Lucavion’s mind was a whirlwind of calculations as the Lesser Abyssal Wyrm shifted its tactics. The creature’s regeneration was remarkable, but it was only a matter of time before Lucavion would find the opening he needed.
The battle was now a deadly game of patience and precision, where the slightest mistake could mean his end.
The Wyrm, sensing that brute force alone would not be enough, shifted its approach. Its massive form began to tremble, and a deep, guttural growl reverberated through the air. Lucavion’s eyes narrowed, his instincts screaming a warning.
‘It’s preparing something… something big.’
Without warning, the Wyrm reared back, its maw gaping wide. A seething mass of dark energy began to gather in its throat, coalescing into a dense, swirling vortex. The very air around Lucavion seemed to thrum with power as the Wyrm unleashed its breath—an inferno of abyssal fire.
FWOOOOSH!
The black flames erupted from the Wyrm’s jaws, sweeping across the crater like a tidal wave of death. The heat was intense, the very ground beneath Lucavion’s feet beginning to melt and crack under the assault.
「Devourer of Stars. Manifest」
There was no time to think, only react. Lucavion summoned every ounce of starlight within him, forming a protective barrier around his body as he leaped backward.
The barrier held, but the force of the flames drove him further back, his feet skidding across the scorched earth.
Despite the protection, he could feel the searing heat piercing through, licking at his skin and burning away the edges of his clothes.
‘This fire… it’s not normal. It’s devouring everything, even mana itself!’
The realization struck him hard—this was no ordinary fire.
‘So, that is what she meant by the essence of Abyss.’
The abyssal flames were consuming not just the physical world but the very essence of energy itself. Lucavion knew that he couldn’t afford to take another direct hit like that.
But the Wyrm wasn’t finished. As the flames died down, a thick, impenetrable fog began to rise from the ground, blanketing the entire battlefield. The fog was unnatural, an eerie blend of darkness and shadow that seemed to swallow all light. Lucavion’s vision blurred, his senses dulled by the oppressive miasma.
‘A smokescreen… or something more?’
Lucavion’s mind raced as he tried to pierce through the fog with his senses.
But it wasn’t just his sight that was impaired—the fog seemed to distort sound, distance, and even his perception of time.
It was as if the Wyrm had drawn him into a world where the rules of reality no longer applied.
Then, without warning, the ground beneath him trembled violently. Lucavion’s eyes widened as he realized what was happening. The Wyrm had disappeared into the earth, its massive body burrowing through the ground like a serpent. The tremors grew stronger, more erratic, as the creature wormed its way beneath him, ready to strike from any direction.
‘This is bad…’
He barely had time to react before the ground exploded beneath him. The Wyrm’s massive head burst forth, its jaws snapping shut with bone-crushing force.
SWOOSH!
Lucavion twisted his body at the last second, narrowly avoiding being bitten in half, but the creature’s tail whipped around with blinding speed, catching him in the side.
THUD!
“UGH!”
The impact sent Lucavion flying through the air, his body slamming into the jagged rocks at the crater’s edge. Pain radiated through his ribs, and he tasted blood in his mouth. The world tilted precariously as he struggled to stay conscious.
[Lucavion!] Vitaliara’s voice echoed in his mind, a mix of panic and concern. But she held back, remembering his earlier command.
Lucavion coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he forced himself to his feet. His body ached, and every breath was a struggle, but his eyes remained focused and sharp.
‘Focus… I need to focus…’
The Wyrm had burrowed back into the ground, and the fog still hung thick around him, obscuring his vision.
But in that moment of clarity, Lucavion realized something—there was a pattern to the Wyrm’s movements.
The tremors, the shifts in the ground, the way the fog moved—it all followed a rhythm, a cadence that he had almost overlooked in the heat of battle.
‘It’s using the fog to mask its approach, but the ground… the ground gives it away.’
Lucavion closed his eyes, shutting out everything but the subtle vibrations beneath his feet. He focused on the rhythm, the slight changes in pressure, the way the earth shifted ever so slightly as the Wyrm moved.
‘There… I’ve got you.’
He opened his eyes, now filled with a fierce energy. The Wyrm was cunning, but it wasn’t invincible. Lucavion had seen through its tricks and had grasped the rhythm of its attacks.
And now, he knew what to do.
The ground trembled again, and Lucavion’s body tensed, ready to spring into action. The vibrations grew stronger and closer, and he could sense the Wyrm rising up beneath him, ready to strike.
‘Now!’
Lucavion leaped to the side just as the ground exploded once more. The Wyrm’s head shot out of the earth, its jaws snapping shut where he had just been standing.
But this time, Lucavion was ready. He pivoted on his heel, his estoc already in motion, the blade glowing with concentrated starlight.
“Take this—!”
He drove the blade forward, aiming not for the Wyrm’s armor but for a specific point—an exposed area near the base of its skull where the abyssal energy converged.
