Chapter 978: Blood‑Stained Rebirth

The gale high in the sky made Lei En's cloak rustle, yet his body hovered motionless, as if embedded in space.

Although his aura was extremely subtle, he bore no weapon, his expression was very calm, merely floating there made Kurgos sense extreme danger and guess the visitor's identity.

"You are the Empire Consul of Oruiense?"

He asked in Abyssal Language in a deep voice, his expression very solemn.

Ryan Augustus's name is now known to everyone in the Netifu Demon tribes.

This suddenly rising human, under thirty, achieved Holy Soul Ascension as a Wizard and became the Consul of a massive Empire.

No matter how powerful a human from the Old Continent may be, it has nothing to do with the Netifu Demon.

Kurgos initially paid it no mind at all.

Later, he learned that Lei En appeared on the eastern coast of the New Continent, eradicated the northern undead, occupied the Aibolaken region, built a human city, and had even become his neighbor.

Kurgos had considered seizing the moment while humans were still unstable, sending troops to destroy the city.

However, Aibolaken is the domain of the Catastrophe Legion, not easy to intervene in, and if a large army were dispatched, his own lands might be raided by southern Evil Beastmen and Demons, while also having to guard against Aiken's forces crossing the Baleqiya Mountains for a surprise attack, so he never could resolve to send troops.

This delay stretched nearly two years, with him perpetually indecisive.

When Kurgos learned that Gotham City had erected a God of Magic statue and grasped its power, he immediately regretted it, but it was already too late.

Thus, when dwarves invaded the Dreweil Peninsula last year, Kurgos dispatched troops without hesitation, for he could not allow Old Continent races to carve out his lands, lest another Gotham City arise.

At first the dwarves caught him off guard, costing him many territories, but a few months later he turned the tide; confident he could annihilate all dwarves, Kurgos was instead crushed by a sudden wave of human reinforcements, and his elite troops cultivated for years were almost all slain.

This crushing defeat sank Kurgos's prestige among his people to rock bottom.

Fortunately, possessing absolute strength, he decisively purged a group of dissenting chieftains, which quelled the uprising and barely kept his rule.

But before he could recover from the loss, another attack came.

Within less than two months, Kurgos's domain lost seventy percent of its people, all major tribes were destroyed, and he was powerless, causing morale to crumble; hundreds of thousands fled over the Baleqiya Mountains to join Aiken.

The only thing Kurgos could still control was the tribe where he himself resided.

And now, even that tribe is gone.

Territory, people, tribe, army, wealth… everything he had built over centuries was lost, leaving him alone!

Thinking of this, Kurgos felt boundless rage and hatred; all this was thanks to the human before him!

His eyes spewed blood‑red fury, and massive evil energy surged.

A torrent of crimson evil energy rose like war smoke straight into the sky, its terrifying pressure sweeping hundreds of meters, dyeing the entire space blood‑red, even the gale stilled.

Facing the blood‑thirsty king's overwhelming aura, Lei En didn't even shift his gaze, as if only a gentle breeze brushed his face.

"It is I."

Lei En nodded, also speaking in Abyssal Language, and asked calmly, "Kurgos, what pact do you have with Aiken?"

Kurgos's earlier loud shout had revealed some information.

Lei En wasn't particularly concerned about other Chosen Champions, but when the Eternal Chosen were involved, he had to be extra cautious.

"Hmph…" Kurgos snorted blood flame from his nostrils, mocking, "Who do you think you are, and why should I tell you?"

"The enemy of my enemy is a friend," Lei En said with a hint of a smile, "Aiken is your enemy, and also mine. Though we cannot become friends, we might cooperate against the common foe Aiken."

Kurgos remained unmoved and began shouting profanities:

"You invaded my lands, killed my people, destroyed everything I own, and still dare to think I would betray my tribe? I wish Aiken dead, but I want to see you, the shameless short‑lived one, die before him!"

