Chapter 1286: Danger
Chapter 1286: Danger
Whooosh!!
Souta, Aldemaran, and Sea Devourer vanished from their positions.
In the next instant, shockwave after shockwave erupted across the battlefield.
Souta exchanged high-speed blows with Aldemaran and Sea Devourer. Their movements were so fast that they formed intricate trails throughout the surrounding waters. Countless ripples spread outward as the entire area continued to tremble violently.
Sea Devourer’s body was enormous, yet he remained incredibly fast. No matter how massive he was, he was still an advanced Fifth Stage Monster.
He took the front line, evading the more lethal attacks while tanking those he believed he could endure. The hide covering his body was as tough as three-meter-thick metal, capable of blocking most attacks.
Yet for some reason, that formidable defense was crumbling under the attacks of an initial-stage monster.
’This guy... His strength is approaching the limit of an advanced Fifth Stage Monster.’
Sea Devourer’s expression darkened as blood-colored lightning continued to assault him from multiple directions.
An Emperor truly existed on a different level.
On the other hand, Aldemaran rarely engaged Souta in direct combat.
His defense and physical strength were inferior to Sea Devourer’s, so he would fall much faster if he confronted Souta head-on.
Instead, Aldemaran fought strategically, maintaining a certain distance while casting various spells in an attempt to discover Souta’s weaknesses.
Even so, avoiding Souta was far from easy.
Souta was simply too fast.
Whenever Souta closed the distance, Aldemaran was forced into direct combat whether he wanted it or not.
’Too difficult... If given more time, the Blood Lightning Monster might soon be capable of slaying even a Tenth Shackle Realm expert...’
Aldemaran complained inwardly.
He didn’t want to fight Souta, but Souta was giving him no choice.
At the same time, he had no intention of surrendering.
If he had known that the Blood Lightning Monster was here, he would have spread the information across the continent so that the powerful beings on the surface could unite and subjugate this terrifying monster.
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!
The three continued to engage in a fearsome battle.
The remaining Seventh Shackle Realm experts couldn’t even follow their movements.
They could only remain on the sidelines and watch the magnificent clash of lights unfolding before their eyes.
As for the Eighth Shackle Realm experts, they maintained their positions at a safe distance from the battlefield.
Their energies raged as they prepared spells and combat arts, ready to intervene at any moment.
They stood prepared to support their allies and defeat the enemy of the republic.
The scene before them was both beautiful and deadly.
A breathtaking spectacle of destruction.
The battle continued for several more seconds before a sudden change occurred.
BANG!!!
Sea Devourer was blasted several hundred meters away.
His enormous body was covered in wounds, and blood flowed freely from countless injuries.
"We’ll lose at this rate!"
Sea Devourer’s roar echoed across the battlefield. Fear flashed through his six eyes as blood-red lightning continued to ravage his body.
"My body can’t withstand thousands of those crimson lightning strikes! We have to create an opportunity to end this battle! If this drags on any longer, we’ll lose!"
His voice carried genuine panic.
The blood-red lightning was unlike any power he had ever encountered.
Every clash shattered his defenses.
Every attack left behind lingering destruction that continued to erode his flesh and energy.
If he kept fighting Souta head-on, he knew exactly how it would end.
Swoosh!!
Souta burst forward through the battlefield.
Crimson lightning exploded behind him as he accelerated toward Sea Devourer.
A wicked grin spread across his face.
"Where are you going?"
He thrust his sword forward.
BOOM!!!
A vast torrent of blood-red lightning erupted from the blade.
The destructive current tore through the ocean like a divine punishment, reducing everything in its path to nothingness as it rushed toward Sea Devourer.
"No!!!"
Sea Devourer roared.
An enormous amount of energy erupted from his body.
[Bestrou]!!
A devastating attack surged forth to meet the incoming lightning.
The two forces collided.
BOOOOOMMMM!!!
The resulting explosion shook the battlefield.
Crimson lightning and violent energy devoured one another as shockwaves spread in every direction.
The space fractured and the water vanished. Everything was swallowed by a blinding storm of destruction.
At that moment, Aldemaran moved.
He rushed forward without hesitation. He understood the situation clearly. If Sea Devourer fell, the balance of the battlefield would collapse completely.
And once Sea Devourer died...
He would become Souta’s next target.
No matter what happened, he couldn’t allow that outcome.
If he wanted to survive, the Blood Lightning Monster had to be stopped.