The [Void Starfall Blade] struck true, the starlight-infused estoc piercing through the Wyrm’s thick hide and sinking deep into its flesh.
“SCREECH!”
The Wyrm let out a deafening roar, its body convulsing violently as the energy from the starlight surged through it. But Lucavion didn’t stop. He twisted the blade, driving it deeper, channeling more starlight into the wound.
‘Got you now…’
The Wyrm thrashed and writhed, but its movements were growing weaker, more erratic. The fog began to dissipate, and the tremors in the ground lessened. Lucavion could feel the abyssal energy waning, its hold on the creature slipping.
“SCREECH!”
But just as he was about to dispel more energy, the creature screeched once more, a sound that reverberated through the very air, filled with desperate fury. Lucavion’s instincts screamed at him—a primal warning that something far more dangerous was coming.
The Wyrm’s body convulsed violently, its scales beginning to shimmer with an eerie, malevolent light.
Lucavion’s eyes narrowed as he watched the creature’s last-ditch effort to survive. The scales, once smooth and impervious, began to tip upwards, standing on end like rows of deadly blades. The air around the Wyrm crackled with energy as the beast prepared its final strike.
‘It’s going to… self-destruct?’
Lucavion’s mind raced, but there was no time to react. The Wyrm’s entire body began to shake, and with one final, deafening screech, it unleashed its ultimate attack.
The scales shot out in all directions like a storm of razors, each one glowing with the abyssal energy that had once fueled the beast’s life.
The sheer number of scales filled the air; each one honed to a deadly edge. Lucavion knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this was something he could not simply evade.
His instincts, honed by countless battles, told him that this attack was all-encompassing, leaving no room for escape.
‘There’s no dodging this…’
Lucavion closed his eyes, his mind reaching a state of perfect clarity. He could feel the energy around him, the currents of power swirling through the air as the scales bore down on him.
Slowly, deliberately, he pointed his estoc to the side, the blade steady in his grasp.
[Lucavion!] Vitaliara’s voice rang out in his mind, frantic and filled with fear. [What are you doing? The scales—they’re coming straight for you!]
But Lucavion remained calm, even with his breathing. A small, almost imperceptible circle of starlight began to form around him, its light soft yet unwavering. The scales drew closer, a storm of death descending upon him from all sides.
‘I have to trust in this…’
Lucavion released his breath, his body relaxing into the stance. The circle of starlight around him solidified, glowing brighter as he centered himself within it. And then, with a quiet resolve, he spoke the name of his technique:
「Annihilation Sword. Null Space.」
The moment the words left his lips, the circle of starlight flared with a sudden turning into a black-grayish hue. The scales, now mere inches from his body, entered the circle—and in that instant, they were met with an invisible force.
CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
Each scale that crossed the boundary was cut down with surgical precision and disintegrated into nothingness before it could touch him.
The air around Lucavion was filled with the sound of metal clashing against an unseen barrier, a symphony of destruction as the scales were obliterated one by one.
The starlight within the circle hummed with power, its glow unwavering as it annihilated everything that dared to enter.
Vitaliara watched in awe and disbelief as the storm of scales was neutralized, her mind struggling to comprehend the sheer mastery of the technique. [Incredible… He’s cutting them all down!]
Lucavion remained motionless within the circle, his focus absolute. His breathing was calm and measured.
At least, that was how it looked from the outside.
Upon close inspection, he was actually moving.
Moving at a rapid speed and cutting everything that was coming his way. That was a technique he had developed on his own, just by himself.
The sword style that he had used as Bruce.
It was the manifestation of that sword.
The Wyrm’s final attack, a last-ditch effort to take him down, was reduced to nothing more than dust in the wind.
When the last of the scales had been destroyed, the circle of starlight slowly faded, leaving Lucavion standing alone in the aftermath. The Wyrm’s massive form slumped to the ground, utterly spent.
Yet, the beast did not die.
Of course, it would not. After all, no beast would sacrifice itself just for the sake of taking its enemy along.
They had only one instinct.
It was to survive.
“Well….That was close….”
As the adrenaline of battle faded, exhaustion began to take hold. His body, pushed to its absolute limits, was starting to show the toll of his relentless efforts.
Blood trickled from his nose, a dark crimson trail that dripped onto the ground. He could feel the sharp pain in his muscles, the deep ache in his bones—signs of the internal injuries he had sustained from forcing his body to perform a technique that was not yet complete.
Vitaliara’s concerned voice echoed in his mind. [Lucavion, you’re hurt… You’ve got internal injuries!]
He nodded slightly, wincing as he shifted his weight. “Yeah… I know. The technique… it’s not finished. I pushed myself too hard.”
His breaths were shallow and labored, each one sending a jolt of pain through his chest. But despite the pain, a smirk played on his lips as he looked down at the Wyrm.
The once-mighty creature, now slumped and defeated, still clung to life, its body trembling with the last vestiges of its strength.
“How sad….”
———————–
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