Netifu Demons are transformed humans, granted lifespans comparable to elves by an Abyssal evil god, thus despising naturally weak original humans and deriding them as short‑lived ones.

"What a pity."

Lei En shook his head regretfully; he hadn't intended to ask anything of Kurgos, merely testing casually.

"Since you refuse to cooperate and wish to kill me, I can only ask you to go die."

Before Lei En could finish speaking, the Flaming Soul Greatsword appeared in his hand, its power surged to the Level 20 cap, Titan divine power, infinite berserk, immortal battle soul, elephant‑heart electricity, Lord of Thunder, and titanium‑golden body, the six Elements fully activated, his body instantly swelling to ten meters tall.

Massive dark clouds gathered overhead, and the sky darkened in an instant.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared, a destructive aura spreading as the electric power within thousands of meters convulsed, brewing countless bolts and storms.

Lei En's giant‑like skin turned dark‑gold, as if forged from refined gold, his whole body surrounded by electric light, like a deity descended.

When he said "I ask you to die", his voice thundered, echoing for dozens of miles, the sound waves bearing supreme authority as if a deity issued a decree.

Kurgos's complexion changed dramatically.

While berating Lei En, he had already prepared for battle, his internal evil energy ready to erupt at full force, having rehearsed many combat scenarios, yet when Lei En's aura burst forth, he was still stunned by the terrifying presence.

Is this truly something a human Holy Soul Wizard can achieve?

Aiken is no different!

Kurgos felt shocked inside, yet his reaction was unaffected; he instantly became a blood‑red torrent fleeing south, vanishing in an instant at the horizon.

He never wanted to duel Lei En; he had refused before, and now he dared not.

"Hahaha…"

Kurgos's triumphant laugh rang in the high sky: "I admit you're strong, but even Aiken cannot kill me, let alone you…"

The blood‑thirsty king's voice abruptly stopped.

The blood‑red torrent he became slammed into a suddenly appearing invisible domain; within this area, sound could not travel, and even time ceased flowing.

"Ti—me… stop…"

Kurgos kept a clear mind; as a Chosen Champion who had undergone nine Soul Transformations, his resistance to Time Stop was strong, and he immediately located the caster.

A human wizard holding a straight staff, dressed in a black magical robe, slender, pale‑faced, appearing very young.

"Another Holy Soul Wizard!"

Kurgos's heart sank, yet he did not panic.

Time Stop merely slowed his actions and reactions, like a sluggish spell, still allowing movement and combat, not rendering him helpless.

He saw the human wizard summon twelve Mirror Images, then continue casting within Time Stop, spells forming in rings of seven, eight, nine, multicolored spells countless, nearly filling the Time Stop area; as each six‑second interval passed, it could drown him.

"You think you can kill me? It's not that easy…"

Kurgos's mind flickered, and the slowly flying body spewed endless waves of blood, turning into a crimson sea over a hundred meters wide, with his true form merging into the blood sea to hide.

Almost in the same instant, Lei En arrived.

He appeared within the Time Stop, his movements unaffected, and upon seeing the blood sea formed by Kurgos, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He deliberately released his aura, actually to mask Reslin's casting fluctuations.

Given Kurgos's perception and reaction, he would have little chance to cast Time Stop in close combat; any slight fluctuation would be detected by him.

Lei En's own Time Stop requires just over two seconds, and Reslin wields Endless Storm and the Deep Crimson Signet, allowing near‑instant activation. Yet near‑instant is not true instant; even a blink's worth could let Kurgos slip out of the spell's range.

Moreover, Kurgos's resistance to Time Stop is extremely high, still allowing him to resist.

Now, looking, it is indeed so.

His Soul Eye swept the entire blood sea but could not locate Kurgos's true form; he had completely merged with the sea—in other words, he is the blood sea.

"Crimson Blood Realm?"

