Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 589 Fourth Trial, Settlement Completed

"--roar!!!!!"

In Hastia's ears, a tearing, reverberating dragon roar erupted once more.

The avatar, blocked by that enormous body, turned around abruptly, only to see the figure of an ancient dragon hundreds or thousands of times larger than itself—

"you……"

--boom!!!!!

Hastia still doesn't realize what has happened.

He was completely engulfed by the crimson flames that descended from the sky. The blazing fire burned Him from the outside in and from the inside out, while the terrifying spirituality weighed Him down, causing His body to gradually collapse downwards!

……

Luo Xiu stared at "Hastia" over there.

He was targeted by Quesanx, the "Dragon of Justice," and being merely an avatar of the "Chaos Spirit," he could not withstand Quesanx's destructive dragonfire for long.

As expected, Hastia failed to discover that a terrifying being, one he could never have foreseen, had infiltrated his domain: "The Dragon of Justice," Quesanx. Even if Hastia himself were to appear and defeat him, it would inevitably result in mutual destruction.

Quesanx summoned Hastia the moment Hastia deployed her domain and locked herself in. Quesanx initially appeared at the edge of the domain—the very spot where Quesanx had blasted Hastia's avatar away with [Heavenly Strike Torrent].

"..."

As he gazed at the surging crimson, and listened to Hastia's incessant wails, Luo Xiu pondered these thoughts.

He was also thinking about other things—

In this "Trial of Hastia," He actually managed to simultaneously condense and break through the two avatars of the [Divine Prison Lock]. This was something that had never happened before.

However, perhaps it is precisely because He had to control two avatars simultaneously that neither of His avatars was particularly powerful. And this scheme—to use one avatar to distract Him while the other ambush and seek an opportunity to kill Him—was actually ineffective.

"Durant... Ah!!!"

Amidst the surging crimson dragonfire of Quesanx, Hastia let out mournful howls. And His crimson gaze, cast from beneath His scorching, tattered mask, pierced through the flames and landed upon Himself.

"Why do you... [authoritarian]..."

He seemed filled with doubt, but driven by a strong will to retaliate, he struggled to raise his arm, which was burning to the bone, and the blade of the greatsword that was bursting with scarlet blood was already pointing at Luo Xiu.

--boom!!!!!

The surge of light emanating from the blade headed straight for Luo Xiu's heart—it was incredibly fast, bursting with explosions as it sliced ​​through the air; it was almost a full-force attack from Hastia.

Even though the attack hadn't actually landed on him yet, Luo Xiu could already feel the rapidly approaching heat.

That was an attack with a considerable amount of "fire resistance penetration" and "primal wounds," something Luo Xiu had already experienced in his previous battles against Hastia's avatars.

At the same time, another "avatar of Hastia" that had previously fled into the depths of darkness reappeared, wielding the Dragon Flame Axe. The heavy axe was raised high and had become enormous, and together with the surge of light from His greatsword, it slashed down towards Luo Xiu's head!
But in the next moment, both of Hastia's avatars saw it simultaneously—

Around Luo Xiu, a dozen shimmering golden discs appeared. The [Divine Radiance Return] effect took effect immediately, and at the same time, he lightly raised his right hand, the back of which shimmered with dark red engraving light.

In an instant, he and the space around him were frozen in time—

--boom!!!!!

When the two avatars of Hastia arrived, their attacks landed simultaneously on the spot where Luo Xiu had been standing, unleashing wave after wave of surging light and tremendous explosions.

The air was burned up, leaving only a vacuum at the point of impact, while its edges teetered wildly on the edge of chaos and fluctuation.

The incarnation of Hastia in the distance first raised a ferocious smile at the corners of his mouth beneath his mask, but the smile quickly disappeared.

Because He neither smelled nor felt that Durant's spirit had dissipated in the slightest due to injury!
There was not a trace of scorching, nor did it emit any bloody smell. To Hastia, it was as if two attacks had struck an unbreakable mirror.

And a few seconds later—

As the most violent surge gradually subsided, the air at the center finally resumed its flow.

Meanwhile, the dozen or so discs of [Divine Radiance Return] that Luo Xiu had condensed completely absorbed the aftershocks of the attack, and their color quickly changed from bright gold to deep red!

