stair was terrified beyond measure, yet he dared not show it, only managing to stare fixedly at John.


    Sparks seemed almost ready to fly from his eyes.


    He was seething with hatred.


    Why?


    Why was this happening?


    He had performed so impably, yet why was the oue still so far from what he had envisioned?


    Why, despite possessing the power of control, was there such a vast difference between him and this man?


    He had been on the verge of killing John before, yet now he found himself subdued by him.


    Why?


    How could this man''s strength so vastly surpass his own?


    Was it merely because he had a slightly better grasp of the power of control?


    He was, after all, an emerald-tier master, while John was nothing but a gold-tier failure.


    There really was nothing else to say!


    stair''s eyes were so bloodshot they seemed almost to bleed, and his heart was filled with unbearable resentment.


    He could not ept that he had lost to John.


    "What trick did you use to keep me here?"


    stair eximed in horror, struggling desperately but utterly unable to withstand the forces binding him.


    He felt his strength rapidly draining away, an immensely ufortable sensation that he detested, this feeling of powerlessness.


    "I need not reveal what power I wield!"


    John swiftly channeled his power of control into the magic array.


    Sess or failure hinged on this moment!


    stair could feel his own power of control fading, yet he screamed maniacally in defiance.


    "If I cannot live, then you all shall die!"


    With a maniacalugh, stair''s power began to surge uncontrobly.


    He was harnessing thest remnants of his power of control, frantically amassing his strength.


    While it was uncertain how high his power might rise, it clearly boded no good.


    Diamond-tier…supreme-tier…transcendent-tier…cataclysmic-tier…apocalyptic-tier!


    His strength soared to the apocalyptic-tier and showed no signs of stopping.


    He was on the verge of stepping into the semigod-tier!


    Those around him were stricken with horror.


    No, this could not continue! If stair''s cultivation reached the semigod-tier again, would all their efforts be for naught?


    John witnessed all this, intensifying the flow of his power of control.


    He needed to be faster than stair!


    It was a race against time now.


    stair also felt an energy within him persistently hindering his progress.


    He had previously absorbed another''s power, which is how he had reached the semigod-tier.


    But now, it was different.


    There was nothing left to absorb, always falling just short.


    No!


    Absolutely not, he must absorb thisst bit of power! Even in death, he must ensure these people perish with him.


    stair clenched his teeth and, with fists balled, let out a roar.


    "Die, all of you!"


    In an instant, he ignited all the power of control within his body.


    As his life force burned away, his hair whitened at a visible rate, aging him by more than twenty years.


    Yet, his aura soared directly to the semigod-tier.


    When he opened his eyes again, the cold wind tousled his now-grey hair, and his clothes rustled loudly.


    His hair had turned white, but his eyes were blood-red, nearly dripping with blood.


    He looked at John with a deranged expression, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.


    From the start, stair knew he would not survive.


    His life had been dedicated to the Prime God.


    Even in death, it did not matter as long as the Prime God could smoothly descend to the human realm.


    Everything he did, he did for the Lord.


    His gaze fixed firmly on John.


    If not for this man, he might have already wiped out those ipetents.


    There was no way he should be wasting so much time here; thus, this man deserved to die!


    Everything here should be destroyed! Only a world in ruins could please the Lord.


    "Boy, use whatever tricks you have left!"


    Although stair could still feel the magic array binding him, it was much less effective than before.


    He guessed that the higher his cultivation, the weaker the array''s hold on him would be.


    With this realization, a sinister smile curled at the corner of stair''s mouth.


    "I''m eager to see what other tricks you have!"


    John activated the magic array, but to no avail.


    stair''s strength exceeded his expectations by far.


    The magic array, reputed to y gods, had long since lost much of its potency.


    Moreover, its power depended on the materials used in its activation.


    Initially, they had used only an energy stone, which was but a drop in the ocean for this array—barely enough to activate it, let alone unleash its full potential.


    Though John hadter supplemented it with the power of control, the foundation set for activating the array was too weak.


    Facing a semigod-tier adversary was an insurmountable challenge, no matter what they tried.


    "What should we do? Should we go up and help?"


    Lavinia''s eyes were fixed on the scene ahead; even her voice trembled slightly from the cold, but she couldn''t leave.


    They all knew that if John failed today, death would be their only fate.


    Thus, they had to ensure John''s victory, no matter what.


    Yet now, it seemed that stair had once again reached the heights of the semigod-tier.


    Everyone knew this semi-divine state was a fragile existence, bound to decline once the energy was exhausted.


    But regardless, he was undeniably a semigod-tierbatant now—a reality far different from what they had anticipated.


    No, it was absolutely uneptable.


    If there was any way, they must intervene and assist properly.


    "Everyone, stay put and don''t move."


    Isabe spoke in a hushed tone, but her voice carried an unmistakable severity.


    John was at a critical juncture now, so they absolutely had to maintain theirposure.


    They couldn''t afford to distract John or give stair any leverage by exposing themselves.


    Otherwise, if stair took them hostage, would John save them or not?


    "But..."


    "There are no buts!"


    Lavinia''s words were cut off abruptly by Isabe.


    "From the moment we came here, we were destined to put our trust in John!"


    They had no way out, and neither did John.


    Today, they had to determine a victor.


    Lavinia was so anxious she nearly rushed forward, but Isabe''s words forced her to hold back her impulse.


    In her heart, she silently prayed for John''s victory.


    He was their only hope.


    John watched the now deranged stair before him, a mocking curve forming at the corner of his mouth.


    "Do you really think you''re at the semigod-tier?"


    The disdain in John''s tone instantly ignited a fury within stair.


    "Whether I am a semigod-tier or not is not for you to decide!"


    "Today, I will see you dead here!" stair bellowed wildly.


    At the same time, the deep power within him seemed to grow ever more intense.


    Isabe instantly realized the danger.


    "This is bad! He''s going to self-destruct!"


    Upon hearing this, everyone''s pupils dted in shock.


    A self-destruction from a semigod-tier!


    Not only would it obliterate everyone here, but even the fragments of the entire secret realm would be reduced to ashes.


    No one would survive; escape was impossible.


    Lavinia mustered all her strength to restrain herself from rushing forward, instead fixating her gaze on the unfolding scene from afar.


    They had to trust John, they absolutely must trust him.


    John watched the frenzied stair and drew his Bloodthirsty de,


    "I have a de that can y gods!"