Chapter 982 The Beginning Of The End (1)



Lee Seng ran after Son's energy. It flew through the shaking halls, whipping and winding left and right. Lee Seng watched as more energy-like souls flew out of the walls, doors, and ground. They were all following Son's energy.

'What's happening?' Lee Seng thought. Lee Seng blinked and noticed it. These were all souls. 'Where are they going?' They moved into a wall, heading downwards. Lee Seng pushed one of the nearby doors open and followed them down a staircase.

"Son's 'soul' should've been mine, but it isn't. Is Brood Mother manipulating the souls? Is she gathering them for herself?" Lee Seng muttered to himself. Another scream rang as Lee Seng cleared four staircases. The souls filtered through the door towards the left.

Lee Seng moved into a large open room. He found his friends standing there as the room filled with souls. A tall woman stood in the middle of the room with Queen slightly off to her right.

"It seems... our 'guest' has finally arrived, Master." Queen announced Lee Seng's arrival. She lifted her hand at Lee Seng and smiled. "Obey." Queen's command washed over Lee Seng and he felt something sink into his head. Lee Seng stepped into line with his friends.

Brood Mother dropped a dead body and wiped her mouth. When she turned, Brood Mother immediately eyed Lee Seng. A wave of anger and sadness washed over him. Brood Mother had shrunken in the time he saw her last. She was at least seven feet tall with long arms and legs. It looked like she was wearing makeup due to the mascara that was running from her eyes.

Brood Mother growled as she stepped forward, ignoring Queen as she moved off to the side.

"You find my son and have the gull to kill him?" Brood Mother said. "How dare you attack my Son, force me to intervene and still kill him? I should've struck you down while I had the chance last time!" She loomed over the group. Lee Seng, glassy-eyed, continued to play along. Brood Mother grabbed Lee Seng's face and lifted it up. "And now you've gone and taken everything from him! Have you no shame?

"No matter, everything will go according to my plan. I will just force my son to be reborn and execute my plan. It's great you showed up with your allies. They will make fine additions to..." Brood Mother's eyes glazed over to Keng. She released her grip on Lee Seng and moved over to Keng. "There are two of you... I was sure there was only one of you... How is this possible? Why don't I remember this one...? A twin? A brother? No, it was impossible that your father had twins. He only had a single son... so why is this one in front of me, too?"

"Master, the souls will dissipate if we don't start soon." Queen announced. Brood Mother turned her back to the group and looked at Queen.

"Let's begin then," said Queen. "Let's use him to bind my son back." She started her way back to Queen and Lee Seng peeked over at Keng. He found Keng looking at him.

'What should we do?' Keng telepathically asked Lee Seng. Lee Seng returned to his 'overtaken' position and watched.

'Bind with me. You'll get our stolen abilities back.' Lee Seng replied.

'You think that's smart? We need to save these three, somehow.'

"Begin the Soul rite." Brood Mother ordered. Queen bowed and lifted her hands up in the air. A large magical circle moved outwards from Queen's feet, covering the entire place. Chains flew out of the ground and linked themselves to most of the souls in the room. Calis, Ritsuka, Evan, and Keng's spots were left with a wide circle, excluding them from the rite.

"Let the Dance... of the Souls begin!" Queen smiled. She began to wave her hands around and Lee Seng jerked away from the group.

'What's happening?' Keng asked. He watched as the souls and Lee Seng seemed to move around like they were actually dancing. A singular soul stood in the middle with Queen and Brood Mother. 'It's like a dance.'

'That's my goal.' Lee Seng eyed the Soul. 'Ready?'

'W-what? We're going now?' Keng asked. Lee Seng broke out of the hold, reaching out and pulling the nearby souls to him.

"He didn't obey my command?" Queen asked, stunned.

"Do something!" Mother shouted. Queen waved her hands and the shadows underneath her grew. Hounds with human parts flew out of the ground, rushing straight for Lee Seng.

[The Soul Value of 235 has been added to the bank!]

Lee Seng jumped and slammed on the ground, letting out a wave of gravity. The hounds flew backwards, scattering. Lee Seng summoned his golden sword and eyed Brood Mother.

"Attack!" Queen shouted. The hounds jumped back up and rushed Lee Seng. Lee Seng ran forward, slashing the first hound and exploding it in an instant.

