Chapter 187: Blood Against Fire

The moment the Crimson Abyssal Lion lowered its massive head, the world seemed to shrink around it.

Its mane ignited. not in a sudden burst, but in a slow, deliberate surge, as if a furnace deep within its chest had finally been unleashed. Abyssal fire and crimson flame intertwined around its body, licking across armored scales and sinking into the ground beneath its paws.

The mana pressure intensified violently, pressing down on the battlefield with such force that the air itself warped, heat distortion rippling outward in visible waves.

The Lion exhaled. The breath alone scorched the land. Trees at the edge of the battlefield blackened and crumbled into ash; stone softened and cracked; and the mana in the air screamed as it was violently displaced. This was no longer a test for them; this marked the beginning of extermination.

Valeria slammed her blade into the ground and roared, her voice cutting through the chaos.

“Second formation! Rotate pressure….now!”

The team sprang into action.

Gregor vanished in a blur of compressed wind, reappearing to Valeria’s right as Vanthrice shifted left, her halberd spinning into a defensive arc that carved a temporary vacuum through the superheated air.

Brutus forced himself upright despite burns crawling across his armor, planting his feet firmly and raising his gauntlets as Leona and Kaela locked shields again, their mana barriers flaring bright gold and steel-blue.

The Lion struck first. It reared back and spat.

A fireball erupted from its maw, not just any sphere but a condensed mass of abyssal flame the size of a carriage, spinning violently as layers of compressed mana wrapped around it like armor. The projectile tore through the air with a shriek that shattered stone in its wake.

“DEFENSE!” Valeria shouted.

Leona met it head-on. Her shield screamed as the fireball collided with it; the impact detonated with a thunderous BOOM that flattened everything around them and sent debris flying like shrapnel.

The mana barrier shattered instantly; Leona was hurled backward, skidding across molten earth with her armor glowing red-hot.

She didn’t scream, but she didn’t rise either.

“Leona’s down!” Kaela roared, slamming his shield forward just as another wave of fire washed over him; his knees buckled under its force.

The Lion didn’t pause. It lunged forward.

Its massive form blurred, covering dozens of meters in an instant while claws slashed downward with enough force to carve trenches into the battlefield. Valeria intercepted once more; her sword collided with one descending claw in an explosive impact that sent shockwaves rippling outward.

BOOM!

The ground collapsed beneath them. Valeria was driven knee-deep into earth as blood sprayed from her lips, she twisted her blade at the last moment to redirect just enough force to avoid being crushed outright. Even so, her arms trembled violently as she struggled to stand to up.

“Gregor!” she barked. “Now!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Gregor unleashed the wind mana swirling around him and propelled himself forward. His claymore screamed as compressed currents coiled tightly around the blade. With laser-like focus, he activated his technique.

“Level 4 Skill — Hundred Apocalyptic Strike!”

Time seemed to slow. Gregor’s body pushed beyond its limits, muscles straining microscopically as he channeled wind mana through every meridian.

His blade transformed into a streak of silver-green light as he unleashed a rapid flurry of slashes aimed at the Lion’s foreleg, joints, and vulnerable seams between its scales.

One….

Two….

Three….

The strikes blurred together in a whirlwind of motion, shockwaves overlapping with each impact. In less than three seconds, Gregor landed ten consecutive blows, each one digging deeper than the last, blood spraying in violent arcs as scales shattered and flesh ruptured.

The Hundred Apocalyptic Strike, as the name suggests, is a technique where a warrior must deliver a hundred consecutive attacks in under one second. Currently, Gregor can manage only ten attacks in three seconds, so he’s still at the basic level of this skill. However, with once he masters this skill, he’ll be able to unleash a hundred consecutive strikes within one second. Not only that, but each attack will build on the previous ones, making them exponentially more powerful.

ROARRRR…

For the first time, the Lion roared in agony. It twisted violently, its tail lashing out with terrifying force… but Vanthrice was already there.

She thrust her halberd skyward, her eyes cold as she activated her own technique.

“Level 4 Skill — Rain of Severed Judgement.”

The air above the Lion shimmered before shattering completely. Dozens….no, hundreds of spectral halberds materialized overhead, each one crafted from condensed mana to perfectly mirror Vanthrice’s weapon. They descended like a devastating storm, piercing into the Lion’s back, shoulders, and flanks with explosive force.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Each impact detonated on contact, driving the beast into the ground as chunks of scorched flesh were torn away. The battlefield erupted into chaos, a rain of fire, blood, and shattered stone.

But the Lion wasn’t done yet. It surged upward with renewed fury; abyssal flames erupted outward in a violent pulse that obliterated the spectral weapons mid-air and hurled Vanthrice backward. She crashed into a boulder with such force that it shattered upon impact.

“Vanthrice!” Gregor shouted.

Before he could react further, the Lion’s head snapped toward him.

Its eyes locked onto his. The pressure intensified instantly; Gregor felt it, the suffocating sensation of being prey wrapped around him like chains.

Then it vanished. The Lion reappeared right in front of him, jaws wide open and abyssal fire gathering at its throat.

Valeria sprang into action. She crossed the distance in an instant; her blade flared crimson as she invoked her own technique with a voice that cut through chaos like a death sentence.

“Level 4 Skill — Scarlet Eclipse Execution.”

Her sword ignited with blood red energy. A surge of crimson energy erupted from the blade, carving a crescent-shaped arc that seemed to tear through the very fabric of space as she swung. The attack struck the Lion squarely in the head mid-charge, erupting into a blinding explosion that cleaved the battlefield in two.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The shockwave flattened everything within hundreds of meters.

The Lion was thrown back, its massive body plowing a trench through the ground before crashing into a cliff face with enough force to bring it down completely. Valeria landed in a crouch, blood streaming down her arm, her breath heavy yet controlled.

Gregor stared at her, his chest heaving.

“That…” he muttered. “That was….”

“Don’t gawk,” Valeria snapped. “Move!”

The Lion rose again, its face marred by burns and one horn partially shattered, blood pouring from multiple wounds. Yet its aura surged even higher, abyssal flames roaring violently as it unleashed another devastating roar that sent Caelis tumbling from his perch, his spear clattering away as he crashed to the ground.

Seris screamed as she lost her balance, her spell collapsing mid-cast. Brutus charged once more, roaring defiantly as he slammed both gauntlets into the Lion’s side and was struck mid-air by a secondary fireball the size of a boulder.

The explosion consumed him entirely.

When the flames finally receded, Brutus lay motionless; his armor had melted away and his flesh burned black, his chest barely rising.

“Brutus is critically wounded!” Kaela shouted, panic creeping into his voice.

Blood soaked the battlefield. Breathing grew ragged; this was no longer a controlled fight.

This had turned into survival. Valeria wiped blood from her face and locked her gaze onto the Lion as its flames spiraled higher, abyssal energy twisting unnaturally around its form. She planted her sword firmly again, shoulders rising and falling with each breath.

“…So,” she said coldly. “That’s how you want to play this.”

ROARRRR…!!

The Lion responded with a roar that split the sky wide open.

The battle had escalated beyond anything they had prepared for and it was only getting worse.

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