In the dark cave passage, the group extended endlessly into the unknown depths.
Song Zhiguo conjured a flame in his palm, illuminating the path ahead.
Park Xingfeng led the way, continuously cheering on the remaining people.
"We've been walking for 40 minutes! Hurry up and take care of the final BOSS. The portal will close in an hour, so we still have a comfortable 20 minutes!"
After walking for a while longer.
A commotion suddenly erupted at the front of the group!
"Found it!"
"This is where the BOSS is!"
A massive stone gate appeared before everyone.
The stone gate was carved with strange, twisted patterns, as if countless struggling souls were sealed within, emanating a cold and ominous aura.
While everyone was still in doubt, Park Xingfeng impatiently pushed his hands hard against the large door.
"What are you hesitating for! Legends say that there are countless treasures in the double Dungeon!"
"And, they're all monsters from the same Dungeon, so their levels won't differ too much! We can definitely hunt this BOSS!"
Unbeknownst to them, some mechanism was installed on the massive stone gate, allowing him to push it open easily.
"Rumble—"
The moment the gate opened, the Hunters rushed in, vying for position, afraid of falling behind.
As soon as they entered, the torches hanging on the walls automatically ignited with a "whoosh," burning with an eerie blue flame.
The space inside the door was exceptionally vast, like an ancient temple.
A massive circular roof loomed overhead, giving a strong sense of oppression.
It felt as if this place had been buried underground for countless years, and the air was filled with a dark, damp smell.
Finally, only Rhode, Cheng Xiaoyu, and Song Zhiguo remained outside the door.
Rhode turned his head and looked at Song Zhiguo.
"Seeing as you'll be sparring with me later, I'll give you a piece of advice—it's best to turn back now."
Upon hearing this, Song Zhiguo's scalp tingled instantly, and an extremely ominous premonition surged into his heart.
He wanted to ask, but when he turned, he met Rhode's emotionless, abyssal eyes, and all his words were forcibly swallowed back.
"I, I understand..."
After speaking, he glanced at the Hunters who had already rushed inside, still excitedly chattering, sighed for a moment, gritted his teeth, and ran away without looking back.
Afterward, Rhode looked at Cheng Xiaoyu.
"Later, act according to my instructions, without any hesitation. Do you hear me?"
I must confirm that the thing behind the door will activate because of this guy's qualifications.
Cheng Xiaoyu nodded frantically, swallowing nervously.
"You, you can rest assured!"
Rhode narrowed his eyes, adjusted his entire state, and slowly stepped across the threshold of the large door.
Cheng Xiaoyu clenched his fists and followed closely.
Just as Cheng Xiaoyu's heel was about to step inside the door, Rhode's peripheral vision caught a slight tremor in the door, and he immediately yelled.
"Run back!"
Cheng Xiaoyu instinctively let out a loud cry, using all his might, stomped the ground, and ran away without looking back!
Boom—!!!
No sooner had his front foot exited than the massive stone gate slammed shut with tremendous force!
Despite the astonishing speed, Cheng Xiaoyu managed to escape in the nick of time.
The next second, the entire temple began to shake violently.
In the deepest part of the temple, that enormous stone idol suddenly moved!
It slowly rose, letting out a deafening roar of anger, its red-glowing eyes fixed intently on Rhode, who was staring back at it.
The Hunters who had rushed in earlier were already terrified by this miraculous scene, screaming loudly and scattering in all directions.
Only Rhode stood calmly in place, even smiling and waving at the awakened idol.
"Well, well, well, you're quite the show-off."
The giant idol merely took one step, and the entire temple space shook violently, as if the earth itself was moving.
Its head almost touched the impossibly high circular dome, casting a shadow that enveloped everything in despair.
It looked down at the humans at its feet, like ants, with no trace of mercy, raising its massive foot high, about to crush Park Xingfeng, who was at the very front and already scared out of his wits, into a pulp.
"Aaaahhhh—!"
Park Xingfeng saw the mountain-like shadow pressing down before him, and in an instant, even the courage to resist vanished.
He turned his head frantically, using all his might to run towards Rhode, letting out a heart-wrenching plea.
"Save me!!"
The system notification for an A-rank wish sounded at the opportune moment, causing Rhode's eyebrow to raise slightly.
He casually raised his hand, and with a thought, Apophis swung her claw, instantly snatching Park Xingfeng from beneath the giant idol's foot.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Park Xingfeng collapsed to the ground, his face pale, still terrified, continuously kowtowing to Rhode.
"Thank you! Thank you for saving me..."
However, there was no trace of joy on Rhode's face, only an impenetrable coldness and indifference.
Tsk, so I can't exploit glitches.
Simply rescuing this guy from beneath the giant idol's foot doesn't count as fulfilling the wish.
