Chapter 96 - 96 Prey and Hunter

96 Prey and Hunter

The flaming monster pursued relentlessly, hurling crimson fireb.a.l.l.s that blasted craters in the earth. Lumian was thrown off balance multiple times.

Flames licked at the charred logs that littered the desolate landscape, casting flickering red light in every direction.

Lumian barely spared a thought for the fire still consuming his clothes. Gritting his teeth against the searing pain, he was sent sprawling by the shockwaves of detonation after detonation. He staggered to his feet and careened wildly towards his destinationveering left, then right, arcing and darting straight ahead.

Mercifully, he didnt have far to go based on his plan. Just as he felt the taste of blood in his mouth and his body threatened to give out, a dilapidated building loomed before him.

Boom!

Lumian contorted his body mid-stride, narrowly avoiding a fireball. The scarlet projectile exploded just ahead, unleas.h.i.+ng a h.e.l.lish maelstrom of flames.

Seizing the moment, Lumian dropped to the ground and rolled beneath the worst of the conflagration. With the momentum, he tumbled into the partially collapsed structure.

The flaming monster halted and hesitated, wary of pursuing its prey into a potential death trap.

It watched as Lumian rolled deeper into the building, summoning a swarm of red Fire Ravens around it.

Their screeches filled the air as they took flight. Half of them dove towards the buildings support beams, while the others bore down on Lumian from all sides.

These avian flames were unerring, constantly adjusting their trajectories to match Lumians movements.

In that instant, the flaming monster could almost see its enemys charred remains.

Fire Ravens were far more difficult to dodge than mere fireb.a.l.l.s!

And then, Lumian disappeared from the monsters view.

He had rolled into a well-preserved bas.e.m.e.nt.

Bang!

Lumian slammed the wooden door shut and leaped aside, using the force of the impact.

Swoos.h.!.+ Swoos.h.!.+ Swoos.h.!.+ The scarlet Fire Ravens slammed into the door.

Boom!

The heavy door disintegrated into flaming splinters.

Rumble!

The remaining Fire Ravens struck their intended targets, bringing down the decaying structure in a torrent of debris.

Stone, wood, and dust engulfed the area, entombing the bas.e.m.e.nt.

Lumian had already taken refuge in a corner, using the acc.u.mulated dirt to smother the flames that clung to him.

But he was still badly burned, his internal organs battered by the force of the explosions. Without swift medical attention, he wouldnt last another day.

The flaming monsters attack had been devastating, even more potent than Ryan sans his Hurricane of Light!

Lumian had intended to use Invisibility to elude the flaming monster, slipping into the bas.e.m.e.nt to perform his enigmatic sacrificial dance, activating the black thorn symbol on his chest to terrify his foe. Hed planned to bide his time for Fallen Mercury to complete the exchange of fate. But the persistent fire had thwarted his Invisibility, nearly costing him his life.

The one consolation was that he had a backup plan in the event he couldnt escape the monsters pursuit, nor could he perform his sacrificial dance in peace.

Hed even considered collapsing the building to bury the bas.e.m.e.nt and buy time, but the flaming monster had done the job for him.

Phew Exhaling deeply, Lumian sat cross-legged.

He retrieved the bottle of gray amber perfume from Aurore, unscrewed the cap, and placed it before him.

Outside the demolished building, the flaming monsters gaze cut through the swirling dust, searching for any trace of its quarry.

It was certain that the cunning intruder wouldnt have been buried alive so easily.

Given the complexity of the traps hed laid and his intimate knowledge of the ruins, he must have left himself an escape route!

The flaming monster wasnt particularly intelligent, but its Hunters instincts led it to circle the collapsed building.

In less than ten seconds, it discovered a hidden cave entrance angling downward.

The opening was concealed by debris from the fallen structure, sheltered from the ensuing collapse. It was difficult to spot and tucked away in a discreet location.

The monster raised its right hand, conjuring a fist-sized white fireball in its palm.

With a sudden lunge, it hurled the fireball down the pa.s.sageway.

The flames streaked through the air, penetrated the bas.e.m.e.nt, and collided with the far wall.

Boom!

The blast wave didnt affect Lumian, who was deliberately hiding in another corner. It only overturned the bottle of gray amber perfume in front of him and quaked the entire bas.e.m.e.nt.

The gurgle of liquid flowed from the open bottle, its elegant and sweet fragrance intensifying instantly.

Lumian leaned against the wall, eyes closed, lost in Cogitation.

His mind conjured a crimson sun, holding it steady for a few seconds.

