Chapter 73: Chapter73-The Sinister Blood Blade
The blood-colored throne emanated a faint red glow, casting both of their faces in a ruddy light.
Crimson Demon sat quietly upon the throne.
Lucas gazed at the figure before him, seemingly still alive, feeling the familiar oppressive aura.
His eyes were filled with profound resentment.
No wonder he had sensed the presence of Crimson Demon yet the sacrifice had failed.
Here lay only the shell of Crimson Demon; even if he had offered his life, it would not have elicited any response.
John, too, was scrutinizing the divine form of Crimson Demon.
Only upon drawing closer did John notice that the wound on Its forehead was not as minor as it appeared.
The crack, seemingly small, was pulsating with a faint golden light, from which John could sense a heart-thumping formidable power.
Even after so many years, the divine might lingering in this wound had not dissipated, indicating the immense strength of the being that had inflicted such a wound.
Then, John's gaze fell upon the red longsword beside Crimson Demon.
The blade was long and narrow, cast in dark red, with two golden patterns twisting and interlocking on it.
The blade emitted a chilling cold light, and at the handle, a blood-red gemstone resembling an eyeball was embedded, exuding an eerie malevolence.
As John looked towards the longsword, a thick scent of blood mixed with an overwhelming killing intent rushed towards him.
He seemed to see mountains of skeletons and an endless sea of blood, witnessing countless skeletal spirits struggling in agony within the blood sea, wailing miserably, like hell on earth!
John's eyes flickered with intrigue. Could the treasure of the Crimson Demon be this very blade?
He pondered for a moment but didn't rush to grab the sword. Instead, he kicked Lucas.
He spoke indifferently, "Go, fetch the blade for me."
The silence here was unnaturally eerie, the greatest danger perhaps residing within that very sword.
With Lucas as his pawn, John certainly wasn't going to risk his own skin.
Lucas shuddered, obviously not keen on a suicide mission.
His face was a mask of resistance, but as he opened his mouth to protest, he noticed an ice spear in John's hand, materialized from nowhere.
John's expression remained neutral as his wrist flicked.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind howled!
A trickle of blood slowly ran down Lucas's forehead.
His expression was frozen in place.
"It's either you go, or you die," John's voice was ice-cold, devoid of emotion.
The sharp tip of the ice spear was pressed against Lucas's forehead, mere millimeters from piercing through his skull!
Feeling the icy touch and sharp pain on his forehead, Lucas clenched his teeth and fists, his eyes brimming with humiliation.
Yet, ultimately, he lacked the courage to defy John, and step by step, he walked towards the blood-colored throne.
John retracted the ice spear, his face expressionless.
At that moment, he resembled a ruthless slave master, mercilessly exploiting the last vestiges of Lucas's worth.
But John bore no psychological burden; he was never one to show mercy to his enemies.
The outside world, engaged in their own battles, watched this scene unfold through the screen.
As Lucas slowly approached the throne, their anxiety intensified.
No one knew what would happen next.
Approaching the throne, Lucas felt an overwhelming, bloodline-derived terror, almost compelling him to prostrate himself right there.
Gazing at the blood-red longsword, Lucas's body trembled uncontrollably.
Yet, it was the cold gaze from behind that filled him with greater terror.
With shaking hands, Lucas slowly reached for the longsword.
He closed his eyes, his face etched with despair, swearing in his heart that if he died here, he would not spare John, even as a ghost.
However, upon grasping the longsword, Lucas froze in astonishment.
A breeze passed, and the red sea of otherworldly flowers swayed with the wind.
No calamity ensued.
A look of surprise appeared on Lucas's face. I'm safe! I'm actually safe!
John frowned at this scene, somewhat puzzled.
Had he overthought the situation?
As he pondered, he suddenly noticed that the gemstone eye on the blood blade seemed to flicker.
Then, its sinister vertical pupil turned towards John. The thing was alive!
John's hair stood on end, a chill running down his spine.
Before he could contemplate further, a sudden and unprecedented surge of ferocious energy erupted!
"Boom!"
An incomparable, raging aura descended thunderously!
A blanket of blood-red light burst forth from the longsword in Lucas's grasp, illuminating the entire Land of the Blood God.
