He pointed at the closest—and also the largest—Corroder! The monster was using its tentacles to cover its eyes and its main sac tightly, exposing a fist-sized core at the top of the sac, hidden within folds, glowing a dark red light!
"Found you!"
Saitama's speed hit the absolute limit. Almost the very next second after the blinding light flared, his fist had already pierced the air and stamped down with perfect precision onto that dark red core!
PSSH!
A dull burst—like a rotten tomato being crushed.
There was no earth-shaking explosion. That core was so fragile under Saitama's punch that it shattered into powder instantly! The massive Corroder seemed to have all its bones yanked out—every tentacle went limp at once. The sac twitched violently a few times, then shriveled and melted like a deflating balloon, finally turning into a puddle of thick black sludge that smoked faintly and reeked of stench, completely motionless.
The intense light began to weaken. Saitama didn't pause at all—his figure vanished again, reappearing behind another Corroder still writhing in pain in the afterglow.
Bang! PSSH!
Another core shattered!
"Nice!" Doctor Strange forced down the dizziness from magical overdraw and maintained the lingering radiance of the spell. Kmaal the Guardian was also reinvigorated, pushing the crystal's light to the extreme to disrupt the movements of the other Corroders.
Under Saitama's simple, brutal—yet insanely efficient—tactic, combined with Doctor Strange's blinding-light interference and Kmaal's support, the massive Abyss Corroders were rapidly singled out and destroyed one by one. Their regeneration meant nothing once the core was pulverized.
The encirclement was torn open by sheer force! Like a spearhead, the three—led by Saitama—broke through the Corroder swarm and stepped into the true Echoing Hall!
At the center of the hall, above an ancient stone pedestal, floated a fist-sized diamond-shaped crystal emitting a gentle, pure white glow—the Heart of Pure Light! However, a layer of black energy like a flowing curtain, radiating a dense, ominous aura, wrapped the crystal tightly in an energy shield.
Charging into the Echoing Hall, with the remaining Corroders behind them still rolling in agony under the fading afterglow—no longer a real threat—everyone's gaze locked instantly onto the pedestal in the center.
The Heart of Pure Light hovered above it. Its gentle, pristine radiance was like a lighthouse in a sea of darkness—just getting close made one feel a trace of warmth and serenity, dispersing the thick darkness in the surroundings. Yet the black energy shield wrapping it—slowly flowing like a living thing—was like the strongest cage, isolating that light.
"This is the Dark Corrosion Shield." Kmaal the Guardian walked up to the pedestal, staring at the black curtain with a grave expression. "It's formed from the leaked power of the dark source itself. Not only is its physical and energy defense extremely strong, it also corrodes the mind of anyone who touches it. Forcing a breakthrough will only contaminate the Heart of Pure Light—there's even a chance it could be assimilated by the darkness."
Doctor Strange scanned the shield with magical perception, brows tightly knit. "The energy structure is extremely unusual—resonating at the same frequency as the relic's entire dark power. Conventional dispelling magic would take time, and the risk is high… Guardian, you mentioned earlier there was a way to the shield?"
Kmaal nodded, looking at Saitama and Doctor Strange. "Yes. This shield is also the relic's final safeguard mechanism—Trial of the Heart—"
(End of Chapter)
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