Rise of The Demon General Chapter 790. The Last Survivor

Amon was caught off guard by the armored giant's unexpected long-range capability. His miscalculation led to him being struck by a sound-based blast. Similar to the snail beast's mental assault, this sonic attack bypassed his shadow suit, leaving him paralyzed and disoriented, though not unconscious. As his balance faltered, he saw the armored giant hurtling towards him.

Just as the giant was about to reach Amon, Surressh's gravity bomb intercepted it. While the impact was lessened, Amon found himself unable to evade the slowed but still formidable fist.

His only recourse was to reinforce his shadow suit at the point of impact. The giant's fist collided with the shadow shield, and despite the reduced force from the gravity bomb, it shattered the shield and fractured several of Amon's bones, sending him flying backward.

Despite the searing pain from his broken bones, Amon pushed through it, still unable to regain full control of his body but able to manipulate his shadow suit. He commanded its dark tentacles to ensnare the armored giant.

Airborne and lacking stable footing, the giant was vulnerable. Amon skillfully used the momentum from his own expulsion to reel the giant in, sending it plummeting toward the dark pond.

"Surressh!" Amon's cry echoed.

The Hyanid understood. He surged forward, unleashing his most potent gravity bomb yet—the largest conjured since the trial commenced. The bomb detonated upon the armored giant, effectively doubling its descent speed.

The armored giant was powerless against its accelerated fall. Its massive legs plunged into the black pond and spread wide, managing to grapple the edge, halting its further submersion. However, the surrounding darkness energy in the pond immediately stirred, beginning to exert a powerful pull.

A fierce contest of strength ensued between the giant and the pond. To aid the pond, Surressh relentlessly bombarded the armored giant with more gravity bombs, intensifying the tug-of-war.

While Surressh was occupied, Amon stealthily advanced from behind. The incapacitating effects of the sound attack had faded faster than the mental one, and Amon had regained control of his body. Clutching the Moonfire Dagger, he moved with his Concealed Ghost Body technique, suppressing his aura despite the location's dampening effect on cultivation senses.

He lunged, aiming the dagger at the unsuspecting Surressh.

Just as the dagger’s tip neared its target, Surressh dissolved into smoke, a move that startled Amon. His forward momentum carried him past the dissipating smoke of the Hyanid.

The smoke coalesced back into Surressh, who instantly retaliated with a gravity bomb. It detonated, amplifying the gravitational pull on Amon. He struggled against the intensified gravity, attempting to ascend out of the affected zone.

Surressh thwarted his escape by raining down further gravity bombs upon him.

"You... You concealed that transformation ability throughout the battle?" Amon questioned, straining.

"It's not an ability. It's my innate constitution," Surressh replied, his voice steady.

"How did you sense my attack?"

"I didn't sense it. I saw you," Surressh explained, gesturing to his multifaceted eyes. "Hyanids possess nearly 360-degree vision, allowing us to perceive almost everything around us. Ambushing us from behind is futile."

Amon recalled an earlier incident where the dog beast attempted a surprise attack on Surressh. The Hyanid had seen it coming but feigned surprise.

"Heh. Well done, Surressh. It was foolish of me to underestimate your perceptiveness," Amon conceded with grudging admiration.

"It's nothing personal, Amon. Only one of us can emerge victorious from this trial," Surressh stated evenly.

"Don't assume this is the end of it," Amon declared. Although the crushing weight of the gravity bombs pinned him, preventing immediate escape, he began to inch away. His power, amplified by the Elder God Veil, was demonstrably superior to Surressh's gravity manipulation.

Surressh recognized the shift. He intensified his efforts, yet Amon continued his slow, deliberate movement towards Surressh. Once Amon had covered a meter in Surressh's direction, the dark tentacles protruding from his back whipped out.

The tentacles, extending to a considerable length, easily reached Surressh. He quickly retreated to evade them, causing his relentless assault to falter. The oppressive pressure from the gravity bombs consequently lessened, presenting Amon with an opportunity to escape.

