Why don't I try it?
The thought surfaced suddenly in Blake's mind.
He wanted to see what the Abyssal Devouring State truly was—and what would happen to him once he entered it.
"Activate."
The command echoed silently within him, and suddenly—
His body began to burn.
But before the flames—
The heat came first.
Not pain.
Not fire.
Just a crushing pressure in the air, as if the world itself had drawn a shallow breath… and decided to hold it.
Blake's steps slowed.
The mana around him grew heavy, viscous, resisting his movements in a way it hadn't moments ago.
He frowned and looked down at his hand.
For an instant, crimson-black patterns flickered beneath his skin—like coiling dragon scales—before vanishing just as quickly.
Blake clenched his fingers.
What remained wasn't excitement or madness.
It was certainty.
Calm.
Cold.
Absolute.
This feels awesome…
But why do I feel so empty?
Then—
One minute…
His eyes narrowed.
That was more than enough to decide life and death.
Because in a battle, even a single second could decide victory—or death.
Blake didn't know it, but the moment he entered the Abyssal Devouring State—
Far beneath the Rodrick Mansion, inside a sealed hidden chamber—
A being abruptly opened its eyes.
Its pupils shrank.
Its fists clenched.
A fear it had not felt in centuries surged from the depths of its soul, as if something unseen was reaching toward it—something that devoured, not flesh, but existence itself.
Yet it did not emerge.
The Red Thunders still lingered in his mind.
And whatever this anomaly was… it terrified even him.
"Could they be connected?"
It chose to wait.
Within the Rodrick Family's secret training cave—
Baron Red's eyes snapped open.
A chill crawled up his spine.
Fear.
True fear.
And worse—
He couldn't tell where it was coming from.
"…What was that?" he muttered, his brows drawn tight in confusion.
Elsewhere, Ethan's cultivation abruptly broke.
He gasped, clutching his chest as his bloodline roared violently within him.
His entire body trembled, instinct screaming danger—as if he were facing a natural enemy etched into his very existence.
"W-What is happening?" he stammered.
"Why does my blood feel like it's boiling…?"
Slake.
Ivan.
And several other high-ranked existences across the Region felt it as well.
A formless dread.
An instinctive certainty that something had appeared—something that should not be touched.
None of them moved.
All of them hid.
Some anomalies were better left unprovoked.
Sometimes… terror itself was a warning.
Back in his room, the pressure abruptly vanished.
The heat beneath Blake's skin retracted violently, like flames being dragged back into his veins.
He staggered half a step.
His breathing turned heavy.
Mana refused to respond, slipping through his grasp like smoke.
The emptiness deepened.
Not weakness—
Hunger.
After several seconds, his body stabilized.
So I fall into a weakened state for a while while also feeling extremely hungry.
Blake exhaled slowly and opened his status panel.
***
Host: Blake
Sutra: Abyssal Infernal Dragon Devouring Sutra
Path: Body–Soul Dual Path
Physique Rank: 2nd Rank Peak — Grade X
Physique Type: Infernal Dragon-Touched Human
Soul State: 2nd Rank Peak — Grade X
Soul Traits: Hardened, Expanded, Corruption-Resistant
Core Affinity:
Infernal Fire
Abyssal Darkness
Law:
• Devouring Law (1%)
• Current Authority: Insufficient
• Strength Requirement: Unmet
Active Trait:
• Abyssal Devouring State (Locked — 1 Minute)
Special Properties:
• Sutra Assimilation (Same or Lower Rank/Grade)
• Partial Assimilation (Incomplete Higher Sutras)
• Presence Suppression (Passive)
Storage:
Golden Shield Talisman
Autograph of Sydney Sweeney
3rd Rank Sword (Excellent Quality)
2nd Rank Shield (Good Quality)
2nd Rank Bow (Excellent Quality)
2nd Rank Peak Illusion Talisman
Carbon Viltronium Suit (5th Rank — Superior Quality)...
***
There were massive changes.
Core affinity.
Soul state.
But Blake's gaze was locked on one word.
Law.
"I understand the core affinity and soul state," he muttered, "those came from merging the Dark Infernal Dragon Sutra and the others…"
"But this—Devouring Law?"
His thoughts raced.
"Is it like the Laws I read about in my previous world? Something that absorbs everything?"
His eyes sharpened.
"…If I become stronger than Baron Red… stronger than Slake…"
"Can I absorb them too?"
Blake frowned.
His lack of knowledge about this world's cultivation system was his greatest weakness.
Then a thought surfaced.
If you don't understand something… ask the master at work.
"Master System, I summon you."
The words echoed in his mind—casual, almost playful—like tossing a ball and waiting for it to return.
"..."
Ding—
System Notification:
Law refers to a fundamental rule governing existence.
Cultivators do not create Laws.
They comprehend them.
Blake's expression stiffened.
System Notification:
Devouring Law detected.
Law comprehension originated from Sutra Fusion.
Current strength insufficient.
Law authority sealed to prevent self-collapse.
O_o
Blake froze—not because of the explanation…
…but because of the last line.
"You can… seal something the world itself abides by?" he asked slowly.
System Notification:
Of course, Host.
Blake swallowed.
"Then how powerful are you?"
A brief pause.
System Notification:
Current Host strength is insufficient to receive answer.
Please grow stronger.
(^ ^)
Blake's vision darkened.
He almost spat blood.