noveldepot Chapter 331: He... advanced?
Chapter 331: He... advanced?
Yuel’s voice came clearly through the communicator, ringing in everyone’s ears.
"Five minutes."
"Five minutes?"
In the middle of dodging an endless barrage of divine fire, Vangar spared a glance at Vincent, who was still crazily spewing flames through the sky.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
At this rate, if he stayed one second longer, his handsome marshal’s uniform was about to become a limited-edition beggar outfit.
"Understood."
He replied with only two crisp words before the silver light around him exploded with speed.
His figure blurred across the sky in sharp, unpredictable arcs, striking at the golden firebird’s nerves with ruthless precision.
Seconds crawled by.
Finally, Yuel’s voice came through the communicator again.
"Marshal, the flight corridor has been cleared. You can begin!"
At that instant, silver light erupted from Vangar’s body.
"You two—move!"
"Drive him upward. Don’t let him turn back!"
Vangar barked at Xarion and Paros.
The dazzling silver streak that had previously been dodging and harassing suddenly transformed into something far more aggressive—
Like a perfectly aimed crowbar slamming violently into the root of the firebird’s wing.
BOOM!
The terrifying impact flattened the entire estate below into ruins.
"SKREEEE—!"
Enraged, the golden firebird unleashed a piercing scream capable of splitting mountains and clouds apart.
Just as Vangar predicted, Vincent abandoned his attacks on the ground entirely and turned, pursuing that hateful silver figure through the sky with berserk fury.
The white wolf and black dragon roared simultaneously.
One from the left.
One from the right.
Their enormous bodies rose into the sky like impenetrable walls, sealing off every possible route back toward the Central District.
Gold.
Silver.
White.
Black.
Four streaks of light shot through the atmosphere like arrows released from a divine bow, disappearing into the depths of space.
Aboard the battleship, Rory watched everything unfold with her heart clenched tight.
The four lights grew smaller and smaller in the distance.
And with every second, the knot in her chest tightened further.
"Yuel... let’s go to the Divine Fallen Battlefield too."
"I can’t stop worrying about Vincent."
Yuel nodded softly.
"Alright."
Together with Jasper and Wen, he immediately redirected the battleship and accelerated after them.
...
The Divine Fallen Battlefield.
The enormous golden firebird hovered at the center of the battlefield, wings spread wide enough to blot out the heavens.
It was no longer mindlessly launching fireballs in every direction.
Now, countless golden spears forged from divine flame materialized around it, raining down endlessly upon the three figures surrounding it.
Vangar unleashed his ability, silver power tearing through space itself as he shattered the incoming flaming spears with terrifying precision.
Xarion stood upon the void, unleashing catastrophic storms of absolute frost that froze vast sections of space, slowing the firebird’s movements.
Paros’s massive black dragon body weaved through drifting asteroid fields, drawing upon invisible cosmic energy.
The gathered power transformed into black water dragons that surged toward the firebird from every direction, attempting to extinguish the divine flames consuming its body.
Every strike they launched carried world-ending force.
Far in the distance, the battleship remained anchored safely away from the battlefield.
Rory stared at the battle unfolding across the monitors, her heart pounding violently.
Her fingernails dug so deeply into her palms they nearly broke skin.
She watched Xarion’s layers of ice get instantly pierced through by Vincent’s divine fire, the giant wolf’s body scorched black in several places.
The massive water dragons Paros summoned fared no better.
The moment they came within a hundred meters of Vincent, the terrifying heat vaporized them instantly.
"...If they keep fighting like this..."
"They won’t get hurt, right?"
Rory’s voice trembled as she stared at the apocalyptic destruction unfolding before her eyes.
Compared to this...
The earlier sparring match between Vincent, Xarion, and Vangar at the Divine Fallen Battlefield had been little more than child’s play.
Yuel’s warm hand gently covered hers, softly patting the back of it in reassurance.
"Don’t worry."
His voice remained calm and gentle as always, carrying a quiet steadiness that soothed the chaos in her heart.
"Vangar knows what he’s doing."
