Chapter 651: The Death God Bead
The Dragon's Confession
As a Death God, Avogadro never imagined he could die. Even at the moment Clark broke his neck and he collapsed, he firmly believed he would survive.
However, under the relentless scorching of the Green Flame, that confidence was disappearing piece by piece.
Luke sneered.
"Your Majesty, I advise you: if you want to live, get out now. If you wait any longer, it'll be too late."
With that, he increased the intensity of the flames again. The Green Flame burned fiercely, its core gradually turning an eerie, dark green. A terrifying aura, as if intending to devour the world, emanated from it, causing the Underworld Dragon to tremble and feel despair.
"Who are you? Your flame... why... how is this possible?"
"You're a dragon about to die. Do you really need to be this surprised?"
Luke laughed lightly. He formed a hand seal with his left hand and lightly tapped the flame. The Green Flame contracted, transforming into dense green lightning that frantically assaulted the black light surrounding the residual soul.
The black light was the divine power of Death, representing extinction, decay, and reincarnation—a unique power of the Underworld. But what was puzzling was that Avogadro, as a Death God, had not merged with the divine power of Death but controlled it using a special method.
Luke's interest was suddenly piqued. He asked,
"How did you get your Death God status? Don't tell me all the Death Gods in the Underworld are like you, hoarding the power without performing the duties."
Avogadro didn't understand the idiom, but his expression and tone gave him a rough idea of Luke's thoughts.
"I'll tell you if you let me go."
Luke let out a dismissive snort.
Avogadro couldn't help but plead, "Don't you want to possess the power of a Death God? I can tell you the method. If you swear on your soul to spare my life, I will make you a Death God, an Underworld Death God, the Ender of All Life."
"I'm sorry, but I have no interest in being a Death God. I'm only talking to you to pass the time."
Snap!
Under the constant erosion of the green lightning, a crack appeared in the black light. An electrical arc penetrated the gap, striking Avogadro's soul and inflicting unimaginable pain.
Luke suddenly intensified the pressure, forcefully tearing open the black light's barrier and pulling the residual soul out of its "eggshell."
A giant dragon's soul was much stronger than a Human's, but without the protection of the body and the black light, it was a lamb ready for slaughter.
"Now, I ask, and you answer. If you dare to misspeak a single word, I will make you beg for death and not get it."
Luke showed his ruthlessness, first using the flames for a round of torture. The moment the blazing Green Flame touched the soul, it brought only pain. Avogadro could feel nothing else—only pain, endless pain, as if countless ants were gnawing at him, or as if he were being alternately fried in oil and frozen in a lake.
Time seemed to freeze. The suffering extended infinitely, tormenting him relentlessly. After what felt like decades, or perhaps centuries, the agony finally receded.
The Underworld Dragon, his soul nearly extinguished, looked at Luke with despair.
"Please, let me go."
His voice was mournful and pitiful, like a coward's, utterly lacking his former arrogance.
Luke scoffed. "I thought you'd ask me for a quick end. I didn't expect you to still cling to the hope of living."
"Underworld Dragon, no, I should call you Underworld Worm. All creatures have an instinct for survival, but one as spineless as you is truly rare."
Avogadro's eyes were filled with venom, but the moment he met Luke's gaze, it turned into deep fear. The fear rooted itself in his soul, instantly consuming it. As the power of fear struck, he was completely defenseless.
Luke spoke chillingly,
"What is your name?"
"Avogadro."
"How old are you?"
"Seventeen thousand years old."
Avogadro's eyes were vacant, having lost his self-awareness. He answered whatever Luke asked. The interrogation lasted fifteen minutes before it stopped.
Everything that needed to be asked had been asked. He naturally lost all value.
The Green Flame expanded, incinerating the Underworld Dragon's residual soul.
The infamous Underworld Dragon, the ruler of the Endless Lands, His Majesty Avogadro, was thus relegated to history. No one would remember him, nor was there any need to.
The Spoils of War
After finishing, Luke turned his attention to the black orb of Death God power.
According to Avogadro's confession, his accession to the status of a Death God was a pure accident. After the War of the Gods, the divine beings of the Underworld suffered heavy casualties. Avogadro, then merely an evil dragon, encountered a severely wounded and unconscious Death God. Driven by malice, he swallowed the Death God whole. Later, with the help of a sorcerer, he learned methods to control the divine power of Death. However, these methods were only superficial; he could not truly perceive the origin of the power or gain the extraordinary abilities of a real Death God.
Death God wasn't just a title; it represented a cosmic rule. To become a Death God meant taking on the responsibility of the cycle of reincarnation. Avogadro didn't want this duty. He coveted the power's strength while despising its obligations, leading to his current situation.
It had to be said, the Dragon's death was well-deserved.
"What should I do with this thing?"
Luke muttered, feeling genuinely troubled.
Though the power of Death was formidable, it had significant limitations. He certainly couldn't take it back to Earth. If this power left the Underworld, it would immediately dissipate, unless he merged with it. Doing that, however, could make him a permanent part of the Underworld's rules, like Anubis, who could never leave.
"Forget it, I'll put it away for now."
Luke shook his head. Following the method Avogadro provided, he refined the black ball of divine power into a string of beads and placed them around his neck.
This thing was quite distinctive, if a bit too black.
Black and Green?
Well, let's not dwell on it.
When he returned to the corpse, Clark and the others had finished their preparations and were ready to leave. Adam was lying across the Dragon's body, apparently devouring its dragon blood.
Luke glanced at him and said nothing more. Dragon-kin were the mixed-race descendants of Giant Dragons; consuming the blood of a pure-blooded dragon could significantly boost Adam's strength and potentially evolve him into a more powerful individual.
Diana asked curiously,
"The beads on your neck are..."
"A trophy. What do you think? Do they look good?"
Diana opened her mouth, but couldn't bring herself to lie. Luke, already strange with the Green Flame swirling around him, now wore a string of black beads. The sight would make an adult, let alone a child, feel a prickling unease.
J'onn asked solemnly, "What's the situation? Any good news?"
Luke silently shook his head.
"Avogadro did not participate in the War of the Gods. He only heard fragments of the conflict and doesn't know the specifics."
Clark frowned. "Then why did he come after us?"
"He wanted to use us to get to Earth to devour the Spirit of Life and become a being that transcends everything."
This statement left the three heroes completely bewildered. Earth was just a life-bearing planet. There were countless similar worlds in the universe. Why would it matter so much?
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