You promised to wreak havoc on the dungeon, but instead you've got Dragon Slime!

[The final core of the dungeon, Tower of Hearts Breath, has been locked.]

[Should we initiate the final strike?]

Ron took a deep breath; black lines had already spread all over his neck, and blood kept flowing from the corners of his eyes.

He whispered:

"open."

The blade exploded with black light, instantly shattering half of the bone bridge, and everyone's bodies sank.

Ron stomped his foot and soared into the sky, heading straight for the Void Heart.

My heart pounded, my breath turned into a raging storm, like a landslide or a tsunami crashing down.

The moment Ron lunged toward the Void Heart, the entire Bone Bridge collapsed completely.

Viser and Claudia, along with the two remaining soldiers, plummeted into the void. Darkness engulfed them, and their screams vanished instantly.

Only Ron remained.

The knife in his hand was cracked to the point of being just a skeleton, with black light constantly seeping out from the cracks.

The heart beats in the void.

"Boom-"

His breath surged like a raging torrent, like an invisible mountain pressing down. Ron's body was instantly bent over, chunks of flesh crumbled away, bones were exposed, as if he had been skinned alive.

But he still raised his knife.

The system prompt flashes wildly:

[Annihilation Simulation - Ultimate Form]

[Host lifespan resets to zero]

Should it be executed?

Ron smiled, his throat full of blood and foam.

"implement."

boom! ! !

The blade completely transformed into black light, like a rift capable of swallowing the world.

This strike aimed straight at the heart.

His heart jolted violently, the chains snapped, and countless remnant souls shrieked as they flew out. They rushed in all directions, only to be annihilated layer by layer in the black light, leaving not even a trace.

"Boom-"

His heart pounded wildly, each beat shattering a piece of the void. Black winds swirled, tearing wound after wound open in Ron's body.

But the knife was still going down.

"Boom-"

A massive rift split open in the heart, spewing forth a mist of blood. Inside, however, were not blood, but countless shattered soul shadows, rising into the sky like a flood.

Ron's body finally shattered, his arm exploded, and his flesh turned to ash. But he clung tightly to the knife bone, refusing to let go.

"Boom-"

The final rousing.

Ron roared and pressed his entire body down on it, the black light completely piercing his heart.

boom! ! ! !

The void collapsed instantly, and the heart was split in two, shattering into countless points of light.

The breathing stopped abruptly.

The world quieted down.

Ron knelt on the void ruins, his sword long since shattered into dust, his arm empty. Black markings covered his entire body, and blood dripped continuously, like the last sand in an hourglass.

A system notification appears:

The final core of the dungeon, the Tower of Breath, has been destroyed.

[The Abyss Bone Tower is collapsing]

[Host lifespan: Zero]

Ron looked up at the fading lights in the depths of the void.

He only managed to utter two words:

"Finish……"

His body tilted, and he fell into darkness.

Boom——

The entire bone tower collapsed in silence.

The sound of the bone tower collapsing was like the entire continent shattering.

A sudden rift tore open the sky deep within the wasteland, dispersing the gray mist and letting in light. Hundreds of miles away, everyone could see the towering bone tower collapse with a deafening roar.

The roaring sound lasted all night.

The people in the city looked up at the sky, first with fear, then with disbelief. Some knelt and wept, some laughed wildly, and some fainted on the spot. The shadow of the Bone Tower had been pressing down on them for too long, and now it had finally collapsed, causing the pressure in their hearts to explode instantly.

The surviving soldiers in the camp were the first to feel the aftershocks.

The wind stopped, the fog dissipated, the blood-red ditch dried up, and for the first time, the air in the wasteland became fresh. But they did not cheer; they remained silent.

Because none of the team that went deep into the bone tower came out.

……

Deep in the void, a body floats among the wreckage.

Ron.

His entire body was covered in black markings, his flesh and blood torn apart, leaving only a tattered shell. The knife had long since vanished, and his arm was empty.

Chapter 171

But at that very moment, the system notification was still flashing:

[Host's life is ending...]

[Host's will has not been extinguished]

[Triggering the hidden module - Ashes]

The mangled body suddenly trembled, and a point of black light shone on its chest, like a spark.

The black light slowly spread, forcibly stitching together the torn flesh and reassembling the bones. However, the repair was incomplete, leaving large cracks, as if it might collapse again at any moment.

Ron's eyelids twitched.

He did not die completely.

The system prompts you to continue:

[Ember Form: Retains only the soul and body for minimum operation]

[Lifespan Locked: One Year]

[The cost: Irreversible]

Ron slowly opened his eyes. The void was no longer the core of the tower, but the ruins after its collapse. Countless fragments floated, and remnant souls wandered around, but no longer posed any threat.

He reached out, but couldn't grasp anything.

After a long silence, he said in a low voice:

"It's not over yet..."

Meanwhile, outside the wasteland, several unfamiliar forces are approaching.

Those weren't Alliance forces, but rather a power that had long been lurking outside the Gray Mist. The moment the Bone Tower collapsed, they swarmed in like vultures smelling blood.

They stared intently at the collapsed ruins.

"The core of the abyss... has indeed been opened."

"Those who can survive from the heart of the tower are definitely not ordinary people."

"Go, drag the remains out. Even if there's only a bone left, it's a treasure."

As sandstorms rage, a new threat looms.

Ron's mangled body floated deep within the ruins, where they could find him at any moment.

News of the collapse of the bone tower spread throughout the wasteland.

Before the gray fog had completely dissipated, several forces had already pounced on them.

The first group was the Black Crow Merchant Guild. Cloaked spies searched through the broken bones, carrying chains and iron cages, shouting "Collect the remains, sell the main city."

The second group was the Crimson Claw Mercenary Group. They carried blood-stained blades, were bound by chains, and made no attempt to conceal their murderous intent. The destruction of the Bone Tower convinced them that it contained unparalleled treasures, and they were willing to kill and plunder without hesitation.

The third group was an even more somber bunch, shrouded in black robes, with only their deathly gray hands visible. They came from the Abyss Order, regarding the Bone Tower as a sacred site, and offering any fragment as a sacrifice. They chanted incessantly, their eyes filled with madness.

The three groups each stared at the center of the ruins.

Ron, who floats in the void, is their common goal.

Ron was sitting half-reclined against a broken bone stone deep in the ruins.

His Ashes form allowed him to breathe, but his blood was as cold as stone, and his muscles were completely powerless. His sword was gone, his soul power was almost exhausted, and he could barely stand.

The system message indicated that the process had been coldly completed.

[Ember Form: Restricted State]

[Annihilation simulation cannot be used]

[Host's combat strength assessment: Less than one percent of normal]