Presumably, I must bring him out of this temple alive.
Theoretically, it wouldn't be impossible to save him and then kill him, but Rhode was simply too lazy to waste time on such an insignificant character.
With a casual wave of his hand, Apophis once again scooped up Park Xingfeng, but this time it wasn't to save him. Instead, like a trebuchet, she casually hurled him towards the giant stone idol's ferocious face.
"No need to thank me." Rhode's voice was flat and devoid of emotion.
"—Ah?!"
Park Xingfeng traced a desperate parabola in the air, terrified and distraught, letting out his final plea.
"W-wait, save me! I was wrong! I don't want to die! I still have a wife and children waiting for me—!"
Rhode elegantly picked his ear, refuting him with an almost lyrical, indifferent tone.
"Oh? But they are not my wife and children, so what concern is it of mine?"
"You...!"
"Don't be afraid."
Rhode's voice carried a hint of playful mockery.
"Death isn't scary. To die is a cool summer night, offering carefree slumber~"
Park Xingfeng's bloodshot eyes widened, just about to unleash his final curse, when the next moment, the giant idol's massive hand, like swatting a fly, slammed him with a "splat" into an unrecognizable puddle of flesh.
Rhode shook his head, even managing to squeeze out a hint of compassionate sorrow on his face, as if mourning the deceased.
"Alas, it wasn't I who harmed you, but this chaotic world that harmed you."
"It's a pity I'm not Cao Cao; otherwise, I would surely raise your wife and children."
The surviving Hunters around them, witnessing this scene more terrifying than any monster, were also struck with a chilling horror that made their scalps tingle.
They no longer dared to ask Rhode for help, only scattering and fleeing on their own.
But, all was in vain.
"Crack... crack..."
In that moment, all the stone statues in the entire room began to move.
These low-level Hunters were no match for the awakened stone statue army!
Heads smashed by harps, chests pierced by longswords, bodies severed at the waist by stone slabs....
Screams, wails, and the sound of bones shattering intertwined into a desperate symphony.
And Rhode, he just quietly observed this one-sided massacre the entire time, until the last Hunter's breath disappeared.
Now, only he and the towering giant stone idol remained in the temple.
"Heh heh heh heh..."
A chilling and cruel smile appeared on the giant stone idol's face. It clasped its fists, raised them high above its head, and slammed them down fiercely onto Rhode, who stood silently.
Facing this attack capable of destroying everything, Rhode slowly closed his eyes, a strange smile instead gracing the corner of his mouth.
The Shadow Monarch is the monarch who governs the "World of the Dead."
To better use this power after acquiring it...
—Then at least, I must personally experience "death" once!
Bang—!!!
And so, Rhode, too, was crushed into a pulp by this earth-shattering blow.
...
When all traces of "living people" in the temple completely vanished, the giant idol stopped moving, once again reverting to its inert appearance, standing silently in the center of the temple.
"Giggle... giggle..."
Suddenly, a harsh sound of stones rubbing together echoed.
The only six-winged angel-shaped, three-meter-tall stone statue on the scene stood up.
He threw away the rune-engraved stone tablet from his chest, a look of extreme irritation, a smile, appearing on his face after his plan had failed.
"What exactly happened?! Why did that damned Container run away?!"
In his perfect design, he would use the so-called "rules" on the stone tablet, a word game, to trick these foolish humans, take their lives, play with their souls, and finally inject the System into the chosen Container—Cheng Xiaoyu.
To prevent even a one-in-ten-thousand chance of being killed, he had even deliberately hidden his true body within this inconspicuous angel statue, rather than the most eye-catching giant stone statue.
The plan was perfect, but reality, from the very beginning, had inexplicably been overturned by someone, leaving him with an indescribable sense of frustration.
If Erebus from the Danmachi World knew about this, he would probably have a lot in common with him...
The angel statue scanned the puddle of flesh that Rod had turned into, using extreme genjutsu power to repeatedly confirm that the opponent was truly dead.
"Hmph, no one but Yog-Sothoth can mislead me with genjutsu. So... he's really dead?"
He sneered confidently, then shifted his gaze away in disappointment.
"I originally thought you were the variable causing the anomaly, but it seems it was just a coincidence..."
"I was looking forward to you bringing some fun to entertain me with that expression you had. In the end, humans are just such weak and arrogant creatures."
The angel statue slowly turned, no longer paying attention to Rod's remains, and walked towards the throne in the deepest part of the temple.
"I must find a way to get that Container back in. The Monarch's arrival cannot be delayed, and those damned Rulers are also making their moves..."
Just as the angel statue's hand was about to touch the throne, a boy's calm voice suddenly echoed in the empty, silent temple.
"Kamui."
The angel statue was startled, and then a cruelly extreme smile appeared on his face.
