Chapter 197: The Pregnant Firebird (7)

Chapter 197: 197: The Pregnant Firebird (7)

The Crimson Sunwing struck the first barrier.

Boom!

The barrier shattered.

The bird continued downward.

The second barrier broke almost immediately.

The Behemoth roared and pushed more earth mana into the final barrier. The stone thickened, and several sharp spikes appeared across its surface.

The Crimson Sunwing did not change direction.

It spread its burning wings and struck the final barrier with its entire body.

BOOOOOM!

A huge explosion shook the mountain.

The third barrier broke apart, sending enormous pieces of stone flying across the battlefield.

The Crimson Sunwing passed through the broken barrier and struck the Nightfall Behemoth directly.

Its golden claws grabbed the monster’s damaged shoulder, digging into the exposed flesh beneath the broken scales.

The Behemoth roared and tried to bite the bird.

But the Crimson Sunwing was already moving.

It opened its beak directly above the monster’s head.

A white-red flame burst from its throat.

The attack struck the Behemoth at almost no distance.

The monster’s entire head disappeared inside the flames.

Lucard watched with growing interest.

Good.

The Crimson Sunwing was using the Behemoth’s damaged shoulder to hold itself in position. The monster could not easily turn away because the bird’s claws were buried deep inside its flesh.

The flames continued burning.

The Behemoth struggled violently.

Its enormous tail struck the ground repeatedly, breaking rocks and trees. Several stone spikes rose around its body, but the Crimson Sunwing ignored them and continued releasing fire.

Then the Behemoth managed to turn its head.

Its enormous jaws closed around the bird’s right wing.

Crack!

The sound was loud enough to reach Lucard’s hiding place.

Elowen screamed.

The Crimson Sunwing released its own cry of pain.

Its right wing bent at an unnatural angle, but instead of pulling away, the bird forced even more fire into the Behemoth’s face.

The flames grew brighter.

The Behemoth’s scales began cracking.

Its six eyes closed against the heat, and blood poured from its mouth.

Finally, the monster could no longer maintain its grip.

Its jaws opened.

The Crimson Sunwing pulled away, leaving several torn feathers behind.

Then it gathered the remaining flames around its beak and released one final concentrated attack.

The white-red beam struck the Behemoth’s head.

BOOOOOM!

The enormous monster was thrown backward.

Its body crashed into the mountainside, breaking several large rocks. The impact caused another landslide, and dust covered much of the battlefield.

The Crimson Sunwing tried to rise again.

But its damaged wings could no longer support its body properly.

It managed to remain in the air only by releasing small bursts of fire beneath itself.

Cedric stared at the destruction.

"Did it kill the Behemoth?"

Lucard extended his blood-sense toward the fallen monster.

Its blood was still moving.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

But the heart was still beating.

"No," Lucard answered.

Cedric looked disappointed. "After an attack like that?"

"It is nearly dead."

The Nightfall Behemoth lay among the broken rocks. Its head had been badly burned, and several of its eyes were destroyed. The damaged shoulder was almost completely torn open. Large amounts of dark blood flowed from its wounds and gathered beneath its body.

Its breathing was heavy.

Every attempt to move caused more blood to escape.

Lucard could feel the monster’s heart struggling to continue beating.

Now.

He stood.

Cedric immediately looked toward him.

"Where are you going?"

"To finish it."

Cedric stared at him. "Lucard, are you serious?"

"Yes."

"It is still a Seventh Rank beast!"

"A dying Seventh Rank beast."

"That does not make it harmless!"

Lucard looked at him. "Then stay here."

Elowen also stood. "You are going alone?"

"Yes. Neither of you can help with this part."

Cedric wanted to argue, but Lucard had already started moving.

He lowered his body and ran toward the battlefield, keeping the broken rocks between himself and the fallen monster.

The Behemoth was struggling to rise.

Its right front leg pushed against the ground, but the damaged left shoulder could no longer support its enormous weight. It managed to lift its head slightly before collapsing again.

Lucard approached from the damaged side.

He could feel the monster’s blood clearly now.

The blood scattered across the ground was incredibly rich in energy. Even without touching it, his Fourth Blood Circle reacted strongly.

He opened his palm.

