The Annihilator: Killer Of Gods

Chapter 154 Breaking the Curse

BOOM

The lance traveled with terrifying force, fueled by both the momentum gathered and all the strength Karsha could muster. It struck directly at the base of the horn towering atop Khinux's head. The resulting explosion came from both the burst of lightning and Khinux slamming into the ground. The impact was too much, even for him.

Karsha, on the other hand, lost control of his flight due to his immense speed. However, just before he could crash into the ground, his wings vibrated, softening the impact to some degree, allowing him to survive the fall. His right arm and a couple of ribs broke, but he remained conscious.

Karsha waited, and 10 seconds after the spear strike, a system message appeared:

[Ding! You have killed a Tier 7 Terror Mutant known as Khinux, the Abyssal Leviathan.]

By this point, Karsha was utterly exhausted, but suddenly, an energy he was all too familiar with surged into his body, washing away all the fatigue. He broke through to level 7, increasing his stats. Karsha also felt revitalized after the kill rewards added even more points, though he didn't bother to check them, as something strange began to happen.

"Guys, come over," Karsha quickly summoned the shadow guards. The three ladies immediately rushed to his side, alarmed by his miserable state. Dhaka and Kilian, on the other hand, stood still, staring at the massive body of the last Overlord—they had never seen anything like it before.

Tifa swiftly chanted spells, sending starlike ice, similar to Karsha's Ice Queen Wrath skill, into his body. Karsha immediately felt at peace as the first bit of ice entered his system. It was Tifa's strongest healing spell, and she was pushing herself to the limit by using its most powerful form.

"That's enough, Tifa," Karsha quickly said, noticing her pale face and stopping her. His own regeneration abilities were already working in overdrive, so he was holding up reasonably well. But despite his injuries, Karsha's attention was focused elsewhere. The moment Khinux fell, the destiny keys he had been collecting flew out of his inventory and began hovering two meters in the air.

"Help me up," Karsha said. The three fairies took his hands and lifted him to his feet. He stretched his muscles slightly before moving toward the keys.

"What now?" Karsha asked, staring at the ten keys. Nothing happened at first, but he continued to stand there, gazing intently at them. After two minutes, Karsha started to lose his patience. He reached out to grab one of the keys. Though he wore fingerless gloves, blood was dripping from his fingers.

The moment his hand touched the key, a powerful force erupted from it, pushing everyone back—everyone except Karsha.

The key began vibrating, and soon the next one followed. Before long, all ten keys were vibrating in unison. A sudden ringing sound emitted from them as the original silver keys started to change color. In a matter of moments, Karsha was standing before ten golden keys, hovering in the air.

BOOM!

Another surge of energy burst out, and the ten keys merged into a single one. Karsha immediately felt drawn to the key, as if he instinctively knew what to do. He let a drop of his blood fall onto it and formed a hand seal. The key vibrated, then flew toward him, entering his body and forming a key-shaped tattoo on his chest.

Karsha's eyes brightened as a torrent of information about breaking the curse flooded his mind, along with a message:

"Free my people, our people, and lead them to a better future. Remember, you are not alone."

Two teardrops fell from Karsha's eyes involuntarily. He quickly wiped them away, then spread his wings and flew ten meters into the air.

He retrieved the Book of Annihilation and opened it to the last page. Letting his blood drop onto the page, the book flew from his hands and dispersed into golden sparkles. The sparkles swirled around for a few seconds before condensing into a jade tablet about the size of an adult's palm.

The tablet was white, with a red circle etched on it. Karsha dropped another drop of blood onto the circle, and at once, runic symbols appeared across the tablet's surface. His eyes glowed gold as he began to speak the words written on the tablet:

"The Unknowns, the forgotten, the cursed are free.

No chains bind your destinies anymore.

Your destiny is unshackled, your name is returned to you.

Be free, people of the unknown."

The heavens rumbled, and seven beams of light shot from the tablet Karsha was holding, disappearing into the clouds. Simultaneously, in a distant corner of the island, within the domain of the Purple Tail Anaconda, the statue of the Annihilator began to shake before shattering. A diamond-shaped crystal shot up into the sky.

Similar scenes unfolded across the island. Even 132 kilometers from Karsha's location, a stone statue of a tiger burst open, releasing a black crystal into the clouds.