The moment Yuel finished speaking, the violent energy storm at the center of the Divine Fallen Battlefield suddenly escalated.
Vangar’s figure transformed into a silver thunderbolt capable of tearing through the universe itself as he charged directly into the endless storm of divine fire.
BOOM—!
Every collision detonated with the force of dying stars, unleashing enough power to annihilate everything in existence.
The entire battlefield trembled violently.
Massive asteroid belts were pulverized into dust by the shockwaves, while spiderweb-like cracks spread across the fabric of space itself.
Xarion and Paros were blasted far backward by the overwhelming torrent of energy, unable to even approach the center of the battlefield.
Xarion stared in shock at the apocalyptic scene unfolding before him.
Vincent... was actually fighting Vangar to this extent?
But Vangar was Rank Twelve.
Could it be... Because of Female Master’s blood?
Not only had Vincent completed his nirvana, but he had actually advanced in Rank as well?
At the center of the battlefield, the silver light around Vangar suddenly exploded outward.
A colossal white tiger large enough to eclipse the heavens tore through the raging energy storm and descended upon the battlefield with terrifying dominance.
The tiger’s roar shook the entire battlefield to its core.
Silver lightning capable of ripping apart space itself crackled around his body, while the marking on his forehead radiated an ancient authority that felt as though it had existed since the birth of the universe.
Ignoring the divine flames crashing toward him, the enormous tiger became an untouchable streak of silver light and appeared instantly before the golden firebird.
His razor-sharp fangs flashed with deadly coldness as he bit down precisely upon the firebird’s long, fragile throat.
"SKREEE—!"
The firebird let out a cry of pain, yet, miraculously, it did not struggle.
The violent energy raging within Vincent’s body—the same power that had nearly torn him apart moments ago—finally found an outlet.
It surged wildly through the white tiger’s fangs and poured into Vangar’s body.
The golden divine flames dimmed visibly.
Meanwhile, the silver light surrounding the white tiger became brighter and brighter, dazzling enough to eclipse the stars themselves.
Soon, the massive phantom of the golden firebird began dissolving into fragments of light.
Vincent’s slender figure emerged from within the fading radiance before falling limply from the sky.
Just as he was about to plunge into the violent asteroid currents below, the tiger’s massive tail flicked gracefully through the air, wrapping around him and catching him securely.
The enormous white tiger rapidly shrank, returning to Vangar’s human form.
With one arm, he casually held the unconscious Vincent before vanishing in a flash toward the distant battleship.
Xarion and Paros immediately followed after them.
The moment Rory saw them return, she threw open the control room doors and rushed forward.
"Are you alright?"
Vangar instinctively straightened the moment he saw her approaching.
The untamed arrogance usually lingering in his eyes had vanished entirely, replaced by something unexpectedly cautious.
Carefully, he set Vincent down onto a nearby seat before clearing his throat, deliberately softening his voice.
"Female Master... Vincent’s fine now."
He assumed Rory was worried about Vincent.
But before she could even look at Vincent, her gaze landed on the blood still staining the corner of Vangar’s lips.
"Vangar, there’s blood on your mouth."
"You’re hurt?!"
Her voice tightened instantly with worry.
Vangar froze slightly, clearly not expecting her concern to turn toward him first.
He quickly raised a hand to wipe the blood away. Seeing the crimson stain on his fingertips, he hurriedly explained,
"It’s not mine."
He paused before pointing toward Vincent, who lay unconscious nearby.
"It’s his."
"That guy’s energy was too violent. Nearly cracked my teeth."
Only then did Rory finally relax.
She turned toward Vincent and froze after a single glance.
After completing his nirvana... Vincent had completely changed.
His once flame-red hair had turned deep black like midnight ink, threaded with faint streaks of crimson-gold light shimmering between the strands.
His already devastatingly beautiful face now carried an almost fragile sense of ruin beneath its pale complexion.
At the center of his forehead appeared a fire-gold mark shaped like a firebird feather.
Yet woven through the divine symbol were strange streaks of black.
Sacred and wickedness intertwined perfectly within him, giving Vincent an indescribably dangerous allure.