However, just as he prepared to flee, something latched onto his leg. Glancing down, he saw it was the armored giant.

The armored giant, clinging desperately to the edge of the black pond, was dangling directly beneath Amon. It appeared to have resigned itself to its fate, realizing escape from the pond was impossible. Thus, it resolved to drag its tormentor down with it.

With its grip only on the ground, the armored giant lacked the strength to defy the black pond’s gravitational pull. Its form was dragged deeper into the swirling dark energies, drawing Amon along with it.

"No," Amon whispered. He was never one to surrender, but faced with this predicament, a quick solution eluded him. By the time he uttered that single word, the armored giant had been completely swallowed by the black pond. His own leg then brushed against the swirling dark energy.

The instant he felt the pond’s energy, he understood the futility of it all. The suction was overwhelming. If this cultivation world harbored a black hole, this pond was surely it. Nothing could escape once ensnared within its influence.

In under a second from Amon’s feet making contact with the pond, he vanished into the swirling void.

*

Murmurs swept through the onlookers positioned above the chasm. Nearly all assumed the survivor would be among the spirit beasts. The snail beast, being an altered creature, possessed capabilities few understood. Those in the know anticipated it and the armored giant would be the final contenders.

Regarding the armored giant, all Hyanids were familiar with this particular spirit beast – the Steel-clad Titan. It once reigned supreme in this region alongside other titan-class beasts until the Hyanids established their dominance, displacing them. Some were even captured by the Hyanids to serve as training implements for their aspiring soldiers.

Due to this widespread recognition, the Hyanids comprehended that this was no spirit beast a cultivator at the Peak Fiendish Stage could overcome. It was the widespread consensus that the Steel-clad Titan would emerge victorious from the trial.

"Surressh, the one condemned, has successfully passed the Worthiness Trial!" Ublaith proclaimed. Addressing Surressh directly after the announcement, he stated, "You have been afforded a second chance. Do not repeat your past errors."

"I shall not, Master Ublaith Kahn. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this trial."

"You have someone else to thank," Ublaith responded. He then turned to Xlasstazh, saying, "My sympathies, Elder Xlasstazh. It appears the deity you revere is either an illusion or an impotent being. Had they possessed true power, they would have intervened to rescue the human prophesied to deliver us from this accursed land. The human’s demise confirms the prophecy holds no weight."

Xlasstazh’s brow furrowed deeply, yet he remained silent. He held an unshakeable conviction that Amon would, by some means, triumph in this trial. He couldn't articulate how he knew, but he was certain the creator was not a figment of his imagination. Furthermore, he was convinced the creator was far from powerless, understanding with absolute certainty that their divine might could obliterate this entire world if they willed it.

However, he too was perplexed by Amon’s sudden demise. There had been numerous occasions where the creator’s messages were obscure, but Amon’s seemed unequivocally clear. So, why? Had the creator rescinded their favor, casting Amon aside?

He found no answers, only the need to wait. To await another divine message, perhaps one that would illuminate the situation.

*

Far below the chasm, within a separate realm, lay a cavernous space, itself a small pocket dimension. The ceiling of this pocket dimension served as its sole portal to the outside world – a swirling vortex of black mist.

The remnants of the armored giant materialized from this mist. All that remained were its robust armored plates and its skeletal structure, which tumbled onto the cavern floor. Nearby lay the skeleton of the snail beast.

Scattered across the area were the skeletal remains of numerous spirit beasts, Hyanids, Cryanids, and even humans. Weapons lay strewn about as well. Unlike those within the pit, the artifacts here appeared far more ancient. Despite their damaged state, they still emanated potent auras.

Another entity emerged from the swirling black mist overhead. Unlike the preceding arrivals, this latest visitor retained an intact, albeit wounded, physical form.

This visitor was Amon.