As Luo Xiu raised his scepter, its tip pointed towards the "avatar of Hastia" deep in the darkness.

The crimson light surging from the dozen or so discs poured forth like a torrent, without reservation, in the direction that Luo Xiu's scepter pointed!

--boom!!!!!

—Boom! Boom!! Boom!!
Interspersed among them were the "Ancient Dragon's Ferocious Breath" and "Ancient Dragon's Devouring Slash" unleashed by Luo Xiu simultaneously with his demonic sword and scepter. The attack, which was twice the size of Hastia's avatar, was returned to Hastia in its entirety!
Hastia sensed danger.

He wanted to retreat into darkness again to seek another opportunity, but suddenly he felt his spirituality being tightly sealed off.

Beneath His mask, His crimson eyes met Luo Xiu's gaze—He saw a dark light emanating from those eyes, a radiance that was intoxicating and made one forget oneself.

In the moment when his consciousness began to waver, Hastia suddenly realized that his spirituality had begun to dissipate, and that the abilities he originally possessed were being sealed away by that dark gaze.

It was in that moment of hesitation that He—

boom! ! ! ! ! !

The terrifying surge absorbed and transformed by [Divine Radiance Return] has already struck Him!

The power that originally came from Him, combined with the crimson flames of "Ancient Dragon's Ferocious Breath" and "Ancient Dragon's Devouring Slash," had already engulfed Hastia with its surging light.

Like the avatar that was engulfed by Quesanx's dragonfire, this avatar was also fiercely burned, and its health dropped further.

In Luo Xiu's panel detection of Him, less than 30% remained.

"Uhhhhh!!!"

Hastia let out a terrible howl.

Both of His avatars were thus trapped in the crimson flames, while the avatar opposite Luo Xiu was even more severely injured.

Under the control of [Soul-Stealing Holy Eye] and [Divine Redemption Silence], coupled with the intensified control exerted by [Hogmos Silver Eye] which consumed the remnants of the ancient dragon's soul, Hastia was unable to move.

In a short period of time, His spirituality had been depleted to the point of exhaustion, and almost all of His abilities had been sealed off, and His actions had also been restricted.

Now, He—who is being burned by crimson flames—can only watch as "Durant" before him, holding a scepter that spews dragon flames, walks towards Him step by step.

"..."

“Durant…” The closer Luo Xiu got to Him, the louder His deep hissing voice became in his ears. The voice trembled and was filled with doubt, and the bone-deep hatred in His eyes when He looked at him never diminished.

"Just like Alfonso did to me..."

Hastia's voice was intermittent and hoarse, yet it cut through the air like a knife, making Luo Xiu's ears sting slightly—

"'Dragon of Justice'... We, the [authoritarian]... guardian dragon of justice... have you also... enslaved Him... Durant..."

"..."

Luo Xiu heard what Hastia said.

But he did not respond; instead, he raised his scepter to Hastia.

He then emitted a rising crimson aura, activating another "ancient inheritance" authority—[Divine Forged Flesh and Blood]. His blood began to boil, and his spirituality burned, thus quickly obtaining three layers of "Ancient Dragon Remnant Soul".

The scepter was pointed at Hastia's head, and then burst into crimson light—

boom! ! ! ! !
The fierce flames once again engulfed Hastia, while Luo Xiu raised the Dragon Flame Demon Sword high in his left hand. Crimson flames burst forth from the spiraling blade, and at the moment when the flames reached their peak, they slashed down at Hastia.

--boom!!!!!

The final "Ancient Dragon's Bite" reduced this avatar of Hastia to ashes.

Sensing that the spiritual energy from Hastia in front of him had dissipated, Luo Xiu turned around and walked towards Quesanx.

The other "avatar of Hastia," still being burned by Quesanx's [Surge of Destruction], has less than 20% health remaining as detected on the panel, and will soon dissipate like the previous avatar.

Luo Xiu gazed at Him, and also at Quesanx behind Him.

Through the darkness, He could sense a faint aura of sorrow emanating from Quesanx. Meanwhile, Hastia, whom He was burning, struggled and used all His strength to raise the heavy sword in his hand, releasing bursts of intense spiritual energy from it.