[Soul Value of 1 has been added to the bank!]

Lee Seng plunged the sword into the next, lighting his sword in flames as he blinked away. Flames exploded in his spot, killing the remaining hounds.

"Tch, more!" Mother snapped. A large shadow filled the space in between them. A large three-headed dog appeared.

'Identify,' Lee Seng told the System.

[The fabled three-headed dog Cerberus stands before you.]

[S-tier Beast]

Special Abilities include:

- Necrotic Bite

- Fearful Gaze

- Triple Bite

- Flame Breath of Hell

'An S-tier beast.' Lee Seng thought with his mouth agape. He could almost taste sulfur in the air. Cerberus roared and rushed forward.

"Continue the rite!" Brood Mother ordered.

"Yes, Master!" Queen continued conducting the rite, moving it. The entire room began to spin as Cerberus released [Flame Breath of Hell] at Lee Seng. Lee Seng threw his hand up and watched the flames move past him. Keng vanished from his spot and blasted out of Lee Seng's back.

[Keng's abilities and souls have been synced with the User's]

"It feels great to be back!" Keng smiled. He landed on the ground and turned to look at the flames.

"It's coming." Lee Seng warned Keng. Cerberus slammed into the gravity shield, cracking it in an instant.

"Did you get stronger or something? That thing never held against A ranks, let alone an S-rank." Keng summoned Hydrosphere, eyes sparkling with silver energy.

"We need to somehow get our friends, kill this, Brood Mother and that Deimon lady all at the same time." Lee Seng told Keng.

"I'll handle the dog. You snap our friends outta it." Keng motioned. Keng rushed forward, breaking the shield and sending out three waves of water strikes at the Cerberus. Cerberus blew more fire, washing the waves of water. Keng threw up a large barrier of cosmic water, blocking the attack.

Lee Seng sprinted off towards his friends, eying Queen and Brood Mother. Brood Mother pointed at Lee Seng and muttered something. The earth between Lee Seng and the group lit up, charging with unstable energy.

Lee Seng blinked, listening to the earth explode as he appeared in front of his friends

"Die!" Mother shouted. Tendrils exploded from beneath his friends reaching up and blocking Lee Seng from getting his friends.

"Burning Gaze!" Lee Seng swiped his hand across the space and watched the tendrils disintegrate into nothing. Tendrils whisked his friends away, dragging them straight for Mother. Lee Seng turned, legs lighting up. He pushed himself forward, moving fast as light and slashing the tendrils that held his friends.

A bubble flew up, catching his friends. The ground lit up beneath Lee Seng's feet. Mother snarled as she pointed at him. "Die!" Lee Seng whisked himself and his friends backwards, narrowly dodging the attack.

"Hey, stupid!" Keng shouted, splitting into six spectral images of himself. "I'm over here!" The Keng's all waved and laughed. Cerberus's three heads looked in different directions. "Sucks to be three-in-one, huh? Can't go where you wanna go, hm?" The three-headed dog released another [Flame Breath of Hell] at the Keng's. Keng laughed and one by one each and every Keng disappeared.

Cerberus looked around, slowly turning when it heard Keng above him. Keng laughed and spun himself in the air, creating a sharp ring of cosmic water and fire. He connected with Cerberus, immediately tearing into it. Cerberus howled in pain as it thrashed and tried to get rid of Keng.

[Cerberus's Special Hidden Ability has been activated!]

'Crap.' Keng thought as he was repulsed back into the air. Cerberus lifted its three heads upwards and howled.

[Cerberus has used Howling.]

[Cerberus has given itself Haste, Attack Up, Defense Up, Magic Up, and Deadly Aura!]

'That's way more stuff than what you gave Lee earlier!' Keng commented to the System. He flipped and caught himself in the air. He floated to a stop and watched as Cerberus's body began to tear.

"Crap, what's happening now?" Keng asked.

"Forced Evolution!" Mother pointed at Cerberus. The three-headed dog howled in pain as red energy grew all around it.

[S-tier Cerberus is being forced to evolve!]

"She can do that?!? That's not fair!" Keng and Lee Seng watched as Cerberus' body split into three. Each head howled, filling the space with dread.

[S-tier Cerberus has evolved into 3 ??? Tiered Unholy Death Hounds]

[Current Souls: 236/1000]