Several streams of spilled blood rose from between the rocks.

The blood resisted his control.

It was still connected to a powerful Seventh Rank beast, and Lucard’s current strength was far below that level.

However, the blood already outside the monster’s body was easier to influence.

Lucard forced his blood power into it.

The dark blood trembled, then began moving toward his hand.

He mixed it with his own blood and the refined beast blood stored inside his body.

A large red claw formed above his right arm.

Five enormous fingers stretched outward, each ending in a long curved blade.

Lucard continued feeding blood into the shape.

The claw grew larger.

And larger.

By the time he stopped, it was several meters long.

Cedric saw it from the hiding place.

His eyes widened.

"That is Blood Claw?"

Elowen nodded. "He used it against the other beasts."

"Not like that!"

The Blood Claw floating above Lucard’s arm was far larger than anything Cedric had seen him create before.

The newly gathered Seventh Rank blood made the attack heavier and more violent. The five claws trembled under the pressure, and Lucard had to use both hands to maintain the shape.

He could not keep it stable for long.

He did not need to.

The Nightfall Behemoth sensed the blood power gathering nearby.

Its surviving eyes turned toward Lucard.

A deep growl escaped its damaged throat.

The monster tried to lift its head.

Lucard immediately moved.

He stepped onto a broken stone and jumped toward the enormous creature.

The Behemoth opened its mouth and attempted to release another wave of black mist.

Only a weak cloud escaped.

Lucard moved around it and approached the burned side of the monster’s head.

The Crimson Sunwing’s final attack had destroyed much of the armor protecting that area. The flesh beneath was exposed, and several deep cracks ran along the remaining bone.

Lucard saw his target.

There.

He raised both hands.

The enormous Blood Claw followed.

"Blood Claw!"

He swung downward with all the strength he could gather.

The five red claws struck the damaged side of the Behemoth’s head.

The first claw tore through the burned flesh.

The second broke the weakened bone.

The remaining claws entered deeper, cutting through the exposed tissue beneath.

Lucard poured the remaining blood into the attack.

The claw expanded again while inside the wound.

Crack!

The sound came from deep within the Behemoth’s head.

The monster’s body jerked violently.

Lucard pulled the claw sideways, tearing through the damaged skull and destroying the remaining vital tissue inside.

The Behemoth released one final roar.

Then its head fell against the ground.

Its enormous body trembled several times before becoming completely still.

The heavy blood pulse Lucard had been sensing finally stopped.

The Nightfall Behemoth was dead.

Lucard landed on a nearby rock and released a slow breath.

The Blood Claw broke apart, and the blood used to form it scattered into the air. Most of the remaining power returned to his control, but some of the Seventh Rank blood fell onto the rocks.

Lucard looked at the enormous corpse.

A satisfied expression briefly appeared on his face.

Finally.

He had killed a Seventh Rank beast.

It had already been brought to the edge of death by another Seventh Rank monster, but the final attack had been his.

And the blood was now available for him to absorb.

Lucard could feel the enormous amount of power inside the corpse. Even a small portion would be valuable to his growth.

He raised his hand toward the blood gathering beneath the monster.

Then he heard a terrible cry from above.

"Kreeeee..."

Lucard looked up.

The Crimson Sunwing was falling.

Its wings were no longer burning brightly. The remaining flames flickered around its body, and its movements had become weak.

The bird tried to spread its left wing.

It failed.

Then it attempted to support itself with the right wing, but that wing had been badly damaged by the Behemoth’s bite.

The Crimson Sunwing lost the last of its height.

Its enormous body fell toward the forest.

Boom!

The bird struck the ground several hundred meters from the dead Behemoth.

The impact broke several trees and threw dirt into the air.

For a moment, everything became quiet.

Lucard watched the place where the bird had fallen.

Then he turned toward Cedric and Elowen.

Both were already running toward him.

Cedric reached him first.

"You killed it!"

Lucard looked at him. "Yes."

"A Seventh Rank beast!"

"It was already dying."

Cedric shook his head. "That does not change the fact that you delivered the final attack."

Elowen arrived a moment later, but she was not looking at the dead Behemoth. Her eyes were fixed on the fallen Crimson Sunwing.

"Lucard, the bird!"