96: He who knows the times is a hero!

His five fingers suddenly tightened, and Rodriguez immediately felt his entire skeleton groaning, as if unable to bear the weight.

Even more terrifying was that the magic power within his body was being eroded by a strange force, rapidly transforming into a ghostly green energy.

"Grand Magister!" Jin struggled to get up, but the Lord of the Underworld stepped on his back, pressing him into the metal wall.

"Why are you leaving now?" The Lord of the Underworld's voice was as cold as if it came from the icy winds of the netherworld.

"Are you trying to call for reinforcements?" he guessed.

Rodriguez's pupils contracted violently, and an unprecedented chill shot up his spine to the back of his head.

The Lord of the Underworld's words coiled around him like a python, almost suffocating him.

"I... I just..." Rodriguez spoke with difficulty, finding his voice incredibly hoarse.

Suddenly, the Lord of the Underworld let go.

Rodriguez fell heavily against the metal wall, and before he could catch his breath, a foot wrapped in ghostly green energy stepped on his chest.

The Lord of the Underworld leaned down, his mask almost touching Rodriguez's face.

"Don't worry, it doesn't matter if you don't speak. When I kill you, your soul will tell me everything."

"Hehehe!!!"

Rodriguez's magic robe suddenly burst into dazzling silver light, and the magister's emblem on his chest exploded.

This was his last trump card for survival, containing the Space-type forbidden spell "Void Exile."

The ground beneath the Lord of the Underworld's feet suddenly became empty, and the body he had been stepping on transformed into countless silver light particles, dissipating into the air.

"Interesting, truly interesting!" The Lord of the Underworld straightened up, the demonic patterns on his mask twisting and writhing.

"To be able to escape right under my nose, it seems there are many powerful individuals in this world."

"But do you think you can escape?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a tangible demonic power surged from the Lord of the Underworld's mask, then vanished into the void.

Thirty kilometers away, in a ruin, a teleportation light suddenly flared, and Rodriguez appeared, stumbling.

His face was as pale as paper, and his right hand pressed tightly against his left shoulder—where a spreading ghostly green corrosive mark was visible.

Without time to hesitate, Rodriguez immediately locked onto a target and forcibly used Space Teleportation again.

However, just as the teleportation was about to activate, that suffocating sensation, like a python coiling, struck him from behind.

Rodriguez's figure twisted in the teleportation light, but was suddenly pulled back by an invisible force.

He stumbled and knelt on the ground, a sweet, metallic taste rising in his throat.

"Run, why aren't you running?" The Lord of the Underworld's voice echoed in his ear like a persistent parasite.

Rodriguez could feel a cold energy flowing down his spine into his body, slowly solidifying into tiny ice shards in his blood vessels.

In despair, he could only close his eyes, silently awaiting his fate.

"Useless."

As soon as he finished speaking, a huge force suddenly slammed him away, but quickly pulled him back.

The Lord of the Underworld spoke coldly, "You are a boring rat, giving up so quickly?"

"Forget it, consider me kind enough to give you a chance to run."

"But I'll tell you in advance, tomorrow you must bring me some interesting strong individuals, otherwise I'll personally kill my way to your Beacon Country!"

"Remember, time is short! I've planted 'Demonic Soul Reaping' on you; you only have one day."

"Hehehe..."

On the other side, as soon as the Space Grand Magister left, the Lord of the Underworld's gaze fell back on Jin, who was at his feet.

He crushed him with a casual squeeze, as easily as crushing an ant.

Just as he was about to continue his attack, the Ark in front of him suddenly began to deform.

This time, it transformed into a gigantic metal egg, standing steadily beneath the sea.

The surface of this colossal metal egg shimmered with a liquid metal-like luster, with countless runes flickering on and off, emitting a powerful aura.

The Lord of the Underworld's brow furrowed slightly beneath his mask.

Although he felt no direct threat, he sensed that the giant egg's defensive capabilities had significantly increased.

"Damn it!" The Lord of the Underworld couldn't help but curse.

"A bunch of cowards, if you have the guts, come out and face me head-on!"

Despite his words, he unhesitatingly launched a new round of attacks.

...

