I don't want to conquer witches anymore.

"Teleportation".

The next instant, to Xiao Hei and Noelle's utter bewildered expressions, the two found themselves on the streets of the floating city's underground world, outside the seal. Duke, meanwhile, stood there, completely disoriented, swaying and nearly collapsing. Seeing this, Xiao Hei, despite having just been cursing at Duke, immediately forgot his earlier annoyance and eagerly came over, using his shadow to support him.

"Was it solved so easily?"

Noelle blinked, looking at Duke in disbelief, then turned her head to look in the direction of the Tower of Babel. About ten seconds later, a violent explosion came from there, followed by a mushroom cloud rising from it, and the entire Tower of Babel was instantly reduced to nothing.

Fortunately, there is no one in this world of memories, so the collapse of the Tower of Babel will not harm any passersby.

"Don't be too happy yet." Duke, supporting Little Black, shook his head: "It's not that simple."

"No ordinary legend can withstand that kind of explosion! Even if Bugatti were still in his prime, this explosion would be enough to blow him to pieces, leaving only his head."

"But what if it was a Bugatti in its prime plus condition that withstood the explosion?"

Duke is not as optimistic as Noel.

Bugatti wanted to do the same thing as Norton: to bring divine intervention to the mute. However, their goals in achieving this were certainly different. Bugatti was a mute follower of the Mind-Body movement, and his level of devotion to the mute was questionable, while Norton was a devout believer. Their goals were not only different, but most likely diametrically opposed and diametrically opposed.

Not to mention Megan, the key saint who brought the speechless gods down, already possessed the Candy Legion, capable of fighting against multiple legends, and was not someone to be trifled with.

Therefore, if Bugatti wants to achieve its goals, it must possess power greater than Norton and the Candy Legion.

Such power... could the explosion just now have solved it? Duke didn't think so. The explosion did exceed the limits of what an ordinary legend could withstand, but Duke didn't think it could harm a legend of Lady Scarlet's caliber.

As for Bugatti... at least he won't die, otherwise he'd be too weak.

Sure enough, not long after, a figure tore through the mushroom cloud like lightning.

Then, under the watchful eyes of Duke and the others, a complete monster reigned supreme over the illusory floating city.

Chapter 279 The Beast of Sin

The monster tore through the mushroom cloud, instantly traversing the ground and sky of the underground world. With a violent explosion, it slammed into the ceiling of the floating city's underground world. The magical machinery was destroyed by the intense collision, and large scalding flames engulfed its body, but failed to worsen its wounds.

"Roar! Aaaaaah!"

The monster raised its head, and a roar that sounded like both a lament and a furious cry rang out.

It was a monster through and through, resembling both a giant ape and a ferocious lion. A pair of dragon wings covered in scales unfurled before Duke and the others' eyes, and on its head was an organ resembling a crown, shimmering with a chilling purple light. As it lit up, the concentration of elements and magic in the underground world of the floating city began to change drastically.

Its six eyes simultaneously locked onto Duke's location. It opened its blood-red maw, its fangs reflecting a chilling light, and a terrifying pressure pressed down on Duke and the others.

In a flash, Little Black transformed back into a little black cat and instantly hid behind Duke, trembling and covering his head. Noelle also turned pale and involuntarily took a half step back.

Duke was the only one among the three who could remain calm. His perspective was now different from his companions. He had seen the Witch of Miracles unleash her full power, the Mute descend with a divine avatar, Norton remain unmoved, and Cecil shoot down a star. The monster in front of him was also terrifying, but it would not surpass the peak that Lady Scarlet had set for the legend of the floating city.

However, it is the only entity Duke has seen so far that could potentially challenge the Scarlet Lady and the Aphasia.

Under the pressure from the monster, Duke gripped his cheat device tightly. If the guy dared to come down and battle him, he was prepared to give him a good whack.

Duke has never used cheat codes to instantly defeat a legend. If everyone has a first time, why can't it be this?

However, after glancing at Duke and the others, the monster immediately turned its gaze away. It seemed unconcerned that Duke had detonated the Tower of Babel earlier; the bloody wounds on its body were merely a testament to its glorious evolution.

No explanation is needed; Duke knows what it is.

A fusion of Bugatti and the prisoners living in the Tower of Babel.

