The Divine Armor of the Old Century（Book 1）

Chapter 37

The armor upon Lloyd seemed less like celestial protection and more like a writhing mass of serpents, intertwining and coiling around him, forming this eerie suit of armor. Blazing white flames surged from the crevices of the armor, as if beneath it lay not flesh and blood but a divine spirit forged entirely of fire.

"Sabo, to kill a monster, you must not only destroy its heart but its mind as well," a deep voice resonated in his ears, and with a swift swing of the burning blade, the bound arm snapped.

The wound inflicted by the blade wasn't a clean cut but a charred blackness, the extreme heat obliterating every cell upon contact, turning into drifting ashes.

Then, the light from the heavens pierced through all darkness.

Lloyd stood amidst the flames on the wooden stake, the surroundings ablaze with the scorching heat, his wounds slowly healing. Though not swiftly, Lloyd couldn't die for the moment.

This was the power of monsters; even if their brains were destroyed, their bodies would still move by instinct. Destroy their hearts, and their bodies could still fight for a time, driven by willpower. Especially ones like Lloyd, with a high purity of secret blood, could heal forcefully. But the cost was steep, yet compared to life, these prices seemed trivial.

"Is this the faintest hope inside the box?" Sabo murmured, tears welling in his eyes, gazing at the solemn light.

"In the end, you're still different from me. In secret blood, I gained this twisted body, while you became so divine..."

Even the ominous secret blood rejected Sabo. Though he and Lloyd shared the same blood, their final fates diverged entirely. His grotesque form slowly recoiled, head bowing like a disappointed child.

"Just a facade of divinity," he sneered.

The serpents crawled up Lloyd's neck, sucking blood in return for the sturdy serpent scales that became his armor.

The burning sword hung low, and Lloyd arched his body. It was a prelude to the sword strike.

Dawn was approaching, illuminating everything. Darkness had nowhere to hide. Yet, just as the last revelry before death, dawn was also the darkest time. From the depths of shadows came the final counterattack.

The overhead rock became dry, every drop of water evaporated. The fire from above, fueled by the cleansing mechanism, had reached the bottom. Neither monsters nor humans stood a chance in that deadly heat. Bodies turned into charred remains, crumbling to light ashes, resting beneath the earth.

The whole world seemed on the verge of collapse, the frail dungeon collapsing layer by layer, like an aging person, each organ failing one by one. It was dying, and soon, the bottom would be crushed by the overhead bricks. Time was running out for the two, countless rubble and dust fell, causing ripples on the water's surface. Only one of them would leave alive.

Thus, amidst the dusty rubble, the crimson-eyed envy glared at Lloyd. Envy for him, for everyone in the world. The sharp swords clashed, the dark metal heating up from the intense flames, evaporating any blood that touched it.

"No one can decide their own birth, but they can decide their future!" Sabo screamed, his body now a monstrous aberration. Yet, he still believed he could survive. It was his only wish.

Lloyd fought with him, swords clashing. At this point, swordsmanship didn't matter much. It was merely a skill for killing, not a blade for slaying demons.

There were no tactics, just two primal beings locked in combat. The stabbing sword struck the sturdy serpent scales, sparking fiercely, leaving deep scars. The burning blade incinerated sinful flesh, yet the multiplying flesh quickly replaced what died.