The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic-Chapter 508

The man frowned and shouted, "Bitch, don't you know when to quit?"

Selena coughed blood, then smirked wider. "You talk too much for someone who sneaks around caves."

Her voice was hoarse, but proud and sharp.

He raised his hand, ready to smash her head.

But Selena suddenly twisted her body, ignoring the pain, and lunged upward. She wrapped both arms around his waist and locked herself to him like iron chains.

"Edward… focus on your breakthrough. I will hold him," she said through clenched teeth.

Her body shook, but her grip was firm.

"What are you doing?" the man spat as he tried to pull away. For the first time, there was irritation in his voice.

Before Edward could understand, he saw Selena's body begin to glow. Light leaked from her skin through blood and wounds.

Edward's mind went blank and he screamed,"No… stop it…"

He tried to stand, but the breakthrough backlash pressed him down. Blood ran from his mouth as he forced himself up, confused and desperate.

The cloaked man's face finally changed.

He punched her back. He struck her ribs. He slammed his elbow into her spine. Still, she did not let go.

"Let go!" he roared.

Selena only laughed weakly. "Scared now?"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Her body exploded.

A blinding white light burst outward. The cave shook violently. The stone shattered. A shockwave tore through the chamber, ripping the ground and ceiling apart. Fire and dust mixed into a storm of destruction.

Edward saw the wave coming.

Without thinking, he moved and stood in front of Ramos' platform, spreading his arms wide.

The explosion smashed into his back.

Light swallowed everything.

Edward's mind went empty. He could not think. He could not breathe. All he felt was loss.

Then silence.

When the light faded, a groan echoed.

"COUGH… COUGH…"

The cloaked man stumbled out of the smoke. His clothes were torn, and blood ran down his chin. His steps shook.

"What's going on?" a cold voice sounded.

Edward turned slowly, his face pale, eyes wide and unfocused.

Behind him, Ramos' aura was rising wildly. The light around him had changed. It was deeper and heavier.

He had succeeded.

But his eyes were empty.

The moment Ramos opened them, his senses spread like a storm. The air trembled around him. Every grain of dust, every broken stone, every trace of blood in the cave entered his awareness.

He saw the shattered ground.

He saw Edward kneeling, clothes torn, blood running down his back.

He saw the space where Selena had stood.

There was nothing left. Not even ashes.

His expression froze. His pupils shrank. The world went silent in his mind.

The cloaked man felt it. That killing intent, cold and vast, locked onto him like chains. His calm mask broke for the first time.

He tore open a portal behind him.

Ramos vanished.

The ground under his feet exploded as he launched forward. He crossed the distance in a blink, appearing in front of the cloaked man just as the portal was forming.

His hand shot out and fingers curled to crush the man's throat.

The cloaked man twisted sideways, barely dodging. Ramos' fingers brushed his collar, and the force alone ripped half the cloak apart.

BOOM!

Their collision sent a shockwave through the cave. The walls cracked further, and massive rocks fell from the ceiling.

The cloaked man countered instantly. A black blade of condensed energy formed in his hand and slashed toward Ramos' neck.

CLANG!

Ramos raised his arm. A shield of compressed water appeared out of thin air. The blade struck it and exploded, turning into a storm of dark fragments that tore through the cave walls.

Ramos' other hand moved.

Water from the air, from the ground, from hidden underground streams burst upward. In an instant, a colossal water dragon formed behind him. Its body twisted and roared, filling the entire cave with pressure.

Edward stared, stunned and shaking. He had never seen Ramos fight like this.

"Die!" Ramos roared, voice breaking with grief and fury.

The water dragon lunged.

The cloaked man's eyes widened. He slammed both palms forward. A wall of dark force erupted, but the dragon smashed through it, tearing it apart like paper.

The dragon's jaws closed in—

The cloaked man threw himself backward into the portal.

The dragon crashed into the portal's edge instead.

BOOOOOOOM!

Water and energy exploded in every direction. The portal destabilized, sparks and fragments of space scattering. The blast tore a massive crater through the cave floor and blew open the mountainside outside.

But it was a fraction too late.

The cloaked man vanished and the portal was snapped shut.

Ramos landed where the man had been, fingers clawing empty air.

A heartbeat of silence passed.

Then his foot slammed into the ground.

BOOOOOOM!

The cave shook again. Cracks raced across the land outside for miles. Trees toppled. Birds fled in panic. A wave of force rolled outward like an earthquake.

Edward stared, his mind blank, heart pounding painfully in his chest. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Ramos stood there, back turned, shoulders shaking. Water energy still raged around him like a storm that had lost its sky.

Then a broken scream tore from his throat, raw and full of pain that could not be held inside.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

The scream echoed through the broken mountains.

Dust drifted from the cracked ceiling of the cave. Small stones rolled down the slopes outside. The world slowly grew quiet again, but the air still felt heavy, like it could not breathe.

Edward stood a few steps behind Ramos. His ears rang. His hands trembled. Blood still ran down his back where the shockwave had hit him, but he did not feel the pain.

His eyes were fixed on the empty space.

"Selena…" he whispered.

The name felt strange in his mouth, like it did not belong to this silent world.

Ramos did not move.

Water energy still swirled around him in thin streams, rising and falling without control. His fists were clenched so tightly that blood dripped from his palms.

Edward took one step forward, then stopped.