Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

[Effect assessment in progress... Target suffers true damage equal to 18% of maximum health.]

[The target has been afflicted with the 'Bloodline Curse' status: all attributes have decreased by 6%, and all skills/talents related to the elven bloodline have been forcibly interrupted and locked.]

"Insects—!!"

The Mad King Elk Lortheran, the elven king who once sat high on the throne and wielded the power of nature, now had his only remaining left eye burning not with rage, but with a tangible killing intent capable of incinerating the soul.

The words of Purple Tears severed the last thread of connection between the Mad King and the Elf bloodline.

All the glory and prestige belonging to the royal family of Lor'theran were stripped away at this moment.

All that remained was the scarlet red of greed that devoured everything.

The king's crown was shattered, leaving behind only the monstrous shell driven by a crimson will.

Boom!

The charred rock beneath the Mad King's feet exploded with a bang, and before the rubble and lava fragments could fully fly up, he had already transformed into a blur that tore through the air.

Having abandoned all the concerns that belong to living beings, it is the most primitive and violent form of attack.

quick! Extremely fast!

A distance of tens of meters can be covered in the blink of an eye.

The scorching air was forcefully pushed aside, forming a brief air vortex.

Lin Yi pointed the tip of his sword diagonally forward, assuming a basic blocking stance.

clang--!
Like two airplanes colliding at supersonic speeds, ring-shaped ripples swept outwards, instantly turning the black rocks, repeatedly tempered by lava, into dust like crisp biscuits.

Lin Yi's foothold completely disappeared, and his ankles sank into the scalding mixture of broken rocks and semi-solidified magma, making a hissing sound.

The violent force, like a runaway locomotive, slammed into his arms along the blade.

This caused Lin Yi's bones to groan under the strain, and his muscle fibers to be forcibly torn apart. However, the Mad King was also in a bad state at the moment.

Forces are reciprocal, and even the Mad King's inhuman body, transformed by the Crimson Power, is not exempt.

After Lin Yi withstood the Mad King's attack, the skin and muscles of its newly grown left arm began to crack inch by inch. This was because its newly grown limb tissue had not yet fully adapted to the power that exceeded its limits.

Normally, a newly formed body is about 10% to 20% weaker than a body that has been trained regularly. In ordinary combat, this 10% to 20% difference may not be a big deal.
But in such a life-or-death struggle, this slight difference is magnified infinitely and becomes a fatal flaw.

The two forces remained locked in a stalemate without a decisive shift, but the sheer force of the impact still sent shockwaves through Lin Yi's body, making his internal organs feel as if they had been struck by a heavy hammer. His blood and qi surged violently, and a metallic taste rose in his throat.

In contrast, the Mad King's twisted body structure seemed to have an amazing adaptability to this shock, and apart from the rupture of his new arm, he seemed to be largely unaffected.

Just as the forces were locked in a stalemate, Lin Yi's body suddenly swayed, as if he had been subjected to an impact far exceeding his limits. His center of gravity instantly became unstable, and a small piece of the rock layer beneath his feet, which had been softened by the scorching lava, "just happened" to break off.

The flaw was so realistic, conveying a sense of staggering from exhaustion, that even his right hand holding the sword trembled slightly from the "severe pain."

If Su Xiao were present at this moment, seeing Lin Yi suddenly make such a move during the battle, he would definitely retreat instantly without saying a word, creating maximum distance!
Are you kidding me?
A top-tier skill-based expert with mastery of both swordsmanship and melee combat might "lose his footing" at a crucial moment when the forces are locked in a stalemate.
This is more absurd than the sun rising in the west! The master of technique has reached a state of perfection in his control of the body, his grasp of the details of the environment, and his application of power. Whether it is quicksand or steel under his feet, he can perceive it in the slightest detail.

Lin Yi's weapon was knocked away? Possibly.

Suppressed by power? That's also possible.

But "not standing firm"? That's a word that would never appear in a master's dictionary.

However, the Mad King is not Su Xiao.

The fragments of thought belonging to "Elke Lortheran" had long been covered by endless bloodlust and destructive instincts.

In the Mad King's view, Lin Yi's slight sway was not a trap at all.

That's the perfect opportunity when your opponent is exhausted and out of control.

"die!!!"

