Chapter 187: Relentless Slaughter

Due to the energy of the dragon corpse, the already abundant wildlife in the Duskmire Grove and Drakaroth Heights underwent a massive change.

The flora and fauna that made up the ecosystem mutated due to the overwhelming mana that bathed the region.

This caused beasts and monsters of varying qualities to be born.

The plethora of monster variations resulted in most going undocumented and lacking uniform names.

Aside from a select few, most types of beasts and monsters were not officially recorded.

This was largely because they rarely maintained a stable biological structure—frequent mutations and inconsistencies made it difficult to classify them as belonging to a single, consistent species.

Nevertheless, this did not stop Regis from slaughtering them like livestock.

No matter what variant of beast may come his way, they all had similar weaknesses— their eyes, necks, hearts, and such.

As for monsters with strange forms, such as treants, golems, and others like that one particular monster who seemed to be made of compressed corpses, Regis could make a new weak point with his gift.

GRRRR—-!!!! WRAHHHH—-!!!! KREEEE—-!!!!

Various sounds echoed around the battlefield as monsters and beasts fell one after the other.

Under the moon and the stars in the night sky, Regis’s figure danced as countless enemies pounced at him.

At this moment, Regis was fighting a beast that resembled a gorilla.

The only difference was its four massive arms and the silver fur, which stood on end like sharp needles.

This was in addition to it being three meters tall.

Of course, since the monsters and beasts did not have the concept of honor, they attacked Regis all at the same time.

AWOOO—

Two wolves with red flames as their fur pounced at him from the side, while the gorilla clasped both of its hands and smashed down.

Seeing this, Regis moved instantly.

He first dashed towards the wolves and leapt up, using them as footholds and quickly slitting their throats in one smooth motion.

After killing the wolves, he used the momentum and jumped towards the gorilla, barely missing its attack.

BOOM!!!!

As the gorilla’s clasped fists slammed into the ground, a thunderous boom echoed out, forming a crater beneath it.

In that instant, Regis was suspended upside down in mid-air.

A hexagonal mana shield then materialized beneath his feet as he bent his knees slightly before forcefully kicking off, propelling himself downward toward the gorilla’s head.

Seeing that there was no corpse of a human beneath its hand, the gorilla growled.

Whoosh—

It then heard something cutting through the air above it, prompting it to look upwards.

However, this only worsened its fate as Regis went through its body, vertically splitting it in half..

"Huuu... that was refreshing."

Regis muttered with a crazed smile, blood covered him from head to toe.

Unwilling to waste any time, he immediately sprang into action as he brandished both of his steel swords.

Through this battle, he was able to polish the aura arts and magic spells in his arsenal.

Of course, since he was only in the One Star Realm in both aura and mana when they left the Corelli Fortress, he did not have the time to learn suitable skills for his current realm.

Thus, despite being a Four Star in mana, he only knew some basic and low rank magic.

As for the path of aura, he had Feather Footwork and Clandestine, which, although both two-star aura arts, did not have much use in battle.

Although he still had some aura arts in his arsenal, such as Bull Charge, he opted not to use them.

’I need to save my aura since I need to use Lux Aeterna for the skeletal wyvern...’

Regis thought as he only used aura to minimally enhance his overall physical capabilities.

’Tsk, if only I can use mana to fuel my aura arts— wait, I think I’ll need to look into that.’

A surprised light passed by his blood-red eyes as a certain idea struck his mind in the middle of the battle.

Although Regis could use demonic energy to fuel his aura arts, he wasn’t out of options just yet. More than avoiding leaving traces, he also didn’t want to alert the figure to the west.

Fortunately, having to hold back could be considered a blessing in disguise.

Since then, he had no choice but to utilize his mana in the most efficient way possible.

At this moment, his magic field was fully extended in a thirty-five-meter radius with him as the center.

This not only reduced his mana consumption but also allowed him to cast spells freely within the area.

