Chapter 702: Sun Of Flame
As the whiteness slowly dimmed, an orange-hued orb floated right behind Northern like a miniature sun, radiating warmth and power. Its surface flickered with restless energy, as though barely contained.
The Sun of Flame hovered ominously behind Northern, its radiant heat warping the very air around him.
The hulking insectoids faltered for a brief moment, their instinctual drive to attack now challenged by the overwhelming force before them.
Northern's eyes gleamed with a cold, focused intensity, his hand still halving his face. He clenched his fingers into a fist, and the miniature sun responded by compressing itself into a denser, more volatile form.
Threads of orange flame spiraled outward from the sun like solar flares, crackling and snapping with feral energy.
Northern watched as the creatures hesitated rather than recklessly charging in.
Their segmented tails twitched in anticipation, and their wings flared out to steady themselves mid-air.
Their hesitation alone proved that they were at least smarter than the last ones. Those previous creatures were senseless mobs created only for the purpose of killing, perhaps eating.
But hesitation wouldn't save these ones. No matter how intelligent they were, their inevitable demise would arrive all the same.
Without warning, Northern thrust his hand forward.
The Sun of Flame obeyed, shooting out a concentrated thread of searing light that flexibly ripped through the air with a deafening roar.
The closest insectoid barely had time to react before the thread pierced straight through its armored chest, obliterating its core.
[You have slain Hazardous Maelstrom, Ember Wasp]
[You have gained +5 talent fragments]
The remaining monstrosities shrieked in unison, their cries echoing off the cavern walls. Whether it was rage or fear, Northern couldn't tell, nor did he care.
He raised his hand again, and the sun expanded once more, its heat intensifying until the entire atmosphere was illuminated by a sinister, searing red glow.
"I would like to end this quickly, since I have a festival to attend"-said the guy who claimed not to be that strong.
The creatures finally broke their hesitation and charged en masse, their wings beating so furiously that the air itself seemed to tremble.
Razor-sharp claws gleamed under the flickering light of the flames, and their barbed tails lashed forward, aiming to impale Northern from all directions.
Northern remained still, calm amidst the chaos-his forte.
With a sharp twist of his wrist, the Sun of Flame shattered into countless shards of molten energy, each fragment finding its target with ruthless precision. The air was filled with the sound of sizzling chitin and shrill, dying wails as the shards burned through the insectoids' armor and pierced their cores.
One by one, they fell, their massive forms crashing to the ground in lifeless heaps.
The once-deafening buzz of their wings faded into silence, replaced only by the crackling of flames and the faint hum of residual heat.
Northern exhaled slowly as the fragments of the sun coalesced behind his head to become whole again.
The tension in his body eased as he surveyed the aftermath. The cavern was now littered with the charred remains of the insectoid monstrosities, their bodies twisted and broken, their once-imposing forms reduced to smoldering husks.
[You have slain Hazardous Maelstrom, Ember Wasp]
[You have gained +6 talent fragments]
[You have slain Hazardous Maelstrom, Ember Wasp]
[You have gained +6 talent fragments]
The runes continued to flash before his eyes, but Northern paid them little attention. His mind was already moving forward, anticipating what lay ahead. He glanced toward the dark depths of the cave, where the faint echo of something far more sinister awaited.
Then he floated toward it, guided by his enormous dark wings and the floating sun. He looked almost like an angel of both light and darkness, suspended between the two forces.
Bairan stared from below, watching his master proceed deeper into the depths of the dungeon with an unreadable expression.
Then he blinked and looked down at his humming sword.
"You also can feel it. The Master is so strong, I wonder if there is still more room for growth for me."
Northern got to a narrow depth of the cave. His sun illuminated the surrounding darkness as he flew forward, almost causing it to burn away from him.
But at this narrow depth, the darkness seemed especially resolute, clinging obstinately to the air around despite the terrifying radiance of the sun.
Northern examined the surrounding darkness. He was literally carrying a burning sun at his back, and yet it refused to make way.
'That must be one hell of a primal darkness...'
The Void?
No. It couldn't be.
Although Northern had not absorbed all of the Void at that strange rift that he fell through while fighting with Koll, he had absorbed a large amount of it-enough to recognize the void even before getting close to it.
it was definitely not the void, he was sure. But the darkness was strong... strong enough to resist the intense radiance of his miniature sun.
'Let's see...'
Northern's Chaos Eyes opened, and immediately, as they fell on the darkness beyond, his eyes widened. A dark frown fell on his face.
Crimson eyes stared directly at him with so much perverted glow that he almost felt naked.
'What the hell?!'
The crimson eyes were very familiar, the glare was familiar; he had seen it before.
And it did not take long for him to remember.
"The sea..."
There was something in the thick wall of darkness that seemed to draw its origin from the sea
of crimson clouds that pooled around the academy.
Northern narrowed his eyes; something suddenly did not feel good.
All his senses screamed for him to escape this instant. But that was his danger sense just
making a hassle.
He was more than enough to take care of whatever this eerie creature was.
He readied himself, extending a finger, his hands eager to command the halo of sun resting behind his back.
As if responding to his readiness, a terrifying screech tore through the darkness, a sound so sharp and piercing that Northern clutched his head in agony, blood trickling from his ears as the unbearable pressure shattered his senses.