"Nooooooo!"
Dovos landed heavily on the ground, his eyes wide with rage and despair as he watched the wolf rapidly approach Rune.
At that moment, the blue energy bands surrounding Rune began to glow strangely, as if responding to the imminent danger.
Dovos was about to surrender to despair, but suddenly, he felt a strange surge of energy emanating from Rune.
The blue bands started spinning at an alarming speed, and in an instant, the wolf was torn into over a thousand pieces.
But it didn't stop there—under Dovos's stunned eyes, the wolf's remains turned into energy and were instantly absorbed by Rune.
Then, the blue bands calmed down, as if nothing had happened.
"These bands can cut through almost any creature below the first rank..." Dovos speculated as he quickly retrieved his sword.
He had no time to catch his breath, as large numbers of beasts began emerging from the trees in all directions. Soon, the first first-rank beast appeared.
Without hesitation, Dovos lunged at the bear-like creature, while the blue bands continued to slaughter the surrounding beasts like deadly, gelatinous knives.
After confirming his theory, Dovos shifted his focus to eliminating the first-rank beasts.
As the number of beasts increased, Dovos felt immense pressure. He was battling multiple first-rank creatures amid hundreds of regular monsters.
He noticed that despite his constant energy consumption, he didn't feel any depletion.
"Is this due to the high concentration of spiritual energy in this area?" Dovos wondered.
He was in the vortex's eye—a place where massive amounts of energy gathered every second.
"In that case..."
Instantly, a red aura enveloped Dovos's body and sword.
He no longer suppressed his strength. His energy consumption was terrifying, but his regeneration was even more monstrous!
Dovos's speed and strength multiplied several times over. And started slutring the monsters.
Time passed quickly… two weeks flew by in the blink of an eye.
The black clouds began to recede slightly, revealing an incredibly beautiful light.
But that light only shone upon a massacre.
A handsome young man with black hair streaked with blue sat with his eyes closed, surrounded by a few blue bands that mercilessly slaughtered any beast that approached him.
And a muscular man, covered in blood and minor wounds, wielded a massive sword forged from a deadly red aura, cutting through beasts as if slicing hot butter.
His eyes radiated infinite killing intent and exhaustion, moving like lightning through heaps upon heaps of corpses.
Everywhere, thousands of dead beasts lay stacked in massive piles, and rivers of dark blood flowed endlessly, yet none dared approach the seated young man.
Hundreds of beasts charged madly to their deaths within the blue bands surrounding him.
The howls and screams of dying beasts filled the air.
It was a scene of absolute carnage.
Amidst the slaughter, the seated young man slowly began to rise. The bands around him expanded and spread.
Dovos noticed the sudden change in Rune's movements and started approaching him.
As the bands grew larger, the young man opened his eyes—glowing with an unbelievably beautiful blue light.
The young man opened his mouth and calmly said "Come closer."
Without hesitation, Dovos reached into the blood, pulled out a massive sword, and threw himself into the deadly blue bands.
But when he touched them, they felt completely intangible, having no effect on him whatsoever… while the beasts disintegrated upon contact.
When Dovos finally stood beside Rune, the young man clenched his fist tightly, and the bands started spinning faster.
"Release."
The moment he uttered the word, it was as if an explosion had occurred—the blue bands shot out at terrifying speed, obliterating everything in their path!
Everything within a one-mile radius… vanished completely.
Beasts, trees, even the terrain itself—everything was erased.
If you looked at a map, you would see a newly formed barren zone.
Silence engulfed the entire area…
Everything was desolate, except for a green patch mixed with fresh blood, where a young man with a calm expression stood, alongside a muscular man with a serious face and exhausted eyes.
Moments earlier, inside Rune's consciousness…
[The system has detected multiple external threats. Would the host like the system to intervene and eliminate them?]
"Do whatever you want."
Rune was mentally exhausted beyond belief. He had poured all his energy into his breakthrough. And he had barely succeeded.
In the external world…
Rune's glowing eyes slowly returned to normal as he looked at Dovos beside him.
"Good job, Dovos."
Those were his final words before he lost consciousness.
The moment he collapsed, Dovos caught him swiftly, gripped his sword, and dashed in a random direction—Runningas hard as he could.
He had managed to hold out this long thanks to a continuous energy source, but now that it was gone, all that awaited him if he stayed was death.
During the escape…
Dovos encountered groups of beasts—most fled the moment they saw the murderous red aura in his eyes, while some, driven by their savage nature, chose to attack.
But Dovos had no time for mercy; he killed anything that got too close and ignored those that ran.
He kept fighting until he finally managed to escape, distancing himself from the site of the massacre and finding a safe place to hide.
Thousands of light-years away…
On an unknown planet, in an unknown location, a deep, gravelly voice echoed:
"Did you feel that, old man?"
"Yes... It seems the plan is progressing as expected. Only a little more remains..."
"Yes, just a little more... HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The loud laughter reverberated, causing powerful tremors that shook the very fabric of space itself.