John was fully alert, attempting to dodge.
However, to his astonishment, he found himself seemingly locked in place, utterly unable to evade.
As Victor's attack bore down on him, John clenched his teeth, his eyes suddenly ablaze with ferocity.
In a daring move, he abandoned any attempt to block the stick and instead swung his sword ferociously towards Victor's head, adopting a do-or-die approach.
A flash of surprise appeared in Victor's eyes.
He hadn't anticipated John's ability to adapt so quickly.
"Still, too slow!"
A glint flashed in Victor's eyes as he accelerated the swing of his stick.
Before John's sword could even complete its arc, Victor's stick had struck John's chest once again.
John was sent flying backward once more.
When he managed to stand again, traces of blood had already begun to spill from his mouth.
"Again!"
Wiping the blood from his lips, John's gaze turned as fierce as a starving wolf's, and he charged at Victor once more.
Victor commented coolly, "Your courage is commendable, but fighting is not a street brawl. Being tough and aggressive won't get you far; you need to use your brain."
Subsequently, John found himself on the receiving end of a one-sided beating, with the training room occasionally echoing with the dull thuds of a heavy object hitting the ground.
Victor had said he would not hold back, and he certainly didn't, although he might leave John half alive at best.
Passersby outside the training room, hearing these sounds, couldn't help but shrink their necks and mentally offer their condolences to John.
...
In Stellarburg, within the Noble District, a dimly lit basement was illuminated by flickering candle flames, with twisted, dark runes sketching a sinister magic array on the floor.
A copper bottle was placed at the center of the magic array, continuously emitting a malevolent black glow.
A figure, clad in a black robe with an indiscernible face, stood before the magic array, incessantly chanting complex and obscure incantations.
The candles swayed, and runes sparkled.
Thick black mist continuously emanated from the magic array, pouring into the copper bottle.
The bottle shook violently, as if something within struggled to break free.
Suddenly, the bottle ceased its agitation.
From its mouth, streams of black liquid slowly emerged, quickly pooling on the ground into a swampy expanse.
The foul stench instantly filled the entire basement.
The robed figure stopped chanting, his voice raspy with scorn, "To be driven to such desperation by a bronze-tier awakener, you truly are a complete failure, Rean." The black water flowing from the bottle became more turbulent.
In the filthy swamp, the water writhed and gradually coalesced into a human form.
The black water churned incessantly.
A ferocious, angry face slowly formed - it was Rean! He was dressed in a black robe, his face twisted in rage, surrounded by swirling black water.
Seeing the mocking expression on the robed figure's face, Rean's features contorted with anger, and he roared, "I was so close, just a hair's breadth away from success with my plan! Why didn't you intervene then?!"
The robed figure sneered, "Why should I have intervened? I had already prepared everything for you in the Crimson Realm in advance. My task was complete. What happened afterward is none of my concern."
At the mention of this, Rean's anger intensified.
He exclaimed, "Yet Victor wasn't trapped, and the Crimson Demon even handed over his weapon to that Hidden Stars kid. It's because of them my plan was doomed to fail! You were there in the Crimson Realm; why didn't you stop them?"
The figure in the black robe sneered coldly, "What does your plan's failure have to do with me? I've told you before that your plan was flawed. Besides, why should I expose my identity for the sake of your scheme?"
With these words, the tone of the man in the black robe turned chillingly cold.
"Rean, I hope you understand our relationship. I took a risk to save you, and you should be grateful for that!"
Rean's expression froze momentarily before his features began to contort with rage.
He bellowed furiously, "You are me, and I am you. We are inseparable; our very existence is to bring about the descent of the Dusk Lord. Why can't you see that?"
The black waters on the ground surged tumultuously with Rean's emotional turmoil, like a calm lake whipped into towering waves by a storm.
However, the man in the black robe remained unmoved.
He stated coldly, "How you bring about the Dusk Lord's descent is your concern. I've completed the task as per our prior agreement. Now that your plan has failed, in accordance with our agreement, it's your turn to assist me."
The black water surrounding Rean surged violently, its tumultuous energy reminiscent of a volcano on the brink of eruption.
Yet, he was acutely aware of his current predicament.