His domain—that pure darkness—grew even deeper, and the temperature within it gradually rose. He seemed to want to burn himself, to consume this last incarnation of His, so that both He and Quesanx could suffer more damage.

But this was just a struggle. The spiritual energy emanating from Luo Xiu instantly turned dark, and a dark, deep light emanated from his burning golden eyes. He gently raised his right hand and turned his palm over.

A dark red light condensed in his palm, its edges writhing, cracking, and oozing scarlet blood.

The crimson ball of light then rose upwards, and when it fully bloomed at a certain height, the crimson blood accumulated within—the blood of the "Styx"—rushed outwards violently.

—That was “the raging torrent of blood”!
What Luo Xiu ultimately unleashed was the unique skill he gained after advancing [Abyss] to "Fivefold Fate" and becoming a "Styx Apostle".

This is a new attempt.

There are few scenarios suitable for testing this skill. What Luo Xiu will be doing is attempting to cover the Hastia territory with the "raging torrent of blood river"—

Like a tidal wave, several crimson torrents surged through the darkness, until they dispersed it, completely engulfing the space where Luo Xiu, along with Quesanx and Hastia, were in crimson.

The blood of the Styx flowed from top to bottom and from bottom to top. Roars and terrifying howls came from the surrounding void, and the crimson light emanating from the sword held by Hastia receded inward.

His domain—the originally dense darkness—was completely covered by the domain unfolded by the "raging torrent of the blood river"!

In Luo Xiu's eyes, he could see his royal palace again. But now the palace was like a purgatory, with crimson light permeating every visible corner.

"Durant..."

"Blasphemy...blasphemy, blasphemy!!!"

"Such blasphemy...you and Alfonso...you are both so blasphemy!!!"

"..."

Beneath Hastia's tattered mask, a hoarse and trembling voice filled with resentment emanated.

He seemed to want to do something more, but the spirituality of this avatar had been completely exhausted. And under the intense burning of the scarlet flames, He could no longer maintain even His final form.

It begins with those hands holding the sword—

The armor began to melt, the flesh began to burn, and an inextinguishable flame rose from His body, until He finally turned to ashes.

Amidst a scorched landscape of churning flames and ash.

Even His last incarnation burned to ashes before Luo Xiu's eyes.

A dappled light and shadow appeared before Luo Xiu, and a new notification popped up on his panel.

That was a sign that Hastia's avatar had been shattered, completing one of Hastia's Trials—

[The "Avatar of Hastia (lv.80)" has been destroyed.]

[The divine artifact "Chains of the Gods" seals India +20%]

[Complete the Trial of Hastia]

Number of times "Hastia's Avatar" was destroyed: 4

[Received "Hastia's Gift": Base Experience +1520000, Free Attribute Points +152]

[Specialty "Hastia's Wrath (Legendary, Limited)" - Specialty Upgraded!]

【Hastia's Wrath (Legendary, Limited): You have shattered the incarnation of Hastia, the "Spirit of Authority," several times—you have stolen power from Him, and you have also borne His wrath and hatred from Him.

Original effect—All your attributes are increased by 30 points, with an additional 30% increase to "Physical Attack" and "Magic Attack". Your damage dealt to Hastia's true form and avatars is increased by 30%, and your damage dealt to [Supreme] Fateful Transcendents is increased by 30%.

Upgraded to: All your attributes increased by 40 points, with an additional 40% increase to both Physical Attack and Magical Attack. Damage dealt to Hastia's true form and avatars is increased by 40%, and damage dealt to [Supreme] Fateful Transcendents is increased by 40%.

【…】

Hastia, the "Spirit of Authoritarianism," has his sights on you.

The next time "Avatar of Hastia" appears, its power will increase by 50%. Destroying "Avatar of Hastia" twice more will upgrade the feat "Wrath of Hastia" to a "Divine Birth" quality feat.

【…】

[Accumulated "Gift of Hastia" gained: Base Experience +3680000, Free Attribute Points +368, Legendary Fetish "Wrath of Hastia (Limited)" *1]

【…】

……

(End of this chapter)