Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!-Chapter 498: The Progenitor Awakens

After a while, the destruction subsided.

The immense cloud of dust and the rain of flying rock fragments settled and diminished, leaving the entire area looking like a war zone.

The dome surrounding the children vanished, revealing all the rescued children who were huddled together, confused.

Their wide eyes searched for the mountain that had stood there moments ago, now utterly gone, and they stared at the entire forest, which was covered in pulverized rocks, looking as if it had suffered a massive earthquake.

"W-Where did it go?" One of the kids murmured. "Where’s the big mountain?"

Another tugged on Skadi’s sleeve. "Why’s the forest broken?"

Skadi didn’t have the heart to answer. She simply patted their heads and pointed at Cassius.

"Ask that crazy guy."

Carmela was resting against a tree, catching her breath, while Aisha, on the other hand, practically exploded with energy.

She jumped in front of Cassius, eyes wide with astonishment.

"Cassius! What was that? What in the hell did you do? I’ve never seen anything like it! How could you cause an explosion like that?!"

Before Cassius could even reply, Skadi bounded up beside her, waving her arms dramatically.

"Yeah, Master! First there was one boom, then a second BOOM, then it went boom-boom-boom-boom! And then—poof! The whole mountain was gone!"

She threw her hands in the air, spinning in a circle to mimic the blast.

"I thought the world was ending! My ears are still ringing!" She pouted, rubbing her ears. "What did you even do to make it explode like that?!"

In response, Cassius simply chuckled. He reached into into his ring and pulled out one of the small, unassuming grey bricks he had been planting earlier.

He threw it toward Skadi, who immediately caught it, then began sniffing it all over and tentatively biting into it like it was a chew toy.

"What is this, Master? Is this a treat?" Skadi asked, her tail giving a hopeful little wag. "Is this a treat for being such a good puppy in this mission? How exactly do I eat it? Do I wrap it up? Do I chop it into pieces?"

"It’s not a treat, Skadi." Cassius said, a mischievous light in his eyes. "That’s a bomb. If you were to bite just a little bit more, it would explode right now."

All three women—Aisha, Julie, and especially Skadi—froze on the spot.

"M-Master...M-Master what do I do?! I already bit into it! Oh no, oh no, oh no, I’m going to explode! My tail’s gonna fly one way and my head’s gonna go the other!" She looked on the verge of tears.

But then Cassius couldn’t hold it anymore—he burst out laughing.

"Relax. I’m kidding, Skadi. That one’s a dud. It’s harmless."

A long pause followed, then all three women exhaled in unison, their shoulders sagging in relief.

Skadi immediately threw the brick as far away as possible before lunging at Cassius and clinging to him like a koala.

"Master, you bully!" She cried. "I thought I was done for!"

"You should’ve seen your face. Priceless." He ruffled her hair with a grin.

Meanwhile, Julie, recovering, walked over and carefully observed the spot where the mountain had been.

"How can that possibly be a bomb, Cassius?" Julie asked, skeptical. "The bombs used in mining or anything else are much bigger and larger, and even those don’t cause the explosion that we just saw."

"Even if you stacked a hundred of those standard mining bombs, it wouldn’t be able to cause such a big explosion."

"Yes, it doesn’t make sense." Aisha nodded, her scientific curiosity overriding her panic. "The energy release was too enormous for anything conventional."

Cassius grinned, the genius inventor emerging. "That’s because this is actually a bomb that I had to create on my own."

That got everyone’s attention. Even Carmela looked up.

"Yourself?" Julie asked warily. "You mean you built that thing?"

"Yeah." Cassius nodded. "I was experimenting with some of the minerals the Holyfield mines have been extracting lately. Found some interesting compounds—volatile but stable enough to handle if treated right. Combined a few of them with a little...knowledge from my previous world."

"Previous world?" Carmela murmured softly, frowning.

Cassius continued as if he hadn’t heard.

"And after a few trial runs—and a few unfortunate explosions that nearly blew up my lab and scared Lucius half to death—I finally got it right. Small, compact, but about fifteen times stronger than standard mining charges."

He gestured toward the massive crater where the mountain used to be.

"I planted roughly a hundred of them underneath the base and...that’s the result."

The three women looked at the scene in awe.

Julie especially gulped at the sheer sight of the destruction. She then looked at Cassius, her expression nervous and serious.

"I know that’s an impressive invention, Cassius, and I genuinely don’t know how you keep on creating stuff like this."

Julie said, choosing her words carefully.

"But I think that’s something that you should keep to yourself. If you have any thoughts of trying to sell it or produce it for someone else, I advise you not to. That is not a weapon that should ever be in another person’s hand."

Aisha nodded gravely. "Yes, Cassius. The destruction it would cause in the wrong hands is not something small. That yield is apocalyptic."

Skadi, however, saw only the fun. "Really? I think it would be so cool to throw them around! It’d be fun to throw at the enemies!"

Aisha rolled her eyes dramatically.

"But what if the enemies are throwing this at us?" She countered. "How would you feel about that, Skadi?"

Skadi instantly settled down, realizing the terrifying implication.

"Relax. I’m not selling them to anyone. I’m not insane." Cassius chuckled, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "I know exactly how dangerous they are."

Hearing this, a huge weight lifted from Julie’s chest.

The thought of weapons like these being widely distributed filled her with dread; wars would be endless, and peace would be unattainable.

