After escaping from the area where the Hollow Earth Worm and the Two-Headed Blood Ogre were locked in a brutal battle, Luo Bingqing and Elyara headed toward the core area of the ruins.
However, when the Two-Headed Blood Ogre unleashed its devastating skill, a cataclysmic attack that caused the ground within a one-kilometer radius to collapse, its sheer force was so overwhelming that even though Luo Bingqing and Elyara were already far away, they still felt the impact.
Thinking that Azrael might be in trouble, the two of them quickly climbed one of the surrounding mountains to get a clear view of the battleground.
Although they were more than ten kilometers away, observing the scene was not difficult for them.
Luo Bingqing relied on his ice birds to survey the situation from above. Even though he couldn’t see every detail clearly due to the violent waves of energy the two peak epic-level monsters were releasing, it was enough for him to grasp the overall situation.
Elyara, on the other hand, was an archer and had mastered a skill that enhanced her vision, allowing her to sharpen her senses to an extraordinary degree. As a result, even from ten kilometers away, she could see most of what was happening with surprising clarity.
When they witnessed the scale of destruction caused by the two monsters, both of them instinctively sucked in a sharp breath of cold air, feeling an intense wave of relief. Updates are released by n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
They knew with absolute certainty that had they lingered in that area any longer, they would have been caught up in the catastrophic battle.
Yet, what truly shocked them to their very core came moments later, when Azrael attacked the monsters.
From their vantage point, they saw Azrael suddenly soar into the air and swing his sword in a single, clean vertical motion. In the next heartbeat, a blood-red energy barrier erupted around the monsters. Yet, despite the barrier, both of the mighty creatures were abruptly split cleanly into two as if an invisible blade had sliced through them.
Because they were so far away, they could neither sense the overwhelming presence of the Tyrant’s Intent nor perceive the hair-thin, sky-rending blade of the SkyRift Slash.
All they witnessed was Azrael swinging his sword and then the two epic-level monsters collapsing into two lifeless halves.
"Fu*k, what was that?" Even with his usually composed personality, Luo Bingqing couldn’t help but curse aloud as he watched two peak epic-level monsters get cut down in an instant.
Elyara was no less shaken and a shiver raced down her spine, goosebumps prickling her arms.
What unsettled her even more was the sight of the Two-Headed Blood Ogre. It had clearly used its defensive skill, summoning that blood-red energy barrier to protect itself. Yet, even that defense was cleaved through effortlessly, its body severed alongside the very barrier it had created.
’Was that another Essentia Art?’ She wondered, though even to herself the thought seemed absurd.
In her eyes, It had already been astonishing enough that Azrael had managed to master the Wings of Wind Essentia Art in such a short span of time.
Now the possibility that this might not be the only Essentia Art he had learned made her heart tremble with a trace of fear. She couldn’t begin to comprehend how he could have mastered two Essentia Arts in barely half a month since activating his powers.
"He must have received a great boost in his powers after killing those two peak epic-level monsters," Luo Bingqing suddenly muttered under his breath.
When Elyara heard his words, her body stiffened slightly. She turned her head to meet his eyes, and both of them noticed the slight twitch in each other’s gaze.
’Is it still possible to take first place from him?’ They both wondered at the same time.
’It will be difficult while I’m still at the class level,’ Elyara thought to herself, ’But things might change once I become an epic-level warrior.’
Luo Bingqing was also lost in thought, clearly contemplating something similar.
Since both of the terrifying monsters were now dead, neither of them rushed immediately toward the core area. They chose instead to wait for Azrael as without him, even if they killed other monsters, they wouldn’t be able to level up.
Before long, they too noticed the bright flare that had been fired from the ruins’ core and like Azrael, they suspected it to be the work of either the Transcendent Organization or the security forces.
About ten minutes later, they spotted Azrael approaching and waved to him.
When Azrael finally reached them, his aura seemed perfectly restrained. Yet, despite his controlled presence, they could still sense that his strength had grown noticeably since they had last seen him.
"You really killed them, huh..." Elyara said with a sigh, her eyes still reflecting disbelief.
"It was just luck. I didn’t expect to succeed," Azrael replied calmly, his voice even as he pointed toward the distant flare. "What do you two think about that?"
"Most likely the work of the Transcendent Organization or the security forces," Luo Bingqing said in a serious tone. "I think we should head to the core area without wasting any more time. If we delay, the items in the core area might be taken by them."
The idea of increasing their levels by killing more monsters was certainly tempting to all three of them. But they also knew that the core area of ancient ruins often contained items capable of changing a person’s destiny and those treasures were far more valuable than simple level-ups.
Besides, the only reason they had been focusing on leveling up until now was because they believed the monsters in the core area to be too powerful for them to handle.
But now, their strength had increased significantly, and with the people who had fired the flare already present at the core, it was likely that they had cleared much of the area of monsters.
Hearing Luo Bingqing’s suggestion to head to the core without delay, both Elyara and Azrael nodded, having already reached the same conclusion themselves.
"By the way, what if it’s the security forces who fired the flare and they try to stop us from entering the core area?" Elyara asked suddenly.
"We’ll see when the time comes," Azrael said in an indifferent voice and from his tone, it was clear to both Luo Bingqing and Elyara that he had no intention of turning back merely because of the security forces.
"Well, let’s hope things don’t escalate too much," Elyara murmured under her breath.
With that, the three of them set off once again, rushing together toward the core area of the ruins.