Chapter 274: Victory
The abyss roared, like a living entity seeking to consume Adrian whole. Darkness swirled around him, suffocating and oppressive, pressing down with an unimaginable force.
The cult leader's presence was everywhere and nowhere, his voice slithering through the void like a whisper carried by the winds of oblivion. The air itself felt thick with malevolence, reality bending under the weight of his abyssal authority.
Yet Adrian stood unfazed.
Golden flames erupted around his body, pushing back the encroaching void. His draconic aura flared, his red eyes burning with an intensity that defied the abyssal domain itself.
The cult leader narrowed his glowing violet eyes, his smirk fading slightly as he observed Adrian’s defiance.
"Still resisting? Impressive—but futile," he sneered, his voice echoing with eerie distortion. Raising his hand, he commanded the abyss, and in response, countless tendrils of darkness surged forward, twisting and writhing like starving beasts eager to consume their prey.
Adrian remained motionless.
Then, in an instant, he activated Draconic Pulse: Sovereign’s Wrath.
A radiant shockwave exploded outward from his body, golden energy rippling through the abyss and obliterating the tendrils before they could reach him.
The sheer power of his aura carved through the oppressive darkness, forcing it to retreat. The cult leader's expression finally faltered, his lips pressing into a thin line as he realized Adrian was not someone who could be so easily overwhelmed.
"You misunderstand something," Adrian said, his voice calm yet carrying the weight of undeniable authority.
He stepped forward, the abyss trembling beneath his feet. "I don't need to fight you in your domain." He raised his sword, golden sigils flaring around him as his mana surged. "I will make this my domain."
The cult leader vanished in an instant, warping through space itself. He reappeared behind Adrian, his palm wreathed in abyssal energy, aiming for a decisive strike.
But Adrian had already anticipated his movement. Without hesitation, he activated Void Step, disappearing just before the cult leader’s attack landed.
The strike met nothing but empty air. Before the cult leader could react, Adrian reappeared above him, golden flames crackling around his body as he descended with his sword, the blade shimmering with raw power.
The cult leader barely had time to raise his hand, attempting to distort space and redirect the attack.
However, Adrian had already activated Phantom Blade, splitting his sword into multiple ethereal copies that struck from different angles. The cult leader’s technique failed—his own domain refused to obey him.
Cracks spread through the void as he was sent hurtling downward, smashing into the darkness with bone-shattering force.
Adrian landed smoothly, his golden aura burning even brighter. "You're strong," he admitted, his voice carrying neither arrogance nor mockery, just simple truth. "But you rely too much on tricks."
Snarling, the cult leader rose to his feet, abyssal mist swirling around his form. "You think mere strength can overcome my authority?"
His hands extended outward, and the abyss responded. Reality trembled as darkness condensed, forming a massive spear pulsing with pure abyssal power.
This was not just a weapon—it was a rejection of light itself, a manifestation of destruction that sought to erase all existence.
Adrian exhaled, his grip tightening around his sword. Then he smiled.
For the first time, the cult leader hesitated.
A surge of power flooded Adrian’s body as he activated Dragon’s Might, his muscles tensing as his aura expanded.
The golden flames surrounding him condensed, growing denser, purer—burning white-hot. The air around him distorted as his presence alone shook the abyss.
Taking a single step forward, the void cracked beneath his feet, the sheer weight of his power forcing the very fabric of this domain to buckle.
The cult leader did not wait. With a furious cry, he hurled the abyssal spear forward, the weapon tearing through the void with enough force to annihilate entire mountains.
But Adrian did not dodge. He raised his sword, golden energy crackling along its length, and activated Mana Fortification, reinforcing his weapon beyond its limits. As he swung, he layered the attack with Dragon’s Fang Strike, amplifying the sheer force of the blow.
The moment his blade met the abyssal spear, the world shattered.
A deafening explosion erupted, golden and black energies clashing in a cataclysmic struggle. The abyss howled as Adrian's power tore through its very essence, unraveling its corruption at its core.
The cult leader was thrown back, his body skidding across the abyssal void, cracks forming in the very foundation of his domain.
Adrian did not let up.
Activating Cloning Technique, three golden afterimages of himself materialized, each radiating immense power.
The cult leader barely had time to react before they struck in unison. One afterimage slammed a fist into his gut, launching him into the air.
Another appeared above him, delivering a crushing downward strike that sent him plummeting back down. The third unleashed a devastating pulse of golden energy, obliterating the ground where he landed.
Before the dust could settle, the real Adrian activated Vein-Touched Reflexes, accelerating beyond normal perception as he appeared before the cult leader, his sword blazing like divine judgment. The cult leader coughed, abyssal energy leaking from his wounds.
"Impossible…" he muttered, his voice filled with disbelief. Desperate, he tried to warp space again, seeking to retreat—but Adrian would not let him escape.
With a final strike, he activated Draconic Pulse: Sovereign’s Wrath once more, condensing all his remaining power into a single, overwhelming attack.
Golden energy surged through his blade as he thrust forward, piercing straight through the cult leader’s chest.
A final explosion of golden energy erupted, shattering the abyssal domain.
The suffocating darkness collapsed in on itself, breaking apart like fragile glass. Reality shifted, the oppressive void disappearing as the cavern returned to its natural state.
The cult leader stumbled backward, his body trembling as abyssal mist leaked from his form. His glowing violet eyes, once filled with arrogance, now reflected only disbelief—and fury.
"You think you've won?" he spat, his voice weak but defiant. "The abyss is eternal. Even if I fall, others will rise—"
Adrian did not let him finish.
With one final, decisive swing, he activated Phantom Blade, his sword splitting into countless ethereal copies that struck all at once, severing the cult leader’s head from his shoulders.
The body stood frozen for a moment before collapsing, the abyssal mist dissolving into nothingness. The oppressive energy vanished. It was over.
Adrian exhaled, his golden flames flickering before settling. His body ached, exhaustion creeping in, but he remained standing.
A pulse of pure golden light illuminated the cavern.
Seraphina appeared, descending like a celestial goddess, her staff radiating fearsome energy. The remnants of the Abyssal Harbinger crumbled behind her, its existence completely erased.