Beirut had originally only possessed ss+ Ultimate strength, yet now he had unexpectedly erupted with sss Level power, shocking everyone present.
It was an undeniable fact. Although the gap between ss+ Ultimate and sss Level was only half a step, the difference in power was as vast as that between heaven and earth. It was something that couldn't be measured with simple words.
"So you've broken through to sss Level too? However, you probably still can't escape," Mardo sneered. Immediately after, with a whoosh, he transformed into a dark shadow, blocking the furiously roaring Beirut. He extended his palm, where the Dark Nether Jade spun slowly, emitting a terrifying dark aura.
The Dark Nether Jade was pitch-black, resembling an ordinary charred stone, but the dark aura it emanated was chillingly terrifying. It caused the expressions of everyone present to change drastically, especially Beirut, who bore the brunt of it; his eyes widened in alarm.
It was understandable. The Dark Nether Jade was a top-tier Mid-Grade Holy Artifact, its body alone possessing extremely destructive power, let alone the fact that it was now in Mardo's control. Mardo, too, had reached the sss Level.
"Mardo, don't go too far!" Beirut roared, his blood-red eyes fixed on Mardo, his voice thick with killing intent.
"I'm going too far? Hehā¦" The only response he received was a chilling sneer from Mardo.
Then, the Dark Nether Jade rose from his hand, spiraling silently upwards as it flew out. Seeing this, Beirut's face became twisted and ashen.
"ROAR!"
BOOM! RUMBLE!
Beirut bent down, letting out a bizarre, beast-like roar. He then shot backward without hesitation as a torrent of deep-gray energy surged from his body, forming dozens of protective barriers that completely shielded him.
However, a cold sneer was all that could be seen in the depths of Mardo's eyes.
Another deafening, terrifying shockwave resonated through the air. The Dark Nether Jade had somehow already crashed into the dozens of energy barriers.
BOOM!
In an instant, an indescribable dark energy burst forth from within the Dark Nether Jade.
The entire area, including the very air, was wracked by a horrifying tremor. In that moment, more than ten of the energy barriers were forcibly shattered, disintegrating into nothing.
"Sss!" Behind them, the high-ranking powerhouses from the major forces were left dumbstruck and in disbelief.
The Dark Nether Jade, combined with the current Mardo, can actually unleash such horrifying power!? This revelation made them tremble with a mixture of fear and disbelief. After all, even though they intended to kill Beirut, his current strength was no joke.
RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLEā¦
While everyone was still reeling from Mardo's terrifying strike, the Dark Nether Jade had already torn through the maelstrom of shattered, deep-gray energy. The remaining twenty or thirty energy barriers were frantically shredded and destroyed. In the end, nothing was left, and the dark power enveloped the panicking, retreating Beirut.
At that moment, everyone's faces were contorted with terror. Amidst their trembling, the area where Beirut had stood was instantly and horrifyingly annihilated by a colossal dark power, as if by a Flame Demon. The surrounding air was instantly vaporized.
Mardo gazed at the dark torrent that had completely swallowed the area where Beirut had stood and muttered to himself in excitement, "Heh, it seems that after breaking through to sss Level, the power of this move really has become much stronger."
Since his breakthrough, this was the first time he had used this move. It certainly hadn't disappointed him; it had become far more powerful and terrifying.
"Sss, is this Mardo's strength now? Truly worthy of a legendary super-powerhouse. An sss Levelā¦ such power is just too frightening," one of the high-ranking experts from the major forces stammered. They all swallowed nervously, their eyes filled with irrepressible shock.
Clearly, Mardo's display of strength had thoroughly terrified them. They suspected that if the Dark Nether Jade were aimed at them, they would all be gravely injured, if not killed outright.
"L-Lord Beirutā¦" In contrast, Old Brad, Duke Ovilia, and the other Brad Family elders were filled with panic and terror.
Of course, they were also heartbroken.
For any major power in the Western Dark World, the birth of an sss Level super-powerhouse was an event that would cause unparalleled excitement and celebration.
