CHAPTER 710: REGENERATION...?

Emerald Castle had become a bustling hub of power.

Over the past few weeks, Ethan had been steadily relocating entire dungeon realms into the castle’s domain. With each transfer, more and more Creature Dwellings sprang up across the landscape—fortified, upgraded, and now fully automated. Even without a commander present, these dwellings could summon their forces on their own.

When the Emerald army returned from the desert campaign, they dispersed wordlessly, each unit retreating into its respective dwelling to recover.

The desert had cost them dearly.

If they didn’t replenish their ranks soon, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Meanwhile, Ethan stood atop the castle’s highest battlement, his cloak snapping in the wind as he gazed toward the distant silhouette of Sky Citadel.

With the power he currently held, storming the upper levels of the Citadel would be a stretch. He’d need to grow stronger—fast. Only then could he launch a full assault, break their defenses, and cripple their forces before going in for the kill.

But just as that thought settled in his mind—

The ground rumbled.

A low, thunderous growl rolled across the desert, and then, without warning, a massive serpent erupted from beneath the sands.

The sky darkened in an instant. Thunder cracked. Rain and wind lashed the earth as if the heavens themselves had been torn open.

"You pitiful insects," the creature hissed, its voice booming like a god’s curse. "You dare provoke the Sky Citadel? I’ll swallow every last one of you. If I don’t, I’m no Left Hand of the High Lord."

Ethan’s eyes narrowed. Another one.

He flicked open his system interface, scanning the creature’s stats—and his breath caught.

Tier 21. Peak level.

"Great," he muttered. "A real pain in the ass."

But there was no fear in his voice. Instead, he rose into the air, calm and focused, and summoned Idra.

The moment she appeared, they fused—light flared, and their combined form surged with raw, unbridled power.

Tier 21. Peak level.

And then some.

The air around them crackled with energy.

"What?!" the serpent roared.

BOOM—

The desert trembled.

The serpent lunged from the dunes, its body a coiling mountain of muscle and scale. Its hide gleamed like black iron, tinged with a sickly purple sheen under the sun.

Its breath reeked of rot and acid, warping the air with every exhale.

Ethan hovered above, robes billowing, a radiant greatsword forming in his hand—pure energy, white-hot and humming with power.

He said quietly, "Come on, then."

VMMM—

The blade flared.

The serpent reared back and unleashed a blast of violet-black energy from its throat—a beam wide enough to swallow a city block.

KRA-KOOM!

The two forces collided midair, detonating with a deafening shockwave.

The dunes below were obliterated, carved into a jagged canyon. Dust and sand exploded skyward in a blinding storm.

Ethan was hurled back dozens of yards, his body rattled, blood surging—but his eyes stayed sharp, steady.

He raised one hand.

Golden light sparked in his palm.

And then the Dragon God’s power roared out of him.

The sky answered with a thunderclap.

A colossal golden dragon shimmered into view behind him, its roar splitting the heavens. The phantom beast surged forward, wings outstretched, eyes blazing.

The serpent froze.

Its pupils shrank to pinpricks.

Something ancient stirred in its blood—an instinct older than memory.

It recoiled, body twisting, face contorted in pain and terror.

The dragon’s bloodline. Dominance.

The golden dragon dove.

And in that instant, the world lost all color.

The serpent was slammed into the earth with bone-crushing force.

The desert buckled.

The ground split open like torn parchment, and a pillar of dust shot skyward, blotting out the sun.

Ethan didn’t give it a second to breathe.

Gripping his greatsword with both hands, he summoned a blazing wheel of golden energy overhead. With a roar, he brought the blade crashing down.

—BOOM!

The earth split open beneath him.

The serpent’s massive body was cleaved clean in two, the cut so precise it sizzled in the air. The stench of scorched flesh hung heavy, acrid and sharp.

Ethan landed lightly, exhaling once, eyes locked on the twitching remains.

"Is it over?"

But then—

The severed halves twitched.

With a sickening squelch, both chunks began to writhe. Flesh bubbled, twisted, and reknit itself in a glistening sheen of slime and muscle.

Two identical serpents rose from the gore.

Ethan’s pupils dilated.

"Regeneration...?"

He snapped open the system interface.

The data flickered across his vision:

Lifeform: Dual-Blood Hybrid · Abyssal Serpent-Worm

Bloodline: Ancient Serpent (70%) + Earthworm Hybrid (30%)

"A hybrid," Ethan muttered, lips curling into a cold smirk. "Figures."

Above, the twin serpents reared back and howled in unison.

"HAHAHA! You can’t kill me! I am infinite!"

They lunged, twin shadows blotting out the sun.

Ethan didn’t flinch.

Instead, he smiled—sharp and dangerous.

"Infinite? Then let’s find your limit."

He raised both hands.

Power surged through him like a dam breaking. Wind howled around his body, kicking up a storm of sand, stone, and golden light.

Shing. Shing. Shing.

Golden discs spun into existence—hundreds of them—hovering in the air like a celestial armory.

Each one etched with ancient draconic runes, each blade humming with violent wind energy. The sound alone could rattle bones.

"Go."

The discs launched.

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!

It was like a golden hurricane had been unleashed.

The sky filled with slicing arcs of wind and light, carving through the serpents’ bodies again and again. Flesh tore. Scales shattered. Blood sprayed in thick, black ribbons.

"SSSSKRAAAAHHH!!"

Their screams were raw, animal, agonized.

Chunks of meat and bone rained down, mixing with sand and blood. The ground was gouged with deep trenches, as if clawed by titans.

Ethan’s gaze stayed cold, unblinking.

Each disc struck with surgical precision, until the serpents were no longer serpents—just a field of twitching, steaming remains.

Silence.

The wind died.

Ethan descended slowly, boots touching down on a battlefield painted in blood and ruin.

The serpent’s flesh still squirmed faintly, as if refusing to accept death.

He raised a hand.

A flick of his finger, and the system interface shimmered into view.

"Scan."

A beam of light swept over the remains.

Readout:

Energy Density: Extremely High

Structure: Unstable

Recommendation: Absorb

Ethan’s lips curved.

"Then let’s not waste it."

He sat cross-legged in the center of the carnage, palm raised.

A golden vortex spiraled from his hand, pulling the scattered flesh and blood into a stream of radiant energy. It flowed into him, warm and wild, like swallowing lightning.

The air trembled.

A dragon’s roar echoed faintly across the sky.

As the last thread of energy vanished into his body, Ethan opened his eyes.

A flash of gold lit his pupils.

He was stronger now.

But before the moment could settle, the sky cracked open with a blinding bolt of lightning.

BOOM—

The heavens split.

Flames of thunder lit the battlefield in stark, electric white.

And from that rift stepped a towering figure.

Each step he took shattered the ground beneath him. Lightning and wind coiled around his body in a storm of raw power.

Even his breath made the air tremble.

...