NOVEL NEXT CHAPTER 162: CLASHING BLOODLINES
"Help me, I beg of you, please help me," Ygrit pleaded, his voice choked with desperation.
Yet no one dared to move an inch.
Having witnessed the brutal actions of the monster Greg, they were too terrified to intervene, afraid of meeting an even worse fate themselves.
The monster Greg continued to stare down at Ygrit for several seconds, his predatory gaze locking onto Ygrit's pleading eyes.
Slowly, he extended his claws toward Ygrit's exposed throat.
BOOM!
A violent tremor rippled through the ground, the surface vibrating intensely.
From below, a massive demon earthworm bore its way to the surface with a thunderous eruption.
"Screeeeechhhhhh!!!"
The demonic sandworm let out a disorienting screech, forcing everyone—except for Greg—to clutch their ears in pain.
The worm had been drawn by the relentless tremors from the battle—no, the one-sided beating between Greg and Ygrit.
It was one of the oldest and most dangerous demonic sandworms of the wilderness, a terrifying level 130 demonic beast.
The monster Greg casually released Ygrit from his grip and turned his attention toward the towering sandworm.
Without hesitation, Greg flew at it, but the sandworm lashed out with its massive tail, sending Greg hurtling backwards.
He crashed violently into the ground.
The demonic sandworm immediately burrowed into the earth, then shot back up directly beneath Greg, aiming to swallow him whole.
Greg barely managed to react, shooting upwards at the last second to avoid being devoured.
With a furious roar, he punched the sandworm's gaping jaw, sending the massive creature flying backward.
Dust exploded into the air, mingling with shattered rocks from the force of the impact.
Greg's red and blue dragon wings suddenly began to change, merging into two radiant wings.
Then, as though evolving, they split again into four ethereal wings, glowing with an ominous purple light.
Below them, demonic wings unfurled, dark and menacing.
Scales crept slowly from Greg's neck upward, beginning to cover the lower half of his face in a primal armor.
Bit by bit, Greg was losing control over his own body.
> [Your primordial fire dragon bloodline is combining with your primordial water dragon bloodline!]
The system notification flashed in his mind—but Greg, consumed by instinct, was in no state to comprehend it.
"Screechhhhh!!!!"
The giant demonic earthworm unleashed a powerful sonar blast, the force of it blasting Greg backwards.
Crossing his arms defensively, Greg shielded himself, but the impact drove him hard into the ground once more.
Ygrit, his body still limp and broken, watched the spectacle of two monstrous beings clashing.
For a moment, he simply stared, unable to summon the strength to even think of intervening.
"Lord Ygrit," Gendry finally found the courage to move, approaching him with his head bowed low.
Ygrit met his gaze and gave a tired nod.
He wanted to be angry at Gendry and the other demon soldiers for abandoning him, but deep down, he understood.
Had their positions been reversed, he too would have stayed rooted in fear.
The arrogance and irrational pride that once defined him had been brutally beaten out of him.
Gendry lifted Ygrit carefully onto his shoulder, moving slowly and cautiously so as not to draw the attention of the battling monsters.
Meanwhile, Greg and the sandworm, uncaring of the retreating demons, continued their savage fight.
They were evenly matched, each blow shaking the earth itself.
Greg tore through the tough outer scales of the sandworm, eliciting a piercing screech of pain.
Greenish fluid oozed from the creature's wounds, splattering onto Greg's scales and immediately corroding them.
With a low grunt of pain, Greg retaliated, punching the sandworm away.
Enraged, the worm unleashed a torrent of corrosive fluid from its gaping maw.
Greg weaved through the deadly spray with swift, precise movements.
Then, he stopped moving.
More light from the crimson moon poured onto his body, being greedily absorbed through his gleaming scales.
> [The bloodline sin of Wrath seeks to bring out more of your power!]
[Your primordial fire dragon bloodline is awakening from its slumber and resisting the control of the sin of Wrath!]
[Your primordial water dragon bloodline is awakening from its slumber and resisting the control of the sin of Wrath!]
[The sin of Wrath seeks to seize absolute control over your body!]
[Your primordial fire dragon bloodline seeks to seize control over your body!]
[Your primordial water dragon bloodline seeks to seize control over your body!]
[All three bloodlines are battling for dominion over your body!]
[Warning! The clash between your bloodlines is leading to the destruction of your body!]
[Warning! The clash between your bloodlines is leading to the destruction of your body!]
[Your Concept—DEATH—is desperately trying to intervene but is being blocked by an unknown power!]
A searing pain exploded within Greg, as though two dragons and a demon were waging war inside his very soul.
His body gave out, crashing heavily onto the ground, drained of all strength.
"Let's get out of here," Ygrit whispered hoarsely to Gendry.
Seeing Greg fall, he was certain the demonic sandworm would emerge victorious—and he had no intention of sticking around to witness the aftermath.
He knew he stood no chance against the sandworm in his current state.
No—he was certain he would be slaughtered.
Gendry nodded. "Let's move," he urged the others.
"Fly. Tell them to fly," Ygrit advised grimly. "Demonic sandworms detect vibrations in the ground."
Gendry's face paled.
"Sir Ygrit, I... I don't have wings," he muttered bitterly, cursing the fact that he was among the few demons who couldn't fly.
"You all, support us!" Ygrit barked to the nearby soldiers.
Eager to redeem themselves after their earlier failure, the demons reacted instantly—two grabbing Ygrit, two lifting Gendry.
"Take us to the underground city," Ygrit commanded.
For the first time, he longed for its protective embrace, knowing it might be their only hope of survival.
The demons obeyed, soaring swiftly towards safety.
Meanwhile, Greg lay motionless on the battlefield, the civil war between his bloodlines tearing him apart from within.
The demonic sandworm screeched one last time, surging towards the helpless Greg, intent on devouring him whole.