Those who hide in this corner of the world will eventually come to an end. The very fact that they will be imprisoned in the Tower of Babel means that the sins of those prisoners are grave. Bugatti's sins may not even be considered among the components of this monster.

This monster is the embodiment of sin.

A beast of sin.

The prisoners who fused with it originally had no clear purpose; they were simply trying to survive, fighting with all their might and even sealing themselves away just to stay alive... Perhaps Bugatti, with only a head left, was no match for many of the monsters in the Cocoon of Babel in terms of sheer strength, but he gave them the motivation to act.

Escape the Tower of Babel!

Revenge on the floating city!

This motivation ignited their anger and made them determined to act. Even the detonation of the magical environment within the Tower of Babel failed to stop them.

Thus, the beast of sin was born.

It took a deep breath, and then roared again.

A dazzling purple light, accompanied by pure elemental magic, shattered the barrier between the underground world and the surface!

"boom--"

Large swathes of ground were crushed into dust, unleashing an elemental storm. Then, it flapped its outstretched wings, leaped into the air, and flew back to the ground, as if it were flying towards the free world it yearned for.

Elemental storms struck the ground world where the Bone Legion and the Candy Legion had reached a balance.

"What...what was that thing?" Noel's eyes widened. Only when the Beast of Sin broke through the underground world and disappeared from their sight did Noel collapse to the ground as if he had just breathed a sigh of relief. His forehead was covered in cold sweat. Even though he was a hero-level spellcaster, the pressure from that monster still made him tremble. "It was terrifying."

He had no awe for Bugatti, because he was familiar with Norton and the strength that a legendary powerhouse should possess. Noel originally thought that he would not lose his fighting spirit because of the strength of the enemy... It was not until he saw the Beast of Sin that he realized there was someone in this world who was a level above Norton.

"Perhaps it's the final boss I need to defeat this time, or it might just be a mid-way boss. I hope it's the former; if it's the latter, I really won't have any more trump cards to use."

Duke spoke in a language no one could understand, but there was no trace of confusion in his eyes. If the explosion just now hadn't been enough to kill the sinful beast, then he would look for other opportunities to kill it—for example, by using the mute, by using the will of the world, or by finding a way to safely get to its side and use a cheat item to kill it instantly.

But he never thought of running away, never thought of letting the taller people carry the load when the sky collapses.

His habit is to be the highest person in his own right, and to shoulder the burden of a collapsing sky all by himself.

This time is no different.

Duke must bring Megan back to the floating city safely, and he must bring Amber, Cecil, Annie, and Little Black back to the floating city safely as well. To do this, he must continue forward... by any means necessary.

As for the rest, he couldn't care less about that anymore.

Duke, who always chose the highest difficulty and the perfect ending, eventually felt his strength waning. The cards he held were no longer enough for him to consider everything and avoid all misfortune. When luck was not on Duke's side, there were things he couldn't do.

But at least those he cherishes... at least he has to protect them.

Not just Amber and her friends in the witch game, but also those friends who are still in the floating city.

His original plan was to finish the game as soon as possible, get everyone out of there, and leave the rest to the cunning Carol. However, the existence of this sinful beast disrupted Duke's original plan... Duke had no memory of Carol taking action, but a voice deep in his soul vaguely told him that Carol was no match for this sinful beast.

This sinful beast is too dangerous; we can't let it leave this place.

Duke slowly exhaled and turned to look at Noelle: "Noelle, I'm sorry."

"what do you mean?"

“Noelle, given the current situation, I may not be able to fulfill my promise to you. I can't guarantee that I can get you out of the Tower of Babel, nor can I guarantee that I can help you kill Norton under these circumstances... because I have to kill that monster.”

Chapter 280 The Catfish Effect

It's strange, really.

Even though Duke had only been in this world for a few months, the number of friends he made in the floating city already exceeded the number of friends he had made in his previous life over the past twenty years.

Perhaps it was because, with the "help" of the witch conquest system, he truly developed feelings for the witches that went beyond friendship; or perhaps it was because his daily adventures in the world of swords and magic led to the discovery of scientific phenomena such as adrenaline and suspension bridge reactions; or perhaps it was simply because Duke enjoyed this adventurous life.

He was much happier in the floating city than he had been as an extreme athlete in his previous life, constantly seeking thrills.

