CHAPTER 277: CROWN OF FALLEN

Kaelos pulled out his final item: the Crown of the Fallen.

Daniel’s eyes widened when he saw the item in Kaelos’s hand. His blood boiled, and he felt an overwhelming, inexplicable connection to the crown.

It wasn’t just his blood—his entire being resonated with it, as if they shared the same origin.

"What the hell is that...?" he muttered to himself. No matter how hard he stared or thought about it, no clue came to mind about what this thing actually was.

What could it be? Another relic of the Fallen God? What else could make his blood surge like this?

On the other hand, Schneitz and Logan, both breathing heavily, stared at the crown. Its aura alone made it clear that it was far stronger than any of the other items Kaelos had used so far.

"This... is it divine-grade?" Schneitz narrowed his eyes, seemingly recognizing the crown’s aura.

"Heh, looks like you figured it out. But it’s already too late," Kaelos sneered, glancing down at the crown in his hand.

It was a quasi-divine item, a relic left behind by the Fallen God. Placing the crown on his head activated [Fallen God Transformation].

His body ignited in an aura of white light and black darkness, massive wings of shadow and radiance sprouting from his back, his eyes shining like two opposing stars, and the space around him trembling with dual energy.

It felt as though a higher, absolute will had descended into the world. The sky seemed to warn of collapse, and even space and time strained to hold together.

With a roar, he split the sky and charged at Logan and Schneitz, activating [Dance of Shadow and Light]. His body vanished into the crimson sky like a ghost as he slashed at Logan with [Duality Blade].

Eclipse Blade, wrapped in an aura of light and darkness, tore the air apart, the strike blasting Logan thousands of meters into the air, shattering the remaining towers, and opening a massive rift in the crimson sky.

Logan defended with [Cycle of Samsara], slowing time itself, but Kaelos’s transformed power pierced through. Logan’s golden armor cracked, and a deep gash opened across his chest, golden blood dripping like a stream.

Schneitz engaged with [Moonlight Waltz], charging Lunar Fang with [Obliterating Crescent].

A black-and-silver crescent ripped through the sky and split the ground. Kaelos defended with [Contradictory Aura], his white-and-black aura absorbing the crescent and reflecting it back at Schneitz. Schneitz was hurled back, his silver hair singed, his armor cracked.

Kaelos countered with [Twin Destruction Ray].

A colossal wave of light and darkness surged like a storm, crushing the heavens and earth, turning what remained of the buildings to dust and tearing deep fissures across the battlefield.

Logan defended with [Breath of Life], a golden wave that healed his wounds, but the sheer force of Kaelos’s attack drove him to his knees.

Schneitz blocked with [Full Moon Barrier], but the barrier cracked, and a gash opened along his left arm, silver blood staining the ground.

Kaelos, like a god soaring in the crimson sky, unleashed [Eternal Duality Wrath] in a final, devastating assault on both of them.

An enormous explosion ripped the sky like shredded fabric, shook the ground, and sent Logan and Schneitz flying hundreds of meters back in a storm of light and darkness.

Logan crashed into the rubble, his armor shattered, blood streaming from his chest. Schneitz slammed into a shattered glass wall, Lunar Fang falling from his grasp, a deep wound on his shoulder bleeding heavily.

Logan and Schneitz exchanged a glance and came to a silent agreement — they dropped their restraint. Until now, they had been holding back their full strength and items to minimize the city-wide damage.

But at this rate, they’d be killed — especially since it seemed those other old bastards weren’t planning to step in.

Logan activated his national-rank item, the God Cycle Brooch, and unleashed [Eternal Life Wrath].

A golden-green aura blazed around him, his body pulsing with the power of Samsara and life itself. His speed and strength multiplied, though his veins bulged painfully, his body teetering on the brink of collapse.

He struck at Kaelos with [Eternal Cycle Blade], his sword warping time as it carved into Kaelos’s chest.

Space itself split apart, and Kaelos was blasted thousands of meters skyward, his armor cracking as a deep gash split across his chest, black-and-white blood raining down like a storm.

Schneitz activated his own item, the Burnt Moon Pendant, and unleashed [God-Slaying Crescent].

A massive wave of destructive lunar energy shattered the crimson sky like glass, turned the earth into a chasm, and swallowed Kaelos whole.

Kaelos defended with [Contradictory Aura], but his aura shattered, a deep wound tearing into his thigh, his blood splattering across the ground. The Crown of the Fallen began to lose power, its wings dimming, his transformation weakening.

His body began to fragment as though it could no longer withstand the crown’s power. After all, it was a quasi-divine item, and Kaelos was only S-rank. His body and soul simply couldn’t handle such power.

Logan attacked with [Life Tempest]. A golden storm engulfed the field, shaking the sky and crushing Kaelos beneath an overwhelming surge of life energy.

Kaelos dodged with [Dance of Shadow and Light], but his energy was almost gone. He countered Schneitz with [Duality Blade], but Schneitz retaliated with [Crimson Moon Rage].

A scarlet-and-silver aura empowered Lunar Fang, the strike slamming Kaelos into the ground, his quasi-divine armor shattering, and a deep wound ripping open across his back.

Logan used [Samsara Reversion] to heal both his and Schneitz’s wounds, but the strain of [Eternal Life Wrath] bulged the veins in his neck, blood dripping from his mouth.

Schneitz, also struggling under the drain of [God-Slaying Crescent], gasped for breath, his body trembling, silver blood still leaking from his shoulder.

Kaelos, his body covered in bleeding wounds and shattered armor, dropped to his knees. Logan and Schneitz, their cracked armor and battered bodies showing their exhaustion, approached him cautiously.

The crown dimmed, cracks spreading across Kaelos’s face, threatening to break him apart at any moment. Yet, the crown itself remained completely intact.

"You wanted to use this item to kill us, but look at you. It’s killing you instead," Schneitz mocked coldly.

Logan raised his sword, prepared to seal Kaelos away — killing him wasn’t the plan until they stripped that ring from him first.

But instead of struggling or begging, Kaelos began laughing like a madman. His laughter echoed across the entire sky.

"Lost your mind, have you?" Schneitz glared at him with a frown.

"I really underestimated the power of national-rankers... They told me not to use that ring unless I had no other choice... but it seems I don’t have one now." Suddenly, a ring appeared on his index finger.

"That? ...Fuck. Fuck." Logan and Schneitz instantly backed away, trying to escape.

But it was pointless. The world suddenly drained of all color, and darkness swallowed everything.

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