Skill Extraction: Exploring Dungeons-Chapter 580 - 516: Killing, Betrayal, Loyalty

At this moment, inside the Crimson Palace, the interior was illuminated as bright as daylight by the light from Kane's explosion.

Under the immense glow, everything inside was invisible.

The Divine Envoy Mecha piloted by Kane was now heavily armed, with thick armor covering both the body parts of the mecha and the shield he held aloft.

Hoping to rush to the Red King's front before the explosion fully dissipated.

The power of the explosion forced Kane to slow down.

When he reached the Red King, much of his body already suffered extensive burns.

The repair speed of the Divine Envoy Mecha couldn't keep up with the rate of destruction, and the intense heat from the explosion inflicted considerable damage on Kane inside the mecha.

This was unavoidable, as these explosions were not something he could be immune to.

He could cancel the bullets he created at the moment they hit him, and do the same with shells.

But the incredible heat and power of the explosions created by the shells were not among those he could counteract.

These things were not directly created by him but were indirectly caused as accomplished results.

Meanwhile, the Red King in front of him fared worse, wrapped in a thick layer of purple crystal which protected him closely.

The crystal shield had half-melted under the high temperatures, its surface streaming with molten crystal liquid, pitted and scarred.

Through the translucent crystal, one could see the extremely miserable state of the Red King inside.

The previously sleek hair was entirely scorched off, with only bits of blackened, yellowish residue curled into clumps.

Numerous scars were visible on his body and arms, all kinds of burn marks, which even with his constitution, weren't easily repairable for the time being.

His clothes were charred and mixed with the inner armor, melted into iron flowing and merging with the skin.

The situation was incredibly frightening.

His lower body was even more tragic, with one leg completely gone, leaving only scorched blackened flesh.

Looking at the crystal shield around his body, it was clear that this was not the first one created, the initial was certainly destroyed instantly.

The power of that shell must have caught the Red King off guard, not allowing him time to create a sturdy defense shield.

The devastation suffered by the Red King showed that Kane's shell was entirely unexpected to him.

"Your Majesty the Red King! Subversive one, halt your actions!"

In the massive space, came the cry of a soldier.

A dozen Falcon Mechas were rushing over.

Seeing the high and mighty Red King in such a sorry, near-death state, they were bewildered and uncertain.

Kane had already noticed people approaching but was indifferent.

He could feel that he was still within the state of an Honor Combat and hadn't left it.

If anything, these soldiers had arrived slower than he expected. The first phase to guard against their siege had already succeeded, and now he was even about to achieve the final goal.

These soldiers were more than just a step behind.

As one Falcon Mecha aimed to attack Kane, the foremost Falcon Mecha reached out to block him.

"This is His Majesty's Honor Combat. Unless one yields or dies, we cannot harm anyone within it."

With his words, he and his dozen teammates circled around, without even testing an action.

No matter what the outside situation was, Kane didn't pause his actions; now was not the time to stop.

The Crystal Long Spear was infused with red effects, the formidable power of Death Gaze.

This thrust was imbued with all the damage Kane could enhance with.

With a single blow, it shattered the remaining thick crystal.

The crystal shattered, the Red King opened one eye while the other was completely burnt and fused together.

Raising his arm, the purple crystal in his hand flickered with bright and dim light.

The Red King wanted to continue creating crystals; with this, he believed he could survive.

However, a ray had already landed on him first.

He could clearly feel the Ray's danger, but his current state no longer supported evading or creating crystals for defense.

Had he been in his previous state, he could've evaded or defended, but now he had no such capability.

His body couldn't keep up with his mind.

He perceived it but was powerless, able only to let the ray land on him.

The ray was extremely fast, and upon hitting the Red King, he immediately noticed issues with his body, though still alive, his hands continued trying to create crystals.

However, he found himself losing control momentarily, instantly aware the ray must have been problematic.

This brief loss of control left him without time to form crystals to block Kane's follow-up attack.

The Crystal Long Spear attacked once more, piercing the Red King's neck, as pale golden blood spurted out.

The black threads within the spear exploded within his neck with this strike.

The Red King wilted, kneeling on the ground, the large wound on his throat alarmingly prominent with copious amounts of blood mixed with gold flowing to the ground.

The purple crystal staff hovering in his hand fell to the floor.

To ensure the Red King's death, Kane used up the last of the stored Magic Tears.

There is still some residual magic power within him, but he no longer has much physical strength and energy to kill off these soldiers outside.

This is his final trump card for escape.

Although he still has magic power at this moment, his physical condition is not very good anymore; the excessive control over machinery and concentration has made his spirit somewhat fatigued.

