Chapter 259: The Bigger They Are....

Chapter 259: Chapter 259: The Bigger They Are....

Bruno’s massive, twenty-four-foot fists descended like twin meteors, blotting out the sky. The sheer air pressure alone shattered the ice beneath them.

BOOOOOOM!

A crater fifty meters wide erupted where Lucian had been standing, sending a shockwave of snow, ice, and shattered rock flying in every direction. Lucian reappeared a hundred meters away, his boots skidding across the frozen plain.

"You’re not bad," Lucian admitted, a smirk playing on his lips.

Bruno didn’t give him time to breathe. He charged again, his colossal form moving with terrifying speed despite its size. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Each footstep cratered the ground, sending shockwaves rippling outward. He swung a massive fist at Lucian, who ducked under it, then followed with a knee strike that would have turned a normal Grand Core cultivator into mist.

Lucian dodged, weaving between Bruno’s attacks with the grace of a phantom. But he was being pushed back, forced to use Light Steps repeatedly just to keep his distance.

Time to change tactics, Lucian thought.

He waved his hands, his crimson eyes glowing. "Blood Chains."

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Massive, thick chains of crystallized blood erupted from the ground, wrapping around Bruno’s neck, wrists, and ankles. The chains pulled taut, the links groaning under the strain of restraining a twenty-four-foot titan.

Bruno roared, struggling against the chains. CRACK! The ground beneath him buckled as he strained, but the chains held firm.

Lucian closed his fist, his smirk widening. "You’re strong, Bruno. But blood chains scale with the user’s mana. The more you struggle, the tighter they get."

"You think these little threads can hold me?" Bruno roared, his voice vibrating through the mountains.

He immediately shrank his titan form, compressing his body to half his size. But Lucian simply closed his fist with an arrogant smile. Clink! The Blood Chains tightened in perfect sync, constricting even tighter around the shrinking giant.

"Size doesn’t matter if you can’t move, Bruno," Lucian mocked.

Bruno’s eyes blazed with molten fury. He stopped shrinking, planting his feet firmly on the ground.

"Martial King Fist Art, Fourth Form: Mountain King’s Wrath!"

ROOOOAAAR!

Bruno stomped the ground with all his might. A devastating shockwave erupted from his body, a visible ring of golden-orange energy that expanded outward in all directions. CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! The Blood Chains shattered like glass, the fragments dissolving into crimson mist.

The shockwave kept going, tearing across the plain toward Lucian. He quickly raised his hands, a golden barrier materializing in front of him. BZZZT! The shockwave slammed into the Light Shield, cracking it as Lucian slid back a few meters, his boots digging into the frozen earth.

"Impressive," Lucian admitted, his eyes gleaming.

The battle escalated into a chaotic storm of spells and fists. Bruno lunged, his massive fists swinging with enough force to level mountains. Lucian weaved through the attacks with Light Steps, countering with Blood Needle Rain and Light Bolts.

SWISH! ZAP! BAM!

Bruno tanked the needles, his Titan skin deflecting them like raindrops. He countered with Earthshaker’s Fist, a punch that sent a wave of jagged earth spikes rushing toward Lucian. Lucian leaped into the air, firing Flame Dragon’s Breath. The blue-white fire roared, melting the spikes into slag.

FWOOSH!

Bruno charged through the flames, his bronze skin glowing with heat resistance. He rushed forward again, his massive fist descending before Lucian could get a break. Lucian quickly brought out the Blood Reaver, the greatsword morphing into its massive form.

"Eclipse Sword Art, Second Form: Sky Breaker!"

SWISH!

A massive, reddish slash of Sword Intent tore upward, meeting Bruno’s descending fist. BOOOOOOM! The collision created a shockwave that flattened the surrounding terrain, sending snow and debris flying into the air. Bruno’s fist was thrown back, the force of the Sky Breaker pushing him off balance.

Bruno quickly stabilized himself, his feet skidding across the frozen ground. But as he regained his footing, a pool of absolute darkness spread beneath his feet, expanding rapidly.

Bruno’s expression changed instantly, feeling his mana draining rapidly into the void.

"What the—" Bruno started.

SWISH!

A massive spear of condensed blood formed above Lucian, forged from the very mana he had just absorbed. Bruno immediately jumped out of the dark pool, his legs pumping as he tried to escape. But Lucian smirked, waving his hand.

Claws of devouring darkness lashed out from the void, aiming to drag Bruno back in.

"Annoying spell!" Bruno snarled, activating his martial art. "Martial King Fist Art, Second Form: Tremor King’s Fist!"

CRACK!

Bruno’s fist slammed into the ground, a violent tremor shattering the dark pool into fragments. He glared at Lucian, annoyed. "Fight me like a man, you slippery bastard! Stop hiding behind these cheap tricks!"

Lucian just laughed, his crimson eyes glinting. He raised his hand, the massive blood spear hovering beside him.

"Cheap tricks?" Lucian repeated, amused. "In any true battle, there’s no such thing as cheap tricks. There’s only victory and defeat."

He hurled the spear. WHOOSH!

"And don’t you know the phrase, Bruno?" Lucian said, his voice dripping with mockery.

The massive blood spear tore through the air like a missile. Bruno immediately increased his size again to catch it, but the sheer kinetic force was too much. The spear pushed him backward, his feet carving trenches through the earth as he crashed through three consecutive mountains, each one shattering into rubble as his massive form crashed through them.

BOOM! CRASH! CRASH!

"The bigger they are..." Lucian finished, his voice echoing across the ruined landscape. "...the harder they fall."

A few moments later, Bruno flew into the air, hovering above the rubble of the mountains. A deep, jagged gash was visible on his side, but the Titan’s Regeneration was already knitting the flesh back together.

Lucian chuckled, observing him. I guess a King Grade bloodline is still very powerful. In my past life, my original bloodline wasn’t even up to King Grade. But now, with this evolving Origin Grade bloodline, I can even surpass my past self. My bloodline now should already be comparable to a Sovereign Grade bloodline, even with the multiple seals on it.

He thought about the broader implications. On Earth, there aren’t many King Grade bloodlines. Louisa only reached King Grade because she absorbed my unawakened bloodline. The three great vampire clans should also possess King Grade bloodlines. As for the Dark King... I can’t really tell.

Lucian turned his attention back to Bruno, who was screaming in mid-air. His massive, twenty-four-foot frame was glowing with intense energy, compressing inward.

Lucian watched with interest, activating Primordial Sight to observe the process. Bruno was attempting something new—compressing his Titan Form into a smaller, denser body for greater mobility and speed. The energy swirled around him, the golden-orange aura condensing into a tight, compact sphere. Forcing his body to shrink, condensing all the power and mass of his Colossal Form into a much smaller, denser frame. The air around him cracked and sizzled from the pressure.

CRACK! CRACK!

His form stabilized. He was now exactly nine feet tall. His body was leaner, denser, his muscles packed with explosive power. He looked like a perfect, compact killing machine.

Lucian smirked, observing him with Primordial Sight. "Now that’s a much better use of the Titan Bloodline. You’re finally using your head, Bruno."

Finally, Bruno landed on the ground with a heavy THUD! The snow around him melted instantly, turning to steam.

He looked at his hands, then at Lucian, a wide, excited grin spreading across his face.

"Now," Bruno said, his voice deep and rumbling, "let’s try this again."

Lucian smiled, the Blood Reaver humming in his grip.

"Now that’s more like it."