Chapter 486 – Devour

“Idiot!”

The red-bearded man, following not far behind Lu Yuan, couldn’t help but curse as he witnessed Lu Yuan dive headfirst into the pile of Source Ore.

While his eyes flickered with hesitation, he suddenly sensed a powerful and domineering wave of mental power emanating from the battle group above.

Sea Wolf!

The red-bearded man felt a shiver down his spine and, without a second thought, charged straight ahead, bypassing the spot where Lu Yuan had fallen.

“Kill!”

At this point, the space pirates had no way out. The only path forward was to capture the Gem Lord.

Several level 7 mechas flashed into sight, darting at several times the speed of sound above the Gem Lord.

The guards clad in armor around the Gem Lord all drew their weapons to attack the intruders.

They were numerous, but without the Protective shield of mechas, they were like human shields in the face of a vast power differential.

“Buzz-“

A single round of consciousness impact from the approaching level 7 space pirates caused the armored guards to contort their faces in pain, spitting blood as they staggered backwards.

Several energy blades swept downwards, sending the guards flying like pieces of paper.

Fragments of destroyed armor and severed limbs scattered everywhere like garbage.

In just a few breaths, the Protective line in front of the Gem Lord had been completely torn apart.

“Hold them off!”

A level 7 space pirate, wielding a chain scythe, fired several energy cannons to repel the pursuing crimson gold mechas behind him. Under the cover of other space pirates, he charged madly into the crowd below.

Controlling the level 7 mecha, he was like a heavy truck plowing through a cornfield, wildly swinging the chain scythe in his hand, easily tearing through the bodies of armed guards.

Before long, he was near the Gem Lord.

At this moment, the space pirate became less hurried.

The towering and majestic level 7 mecha slowly approached the Gem Lord.

The blood and flesh-coated chain dragged casually on the ground, emitting a rough, dull dragging sound, leaving a long bloodstain behind.

Inside the mecha cockpit, a one-eyed, bald brute wore a vicious grin, his single eye blazing with intense heat and triumph.

“Now you’re scared, aren’t you, fat man…”

The one-eyed strongman saw the Gem Lord in front of him, appearing dazed by their series of frenzied assaults, standing there with his head bowed, his fleshy body trembling in waves.

“Too bad it’s already too late.”

The one-eyed strongman sneered, just about to lift his chain scythe to bind and take the Gem Lord away.

But just then, the Gem Lord, who had kept his head down, suddenly slowly raised it.

His face was grotesque and twisted.

His features were contorted into a bizarre expression, seeming both frightened and smiling.

His mouth, stretched open to an exaggerated degree impossible for a normal person, revealed rows of tiny sharp teeth, with a scarlet, snake-like tongue flicking out, bringing with it thick, gooey saliva.

The once amiable-looking Gem Lord had somehow transformed into something monstrous.

His tiny, bead-like eyes fixated intensely on the abruptly halted mecha in front of him, grinning eerily.

In comparison to the level 7 mecha, his frame was barely a fifth its size.

Yet somehow, the one-eyed strongman in the mecha cockpit felt an inexplicable chill, as if…

As if he was prey, fixated upon by something terrifying.

In a fleeting moment of distraction, the one-eyed strongman shook off the unexplainable unease.

“Damn! Must’ve taken too many drugs…”

He cursed sharply, and with a fierce expression, moved to bind the Gem Lord in front of him.

But just as he lifted his chain, the Gem Lord’s shadow on the bright cave floor suddenly expanded at an incredible speed, transforming into a vast shadow.

Simultaneously, an indescribable wave of evil consciousness surged from the Gem Lord.

“Boom!”

The chain scythe flung from the level 7 mecha suddenly lost all its Strength mid-flight and crashed heavily to the ground.

Inside the mecha cockpit, the one-eyed strongman’s face twisted in abject terror. In the next second, the light in his eyes dimmed, and he collapsed like a heap of mud.

A sudden chilling scream broke out across the cave battlefield.

Every space pirate looked towards the sound, only to see the one-eyed strongman’s mecha frozen in place before the Gem Lord.