It was also what made it possible for Regis to fight without having to worry about his back.

Amid the chaos, he was battling a shadow-leaping black leopard while also fending off an onslaught of vines from the tree-like monsters.

However, a few rat-like beasts with drill-like noses burst from the ground behind him and lunged at him with their sharp claws.

In an instant, mana strings materialized from thin air, weaving themselves into a net.

The rat-like beasts could not react and were helplessly shredded into pieces, almost like minced meat.

Regis was still busy fending off the shadow-leaping leopards when a bull wreathed in raging flames charged at him from the right.

At the same time, a boar-like beast with porcupine-like spikes hurtled toward him from the left.

Without hesitation, he took off running, conjuring mana shields in a semi-circular pattern to serve as footholds in midair. Each step carried him upward until he was briefly upside down.

At the same time, he casted a certain magic spell.

[Slickstride]

The friction beneath the bull and boar-like beasts vanished, sending them charging uncontrollably forward, propelled solely by their momentum.

This sudden maneuver let him evade both charges, and in the same motion, he slashed at the backs of their necks.

Amidst the battle, he also employed Aeroflow to reduce the air resistance of his slashes, while simultaneously making it more difficult for his enemies to move within his magic field.

Of course, since it was only low-rank magic, its effects weren’t as powerful, even with his Four-Star mana.

However, his opponents showed no mercy. The shadow-leaping leopard descended upon him from above, its claws outstretched.

Simultaneously, vines from four tree-like monsters shot out, surrounding him in a 360-degree perimeter, leaving him no room to dodge.

Regis seemed to fall into a trance as his body moved instinctively.

He raised both swords above his head, blocking the shadow-leaping leopard’s descent.

Meanwhile, his mind carefully manipulated the surrounding mana, weaving it into strings once more.

As before, the strings coalesced into a net, but this time, the gaps were finer, forming a circular barrier around him.

The strings intertwined with each other, forming a thread far more robust than the individual strings.

However, Regis was far from finished.

Vivid memories of their travels flashed through his mind—memories of when he first learned to ignite a small fire with his mana.

It wasn’t even a low-rank spell like Fireball; it was the most basic form of magic— the mere ignition of mana to create a kindling.

At this moment, he was trying to apply the principle of that simple magic to his current predicament.

His focus reached its peak until, at last...

Flames erupted across the mana threads, transforming the net into a blazing inferno.

The flames cut through the tree-like monsters’ vines, burning them to cinders.

"Haha... HAHAHA!!"

Regis laughed, a wild glint in his blood-red eyes, intoxicated by the rush of epiphany.

The shadow-leaping leopard attempted to teleport, but the expanding net of blazing flames pushed back the surrounding shadows, momentarily illuminating the area.

That brief instant was all Regis needed.

With a swift motion, he cleaved the shadow-leaping leopard in half.

His gaze then landed on the remaining monsters and beasts that seemed to be frozen in fear.

"Who’s next...?"

Regos’s voice was tinged with so much bloodthirst that it made his enemies step back unconsciously.

ROARRRRR——!!!!

At that moment, the skeletal wyvern let out a deafening roar, as if it could no longer hold back.

It began to move, its feet and hands—part of its wings—slowly carrying it forward, while the other monsters and beasts parted to make way for it.

As Regis gazed up at the colossal skeletal wyvern, its towering frame standing over ten meters tall while it crawled on all fours, his eyes gleamed with even greater excitement.

"You’re finally joining in on the fun, huh?"

A chant that seemed to resound with the entire world echoed on the battlefield.

[Lux Aeterna]

***

Meanwhile, inside the Bakurad Fortress...

Larkson and the others were making their way toward the East Gate.

Their group numbered only a few hundred, as they had to leave behind the injured along with those assigned to care for them.

Only those capable of fighting without hindrance were brought along.

They also instructed those who stayed behind to remain on standby in case reinforcements were needed, and to stay vigilant for any remnants of the demonic worshippers.