Gale-force winds swept through the sea of flowers, causing countless otherworldly blossoms to tremble wildly, while the blood seas on either side began to churn and roar, like volcanoes of molten lava ready to erupt at any moment.
The scene that had been playing out in the sky, visible to the outside world, seemed to be interfered with and suddenly vanished from view.
However, the twelve radiant red suns in the sky burst out with blindingly bright light, causing even the entire Crimson Realm to start shaking.
Victor and the others sensed that something was amiss, aware that a significant change must have occurred within the trial.
But the attacks from Black Ghost and Owen intensified, desperately trying to hold them back, even if it meant trading injury for injury.
In the Land of the Blood God, Lucas's face froze as he witnessed the overwhelming surge of red light.
Before he could react, the tidal wave of blood-red brilliance had already completely engulfed him.
"No!" Lucas let out a scream of despair.
Under the glow of the red light, his body dissolved at a speed visible to the naked eye, like winter snow melting under the warm spring sun, exceedingly fast.
Lucas struggled desperately but couldn't release his grip on the blood blade no matter what.
His expression was one of terror, and he screamed at John, "Save me!!"
John had already sensed the strangeness of the blood light; he didn't dare to be careless, retreating explosively, quickly distancing himself from the area.
As for saving Lucas...
John thought not stepping on him was already merciful enough.
Seeing that John was completely indifferent to his plight, despair filled Lucas's eyes.
He cursed, "John, you bastard! If I die here, House Carter will not let this go... ugh..."
His words were cut off as his voice became muffled, as if blood was gushing back into his throat.
"Gasping for breath..."
Lucas's skin had vanished, revealing the subcutaneous fat and muscles beneath; his mouth, devoid of lips, opened and closed, emitting only hurried, gasping sounds.
Subsequently, his entire body began to melt rapidly like a candle, his white bones and squirming viscera becoming exposed in the blink of an eye, a horrifying sight to behold.
Yet, astonishingly, he was not yet dead.
Enveloped in the red light, Lucas's hollow eyes were fixed on John with a resentful gaze that sent shivers down the spine.
Even John, who considered himself bold, couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle at this sight.
The blade was too sinister, and he felt fortunate for his caution, having sent Lucas ahead to probe the way; otherwise, he might have been the one reduced to this horrific state...
Outside the Land of the Blood God, Seraphina had been closely monitoring the situation.
Witnessing Lucas's transformation in the blink of an eye, she too revealed a rare flicker of fear.
If she were to end up like that, Seraphina would choose death without hesitation.
Alex, who had awoken at some unknown time, also witnessed this scene.
However, what shocked him more than the horrific sight was Lucas's words just before his demise.
Turning to Seraphina beside him, he asked in astonishment, "John... that guy is John?"
Seraphina didn't speak; she just nodded.
Alex's body trembled, his complexion turning pale instantly, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He shook his head repeatedly, saying, "How is it possible, how can this guy be John, he only awakened a common class, I must be dreaming, yes, I must be dreaming!"
Alex muttered to himself, somewhat unable to accept the reality.
Watching the figure that had scared him off with just a glance, Alex couldn't associate the person before him with the detestable John.
Having been classmates with John for so many years, Alex was always disheartened by never being able to best him.
Yet, due to his own status, he still looked down on John, who had nothing.
That was the only area where he felt superior to John.
But now, to suddenly be told that John was not only far stronger than himself but had also joined Hidden Stars, possessing an official backing and leaving him far behind, was something the highly self-regarding Alex couldn't accept.
Seraphina's gaze was serene, for she knew that John had never regarded Alex as significant.
They were never from the same world to begin with; the gap was so vast that there was simply no basis for comparison.
Alex seemed to realize this too, appearing somewhat dispirited.
Could the gap between him and John really be so vast...?
In the Land of the Blood God, the blinding blood light did not fade; in fact, it grew even more intense.
It continuously surged from the dark red longsword, then crazily burrowed into Lucas's body.
Lucas's body trembled wildly, his lifeforce flickering like a candle in the wind, yet it stubbornly refused to be extinguished. Is this guy still alive?!
John's brow furrowed, retreating again.
Both the blood blade and the current state of Lucas were abnormal; sensing something eerie, he decided to withdraw temporarily, waiting to see what would unfold.
However, before John could exit the Land of the Blood God, his body suddenly stiffened in place, his eyes revealing surprise.
What is this?!