Night fell, and the coffee shop was brightly lit.

The Lord of the Underworld, the Lord of Deception, and the Lord of Corruption, three powerful figures, gathered here, and the atmosphere was eerie and oppressive.

In the corner, the Old Man of Destruction huddled, carefully shrinking, afraid of becoming the target of everyone's attention.

"Underworld..." The Lord of Deception spoke first, with a hint of teasing in her tone.

"It's been so long, and you still haven't dealt with that Critical Point! Your efficiency is too low."

The Lord of the Underworld shook his head and sighed, "What else can I do? The shell they made is so tough! I've even used the power of ghosts and gods, but I still can't force it open. And the power of ghosts and gods can't be used for too long, so I need to rest for a bit."

Hearing the Lord of the Underworld's complaint, the Lord of Deception smiled and turned to look at the Old Man of Destruction in the corner, casually asking:

"Old man, when will your people arrive?"

The Old Man of Destruction was curled up in the corner, his body still trembling slightly beneath his gray robe.

Hearing the question, he struggled to lift his head, his voice hoarse: "Soon... they should be here very soon."

This answer piqued the Lord of the Underworld's curiosity, and he also followed the Lord of Deception's gaze to the old man in the corner.

However, just as the atmosphere became slightly calm, the coffee shop door was suddenly kicked open, sending splinters flying.

"Lord Qisha, the leader should be here!" A rough voice sounded.

Everyone looked over to see a tall man standing at the doorway, his body entangled with blood-colored chains, exuding an imposing aura.

Behind him were more than a dozen black-robed figures, their auras cold and chilling.

When these people saw the Old Man of Destruction in the corner, they all froze.

"Leader?!" Qisha's eyes widened, staring incredulously at the trembling old man.

"What... what's going on with you?"

A hint of shame flickered in the Old Man of Destruction's cloudy eyes, but it was quickly masked.

He coughed twice, pretending to be nonchalant, and said, "Ahem... Actually, our World-Destroying Organization has now become a subordinate organization of the Calamity Court."

"So for the rest of the matters, you just listen to these three."

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding within the coffee shop.

Qisha and the others' expressions changed drastically, especially the man with the blood-colored chains, who instantly became enraged:

"Nonsense! When did our World-Destroying Organization stoop to being dogs for others?!"

The chains around his body suddenly straightened, pointing like venomous snakes at the three Lords:

"You must have done something to the leader! Speak!"

However, the Lord of the Underworld didn't even move, as if he didn't care about any of this, merely turning his gaze indifferently to the Lord of Deception.

That gaze seemed to say: "These people are your problem, you solve it yourself; I'm too lazy to help."

The Lord of Deception elegantly crossed her legs, her fingertips gently tapping the table, and slowly said:

"Oh dear, the new little ones have quite a temper."

The Lord of Corruption slowly rose, her black trench coat billowing without wind.

She merely glanced at Qisha, and with a "boom!" Qisha suddenly fell to his knees, his knees cracking the floor in a spiderweb pattern.

He was horrified to discover that the power within his body was flowing backward at a terrifying speed.

Blood began to seep from his seven orifices, and he looked at the Lord of Corruption in disbelief:

"You... Who are you? How can you be so strong?"

The Old Man of Destruction, meanwhile, closed his eyes, as if none of this concerned him.

Qisha knelt on the ground, his entire skeleton making creaking sounds as if unable to bear the weight.

He struggled to lift his head, his eyes filled with horror:

"This... This isn't just a world-class..."

The Lord of Corruption slowly stepped forward, looking at Qisha with disdain.

A dangerous curve formed on her lips:

"Now, does anyone else have an opinion?"

The coffee shop was dead silent, with only the sound of heavy breathing echoing.

The members of the World-Destroying Organization exchanged glances, and a young man wearing silver-rimmed glasses suddenly raised both hands:

"I am willing to pledge allegiance to the Calamity Court."

"Silver Fox! You!" Qisha angrily turned his head, but the movement aggravated his injuries, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

The man called Silver Fox pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold light:

"A wise man submits to circumstances."

"Besides..." He gave the Old Man of Destruction in the corner a meaningful look.

"Even the leader has made his choice."