Chapter 90: Cassius’s Forced Breakthrough, the Situation Shifts in an Instant

At the very moment Lorlock died—

Deep within the Pool of Rot, Melunus’s largest festering eye suddenly snapped open!

“Lorlock… is dead?”

It muttered in shock, “How is that possible?!”

Then the rotten flesh around Melunus’s abdomen began to squirm violently.

Soon after—

A Heart-Eroding Leech, smaller than Lorlock by nearly a whole circle in size, was spat out roughly.

The new leech appeared immature, seemingly forced into premature birth.

It trembled as it shook the mucus off its body, appearing utterly terrified.

“Hurry up!”

Melunus barked harshly, “Immediately take control of all the larvae in Lemon Port!”

“These brainless creatures will riot the moment they lose command!”

The newborn leech dared not delay. It curled itself up at once, releasing faint pheromones to remotely connect with the restless larvae.

And this act—

Undoubtedly proved that Cassius’s previous words were lies.

Killing Lorlock could not possibly eliminate the Parasitic Plague of Lemon Port!

If Lorlock were truly an irreplaceable core, would Melunus ever have allowed it to face danger in person?

Even so—

Melunus still felt an involuntary pang of grief.

Lorlock had been one of the most intelligent of their species, the one with the greatest potential to evolve into a higher form!

And now it had died—just like that, inexplicably perished in Lemon Port?

Worse still—

“What was that useless Cassius doing?!”

Melunus’s fury surged, the Pool of Rot boiling in response!

Had it not specifically sent Cassius—a Lich at the peak of the Fourth-tier—to protect Lorlock?!

In this era where no Fifth-tier beings appeared—

A peak Fourth-tier was already a being that could walk sideways unchallenged!

And yet he couldn’t even protect a single worm?!

“Cassius—!!!”

Through the Rot-Tongue Slug, Melunus let out a deafening roar, attempting to contact him.

However…

No response came back—not even a trace of thought!

Cassius… actually dared to ignore it?!

At that moment—

Melunus was no longer merely furious; a strong sense of alarm rose within.

Something had definitely gone wrong in Lemon Port!

It hesitated no longer.

Countless rotting tentacles on its massive body began twisting and intertwining—

Sketching out a complex and sinister sigil.

The stench in the air intensified tenfold in an instant!

Viscous rotten fluid climbed upon the sigil like a living creature, emitting sizzling sounds as it burned.

This was a costly secret spell of decay—【Eye of the Rot Abyss】!

It allowed Melunus to sacrifice its own corruptive essence to peer across distance and see what was happening in Lemon Port!

——

The scene cut back to the outskirts of Lemon Port.

In that chaotic refugee district—

Cassius had transformed into a wisp of drifting black smoke, rapidly shuttling between the crude shanties.

Wherever he passed, cold, dark death energy spread like a tidal wave.

“Ahhh!”

“Hel… help…”

The refugees—already weak, sick, and powerless to resist—

Withered rapidly upon contact with the death aura, their life force violently extracted.

Streams of crimson light flowed into Cassius’s body.

His harvesting efficiency was terrifyingly high!

In contrast, Baroness Erica’s team of black-clad men found themselves restricted.

They had to both pursue Cassius—

And simultaneously avoid harming too many refugees, which inevitably slowed their assault.

“Damn it! What are we holding back for?!”

The Captain of Lord Servan’s personal guard cursed furiously.

“If we keep hesitating like this, that Lich will kill ten times more people than we might by accident!”

“Better to go all out—kill him first, then deal with the rest!”

His words snapped everyone to awareness.

Several Fourth-tier powerhouses exchanged glances, seeing the same resolve in each other’s eyes.

Indeed, protecting civilians was about reputation—

But if they allowed the Lich to advance to Fifth-tier, the entire Lemon Port would be doomed!

The greater and lesser weight—clear as day!

“Kill!”

The black-clad men roared.

Sword auras flared violently.

No longer holding back for the shanties below, their sharp battle qi directly targeted Cassius’s vitals!

The other powerhouses also unleashed their full strength.

Magic and battle qi interwove into a radiant storm, engulfing Cassius in an instant!

The battle reversed yet again!

Cassius’s pressure soared, the death aura shield around him fluctuating wildly—danger mounting at every instant!

However—

This reversal proved disastrous for the refugees below.

Already plagued by illness and hunger,

They were now swept into the shockwaves of a battle among powerhouses.

Shanties collapsed in succession, limbs flew, and screams of agony filled the night sky.

They were as insignificant and helpless as ants…

The only small mercy—

Cassius’s slaughter had been interrupted.

The death toll’s growth had slowed considerably.

“Damn it! Just a little more! Just a little more!”

Cassius’s eyes bulged with rage.

He could feel the gathered life energy within him—he was so close to perfectly advancing to Fifth-tier!

But given the current situation, if he didn’t break through now, he would die for sure!

“No choice then! Incomplete or not, so be it!”

A glint of madness and cruelty flashed across his eyes.

He forcefully channeled the unrefined life energy he had just absorbed, together with his accumulated death power, directly into his soul flame core!

Boom——!

A terrifying aura—surpassing even the peak of Fourth-tier, though somewhat unstable and hollow—

Burst violently from Cassius’s body!

The air rippled with visible waves as the invisible energy surged!

The black-clad fighters were forced backward under the overwhelming pressure, their faces changing drastically!

“He forcibly broke through!”

“But it’s an incomplete Fifth-tier! His aura’s flawed!”

“There’s still a chance—fight!”

With the fate of the city at stake, no one dared retreat!

The black-clad men roared once more, closing in with fiercer strikes!

Cassius had just completed his forced breakthrough—his realm unstable—

But his power had indeed soared.

He laughed savagely, waving his skeletal hand.

A spear of condensed black death aura shot forth—

Easily piercing the shoulder of a slightly weaker Fourth-tier knight!

“Pu!” Blood spurted as the knight was sent flying, strength collapsing.

Even a flawed Fifth-tier still crushed any ordinary Fourth-tier!

The battle fell into deadlock once again.

Yet the balance of victory seemed to tilt once more—toward Cassius.

His heart seethed with hatred. “It’s all your fault! You forced me to cut off my future!”

“I’ll turn every one of you into ghouls!”

Just as Cassius was preparing to unleash his full strength—

To crush the black-clad opponents—

A blinding streak of golden light shot forth from the heart of Lemon Port, streaking through the night like a meteor!

As the brilliance faded—

A young figure emerged—Lynn.

His face was dark as storm clouds.

His gaze swept across the refugee district below—the hellish devastation—

And the helpless civilians who had perished amid the shockwaves of the battle.

Rage surged within him.

“A temporarily advanced Fifth-tier Lich?”

“No wonder they couldn’t take him down.”

Lynn snorted coldly.

Without wasting a word, he raised his hand and struck downward!

A beam of Holy Light—pure enough to purge all evil—

Descended like a divine judgment, striking directly toward Cassius!

And the instant Lynn appeared—

Cassius felt a shudder from the depths of his soul!

That sacred aura—

Made even his newly ascended, incomplete Fifth-tier body tremble in fear!

“So this is the Fifth-tier powerhouse Lorlock mentioned?!”

“He’s too strong! A monster!! No wonder Lorlock was so terrified!!”

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