Chapter 196: The Pregnant Firebird (6)

Chapter 196: 196: The Pregnant Firebird (6)

The Behemoth was losing blood. A lot of it.

Every time the monster moved its damaged shoulder, more dark blood spilled onto the ground.

Lucard could sense the blood gathering between broken rocks and burning trees.

If I can absorb even a portion of that...

He looked at the dead trees near the Behemoth’s feet.

His Blood Claw would not need to defeat the monster. He only needed to wait until the battle ended. Then he could collect the blood.

That had been the plan from the beginning.

But something suddenly changed.

The Nightfall Behemoth stopped trying to reach the Crimson Sunwing directly.

Instead, its six eyes followed the bird as it moved through the sky.

Lucard noticed that its attention was no longer focused on the bird’s wings or head.

The Behemoth was looking at its lower body.

At its swollen belly.

Lucard’s eyes narrowed.

It noticed.

The Behemoth had understood why the Crimson Sunwing kept protecting its lower body. It had also noticed that the bird avoided flying too close whenever large stone spears approached from below.

The monster was not stupid.

It might not know exactly how close the Crimson Sunwing was to laying its egg, but it understood that the belly was vulnerable.

Cedric noticed the Behemoth’s unusual behavior.

"Why is it looking at the bird like that?"

Lucard did not answer immediately.

The Behemoth lowered its enormous head and pressed its front foot against the ground.

A huge dark yellow magic circle appeared beneath the entire rocky slope.

The circle was far larger than anything the monster had used before.

It spread toward the mountain, covering hundreds of meters of stone with glowing lines.

Elowen’s smile disappeared.

"What is it doing?"

Lucard felt the earth mana moving deep below the rocks.

The Behemoth was gathering an enormous amount of power, but it was not preparing another ordinary stone spear.

It was taking control of a large section of the mountainside.

Cedric stared at the glowing formation.

"Is it going to destroy the mountain?"

"No," Lucard answered. "It is going to use the mountain."

The ground began to shake.

Large sections of stone separated from the cliffs. Huge cracks spread across the rocky slope, and dozens of enormous boulders broke free.

But instead of falling, the boulders remained suspended in the air.

Elowen looked upward in horror.

The Crimson Sunwing was still flying above the mountain.

Its belly remained exposed from below.

Lucard understood the attack.

The Behemoth was preparing to launch an entire section of the mountain upward, not at the bird’s wings or head, but directly toward the egg inside its belly.

"It’s targeting the egg!" Lucard shouted.

Cedric followed his gaze.

Then his face turned pale.

The Nightfall Behemoth released a thunderous roar.

The magic circle flashed.

Hundreds of enormous rocks shot into the sky at once, forming a deadly storm around the Crimson Sunwing.

The bird immediately tried to climb higher, but the rocks were already closing in from several directions.

It spread its wings and gathered fire mana to defend itself.

However, the largest stone formation was rising directly beneath its swollen belly.

And this time, the Behemoth had left almost no room for it to escape.

.

.

.

Hundreds of enormous rocks shot into the sky at once, forming a deadly storm around the Crimson Sunwing.

The bird immediately spread its wings and released a huge wave of fire. Several rocks exploded before reaching it, but there were too many. The Behemoth had gathered enough earth mana to turn almost the entire mountainside into a weapon.

The Crimson Sunwing tried to climb higher. Its damaged left wing moved slower than the right, making it difficult to change direction. The bird twisted its body to avoid the first group of rocks, then released another stream of fire toward the larger stones approaching from below.

Lucard watched the battle with narrowed eyes.

The Behemoth was not attacking randomly anymore. It had arranged the rocks in several layers. The first group forced the bird to change direction. The second blocked its escape, while the largest rocks were waiting beneath its swollen belly.

Cedric noticed the same thing.

"That monster is trying to trap it!"

Elowen gripped the stone beside her. "Can the bird escape?"

Lucard did not answer immediately. He was watching the Crimson Sunwing’s wings and calculating the distance between the approaching rocks.

The bird still had enough power to destroy most of the attack.

But destroying every rock would require time.

