2026-07-29 18:36:11The massive steel war hammer came down. It was swung with brutal, terrifying force by the giant Captain of the Dungeon Guards. Crackling green lightning exploded from the head of the hammer.
The lightning looked like a wild, angry snake made of pure electricity. It shot straight toward Bruce’s chest, lighting up the dark cavern with a sickly, glowing green light.
Time seemed to slow down for Bruce. He could hear the crackle of the lightning. He could smell the burning ozone in the air.
He knew he could not dodge. He knew he could not block it with a magical shield. If he fought back the normal way, the clash of magic would demand more power. The Captain’s weapon would just suck more life out of the innocent people sleeping in the glass vats. Bruce could already see the young farmer in the vat next to him twitching in pain as the machine pulled on his soul.
"I cannot fight the magic," Bruce thought quickly. "So I have to eat it."
Bruce did not step back. He did not raise his Blade of Lost Tears. Instead, he dropped his sword. The blade made of dark smoke faded away into nothing.
Bruce planted his bare feet firmly on the cold, wet stone floor. He reached his right hand out, opening his palm wide.
"Master, wait!" the Ashen Seraph called out from behind him, sounding surprised.
CRACK!
The thick bolt of green lightning slammed directly into the palm of Bruce’s bare hand.
The force of the strike pushed Bruce backward. His bare feet slid across the wet stone floor, leaving two long scrape marks. The green lightning wrapped around his hand, his wrist, and his arm. It tried to burn his skin. It tried to stop his heart.
But the Brand of the Void on his right shoulder woke up.
The brand flared with a blinding purple and white light. It was not a shield. It was a mouth. A deep, bottomless mouth.
Bruce gritted his teeth and pushed back against the lightning. He did not push with physical strength. He pushed with his soul. He activated the Devour skill.
Instantly, the burning pain stopped.
The wild green lightning stopped trying to destroy his arm. Instead, it was sucked straight into his skin. Bruce felt a rush of cool, refreshing energy flood into his veins. The lightning traveled up his arm and poured directly into his mana core.
The young farmer in the glass vat suddenly stopped twitching. His face relaxed. He went back into a peaceful sleep.
Bruce opened his eyes wide. The silver fire in his eyes burned brighter than ever.
He had done it. Because he completely ate the magic, the spell did not bounce back. It did not demand more energy from the network. By eating the lightning, Bruce had cut the invisible cord. He had stolen the energy before the machine could pull more life from the captives.
The Captain of the Dungeon Guards stopped swinging. He stared at Bruce. Behind his screaming iron skull mask, the giant man was completely shocked.
"What?" the Captain gasped. His voice was rough and confused. "You... you caught it with your bare hand! You did not even burn!"
Bruce slowly lowered his hand. Little sparks of green electricity danced between his fingers, and then faded away. He looked at his own skin. There was not a single burn mark. He felt incredible.
"You use stolen magic," Bruce said. His voice was low, cold, and dangerous. "You are just a thief. But I am a black hole. And I am very hungry."
The Ashen Seraph stepped forward. The giant angel raised its long, skeletal hand. "You do not need to dirty your hands, Master. Allow me. I will turn them all into dust."
"No," Bruce said firmly. He put his arm out to stop the Seraph.
The Seraph paused, tilting its silver bone mask. "Master?"
"Your power is too big," Bruce explained, keeping his eyes on the guards. "If you unleash an attack here, the shockwave might shatter the glass vats. You told me earlier that if the glass breaks, the people inside will die instantly. I cannot risk it. I have to do this myself. Up close."
The Seraph slowly lowered its hand. It understood. "As you command. Show them the hunger of the Void."
Bruce held out his right hand again. The dark smoke swirled around his palm, and the Blade of Lost Tears appeared in his grip. The sword hummed with a dark, angry vibration.
"Kill him!" Lady Hestia screamed from the high obsidian platform. She was standing at the edge, pointing down at Bruce. "Don't just stand there! Cut him to pieces! Drain the vats if you have to! Just kill him!"
The Captain shook his head to clear his confusion. He gripped his hammer tightly. "Formation! Attack together! Do not let him touch your weapons!"
