I Will Return as a Stronger Being
Chthon's immense divine power stemmed from his mastery of the laws of dark magic. As the source of all dark magic, he felt his strength being steadily absorbed and realized that he would eventually be drained completely. Even now, he couldn't escape Wang Yan's devouring spell.
Wang Yan's relentless consumption of Chthon's power continued, accompanied by a notification from his system:
"Ding! Congratulations, host! You have absorbed 70% of the origin of dark magic. In the future, the host will replace Chthon and become the new source of dark magic!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Yan's expression turned complex. While he felt a sense of joy at having absorbed so much of Chthon's power—ensuring that Chthon, if he survived, would be significantly weakened—he also felt some concern. Becoming the source of dark magic as a practitioner of white magic could have unforeseen consequences.
However, now was not the time for such thoughts. His immediate goal was to eliminate Chthon.
Chthon, unwilling to resign to his fate, tried to use his most potent magic to escape, but his efforts were in vain. Every attempt to recover his body or flee only absorbed his energy faster.
Chthon felt desperate as he realized his predicament. In a final, desperate move, he tried to negotiate.
"Sorcerer, do you truly intend to end things this way? Aren't you afraid my allies will seek vengeance?" Chthon's voice lacked its former confidence.
"You have allies?" Wang Yan was genuinely surprised. Given Chthon's reputation for dark magic, it seemed unlikely he had many friends. Most who associated with Chthon were notorious figures unlikely to help him now.
Seeing that his bluff had failed, Chthon switched tactics. "Sorcerer, name your price. I can give you all the wealth I've accumulated over the years—treasures that even gods would covet. I was one of the richest gods of the ancient times!"
Wang Yan knew there was truth in Chthon's words. Chthon's relentless pursuit of dark magic had made him extremely powerful and wealthy. His amassed fortune would indeed be significant.
However, Wang Yan was not tempted. The threat Chthon posed was too significant. "Chthon, even if I take your treasures, what's to stop you from seeking revenge once you recover? I'm not that foolish."
Rejecting Chthon's offer, Wang Yan accelerated the absorption of his power, determined to eliminate any future threat to Earth.
As Chthon felt his strength rapidly fading, his anger and desperation grew. "Very well! If I must perish, then let us return to the primordial void together!" he shouted, initiating his final spell: "Dark Annihilation!"
Chthon's form disintegrated into a dense, ominous energy, spreading like a shadow that seemed to consume all light. The sheer spite of this power was palpable, even to Wang Yan.
"Ding! Detected dark magic skill fragment: Dark Annihilation. Do you wish to fuse?"
"Fuse!" Wang Yan commanded, gaining immunity to the spell and increasing his absorption rate. Even Chthon's final, most potent spell began to be consumed by Wang Yan, who integrated it into his other magic.
As Chthon's power was fully absorbed, his presence faded from the universe. Wang Yan reached out and retrieved a gray space orb filled with the vast treasures Chthon had collected over millennia. His mental scan confirmed that Chthon's essence was gone, making him the first god to be killed by a mortal.
With Chthon's threat eliminated, Wang Yan returned to Earth. Unbeknownst to him, a wisp of gray energy drifted away, escaping into the depths of the cosmos.
This gray wisp persisted in a distant, chaotic region of the multiverse, where cosmic forces clashed violently. Here, the energy coalesced and took on a new form—Chthon's essence began to reconstruct itself.
Chthon, now a mere shadow of his former self, seethed with rage and hatred. "Curse that sorcerer! I will return. He may have absorbed my power, but he has also granted me insight into his magic. He will be the catalyst for my resurgence."
Determined, Chthon vowed to come back stronger than ever.