Suddenly, a terrifying sound reached Lumians ears, as if from an infinite distance yet unnervingly close.

Blue veins bulged across his face, hands, and neck, quickly turning red.

Simultaneously, silver-black spots seeped from his skin.

He opened his mouth to scream, but collapsed and curled up before a sound could escape.

Fallen Mercury slipped from Lumians left palm, but it dared not make a move. It didnt even attempt to approach his exposed face or right hand to create a marionette through contact.

It just quivered there, violently.

Outside the bas.e.m.e.nt, the monster poised to conjure a fireball froze beside the entrance Lumian had excavated.

It couldnt help but shudder.

A few seconds later, it fled, abandoning the hunt.

...

Lumian plunged into a darkness teeming with flickering flames. His mind was overwhelmed with excruciating pain and malevolent thoughts.

In that moment, death seemed preferable. He sensed something deep within him rapidly growing and taking form.

It appeared to be a traumacomposed of all negative personalities and a particular will. Once a.s.sembled into human shape, it would utterly supplant the original him.

Amid the unending darkness of despair and pain, Lumian caught a whiff of a scent.

Elegant and sweet.

It was Aurores fragrance, a familiar aroma.

Aurore Grande Soeur Lumian slowly regained his composure, as if hearing the comforting melody once more.

I want to live!

The loop hasnt ended yet!

A rush of thoughts flooded back to him. Lumian finally vanquished the pitch-black will and the agony-laced darkness within his heart and opened his eyes.

...

The first thing in his sight was the toppled bottle of gray amber perfume on the ground.

It toppled? Lumians heart ached as he reached out his right hand.

Initially, hed only intended to mimic Aurores use of incense to control his symptoms and rely on the natural perfume as a wake-up call. Unexpectedly, more than half the bottle had spilled.

In the next instant, his body quivered. He saw the charred, bloodstained back of his hand and the silver-black circular spots that had yet to fade.

Without needing a reminder, Lumian could smell the unfamiliar, hair-raising scent on himself.

If he crossed paths with Valentine now, hed be purified by his Holy Light Summoning without revealing a thing.

Lumian scooped up the remaining half of the gray amber perfume, tightened the cap, and stowed it away.

He then picked up Fallen Mercury, still trembling violently, and asked in Hermes, Is the fate exchange over?

Fallen Mercury swiftly shook left and right, signaling it wasnt.

Lumian exhaled in relief.

He feared that by the time he awoke, the fate exchange wouldve been completedthe shock would last no more than a minute.

If he couldnt locate the flaming monster in time, his recent torment would be futile.

Breathe in, breathe out Lumian adjusted his dreadful condition and mustered his remaining strength before crawling out of the bas.e.m.e.nt through the hole he had dug earlier.

Each motion tugged at various wounds, making him wince in pain.

Upon exiting the bas.e.m.e.nt, Lumian searched for the flaming monsters tracks and sighed inwardly.

Using Cogitation in such a state and fully activating the thorn symbol on my chest is downright suicidal

I havent done it since becoming a Hunter, barely repressing the symptoms with gray ambers scent. Had I done it a few times before, my body might have mutated slightly, turning me into a monster

I cant risk this for a while unless I have a death wish

He opted for Cogitation to fully activate the black thorn symbol on his chest rather than the sacrificial dances partial activation, as time was of the essence and he couldnt perform the dance.

With Cogitation, he could frighten off the flaming monster in five or six seconds. The enigmatic sacrificial dance, however, took 30 to 40 secondseven with his familiarity.

In Lumians hunting strategy, this was his last resort. If he couldnt evade the flaming monsters pursuit by other means, hed attempt Cogitation!

Lumian hadnt antic.i.p.ated that Cogitation would leave him gravely injured from the start and on the brink of losing control, turning into a monster.

Before long, Lumian discovered the flaming monsters tracks and pursued them.

A few minutes later, the prints appeared fresher, so he slowed his pace.

Soon after, Fallen Mercury shuddered on its own, notifying Lumian that the fate exchange was complete.

Without hesitation, Lumian brandished the iron-black axe and charged forward, following the flaming monsters footprints.

In under twenty seconds, he spotted the scorched and smoldering prey.

It cowered in a rock-encircled corner, quaking.

Lumian dashed over, cast aside Fallen Mercury, and seized the axe with both hands, cleaving down with all his might.

With a dull thud, the flaming monsters head and body separated.

Bright red blood spurted out violently, igniting into scarlet flame cl.u.s.ters on the ground.

Lumian, unable to hold on any longer, collapsed to the ground with his axe.