Divine Mask: I Have Numerous God Clones

Hades swiftly unsummoned his Soul Puppet, realizing that the delicate nature of the Abyss Dragon's core required a more nuanced approach.

His face remained calm but focused, his sharp eyes scanning the massive creature for weaknesses. With a quick gesture, he summoned dark tendrils, their inky blackness swirling through the air like shadows come to life.

The tendrils, usually designed for soul-damaging attacks, twisted and coiled around the dragon. But this time, Hades altered their purpose. He spoke softly, almost to himself, his voice carrying an icy edge. "No soul damage... just physical strikes. We need that core intact."

The Abyss Dragon let out a guttural roar, its enormous body thrashing against the tendrils. Its scales shimmered with dark energy as the Abyss Mana flowed through it, healing its wounds almost instantly. Each tendril that struck left a mark, only to see it disappear moments later.

The dragon lunged at him with its sharp claws, but Hades dodged with ease, his expression showing no sign of panic.

His movements were precise, like a predator toying with its prey. The dark tendrils lashed at the dragon, coiling tighter around its limbs, restricting its ability to move freely.

The beast roared again, its eyes glowing with fury, but Hades remained unfazed. He leapt forward, joining the fight directly, his gaze cold and calculating.

The dragon's massive jaws snapped at him, missing by inches as Hades gracefully evaded every attack. "You're not making this easy," he said with a small smirk, the thrill of the fight briefly lighting his eyes.

Suddenly, the system chimed in, its voice sharp and filled with the usual arrogance.

[Hey, genius, stop playing around. The core's in its head, right inside the brain. How do you not know this by now?]

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Hades' eyes lit up with sudden understanding, his lips curling into a wicked grin. "Ah, so that's where you're hiding your little secret," he muttered, glancing at the massive Abyss Dragon with renewed intent. He let out a low chuckle, already shifting his strategy.

"Time to wrap this up."

With a flick of his wrist, Hades summoned more dark tendrils, their shadowy forms multiplying as they lashed out, binding the dragon's limbs and wings even tighter.

The dragon snarled, its movements becoming frantic as it realized something had changed in Hades' approach. Its glowing red eyes flickered with desperation, sensing the shift in danger.

[Look at it squirm,] the system mocked, its tone dripping with amusement. [You'd think it would've known not to mess with someone who actually listens to me. Though, to be fair, you don't always, which is why you get into messes like this.]

Hades smirked, ignoring the jab. He wasn't in the mood for the system's usual taunts, his focus entirely on the prize.

"Hold still," he muttered under his breath, his voice carrying an almost playful tone, though his eyes were cold. He watched as the tendrils wrapped tighter, preventing the dragon from breaking free.

The dragon roared, swiping its claws in a desperate attempt to shake off its restraints, but Hades moved swiftly. He launched himself towards the beast's massive head, dodging another swipe from its claws with ease. His body twisted through the air, landing lightly near its enormous jaw.

[Careful, don't want to get eaten now, do we? Though with your luck, you'd probably survive anyway.]

"Shut up," Hades hissed through gritted teeth, though a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. With a flick of his hand, he summoned more tendrils, using them to pry open the dragon's jaw, forcing it wide. The creature resisted, its body convulsing, but Hades was already in motion.

With the grace of a shadow, Hades leaped inside the dragon's open mouth, disappearing into the dark, pulsating interior. The heat inside was stifling, filled with the raw energy of the Abyss Mana coursing through the beast's veins.

"Let's make this quick," he muttered, his voice echoing within the dragon's body.

[Look at you, crawling around inside a dragon. Not exactly a vacation spot, is it?] the system mocked, though there was an edge of amusement in its tone. [Don't mess it up, though. The core's too important for you to fumble now.]

"I know what I'm doing," Hades replied, irritation in his voice, though he kept his movements swift and calculated.

Navigating through the beast's body, he could feel the pulsing energy growing stronger the closer he got to its head. The walls of flesh vibrated with power, but Hades remained unfazed.

Finally, he reached the brain, where the core resided. The energy was overwhelming, radiating from one central point—the Abyss Core. Without hesitation, Hades plunged his hand deep into the dragon's head, his fingers brushing against something smooth and hard.

"Found you," he whispered, gripping the object tightly.

As he pulled it free, the Abyss Core slipped into his hand—a pitch-black, marble-like item, absorbing the light around it. The power it radiated was immense, a dark force that pulsed in his grip, almost alive with energy.

The moment the core was removed, the dragon's body began to convulse violently, its life force rapidly draining away as the connection to the Abyss Mana was severed. The once ferocious beast now lay dying, its massive frame shuddering as its power flickered and faded.

Hades climbed out of the dragon's mouth, landing gracefully beside the massive corpse. He glanced down at the Abyss Core in his hand, the weight of its power thrumming against his palm.

"Got it," he said with a smirk, his tone one of quiet triumph.

[Well, well, looks like you didn't mess it up after all,] the system chimed in, still mocking but with a hint of approval. [Not bad for someone who usually stumbles through everything.]

Hades rolled his eyes, though his smirk remained. "Shut up. I've got what I came for."

The system laughed, its voice echoing in his mind. [Yeah, yeah. But you've still got a long way to go, genius. Let's see if you can handle what comes next without needing me to save your skin.]

Hades simply chuckled, his eyes still fixed on the Abyss Core in his hand, the dark marble holding untold power. Whatever was coming next, he knew he was ready.