The first three teams were closely chasing each other, with Nero’s team still leading at 271 points, Elreth’s team in second with 250, and Adam’s team trailing in third place with 235.
Flapping his beautiful fla wings, Nero pursued Khione, who was ahead of him, already searching for her next prey.
Suddenly, she felt a wave of intense heat from behind her. Spinning around, she was shocked to see Nero flying right on her tail.
"So fast? I’m called a genius, but this one is a complete monster. Now I understand how those with lower aptitude feel." A bitter feeling threatened to overwhelm her, but she quickly pushed it aside.
"This is getting fun!" she mumbled, genuinely thrilled by the spirit of competition. It was a healthy rivalry, one she wanted nothing more than to win. This was different from her decade-long competition with Elreth, where they had tried to crush each other.
Khione poured strength into her ice crystal wings, infusing them with prana before shooting forward at extre speed, like an arrow released from a bow.
Nero smiled, his eyes shining with excitent as he gave chase. Utilizing his special eyes to their fullest advantage, he could see the outline of the forest below him in vivid detail. His enhanced vision, combined with his Divine Sense, sharpened his awareness to an extraordinary degree. It was as if he were wearing goggles equipped with thermal detection, allowing him to identify any foreign presence with ease. The world around him was alive with heat signatures; he could see the warm forms of creatures moving through the foliage beneath him.
In an instant, he detected two orcs advancing through the underbrush. He knew that Khione must have picked up on them as well, just as they reached a critical juncture in their competition.
Currently, they were tied, each having two kills. If he could secure both of these orc kills, he would gain the upper hand while simultaneously bringing their score closer to their original goal. Unlike Khione, who seed adept at using a bow, Nero wasn’t as skilled with ranged attacks, but that didn’t an he lacked options. He was resourceful and ready to improvise, and that was precisely what he intended to do.
Having also noticed the two orcs, Khione quickened her pace. She transford her small wand into a crystal bow, the sa as before, just as she was about to unleash another devastating Ice Arrow. Suddenly, she was forced to halt, feeling an overwhelming wave of heat approaching from behind. It was so intense that her skin tingled, and reality seed to warp around her.
At that mont, Nero stood still, floating effortlessly in mid-air with his fla wings spread wide. He resembled a God of Fla descending upon the mortal plane, holding his sword in a thrusting position. Crimson flas danced along the blade, elongating into a long spear of fire, flickering and crackling with raw power. The spear shimred with an otherworldly intensity, casting an eerie glow against the forest backdrop, the heat radiating from it palpable even at a distance.
Their eyes locked, and Khione instantly understood his intention, causing her brows to crease in realization. She was a step too late.
"I’ll be taking this one!" he exclaid, echoing the words she had previously uttered.
The muscles in Nero’s arms, holding the fla spear, bulged with power, veins standing out like coiled serpents beneath his skin. He drew upon all of his strength, focusing it into the spear before launching it toward the ground, targeting the location of the two orcs who had unwittingly found themselves in his crosshairs.
Swoosh!
The fla spear tore through the sky, leaving a trail of heat in its wake.
Crack!
The very fabric of space seed to crack as it hurtled toward the frozen monsters below, arriving in an instant before a resounding impact echoed throughout the forest.
Kaboom!
The explosion was akin to a nuclear blast, a deafening roar that resonated through the trees. A massive mushroom cloud erupted into the sky, forcing the two to be flung backward by the sheer force of the blast. As the cloud began to dissipate, a scene of utter desolation lay before their eyes. A significant portion of the forest had literally vanished, reduced to nothing but ashes.
A massive crater, thirty ters wide and seven ters deep, now marked the landscape. Surrounding the crater, devastation stretched out for an astonishing sixty ters—an area void of trees, insects, or any sign of life. The ground was scorched and blackened, the intense heat radiating from it creating a shimring effect in the air. The scent of charred earth and burnt vegetation filled the atmosphere, a stark reminder of the power that had just been unleashed.
The devastation was absolute; the beauty of the forest had been transford into a barren wasteland, a testant to the destructive force of Nero’s attack. Khione stunned and disoriented, was left in shock, unable to comprehend the scale of destruction that had just unfolded.
Nero himself had not anticipated such devastation; however, he understood why it had occurred. That move had drained more than half of his prana, a significant expenditure for him—even considering that he possessed two cores, the attack was undeniably powerful. The aftermath of his display left an indelible mark on the battlefield, a reminder of the flas of destruction he wielded.
Like a child who had just won a ga, Nero flashed a V sign at Khione, whose lips twitched in response. She had fallen behind by two kills now, and while it was a bit frustrating, it only made the competition more thrilling; she had no intention of losing.
With a flick of her wrist, she canceled her bow, watching as it transford back into a small, exquisite wand. Her gaze shifted to Nero, noting the slight sheen of sweat on his brow and the unevenness of his breathing. Khione’s eyes narrowed as she concealed her surprise inwardly.
"For a Blue Knight, his prana capacity is comparable, if not superior, to mine. How is that possible?" she pondered, a sense of intrigue washing over her. He was shrouded in mystery, and for so reason, she felt a compelling urge to uncover the secrets he held. Shaking her head, she dismissed those wild thoughts.
"Maybe there’s sothing wrong with ," she mused, trying to refocus her mind on the competition ahead.
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