Afterward, the heavens rumbled once more, and Karsha descended to the ground. However, the moment his eyes fell on the shadow guards, he was struck with shock.

"They're breaking through..." Karsha muttered, watching the five shadow guards seated in lotus positions. Their auras became chaotic, and sensing something was about to happen, Karsha quickly flew 40 kilometers away to a nearby mountain.

Meanwhile, in the Sanctuary of the Purple Tail Anaconda, similar events began to unfold. Both the old and young sat in lotus postures, meditating. With the curse lifted, the force that had been suppressing their auras for so many years was finally released, and they all began leveling up.

However, some were experiencing more than just leveling up. Inside a cave, just a few meters from where Karsha had woken after his life-and-death struggle with the Overlord, Lady Illo, Starr, and an elderly woman were seated in deep cultivation. The aura around them continued to intensify—Starr, a mere Tier 4 snake, was now exuding an immense, powerful energy.

A golden light hovered above their heads. The same phenomenon was happening to Ayarr, who was also cultivating alongside the shadow guards. In contrast, the other Purple Tail Anacondas had only a purple light above their heads. Around 1,500 of them displayed this light.

What's happening is the result of the Purple Tail Anacondas undergoing mutation. They are all transforming into Mutants. According to the memory Karsha received after absorbing the Destiny Key, the golden light hovering above some of them signifies royalty.

It's a complex situation, but before their banishment and the curse, they were once royals of the Unknown. Now that the curse has been broken, they are awakening their innate talents. This transformation is also altered their bloodline, restoring them to the royal status they should have had from the beginning.

A similar transformation is occurring in other sections of the forest. After the curse was lifted, instead of going berserk and attacking each other, the snakes have become calm, retreating into hiding.

The entire island has grown eerily quiet, with only the occasional bursts of aura indicating that someone has broken through to a higher level. It feels as though the snakes have regained their sanity; rather than causing chaos, they are becoming more composed and controlled.

=============

Back in Sunlight City, the guard who had discovered Karsha was a slave when he first arrived in the city was going about his usual duties when a sudden surge of energy entered his body. Feeling his control slipping, he rushed to his superior.

"Boss, I need to go home—it's an emergency!" he exclaimed, bursting into the room without knocking.

"Morris, what's wrong? Do you need help?" His boss, a man around 40 years old, asked, more concerned than angry. Morris was a hard worker, and the boss had always liked him.

"I'll be fine, Boss. It's nothing that requires backup," Morris replied hurriedly. His boss studied him for a moment before speaking.

"Take all the time you need. Your job will be waiting for you when you return."

Morris bowed respectfully and dashed out. "See you losers later!" he called as he sped off, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. The other guards watched in awe as he vanished.

"His speed is something else," one guard remarked.

"Indeed. It's a shame he became a guard. With his Saint cultivation base, he could've been a general if he joined a great family," another guard said, sounding a bit disappointed. The others nodded in agreement.

"I guess he doesn't care about money or an easy life," one guard joked, and they all laughed. Morris was known for his relentless work ethic. Since joining the city guards, he hadn't taken a single day off, always focused on his duties. His dedication had earned him the respect of both his fellow guards and the city's residents.

He was also a formidable fighter, which is why their leader always made sure Morris was doing well. So when Morris requested time off, his boss hadn't hesitated and had even offered assistance. But since Morris's mission was secret, he refused and quickly left the city.

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After speeding off for five minutes, Morris arrived at a remote mountainous area. He swiftly entered a hidden cave and sat down.

BOOM!

A powerful aura exploded from his body, and a golden light appeared above his head. His energy began to shift and intensify. Like Lady Illo and the others, Morris was also mutating, but his aura was even stronger than the ones exuded by Lady Illo and the old woman.

============

After moving 40 kilometers away from the battlefield, Karsha sat down on a large stone. He could sense that something significant was about to happen, so he took precautions, ensuring he was far from the shadow guards.

RUMBLE

As expected, the clouds above him darkened, and a fist-sized crystal emerged, floating before Karsha. He sighed, then as if knowing what to do, he formed a hand seal. Instantly, the crystal burst into sparkles and entered his body.