Chapter 70: Unleashing the Flames of Destruction

As mana infused with my blood spread throughout my body, my senses not only became sharper but began to transcend human limits.

My pupils repeatedly contracted and expanded, causing my vision to alternately narrow and widen.

Crack—

Bones that had been healing fractured once more, regenerating in an endless cycle.

The same was true for the muscle fibers that were gradually recovering.

Suddenly, I became aware that time around me was moving at an agonizingly slow pace.

A cool breeze caressed my cheeks, its touch soothing.

Long strands of golden hair flowed gently down, scattered with droplets of crimson blood.

I could move my arms and legs now.

The pain had vanished.

Yet, I remained still, immobilized by the mana that surged toward me along with the wind.

Even as my body shed its human form, I felt no fear.

What I experienced instead was an overwhelming sense of liberation.

It was as if all the shackles that had bound me were being cast away.

Power coursed through my entire body.

The omnipotence that enveloped me brought an indescribable ecstasy.

My heightened sensitivity to mana expanded outward, beyond introspection, to encompass my surroundings.

The sensation extended past my flowing golden hair, riding the wind as it reached farther and farther.

I could hear the faint breaths of tiny insects as though they were right next to me.

Yet, the expansion of my senses didn’t stop there.

Riding the currents of mana, I began to perceive the movements of massive living beings nearby.

When the ever-expanding range of my senses finally halted, it was as though a droplet of water had fallen into a serene pond, sending ripples outward.

[H-Hiiiik!]

The first thing I heard was the voice of a human woman.

She was gasping in fear, her breath coming in ragged bursts.

A massive creature was chasing after her, moving swiftly.

When I focused my mind on the creature, its previously blurred outline grew clearer.

What emerged was a gigantic ape.

Covered in fur, it roared with immense rage, destroying everything around it.

‘King.’

The moment the monster’s name surfaced in my mind, the scattered haze clouding my consciousness condensed, and my blurry vision returned to normal.

I blinked and checked my body.

My elongated nails felt harder than before, and the horns protruding from my head had grown by nearly a handspan.

While these changes weren’t drastically different from before, there was one concerning development.

Beneath my now sharper, larger claws, crimson scales had begun to grow.

The tough scales didn’t budge even when I scratched them with my claws.

There were likely other changes as well, but I had no immediate way to confirm them.

Nor did I have the luxury to do so.

I leaped toward a massive tree. Though there was no clear foothold or handhold, it didn’t matter to me.

Before my body could fall, I reached out and gripped the tree.

My sharp claws dug easily into its surface, allowing me to hang on securely.

The stability was unshakable.

With just my fingers and claws, I anchored myself to the tree.

Using the tree as a platform, I propelled myself upward.

It was a light kick, yet my body shot skyward at an incredible speed.

As my upward momentum began to slow, I pushed off another tree, jumping even higher.

This time, with more strength behind the kick, I soared even faster.

I darted through tangled trees and dense thickets until I finally returned to the campsite where I had fallen earlier.

My body descended quietly, landing without a single sound.

The scattered remnants of the campsite and the lingering traces of mana hinted at my teammates’ locations.

Furrowing my brow, I sprinted forward.

With a running start, I launched myself into the air, moving at a tremendous speed.

After passing countless branches and brambles, I finally landed before a towering white giant.

Its shoulders heaved with heavy breaths.

I gazed silently at the person clutched in the King’s hand.

A familiar woman hung limp in its grasp.

“Noel…”

Her faint breathing indicated she was still alive.

At that moment, as if reacting to my voice, the King turned to face me.

Its vivid yellow eyes locked onto mine, and in the reflection of those eyes, I noticed another change in myself.

My pupils had transformed.

They were no longer human, elongated vertically as though slashed open—resembling the eyes of a monster.

Yet, I felt no surprise. I had anticipated this.

[Screeech!]

The King let out a deafening roar and swung its massive fist toward me.

A moment ago, this same fist had crushed me, sending my broken body plummeting beneath the trees.

As the fist approached, I wondered to myself,

Why did I let myself get hit by such a slow punch?

With a light movement, I lunged forward.

A massive fist narrowly missed my head, brushing past it.

Following that, the tail attack was also easily dodged.