Swooosh!!
Suddenly, a crimson figure emerged from the explosion.
Aldemaran froze.
Blood Lightning Monster?
The distance between them was shockingly short.
Then realization struck him.
"That’s a feint?!!!"
His pupils shrank.
Sea Devourer had never been the real target.
From the very beginning, Souta had been waiting.
Waiting for someone to reveal an opening.
Waiting for someone to expose themselves.
And Aldemaran had taken the bait.
’I have to get back!’
He shouted inwardly.
However, it was already too late.
Souta’s figure blurred as the distance separating them disappeared instantly. One moment he was a hundred meters away. The next, he stood directly before Aldemaran.
Aldemaran instinctively stepped backward, mana surged through his body and elemental power gathered in his hands. Defensive spells and combat arts activated simultaneously.
Then, pain exploded inside his head.
"Ugh!"
Aldemaran’s vision blurred and a crushing drowsiness emerged from the depths of his consciousness.
His thoughts slowed and his focus wavered.
"This is...?"
He gritted his teeth and forcefully stabilized his mind.
He recognized this power.
Dream Power.
One of the Blood Lightning Monster’s most infamous abilities.
How could he forget?
As someone deeply connected to information networks throughout the Depths of Banquet, he knew more about Souta than most people present.
The blood manipulation, the blood-red lightning, the monstrous regeneration, and the Dream Power.
Yet knowing about it and experiencing it firsthand were entirely different matters.
The pressure on his consciousness was overwhelming.
His instincts screamed and his mind fought desperately to remain awake.
Then he heard Souta’s voice.
"Even at Stage IV, forcing a Ninth Shackle Realm expert to sleep is a troublesome task."
Blood-red lightning crackled around Souta’s body.
The smile on his face widened.
"But it doesn’t matter."
His crimson eyes gleamed.
"This is enough of an opening."
Aldemaran’s expression changed.
He tried to focus, react, or defend but the brief moment of hesitation had already sealed his fate.
BOOOOOOMMMM!!!
An immense torrent of blood-red lightning slammed into his body.
His defenses shattered instantly.
The elemental power gathered around him exploded apart.
The crimson lightning pierced through his flesh and invaded every part of his body like a raging tribulation.
Aldemaran felt as though countless blades were tearing him apart from the inside.
Blood erupted from his mouth.
His body was engulfed by the endless sea of crimson destruction as the battlefield trembled beneath Souta’s overwhelming power.
"Ugh!!"
Aldemaran spat out a mouthful of blood as he staggered backward.
His vision blurred.
The blood-red lightning continued to wreak havoc, tearing through his flesh and energy channels like countless raging beasts.
He forced himself to look up.
Then his expression changed.
A spatial rift had formed above him.
White mist poured out from within like a waterfall, quickly spreading through the surrounding space.
An indescribable aura seeped out of the mist.
It was quiet.
Yet it carried a danger that made him tremble.
"No...!"
Ohm!!
The white mist expanded further, swallowing a section of the battlefield.
On the other side, Sea Devourer turned his head. His six eyes narrowed as he stared at the growing patch of white mist.
The space within it seemed distorted and unreal, as though reality itself had been separated from the world.
"Dream Power..."
His voice turned heavy.
As an Advanced Fifth Stage monster, Sea Devourer could perceive the boundary between dreams and reality far more clearly than ordinary experts.
With a single glance, he recognized what was happening.
That mist wasn’t merely an illusion.
It was a gateway.
A realm constructed from Dream Power.
A hunting ground belonging solely to Souta.
"This is troublesome..."
Sea Devourer muttered.
Blood dripped from the countless wounds covering his body. His scales were shattered and his flesh was torn apart. Even his natural defenses and resistances had been battered to the brink of collapse.
The blood-red lightning still lingered around his body, continuously eating away at him.
"If this continues..."
His expression darkened.
"I might fall."
Swoosh!! Swoosh!!
Two figures suddenly arrived beside him.
Urhan and Armante.
The two Ninth Shackle Realm experts looked miserable.
Their bodies were covered in blood and wounds.
Several portions of their armor had been destroyed, exposing charred flesh beneath. Simply surviving Souta’s attacks and remaining battle-capable was already a testament to their immense strength.
Urhan glanced at the white mist before turning to Sea Devourer.
"What happened?"
Sea Devourer pointed toward the expanding dream realm.
"He dragged Aldemaran into a dream realm."