Chapter 35: A Clean Cut [Bonus]
A deep, guttural roar resounded as the Emberhide Ape beat its chest heavily when it saw Lucien charging toward it.
It slammed its fist toward the ground as it charged too.
A man and an ape, two forces colliding in the crimson-lit clearing.
The Emberhide Ape smacked its fist to the ground, but this time, the earth moved. Jagged pointed stones erupted from the ground in front of Lucien, each one aimed to impale him.
Lucien didn’t stop. His body moved with fluid grace, weaving and twisting as he dodged every stone that burst forth. His steps were light, his movements precise, as if he could see each attack before it came.
The Emberhide Ape didn’t stop there. It stomped its massive foot, and a chunk of the earth was torn from the ground. The ape then punched it, shattering the earth into countless fragments that hurtled toward Lucien like a storm of stone.
Dust and debris filled the air, but Lucien’s eyes never left his target.
He was already moving.
Fire God Fist.
Lucien raised his right hand, and it immediately became coated in flame, like a gauntlet of living fire. He thrust his fist toward the incoming fragments.
All of them were destroyed under his fist, and Lucien had closed within a meter range of the Emberhide Ape.
His lips slowly curled up into a smirk.
Flicker Step.
His figure disappeared, and he reappeared beside the Emberhide Ape. This sudden appearance shook the Volkoid, its molten gold eyes widening in surprise.
Lucien raised his empty hand as if he wanted to raise a sword, and in this movement, the Abyss Carver appeared.
In that instant, the Abyss Carver turned into a blade of flame. But unlike before, the flames weren’t raging. They were calm, controlled, patient, like a predator waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
But looking at it, one could feel how deadly it was. It was like a snake coiled and ready, waiting for the right time to strike.
Fire God Slash.
He swung his blade at one of the legs of the Emberhide Ape. The beast let out a tragic roar of pain, taking a few steps back as the flames bit into its hide.
Lucien made no move but looked at where he had struck.
"As expected of such a Volkoid." Lucien saw that even though he had attacked, the injury wasn’t as deep as he expected. The wound gave off a burnt feeling, but it had only scratched the surface of its thick hide.
He didn’t feel bothered by this. This was just a probing attack.
Emberhide Apes were known for their control and talent of the Origin Earth Element. Which meant their defense was their greatest strength.
And now it was time for the real attack. Lucien decided to lock away his emotions. This was one thing he had realized from the state he had comprehended.
And immediately he did so, his pupils became deep blood red, his killing intent and presence sharpening into something cold and absolute.
He charged again.
Meanwhile, the Emberhide Ape’s blood kept flowing out, and it triggered its rage. Its molten gold eyes burned brighter, its breathing becoming heavier, more erratic.
It let out a guttural roar, and a brown circular rune appeared before it. From the rune, a massive fist made of earth emerged, hurtling toward Lucien with crushing force.
Lucien’s body moved before his mind could react. He twisted, the fist grazing past him, the wind from its passage tearing at his clothes. He didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop.
The fist retracted, then came again, faster, more relentless. Lucien weaved, ducked, and sidestepped, each movement keeping him just out of reach. The earth fist slammed into the ground where he had stood, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the crimson soil.
For a few minutes, the onslaught continued. The earthen arm struck again and again, each blow heavier than the last, each impact shaking the ground beneath his feet. Dust and debris filled the air, but Lucien’s focus never wavered.
Then, another hand of earth emerged from the rune, a second arm, joining the first. Now two massive fists attacked him in tandem, one from the left, one from the right, their movements coordinated and crushing.
Lucien’s eyes narrowed. He raised the Abyss Carver, meeting the first fist with the flat of his blade, deflecting it to the side. He twisted, using the momentum to spin and block the second fist with the edge of his sword. The impact sent a tremor through his arms, but he held his ground.
He defended easily.
The fists recoiled, and Lucien stood firm, his breath steady and his gaze cold like a pool of blood.
This was nothing.
He surged forward again, his blade gleaming with a calm, controlled flame.
He charged toward the Emberhide Ape. The two stone fists attacked him, but he easily maneuvered through them. His body flowed like water, slipping between the massive earthen limbs with practiced precision.
He had been able to calculate their movements, and their movements looked stiff, making it appear easier than it should have been.
He got closer to the Emberhide Ape, which raised its fist and attacked Lucien. Lucien charged forward too, but as they were almost clashing—
The two stone fists burst out suddenly from both his sides. They were planning to crush Lucien between them.
It caught Lucien unaware as he was enclosed by the stone fists that came with insane speed, and they swallowed him.
The Emberhide Ape watched as Lucien seemed squashed by its attack. But when everything came into view, there was no blood. Nothing.
The ape was confused, before its instincts screamed for danger.
A large, flaming circular rune appeared on the ground below the Emberhide Ape. Flame thorns burst through from it, holding it down all over its body, piercing through its thick hide.
Suddenly, a flame appeared beside the Emberhide Ape. It wasn’t a flame, it was Lucien, holding the flaming Abyss Carver.
It turned out he had sensed the attack of the Emberhide Ape, but instead of dodging it, he had used Flicker Step while using a clone as a decoy.
And it led to this.
Lucien looked at the Abyss Carver and poured more than 40% of his Originat into it, that was forty percent of his MP.
Flames roared, raging as a transformation took place. The fire suddenly went quiet as flame veins appeared on the Abyss Carver, pulsing with a calm, deadly light. Lucien was surprised by this change.
But there was no time to note that. He had to finish this Volkoid before he attracted a more powerful one.
The Abyss Carver descended like a falling star.
The blade, wreathed in calm, controlled flames, cut through the air with a whisper, silent, deadly, absolute. The flame veins along its surface pulsed once, as if the blade itself was holding its breath.
The Emberhide Ape’s molten gold eyes widened. Its instincts screamed, but its body was held down by the flame thorns, rooted to the ground like a tree to the earth.
It could not move. It could not escape.
The blade met its neck.
There was no resistance, just a clean, silent cut. The flame-coated edge carved through the ape’s thick hide and sinew as if they were nothing but air. The head separated from the body in one smooth motion, suspended for a moment in the crimson light.
Then it fell.
The massive head hit the ground with a heavy thud, rolling once before coming to a stop. Its molten gold eyes flickered, dimmed, and faded into nothing.
The body followed, collapsing to its knees before crashing forward, the earth shaking from the impact. The flame thorns dissolved, their duty complete.
Silence fell.
Lucien stood over the fallen Volkoid, his chest rising and falling with steady breaths. The Abyss Carver hummed softly in his grip, the flame veins slowly fading, returning to its original form.
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