Lei En had heard of this ability before; only the Divine Chosen of the blood god Hakasnu can wield it. Yet the blood god is an evil deity under the Lord of Darkness, whose divine realm lies on the 81st layer of the Abyss, the Blood Throne; it would not be surprising for him to bless a Chosen Champion.

The blood god is also called the Lord of Bloodshed, and rumors have long claimed he is an avatar of the Lord of Darkness.

That rumor probably holds some credibility.

Thinking that, Lei En's body surged again, swelling over fifty meters tall, and he swung his Soul‑Igniting Great Sword to unleash a ninth‑level Thunder Slash!

A massive bolt of thunder‑sword light descended.

Within the Time Stop, the blood sea formed by Kurgos was instantly cleaved in two; countless plasma‑like bolts erupted from the blade, igniting a high‑temperature "Thunder Flame" that set the toxin‑laden, corrosive blood water ablaze, turning the blood sea into a sea of fire.

Six seconds later, the Time Stop ended.

Reslin and the Mirror Image spell took effect immediately, engulfing the burning blood sea.

Lei En and Reslin flashed away, widening the gap, and watched every inch within several hundred meters ravaged by spell energy—light spears, fireballs, flame burst, Rending Sky Sword, chain meteor strikes, and so on—as the void was torn open with black fissures, spewing ferocious void energy.

The blood sea that Kurgos had become was almost gone.

"Hm?"

Lei En sensed a faint fluctuation and instantly cast "Phase Distortion", severing this space's spacetime coordinates from other planes.

"Ah…"

A painful howl rose from the vanishing energy, and immediately Kurgos's silhouette coalesced, floating aloft.

He actually didn't die!

"You can't kill me, hahahaha…" Kurgos pointed his red great spear at Lei En, bragging, "What do you think, how I've fought Aiken for centuries?"

Drop‑Blood Rebirth!

This legendary Element is more troublesome than an Undying Body; as long as a single drop of fresh blood remains, he can reshape his body within a short time. Drop‑Blood Rebirth combined with the Crimson Blood Realm makes Kurgos an almost unkillable being.

At the same time, he can be granted a Divine Technique by the blood god, allowing direct teleportation from the Prime Material Plane to the Blood Throne on the 81st layer of the Abyss.

But Lei En stopped it in time.

Boom!

Kurgos's blood boiled throughout his body, his speed becoming instant, eyes unable to follow; like a flash, in a blink he surged to Lei En, the great spear piercing the spot of Lei En's heart.

Clang!

Sparks of fire erupted from Lei En's chest, yet he did not retreat a single step.

"How is that possible!"

Kurgos's expression shifted from arrogance to astonishment; his full‑force strike, the blood‑soaked war spear, only penetrated about half a meter into Lei En's chest before getting stuck.

At this moment, Lei En stood over fifty meters tall; a half‑meter depth likely hadn't even pierced his skin.

The multiple effects attached to the blood war spear—deadly toxin, ten‑level Tear, and soul pierce—none manifested.

"Too weak."

Lei En looked down at the diminutive Chosen Champion, a scornful expression on his face.

Kurgos indeed released the blood war spear and turned to flee, but an invisible spell ripple erupted from Lei En, slowing his movements.

Another Time Stop!

Lei En neither dodged nor evaded; knowing Kurgos's attack was meant to trigger Time Stop, his right hand flashed like lightning, snatching the slowed Kurgos as if grasping a palm‑sized doll, and he crushed him with his five fingers.

Snap!

The inaudible sound made Lei En feel his palm lighten.

A gush of blood seeped from his fingertips, spreading into a vast blood sea around him, attempting to wildly corrode his body, infiltrating his nostrils, eyes, and mouth.

In an instant, Lei En's entire body erupted in blue‑purple flames.

Thunder Flame!

The higher the lightning affinity, the stronger the Thunder Flame's power.

