Chapter 291: Chapter 291

As Degenerate spoke, he folded his wings and descended gracefully to the ground. Even without flapping, the sheer force of the wind they generated whipped into a violent storm that nearly blew the humans away.

Fortunately, the gust quickly dissipated. Light enveloped Degenerate’s entire body, shimmering like a divine robe.

Stepping out from the glow, he spun once in place, smiling brightly. "I got a new outfit too, Nerio!"

He was now dressed in a white sailor-style school uniform with a bright red ribbon tied at the front. The pleated skirt was soft and pristine white, paired with thigh-high white stockings and glossy red shoes. His long silver hair—now tied into a high ponytail—flowed down to his waist, and his bright green eyes sparkled with a mischievous shine.

Degenerate had even shortened his height from his usual two meters to about one meter seventy.

"How’s this? I think it fits the dungeon’s theme perfectly." His voice was soft and sweet, laced with playful allure that hooked at the edges of every syllable.

Outside, Asta—staring at the sky—suddenly fell to his knees, clutching his face as tears burst. The people around him exchanged bewildered looks before quickly stepping away.

The humans were utterly speechless inside the dungeon, caught between two gods. Whether they could leave this place alive was no longer certain.

Nerio glared at Degenerate, the disgust in his eyes plain as day. "You look hideous!" Follow current novᴇls on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝※𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖※𝕟𝕖𝕥

He stomped a foot angrily on the ground. "This place is mine! I told you to get lost!"

Degenerate squinted his eyes, clearly amused. "How often do I have to tell you to call me big sis? And what’s with that rude little mouth of yours?"

As he spoke, Degenerate snapped his fingers. A flash of light surrounded Nerio, and in an instant, his outfit changed.

A frilly pink princess dress cascaded down to his ankles, layers of ruffled fabric weighing heavily on him. Atop his head now sat a giant floral bonnet, decorated with delicate blush-pink blooms and an oversized ribbon that made his face appear even smaller and more doll-like.

"So adorable, Nerio! Like a porcelain doll! I knew pink would suit you best!" Degenerate exclaimed gleefully.

The humans stared blankly at the sight before them, their hearts trembling. Sure, it was cute—but far more terrifying than anything else!

As expected, Nerio yanked the floral hat from his head and hurled it violently to the ground. His voice dropped to a chilling tone.

In an instant, Nerio’s body vanished from sight. The sky above was immediately swallowed by a storm of ice shards—so dense it was as if the heavens themselves had solidified into layers of frost, leaving not even the smallest gap.

Degenerate glanced at the humans and grinned. "You should probably run." He even winked as he said it.

Everyone: "..." Was there anywhere they could even run to?

The sharp sound of ice slicing through the air erupted—

"Crack! Thud! Boom, boom, boom!"

Countless shards of ice speared down to the ground with unimaginable force, making the earth tremble. The entire dungeon began to freeze over. Things were somehow even worse than before—Leonard and the others scrambled for cover, half-wondering whether Degenerate had come to save them or to add to the chaos!

Just as their defensive barriers were about to shatter, Degenerate’s voice rang out, calm and cheerful:

At that moment, the sky cleared once more. Degenerate was standing exactly where he had been before—completely unmoved. On the other hand, Nerio was dangling helplessly in the air, caught by the scruff of his collar like a kitten caught by the neck, utterly unable to escape.

Nerio bit his lip, his eyes turning red. "Put me down!"

"Still shouting so loudly, huh?" Degenerate lifted him higher so their eyes met. At that instant, Nerio lashed out with a sudden swipe. Even though Degenerate dodged swiftly, he couldn’t avoid all of it—several claw marks streaked across his beautiful face, one cutting across his lip. Blood immediately welled up.

Degenerate licked his lips, about to speak—but then he froze. Nerio had started crying, tears streaming down his cheeks, his face soft and innocent, as if the person who’d just caused all this chaos couldn’t be him.

Degenerate sneered. "Don’t give me that look. You think I’m dumb enough to fall for it?"

But Nerio kept crying, yet his lips curved upward into a bright, mocking smile.

"Just wait," he said lightly, his tone full of taunt.

At that exact moment, the entire dungeon trembled violently, like someone had torn open space and stepped inside.

Degenerate’s expression shifted. Instinctively, he released Nerio and snapped his fingers. The pink princess dress vanished, restoring Nerio to his usual form.

Nerio stood still where he was, tears still streaking down his face, his voice soft and obedient as he looked ahead.

"Let me make it clear—I didn’t bully Nerio! He wouldn’t listen!" Degenerate declared outright.

With every word he spoke, Nerio’s tears only fell faster.

Before long, a gentle light spread across the entire dungeon, shielding it from prying eyes outside. The dungeon began to crumble rapidly, dissolving piece by piece.

This time, there wasn’t even a system notification. The humans were turned into countless beams of light and vanished from the collapsing world.

Outside, chaos was already waiting for them.

From the moment Luther confessed, Drake had led the espers to capture Frank directly and launched an assault on the government’s central research facility.

As if it had all been predicted, every artificial esper lost control at once. The Outer God used them as a final weapon—to inflict direct destruction upon the world itself, not merely through the dungeons.

There were thousands of researchers involved, all possessing abilities that worked even outside the dungeons. The espers, however, typically lost their powers once they exited a dungeon, and even in rare exceptions, those abilities were heavily suppressed.

This was a small world, a single continent that had never known war until the dungeons appeared. They had never faced invasion from beyond their borders, so their weapons and technology were underdeveloped.

Humanity’s resistance was feeble at best against the artificially enhanced espers with extraordinary powers. What made things worse was that even the believers—who usually prayed to the angels for divine strength—found their prayers no longer worked. It was as though the entire world had truly been forsaken.

When Leonard and the others emerged from the dungeon, they found the sky above the continent darker than the void they had just escaped.

The streets were filled with screams. The stench of blood and gunpowder choked the air. Buildings lay in ruins, and fires burned fiercely across the horizon.

The artificial espers now looked nothing like humans—they were monsters, pure and simple.

Sensing their arrival, one of the artificial espers suddenly lunged forward. Leonard’s expression hardened; he raised a hand, and a flaming spear pierced straight through the creature’s chest, reducing it to ash.

A sharp cracking sound followed—the sound of bones shifting. A pair of large wings unfurled from Leonard’s back.

Yes, he too was an artificial esper—the sole survivor of the Curtis family’s experiment. He was like these monsters... and yet, fundamentally different.

Usually, he had to drink human blood to return to a human state once he left a dungeon. But now, it seemed he still had use for the borrowed power running through his veins...