As their gazes unconsciously shifted, their expressions quickly turned to shock and horror.

They saw a huge, grotesque, twisted shadow cast on the cave wall behind the Gem Lord. It resembled a monster with long limbs and a mouth full of sharp teeth, holding a tiny human figure, slowly bringing it to its mouth.

The outline of the struggling figure bore a striking resemblance to the one-eyed strongman.

“Crunch… crunch…”

The writhing figure was wholly swallowed by the shadowy monster, which emitted a series of chewing sounds.

Below, the Gem Lord, with his bizarre facial expression, mimicked the chewing motions. His eyes were half-closed in pure ecstasy, as if he were savoring an invisible delicacy.

This eerie and sinister scene filled every space pirate with a deep, profound dread. Their hair stood on end, and they instinctively began to retreat.

They didn’t know what had happened.

But judging by the inactive one-eyed strongman, it was clear that his fate was sealed.

And the one responsible was evidently the Gem Lord whom they had thought of as an easy target.

“Damn it, this guy… isn’t human…”

A space pirate muttered with a panic-stricken face, retreating in disarray. In his moment of distraction, several crimson gold mechas suddenly broke through from the sides.

“Boom!”

With no time to react, a level 7 mecha was torn into pieces, exploding into oblivion.

The blast from the mecha snapped the rest of the space pirates back to reality. They scrambled to flee.

“Boom!”

With a massive explosion, a gigantic shadow plummeted from the sky like a meteorite.

It hit the ground with a tremendous force, creating a gigantic crater.

The twelve-meter giant black mecha belonging to Sea Wolf lay battered in the crater, its alloy arms’ blades severely damaged and twisted. It struggled several times to stand up but failed.

In the air, the amber-like pale gold mecha hovered, immaculate and resplendent like a deity.

Helier, with his amber twin wings spread wide, held a pale gold alloy long sword in one hand, gazing indifferently at Sea Wolf below.

Seeing this scene, the space pirates were filled with even greater despair.

Their morale plummeted, and they completely lost the will to fight.

Apart from running away, there was no other thought left in their minds.

The Gem Lord gently wiped his mouth and casually tossed the used handkerchief to the ground.

He looked up, watching the remaining space pirates being chased like headless chickens by the crimson gold mechas, then shifted his gaze to the extremely dazzling amber mecha in mid-air.

“Now… there’s just one last step left to complete…”

The Gem Lord murmured softly, taking a slow step forward.

His eyes were fixated unwaveringly on Helier in the sky as he stepped forward.

Upon reaching his fifth step.

Suddenly.

The Gem Lord sharply turned his head to look in another direction.

It was a pile of scattered Life Source Ore.

The glow of the ores shone serenely, everything appearing calm.

The Gem Lord stared at that spot for several seconds before slowly turning back.

A hint of puzzlement flashed across his face.

“It feels… a bit different from before…”

“Did I remember wrong?”

He muttered to himself, paying it no further mind.

But as he continued forward, the seemingly calm Life Source Ore pile silently began to collapse inward.

It appeared that there was an invisible pit beneath the ore pile, continuously devouring the unclaimed ores…

…

“Look, what’s that?!”

On the spacious platform, a girl shouted, pointing above her head.

Dong Lingxue instinctively looked up and quickly spotted what the girl was referring to.

It was some dark gray fluffy substance, resembling snowflakes or perhaps dust, floating down from the darkness overhead.

The girls instinctively wanted to dodge these falling unknown particles, but under the stern warnings of the weapon-wielding bodyguards around them, they had no choice but to stay obediently in their designated spots.

Fortunately, these dark gray fluffy particles stopped descending at a certain height, hovering quietly at the boundary between light and darkness, as if an invisible force was holding them aloft-a miraculous sight.

Gradually, more and more of the dark gray particles suspended in the air.

Not only dark gray particles, but also some scarlet droplets began to join them.

These things floated above the heads of the thirty-two noble girls and, upon reaching a certain concentration, suddenly began to spin, slowly forming a massive black-red vortex.

