Manu stepped to the edge of the platform, his sharp eyes watching the chaos unfold with delight. He patted the platform beneath his feet as if it were a living thing and smirked, licking his lower lip like a predator savoring a al.
"I should really thank that old dragon Patriarch," he murmured, his voice carrying an almost reverent tone, "for the gift of the *Draco Mortem*."
He tilted his head as if recalling a fond mory, though the truth was far more sinister. The *Draco Mortem* had indeed been a gift—one he had stolen and corrupted further. These were no ordinary remains; they were the diseased dead of the dragons, cursed by a blight Manu himself had unleashed upon the Dragon Lands millennia ago.
That disease had wrought havoc on the mighty dragon zordiac family, leaving their once-proud dead to rot in tornt. Over ten thousand years, the blight had festered, twisted, and transford into sothing far more insidious. The remains of those dragons had incubated the curse, making it potent enough to exude a pressure of its own. It wasn’t rely decay—it was a force of malignant will, dark and oppressive, that had beco the cornerstone of Manu’s plan.
The center pillar of the ritual platform had been crafted from those sa cursed remains after he had made the deal with the Dragon Patriarch.
Each bone, each sinew, pulsed with the corrupted essence of the dragons’ eternal suffering.
The cultivators who had so eagerly absorbed the pillar’s energy now writhed in agony. Their veins darkened as the curse took root, spreading like wildfire through their dantians.
One man, a proud general of the Beast Lords fell to his knees, clutching his chest as black tendrils of energy snaked through his aura dantian.
He scread, a guttural sound that reverberated across the platform, but his cries were cut short as his body convulsed violently. His skin began to bubble, his features twisting in grotesque ways.
Another, this white-winged figure from those that ruled the sky stumbled backward, her golden hair matted with blood as the white glow of her spiritual energy flickered and dimd.
Her face contorted in horror as her dantian’s light was replaced with a dark, viscous shadow. She tried to pray, her lips forming silent words, but it was too late—the curse had already consud her core.
Their attempts to purge the energy were futile. The *Draco Mortem*’s curse had already burrowed deep, binding itself to their essence.
Then again, What had started as pain quickly escalated into sothing far worse. Their bodies began to liquefy, lting like wax under a scorching fla. Flesh dripped from their bones, pooling into dark puddles of blood and ichor.
Manu’s laughter rang out, cruel and mocking. "Oh, don’t stop now," he jeered, his voice dripping with amusent. "You wanted power, didn’t you? You wanted MY power. Well, go ahead—take it. You’re doing so well."
The once-proud gold rankers and demi-gods scread as their forms dissolved. Their blood and energy seeped into the cracks of the platform, drawn inexorably toward the pillar. The liquid glowed faintly as it rged with the cursed structure, feeding the ritual.
One aquatic figure, his blue-scaled skin now peeling away in grotesque ribbons, let out a final roar of defiance. "You… you monster…" he spat, his voice barely audible as his face caved in, collapsing into the growing pool of blood.
Manu crouched near the edge of the platform, his snake-like eyes glowing with malevolent glee. "Monster? That’s the best you can do? Co now, I thought you’d have sothing more creative for your last words."
He straightened, spreading his arms wide as the pillar pulsed brighter with every death. The energy surged through the platform and into him, the veins on his skin glowing like molten gold. "Ah, yes," he sighed, his voice almost euphoric, "this is what power feels like."
The remaining warriors collapsed one by one, their bodies breaking down into rivers of corrupted blood. The puddles converged, flowing upward as if alive, feeding the pillar’s insatiable hunger.
The platform thrumd with dark energy, the air thick with the acrid scent of decay and burnt essence.
Manu stood at the center of it all, a solitary figure amidst the carnage. His smirk widened as he glanced at the last of the lting attackers. "You should have known better," he chided, his tone mockingly sympathetic. "Greed is such an ugly thing, don’t you think? And yet, here you are—fueling my ascension with your pathetic ambition."
As the final puddle of blood was absorbed into the pillar, the platform shone with blinding intensity. The ground beneath Manu’s feet seed to hum with approval, and the energy coursing through his body grew even stronger. He tilted his head back, letting out a deep, resonant laugh that echoed across the battlefield.
"Thank you," he said, his voice carrying over the silence that followed. "You’ve made this far too easy."
At the sa ti, his eyes stared far off into the distance. He could see those that had been cautious and waited.
Incredibly enough, those had been the holy church and the Zodiac families.
They had not let the freed of power take over them like the Lords that ruled over the other continents.
Manu coukd not help but think it was a huge sha. After all, he had ticulously planned this, even taking their patience of thousands of tears and hunger for power into note.
If he had used the Guardian Token as the core of the pillar, then even those who thought themselves far and safe from the destruction could have been implicated too.
But at last, he had not been able to find that treasure.
Then again, he was not mad at this. These ones had died a dog’s death. And he had even gained a treasure in the process.
Manu took a look at...
(Author’s note: I know! I know!! The cliff hanger stung hard. But don’t worry, it’s amass release so there is much to enjoy. And please send gifts and golden tickets. Thank you)
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