Ex rank talent Awakening: 100% Dodge rate

Greg remained inactive, the bloodlines still fighting for dominance, his concept DEATH suppressed by an unknown power, his talents dormant. His body was like a husk, no will within it.

The bloodlines continued their chaotic struggle for dominance, while the sandworm drew ever closer.

[An unknown bloodline within you opens its eyes groggily.]

[The bloodline Primordial Fire Dragon bows its head in fear.]

[The bloodline Primordial Water Dragon bows its head in fear.]

[The bloodline Sin of Wrath bows its head in fear!]

[The unknown bloodline is furious at the perpetrator of the discord for disturbing its slumber!]

[The unknown bloodline commands the Primordial Fire Dragon and Primordial Water Dragon bloodlines to devour the Sin of Wrath!]

[The bloodline Sin of Wrath tries to resist!]

[The unknown bloodline prevents the Sin of Wrath from resisting.]

[The Primordial Fire Dragon devours half of the Sin of Wrath bloodline.]

[The Primordial Water Dragon devours the other half.]

[The Primordial Fire Dragon bloodline has evolved into Primordial Demon Fire Dragon!]

[The Primordial Water Dragon bloodline has evolved into Primordial Demon Water Dragon!]

[The unknown bloodline is not satisfied and wishes to prevent such situations from disturbing its sleep again.]

[The unknown bloodline merges the Primordial Demon Water Dragon and Primordial Demon Fire Dragon bloodlines together!]

[The two bloodlines resist the merge!]

[The unknown bloodline subdues the two bloodlines and continues the merge!]

[Merge successful!]

[You have gained the Primogenitor Bloodline: Abyssal Pyro Tide!]

[The unknown bloodline is satisfied and prepares to slumber once more. It detects a disgusting enemy suppressing the concept DEATH.]

[The unknown power notices the gaze of the unknown bloodline and hastily withdraws its actions!]

[The unknown bloodline cautions the concept DEATH to reel in the other talents and stop slacking off.]

[The unknown bloodline shuts its eyes and falls into slumber.]

[The concept DEATH is enraged at being looked down on and threatens to devour the Ex-rank talents if they remain dormant!]

[The concept DEATH changes its mind and forcefully devours and merges the talents 100% Hit Rate and 100% Dodge Rate!]

[The talents try to resist but are overwhelmed.]

[The talents have been successfully merged to form the concept ABSOLUTE RESOLUTION!]

The demonic sandworm finally descended, devouring Greg.

---

Greg opened his eyes, finding himself floating in a greenish fluid.

"What was my parent about to tell me?" he muttered. They had disappeared before they could say anything. "And where am I?" he asked himself.

He sighed. "Sandworm again?" he grumbled, noticing he was completely naked. The scales and horns had long since receded, leaving his body bare and vulnerable.

"Heaven's Defier," he called out softly. The sword materialized from thin air.

"Against the heavens," he whispered again, activating the skill.

He felt tired — a bone-deep exhaustion. While the cause of his physical fatigue remained unclear, the source of his mental exhaustion was obvious.

Gripping Heaven's Defier tightly, he swung the sword in a clean arc, cleaving the giant demonic sandworm into two parts.

He walked calmly through the creature's gory remains, exiting through the clean cut.

Looking around, he realized he wasn't far from the spot where he had lost consciousness. This meant the sandworm hadn't swallowed him for long.

"I wonder where that baby demon went," he muttered, retrieving a set of armor from his inventory and dressing quickly.

******

Ygrit and company finally arrived at the underground city—only to find it utterly destroyed.

Paths like massive tunnels snaked through the ruined landscape, as if a titanic snake had torn its way through the city.

"It seems the demonic sandworm passed through here," Ygrit muttered, walking slowly.

He had finally regained the strength to walk after a long recovery from the paralysis, but the fear instilled by the two monstrous creatures lingered, haunting him.

"Dad was right," Ygrit said with a bitter smile. "No one should venture into the wilderness on a whim."

Meanwhile, Gendry stood frozen, his eyes hollow.

Deep regret and crushing resentment washed over him. Just like that, because of his own foolishness and greed for power, he had destroyed the Demon Hunters.

He wished he could disappear, wished he could beg for forgiveness from all those he had failed.

Ygrit noticed the sadness etched into Gendry's face and remained quiet, allowing the half-demon a moment of solitude.

Had this been the old, arrogant demon prince from before his battle with Greg, Ygrit might have taken offense and killed Gendry on the spot.

But unknowingly, he had changed. He had tasted the despair and helplessness of brutality — and he never wanted to experience it again.

Even the thought of inflicting suffering triggered memories of his own humiliation at Greg's hands.

"Check if the underground city's systems are still operational so we can get out of here," Ygrit finally commanded.

Gendry nodded humbly and moved to fulfill the command.

A while later, he returned, shaking his head.

"No, my lord," he reported. "Nothing remains functional."

"I guess we're stuck here," Ygrit sighed, collapsing heavily onto the ground without a care in the world.

Surprisingly, the demons under his and Gendry's command did the same, utterly spent from the confrontation.

"I wonder who won between that demonized monster and the sandworm," Ygrit muttered. "I hope they both died."

*********

Greg trudged through the wilderness slowly, exhausted beyond measure.

Every step was a battle, but he forced himself onward, determined not to collapse in the wild where monsters roamed freely.

Still, no matter how much he fought it, sleep clawed at him until, at last, he stumbled and collapsed—

—but was caught gently by the timely arrival of Azrael.

Greg barely registered Azrael's familiar face, with his sister standing by his side.

"Thank you," Greg whispered before finally surrendering to unconsciousness.

*********

Back at the safehouse, Lilith, Jessica, Aaron, and the others — aside from Annabelle — watched anxiously as the emergency beeping from Greg's capsule finally subsided.

As the alarm ceased and the lights returned to normal, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief, knowing that Greg's condition had finally stabilized