Taking advantage of the moment when Lin Yi lost his balance, the longsword thrust upwards straight at Lin Yi's unprotected chin.

It's now!

All the "flaws" vanished in an instant, replaced by the hunter's extreme calm as he watched his prey step into the trap.

【Holy Nova】.

"Well--!"

The Mad King's attack was interrupted by Lin Yi, and his figure involuntarily took a step back, causing his movements to be momentarily slowed down.

The long-suppressed counterattack, like a destructive volcano that has been accumulating for millennia, has finally found an outlet.

Abyss Shadow: Blade of the End.

Lin Yi's eyes instantly turned into the purest darkness, and the originally blue blood vessels under his skin suddenly bulged and turned into an ominous purplish-black color. This was a manifestation of the extreme activation of the power of the abyss, which had already had some effect on his body.

This also means that Lin Yi must resolve the battle in a short time, otherwise the power of the abyss will begin to irreversibly erode his life essence from within, dragging him into a truly degenerate bottomless abyss.

Om-!
The blade of the Black and White Rose Longsword trembled violently, emitting a high-frequency hum, and the dark light on the blade instantly receded.

puff-

Space was forcibly torn apart.

The spatial rifts expanded relentlessly within the Mad King's body, instantly shredding flesh and bones wherever they passed through the raging spatial turbulence.

The Mad King opened his mouth, but only a large amount of filth mixed with broken internal organs gushed out.

Lin Yi's move was a powerful blow to the Mad King, causing the Mad King's health bar to drop by a third.

"burst."

Dozens of black thorns pierced through various parts of the Mad King's body, instantly turning him into a ferocious black hedgehog.

"Ho...Gurgle..."

The Mad King's body stiffened; the continuous fatal blows had pushed even his body, which was supported by the power of scarlet, to the brink of collapse.

However, Lin Yi was also in a very bad mood at this moment. The clothes on his right arm had been torn to shreds by the spatial rift. If Lin Yi hadn't controlled the power of the abyss to cover the surface of his arm, his arm would probably have been twisted into a tangled mess by the violent spatial power.

Boom! ! !
The spatial rift that pierced through the Mad King's body finally reached the critical point of collapse, like a thermobaric bomb detonating at close range.

Lin Yi was too close, and even though he was prepared, he was still hit hard in the chest by the violent impact!
puff!
A large mouthful of scalding hot blood gushed out uncontrollably, evaporating into a blood mist in the air due to the high temperature.

Lin Yi felt as if he had been struck head-on by an invisible siege hammer. His body slammed heavily into a huge, charred tree root that was diagonally embedded in the lava behind him, producing a muffled thud, and rubble fell down in a shower.

A searing pain shot through my chest; at least two ribs were broken, sharp bone fragments piercing my lungs. Every breath was accompanied by a burning, stinging pain and a strong smell of blood.

Even after the explosion, the figure of the Mad King Elke Lortheran still stood in the same spot.

However, a terrifying hole was blasted open in his chest, allowing light to pass through from front to back. Through this huge void, one could see the churning lava and distorted air behind him.

Dozens of black spikes still pierced his mangled body, like nails pinning him to a cross of destruction.

The Mad King was like a broken doll that had been wantonly ravaged and discarded by a naughty child, leaving only an empty cavity that kept dripping with sticky, foul blood.

He still didn't fall.

The aura emanating from him did not plummet as expected; instead, it surged at a despairing rate.

boom--! ! !
A crimson aura, even more violent than before, stripped of all life characteristics belonging to "Elk Lotheran," leaving only the purest destructive desire, surged into the sky from the Mad King's battered body.

The flames were no longer in the form of fire, but rather resembled extremely viscous blood plasma.

The crimson beam of light that shot into the sky instantly dyed the ceiling of the entire underground space red, making the huge, hanging tree roots look like the fangs of a blood-dripping beast.

Within the pillar of light, countless distorted and wailing phantoms of vengeful spirits appeared and disappeared.

At the wound, the crimson power attempted to heal the injury.

The newly formed granulation tissue, like billions of tiny blood-red worms, intertwined and grew wildly at the edge of the wound, only to be constantly annihilated by the remaining power of the abyss.

“Heh…heh heh heh…” A hoarse laugh squeezed out from the Mad King’s broken throat.

