The mont stretched just long enough for a breath to be taken.
BOOM!
Valeria moved first, not because she was faster, but because she had shed all hesitation. Her foot slamd into the fractured earth, and the world detonated beneath her, the ground collapsing inward as she launched herself forward in a streak of blood-red light.
At that very instant, the Lion responded. Its massive form compressed impossibly before it exploded into motion, black abyssal flas tearing through the air as it surged to et her.
Their collision initially produced no sound, only a violent distortion of space where force transcended aning, until reality caught up and released everything at once.
BOOOOOOM.
The shockwave radiated outward in a perfect sphere, flattening what little remained of the landscape and carving a fresh abyss into the earth. Stone liquefied. Air scread. Mana broke free from its natural flow and spiraled wildly as Valeria and the Lion collided mid-charge, sword eting claw in a clash so intense it obliterated the space between them.
They vanished, red and black streaks racing across the battlefield, colliding repeatedly at speeds that reduced perception to re instinct.
Reappearing above the shattered ground, Valeria twisted mid-air and slashed downward with her sword, only for the Lion to contort on three legs. Its body rotated through space as abyssal fla solidified along its spine, deflecting her blow with a screech of molten resistance.
They crashed underground. The earth collapsed inward as both figures punched through layers of stone, magma erupting in their wake while they tore through subterranean caverns at an impossible velocity.
Valeria struck first, driving her knee into the Lion’s ribcage with enough force to shatter mountains. Blood erupted outward in a superheated spray as the beast roared in retaliation, its remaining foreleg crashing down like a falling star.
The blow sent Valeria hurtling through solid rock; she burst free from the ground in a shower of debris before flipping through the air to adjust her stance mid-flight. She landed hard on molten terrain but imdiately launched herself forward again, refusing to allow any distance between them.
Close combat. No space. No breath.
The Lion lunged; its jaws snapped shut inches from her throat as she twisted sideways. Her sword carved upward in a savage arc that split open its chest.
Abyssal blood sprayed like liquid fire across her armor and skin, searing flesh as it flowed but she didn’t slow down. Instead, she stepped into the pain, driving her shoulder into the Lion’s skull and sending both tumbling through the air.
They hit the ground together with such force that it cratered the land beneath them; shockwaves rippled outward as Valeria rolled free and ca up swinging. Her blade flashed in brutal arcs targeting tendons, joints, and mana nodes with rciless precision.
The Lion countered with a ferocity that was almost unnerving, its claws and fangs striking with lethal precision. It fought not just as a beast but like a seasoned warrior, each movent purposeful, every attack aid to kill.
Its tail lashed out, engulfed in dark flas, slamming into Valeria’s side and sending her crashing through a ridge of stone.
As the ridge crumbled around her, she burst free, blood spraying from her mouth. She forced mana through her damaged pathways, her body protesting as she pushed beyond its limits.
Then they vanished again, this ti into the air. Two streaks of light, red and black, collided repeatedly above the battlefield. Each clash erupted in mid-air explosions that lit the sky like dying stars.
Valeria spun through the chaos, her sword striking dozens of tis in re seconds. Each blow was layered with intent and efficiency while the Lion retaliated with brutal force, its claws slicing through her defenses and tearing into her flesh again and again.
Despite its missing leg, the Lion was relentless. It adapted quickly; its movents beca tighter and more efficient as it shifted weight and balance with terrifying mastery.
Abyssal flas coiled around its body not flaring wildly but reinforcing muscle and bone, allowing it to strike harder while enduring even more punishnt despite the blood pouring from its wounds.
But blood loss was undeniable. Each movent left trails of burning crimson behind it; each breath grew heavier.
Valeria noticed this struggle within the beast, and pressed harder. She slamd her sword into the ground for leverage, pivoting sharply to launch a devastating upward slash that cut through layers of hardened fla and tore deep into the Lion’s side.
The beast roared in response, staggering before instantly retaliating by ramming its massive head into Valeria’s chest, sending her flying backward at an alarming speed.
She hit the ground hard, bouncing once, then twice, before rolling to her feet across shattered earth. Her armor barely held together now: cracked and peeling back across her torso while a gash on her stomach bled freely as mana struggled to contain the damage.
Still, she advanced. They clashed again, on solid ground, in mid-air, beneath layers of earth, with each exchange growing faster and more violent than before. Their figures blurred into streaks of lightning, red intertwining with black, as they tore through space like opposing forces of nature. Mountains crumbled beneath them.
Forests that had survived earlier devastation were obliterated within monts as they passed through; fifth-order beasts unfortunate enough to cross their path were shredded instantly before they could comprehend danger.
The Lion struck with all its might this ti, pinning Valeria beneath its massive body as abyssal flas surged around them, trying to consu her entirely while its jaws descended toward her head.
Valeria roared defiantly. Planting her feet against the Lion’s chest, she pushed back with everything she had left. Mana erupted from Valeria, a surge of raw power as she poured everything she had into a mont of sheer physical dominance.
The ground beneath them crumbled, the weight of the Lion shifting as Valeria twisted violently, rolling free and rising to one knee with her sword already in motion.
She sliced through another layer of flesh. The Lion howled, blood spraying as it staggered back, its movents finally slowing, breath coming in ragged gasps as blood loss took its toll. Its aura flickered, not diminished but strained, as it fought to maintain control through sheer willpower.
Valeria felt her own limits closing in. Her mana reserves were critically low. Pain coursed through her body; every muscle scread in agony, and her vision blurred at the edges. But she pressed on. She couldn’t afford to stop. This was it, the final stand.
They charged once more. No skills or abilities, just two bodies honed for battle colliding with everything they had left. In a thunderclap, they vanished and reappeared at the heart of the battlefield, where sword t claw one last ti.
Valeria’s blade drove forward, piercing through fla and bone even as the Lion’s claws raked across her arm, engulfing it in abyssal fire.
Pain exploded within her; her arm burned blackened and charred. She scread but pushed past it. With one last surge of determination, Valeria twisted her body and brought her sword down in a decisive arc, channeling every ounce of mana and intent into that singular strike.
The blade descended and silence followed. The Lion froze for just a heartbeat; then its massive form split apart from crown to core.
A line of crimson light sliced through it as the abyssal flas sputtered out, its remaining strength collapsing inward before its body disintegrated into a cascade of burning blood and shattered bone.
The Crimson Abyssal Lion, the monarch of the abyss, fell into ruin, its reign ending in that single mont.
Valeria staggered back; her sword lodged itself into the ground as she leaned heavily on it, her charred arm hanging uselessly at her side with smoke curling from blackened flesh. Blood flowed freely from her wounds, pooling beneath her feet while she gasped for air.
Yet she remained standing. The battlefield fell silent, no roars or explosions, only the soft rustle of ash drifting through the still air. The Lion was dead, and against all odds, Valeria still lived.
Barely.
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