NOVEL NEXT Chapter 372: Follower Wakes Up, Stopping Aphex
Aphex floated above the glowing crater, his laughter booming across the barren wasteland left behind by Moonlit Obliteration.
"Alright, time to die," he declared, his voice full of triumph and disdain.
The devastation he'd unleashed had reduced everything within a kilometer radius to nothingness.
Stark's annihilation seemed absolute.
The Chosen One was dead—his body obliterated—and Aphex's victory appeared certain.
He descended slowly, preparing to confirm Stark's death and possibly kill him again if he revived, his mind racing with the possibilities of what awaited him after this victory.
He knew that Stark had the ability to revive himself; he'd seen it firsthand before.
But this time, it felt different. This time, he was sure Stark had no way out of this as Aphex would be waiting for him.
The moon apostle sneered.
"Idiots," he muttered to himself, thinking of his fallen comrades.
How had they failed to recognize Stark's revival ability in the heat of battle?
Their incompetence had paved the way for him, Aphex, to claim glory.
The Godless Demon's task echoed in his mind: Kill the Chosen One.
Aphex could already see himself promoted as the one who fulfilled this divine quest.
This was his moment—his ascension.
But just as Aphex began to descend into the crater, ready to strike if Stark managed to revive, he felt it.
Clink. Fwish.
A sudden weight pulled on his leg, accompanied by the cold, metallic clatter of a chain binding him.
"What the—?!" Aphex whipped his head around, his eyes narrowing as a familiar voice rose from the shadows.
"Finally," the voice said, venom dripping from its tone. "Now that he's gone, it's my time to shine!"
Aphex looked down to see a dark chain coiled tightly around his ankle, pulsing with a sinister energy.
His pupils dilated as he traced the chain to its source.
Follower.
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The man stood below, a wide, feral grin on his face, his posture relaxed but his eyes burning with unbridled intent.
The dark demon that was protecting him at all costs had seeped back into his body, waking him up when he noticed that Stark was dead.
"Did you really think I'd just sit back and let you have your way?" Follower taunted. His voice was sharp, cutting through the air.
Aphex's shock turned to anger as he yanked against the chain, attempting to free himself. "What the hell is this?!" he barked.
Follower tilted his head mockingly. "What does it look like, you overgrown lunatic (pun intended)? It's your death sentence."
Dark energy rippled across the chain as Follower pulled hard, dragging Aphex toward him.
The apostle stumbled mid-air, his once-commanding presence faltering.
"Follower…" Aphex growled, his voice dripping with malice. "Do you honestly think you can stand against me?"
Follower's grin widened. "Oh, I don't think, I know. Now that the other asshole's gone, it's just you and me!"
Aphex shot a blast of lunar energy toward Follower, aiming to sever the chain binding him, but the attack dissipated harmlessly against its dark surface.
The chain pulsed again, its dark glow intensifying.
Follower yanked Aphex down, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat.
"You've gotten cocky," Follower sneered. "But let's see how that arrogance fares against me."
Aphex countered with a swipe of his crescent-shaped blades, slashing at the chain itself.
Sparks flew, but the chain held firm.
"Tch. Annoying pest," Aphex spat, his rage building.
He channeled lunar energy into his blades and struck again, this time forcing the chain to loosen slightly.
Follower's eyes narrowed as he tightened his grip on the chain. "You're not getting away that easily!"
The two clashed, exchanging blows with a ferocity that shook the ground beneath them.
Follower's dark magic swirled like a storm, each strike aimed at overpowering the weakened apostle.
Aphex, though injured and drained from his ultimate attack, fought back with a relentless fury.
For a brief moment, they seemed evenly matched, their attacks canceling each other out.
But after 30 seconds, Aphex's patience snapped.
"Enough of this!" he roared, gathering an immense amount of lunar energy into his hands.
The air grew heavy as a silver glow enveloped him, his power threatening to explode outward.
Moonfall Eradication!
Follower didn't flinch.
He lunged forward, his chains, which were a new perk he got, were snaking through the air like vipers, aiming to entangle Aphex completely.
Chains of Darkness!
The two collided, their powers clashing in a blinding display of light and dark.
The battlefield trembled, the ground cracking under the weight of their struggle.
But just as Aphex began to gain the upper hand, his rage boiling over, Follower noticed something strange.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" Aphex's voice thundered, filled with a mix of fury and desperation.
Follower blinked, momentarily caught off guard. "What?"
Aphex's eyes blazed as he struggled against the chains binding him. "YOU FUCKING IDIOT! CHOSEN'S NOT DEAD!"
Follower froze, his grip on the chains faltering for just a moment.
"What… did you just say?" Follower's voice was low, almost disbelieving.
Aphex's expression twisted into one of frustration and panic. "YOU'RE A FUCKING DUMBASS!"
Follower's mind raced as he processed the apostle's words.
Could it be true? Could Stark still be alive even after enduring Moonlit Obliteration?
Aphex seized the moment of hesitation to break free, shattering the dark chains with a surge of lunar energy.
"You've doomed us both, you idiot!" he snarled, his blades slicing through the air as he advanced on Follower.
Follower barely managed to dodge the attack, his confidence shaken.
If Stark truly wasn't dead, then everything he'd planned—the betrayal, the fight against Aphex—was pointless.
"I don't believe you!" Follower shouted, though his voice lacked its usual conviction. "That attack obliterated everything. There's no way he could've survived!"
"Then why the hell do you think I'm so desperate to kill him now?" Aphex barked, his movements growing erratic.
"Your bluff won't work on me, you lunatic-"
Follower tried to argue and continue his fight, after all, no one can survive being completely disintegrated like this.
And yet...
He was instantly proven wrong, not even able to complete his sentence.
Because then, the impossible happened.
A blinding light pierced the heavens, illuminating the barren battlefield like a divine beacon.
It was not the silver glow of Aphex's lunar energy nor the oppressive darkness of Follower's magic.
This was something else.
Something holy.
Both combatants froze mid-attack, their gazes drawn upward.
"No," Aphex whispered, his face contorting in disbelief.
Above them, the sky had begun to crack and splinter, like a glass dome struck by an unseen force.
Through the fissures, a radiant figure emerged, its presence suffused with an overwhelming, divine aura.
It was Heaven's Spear.