In just a few months, the floating city gave him a sense of belonging, and every time he returned from the witch game, he felt a sense of ease as if he had come home.

Duke loves the floating city, the people he meets there, Amber, Cecil, and the girls who love him.

Therefore, he disliked the Beast of Sin, because it only wanted to bring revenge and destruction to the floating city.

"I'm going to kill that monster."

Duke said firmly.

"Then why are you apologizing to me?" Noelle looked at Duke strangely, shook her still trembling legs, took out a cigarette from her pocket, and put it in her mouth. "Aren't our goals the same?"

Duke frowned: "You..."

“How can I not be included in the hero’s quest?” Noelle grinned. “I’m ‘Noelle’s Conscience,’ you know. Do you think I’d just stand by and watch you fight that terrifying monster to the death? Of course not! You want to kill that monster because you don’t want it to reach the real floating city, right? That’s what I think too. And since I’ve already agreed to cooperate with you, I’ll naturally risk my life to accompany you to the end.”

“…Noelle.” Duke blinked, patted Noelle on the shoulder, and said earnestly, “Don’t say things that are obviously death flags next time.”

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

“Don’t worry about the details, cough! In short, we can’t just rush in blindly, we need to devise a strategy.” Duke stopped joking, turned around and found the still trembling Blackie, picked it up by the scruff of its neck and asked softly, “Blackie, can you sense where Monica is?”

"Meow."

It means yes.

“That’s good. In that case, let’s first determine our strategic objective.” Duke nodded in satisfaction, then said to his only two companions, “Killing that Beast of Sin is quite simple. We just need to find a way to meet one condition—get me safely to the Beast of Sin and then give me three seconds to deal damage.”

……

"Boom—"

When the Beast of Sin leaped from the underworld to the ground and then into the sky above the floating city, the few living people in the floating city saw its presence.

Annie and Monica were together at this moment. They had been plotting something together. When Duke contacted Annie through the bone warrior, Monica was beside her and overheard their conversation.

The Faceless Norton's previous quest for the Saint finally revealed the location of Saint Megan to Anne. Previously, she had no idea where Megan was hiding and could only resort to a war of attrition and all-out warfare, gradually conquering the territory occupied by the Candy Legion while secretly investigating Megan's whereabouts.

Because of the relative balance between the Bone Army and the Candy Army, Annie's task had not gone smoothly until just now, when she finally found Megan's location with Duke's help.

She was about to command the bone legion to charge the small stronghold when an elemental storm and the culprit that unleashed it interrupted her thoughts.

"Roaraaaaaahh ...

The roar of the sinful beast echoed throughout the city. Then, everyone who heard the roar saw it spread its wings, reveal its sharp claws, and crash to the ground like a cannonball.

Then, the elemental storm was further ignited.

Perhaps because it had been tricked by Duke once, the Beast of Sin suddenly developed a liking for the "detonation" attack method. It directly detonated the elemental storm it had created. The streets of the floating city were destroyed one by one until the elemental storm reached the territory occupied by the Bone Legion and the Candy Legion, at which point it finally stopped advancing.

The Beast of Sin tilted its head, as if searching for something, and strode gracefully back and forth between Anne and Megan's territories.

As it approached the territory of the Bone Legion, the bone dragons that had previously torn apart Faceless Norton took flight again. But this time, just as they soared into the sky, a lightning-fast figure approached—it was the Beast of Sin. It bit into the bone dragon's throat, its claws and fangs tearing the bone dragon's bones apart, breaking them into individual skeletons.

Annie's eyes widened at the sight: "How is this possible?"

Standing beside her, Monica could see it even more clearly. After all, she was a true legend, and her vision was far superior to Annie's. Monica could tell just how powerful this sinful beast was. She swallowed hard and began to wonder if she could contend with this monster at her peak.

No, if she had completed the previous experiments with the higher-dimensional shadow creatures at her peak... could she have fought against this monster?

Even with these restrictions, Monica still felt her chances of winning were slim.

"Don't try to stop it. Your bone legion can indeed hold its own against a few enemies who have just been promoted to legendary status, but such a scattered military force is no match for that kind of monster—I have long understood this."

Ms. Fei had performed countless miracles in front of her, single-handedly taking on an entire army.