Chương 49: Victory With Flames

In his newly empowered state, Baarus advanced slowly, each step radiating an overwhelming, suffocating pressure that bore down on the entire tavern like an invisible mountain. The very air grew thick and heavy, making every breath a struggle. Galer's heart pounded fiercely. He didn't hesitate for even a second. He immediately began mashing his red crest with surging black energy, pouring everything he had into equalizing his Animo. I've matched him, he thought desperately. This has to be enough… it has to be....

or...! But Baarus took his sweet time, savoring the moment. Each deliberate step echoed with arrogance. The glowing crimson eyes behind the narrow visor of his Szyszak helmet burned with pure sadistic amusement. When he finally drew close enough, his voice boomed out, distorted and maniacal through the helmet: "Ohhh, crystal boy… I'm going to enjoy breaking you apart piece by piece." He let out a low, hungry laugh.

"Can you feel it? This beautiful, divine blood flowing through me? The power… the purity… It's absolutely intoxicating and i will make sure you can feel it up close and personal!" Galer's blood boiled with defiance. His six crystalline wings flared brighter as he answered with cold, unyielding resolve:"Yeah? Then how about you talk about how strong you are after receiving my Penetrating Crystalline Shot!"

His translucent crystal rapidly shifted, merging into a deep, ominous black with glowing red lines pulsing violently through it. Galer's six wings flared with dazzling rainbow light as he poured every ounce of his will into the attack. With a powerful, desperate thrust, he unleashed his Penetrating Crystalline Shot. The attack slammed into Baarus' stomach with cataclysmic force and spirit pressure. The entire tavern exploded inward from the shockwave.

Stone, wood, and debris rained down as the building collapsed completely around them. Both fighters were forced to dodge the falling wreckage while the shockwave continued outward. Even so, the raw pressure released by the shot created a devastating ripple that tore through multiple buildings behind Baarus, reducing them to rubble in an instant. Galer expected him to be blasted away like Jabare Magkosi was sent flying helplessly through walls not that long ago.

Instead, Baarus simply stood there amid the falling rubble… completely unmoved and nearly unbothered. Galer's eye widened in pure shock. No damage…? His full-powered maximum shot, the one that had shattered his own crystalline claws as sacrifice, had done almost nothing to his advesary. A cold wave of fear gripped his chest. His breathing quickened. Instinctively, he took two shaky steps back.

That small, involuntary motion of retreat was all Baarus needed, as for him there was no greater satisfaction than to make someone look pathetic. The red-eyed knight leaned forward with terrifying speed and exploded into a devastating combo. His laced brass knuckles hammered into Galer's stomach again and again, each brutal hit launching him higher into the air. The pain was excruciating, like iron spikes driving into his organs.

Completely defenseless in mid-air, Galer could only endure the relentless assault that befell him. Baarus finished with a savage left hook that sent Galer rocketing through another building before he crashed hard onto the sandy street outside, skidding across the ground in a cloud of dust and blood. Baarus casually walked out of the self-created hole in the wreckage, brushing dust from his armor as if nothing had happened. He placed a hand on his stomach and clapped it a few times."

Ahhh man, I'm really, really pissed now," he said in a mocking tone.

"That attack hurt a lot... now i feel a lot of rumble in there." Then his voice suddenly flipped to cheerful glee.

"Oh wait… no, not really. HAHAHA!" He threw his head back and laughed loudly, the sound echoing across the ruined street.

"The moment you shifted your colors, I released my complete Animo and countered your power down to zero," he gloated.

"You just didn't realize it. My Spirit Level is on a completely different plane of reach than yours!" His tone suddenly dropped, becoming cold and filled with genuine frustration.

"But that's not what really pisses me off. Looking at you… you dared to give us this much trouble when we're so close to completing the connection and blessing these ignorant and unapprenticed common folk with a nice present." His red eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Once you're taken care of, we'll use your blood for it anyway." He glanced sideways, sensing others rapidly approaching the area.

"Well then… time to punish you. Just in case…" Baarus quickly formed a complex handsign with both hands and began whispering a strange, guttural spell in a tongue Galer could not understand. The air around him grew darker and heavier with every syllable. Polish: Krew oddanego sługi, ofiara o lodowatej skórze, Przebudź Ciało wewnątrz, przejmij moje ciało i duszę, która nas łączy.

Krwawe żyły dla niego, bo on jest mą Ścieżką, szkarłat w rozkoszy, odurzony jego prawem dawania, Pożryj mego szerokiego Ducha, wyzwól jego niekończącą się moc. To jest mój Krwawy Rytuał. English: Blood of the willing user, sacrifice with chilling skin, Awaken the Body inside, claim my flesh and Soul that connects. Bloody Veins for the he is my Path, crimson in delight high on his giving right, devour my wide the Spirit, unleash his unending might. this is my Blood Ritual Galer finally forced himself to stand.

