remark, but their silence carried a shared acknowledgment of the gravity of the situation.
They had no choice but to admit it—Ebner Mondo was right!
The thought of those strange creatures and their various transformations still sent shivers down their spines.
Had it not been for Dean Bruce stepping in, they likely would\'ve been crushed beneath the specter\'s feet long ago.
Ebner Mondo spoke softly, "Don\'t let your guard down. There may be few of them left, but those who remain have controlled the temple for years. They must have some secret methods up their sleeve."
Raising an eyebrow, Dean Bruce silently took this warning to heart.
Even a lion goes all out to catch a rabbit, and since he wasn\'t even the lion in this situation, it was only right to be cautious.
With the creatures having reverted to their human forms and in such weakened states, they posed no threat to Dean Bruce and his group as they advanced.
Within moments, they reached the mountain peak. When they looked up, they saw Boken Nadra floating above the sacrificial temple, surrounded by an eerie purple light that flickered like a ghostly flame.
Noticing their gaze, Boken Nadra lowered his head, grinning widely. "So, you\'ve come! Hahaha, welcome to my… hellish domain!"
Without giving Dean Bruce and the others a chance to respond, Boken Nadra swiftly tore off his magical robe, revealing his muscular arms and torso.
It was only then that they noticed a strange, ominous flower etched into his chest.
Dark energy radiated from him, spreading like a black fog that quickly enveloped the entire mountaintop.
In that instant, even the believers from the Temple of Wisdom, including Lina Jones, were filled with dread and confusion.
How could someone from the Nine Provinces Alliance be using dark magic?
Boken Nadra licked his lips as his right hand\'s nails suddenly elongated. Tracing the outline of the flower on his chest, he pressed down just enough to pierce his skin. Blood trickled out, instantly staining the flower red.
Boom—
A terrifying surge of energy exploded forth, and Boken Nadra seemed to fuse with the flickering purple light behind him, his body beginning to transform.
"Roar!"
A chilling howl echoed, and to everyone\'s horror, Boken Nadra suddenly grew two additional heads. His once-human body and face morphed into the form of a monstrous, dog-like creature—complete with three heads.
Whoosh!
The purple light scattered, quickly transforming into beautiful flowers that swayed in the wind within mere seconds.
"What… what kind of magic is this?"
"Oh my god, the one-headed wolves we fought before were already so strong. How are we supposed to fight him now with three heads?"
"Can Lord Dean even stand up to this?"
"Wait! That\'s not a wolf! It\'s… a Cerberus!"
"Gulp…"
"A Cerberus is an incredibly powerful creature! Can Lord Dean really handle this?"
As the reality of Boken Nadra\'s transformation became clear, panic set in. Even Ebner Mondo couldn\'t help but take several steps back.
This was the stuff of legends—a creature said to reside in the depths of hell itself. Could Dean Bruce really hold off such a fearsome foe, as he had before?