The creature, holding Noel in its hand, seemed to find it a hindrance and let out a rough roar before throwing Noel aside.

Now free with both hands, King began hurling a barrage of punches at me.

Each heavy strike of his fists against empty air echoed with a thunderous roar, and when they struck a thick tree branch, the ground underneath would collapse.

Despite the series of relentless attacks, King couldn’t even graze a single hair on me.

[Screeeeech!]

Perhaps frustrated by his inability to land a hit, King ripped a massive tree branch from the ground and wielded it as a weapon.

While I called it a branch, the trees that served as paths in this place were far thicker than ordinary trees.

In fact, they were more akin to logs, so it wouldn’t be strange to call what King swung a giant log.

Woosh!

I stopped my light, darting movements through the air and stood still.

Watching the massive log hurtling toward me for a moment, I lightly extended my hand toward it.

Sharp claws that had grown prominently and the red scales beneath them shimmered as they absorbed mana.

Boom!

The impact of the log slamming into my palm sent a heavy shockwave rippling outward.

However, the force dissipated without even shaking my body.

[Screech…?]

King looked down at me with a gaze full of bewilderment.

I let out a deep sigh as I looked up at him.

Whoosh—

The breath I exhaled intertwined with scorching flames.

Judging by the red scales, it was as I suspected—Kalvain’s mana had the greatest influence on the transformation of my body.

[Screeeeech!]

King roared fiercely. As if refusing to accept that he was being overpowered by someone so much smaller, he swung the log wildly.

I didn’t move.

I stood my ground, extending my hands to block every attack.

King’s heavy blows were powerful, but they couldn’t penetrate the mana barrier enveloping my body.

As King’s seemingly endless onslaught began to subside, I drew my sword and stepped forward.

When I focused my senses on the tip of my blade, the surrounding environment began to melt away.

The trees that filled the area disappeared, the cool breeze vanished, and eventually, the only things left were me and the massive ape—King.

Vrrrr!

A spinning sound audible only to me filled the empty world.

Immediately, the mana within me was consumed by flames, rushing toward the sword in my hand.

Whoosh!

The moment fiery red flames surged over the blade, seven burning stars appeared above it.

Ssshhh—!

As the seven stars sparkling in the air disappeared, King’s right shoulder was severed, and the lost world began to return.

[Screeeeech!]

Thud!

The severed arm hit the ground with a heavy thud, and King let out a pained scream.

He used his remaining left arm to clutch his right shoulder, but instead of red blood, black ash spilled out.

Just as I was about to swing my sword once more, I paused.

Holding the blade high above my head, I stared blankly at my hand.

The red scales that had initially only covered my fingers had now spread to encompass the entire back of my hand.

At that moment, King turned and started to flee.

Black ash scattered in the air, obscuring my vision. It would have been right to chase after him immediately to finish him off, but I didn’t.

Vrrrr!

As I watched him retreat, I rapidly rotated the mana circle within my heart.

The flames emanating from my core grew stronger and began spreading throughout my body, gathering in one place.

Even the mana barrier protecting my body dissipated as I concentrated every ounce of mana within me.

Leaving no room for hesitation, I gathered all the mana into a compact mass, igniting it with intense heat.

The faint breath escaping my lips carried a searing flame, and the surrounding vegetation withered and dried under the unbearable heat.

“Hooo…”

As I took a deep breath and gazed at King, hazy memories surfaced.

Memories of soaring freely through the skies, looking down on the world.

Memories of incinerating everything with flames spewing from my mouth.

When my colossal body, as immense as a towering mountain, descended upon the earth, molten lava erupted.

Those who witnessed it trembled in fear and muttered that name.

[Kalvain.]

The faint memories contained in the mana traversed time to reach me.

In that moment, the dragon’s memory of spewing the flames of destruction engraved itself into my mind.

Taking a step forward, I unleashed the scorching fire within me.

Kaaaaargh!

The uncompressed flames spread in all directions, threatening to devour everything.

But as I adjusted the size of my mouth, the flames compressed into a thin beam.

The red flames turned into yellow light, the yellow light into a white beam, and finally, the white beam gave way to a faint blue hue.

The nearly invisible line devoured everything in its path, engulfing the fleeing white giant entirely.