The six wings on his back suddenly twisted like a pretzel, and then they transformed into muscular arms!
The two arms on his shoulders, plus the six arms that grew from his back—all eight arms clutched weapons: swords, spears, blades, axes, hammers...
The eight weapons, as if possessing their own consciousness, simultaneously swung towards the source of the voice from eight different angles!
At the same time, all the statues in the entire room came to life again, launching a death charge at Rod!
"Hahahahaha—! Even if you're not dead, what can you..."
The angel statue's twisted smile froze on his face the next second.
His proud eight-armed attack, along with his indestructible stone statue body, was instantly twisted into a pretzel by an irresistible spatial force!
With only his head remaining, he stared fixedly at Rod, who had reappeared at his original spot at some unknown time.
"Mere... human... damned.... The Monarch is about to appear.... The holy war to destroy the world is coming.... Even if you have these petty tricks, you are doomed to die!"
Before he could finish speaking, his entire body was crushed and absorbed into the Kamui Space's isolation zone.
Instantly, all the statues in the entire temple ceased all movement.
A knight statue's swinging longsword stopped just millimeters from Rod's head, held back by an unseen force.
All the statues seemed to have lost their vitality due to the death of their manipulator.
However, Rod simply chuckled softly, then spoke calmly.
"Susanoo!"
Boom—!!!
A Complete Body Susanoo, far surpassing the giant stone statue, rose from the ground, and the shockwave generated by its instantaneous appearance shattered all the statues in the temple into fragments!
From the gourd at Susanoo's waist, a shining longsword flew out, transforming into a streak of light that instantly pierced one of the statue's remnants.
"Ugh... Ah... How could this be?!"
A shadowy, ghost-like figure was forcibly pulled from the remnants by Totsuka-no-Tsurugi, an expression of terrified disbelief on its face.
"How did you find me?! What... what kind of ability is this?!"
In response, Rod merely said calmly.
"Playing genjutsu in front of these eyes was your biggest mistake, Kandiaru."
"No—!!"
Finally, amidst the wails of the System's designer, he was completely sealed into the genjutsu space of endless drunken dreams.
Rod immediately dispelled Susanoo and teleported Totsuka-no-Tsurugi back to the Kamui Space's isolation zone.
On the surface, he remained incredibly calm, maintaining the necessary gravitas of a Sharingan user, but in reality, he had just had a brief moment of panic and secretly felt relieved.
Damn it, after all that scheming, that bastard almost got away.
Kandiaru, the designer of this System, was originally a Great Sorcerer from the Magical World, affiliated with the Phantom Realm Monarch, and came from the Demon Ghost race.
He had no physical form and could freely possess any statue, making him extremely difficult to detect.
In the original work, Cheng Xiaoyu, who had already inherited the power of the Shadow Monarch, killed the angel statue on the spot and thought he had dealt with him, unaware that the opponent had already escaped like a cicada shedding its skin.
Rod was able to successfully capture him not only by exploiting the information gap but also because the opponent was initially misled by his "Demi-Human Power," causing him to lower his guard.
Otherwise, without using Kamui, a direct confrontation would have definitely been a tough battle.
Actually, he also had to thank the old rogue Kishimoto for giving his father, Itachi Uchiha, too many cheats, directly hyping him up to the heavens.
[Totsuka-no-Tsurugi can permanently seal anything it pierces into a genjutsu world.]
Whether Itachi Uchiha in the Naruto world was really that powerful is debatable for now.
However, his [EX · Perfect Synchronization] authority states—if you dare to say it, I dare to believe it.
When this skill came to Rod, it had to be as powerful as the setting described!
Without an opposing "Rule Power" of the same level, as long as it was pierced, it was an instant kill!
The "Totsuka-no-Tsurugi piercing the Earth" that was so talked about in his previous life might actually be achievable in his hands.
Similarly, the Yata no Kagami, which was said to reflect all attacks, in Rod's hands, truly could "reflect all attacks" in the literal sense!
If it weren't for the blessing of the [Perfect Synchronization] authority, the current "Kamui Mangekyo" would actually be unable to contend with this guy in terms of genjutsu alone.
After all, the Demon Ghost race itself has a very high affinity for sorcery and genjutsu.
This "System" was the product of the highest level of genjutsu magic, and its effects were almost close to distorting reality.
But now, all of the opponent's abilities were about to become his.
As a Sharingan user, how could he not have genjutsu skills?
Of course...
The System's most core function was still the energy provided by the Shadow Monarch Asben.
Rod narrowed his eyes, standing silently in place.
After an unknown amount of time, the temple before him suddenly vanished like an illusion, turning into a pitch-black passage, and in the distance, a faint glimmer of light could be vaguely seen.
Rod's expression remained unchanged; he accepted the invitation with calm fearlessness, moving forward without hesitation.