She then couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer valuable asset Cassius represented. Even without noble titles, the knowledge he possessed was something superpowers would fight over.

He was a person of incalculable worth.

However, the thought also sparked a flicker of irritation.

Not only was he already so overwhelmingly powerful to an extent she still couldn’t grasp. But now he also held weapons of mass destruction in his hands.

He seemed to be good at everything, possessing all the power and she was about to open her mouth and complain about his unfair abundance of talent when a new sound reached them.

The thuds of footsteps. Metal clanging. Laughter—coarse, vulgar laughter.

Cassius turned his head slightly, and the others followed his gaze.

Emerging from three directions across the shattered landscape were groups of rough-looking men—bandits, armed with axes, rusted blades, and makeshift armor. Their greedy eyes darted between the smoking ruins of the mountain and the group of figures standing in the clearing.

One of the bandits whistled, his eyes widening.

"Holy hell! Look at that! The whole damn mountain’s gone!"

Another burst out laughing. "Forget the mountain, boys! Look down there—four pretty girls just waitin’ for us! Like a gift from the gods!"

"Ha! No way I’m lettin’ those bastards from the west have ’em first!" Another group shouted from the east. "Move, comrades! Whoever gets there first gets the pick!"

Their disgusting jeers and laughter filled the air, echoing across the flattened land.

Normally, the sight of dozens of bandits swarming from every direction would be enough to make anyone panic.

But instead of fear, something else lit up in the eyes of Cassius’s companions.

Julie cracked her neck, gripping her sword. "I’ll take the west side." She said coldly. "I’ve been needing to swing this blade for a while."

"I’ll handle the east." Aisha replied, her voice like ice, already summoning magic in her palms.

Skadi, on the other hand, was grinning ear to ear, her tail swishing excitedly.

"Then I’ll take the ones up front! Hehe...I’ll tear them apart piece by piece. This’ll be so fun!"

They were seconds away from launching into battle when—

A low rumble stopped them all.

The sound wasn’t coming from the bandits—it was coming from the ruins of the mountain.

Cassius’s eyes narrowed, his smile fading. "Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me..."

From the shattered debris, a figure emerged.

He barely resembled a human anymore.

Half of his face was crushed, his jaw hanging at an unnatural angle. One leg was missing, the other dragging uselessly. His left arm was a mangled ruin of flesh and bone. His skin was burned black, peeling in places, blood leaking from every wound.

Yet somehow, he was still alive.

"...Xerath." Cassius muttered under his breath.

The cult leader—or what was left of him—staggered forward, limping heavily, leaving a trail of blood and ash behind him. His remaining eye locked onto Cassius with pure, burning hatred.

"You...bastard..." He rasped, his voice raw, bubbling with blood. "You spawn of a devil! How dare you—interrupt our ritual! You—you ruined everything!"

Cassius folded his arms, unimpressed. "You’re lucky you’re still breathing, old man. Most of your friends are part of the mountain now."

But Xerath only laughed—a sick, broken sound that echoed through the wasteland.

"You think this is over? You think you’ve won?" His laughter grew louder, more frenzied. "Foolish boy! You may have interrupted the ceremony, but the blood moon still shines—and that means the seal has been broken! Even incomplete, my god will awaken!"

Cassius’s brow furrowed. "What are you—"

Before he could finish, Xerath threw his head back and began chanting in an ancient tongue. The air itself vibrated with the power of his voice.

Then, the ground began to shake again.

Rumble! Rumble!

From deep within the ruins, something moved. The very stones of the mountain quivered, and the blood that had pooled beneath the altar began to bubble up through the cracks.

Thick streams of it poured out, glowing an ominous crimson under the moonlight.

Seeing this, the bandits froze mid-charge, their jeers dying in their throats.

Julie, Aisha, and Skadi also turned to look in horror as the blood began to rise—floating into the air, twisting, spiraling—forming an enormous, pulsating mass above the ruins.

It pulsed like a living heart, dripping streams of red light onto the shattered ground below.

"Rise! RISE!" Xerath’s broken voice howled. "Even if your body sleeps, your essence shall awaken! My lady, take what remains—FEED!"

And before anyone could move, the writhing mass of blood shuddered—and then shot forward in a blazing torrent.

It streaked through the air like a scarlet arrow—and shockingly aimed directly at Carmela.

"Carmela!" Cassius shouted, his eyes widening.

She barely had time to turn before the stream of blood struck her, slamming into her mouth and chest.

Her eyes went wide with shock as she was force-fed the liquid, choking and clawing at her throat.

"Y-You—" She gasped, but no sound came out.

The others rushed forward, but they were too slow.

The blood lifted her off the ground, suspending her in midair as her body arched in agony as the blood swarmed into her mouth. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

While floating, her veins began to glow through her skin—crimson lines spreading across her body like fire through dry leaves. Her eyes blazed brighter and brighter until they burned like twin suns of red.

The very air around her crackled and trembled as an immense pressure flooded the clearing, forcing everyone to their knees.

Above her, the blood moon shone down—its light merging with the aura that radiated from her body—until Carmela herself looked like the incarnation of the crimson moon.

Cassius shielded his eyes from the glare, his heart pounding. "...What the hell have you done?"

Xerath’s broken grin twisted wider, madness dancing in his one good eye.

"Hehehe...behold, boy. The Progenitor awakens."