The twelve Dungeon Guards rushed forward. They moved fast for men wearing such heavy iron armor. They spread out, trying to surround Bruce in a circle.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 52
Hestia looked up at Bruce. Her face was covered in blood and wet dirt. Her eyes, which used to look at him with such cold, cruel arrogance, were now filled with absolute, pure terror. She opened her mouth, but she was too weak to speak. She just whimpered, raising a trembling, bleeding hand to protect her face. She expected Bruce to summon his dark sword and cut her head off. Bruce looked down at the Matriarch of the Iron-Heart Clan. He looked at the woman who had locked his mother in a cage, who had branded his shoulder, and who had ordered him to be treated like garbage for nineteen years. He could easily kill her right now. It would take one second. But Bruce did not raise his hand. He realized that killing her here, in the rubble, was too easy. She was already defeated. Her gate was destroyed. Her secret battery farm was exposed to the church. Her elite army was dead. Hestia was going to have to explain this massive failure to the rest of the noble clans and the angry Inquisi
Chapter 51
The Blade of Lost Tears materialized in his grip. But it was not a normal sword of dark smoke anymore. Fueled by the Seraph’s full localized power and the explosive Ashen Fire, the sword grew. It expanded massively, shooting up into the rainy sky. It became a towering pillar of black and white flames, sixty feet long and ten feet wide. It looked like a column of absolute destruction. Bruce grabbed the hilt of the massive, sixty-foot pillar of fire with both hands. He did not feel the weight. The magic moved with his will. He ignored the army of Inquisitors behind him. He ignored the holy spears and fireballs flying at his back. He focused entirely on the giant monster and the massive eighty-foot gate blocking his path to freedom. "I am the Devourer," Bruce’s voice boomed. It sounded like an earthquake. Bruce swung the massive, sixty-foot sword of Ashen Fire directly at the Northern Gate. He swung it in a perfect, horizontal arc. The giant pillar of black and white fire hit Hest
Chapter 50
"Very little, Master," the Seraph replied. "Only enough for one final attack. But I cannot come out of your shadow. The holy net will burn me instantly.""You don't need to come out," Bruce commanded. "I am the Devourer. I am the bridge. I want you to push all of your remaining power directly into my body. Every single drop. I will channel your true, localized power through my own flesh."The Seraph was completely shocked by the order. "Master, you cannot do that!" the Seraph warned quickly. "My power is Forbidden. It is too dense, too chaotic! Your Void-Forged Body is strong, but you are still a mortal boy! If I push my full power through your cracked core, it will break your bones! It will tear your muscles apart! You might explode!""I don't care!" Bruce shouted out loud. His sudden shout made Bontus and Hestia stop arguing. They both looked down at the boy in the glowing net. "I don't care if it breaks my bones!" Bruce yelled, his voice echoing over the rain. He opened his eyes
Chapter 49
Bruce Thompson lay flat on the wet, cold cobblestones. The holy net of pure, burning hard-light was wrapped tightly around his body. The magic acted like glowing ropes of fire, pinning his arms to his sides and his legs together. Every time he took a breath, the net burned deeper into his wet clothes and his skin. He could smell the sickening scent of his own burning flesh. He was completely trapped. Above him, the giant, mutated monster that used to be Lady Hestia looked down. She was fused into the massive, eighty-foot Northern Gate. Her giant iron face twisted into an ugly, jagged smile. Her eyes burned with red, stolen blood-magic. She raised her massive foot, which was made of heavy iron beams and sharp spikes. She hovered it directly over Bruce’s head, ready to stomp him into a bloody paste. "I have you now!" Hestia’s monstrous voice roared. The sound shook the heavy rain in the air. "You are nothing but a trapped rat, Bruce! A little, dirty rat caught in a trap!"But befor
Chapter 48
The Seraph was not strong enough to stop the monster completely, but the dark chains slowed the giant arms down for just one crucial second. Bruce used that second perfectly. He ran straight up the falling right arm. His bare feet found traction on the rusty iron and the glowing red spikes. He sprinted up the massive arm like it was a ramp, defying gravity. "Get off me!" Hestia screamed. She tried to shake her arm, but Bruce was too fast. He reached the shoulder of the giant monster. He leaped off the metal joint, launching himself high into the air, directly toward the center of the gate. He was flying straight toward Hestia’s giant, ugly face. Bruce reached his left hand out. The Brand of the Void on his shoulder flared with its maximum power. The deep purple light illuminated the rainy night. He was ready to pull the corrupted magic right out of her brain. He was ready to end the Matriarch once and for all. "I am going to eat you alive, Hestia," Bruce whispered as he flew thro
Chapter 47
Without even slowing his sprint, Bruce reached his left hand up and caught the glowing red fire-arrow directly out of the air. He did not even look at it. He simply absorbed the fire magic into his palm, turning the iron arrowhead to rust, and kept running. The guards on the ground were completely decimated. They could not fight back. They could not even defend themselves. Every time they swung a weapon, Bruce was already behind them. Every time they tried to use magic, Bruce ate it, growing stronger, faster, and more deadly. It was not a battle. It was a harvest. In less than sixty seconds, the remaining twenty Iron-Guards on the ground were completely erased. There were no bodies. There was no blood. There were only piles of gray ash quickly washing away in the freezing rain. Bruce slid to a stop. His bare feet dug deep grooves into the wet stone. He was breathing deeply, but he was not tired. The stolen magic rushed through his veins, repairing his torn muscles instantly. The
You may also like
Vengeance of The Reborn Heir
Cindy Chen19.7K viewsConquer the Heaven World With the Ouroboros Snake's Sigil
Bystander56.3K viewsXianXia : Sovereign of the Gods
kalki_gsk20.4K viewsThe Legend Of Sword God
Djisamsoe 20.6K viewsHoarding Resources In Apocalypse
Sunday 238 viewsRebirth of The Strongest Swordsman
King Cume78 viewsThe Return of the wilderness God
Shuaib Balikis 296 viewsFoolish Soldier: Reborn With A Broken Limit.
Lucien127 views