NOVEL NEXT Chapter 252: Great Oath!
"Now... let's finish this, Nolan Lorian..."
He rang the bell again. Nolan's expression suddenly froze.
Blood spurted from his nose, his ears, and the corners of his lips.
A sharp pain shot through him, then consciousness faded away. His body lay lifeless, blood streaming from his nose, ears, and the corners of his lips.
"Hahaha!" Rovert burst out laughing. "You're finally dead, Nolan Lorian!"
At first, he wanted to make Nolan the subject of his experiment and taste his body. But that plan had to be abandoned, as Nolan was too dangerous.
Nolan's strength matched his own, and that could not be allowed. So killing him outright was the only option.
Badump!
His heart pounded. Suddenly blood gushed from his throat.
"Argh!" He grimaced in pain as his body fell.
"It hurts! It hurts, damn it!"
His painful screams spread in all directions. Because he had pushed his body beyond its limits and used his remaining mana to activate the Soul Destroyer bell, his body automatically lost all power.
If mana falling below 25% could cause Essence Famine, then reaching 0% would paralyze the mana flow. The body couldn't move during that time.
Exactly how long depended on the strength and extent of one's mana sea. For someone like him, who had reached the Celestial level, recovery would be very long—perhaps five days, seven days, or even half a month.
Still, it didn't matter. As long as Nolan died, all of this was worth it.
Just as he drowned in his happiness, footsteps and laughter sounded from behind.
"Hmmm... You turned out to be quite cunning, Rovert. Hiding your secret weapon right under my nose proves you deserve to be one of the Cardinals of the Underworld Gate."
Rovert's face froze. His eyes widened as goosebumps prickled across his skin.
That voice... Nolan Lorian? He cried out in panic.
He tried to turn his head, but his body was completely drained of strength.
The footsteps grew closer until Nolan finally walked past him, standing before Rovert in perfect health, without a single wound.
Rovert's mouth opened and closed again, as if he wanted to speak but couldn't.
"Surprised?" Nolan grinned slightly. "Well, I won't mince words. The truth is, you never touched me at all. What you saw before was only an illusion. The real me is standing right here."
Those words jolted him. With great effort, he forced his head to the left—only to see that Nolan's lifeless body had completely vanished.
Impossible! How could this be? He shouted inwardly, fear surging through him.
He had been certain Nolan was dead. As a Celestial mage, he could clearly sense another person's mana flow.
And Nolan's mana flow earlier had felt undeniably real—it couldn't have been an illusion.
Yet the reality before him hit like a cruel slap. The one he attacked was just a shadow, while the real Nolan stood directly in front of him.
"Rovert, do you want to know an interesting fact?"
Nolan's playful voice snapped him out of his shock. Rovert looked up, his expression filled with doubt and confusion.
"Honestly, I'm just messing with you," Nolan said casually, folding his arms across his chest. "Did you really think you were strong? Or that you were in control of the fight earlier? I bet you did, didn't you?"
His gaze was cold, yet a glint of mockery shone in his purple eyes.
Rovert fell silent. Nolan was right. Moments ago, he truly believed victory was already in his grasp.
As a result, he was deceived by this damn prince. He failed to notice his mana had dropped to 25% in his excitement, and his final attack was wasted.
Nolan was too cunning, with far too many tricks, for him to handle.
"Even without relying on your foolishness, I could still defeat you, Rovert. It's just that beating you with sheer power feels boring, you know?"
His taunt ignited fury within Rovert. "Don't act so arrogant, Nolan Lorian! You're just trying to rile me. You struggled against my monsters—if I hadn't been careless, you'd be dead!"
His breath hitched, his face flushing red. He had to admit Nolan was cunning, but that didn't mean his victory came purely from strength.
Rovert was a Celestial Mage—his power was undeniable. Nolan was indeed strong, but he hadn't reached the Celestial level yet.
At most, his strength was at the Sage level, which was still an impressive achievement for someone so young.
Nolan couldn't be bothered to argue. With a snap of his fingers, a streak of black light appeared in the air.
It drifted toward him before vanishing, leaving behind a mysterious black mask.
"Do you see this mask?" Nolan asked calmly, toying with it in his hand.
Rovert fixed his gaze on the mask. For some reason, it felt strangely familiar, though he couldn't understand why.
When Rovert failed to react, Nolan sighed softly.
"You really are stupid," he muttered, slipping the mask over his face.
Whoosh!
A faint shockwave burst out the moment the mask attached. His aura shifted completely—the lazy, seemingly helpless figure was gone, replaced by one cold, majestic, and commanding.
His purple eyes slowly changed, forming the symbols of the moon and sun.
Rovert's heart skipped a beat. Fear crawled over him like a swarm of insects skittering across his skin.
His face tightened, his eyes bulging as if they might pop from their sockets.
"You... You..." he stammered, saliva dripping from the corners of his mouth. "Are you... the Singularity of Chaos!?"
His throat tightened. The impossible was unfolding before his eyes. The Singularities were the ultimate symbols of power on this continent, standing at the very peak of the world.
Even the leader of the Underworld Gate would never dare to oppose one. Yet now, the most terrifying truth was revealed—Nolan was the Singularity of Chaos!
"Impossible... This is impossible!" Rovert roared like a madman. Shaking his head in despair, he screamed again, "There's no way you, that worthless prince, are the Singularity of Chaos! It must be an illusion! Yes, just an illusion!"
A wide grin twisted across his face, as if he had found hope in the middle of despair.
How pathetic. He's lost his sanity, Nolan muttered with a small chuckle.
It was only natural. Rovert was already on the brink of death, then struck with the reality of facing the Singularity of Chaos.
If it had been anyone else, they might have died from sheer shock.
"Alright, it's time for you to receive your punishment." Nolan's gaze turned cold.
He raised his left hand and declared, "Great Oath!"
Whoosh!
A reddish-black magic circle, five meters wide, flared into existence in the sky.
But it didn't stop there. More circles appeared one after another, each larger than the last, stacking upward until they formed a breathtaking, terrifying sight.
Nolan lowered his gaze toward Rovert, whose face had gone deathly pale, completely drained of color.
"I, the Singularity of Chaos, bear witness that Rovert, Fifth Cardinal of the Underworld Gate, has committed an unforgivable crime! Therefore, I curse him to live without death until the end of this world!"