Chapter 685: The Molten Vein [Part 1]
The creature's massive form loomed over Northern, its powerful forelimbs digging into the broken earth, leaving behind grooves that glowed faintly with an eerie red hue.
Its elongated head twisted unnaturally, jagged teeth visible through a partially cracked maw that emitted low, guttural growls. Its body was encased in thick, pulsating muscle, the surface veined with glowing, molten streaks that pulsed like a heartbeat.
Northern's grin widened by the passing second, his Chaos Eyes burning brighter, their glow dancing across the dark expanse like twin beacons of primal wickedness.
The creature didn't wait for pleasantries.
It moved.
Its massive frame blurred, crashing forward with astonishing speed that belied its size. The force of its motion sent shockwaves rippling through the cavern floor, shattering more of the stones beneath it.
Northern barely shifted. The Illusioned Hefter gleamed faintly as it tilted ever so slightly in his hand, waiting for the perfect moment.
He watched, every detail imprinted in his mind, every tendon and muscle of the beast exposed to his incandescent blue eyes as the creature lunged.
At the very last moment, Northern spun sharply to the side, his body fluid, almost weightless. The creature's claws raked through empty air, the sheer force of the strike carving deep gashes into the ground where he had stood.
With a flick of his wrist, Illusion Sword activated.
The blade vanished, becoming one with the shadows of the cavern. Northern stepped forward, a blur of motion, as a streak of phantom strikes lashed out.
The creature roared, its massive body jerking back as slashes etched themselves across its shoulders and legs.
Yet no visible blade had touched it. The beast's head snapped in all directions, its burning red eyes searching frantically for the weapon, unable to discern where the next strike would come from.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Northern taunted, his voice echoing with sinister glee. "To fight something you can't see."
The creature snarled, its molten veins glowing brighter as if enraged. It slammed its massive forelimbs down, and the entire cavern shuddered.
Massive chunks of stone dislodged from the walls and ceiling, raining down like missiles.
Northern darted through the chaos, weaving effortlessly between falling debris, his movements precise and calculated. His speed was almost playful, each step landing with delicate yet commanding intent.
"Big, fast, and angry. I like it," he murmured to himself, his grin never fading.
The creature adjusted, its molten veins suddenly dimming. Northern's eyes caught the shift immediately. The faint pulse of energy along its body had changed.
It roared, releasing a concussive wave of force that rippled outward. The air seemed to compress, and Northern felt the impact like a physical wall slamming into him. He staggered slightly; void force had absorbed the brunt of the blow, but the force of impact still affected him.
Before he could fully regain his stance, the creature's massive claws struck out, one raking horizontally and the other arcing down in a devastating overhead swing.
Northern's grin twisted into something sharper, almost predatory.
His body flickered, activating Blink at the last second. The air where he had stood fractured, but his form was already elsewhere-just behind the creature.
The blade of the Illusion Sword revealed itself this time in his hand, glowing faintly with its ethereal light. In a single, fluid motion, Northern struck.
The blade carved through the air, its thin sheet-like edges creating a flawless linear cut that seemed to release impacts that lashed out in multiple directions at once.
The creature roared in pain, its molten veins sparking as a deep gash accompanied by several smaller ones tore into its flesh.
But it didn't fall.
Instead, it twisted with unnatural speed, its massive forelimb swinging back. Northern barely ducked in time, the claws grazing past him, close enough for him to feel the heat radiating from the creature's molten streaks.
"Ooouuuuuu," his voice rang with dark amusement.
The beast's molten veins flared again, this time erupting in violent bursts of liquid flame. The glowing streams arced through the cavern, leaving trails of smoldering destruction.
Northern moved faster, his feet barely touching the ground as he evaded the fiery assault. The glowing grass and faintly luminescent plants around the cavern shriveled instantly under the heat, their remains turning to ash.
The beast snarled, shifting into a full rampage. Its strikes became less calculated, more savage, its claws tearing through the ground, walls, and air in a relentless flurry.
Northern dodged and countered, his movements a symphony of chaos and grace. The Illusion Sword left a white trail in its wake, each strike drawing fresh roars of pain from the beast.
