’No ti to think.’
Max’s legs kicked off the ground as he activated One Step Mile, his body flashing forward like a streak of blue lightning. His entire fra blurred, weaving through the surging black fog, barely avoiding the gnashing jaws snapping shut behind him. He darted deeper into the Black Dog Abyss without a shred of hesitation.
"Whoosh!"
From a distance, his figure looked almost spectral—like a phantom trailing blue sparks, slicing through the waves of Yin energy. But before relief could even touch him, a deafening roar ripped through the air once again, far louder and sharper than before.
The Black Dog King had joined the chase.
The ground quaked violently under its monstrous steps, pebbles and boulders bouncing up with each stride. Despite its enormous size, the beast moved with horrifying speed, its two heads locked on Max like a predator hunting a single piece of prey. Its jaws opened wide, revealing rows of jagged, ivory fangs dripping with venomous saliva. Then, with an ear-splitting crack, it unleashed its power.
From one head, a black arc of light erupted, dense and sharp like a spear forged from pure Yin energy. The attack split the air as it scread forward, shattering the void itself as it moved straight for Max’s back.
Max’s pupils constricted sharply. ’That attack...’ The aura of death it carried was suffocating.
"Not good!"
In an instant, his body reacted on pure instinct. Max activated Dragon Scales Transformation, black and golden scales rippling across his skin like a living armor. The power of 800 Draconic Essences burst from within him, flooding his limbs with explosive force.
His four mastered concepts—sword, fla, lightning, and space, all at Level 2—flared to life simultaneously.
With one hand gripping the Blue Dragon Sword, Max swung down with everything he had.
"Crimson Burial Sword Art!"
A colossal sword shadow erupted from his blade, stretching hundreds of feet long, its edges wrapped in black flas and arcs of lightning, warping space around it. It descended like a dark heavenly pillar, roaring as it smashed toward the incoming black arc of light.
The collision was cataclysmic.
"Boom!"
The black arc of light slamd into the sword shadow, and instantly, cracks ford along the sword’s body of energy. Within the blink of an eye, it shattered into countless fragnts, scattering like dying teors. The residual force of the attack scread forward, making Max’s hair whip wildly and his body stagger backward under the sheer pressure.
Max’s heart thudded violently in his chest as he ran deeper into the cave, his steps echoing in the hollow darkness. ’How... how did it break my sword attack so easily?’
He still couldn’t believe what he had witnessed. The Crimson Burial Sword Art infused with all four of his concepts—sword, flas, lightning, and space—should have been powerful enough to devastate any Peak Legend Rank opponent. Yet, the Black Dog King had obliterated it as if it were nothing but a child’s toy.
"Bang!"
The sound tore him out of his thoughts. The Black Dog King lunged like a shadowed mountain, its two monstrous heads snapping toward him with deadly precision. Instinct scread louder than thought.
Max imdiately activated teleportation and his Three Dinsional Body, his figure teleported through the air in a ghostlike blur, narrowly avoiding those jaws that could crush steel like paper.
"Damn it!" he spat, cold sweat dripping down his back.
The beast whirled around, its massive claws scraping against the stone floor as sparks flew. Its eyes glead with cold intelligence, locking onto Max once more. There was no hesitation, no pause. It roared, a deafening sound that shook loose chunks of stone from the cave ceiling, and launched itself after him again.
Max’s face hardened. There was no fighting this thing, not here, not now. He surged forward, pushing One Step Mile to its absolute limit. Blue lightning wrapped around his legs, his entire body a streak of azure brilliance darting through the darkness.
The Black Dog King roared again, a sound like a thunderclap in a storm, and behind it surged a tide of death—thousands of black dogs pouring in unison, their claws clicking sharply against the stone floor.
’So many!’ Max cursed inwardly, his mind flashing through options he didn’t have. Even if he used his Infernal Demon Transformation, there was no guarantee he could even scratch the king, let alone survive being surrounded by this endless horde.
No, escape was the only path. He gritted his teeth and bolted deeper into the Black Dog Abyss, feeling the oppressive chill biting at his skin even through his lightning shield.
Minutes later, Max ca to a hard stop. His breath condensed into mist as he took in the scene before him. He had reached the end of the Black Dog Abyss, and there, beneath the jagged wall of rock, were dozens of black cave openings. From within them gushed dense Yin energy, colder and darker than any he had felt above.
The air itself seed to hum with deathly silence, save for the distant howls closing in behind him.
He turned his head and caught sight of the Black Dog King hurtling toward him, the army of two-headed black dogs at its heels. For the first ti in this chase, hesitation flashed across Max’s face. He had no idea what was inside these caves... but staying out here was certain death.
With a sharp breath, he chose. He darted into one of the dark caves, vanishing into its icy shadows.
When the Black Dog King arrived, it halted at the mouth of the cave, both of its massive heads lowering to sniff the air. Its eyes glimred faintly with... fear. The king hesitated, sothing rare for a beast of its power, but after a low growl and a shudder that rippled through its muscles, it stepped forward and entered.
Behind it, dozens of two-headed black dogs—all Peak Legend Rank—followed closely, their eyes sharp and their movents cautious.
The rest of the pack, those below the 8th level of Legend Rank, stopped cold at the entrance. None dared step past the threshold.
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