Bai Xia should count herself fortunate that her adversary was a Lava Giant.
Had they faced a monster of equivalent power but superior speed, even with Tian Zheng by her side, their chances would have been nonexistent; being overtaken would undoubtedly lead to an instant demise.
While the Lava Giant boasted formidable attacks, terrifying defenses, and a massive health pool, its sluggish speed and cumbersome movements proved to be critical weaknesses.
Conversely, Bai Xia’s fighting style was a blend of swiftness and dexterity, and Tian Zheng’s agility was equally impressive, making them, in a sense, a formidable counter to the lumbering behemoth.
Even a clay figure possessed a measure of temper, let alone a Lava Giant whose entire form was molten magma, its disposition clearly one of extreme volatility.
Having been relentlessly assaulted by the duo for what felt like an eternity, even the Lava Giant’s formidable defenses and vast health pool began to show significant gaps in its health bar.
The fury, held in check for so long, finally erupted with explosive force.
“Is it preparing to unleash another skill?” Bai Xia murmured, her attacks never ceasing, as she observed the Lava Giant abruptly fall still.
Just as she braced herself to interrupt its channeling, a disturbing realization dawned upon her.
The Lava Giant, letting out a sky-shattering roar, became incandescent from head to foot, glowing a furious crimson like a superheated branding iron.
Wisps of acrid, dark smoke continuously coiled from its body.
The ambient temperature surged dramatically.
Even shielded by her frost magic, Bai Xia found herself sustaining escalating burn damage from the intensifying heat.
“What in the world…?”
Confronted by the Lava Giant’s alarming transformation, Bai Xia abandoned her assault without a moment’s hesitation, retreating swiftly.
“Great God, flee quickly! This fiend is about to unleash its ultimate attack!”
As memories of the Lava Giant’s ultimate skill, ‘Flame Storm,’ surged into her mind, she knitted her brows slightly, exchanged a knowing glance with Tian Zheng, and retreated to an even greater distance.
While the Lava Giant now stood perfectly still, appearing vulnerable, ultimate abilities were rarely susceptible to interruption.
Therefore, attempting an attack at such a critical juncture would be anything but prudent.
Tian Zheng evidently shared her assessment.
However, no sooner had the two of them created a modest distance than the Lava Giant erupted, unleashing its power.
Seemingly endless flames surged from its very core, writhing like a multitude of wild, serpentine infernos.
In moments, even the surrounding earth, scorched by its touch, began to ignite.
Once its ultimate ability was unleashed, the Lava Giant transformed into an entirely different entity.
Prior to its activation, though magma and flames coursed across its form, a significant portion of its stony, corporeal body remained visible.
Now, however, its physical form had vanished, wholly transmuted into searing magma and raging inferno.
Vast rivers of magma spilled from the Lava Giant, swiftly igniting the surrounding terrain.
Yet, the burgeoning flames, as if compelled by an unseen force, were quickly drawn back, coalescing around the colossal entity.
In the next instant, the flames surrounding it surged to a height of nearly ten meters, blotting out the sky and resembling a colossal, overwhelming tsunami wrought of pure fire.
“ROAR!!”
The Lava Giant let out an exultant roar, and then its entire form was engulfed by the ceaseless inferno.
A single second later, the ever-ascending flames abruptly coiled upwards, instantaneously coalescing into a colossal fire tornado that threatened to engulf everything within its fiery gaze.
The fire tornado, its main vortex already a formidable five to six meters in diameter, surged forth the moment it materialized, sweeping a torrent of endless blazes towards Bai Xia’s position.
The Lava Giant, now a swirling vortex of fire, moved with an unimaginable increase in speed, its destructive reach vastly expanded.
Bai Xia had barely registered the transformation when the terrifying inferno was already bearing down upon her, almost at her heels!
She desperately yearned to escape, yet the rotational force of the flame storm relentlessly tugged at her, significantly impeding her speed.
Caught in this relentless push and pull, even transforming into a shadow to momentarily gain some distance would, at best, only postpone the inevitable.
The crisis descended with such terrifying swiftness; Bai Xia had never conceived that the Lava Giant, in its tornado form, could achieve such incredible velocity!
Its speed far surpassed her own, and its immense area of effect only compounded the peril.
Escape was impossible, evasion futile.
Her sole hope of survival lay in enduring the ten seconds until the flames naturally dispersed, yet, given the present circumstances, it was doubtful if she could even last three.
“Bloody hell, this is absolutely insane! Who could possibly withstand this?!”
As the inferno closed in, threatening to immolate her, Bai Xia, left with no alternative, activated Nether Flash, tearing back five meters and momentarily escaping the immediate danger zone.
However, a mere five meters was negligible against a flame storm five to six meters in diameter.
In the blink of an eye, it pivoted, sweeping back towards her.
Moreover, as it moved, countless fireballs were flung outwards, each impact with the ground triggering localized explosions and sustained scorching flames.
Evading the barrage of fireballs while simultaneously contending with the relentless pursuit of the flame storm, Bai Xia, despite her efforts to accelerate and widen the gap, felt a creeping sense of despair.
On the other side, Tian Zheng was indeed closing in, but his arrival would be utterly futile.
The instant either of them was drawn into the vortex, they would be instantly obliterated, leaving not even a faint glimmer of survival.
‘So why on earth is this idiot running towards me?!’
With the flame storm once again closing in behind her in an instant, Bai Xia gritted her teeth, her brow furrowed in desperate contemplation of an escape from this dire predicament.
She had never before considered that the Lava Giant’s speed could escalate to such an alarming degree upon transforming into a flame storm.
Her initial assumption had been that, despite its fearsome power, she simply needed to maintain a safe distance and kite it until its duration expired.
Who could have foreseen…
“What are you staring blankly for!”
In that pivotal moment, Tian Zheng’s stern voice cut through the din from nearby.
Bai Xia swiftly calculated the distances, realizing that at their current proximity, both of them would inevitably be engulfed by the flame storm.
Her brows furrowed even deeper as she retorted with a rapid-fire urgency: “Are you out of your mind? Why aren’t you running far away, creating distance, and waiting for its ultimate to end, instead of rushing towards me!”
Bai Xia was acutely aware that her speed was no match for the flame storm’s relentless pursuit, and given its evident lock-on, her situation was undeniably dire.
Tian Zheng, however, was in a different position.
Since the flame storm was explicitly targeting her, he could easily flee in the opposite direction.
Even if Bai Xia were to perish, Tian Zheng could leverage the distance to survive until the Lava Giant’s ultimate attack concluded.
After all, the flame storm’s duration was a mere ten seconds, and a significant portion of that time had already elapsed.
Bai Xia had initially pinned her last vestiges of hope on Tian Zheng, gambling that even if she met an instant demise, the trial wouldn’t conclude as long as he remained alive.
Given that Qingcheng had sent Tian Zheng to assist her, such a possibility wasn’t entirely far-fetched.
Yet, who could have anticipated Tian Zheng would disregard escaping to a safe distance and instead charge directly towards her!
‘It’s over. I’m never going to get married now.’