131: sudden turn for the worse

Blood spurted out, flesh splattered everywhere. This bloody and tense scene made everyone present gasp in unison.

Hiss!

Whether it was Locke's side or William's group, everyone looked dumbfounded.

No one expected the situation to become so one-sided.

Because just moments ago, the two were evenly matched, but unexpectedly, less than a minute later, Locke, in his human form, had defeated the werewolf known for its raw physical strength.

Of course, if it were just a defeat, it wouldn't have shocked them enough to make them forget to breathe.

The main point was that Locke hadn't used any weapons; he had used his bare hands to rip the werewolf's head apart, tearing it in two while it was still alive.

The impact of this was simply too great.

Even Time, hiding in the shadows, was once again shocked by his violent actions.

"How does this kid look more and more sinister? What path is he taking to be able to surpass a werewolf of the same sequence in physical strength?"

"Unbelievable, this is truly unbelievable."

Serena and Alfred, as Locke's teammates, were initially shocked to see him rip apart such a formidable enemy, but after coming to their senses, their first reaction was joy and delight.

"Locke, you really... have surprised me so much."

"My Lord is truly my Lord; even when killing, he is so suave."

One side was happy, the other was sad.

While they were overjoyed, Marcus, flying in mid-air, was having a terrible Time.

Earlier, when Locke's sword broke, he was gloating, but unexpectedly, just a few seconds later, Locke gave him a huge surprise.

He was so scared he almost forgot to flap his wings and fell from the sky.

"Fuck, this... what kind of demon is this kid to be able to crush William in physical strength!"

"No, I can't admit defeat yet."

After seeing William ripped in two, he almost stopped chanting his spell in fear, but the terror of death made him persist.

Even though Locke was staring intensely at him after ripping William apart, he continued to chant his secret spell without hesitation.

Because he was only one line away from success. Although William's death would affect his spell, as long as it was successfully cast, he would have hope of surviving Locke's attack, and even a counterattack wasn't impossible:

"Flesh sacrifice, flesh rebirth, flesh fusion, flesh ascension!"

"What kind of tricks are you still playing? Accept your fate!"

While Marcus was chanting, Locke slowly crouched down, then suddenly launched himself like a cannonball, crashing toward Marcus, who was flying in mid-air.

His speed was incredibly fast, dispersing the dust filling the air.

If this hit landed on Marcus, it would likely snap his spine.

Yet, Marcus kept his eyes tightly shut, chanting against Time. Just as Locke was about to strike him, he turned bloody, suddenly opened his scarlet eyes, and shouted:

"Sacrifice my brother, God of Fleshly Desire, please help me!"

As his voice fell, a circular hexagram engraved with a demonic eye burst forth from his chest, enveloping him.

This burst was silent, but its power was significant; it not only blocked Locke's attack but also knocked him back to the ground.

Moreover, at the same Time, the same hexagram pattern appeared on William's corpse, which Locke had thrown to the ground, and then, as if drawn by something, it flew into the air toward Marcus.

Seeing this, Marcus's expression became frantic, and his tone was extremely cold.

"Hahaha, I've succeeded, I've succeeded! Locke, it seems that the ones who will die today are you. Victory ultimately belongs to the prepared."

Then, a horrific scene unfolded.

A slit opened from Marcus's chest down to his thigh, and then his ribs pushed through the flesh, opening up to form a giant mouth.

It was filled with sharp teeth and tiny tentacles.

"What is going on?"

Locke frowned, staring at the mutated Marcus above: "An evil sacrificial ritual? Is he summoning a demon or..."

"Hehehe, never seen this before, kid? Why do you think I lured you here? I was waiting for this very moment."

Marcus finished speaking, closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and spread his arms, looking as if he were welcoming a holy baptism, but his abdominal cavity, which had turned into a bloody maw, and the small red tentacles writhing beneath his skin made the scene look exceptionally bloody and bizarre.

Locke narrowed his eyes, his expression somewhat grave, but he did not despair. Instead, he secretly accumulated energy, not acting rashly, because his previous attempt taught him that this ritual could not be forcibly stopped—at least, not unless one's cultivation was strong enough.

He just couldn't do it yet.

He had already made a plan: if he exhausted all his means and went all out, yet still couldn't defeat the bizarre Marcus, he would choose to immediately complete the [Legend of the Black Moon] mission and extract the reward to improve himself.

Beside him, Serena, with a cold expression, continued to fire her gun, but every bullet she fired was blocked by the red hexagram.

As for Alfred, although pressured by the aura, he still followed Locke's instructions and remained hidden above.

And in the darkness, even Time, upon seeing the hexagram pattern appear, could not help but turn cold.

Perhaps recalling some unpleasant memories.

"Hehehe, it's useless. Give in to despair."

Hearing the gunshots, Marcus didn't even open his eyes as he mocked: "Once my ritual is activated, it is irreversible. Unless you have overwhelming strength to crush me—which I don't think you have the ability to disrupt the ritual—you might as well just wait for death."

Serena, with a grave expression, immediately ran to Locke's side: "Should we leave right now?"

Locke shook his head, calmly analyzing: "We are currently on an isolated island; even if we call a helicopter, it will take at least 20 minutes to get here."

"It's too late. I think his ritual is about to be completed."

"Then what should we do?"

Serena looked worried, glaring at the bizarre Marcus in the sky, and cursed: "That dog Marcus, it seems he had this planned all along."

"Don't worry, the situation hasn't reached the point where we will definitely lose."

Locke gazed at Marcus in the sky, carefully sensing the aura on him: "Even if he succeeds, I won't necessarily lose. But Serena, later on, please remember to find a safe place to hide."

"I won't." Serena shook her head.

"Don't worry, I'm just afraid you'll distract me,"

Although Locke's expression was grave, he still said confidently: "Marcus has his trump cards, and I have mine."

Just then, a sudden change occurred, and...