"Devour you."
With a guttural sound, Adam Dale lunged at me with his mouth wide open. I instinctively retreated, but his grip on my Endbringer was unyielding, refusing to let me go. I raised my fist and smashed it straight into his mouth.
With a sickening gulp, my entire right fist disappeared into Adam Dale's mouth. A crack sounded—I grimaced as he bit off my fist. The unleashed Endbringer's Power was instantly swallowed into his belly. With a thud, his fist struck my abdomen, sending me flying.
The moment I crashed to the ground, the surrounding shelves shattered instantly. The green gourds shriveled and blackened, then crumbled into dust. I scrambled up, silently watching Adam Dale charging at me.
John Chou and the others had already vanished—I could only hold Adam Dale off for now.
As Andrew Dale drew closer, I raised my newly restored right hand. With a thought, two intersecting bolts of black lightning materialized along Adam Dale's path. The lightning was solid, dense—instantly halting Adam Dale. The air sizzled with black thunder, scorching his chest and ribs black.
Guided by my will, the lightning began to extend, crossing over like chains to bind Adam Dale to the ground. He roared in fury, eyes wide, glaring at me. I had no intention of approaching—only to stall him. In a direct confrontation, I was no match for him, and would suffer greatly. He could devour my Endbringer's Power without restraint.
Because of this, I immediately rose and floated into the air. Black lightning snaked across the ground, slithering toward Adam Dale and coiling around him. In no time, my black lightning had wrapped his entire body. He kept struggling, his strength immense. Gritting my teeth, I continued channeling Endbringer's Power.
All things in this world are both real and illusory—the transition between them is something I've only recently begun to grasp. This power came with my awakened state. I can convert the ethereal Endbringer's Power into tangible black lightning. Though its solidity can't compare with Deathbane Aura, even this much amazes me.
At that moment, I noticed the breach Adam Dale had torn open had vanished—apparently, they'd already repaired it. Gradually, the black lightning crept up Adam Dale's cheeks, burning them to a crisp. Acrid smoke and the stench of charred flesh filled the air. His golden mask shattered, exposing a face of pitch-black, mangled flesh. He howled and screamed, hideous and wild.