Chapter 189: Two Kings [ Bonus Chapter ]

The battlefield was unrecognizable, a stark reminder that life had once thrived here. What used to be the territory of the Crimson Abyssal Lion, a scorched land marked by dominance and hierarchy, had been so thoroughly obliterated that even memory seemed to shy away from it.

Hundreds of kilometers lay in ruins, torn apart by such extreme violence that the very bones of the earth were exposed. Mountains had crumbled inward, their peaks flattened into jagged fields of shattered stone.

Forests hadn’t just burned; they had been utterly unmade, reduced to drifting ash and glassy soil fused by unimaginable heat. Rivers boiled dry, their beds split apart by shockwaves, leaving behind vast scars that still glowed faintly with residual mana.

The air itself felt damaged.

Mana storms lingered like phantoms, spiraling erratically where attacks had disrupted the natural flow, creating pressure pockets capable of crushing anything foolish enough to enter them. Even now, the ground groaned softly beneath the weight of its own destruction.

Scattered across this wasteland were the fallen.

Gregor lay half-buried under shattered stone, his silver armor cracked and warped, blood seeping into the earth below him. Each breath was shallow and labored; he clung to life with stubborn resolve.

Vanthrice was nearby, her halberd shattered beside her, body burned and broken as she fought to stay conscious while weak mana flickered within her veins. Brutus, Leona, Kaela, Caelis, Seris, each lay still in their own way, alive only because fate had not yet finished with them.

Calista was nowhere in sight.

At the center of this devastation stood two figures.

Just two.

Valeria and the Crimson Abyssal Lion.

Valeria’s condition was dire.

Her once-pristine blood-red armor was cracked and blackened; entire sections were shattered or melted away, exposing scorched flesh beneath.

Blood streamed from her mouth as each breath trembled through her body; her mana circulation struggled for stability. Her crimson hair clung to her face and neck, soaked with sweat and blood. as she bore wounds that would have felled lesser warriors ten times over.

And yet she stood tall.

Her sword remained firmly in her grip, embedded slightly into the broken earth as she leaned on it, not out of weakness but readiness. Her posture was straight; her gaze unwavering; her presence sharp enough to cut through the oppressive atmosphere enveloping the land.

Across from her stood the Lion.

Its eyes were gone.

Empty sockets streamed crimson down its obsidian-black fur, staining the ground beneath its massive head. And yet… it watched her intently.

There was no uncertainty in its stance or hesitation in its movements. Its head tracked Valeria perfectly, its aura tightened around reality itself like a coiled noose.

Valeria felt it instantly; it wasn’t just sight, it was a deep awareness. The Lion’s presence pressed against her like an intense gravitational force, its abyssal flames burning hotter than ever, wrapping tighter around its form as if drawn in by sheer will. The five miniature suns orbiting it spun faster now, their hum deepening into a resonant vibration that rattled her bones.

“It doesn’t need eyes,” Valeria muttered, wiping blood from her lips with the back of her gauntlet. “You’re sensing intent… mana flow… movement through the very fabric of reality.”

The Lion responded, not with sound but with swift motion.

It vanished.

The ground beneath Valeria crumbled as the Lion erupted upward in a vertical explosion of molten stone and black flame, its claws tearing through layers of earth as if they were mere paper. Valeria reacted instantly, twisting her body to launch herself skyward, her blade flashing downward in a crimson arc that split the eruption in two.

The impact detonated.

BOOOOM!!!

The explosion flattened what little remained of the surrounding terrain, sending a shockwave outward that obliterated distant hills and pulverized anything still standing. Valeria flipped mid-air, landing on a collapsing ridge as the Lion emerged fully, its form blurring as it followed suit, leaping impossibly high despite its compact size.

They collided again.

Steel met flame.

Blood met abyss.

Their clash shattered the sky above them.

Valeria moved with terrifying precision, not relying on brute strength or reckless aggression but exercising absolute control. Every step was calculated; every strike layered with intent.

She baited the Lion into overextensions and then punished those openings with surgical brutality. Her sword sliced through fire constructs mid-formation while she threaded through annihilation with millisecond accuracy.

But the Lion adapted quickly.

It learned fast. Flames hardened into armor when it charged; abyssal fire twisted into tendrils that lashed out unpredictably, forcing Valeria to retreat and reposition constantly.

It fought like a seasoned general, triggering terrain collapses and delayed explosions while using the environment as an extension of itself.

They moved across ruined territory out of it into untouched forest beyond.

And there, the forest died screaming.

Trees hundreds of years old were uprooted and hurled like javelins. The ground split open as shockwaves rippled outward. Fifth-order beasts caught in their path were erased instantly, some torn apart by stray impacts while others were incinerated by residual flames before they even realized they were dying.

Valeria and the Lion tore through land like natural disasters unleashed upon each other.

They fought through canopies and soared into the air before crashing back down to earth, their bodies blurring as they exchanged dozens of strikes within seconds. Valeria’s blade rang out repeatedly; sparks and blood exploded outward with each impact while the Lion’s claws carved ravines deep enough to swallow buildings whole.

At one point, the Lion slammed Valeria against the side of a mountain, shattering the peak. As stone cascaded downward, she pushed herself free, coughing up blood and struggling to clear her vision while forcing mana through her damaged pathways. She didn’t retreat; she advanced.

Her sword ignited with a fierce crimson light as she poured every last ounce of her strength into a single, devastating sequence. Striking faster and harder, she refused to give ground. Her goal wasn’t to overpower the Lion but to outsmart it.

She feinted left, baiting a counterattack before reversing mid-motion and severing one of the orbiting fire orbs with a perfectly timed slash.

The orb detonated violently, tearing into the Lion’s flank and sending it skidding backward for the first time.

The Lion roared, not in pain but in rage. The ground beneath it melted as black flames surged outward, creating a massive inferno that swallowed everything within kilometers.

Valeria activated her blood shield once more; the Exsanguinated Aegis reformed around her as she pushed through the storm, her mana reserves screaming in protest.

They clashed again at the heart of the inferno. Each strike sent waves of destruction rippling outward, flattening everything in their path.

The sky darkened as ash and smoke choked the air while lightning flickered within their chaotic storm of mana and fire.

Valeria was bleeding heavily now, so was the Lion but neither slowed down or yielded. They had transcended their roles as warrior and beast; they were kings now, and kings do not retreat.

The Lion lunged with jaws wide open, flames condensing into a lethal point, but instead of stepping away from its attack, Valeria stepped into it.

Her blade pierced deep into its chest, crimson light exploding outward as blood and fire collided violently. In response, the Lion slammed her into the ground with such force that it created a crater large enough to swallow a fortress.

They remained locked together, breathing, bleeding, burning. The forest around them had vanished; even the land itself was gone.

Only sheer willpower remained and neither was finished yet.

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