But now? Their Lord Beirut of the Brad Family had only just broken through to sss Level, only to immediately fall into such a predicament, besieged and facing death.
How could they not feel frantic and utterly heartbroken, yet completely helpless? The enemies they faced were simply too powerful. Even if they wanted to serve as cannon fodder to cover Lord Beirut's escape, they didn't even have the right.
Mardo frowned slightly as he stared at the battlefield, a swirling mess of dark and deep-gray energies. Is he dead? No, not yet. He's certainly tenacious. He wasn't particularly surprised, however. After all, Beirut has already broken through to the sss Level, making him a super-powerhouse just like me. Even with the Dark Nether Jade, it's unrealistic to think I could kill him instantly or just crush him. When has a super-powerhouse of that caliber ever been so easy to deal with? It's simply impossible.
However, though Beirut had indeed survived, anyone present with a modicum of strength could sense that he had been severely injured by Mardo's previous attack.
"Mardoā¦"
Beirut's blood-red eyes stared fiercely at Mardo, his expression savage. His gaze then swept over the others, and a wave of despair washed over him. With a sudden roar, his figure transformed into a deep-gray shadow and shot forward, charging directly at Mardo with a bizarre and frenzied aura.
"Since you all insist on forcing me to this point, fine! We'll all go to hell together!" he roared.
WHOOSH!
In an instant, his speed became unbelievably fast, closing the distance to Mardo in the blink of an eye.
Then, everyone saw a terrifying, spine-chilling aura burst from his body. A deep-gray force then exploded with terrifying power.
In the back, Kaide's expression changed abruptly. He's going to self-destruct? It seemed Beirut, knowing they would not let him go, had chosen to take them all down with him.
The self-detonation of an sss Level super-powerhouseāthe very thought was enough to send a chill down one's spine.
Mardo, directly in the path of the attack, naturally had his expression change drastically as well. But just as quickly, his face returned to normal, as if he hadn't been overly intimidated by this desperate act.
He reached out his hand. The Dark Nether Jade, which had returned to him at some unknown point, suddenly flashed and expanded, creating a light shield several square meters in size. On the shield flowed many chilling streams of dark energy, each one emanating a terrifying aura as they formed a defensive wall.
BOOM!
RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLEā¦
The power from Beirut's self-detonation erupted. The terrifying, deep-gray energy raged like a storm.
Mardo bore the brunt of it, but fortunately, he had prepared a sufficiently strong defense.
HISS! HISS! HISS!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Like an all-consuming abyss, the power unleashed by the Dark Nether Jade instantly enveloped the immense, deep-gray torrent of energy from the self-detonation.
Instantly, the terrifying collision erupted like a volcano, its deafening booms echoing relentlessly.
The shocking reality, however, was that even the terrifying force of the self-detonation was no match for the Dark Nether Jade's devouring power.
The force of the explosion then dissipated like melting ice, visibly and rapidly consumed by the light shield projected from the Dark Nether Jade. Even so, Mardo seemed to have been injured in the exchange. At some point, the corners of his mouth had become soaked in blood, which now trickled down his chin.
What a troublesome bastard. Is he finally deadā¦? Hmm? What's thatā¦?
Just as Mardo finally dealt with Beirut's fearsome self-detonation and began to retract the power of the Dark Nether Jade, his gaze suddenly shifted. His eyes narrowed as he looked towards the only exit, now a collapsed pile of rock in the distance.
There, a very short figure had appeared, silent and uncanny.
BOOM!
RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLEā¦
The figure blasted through the collapsed rocks with incredible speed, rushing outside.
"Sss! It's him, Beirut? He's still not dead?"
"But didn't he just self-destructā¦?"
At the sight of the short figure, everyone's expression shifted dramatically. They couldn't believe Beirut was still alive. Hadn't he just self-destructed? So how is this possible!?
"Mardo, Kaideā¦ remember this. You had better not fall into my hands in the future! Otherwise, I swear I will drag you to hell!"
A chilling, savage, curse-like promise echoed out. Then, the short figure began to blur, but the deep-gray aura surrounding him solidified, its presence growing even more terrifying.