Blood dripped steadily from his left eye where Baarus's brutal combo had landed. Every part of his body screamed in painm ribs cracked, organs bruised, pride shattered. That short but vicious barrage had done far more damage than he wanted to admit. Still, his mind remained levelheaded and calm. A soft turquoise-green glow began to appear on his crest as he activated healing mode, desperately trying to recover as much animo as Baarus would allow. Baarus, now standing close, tilted his helmeted head curiously.

He didn't understand what the new color meant, but it didn't stop him.

"You still have another move hidden, huh? Well… let's see how you defend against this." Red threads laced across his knee, forming cruel spiked pads. He began his bouncing steps again, but this time needing only two repetitions to reach an even higher, terrifying speed. BOOM! Galer's body was launched violently through two more rotten buildings, reducing them to dusty rubble. Before he could even hit the ground, Baarus was already on him.

He kicked Galer upward into the air, preparing to finish him with a final, bloody ritual strike to rip him apart and bathe in his blood. But at that critical moment, a high-speed figure shot in. A General appeared like a teleporting blur right beneath the airborne Galer. With perfect timing, he blocked Baarus's incoming attack and repelled the cultist downward into the rubble with a powerful strike. The General caught Galer mid-fall and carried him swiftly to a nearby rooftop.

Before Galer could ask any questions, Baarus let out a roar of pure rage. His pressure exploded outward, blasting all the surrounding rubble away and clearing a two-kilometer radius in a single burst. The General turned toward Baarus and leaped down to face him directly." I am General of Public Safety, Hesora," he declared.

"So you are the monster who has crafted these murders… haunting our citizens day and night for six long years." Baarus replied in a smooth, mocking tone from within his helmet.

"Yesss… we did it all for a greater cause. And you know what? You will soon join that great cause as well." Both warriors attacked with high Animo, their clash shaking the surroundings. Despite Hesora's skill, Baarus came out on top. More and more soldiers arrived by the second, but the General ordered them to hold back. He wanted to understand exactly how Baarus fought. Meanwhile, the soldiers helped Galer up. His Vestuto had already deactivated, leaving him in terrible pain.

With heavy, labored breathing, he grabbed the nearest soldier by the collar, pulled him close, and whispered urgently between coughs: "Give… cough… your General… this information… cough… Baarus… can only spike his Animo to around 6, 600 for short bursts… then drops back to 4, 269… cough… He can't maintain it long. Tell him… fight defensively… wear him down…" The soldier nodded and rushed the critical information to General Hesora. Hesora listened carefully.

But instead of following the advice, he transformed into his own Vestuto, his Animo surging to 6, 300. Baarus felt the General's pressure and knew the gap between them had narrowed significantly. Yet he could still sense his own superiority. Instead of running, he attacked with savage glee. Warrior clashed against warrior in a brutal exchange. Even though Hesora fought with skill and determination, Baarus held the upper hand.

He beat the General down into the dirt, standing over him with a victorious, salivating grin. But his moment of triumph became his worst nightmare. The Princess arrived on the scene. Her overwhelming Animo flooded the entire area, making Baarus's 6, 500 feel pale and insignificant by comparison. The soldiers immediately dropped to their knees in reverence. Even the battered General bowed deeply before his royalty.

"Step back," she commanded, her voice cold and authoritative.

"All of you. I will handle this filth myself. I will show him the true spirit of Aegus." She cracked her knuckles, not even activating her Vestuto, and rushed straight at Baarus with terrifying speed. Her scimitar flashed like lightning. Ninety cuts in an instant. Baarus was sliced into countless pieces that flew through the air before raining down onto the ground. For a brief moment, it seemed over. But then the dismembered pieces began to melt into a grotesque, bloody goo.

The red threads inside the puddle flared to life, spreading outward and forming a perfect ritual circle. The puddle rapidly transformed into a swirling red-and-black gate. From within the gate, a towering figure emerged. Bloodpather Arus stepped out, arms stretched wide, his massive muscles flexing. He looked down at the remains of Baarus with a proud, almost fatherly smile.

"Well done, Baarus. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten." The moment Arus fully manifested, an overwhelming pressure erupted from him rivaling even the Princess's current state. The air itself seemed to tremble. Galer, watching from the rooftop, could no longer endure the intensity. His vision blurred, and he finally lost consciousness, slipping into darkness as the battle between the Princess and Bloodpather Arus truly began. Changing the perspective back to me.

