The Witcher: Start with the Lord Marrying a Wife.

Chapter 581 Awakening of the False God
David stood in the center of this dark and eerie battlefield, gazing at the Grand Duke's figure, which hovered atop the altar, entangled in countless runes and twisted madly.

His entire body shone with the dazzling light of the seventh ring limit of spiritual power, a powerful spiritual force he had gained through countless life-and-death trials and tribulations.

Like a clear torrent, it surges through every nerve in the body, and every breath drives a steady and powerful rhythm of internal and external energy.

At this moment, he condensed the "Life Deprivation" arcane spell, which he had just adjusted and improved, and which incorporated the essence of the Vine Python tactics, into a sharp, invisible spike.

These spikes, like blades of the spirit, transformed into blinding light in the void, gradually penetrating and dissolving the core of the Grand Duke's soul link beneath the dark altar.

David took a deep breath, placing all his will on this fatal blow. He knew this was the only chance to stop the Grand Duke from fusing with the "Final Blood Demon Core," a crucial key to instantly turning the tide.

He was completely absorbed in feeling the spikes grow sharper, invisible yet as hard as steel, piercing through the evil network of connections spreading through the space.

Just as he was about to successfully interfere with the other party's soul link and steal control of the fusion core, the Grand Duke suddenly curled up a chilling grin.

The smile was cruel and mocking, as if it had been foreseen all along, but was deliberately luring the opponent into a trap.

“Foolish humans…” His voice was low and cold, like a curse bursting from the abyss of hell, “You think you can shake me with a little spiritual power?”
Today, I will show you what the 'blood hell backlash' truly means!

Before he finished speaking, he abruptly interrupted part of the attraction force, releasing a strange black light onto the crowd of people around him who were bound and floating with bright red remains.

The black light seemed to come from the deepest core of the world. It was an evil wave that was filthy, corrosive, and had a corrupting and curse-like nature. Its speed was beyond the reach of thought. In an instant, it crossed the void and struck the location where Arya was in the distance!
Arya was using her last bit of strength to stall for time when she sensed an unusual aura rushing towards her and her expression changed instantly.

Her eyes flickered with terror as she tried to resist, but due to her internal injuries and shattered essence, she was unable to form an effective barrier.

With a sharp "plop," a gruesome tearing sound rang out as the dark curse pierced through her chest and body, as if a venomous snake had suddenly bitten her vital spot.

The dark red bloodstains surged and spread, transforming into an ominous and corrosive aura that was difficult to suppress and spread wildly around her. It was a fatal blow from the "Blood Prison Backlash"!

Arya screamed shrilly, her face turning pale and changing rapidly from resolute to on the verge of death.

Her frail body trembled uncontrollably, her veins twisted into unstable runes of vibrant and dark intertwined, and the flow of her life essence suddenly became disordered, like a withered flower swaying precariously before a storm!

This sudden and brutal blow completely disrupted David's meticulously planned strategy.

He saw Arya fall to the ground and slide into the shadows, her eyes, which burned with a mixture of faith and pain, gradually dimmed. The ominous energy that seemed to burn away all hope and will to resist suddenly made his heart explode!
His anger burned like a raging inferno in his chest, and he roared, "Damn it! You demon, is this all you've got?!"

David gripped his staff tightly, his muscles tensing, and pushed his seventh-ring mental power to its limit once again.

This was not just an attack, but a desperate defense—to protect an ally who was on the verge of collapse but still held their ground, buying them time and hope.

The air vibrated violently with his anger, and every slight movement caused the surrounding space to tremble.

His eyes were bloodshot, and as he confronted the Grand Duke, he conveyed an unspeakable, turbulent determination—that he would never back down even in the face of unprecedented danger!
At this moment, the Grand Duke's maniacal laughter intensified. He seemed to have anticipated all of this, and even if he was disturbed, he had prepared a way to crush the counterattack.

He waved his hand, unleashing a chaotic storm like a vortex, constantly devouring the incoming spiritual sharpness, while releasing surging evil power to try to erode David's soul defenses, subjecting him to extreme pressure and even bringing him to the brink of collapse.

But David fought back with unwavering determination, refusing to let any fear take over his mind.