Lei En possesses two Lords of Thunder, and the Thunder Flame they generate reaches temperatures comparable to a Ninth‑Ring Flame spell, extremely fierce and accompanied by a paralyzing effect.

When the blood sea meets Thunder Flame, it ignites like gasoline.

But that wasn't enough to incinerate Kurgos; the blood sea kept roiling and expanding like a tsunami, surpassing the bounds of the Time Stop. The Time Stop hadn't ended yet, and Kurgos's silhouette appeared hundreds of meters away, not giving Lei En a glance, turning into a flash of blood light that fled outward.

"Trying to escape?"

Lei En hummed.

He had already seen through it; Kurgos was merely blustering outwardly, and each Drop‑Blood Rebirth consumes stamina, soul power, or evil energy, with greater consumption the more gruesomely he dies.

Kurgos is a Thirty-level Abyss Knight, his evil energy profoundly deep, yet not infinite.

Unless he also possesses a soul‑energy reservoir.

From a distance, Lei En made a move; Kurgos's blood war spear fell into his hand, instantly magnified by Titan divine power to over a hundred meters long, dazzling electric light surging along his arm into a long spear. With a light shout, the blood war spear transformed into a massive bolt of lightning that chased after.

A thunderclap rang across the sky.

While dashing away at extreme speed, Kurgos looked back and instantly realized that his Bloodied War Spear was chasing after him, even faster, and as if it had eyes—it pursued relentlessly no matter how he changed direction.

The Bloodied War Spear quickly broke the sound barrier.

Kurgos couldn't shake it off, watching helplessly as his weapon rushed toward him at high speed, then exploded.

Boom!

Kurgos had to transform back into a sea of blood, resisting the terrifying lightning unleashed by the Bloodied War Spear; before the explosion subsided, Reslin's figure appeared, and the Endless Storm Staff radiated brilliance, freezing the space within several hundred meters.

In the next instant, Lei En's mind leapt.

His gaze flickered as he activated a Nine-ring Psychic Field, converting his soul energy into massive invisible telekinetic force, forming a huge sphere that enveloped the blood sea within the frozen space, not a single drop escaping, then he contracted the field inward.

Kurgos sensed Lei En's intention; the sea of blood boiled wildly, morphing into various shapes trying to break through the psychic field.

However, the seemingly transparent field was indestructible, tougher than steel.

Lei En poured in so much soul energy that ordinary people could hardly imagine.

Every second, more than ten units of electricity were consumed, and the drain increased; if a Holy Soul Wizard of twenty‑something levels tried it, they might not even sustain ten seconds.

The Duke's Guard were exterminating Demonkin, with electricity abundant enough to never run out.

One minute later.

Lei En compressed the telekinetic sphere to about three meters in diameter; the blood sea that Kurgos had become was like a caged beast, filling the psychic field completely, resting in Lei En's palm like a massive blood‑colored glass sphere.

Reslin and twelve Mirror Images did not cease casting spells throughout that minute.

Hundreds of Nine-ring Fireball Techniques, Extreme Flame Explosion Techniques, Void Bombs, Annihilation Techniques and Mind Blast surrounded the outside of the psychic field, cramming every inch of space, ready to erupt at any moment.

"Aiken can't kill you, I can," Lei En said lightly to the Chosen Champion in his hand.

The next second.

Reslin cast Space Freeze again, and Lei En released Time Stop.

With the dual spell effect, both time and space stilled.

The blood sea that Kurgos had become could not move, his thoughts also halted; when Lei En withdrew the psychic field, he could not react. Time Stop and Space Freeze ended early, and in the same instant, hundreds of Nine-ring Techniques exploded.

Boom……

The void within a radius of a kilometer collapsed into a swath of darkness, like a black hole.

A black sun rose high in the sky.

The blast's shockwave punched a hole ten miles in diameter through the clouds; after a dozen seconds the black sun gradually faded, and the void returned to normal.

Kurgos vanished completely!

(End of Chapter)