Heart destroyed? Source severely damaged? Body on the verge of collapse? All of this is meaningless to the Mad King at this moment.

Relying on the crimson power within him, he forcibly locked this broken body, which should have died, in a near-death state. This was no longer a living being, but a puppet completely controlled by the crimson will, existing only for destruction.

Lin Yi's eyes were extremely serious. He knew that he could not fall down at this moment.

Lin Yi endured the stinging pain in his lungs and the agonizing pain as if his bones were falling apart. He bit his tongue, the sharp pain stimulating his nerves and forcibly suppressing the dizziness.

He braced himself against the scorching tree roots with his right hand, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his left, and slowly pulled himself up from the roots until he stood up straight again.

A flash of pure white light appeared on him—the healing spell had taken effect.

The broken ribs were forcibly put back in place and fixed, the stinging pain in my lungs was slightly relieved, and my numb arm regained some sensation.

The real battle to the death has only just begun.

Having abandoned his last shred of consciousness and become a scarlet puppet, the Mad King will be even more dangerous than before.

Even a cornered beast will fight, let alone this ferocious beast that has lost all its shackles and is left only with the instinct to destroy.

call out--!
The sound of something cutting through the air was sharp and piercing!
The Mad King moved, abandoning any thought processes related to "battle," leaving only the most primal form of attack.

Lin Yi's senses triggered a frantic warning. Almost instinctively, he turned his body to the right, simultaneously holding the black and white roses horizontally in front of him to block.

Swish——!!!
A piercing metallic tearing sound rang out simultaneously, accompanied by the muffled thud of flesh being slicing through.

Lin Yi's left arm was severed cleanly at the shoulder joint.

The severed arm spun into the air, spraying hot blood that left a red trail in the scorching air before being instantly evaporated by the surrounding heat, leaving only a pungent smell of rust.

The excruciating pain instantly overwhelmed Lin Yi's senses, but Lin Yi didn't have time to think about it at the moment. This attack directly triggered his invincibility, making him immune to the dizziness and stiffness that the excruciating pain might cause.

The Mad King's action of severing Lin Yi's left arm was without the slightest hesitation, as if he were merely brushing away a fallen leaf.

Using the momentum of the slash, the longsword swept across a deadly arc, like the sting of a scorpion, and slashed fiercely at Lin Yi's neck, which was completely exposed due to his severed arm.

Just as the sword light was about to sever Lin Yi's throat, Lin Yi held the sword with one hand and desperately blocked the fatal slash.

The immense force traveled through the sword, causing his right hand to split open, blood flowing down the hilt and dripping into the lava beneath his feet.

Although he barely managed to block the decapitation strike, the enormous impact still caused Lin Yi's feet to carve two deep furrows in the soft rock, and his body slid backward uncontrollably.

Behind him was the churning lava pool, and scorching waves of heat were already licking his back, causing Lin Yi's hair to begin to char.

Despite the tearing sensation in his right arm and the dizziness and weakness, Lin Yi spread his five fingers and gripped the Mad King tightly, who was right in front of him.

Dozens of dark soul threads from the surrounding shadows instantly materialized and wrapped around the Mad King's body.

Chi Chi Chi -!
The Dark Soul Silk was deeply embedded in the Mad King's right half of his body. The Mad King's forward momentum was abruptly halted by the Dark Soul Silk coming from all directions, like a high-speed train crashing into an incredibly tough superalloy steel cable.

The Dark Soul Silk was stretched taut by the Mad King, making a creaking sound, but it just couldn't break free.

Lin Yi had finally managed to tie up the other party, so how could he give the Mad King a chance to break free?

"Soul Suppression!"

The attack, targeting the very essence of the soul, ignored all defenses and slammed into the Mad King's remaining consciousness, which had already been eroded by the crimson power.

The Mad King froze, as if a machine had been forcibly shut down, all his movements coming to a standstill.

Having suffered repeated heavy blows, both its body and its remaining will finally reached their limit, and it fell into a brief state of paralysis.

As the Mad King froze, a shimmering white light enveloped Lin Yi once more.

At the gruesome severed area on his left shoulder, the flesh and blood were writhing wildly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In less than a second, a complete left arm regenerated.

"it's over!"

