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

Just then, the high priest of the Abyss Order finally made a move.

He stood on the altar fragments, holding the skeletal skull aloft with both hands. Ghostly flames flickered in the eye sockets, and his voice was low and hoarse, as if crawling out of the mouth of a dead man.

"The sacrifice begins."

boom--

The ground sank in an instant, and the entire ruins shook. Countless fragments, blood, and broken bones were sucked up and flew into the skull of the skeleton.

The priest growled, "Use the power of ten thousand bones to curse this man to death!"

The skeleton's skull suddenly lit up, and ghostly flames surged, transforming into a gigantic skull face that opened its mouth and bit down at Ron.

Ron had just cleaved the Red Claw leader in two with his axe, and before he could even catch his breath, he was pinned down by this force.

His body suddenly felt a hundred times heavier, and black flames surged wildly within him, threatening to explode from the inside out.

A system notification pierced my mind:

[WARNING: External curse intrusion]

[Blackfire backlash rate rises to 89%]

[Host's soul stability rate has dropped to 19%]

Ron's chest split open, and black fire spewed out of the wound, almost causing him to collapse on the spot.

The Crimson Claw leader laughed loudly, seizing the opportunity to swing his blood axe horizontally: "Die!"

Ron raised his knife to block, but his body was forced to his knees, his knees smashing through the rubble.

Black fire roared within him, as if threatening to devour him completely. The whisper in his ear returned:

"Give up...give up...turn to ashes..."

Ron gritted his teeth, and a blazing fire suddenly erupted in his eyes.

"Do not."

He suddenly raised his head, and black fire spewed out, lifting his kneeling legs.

"I'm not dead yet!"

boom! ! !

He suddenly lunged forward, his blade flashing horizontally, forcefully cleaving the Crimson Claw leader back several feet.

Then, the knife was pointed at the high priest in the distance.

As the black flames burned to their zenith, the entire ruins trembled.

"I'll kill you first."

The priest's expression changed for the first time, and the ghostly fire in his eyes flickered violently.

Before the curse could be completed, Ron's black fire took aim at him.

His breathing became completely disordered.

In the center of the ruins, the black flames burned to their zenith.

Ron locked onto the high priest in the distance, stomped his foot, the ground cracked open, and he transformed into a streak of black light as he rushed towards him.

The ghostly fire in the high priest's pupils contracted, and the skeletal skull in his hand suddenly burst forth with light.

"Ten thousand bones protect their master!"

boom!

Skull fragments flew up from all directions, piecing together a massive bone shield around him. A sea of ​​resentment enveloped him completely.

Ron slashed down with his black fire blade.

boom! !

The bone shield shattered on the spot, and the skull fragments were burned to ashes.

The high priest coughed up a mouthful of blood, staggered backward, and nearly dropped his skeletal skull to the ground.

"Monster...you're a monster!"

He screamed and chanted incantations frantically. Flames spewed from the eye holes of his skeletal skull, transforming into a skeletal dragon shadow that lunged at Ron.

Ron coldly uttered two words:

"Go away."

The blade struck down again.

boom! ! !

The skeletal dragon shadow was cleaved in two, and the black fire poured into the skull, burning it to ashes.

The high priest's curse foundation collapsed instantly, his chest exploded with a "bang," and his whole body was engulfed in black flames.

"Ahhh-"

His screams lasted only a moment before he and his bone robe turned to ash.

A system notification appeared in Ron's mind:

The external curse has been removed.

[Blackfire backlash rate reduced to 74%]

[Soul stability rate rises to 33%]

The ruins fell silent for a moment.

The leader of the Crimson Claws stared at the priest who had vanished into thin air in the distance, his pupils constricting.

The commander of the Imperial Hunter Army had a grim face as he slowly raised the spear in his hand.

Ron turned around, his eyes burning with black fire as he stared straight at them.

His wounds were still dripping blood, yet he looked like a god of death emerging from hell.

"next."

The high priest vanished into thin air, leaving only blood and ashes in the ruins.

The Red Claw leader stared intently at Ron, blood still gushing from the wound in his chest. But he didn't move; he was waiting.

Wait for the Empire's hunter army to advance.

The black-armored cavalry finally made their move.

The black-armored cavalry charged into the ruins in columns, their hooves pounding over the piles of corpses, the sound like thunderous roars dragged from the ground.

Ron didn't move, he stood there, his burned wounds still steaming, the bones scorched by the flames failing to close. He kicked away the Redclaw leader's knife, stepped back, and bumped his elbow into Claudia's shoulder.

"Don't stand too close," he said.

Claudia didn't reply. Her face was covered in ash and red patches. Her armor was already deformed, and the hem of her clothes was covered in scorch marks.

On the Imperial Hunter Army's side, a gust of psionic wind swept across, scattering the remaining embers on the ground. Several figures scaled the wall and came over, wearing black and gold battle robes, the runes on their helmets glowing faintly.

The one at the very front was holding a short staff with bone markings; he was clearly a scout from the Soul Rift Hunters.

Without saying a word, he swung his short staff, causing the ground to crack open and several streams of black energy to rise from below and surround Ron and his group.

Ron took a step forward, and the ground beneath his feet made a cracking sound.

A small cluster of black flames suddenly burst forth from his body.

The scout was stunned for a moment. The hunters behind him had only rushed out halfway when suddenly the ground beneath their feet sank and the entire road collapsed.

“Down,” Ron whispered.

Claudia frowned. "What are you up to now?"

"Go down." After saying that, Ron opened the tattered bag in his hand and threw the soul bone into the pit.

As if sensing something, the bone spun in mid-air and crashed into the bottom of the pit with a thud.

The surrounding air instantly became scorching hot.

Viser stood behind, panting, his face grim. "This thing of yours is going to explode!"

“It won’t explode.” Ron said this and then jumped down.

The pit was a section of the old town's sewer system that had collapsed; it was dark, cold, and damp at the bottom. The moment the spark fell, the surrounding walls began to glow red, and concentric rings of fire spread across the ground.

"Damn, this isn't interference from the spark, there's something down there." Viser's face turned pale.

He shouted as he jumped down.

The others followed and retreated down the street. Claudia was the last to leave. She glanced back at the direction of the pursuers. The group of black-armored cavalry had surrounded the entire street, and the rune cannons were set up and beginning to load.

She cursed and jumped down.

The entire team had just landed when the opening above them was blasted down, and rubble and flames blocked the view above.

No one made a sound; only the sound of dripping water continued below.

Ron stood up and leaned against a broken iron pillar.

“...The dungeon.” It took Viser a long time to utter those three words.

Beneath their feet was no ordinary underground ground, but the ruins of an old empire, complete with fire patterns, forges, and wall carvings. It just looked incredibly old; many parts had collapsed, and the rails were completely rusted.

“Didn’t you say this place was hollowed out long ago?” Claudia asked.

“I remember it.” Viser looked down at the floor tiles under his feet. “But it’s not hollowed out, it’s sealed off.”

"Who sealed it?"

“Who knows?” He shrugged. “Maybe… it wasn’t bestowed by the Empire.”

They walked downhill, with Ron leading the way.

The fire within him was still surging, as if drawn by something deep underground, with a very clear direction.

The deeper you go, the more restless the flames become.

They came to a broken arch bridge, beneath which flowed an underground river with red water.

It wasn't blood; it was water mixed with some kind of molten metal, which was radiating heat.