But Northern felt it—the drain on his stamina. Aside from the explosive-although strategic -use of his speed, his stamina was already way below half. And now, it was getting even
worse.
The beast was massive, its endurance seemingly endless. Every dodge, every counterstrike, every faint burst of Blink and Illusion Sword chipped away at his reserves.
He gritted his teeth, his eyes flickering momentarily as exhaustion nipped at the edges of his
focus.
And the creature noticed.
It roared, its molten veins surging brighter than ever, its body radiating an oppressive heat that distorted the air around it. It lunged again, its claws coming down with a force that cracked the ground.
Northern blinked out of range, reappearing mid-air just above the beast. He twisted, bringing his blade down in a vertical arc. The Illusion Sword connected, carving a deep gash across the
creature's back.
But instead of recoiling, the beast pivoted sharply, its jaws snapping toward Northern with terrifying speed.
Even with Void force, the force of the bite sent him flying across the cavern. He slammed into the wall, his breath leaving him in a sharp gasp.
The creature's molten veins pulsed ominously as it advanced, its massive frame casting a long
shadow over Northern.
For a brief moment, Northern's grin faltered.
Then it returned, sharper than ever.
"Alright," he said, pushing himself to his feet, his voice low and dangerous. "No more
playing around."
He raised the Illusion Sword, its invisible edge shimmering faintly as his Chaos Eyes came to be and locked onto the creature's glowing veins. Void Tendrils surged, wrapping around him like tentacles of a living entity.
"Let's finish this."
The cavern groaned under the weight of their battle, as if the dungeon itself were straining to contain the forces clashing within it.
The beast roared again, a sound that seemed to shake the very bones of the earth. Its molten veins pulsed brighter, the fiery glow intensifying until it spilled across the dark walls like
veins of lava.
Northern stood tall, his posture steady, but his grin had narrowed into something sharper, more calculated. He could feel the oppressive heat radiating from the creature; even his aura was flickering as it strained to buffer the scorching air.
Northern fixed a stern gaze on the creature and gripped the Illusion Hefter tightly.
His eyes blazed with an almost feral intensity as he studied the beast's movements, every
flare of its molten veins, every ripple of its dense muscle mass.
Then the beast slammed both of its massive forelimbs into the ground with a thunderous
crack.
For a split second, nothing seemed to happen-but Northern's Chaos Eyes caught it. Energy surged from its core, spreading outward in rapid, branching patterns.
The floor beneath Northern's feet glowed, molten veins spreading like a network of fiery
roots.
The heat surged, oppressive and suffocating, and the air itself seemed to shimmer with
deadly intensity.
From the ground erupted violent streams of liquid flame, arcing upward in chaotic bursts. The
glowing veins exploded in successive waves, creating a network of fiery geysers that turned the cavern into a storm of molten destruction.
The once-dark expanse was now bathed in blinding orange and red, the heat threatening to
consume everything.
Northern reacted instantly, blurring out of harm's way as the ground beneath him erupted in a violent spray of molten energy.
He reappeared afar, Void wings spread out and lunging him into the air after he twisted away
from another explosion.
The beast didn't let up. It roared again, and the flames responded, the molten veins spreading farther and faster, their explosive bursts growing more erratic. The cavern was becoming a
death trap.
"Persistent bastard," Northern muttered, his voice tight.
His stamina was dwindling, and the relentless assault of the creature's area-of-effect attack
left little room for counterstrikes.
The oppressive heat made every movement heavier, Void force working overtime to shield
him from the environment alone.
Northern darted between the geysers, his speed almost imperceptible, but even with his precision, the molten explosions were closing in.
One burst caught him just as he shifted, the edge of the flame grazing the thin air on the
shoulder of his armor. Although the flame was thrown away, the heat seared through his invisible defense, the pain sharp and immediate.
He gritted his teeth, his body twisting to recover mid-air, but the attack had thrown him off
balance.
Another geyser erupted dangerously close, forcing him to use Blink again to avoid being
incinerated.
The creature advanced, its massive frame moving with surprising speed through the chaos it
had created.
Its molten veins pulsed with deadly energy, each step spreading more fiery destruction. Its jagged maw twisted into a grotesque grin, as if it knew it had the upper hand.