The girls made sounds of amazement.

This group had been brought here without explanation, standing idly and bored all along.

Now, at least something different-a sort of “show”-was occurring.

However, Dong Lingxue’s sense of unease grew stronger.

She had read quite a few random books and couldn’t shake the feeling that what was happening resembled a ritual gradually taking shape.

And those of them forced to stay in their designated spots might be… some kind of sacrificial offering for the ritual?!

This thought made Dong Lingxue tense up.

Instinctively, she turned to look around and found that she wasn’t the only one feeling this inexplicable unease.

The girl, Irene, standing beside her, had her lips tightly pressed together, her eyes constantly darting among the nearby bodyguards.

Dong Lingxue noticed that Irene’s left hand was clenching something tightly, her feet slightly apart, as if she were ready to bolt at any moment.

Dong Lingxue instinctively reached for her pocket but quickly recalled leaving all the protective tools her dad, Dongmu, had given her back in her room.

She couldn’t help but feel a wave of frustration, having to admit that Irene excelled in every way she didn’t.

Perhaps Dong Lingxue had been staring too long; Irene noticed it and turned her head to look at her.

Dong Lingxue felt a sudden pang of anxiety and was about to turn her face away in embarrassment.

But she saw Irene making a serious gesture, signaling her to be silent and careful.

Dong Lingxue blinked, still unsure how to respond to Irene.

At that moment, something unusual happened overhead.

“Whoosh-“

A foul-smelling gust of wind inexplicably arose, as if an invisible presence had descended.

The massive black-red vortex suddenly constricted, transforming into a thick black-red giant python that swiftly descended below.

A noble girl, caught off guard as she was looking up, was directly struck by the “python.”

The python, carrying countless particles and scarlet droplets, forcibly plunged into the girl’s open mouth.

Her mouth agape, the girl’s body convulsed violently as every pore emitted an eerie light.

In just a few seconds, her body rapidly swelled.

Reaching a critical point…

“Boom!”

She exploded like a water balloon filled to bursting, turning into a mist of blood.

All the girls on the platform were utterly stunned.

Dong Lingxue was no exception.

The sudden scene petrified them, leaving them standing motionless.

But the “python” didn’t stop.

The blood mist from the girl who had burst was absorbed into barely noticeable grooves in the platform’s surface.

Some strange patterns lit up.

“Ahh!!”

The black-red “python” burrowed into a second noble girl’s body.

When this girl’s body similarly exploded like a balloon, the other girls finally snapped out of their shock.

Immense panic and terror swept across the platform like a hurricane, ear-piercing screams erupting one after another.

But before the terrified girls could act, the whoosh of bullets filled the air.

The bodyguards, who had been watching them closely, sprang into action.

Silenced weapons fired subtle flashes of light, and the girls struck were instantly incapacitated, their screams abruptly silenced as their bodies crumpled to the ground.

Dong Lingxue felt overwhelmed by immense fear and confusion.

She was so terrified that her whole body trembled, wanting to flee, but her legs were like noodles, too weak to move an inch.

Ironically, her inability to move spared her from being targeted by the bodyguards.

Every girl who attempted to leave their designated spot was struck by bullets with a paralyzing effect, left lying on the ground, helplessly watching as the “giant python” approached to devour them.

Dong Lingxue shivered as she glanced beside her and saw that Irene was still standing in place unharmed.

Unlike Dong Lingxue, whose legs were too weak to run, Irene clearly had anticipated this outcome and wisely remained still.

Dong Lingxue noted Irene’s determined looks, repeatedly shooting her meaningful glances.

Her mind was a chaotic mess, leaving her dazed and unsure of what to do.

As the “giant python” devoured the girls on the platform one by one, the grooves on the platform filled with blood, and the strange patterns grew denser.

Then, Dong Lingxue saw a gentle white light suddenly burst from Irene’s side, followed by a quick, pleasant voice in her ear.

“Run!”

Immediately after that.

Her hand was grabbed firmly, and she was swiftly pulled in the opposite direction of all the guards.