Chapter 414: Chapter 414: Darius Retreats, the Warning of Destruction

The giant beast looked like a dragon, yet not quite a dragon. Its whole body was covered in countless strange dark runes, and thousands of law chains, each as thick as a barrel, locked it firmly in the center of the lava.

Just one look at it was enough to feel a terrifying, violent aura of destruction rushing toward you.

"This is the final nightmare our Red Dwarves Clan has guarded for generations... and feared for generations..."

Malcolm’s voice trembled heavily.

"An ancient war weapon—Codex!"

A strange light flashed in Aiden’s eyes. His senses were extremely sharp, and he could clearly feel the world-destroying Strength hidden inside this steel beast.

This was definitely not something an ordinary Abyss race could create.

Above Codex’s huge steel head floated a Scarlet Crystal the size of a millstone. It pulsed like a beating heart.

The crystal gave off a strange and noble blood-red light, forming a massive blood-colored barrier that pressed Codex down with all its power.

Aiden stared at the Scarlet Crystal. The magic inside his body actually showed a faint sense of rejection and warning.

"That crystal is not right."

Aiden spoke in a low voice.

Malcolm gave a bitter smile. His eyes were filled with fear and awe.

"Lord Aiden, your eyes are truly sharp."

"That is not some natural ore. It is... the blood of a Heavenly Demon!"

The blood of a Heavenly Demon!

When he heard that name, Aiden’s gaze finally tightened slightly.

The rulers of the highest layer of the Abyss, an Imperial Rank and Divine Rank race—the Heavenly Demon Clan!

"One thousand years ago, before Earth and the game world fully merged, an ancient war broke out in the Abyss. It swept through the myriad races."

Malcolm looked at the Scarlet Crystal and slowly revealed the buried history.

"The Heavenly Demon Clan was the absolute ruler of that war among the myriad races."

"To fully enslave the countless races of the Abyss and invade other dimensions, the Heavenly Demon Clan used the strength of their whole race to create twelve war machines powerful enough to kill gods."

"Codex was one of them!"

"And this Scarlet Crystal was formed from a single drop of core blood left behind when a Heavenly Demon ruler was sealed."

"After the ancient war, Codex was badly damaged and went out of control. It fell into the territory of the Red Dwarves. We had no choice but to use this Scarlet Crystal, made from Heavenly Demon blood, to set up a great formation and barely suppress it."

As Aiden listened to this hidden history, he gained a deeper understanding of the vast background of this world.

So the foundation of the Abyss and the Heavenly Demons was far more terrifying than humans had imagined.

"But now, that peace is about to be broken..."

Malcolm’s voice was almost filled with despair.

Rumble!

As if proving Malcolm’s words, the entire lava sea suddenly began to shake violently.

The steel giant beast, Codex, which had been sleeping for a thousand years, actually trembled hard.

Crack—

A sharp breaking sound rang out, especially clear in the dead and violent heart of the volcano.

Aiden looked up.

He saw that the blood-red sealing barrier released by the Scarlet Crystal had split open, forming a huge crack more than a hundred meters long.

A violent aura of destruction poured out from the crack, instantly lifting the surrounding lava into massive waves.

The light of the Scarlet Crystal began to flicker wildly. Within that strange blood-red glow, the black demon runes showed faint signs of going out of control.

"Not good!"

Malcolm’s face turned pale. In fear, he collapsed to the ground.

"The seal... is about to break!"

"The Scarlet Crystal alone can no longer hold it down!"

...

Inside the heart of the volcano, the burning lava roared like a tsunami.

On the blood-red barrier released by the Scarlet Crystal, cracks spread wildly like a spider web.

"Roar—!!"

Beneath the seal, the ancient war weapon Codex let out a deep metallic roar, shaking the entire Undercity.

Malcolm sat on the ground, his face bloodless and his eyes full of despair.

Aiden stood with his hands behind his back, calmly watching the massive creature.

Golden flames flickered around him, burning away all the violent heat waves that rushed toward him. He looked like a god walking through hell.

Just then—

"Hahaha... As expected of a human genius rarely seen in ten thousand years. You can even kill a Demon Duke."

A cold, hoarse laugh suddenly echoed from above the lava chamber.

The voice seemed to come from the Nether Abyss itself, carrying a terrifying magic power that twisted the air.

Aiden narrowed his eyes slightly and slowly looked up.

On a red stone beam hundreds of meters above them, black ripples spread through space like water waves.

Several figures in black robes and dark gold masks had appeared there at some point, standing silently.

The one in front was Darius!

At this moment, his face looked a little pale, and a black, burned mark still remained on his chest where the Sun God’s Spear had pierced him.