As our battle intensified to a whole new level, Maalai became a whirlwind of fury. Her powerful kicks now blended with devastating punches aimed straight at my face and body. I could barely keep up. She was far more fierce, relentless, and terrifying than before. She closed the distance with every strike, refusing to give me even a moment of breathing room. Every time I tried to create distance with a slash or a burst of Heart Flame, she closed the gap instantly with explosive speed.

Her red Blood Infusion made every impact feel like living whips tearing into my flesh. I was forced to dodge and block constantly, my arms burning from the effort. Her stiletto boots left deep craters in the ground with every kick. I managed to land a few solid hits with my sword-axe, carving into her shoulder and side, drawing blood. She simply shrugged them off with insane durability, barely flinching.

Instead, she threw her head back and laughed maniacally, the sound wild and unhinged even as fresh blood trickled down her red skin.

"Is that all you've got, youngling?!" she taunted, her voice dripping with mockery and delight.

"I've had older lovers who hit harder than that! Come on, make me feel it!" She licked a trail of her own blood from the corner of her mouth, eyes gleaming with madness.

"I thought after killing my children you had something to be wary off, but you're nothing compared to them!" She was gaining ground fast. Her movements grew more fluid, more aggressive, more joyful. I was breathing heavily, sweat and blood mixing on my skin, my body screaming for rest. Meanwhile, she seemed to be having the time of her life, enjoying the chase like a predator toying with prey. And just as she had promised, soldiers from the nearby sector arrived, only to be ambushed by the waiting Blood Worms.

The creatures turned them into mindless, loyal puppets within seconds. The newly converted soldiers immediately attacked their own sworn brothers. Luckily, General Ispatora, a bald, sun-touched man with a heavily muscled body standing at 1. 71 meters refused to hold back. He instantly activated his Vestuto. His Thunder attribute granted him powerful Pull/Push abilities.

With his long spear, he began pulling the infected soldiers toward him like magnets (they were the minus, he was the plus), impaling them on his spear tip one after another. In mere minutes, he reduced their numbers dramatically and regained control of the situation. Now only the 2 strong Vestuto soldiers remained against him to fight against. Maalai saw what was happening to her "babies." Her focus shattered. Her attacks became sloppy, telegraphed, and emotional. It gave me the opening I desperately needed.

I dodged her strikes cleanly now, my movements growing sharper as her focus fractured. I even began countering, forcing her to take steps back for the first time in the fight. Then she made the biggest mistake of the battle. The moment General Ispatora impaled and killed her last remaining baby, Maalai's head snapped toward him in pure horror.

"Rafa—!!" she screamed, her voice cracking with raw, maternal agony. In that single, fatal split second of distraction, I pushed everything I had left into my arms. I overloaded them to their absolute limit, twice their normal size. My muscles swelled grotesquely, veins bulging and glowing a furious, scorching red as if my very blood was on fire. The pain was unbearable, like molten iron pouring through my limbs, but I didn't care. This ends now.

With a roar that came from the deepest part of my soul, I swung my sword-axe in a perfect, devastating arc. The blade sang through the air, trailing the explosive power thanks to the Heart Flame. SHIIING —! The strike was flawless. Her head flew from her shoulders in one clean, decisive cut, spinning through the air before disappearing into the distant branches. For a brief moment, time seemed to freeze. Maalai's body stood there, still upright, as if refusing to accept its fate.

A final, shocked expression lingered on her face not rage, but heartbreaking disbelief of the current situation. If she had only stayed focused on me… she would have killed me. She was stronger, faster more relentless... superior in near all aspects. But her love for her "babies" that twisted, broken maternal bond, had been her ultimate downfall. As her headless body finally collapsed to the ground, the heavy price of my victory crashed down on me.

The overload had taken everything from my arms, as they bloated and glowed with scorching red veins, suddenly burst open. Blazing hot blood erupted from the torn veins, spraying outward and burning everything it touched. The pain was beyond anything I had ever felt. It felt like my very bones were melting from the inside. A raw, guttural scream tore from my throat as I dropped to one knee. My sword-axe slipped from my completely useless hands and clattered onto the turquoise grass.

I couldn't even twitch my fingers. Both arms hung limp at my sides like dead weight, completely unresponsive. Tears of pure pain blurred my vision. My breathing came in ragged, desperate gasps. Every heartbeat sent fresh waves of fire racing through my ruined limbs. This… this is the price i needed to pay. I collapsed forward onto my elbows, forehead pressing against the cool grass, my burning blood still dripping and sizzling where it landed. My body trembled violently from the overwhelming pain and exhaustion.

Please… no more battles tonight. Just let it end here … were my current thoughts not knowing what was going back at the Tavern.