Atticus's mana churned as a blazing ring of energy materialized before him. It swirled with raw, untamed power, trembling with uncontained intensity.
His focus sharpened.
The ring compressed, folding in on itself tighter and tighter until it was no larger than a finger ring. The energy within it vibrated violently, desperate for release, unstable and furious.
A beast burst from the acid, its pointed head gleaming as it hurtled toward him like a living spear.
Atticus moved.
His body twisted, narrowly evading the beast's deadly charge. Acid splattered in his wake, sizzling against the stone. His piercing gaze locked onto another beast as it darted toward him. Without hesitation, he unleashed the compressed ring.
The ring streaked through the air, a bolt of azure light, and struck the beast's head.
For a moment, it seemed to cut cleanly through the beast, slicing its form apart.
Then, Atticus released his hold.
The ring trembled violently, its energy spiraling out of control.
Boom.
An explosion tore through the air, shaking the acid ocean for hundreds of meters. A shockwave rippled outward, sending the green acid surging like crashing waves. The beast's body erupted, bursting into countless pieces that rained down into the churning sea.
Atticus's gaze sharpened. Amid the chaos, he spotted it, a small, round object flying through the air.
'The core.'
His eyes burned as he read its mana signature in an instant.
One second.
He reversed it.
A halo of light erupted forward, slicing cleanly through the core. It shattered, split into two perfect halves.
The beast's reforming body fell back into the acid with a muted splash, dissolving into the green sea.
Atticus's gaze flicked to the spirit hovering beside him.
The shock on the spirit's face was unmistakable.
At this point, Atticus knew that whenever the spirit was shocked, it meant he was doing something right.
A faint smile appeared on Atticus's lips.
His mana roared louder, fiercer. Now that he knew he was on the right path, it was time for a massacre.
Atticus's mana churned with a violent intensity as he came to an abrupt stop on the stone pathway.
The beasts erupted from the water in waves, their harpoon-like heads cutting through the air with incredible speed. The sound of their movement filled the air, sharp and piercing.
But Atticus didn't move.
He stood still, his piercing blue eyes glowing like flames.
Multiple swirling rings of mana materialized around him, blazing like halos of judgment. Each ring compressed, folding tighter and tighter until they were small and trembling with uncontained energy.
Then, Atticus exhaled.
The compressed rings exploded outward.
A deafening boom shattered the air, sending shockwaves in all directions. Waves of acid surged outward, crashing violently against the stone pathway. Smoke and steam engulfed the battlefield, a dense haze of destruction.
But it wasn't enough to obscure him.
Atticus's piercing blue gaze burned through the haze. His eyes shifted, seeking out the falling cores scattered through the air.
In rapid succession, he copied and reversed their signatures.
Rings of blazing mana homed in on each core, shredding them to pieces. One after another, the beasts disintegrated, their cores destroyed, their bodies dissolving back into the sea.
Atticus moved like a blaze, his speed relentless, his strikes precise.
Explosions erupted around him, sending waves of acid and green mist into the air. His mana stormed as he hunted down every last core, leaving no room for survival.
And then, as the final explosion faded, silence fell.
The green sea stilled.
Atticus stood on the stone pathway, his piercing gaze scanning the eerie calm of the acid sea. His body remained tense.
"Looks like they're all dead."
He truly wished he hadn't said that.
Just as he was about to ease his mana, something caught his attention.
Movement.
A shadow moved beneath the surface of the green sea, larger than anything he had seen before. It glided slowly at first, cutting through the acid with a predator's precision, sizing up its prey. Then, with terrifying speed, it darted toward the horizon and disappeared into the green expanse.
Atticus froze.
'What the hell is that?'
His instincts flared. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
Something was coming.
A sudden, crushing wave of danger slammed into him like a tidal wave.
'Move!'
The acid sea erupted.
A monstrous beast burst from the surface, its massive form towering over everything else he had faced.
Its body stretched impossibly wide, its pointed head gleaming like a harpoon forged in hell. Acid dripped from its razor-sharp tip as it arced toward Atticus with terrifying speed.
Atticus's body reacted before his mind could process.
He leapt.
His legs coiled like springs, launching him high into the air. Acid surged in a violent wave as the beast crashed back into the sea, sending shockwaves rippling across the green expanse.
Twisting midair, Atticus locked his piercing blue gaze onto the beast as it sank back into the churning acid.
His cold eyes sharpened. His mind focused.
He already knew what he had to do. There could be no hesitation.
His mana roared, igniting with ferocious intensity.
Behind him, a massive swirling ring of mana materialized, larger and brighter than any he had summoned before.
Atticus's hands clenched, his breathing steady as he compressed the ring. It folded in on itself, tighter and tighter, growing smaller and denser. Its glow intensified until it became a fist-sized orb, trembling with destructive energy.
The beast burst from the water again.
Its harpoon-like head hurtled toward him with relentless speed.
Atticus's arm shot forward.
The compressed ring streaked through the air like a blazing comet.
Impact.
The orb struck the beast's pointed head, slicing downward. Flesh split open, green blood sprayed in violent arcs, but the wound began healing almost instantly.
Atticus didn't flinch. He wasn't aiming for the surface.
The mana ring disappeared inside the beast.
For a moment, the world seemed to pause.
Then, the explosion.
A blinding, violent detonation erupted from within the beast, shaking the air itself. The force was like a supernova, shredding the beast into countless pieces that flew across the acid sea.
But Atticus didn't stop.
His gaze locked onto the beast's exposed core, now glowing faintly as it tumbled through the air.
He summoned another swirling ring of mana, compressing it into a tight, deadly sphere. With precision, he launched it.
The orb streaked through the air, slicing the core cleanly in two.
The beast's body, which had just begun reforming, fell back into the sea with a sickening splash, dissolving into nothing.
Atticus landed gently on the stone pathway, his feet steady, his gaze colder than ever.
'What was that?'
It didn't sit right with him. That last attack, it felt excessive. Unnecessary. He had already killed hundreds of the beasts. Even though this one was larger, it shouldn't have been any different.
His frown deepened, his thoughts racing.
'The katana is trying to exhaust me.'
Atticus could feel it. His mana reserves were dangerously low. What little remained would barely be enough to form two or three swirling rings before he was completely drained.
As these thoughts consumed him, the scene began to shift.
The endless green sea that had stretched into the horizon vanished.
Suddenly, Atticus found himself standing at the base of a towering mountain.
Thick clouds swirled above, and fierce winds howled through the air, rattling the world around him.
The final challenge awaited.