Chapter 389 A Shadow Fiend Appeared!
After asserting control over the horde, Damien issued a stern command for a multi-pronged assault on the dwarf who wielded a staff. The resounding cacophony of the beasts' roars and leaps reverberated throughout the vicinity, creating tremors in the earth beneath.
This spectacle did little to dishearten Ashbee; instead, he offered genuine words of praise. "Oh, Great Sage Darhk, I am astounded by your newfound skill in taming these creatures. It can even erase my blood marks and replace them with something else. But fear not, for our battle has only just begun." With these words, he raised his enchanted staff and commenced a peculiar, almost mystical dance-like series of movements while spinning it. Finally, he thrust it into the ground and cried out, "Oh, mighty goddess Lucretia, Harbinger of Lightning and Thunder, grant me your strength in my time of need. As a token of my gratitude, I offer a drop of my life essence."
He then expelled a mouthful of blood onto the staff's tip, as if partaking in a sacrificial ritual. This time, the seven bangles hanging from the staff's end began to ring and move erratically for no apparent reason, absorbing the crimson blood into each of them. In a fraction of a second, a raspy voice emanated, seemingly spoken through the seven bangles, "I accept your offering. You now have five minutes to harness a fraction of my power."
Damien, intrigued by the archaic female voice speaking in an ancient form of Sanskrit, pondered whether she might be akin to the Tree Goddess, the last of her era.
While he contemplated, seven thick beams of purple lightning bolts erupted from the seven bangles with a harsh buzzing sound, striking the oncoming beasts in rapid succession like seven electric whips. Given their power, it was evident that each strike caused multiple beasts to explode, reducing them to ashes. Within the next six minutes, the entire horde of beasts was obliterated.
Damien, positioned on the back of a colossal elephant, urged it to charge toward the dwarf wielding the seven lightning whips. As the first electric bolt lashed out at him, he nonchalantly caught it with his bare hand. "Ah! The purity of this lightning power is astonishing. I must have it," he murmured as it began to scorch his hand. Instead of releasing it, he activated his Lightning Cannon Technique, causing the lightning core within his dantian region to spin vigorously. As a result, a potent suction force emanated from his palm, drawing the Purple Lightning into his core. Within two seconds, the entire lightning whip was consumed by his dantian.
"Bleurp!" Damien belched, as though he had just enjoyed a hearty meal.
Simultaneously, the hoarse voice of Goddess Lucretia echoed, "How dare a mere human attempt to steal my power? Spit it out, or I shall soon claim your head."
"As much as I would love to comply, regrettably, I have already assimilated it," Damien responded in a sardonic tone.
Just as Ashbee attempted to manipulate the remaining six lightning whips to engage Damien, the Goddess hastily retracted them, fearing that the enigmatic human might devour them as well.
Seizing this opportunity, Damien wasted no time. His figure flickered with lightning-quick steps, and he delivered a powerful punch to Ashbee's abdomen. Bang! With a resounding crash, Ashbee was sent soaring through the air, resembling an arrow released from a longbow. In a long, arcing trajectory, Ashbee crashed into a concrete wall, shattering most of it within a seven-foot radius of impact. Damien did not immediately pursue him.
Emerging from the debris of dirt and concrete shards, Ashbee dusted off the powdery residue from his face and hair. "That's quite the punch—ahoo!" He vomited a mouthful of crimson liquid and continued, "You've got there. I'll give you that. Unfortunately, this little adventure ends here, Mr. Giant."
"What do you mean? Are you backing out after just one punch from me?" Damien inquired, his expression dripping with disdain. n/)o-.v-)e--L(.b/-I)-n
"No, no," Ashbee replied, "as much as I'd love to continue our exchange of blows, you're about to face something far worse. And I prefer not to be a third wheel," he said, gesturing towards a rift he had created in the sky.
Still puzzled, Damien shifted his gaze in the direction Ashbee was pointing and observed a dark, amorphous being shaped like a humanoid passing through the spatial gap. "What is that?" he asked.
"A Shadow Fiend!" Ashbee exclaimed. "Be extremely cautious, my Great Sage. Even though it's just a juvenile, its power is otherworldly, and its sole purpose is to hunt outsiders entering this world. And I hope you can deduce its significance from this." With a sinister grin aimed at tormenting his opponent, Ashbee snapped his magical staff in half. For some inexplicable reason, it crumbled and was devoured by the seven bangles hanging from it. These bangles then merged into a single one, which Ashbee placed on his right wrist before disappearing like a puff of air as if he had never been there, to begin with.
"So, he's been stalling for time all along, waiting for the arrival of this creature. This must be the one Noah's ancestor banished," Damien mused as the creature descended from the sky. "Cynthia, assist me in analyzing this entity."
"Of course, sire," a melodious voice responded in his head.
The Shadow Fiend stood at approximately five feet and six inches, possessed a slender physique, and had a grotesque face that even gave Damien, once renowned as the Satanic Lord, a shiver. Its eyes were hollow voids of darkness, devoid of any discernible pupils, and they seemed to suck the light from its surroundings. Sharp, elongated claws protruded from its gnarled, skeletal fingers, and its elongated tongue slithered out from a maw filled with serrated, needle-like teeth. The creature exuded a noxious, darkish mist that seemed to ooze from its pale white skin, shrouding it in an eerie aura of malevolence. It was draped in a long, tattered grayish cloak that billowed ominously as if moved by an invisible wind. Atop its head sat a pointed hat, matching in color, casting a shadow over its malevolent visage.
Ding!