He knew that if he failed in this battle, not only would he be doomed, but the entire multiverse would also be plunged into eternal calamity!
The unstable ripples generated by the collision of the two powerful forces continued to spread, tearing the surrounding space into hundreds of fragments, which then quickly reformed into an even more dangerous and complex structure, like a giant beast that swallows the cycle of life and death, mercilessly devouring all the energy and hope of anyone who approached...

The terrifying, oppressive atmosphere in the air almost froze time. The dark core at the top of the altar emitted bursts of dim, cold light, pulsating incessantly like the heart of an abyss.

The Grand Duke's grotesque and twisted figure swayed amidst the crimson rune light, his incantations growing increasingly frantic, each breath seemingly tearing the entire space apart.

He waved his hands, manipulating dark energy to frantically devour the blood and souls offered as sacrifices.

Arya lay on the ground, her body covered in wounds, her veins shimmering with a dim and unstable red light.

His breathing was as erratic as a candle flickering in the wind, each gasp bringing with it a chilling sensation.

Her eyes gradually lost focus, but the burning fighting spirit within her erupted with astonishing persistence at the last moment.

At this critical moment, the "Blood Demon Core Fragments" that had been purified by David and scattered throughout her body suddenly began to tremble violently.

The fragments, as if awakening, released a blazing and violent crimson light, as if they were growling, making a final cry of resentment and despair against their fate.

A surge of crimson energy erupted from Arya's body, burning like flames yet carrying a chilling coldness, rippling across the desolate ruins.

David stood beside Arya, and as he felt this power erupt, the strange fluctuations emanating from deep within him, connected to his soul imprint—the imprint of the sea god—began to surge.

His spiritual power surged suddenly, and at the same time, the elemental affinity he had recently acquired and integrated into his spiritual system—especially the fragments of the four elements of wind, fire, earth, and water from the laws of nature—also resonated and changed.

A powerful yet painful message, resonating deep within the soul and permeating the very foundation of the multiverse, emanated from the deepest recesses of this ancient and utterly distorted world of "Blood Prison."

It was a painful groan emanating from Arya, a cry of defiance against the cruel fate she was in, a cry of despair for the present situation, and an uncontrollable force for survival and resistance. David felt as if every nerve in his body had been pierced, as if crimson currents were shooting through his sea of ​​consciousness, surging into scorching flames in the most hidden corners.

He abruptly closed his eyes, using all his strength to capture and guide this painful lament, preventing it from turning into destruction, but transforming it into the key to a counterattack.

At that very moment, a fragment of a "pseudo-godhood" formed from Arya's blood deep within his consciousness suddenly awakened.

This tiny but immensely powerful and secret personality fragment, as if possessing a will to live, disregarded its own danger and the surrounding chaotic evil obstacles, breaking through the mental shackles at an astonishing speed and shooting out from the sea of ​​consciousness!
It tore through the void silently, yet it brought with it a powerful aura, rushing towards the Grand Duke's Fusion Core suspended in the center of the altar.

The fact that the "false deity" acted completely autonomously, beyond David's conscious control, both shocked and gave him a strange sense of hope.

This is a crucial marker of a turning point in this great war!

Time seemed to stand still, with only the surrounding crimson runes spreading and splitting in the light, as the tiny but extremely dazzling fragment of personality crashed straight into the dark core, its surface covered with tangled and writhing eerie patterns.

These patterns seem to originate from an endless ancient curse, yet they are also like vibrant, rhythmic arteries, guiding the entire spatial spiritual field into a new, complex, and dangerous melody of order.

When the Grand Duke noticed this sudden change, his eyes sharpened, and he stopped chanting and waving his hands, but it was too late.

This "pseudo-godhood" broke through all previous defensive barriers, piercing through his evil defenses like a bolt of lightning, severing several key nodes in the core energy guiding chain, and causing a violent and widespread chaos!
At the moment of impact, a deafening roar echoed through the heavens and earth, as if the final judgment had arrived.

A colossal pillar woven from blood and energy burst forth from the core, creating a powerful resonance with the existence of the "pseudo-god."

This resonance not only caused the core itself to tremble violently, but also activated the natural rhythms lurking at the source level.