Previously, the man in the black robe might have had reason to fear him, but now, having lost his body and surviving solely through the Bottle of Desire, Rean had no leverage for negotiation.
His expression fluctuated between hope and despair.
After a long pause, he managed to ask with a composed demeanor, "What do you want me to do for you?"
"Should have asked that from the start," the figure in the black robe replied, corners of his mouth turning upward as he slowly lifted his head to reveal a well-fed middle-aged face.
This face was all too familiar to many in Stellarburg, often seen on television and across various media platforms.
He was none other than the chairman of the Foster Group, Maximilian!
Maximilian had always remained in the shadows, quietly observing the unfolding events.
He only intervened at the very last moment, and until now, his identity had never been suspected by anyone.
Who could have imagined that this self-made magnate of Stellarburg, who built a vast empire from scratch, was actually an avatar of the Dusk Archbishop!
Rean frowned and asked, "What exactly are you planning to do?" A sudden laugh escaped Maximilian.
His eyes, usually calm, now gleamed with unbridled ambition.
He spoke deliberately, "I want you to merge with me, so that I may replace the Dusk Lord and become a true god."
At that moment, Rean's breathing nearly stopped.
He stared at the other in disbelief, exclaiming, "Do you realize what you're saying?!"
Rean could hardly believe his ears.
He had always known of Maximilian's grand ambitions, but it had never crossed his mind that Maximilian aspired to become the Dusk Lord himself.
Maximilian did not respond, but a dark mist suddenly began to emanate from his body.
Then, a young and handsome man slowly descended the basement stairs.
His body was stiff and unresponsive, as if he were a puppet being manipulated.
Alex looked at his father with deep fear and despair in his eyes.
He had overheard the entire conversation between the two.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that his father was the nefarious Dusk Archbishop.
And he, Alex, was the son of the Dusk Archbishop! The always proud Alex felt as if something inside him had been brutally shattered.
Rean, eyeing Alex, asked, "What are you planning to do?" He did not stop him, for he too was tempted.
Who wouldn't want to become a god? "You'll find out soon enough," Maximilian replied, pulling a black wooden box from his cloak.
He carefully opened it to reveal an object wrapped in golden satin.
The golden satin, embroidered with complex array patterns, was clearly not ordinary.
Rean, curious about the contents, watched as Maximilian slowly unwrapped the satin.
A shriveled black bead appeared on the golden fabric.
At the sight of the bead, Rean's pupils dilated in shock, his eyes full of astonishment.
At the same time, a desire-filled and corrupt aura burst forth.
Simultaneously, the basement's ceiling lit up with densely packed, intricate runes and magic arrays.
All the arrays activated at once, emitting blinding light, completely isolating the surging aura.
Rean gazed at the black orb wrapped in golden satin on the table, his face unable to hide his shock.
He exclaimed, "Is this... the Eye of the Dusk Lord?! When did you acquire such a thing!"
Maximilian smirked, "Did you think I'd be as foolish as you, making a spectacle of summoning the full divine form of the Dusk Lord?"
He looked at the orb with fervent eyes, saying, "This was acquired through deceiving everyone's surveillance, by sacrificing a large shelter housing a hundred thousand people, after much difficulty."
After saying this, Maximilian suddenly turned to look at Alex, whose face was pale, and said, "Haven't you always felt overshadowed by John? Haven't you always wanted revenge for him taking the woman you loved?"
He picked up the orb and slowly brought it towards Alex's mouth.
Maximilian's eyes were filled with madness as he declared, "Now, your father is giving you this opportunity. Come, let us become true deities together!"
Alex's eyes showed resistance and despair, but his mouth involuntarily opened.
The moment the "Eye of the Dusk Lord" entered his mouth, Alex's face was painted with despair and anger.
What he desired was to defeat John fair and square.
He didn't need the power of some damned dark god! If given a choice, Alex would rather die on the spot.
But under Maximilian's overpowering force, he had no ability to resist, not even to take his own life.
The moment the Eye of the Dusk Lord merged into Alex's body, a tremendous power suddenly erupted.
An evil aura wildly ravaged the basement.
Alex's agonized howls and Maximilian's maniacal laughter echoed throughout the cellar.
However, the outside world remained oblivious to it all.