And the Behemoth was not giving it that time.

The first group of stones reached the Crimson Sunwing.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Several explosions filled the sky as the bird released fireballs in different directions. Broken rocks scattered across the mountain, and burning fragments fell into the forest below.

The Crimson Sunwing managed to destroy most of the stones above its body.

Then the largest rock formation came from below.

It was not shaped like an ordinary boulder. The Behemoth had compressed several enormous rocks together, forming a sharp stone pillar with a thick base. The entire formation was covered in dark yellow earth mana.

The Crimson Sunwing noticed it and immediately pulled its wings inward.

Flames gathered beneath its belly.

The bird released a concentrated fire attack directly downward.

The white-red flames struck the approaching stone pillar and burned through its outer layers. Large pieces broke away, but the remaining part continued upward.

The Crimson Sunwing tried to turn.

It was too late.

Bang!

The stone pillar struck the lower part of its body.

"KREEEEEE!"

The bird released a terrible cry.

Its enormous body was thrown upward by the impact. Several red feathers scattered into the air, and a large amount of blood fell from its swollen belly.

Elowen covered her mouth.

"Oh no!"

Cedric’s expression changed completely. "That was a direct hit."

The Crimson Sunwing struggled to spread its wings again. Its left wing opened only halfway before folding from pain. The bird lost height and nearly struck the mountainside.

It managed to recover at the last moment by releasing fire from beneath its body.

However, the damage had already been done.

A deep wound had appeared along the lower part of its belly. Blood flowed between its red feathers, and the flames surrounding its body became unstable.

The egg inside had not emerged, but the impact had clearly damaged the bird badly.

Elowen’s eyes filled with tears.

"Lucard, we have to do something!"

Lucard looked at her. "We have already done what we can."

"But it is injured!"

"Yes."

"Then help it!"

Cedric quickly interrupted. "Elowen, look at the battlefield. We cannot reach it. Even if we could, what would we do? I cannot heal a Seventh Rank beast, and neither can you."

Elowen lowered her head, but she did not stop watching the bird.

Lucard ignored their conversation and continued studying the Behemoth.

Something about the monster’s movement had changed.

Its damaged left shoulder was still burning, and the earth mana surrounding that part of its body had become weaker. The Behemoth had also used an enormous amount of power to create the attack against the bird.

It was still dangerous.

But it was no longer at its strongest.

If the bird attacks now, it might have a chance.

The Nightfall Behemoth raised its head and released another roar.

Black mist escaped from its mouth and spread across the ground. The monster began moving toward the injured bird, dragging its damaged front leg through the broken forest.

It was preparing to finish its enemy.

The Crimson Sunwing saw it approaching.

For several breaths, the bird remained in the air without moving much. Its wings trembled, and blood continued dripping from its belly.

Then its golden eyes became brighter.

A deep red light spread from its chest.

Lucard immediately noticed the sudden increase in fire mana.

"Get down," he ordered.

Cedric looked toward him. "What?"

"Now!"

Lucard pulled Elowen behind the rocks and lowered his body.

Cedric followed immediately.

The Crimson Sunwing opened its enormous wings.

Flames erupted from every feather.

The fire was different from before. Instead of spreading outward immediately, it gathered around the bird’s body, forming a huge burning shape that resembled another pair of wings.

The temperature around the mountain increased sharply.

The Behemoth stopped moving.

Its six eyes stared upward.

For the first time since the battle began, the enormous monster appeared cautious.

Cedric looked through a narrow gap between the rocks.

"What kind of spell is that?"

Lucard watched the gathering fire carefully.

"A bloodline attack."

Cedric turned toward him. "You mean its strongest ability?"

"Possibly. But using it in that condition is dangerous."

Elowen looked frightened. "Dangerous for the bird?"

"Yes. It is forcing more mana through its injured body than it can safely handle."

The Crimson Sunwing raised its head and released a long cry.

The sound echoed across the mountain.

Then it folded its wings and dived.

Its enormous body became a burning red streak.

The Nightfall Behemoth immediately reacted.

Earth mana gathered around its front legs, and three thick stone barriers rose in front of it.