Lin Yi's figure blurred into a blurry afterimage as he sprinted at high speed, instantly circling behind the unconscious Mad King.

With a whoosh, everything around seemed to freeze.

The blade sliced ​​into the Mad King's neck without any resistance, and a head covered in charred stubble flew into the air.

However, having learned from the experience with the woman in red, Lin Yi did not stop this time.

Using the immense recoil from the decapitation as he fell, his right leg rose high like a powerful siege axe before stomping down hard.

Thump—! ! ! !

A dull, deafening thud resounded, like a giant hammer striking rotten leather!

A terrifying force pierced through, and the Mad King's already battered body, like a hollow can being crushed by a ten-thousand-ton hydraulic press, emitted a series of cracking sounds.

Starting from the severed neck, the entire upper body collapsed inch by inch.

The abdominal cavity was forcibly folded by the violent force, and the twisted lower body was pulled by this enormous force, almost overlapping with the exploded upper body.

Countless fragments of rotten tissue mixed with foul blood splattered radially in all directions.

Boom!

After this blow, the Mad King Elk Lortheran's mangled body, its structure completely destroyed, was like a sack of rotten flesh with all its bones removed. Unable to stand any longer, it crashed heavily onto the edge of the scalding lava pool with a dull thud.

The flying head traced an arc in the air before landing with a splash in the churning golden lava not far away. It was instantly swallowed by the lava, emitting a wisp of blue smoke, and then vanished completely.

The entire vast underground space fell into a deathly silence.

All that remained was the gurgling sound of churning lava and the faint hissing of residual energy waves in the air.

[Notification: The Hunter has killed 'Mad King Elk Lortheran'.]

The Hunter has gained 17.5% of the World Source, bringing their total World Source gain to 27.2%.

You have obtained a Crimson Chest (a special type of chest).

[The final stage of the Awakening Quest: Inescapable Guilt - Completed.]

The hunter has obtained the 'World Tree Branch' (a special item).

The Hunter has obtained 'The Mad King's Redemption' (Legendary Set).

[WARNING: The hunter has been marked by 'Crimson Monarch'!]

[Note: The Hunter has completed the Awakening quest.]

[The hunter's condition has been assessed as extremely weak, with the abyss's corruption intensifying, forcibly postponing the talent awakening time. The hunter can freely choose the talent awakening time in a safe environment.]

The hunter will return to the Paradise of Reincarnation in 15 minutes, or may choose to return immediately.

……

After Lin Yi killed the Mad King, he couldn't help but cough violently, each cough accompanied by bloody spittle.

His vision blurred intermittently, and he experienced a sharp ringing in his ears.

The Mad King's combo attack almost killed Lin Yi, but fortunately, the Mad King was not very conscious due to the corruption of the Crimson Power, otherwise Lin Yi's trap would not have been able to fool him.

But in the end, he was the one who stood until the very end!
After defeating this formidable foe, Lin Yi finally obtained the last piece of equipment in the Mad King Set, a sword tassel, which quietly appeared in his blood-stained palm.

The Echoes of the Mad King

Origin: Merino Continent, Gods Battlefield
Quality: legendary
Category: Special Equipment - Weapon Ornaments

Durability: None

Equipment requirements: You must have equipped either the Mad King's Thirst or the Mad King's Cry, and your Willpower must be ≥25 (the contractor has met the equipment requirements).

Equipment Effect 1: Blood Salvation (Passive): When the wearer attacks and deals damage to an enemy, 3% of the damage dealt will be stored as health (the storage limit is based on the wearer's maximum health).

Equipment Effect 2: Elegy (Active): The wearer can actively consume the health stored in 'Blood Salvation'. During the consumption period, each attack by the wearer will apply one stack of [Final Mark] to the target. [Final Mark] cannot be dispelled by conventional purification methods and lasts until the target dies or the battle ends. When a single target accumulates 20 stacks of [Final Mark], an execute effect will be triggered.

Rating: 530 points (Legendary quality equipment rating is 400-530 points).

Synopsis: This is the buzzing of a blade before it shatters... the last gasp of the defeated! Witness it! This is the echo I leave for the world!
Note: This equipment needs to be attached to a melee weapon to take effect. It needs to be reattached when changing the primary weapon.
Price: Cannot be sold after being worn. (End of Chapter)