Power of Runes

[Ray POV]

The atmosphere here is quite different.....

Ray thought as he entered the region where Apex monsters dwelled. Giant mushrooms sprouted in twisted shapes across the land, and a dark, poisonous fog drifted constantly through the air. Whenever the fog neared him, it was repelled in silence, scattered by the thin layer of Wind aura surrounding his body. Not a trace of it could touch him.

And with his newly awakened light affinity, whenever a bit of poison managed to seep into him, it was burned away at once by his Light aura.

Running swiftly across the blackened ground, Ray searched for any strong presence. He had already killed every creature that dared cross his path, from strange dog-like beasts laced with venom to other mutated predators of Savage and Alpha rank.

His kill count had already reached a staggering 450 Savage monsters and 190 Alpha monsters. The number was proof of his effort, but it also explained why he was late in reaching this place. It took time to kill them all, and he had also needed proper rest along the way.

Whenever he slept, Aetheris guarded him, ensuring his safety. Even when enemies tried to ambush him in his sleep, he remained unharmed, often without even realizing the attack had occurred because of his Mantle skill.

Ash would have reached the center by now....

Ray pushed his speed higher. His feelings toward Ash were complicated enough that whenever they were near each other, he had to use Null Mind just to maintain control.

Anger, jealousy, and hate all boiled within him, and he had no interest in facing him directly. He only wanted to get this task over with and return. He had no wish to linger near Ash.

Are you not going to comment on anything now...?

He asked Aetheris, who remained unusually silent, withholding his voice. Perhaps he was angry that Ray kept using him despite his earlier warnings not to.

Fine, stay angry... I am angry too.... just for a different reason...

Deeper and deeper he went, yet no monsters appeared in sight.

"Is there no mon—"

-BOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The words were cut short as a thunderous explosion ripped through the region. The ground quaked, and a violent wave of air struck him even from this distance. In truth, he was not far from the source of the blast.

Damn it, why do explosions always happen whenever I go somewhere with that bastard....

Cursing, Ray steadied himself and immediately rushed toward the direction of the explosion.

---

Meanwhile, at the site of the blast, the entire area was stripped bare. The poisonous fog had vanished, the mushroom-like trees were gone, and even the faint essence of life had been erased. There were no plants and no lingering traces of existence at all.

The ground bore deep scars, as though countless bolts of lightning had struck the same spot again and again. Every trace of vitality had been sucked away, and the space itself seemed torn. Within a thousand-meter stretch, there was nothing—no fog, no vegetation, only emptiness.

There was no crater either, nothing to show the destruction except for the hollow silence left behind. It was as though the explosion had occurred within the creature itself rather than the land.

A quiet sigh echoed through the desolate region.

"Sigh..... that was dangerous....."

Ash muttered as he appeared silently, having teleported at the final moment to avoid being consumed by the blast. From his escape he had seen clearly how the attack unfolded.

"The most destructive single-target attack....."

His drop of blood had not acted as expected. Instead of holding the fusion, it had been absorbed into the monster's body, tearing it apart from the inside and causing the catastrophic explosion.

It was the exact opposite of the blood that carried the fused wills and intents of two Saints, the same blood the Whisperer had entrusted to him for the battle against the Hollow Mother.

The explosion was brutal and effective, a sight both terrifying and spectacular

If he had used another spell such as Spatial Vortex, the impact would never have been as deadly. Some techniques were designed for large-scale carnage, while others excelled when facing a single enemy.

"Anyway, I learned something new though.... I always knew the saying that the body is the weapon, but this time I used it literally..."

He chuckled lightly, glancing at the devastation around him. There was not even a trace of the bloodshroom creature left.

"But this method is not practical. I lost the mana core, and I wasn't able to study the creature either.... Did I make a mistake? Or was I simply overexcited?" Ash scratched his head with mild frustration.

Nah, I will just find another monster... what happened, happened. Let it be...

He let the thought go. Just as he prepared to move on, his sharp ears caught the sound of someone rushing toward him at incredible speed. Lightning surged under his feet as he accelerated, his blade flashing as he swung it toward the approaching figure.

-CLASH!!!!!!!

Eclipse and Aetheris struck against each other in a dazzling spark. Ash and Ray's eyes locked as they hovered in the air, neither moving for a breath. Then, using the recoil of the clash, both pushed themselves back.