He prepared to gather up his spoils and rush out immediately.

However, to his surprise, the dozen soldiers piloting the Falcon Mechas of the Steel Wings Legion didn't attack immediately.

This made Kane feel very strange. From Kanske's recent words, they should know that the effect of the Glory Competition is gone, and it's the best opportunity to launch an attack on him.

But why didn't they attack him immediately? What are they waiting for?

At this moment, recalling Kanske's behavior just now, a thought emerged in Kane's mind. He stood up and looked at the dozen Mecha soldiers in front of him.

"Why aren't you attacking? Don't you want to avenge your king?"

The soldiers remained silent, only quietly watching the fallen body of King Red on the ground.

He wasn't sure if they were hoping he would come back to life or wishing for his death.

Kane gazed at the eyes in the crystal pod and said plainly, "Don't bother looking; he's already dead."

Why was Kane so certain? Because the previously blank magic stone in his chest was now completely filled.

King Red, truly worthy of being the leader among kings, filled a silver magic stone all by himself. One must know that this is not a dungeon eroded by mist.

Energy absorption can only be achieved through death, so the effect is significantly weakened.

It seemed that the confirmation of King Red's death finally came, as Kanske stepped forward a few steps and stood before Kane.

Kane watched him silently, waiting for his next move.

A moment of silent sound effects emerged.

The transparent crystal pod in the chest of the Falcon Mecha ejected, and Kanske fell directly to the ground.

Observing his actions, the dozen Mechas behind him did the same, ejecting one after another.

Then Kanske directly knelt on one knee and lowered his head. The dozen soldiers behind him followed closely.

"You've killed King Red and lifted the cloud that has loomed over us for hundreds of years. I will swear allegiance to you."

"I will swear allegiance to you." ×N

Although Kane had suspected that these soldiers might not be entirely loyal to King Red, he hadn't expected they would be so decisive as to directly pledge allegiance to him, which Kane hadn't anticipated at all.

Since he had doubts, it was only natural to ask.

"Why?"

"Why would you swear allegiance to me? Shouldn't you be loyal to King Red?"

Kanske, lowering his head, spoke loudly: "Your Majesty, as the subverter, you should know that the wars among the kings have dragged the entire world into the mire."

Listening to Kanske's address, well, he changed his tone so quickly. That's quite interesting.

"The world's fragmentation, the sealing of the Golden Bridge, has left the once vibrant world facing the risk of destruction, yet the kings continue above, waging relentless wars for power."

"Facing the wars of the kings, the earliest group of rebels assembled the strongest in the world to attack the kings, but they were all annihilated, and the resistance forces fell then."

"Until your kin arrived, and when they managed to severely wound the Black Monarch, the spark of rebellion ignited once more.

Although hope remains dim, the appearance of subverters every few decades to hundreds of years brings inspiring news. Though they still fail, it is already something remarkable, for subverters always emerge, and hope never extinguishes."

Before him, Kanske seemed to be recounting history unknown to Kane, yet he explained why the kings were so unpopular from his perspective.

After a brief pause, Kanske continued speaking, his voice tinged with sorrow.

"If you tour this continent, you will undoubtedly be puzzled by how sparse it is. It once teemed with numerous lives, vibrant yet beautiful.

It is due to the wars of the kings that the life here vanished entirely long ago."

"Perhaps you think that existing life is merely one-tenth of what it once was."

Upon hearing this, Kane nodded; he indeed believed that the current population might be merely one-tenth.

"No, it's one out of a hundred, or even less!"

Upon hearing this, Kane finally understood. Based on such a scale, these soldiers, or even more soldiers, their relatives would have inevitably perished in the wars waged by the kings.

It's not an exaggeration to say everyone holds a grudge against the kings.

"Alright, I understand you; stand up."

Kane said to the soldiers of the Steel Wings Legion in front of him.

After they stood up, Kane asked, "What about the other soldiers? How many of them are willing to avenge King Red?"

Upon hearing Kane's question, Kanske immediately responded, "If they know that Your Majesty has successfully killed King Red, I can assure you that most will surrender to you."

"If... Your Majesty can directly destroy the Crimson Palace, then I can guarantee to persuade everyone to surrender."

Upon hearing this, Kane was dumbfounded. He knew that King Red was tremendously unpopular but never expected him to be so disliked.

This was entirely reliant on governing through violence; the people's hatred and resentment had long been festering, with no true confidants left.

No, well, there were, but they were already dead.

However, thinking about King Red's previous demeanor, having even just two was normal, and having none wasn't surprising.

"Alright, I got it."

With that, Kane nodded and approached the corpse of King Red by the side.