ALL NOVEL Chapter 378: Always More Chaos, Follower's Descent into Madness
The two figures stood amidst the devastation, the air heavy with death and despair.
Stark, his aura crackling with crimson energy, locked eyes with Follower, who floated in the air, his dark wings spreading wide like a vulture ready to feast.
Follower's grin widened as he cut off the chains binding his legs, "You really don't get it, do you? You can't win. I don't even need to kill you right now. I can just leave you to wallow in your failure."
"..." Stark didn't respond, and seeing his nonchalance, Follower lost his composure a little.
He raised a hand.
Dark energy coalesced around him as dozens of star-shaped projectiles formed in the sky.
It was one of his newly gained abilities.
[Nightmare Stars: Makes dozens of star projectiles fall from the sky, destroying everything.]
The stars began to rain down, each one a harbinger of destruction.
Buildings crumbled instantly under their weight, reduced to rubble and dust.
Fires erupted across the city, spreading rapidly as screams filled the air.
"..." Stark was unfazed, using [Invincible Dodge] every time a projectile or Follower's blade got too close, "Spear of Judgment!"
The spear shot toward Follower, but he casually batted it away with his colossal blade.
"You're not even scratching me," Follower taunted, slashing his [Darkness Blade] through a line of classifiers attempting to regroup.
Their screams were cut short as the blade cleaved through them effortlessly.
Once a dozen level 800 or more classifiers grouped, Follower would then extend his blade again and use [Total Annihilation], killing every single one of them.
"Dodge Control!"
His movements became a blur as he weaved through the carnage, dodging falling stars and Follower's relentless swings.
He closed the distance, his fists glowing with crimson energy, but as he struck, Follower's body shimmered with a dark aura.
[Attack Negation: Able to cancel an attack from an enemy if you hit them.]
Stark's punch dissipated into nothing, the energy dispersing harmlessly.
-73,941!
Which meant that physically touching Follower wasn't an option either.
[Stark HP: 136,059/210,000]
"Pathetic," Follower sneered, slamming his clawed hand into Stark's chest and sending him hurtling through a row of buildings.
-58,059!
Stark coughed, blood staining his lips as he staggered to his feet.
"..." Yet he didn't feel like talking.
"Give up!" Follower, the more he saw that Stark was ignoring him, became angrier.
Until now, he had been given all the attention, and he enjoyed seeing Stark so mad, so why was he so neutral now?!
Stark drew a circle in his palm, then pointing at the sky above Follower to summon [Heaven's Wrath].
[Heaven's Wrath: Summons a giant beam from the sky capable of obliterating everything in its path.]
A blinding beam descended, its power enough to shake the earth.
But Follower merely laughed, his wings carrying him out of the beam's path with ease.
"You think I didn't see that coming?" Follower jeered, his claws transforming into grotesque extensions of darkness.
[Demon's Grasp] enhanced his perception, allowing him to anticipate Stark's every move.
"Let's kick it up a notch!" Follower laughed, losing more of his sanity every passing second, this was truly getting to him, "CRIMSON CORRUPTION!"
[Crimson Corruption: Corrupts the air around him and enhance his fists with a dark aura.]
"Double Assault," Stark answered with his own skill.
His aura flared, doubling his strength and speed, and he lunged at Follower with everything he had.
Crimson fists and spears shot out in a frenzy, each one powerful enough to level a skyscraper, though he made sure to stay far from the transformed human to not get hurt.
But Follower danced around them, his movements fluid and effortless.
He countered with his [Chains of Darkness], which erupted from the ground and wrapped around Stark, holding him in place.
"Is this it?" Follower mocked, tightening the chains. "This is the Chosen? The one meant to stop the Godless Demon? You're a joke!"
"..."
Stark's aura exploded outward and shattered the chains.
Then he activated [Domination Soul], slamming his hands against his chest as his crimson heart emerged, glowing with an intense light.
If physical attacks didn't work, then maybe this would be useful.
"ANSWER ME YOU LITTLE SHIT-" Follower shouted.
[Hey, what are you doing?]
[Do not engage!]
[Go back to destroying the city!]
Yet Follower didn't listen.
Stark's soul heart shot forward, slamming into Follower's chest.
For a brief moment, Follower staggered, his grin faltering.
-1!
"Ouch..." it did cause him pain, but no actual physical damage. "You're resilient, I'll give you that," Follower said, his grin returning. "But you can't stop me. None of you can."
He raised his blade once more, the kilometer-long weapon glowing with malevolent energy.
With a single swing, he obliterated another section of the city, leveling hundreds of buildings and killing thousands in an instant.
Classifiers rushed in, desperate to stop him, but it was futile.
Follower's [Demon Devouring] activated, his claws piercing through a high-level 800 warrior's chest after taking him by surprise.
He held the warrior in place for five seconds, the man's screams echoing before he fell lifeless.
"Another sacrifice for the Godless Demon," Follower said, tossing the body aside.
Even level 800 classifiers couldn't lay a finger on him.
Their attacks bounced off his dark aura, and their lives were snuffed out in an instant.
Those that got close and actually hit him didn't cause any damage either, whether it was physical or magical.
"..."
Stark stood tall, his breath shallow, his body battered. His crimson aura flickered weakly, barely clinging to life. Yet his expression remained calm, unwavering.
None of the deaths were getting to him.
'Yes... get angrier...' but on the inside, he was smirking, 'Come on...'
Follower's grin twisted further into madness. "Why won't you break?!" he roared, slamming his claws together.
The air around them darkened, suffocating and cold.
"..." Stark didn't answer.
"You're nothing but a toy! A useless puppet pretending to stand tall!" Follower screamed. His body pulsed with power as he activated his ultimate ability.
HEART OF DARKNESS!
"This world will be plunged in darkness and chaos."
[Heart of Darkness: The ultimate skill of destruction. Unleash a concentrated burst of pure hatred to obliterate everything in its path.]
Dark energy gathered at Follower's chest, forming a swirling mass of chaos.
The very ground beneath them cracked, unable to bear the weight of his power.
Stark's knees wobbled, but he remained standing, meeting Follower's gaze one last time.
"You're not even trying to run!" Follower spat. "Fine. Die in silence."
The energy erupted from Follower's body, a massive surge of pure destruction aimed directly at Stark. There was no time to dodge, no space to counter.
"See you in 30 seconds," Stark spoke for the first time since the start of the real battle, repeating the exact words he told Aphex, the moon apostle.
The beam struck Stark head-on, engulfing him completely. His body disintegrated under the pressure, leaving nothing behind.
Ding!
[You have died.]
A panel appeared in front of him as the world turned dark, finding himself in that "space" again.
In the real world, though, Follower hovered in the air, breathing heavily, his rage still boiling.
He wiped the blood from his lips, his grin returning as he muttered through gritted teeth:
"Game over, Chosen," Follower smirked, his voice dripping with venom. "No distraction, no nothing. The moment you come back from death, you're dead, I'll destroy your heart with my claws."
He would wait for Stark from behind, then pierce him using [Demon Devouring], causing a very painful death to the Chosen One.
"IT'S OUR VICTORY!"