"Darius! You traitor! How dare you come back!"

Malcolm gritted his teeth and stared upward. His eyes looked as if they could spit fire.

Darius stood high above them and did not even bother to look at his former "kinsman."

His gaze was fixed firmly on Aiden.

"Aiden, you really are strong. So strong that even I am impressed."

Darius’s voice echoed through the hollow chamber, carrying a clear coldness.

"But this ends here."

"The Demon army has already been defeated. Since the Red Dwarves Clan is willing to be your dog, then they can be destroyed with you."

Aiden’s lips curved into a cold smile.

"You are just a defeated loser. What gives you the right to speak so boldly here?"

Before his words even faded—

Aiden raised his hand. In his palm, a wisp of Divine Golden Sunflame suddenly flickered.

Boom!

The void shook.

[Ding! Skill release detected. 10,000x critical hit triggered!]

In an instant, that small golden flame grew wildly in the air. It turned into a golden sun one hundred meters wide, lighting up the heart of the volcano like daytime.

The terrifying heat even evaporated the red lava around them, creating an empty space.

Darius’s pupils shrank. That burning heat was almost strong enough to melt his Inner Spirit, and the Dark Laws inside his body screamed in warning.

"Go!"

Without the slightest hesitation, he crushed a black ancient jade in his hand.

Buzz—!

A wave of extremely dense Dark Laws erupted at once, turning into a black teleportation vortex that wrapped around every member of the Dawn Society.

"Aiden, don’t think you’ve won!"

Darius stood at the center of the vortex. His voice sounded especially sharp against the roar of the golden flames.

"The next Great Destruction is speeding up!"

"The Abyss myriad races rank will soon fully cross the Golden Great Wall and invade Earth like a flood!"

"That is an unstoppable final disaster. Even gods will fall!"

"No one can stop the Dawn Society’s plan!"

"We will be waiting for you... on Earth!"

Aiden’s eyes turned cold. He pushed the golden sun in his palm forward.

"Go."

The golden sun became a golden beam of light that tore through space. With world-destroying power, it crossed a hundred meters in an instant.

Boom!

The beam slammed hard into the black vortex, causing a deafening explosion.

At that moment, all the lava in the heart of the volcano was thrown upward, forming giant waves a hundred meters high.

The terrifying shockwave even tore countless huge cracks into the hard basalt walls.

However, at the final moment before the spatial vortex disappeared, it still forced Darius and the others away.

Only an echo full of hatred and killing intent remained, lingering in the hollow chamber for a long time.

Aiden slowly lowered his hand, and the golden flames around him calmed down.

"The Great Destruction... is speeding up?"

He muttered to himself, a deep cold light flashing in his eyes.

The Dawn Society, this giant force hidden in the shadows of humanity and the Abyss, had finally become his true enemy.

At this moment, outside the heart of the volcano—

Far away, under the sky of the Abyss—

Several shadows with terrifying auras flashed through the void. They carried the badly wounded Darius with them and disappeared into the mist at the deepest part of the Abyss.

...

Inside the heart of the volcano, the boiling lava slowly calmed down. The frightening heat left behind by the Divine Golden Sunflame still lingered in the air.

Malcolm, Syed, Karls, and Fiona looked at the black-haired, black-eyed human youth with complicated expressions.

In their eyes, Aiden was not only the savior of the Red Dwarves Clan, but also a supreme being who controlled divine fire.

"Lord Aiden, once you leave, the road ahead will be long and difficult."

Malcolm took a deep breath, dropped to one knee, and his voice echoed through the hollow chamber like a great bell.

"The Red Dwarves Clan will never forget your kindness!"

"From this day on, whenever you need us, whether it is forging divine weapons or commanding blazing fire, we will obey without question!"

Syed stepped forward. His dry, old hands held up a delicate hammer that gave off a dark red glow.

"Lord, this is the Magma Key. Seeing this key is the same as seeing us. The entire Red Dwarves Clan will be ready to serve you at any time."

Aiden calmly took the key, placed it into his bag, and nodded slightly.

"Good. Guard the heart of this volcano well. In the future, this place will become an important base for me in the Abyss."

Karls’s eyes were filled with passion and worship. He bowed and said, "Lord, rest assured. As long as Karls still draws breath, I will never let any enemy take even half a step into this place!"

Fiona stood to the side. The warm wind stirred the hem of her clothes. She pressed her lips together and said softly, "Lord Aiden... please take care of yourself."

Aiden smiled faintly and rubbed the girl’s head. He said nothing more.

"I’m leaving."

He turned around. His figure blurred slightly, and then he vanished at the exit of the lava hall.