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

In the ashes, a wisp of black fire did not go out, but instead condensed into a spark, burning quietly.

Within the flame, there is the sound of a heartbeat.

"Boom-"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the wasteland, in the imperial capital.

Deep within the main hall, a colossal statue shrouded in black veil suddenly cracked open. A deep voice emanated from the fissure:

"The core of the tower... is destroyed?"

"That person... survived?"

His voice carried surprise, but also murderous intent.

At its feet, countless armored men knelt on the ground.

"Get ready."

"A new hunt is about to begin."

In the center of the ruins, the wind swept away the ashes, leaving only a tiny ember burning beneath the bone stones.

The flame was only the size of a fingernail, flickering very weakly, yet it did not go out. Each flicker was accompanied by a faint heartbeat.

"Boom-"

A system notification sounded in the darkness:

[The Ashes of Ember have been activated]

[Host's soul survival rate: 3%]

[Physical Reconstruction Begins]

Within the embers, Ron's consciousness floated.

He had no body, no flesh and blood, only a vague will. He couldn't remember how he got to this point, only that the knife shattered his heart, the bone tower collapsed, and the black fire burned out.

Logically speaking, he should have died long ago.

But the system didn't make him completely disappear.

Countless fragments flashed in the darkness—his memories. Battle, sacrifice, blood, all those who fell. He saw Viser stand as an iron wall, saw Claudia kneel down, coughing up blood, saw the remaining soldiers use their bodies to block the blood-soaked blades.

Finally, he saw himself burn to ashes.

Memories faded little by little, leaving only one obsession:

"We can't stop."

The flame then leaped, its brightness increasing dramatically.

[Soul Stable Completion]

[Physical body reconstruction progress: 1%]

Above the ruins, the light of the wasteland shone down. The spark of fire absorbed the light and slowly expanded, from the size of a fingernail to the size of a fist.

Flesh and blood grew little by little in the flames, first the skeleton, then the blood vessels, and then the muscles.

But the speed was extremely slow, as if it were a race against death.

Just then, a group of dark figures quietly approached.

They were spies from the remnants of the Abyss Order. Although the three factions had been annihilated by Ron's Soul Burning, some had escaped to the periphery. Now they had crawled back into the ruins, eyeing this last spark of hope.

"what is that?"

"The master's remaining... embers!"

"Seize him and take him back to be sacrificed!"

They hissed and rushed toward the fire.

The flame trembled, and Ron's consciousness suddenly returned.

"Someone...is trying to harm me?"

A burst of flames erupted.

A deep rumble echoed from the center of the ruins.

The dark figure was blasted away, turning into ashes. The embers expanded to the size of an infant, and the shape of flesh and blood began to appear.

The system prompts you to continue:

[Physical body reconstruction progress: 7%]

[Host Status: Temporary Awakening]

Ron opened his eyes in the firelight.

He hadn't fully recovered, but that chill once again enveloped the entire ruins.

"bring it on."

He uttered two words in a low voice.

In the center of the ruins, the fire burned ever brighter.

From the size of a fist, it slowly swelled to half a person's height. Skeletons grew one by one in the firelight, blood vessels twisted and stretched, muscles bulged. Skin didn't immediately cover it; the whole process was horrifying.

Chapter 172

System notifications kept ringing:

[Physical body reconstruction progress: 23%]

Soul Stability Rate: 30%

Ron opened his eyes and saw only two balls of fire, without pupils, only blazing black flames.

He could feel that he was still very weak, but his strength was gradually returning.

The remaining Abyss Cult spies were still around.

They stared at the new physical body manifested by the fire, their eyes filled with madness: "That's the rebirth of the Tower's core remains! Seize it, seize it now!"

They rushed forward, their resentment enveloping the chain blades, heading straight for the flames.

Ron raised his arm, which was not yet fully grown, his fingers cracked like charcoal, and black flames shot out from between his knuckles.

"roll."

As soon as he finished speaking, flames suddenly erupted.

boom!

More than a dozen spies were wiped out on the spot, leaving not even ashes.

The remaining people retreated in fear, but some were still unwilling to give up and continued to form an array and chant incantations. The vengeful shadow crawled out of the ruins, roaring as it charged towards Ron.

Ron stared at them, his eyes burning even brighter.

[Physical body reconstruction progress: 41%]

His skeleton had expanded, muscles covered him, and half of his torso was fully formed. He took a step forward, and ashes exploded beneath his feet.

The vengeful shadow rushed forward, and he raised his hand and swept out black flames.

boom--

Dozens of vengeful figures vanished simultaneously, leaving not a trace.

The remaining Abyss Order spies panicked completely. Some turned and ran, while others knelt and kowtowed, crying, "My lord! My lord has been resurrected!"

Ron ignored him.

He looked down at his split body, his chest still burning, blood flowing through him like molten lava.

The system prompts you to continue:

[Physical body reconstruction progress: 68%]

[Host Status: Semi-awakened]

My breathing became heavier, and my heart pounded in the void.

Ron looked up at the sky where the gray fog had completely dissipated.

In the center of the ruins, the firelight burned even brighter.

Ron's body was completely stretched out within the flames, his skeleton intact, flesh and blood covering him, and skin growing back inch by inch. Black fire flowed through his veins, like a second layer of blood, etching cracks all over his body.

The system keeps prompting me to keep refreshing:

[Physical body reconstruction progress: 89%]

Soul Stability Rate: 70%

[Host Status: Semi-awakened → Awakened]

boom--

With a heartbeat, his chest swelled up, and he exhaled his first breath in the firelight.

Ron was breathing again.

Only a few scattered Abyss Order spies remained around, terrified. Some knelt and kowtowed, others turned and ran. But no one could get even a step closer to Ron.

Because with each heartbeat, a ring of black fire would erupt, burning everything that came near to it.

"New students..." a madman in black robes muttered, his eyes bloodshot. But before he could finish speaking, he turned to ashes in the flames.

Ron raised his hand, looking at the cracks still remaining in his palm.

He understood that this body was not a complete restoration, but rather a "new bone"—a shell reborn from the ashes. It was stronger, yet more dangerous, constantly consuming the black flames.

The system notification coldly stated:

[Ashes of Ember → New Skeletal Body Completed]

[Price: The soul and body are permanently bound together and cannot be transferred again]

Lifespan: Unknown