"So it was you. I should have known that wherever you are, explosions are bound to follow..." Ray said coldly, his voice filled with disdain.

Ash tilted his head, lightning dancing faintly along his blade. "And I should have known you'd arrive late as always. You do enjoy chasing after me, don't you?"

Ray's jaw tightened. "Chasing? I was cleaning out hundreds of monsters while you wasted mana blowing up one. At least I don't need fireworks just to get the job done."

Ash smirked, his tone casual but carrying a sharp edge. "Hundreds of weaklings that drained your time… while I was actually battling something worth remembering?"

A silence settled between them, heavy and uncomfortable, as if the air itself was waiting to see who would speak first.

Ray was about to open his mouth, but Ash raised his hand slightly, cutting him off before he could say anything. "I don't want to waste my time bickering with you. I am gonna go ahead…"

But before Ash could even take a single step forward, the ground trembled beneath their feet. The sound grew louder with each passing second, deep and heavy, like a rhythmic drumbeat rolling from their left. Both Ash and Ray turned their heads toward the noise, their expressions shifting almost in unison.

Don't tell me…..

The same thought crossed both their minds at the same time.

Ray glanced at Ash, his voice low and rough through gritted teeth. "It's your fault. Handle it yourself. After all, I deal with weaklings, right?"

He did not wait for Ash's answer. Instead, Ray turned and ran without hesitation, his figure quickly pulling away.

Ash stared at him in disbelief, his expression almost blank. "What the hell… since when was he this much of a coward?"

Still, despite his words, Ash made a run as well, his feet following the same path as Ray's. What is so bad about being a coward anyway….. sometimes being a coward is actually the smartest choice…..

"WAIT FOR ME!!! Take me with you!!!" Ash shouted, his voice breaking the tension as he waved Eclipse in the air like a man desperately flagging down help.

"Shut up!!!" Ray barked back, his voice loud enough to carry even as he kept running without looking over his shoulder. "I know you are doing this, fully knowing what it means. Do you have a death wish? If you want to die, then die by yourself….. don't take me with you….." His tone was sharp but carried a faint trace of panic beneath the anger.

Ash, who had caught up beside him, shouted with a grin that felt completely out of place in the situation. "I see then, I will leave these weaklings to you, mate!!! Kill them all!!! And yeah, they are called Bloodshromes, I named them, and their weakness is the glowing orbs on their heads."

"GOOD LUCK!!!"

Before Ray could curse at him again, Ash disappeared into thin air, teleporting away with no hesitation.

Why am I such a good-hearted person….. I even told him the weakness of the monsters…..

That was the last thought Ash had before vanishing completely, leaving Ray alone in the chaos that followed.

Ray's expression twisted into pure fury. Damn that bastard, he is the number one asshole alive….. I swear I will kill him the next time I see him, that fucking bitch…..

{Sigh….. you have started to swear too much. You used to be so kind…

Shut up. And now you finally choose to speak? Do you think this is the right moment to start lecturing me? Where is your anger now, you useless bastard?

Ray's mood grew darker, and his heart felt heavy with frustration. When he looked back, his eyes widened slightly.

Charging toward him was a massive horde of monsters, their numbers almost seemed endless. Hundreds of Bloodshromes with their mushroom-like head, Poisonous Dogs with their twisted movements, and strange plant-like creatures crawling and slithering at frightening speed. The ground shook with their charge, the sound of claws and roots tearing into the earth mixing like thunder.

It was a flood of monsters, more than five hundred at least, maybe even closer to seven hundred. Handling such a tide alone was not something even the Indomitable Mantle could make easy.

I need to slowly wear them down….. drag them into a fight where I can control the pace….. fighting them head on will only get me killed…..

That was why Ray began leading them toward a place he knew well, a spot where the terrain would favor him.

Meanwhile, Ash remained hidden in the distance, watching silently from the shadows while wrapped in Absolute Concealment. His expression was calm, but his thoughts betrayed his true intent.

Although this is such a perfect opportunity to train… the number of monsters is clearly around six hundred, maybe even seven hundred. I should let Ray clear out first. After all, he is my meat shield anyway…..

And just like that, another battle began, its scale larger and more chaotic than before.

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