This caused some long-dormant, faint signs of life to resurface near the desolate wasteland, and even the dying native magical beasts in the distance stirred slightly with a hint of vitality due to the impact!
David's heart suddenly raced. He knew this was a rare improvement, a crucial opportunity to exchange his life for the blossoming of hope.

However, he also understood that the Grand Duke would launch an even more frenzied and desperate attack, and he had to seize the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow, otherwise all of this would be in vain...

At this moment, a low chant echoed across the earth, as if the ancient spirits of heaven and earth were responding to the call through the laws of nature, awakening the elemental spirits that had been sleeping in the darkness.

A gentle breeze carrying the fragrance of the soil slowly spread, infusing this place, which was filled with the scent of decay and decay, with a long-lost warmth and resilient vitality, making the air feel soft and rich.

Although Arya was on her deathbed, a struggling smile appeared on her lips. That smile contained her desire for victory, her trust in her companions, and her calm and unwavering belief in the face of death.

It is as awe-inspiring as if even on the verge of destruction, one should use one's own body to illuminate the stars in the dark night!
"boom--!"

With a deafening roar that seemed to tear the heavens and earth apart, the fragment of the "pseudo-godhood" that flew out of the sea of ​​consciousness slammed into the surface of the Blood Demon Grand Duke's fused core.

Unlike any previous clash of forces, it was not easily devoured or destroyed by the core. Instead, it was like a key on an ancient chain, activating this ancient, forbidden black core the moment it was touched.

A crimson radiance suddenly erupted, spreading rapidly like a surging sea of ​​blood, enveloping the entire Altar of the End Flame.

The radiance transformed into a massive vortex, like fresh blood swirling and churning in the void, twisting the surrounding space into a bizarre and distorted red domain.

David stood at the edge of the vortex, his eyes reflecting the earth-shattering changes. He felt the surging attraction emanating from the center of the vortex, like the breathtaking yet exhilarating tremors of the ancient chaos at its birth, enveloping the entire altar as if it were shrouded in a thick blood mist.

"What... what's going on?" he muttered to himself, but quickly realized that this was an unprecedented primal resonance between the pseudo-divine fragments within Arya's body and the dark core, a resonance that even the Grand Duke had not anticipated.

At the same time, the figure known as the Last Ancient Demon Grand Duke trembled violently, turning from frantic chanting into heart-wrenching screams of agony.

The corrosive runes on his body flickered erratically, some of them shattering and bursting out with blinding, scorching flames—the backlash was tormenting his writhing, broken, and twisted soul.

"Grand Duke... his fusion process has been severely disrupted and is even undergoing self-erosion!" David sighed inwardly, but had no time to think further. This energy change was bringing about exceptionally strong and complex effects, and he had to concentrate fully on dealing with the new situation that could spiral out of control at any moment!
At this moment, multiple primal forces hidden deep within David's body quietly began to awaken and surge.

The place that connects the will of the sea god and the mark of the abyss's secret language is now being drawn by an invisible magnetic field, firmly pulling his spirit and energy points from all parts of his body toward the center of the vortex.

Following closely behind were the faint fluctuations emanating from the life runes, and the elemental affinity newly integrated into the spiritual system—

Fragments of the four natural laws of wind, water, fire, and earth intertwine and resonate, generating extremely complex and sharp ripples.

The light and flowing wind element makes the air suddenly become rapid yet refreshing, while the water element causes the surrounding void to ripple like the tides.
The fire element ignited, its faint, fiery red flames flickering.
The earth element, like a stable rock layer, supports all these intertwined changes, allowing those within it to feel an indescribable new life rhythm that is both violent and calm!
“I… sensed a primal call from multiple dimensions, a force attempting to completely merge my existence into that vortex…”

David gritted his teeth, trying to steady his body while attempting to use his mental power to control the surging torrent. However, the invisible pressure made it almost impossible for him to breathe, and each breath felt like swallowing icy blades piercing his lungs.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, his muscles tensed to the limit, and he felt as if his soul was being slowly pulled away from his body and drawn into the great furnace where birth and collapse coexisted, a place where chaos and order intertwined.

He knew he was entering an extremely dangerous but irreversible state—

An unprecedented "fusion," but the price could be the complete loss of self...

(End of this chapter)