Chapter 46: Domain Collision, Acid Meets Magma

The Tracker fighter tried to scan the field. His Talent sent scanning energy into the Domain to see what it was. But as soon as the energy entered the five-meter range, it dissolved. He got nothing back.

"I can’t lock on!" the Tracker shouted. "The field is eating my power! I can’t tell what it is or how it works!"

The Lance fighter made his move. He thrust his six-meter energy spear through the weak edge of the Barrier, aiming straight for Alvian’s chest. The spear was pure energy force with no physical weight.

The Domain took time to break it down. The tip of the spear melted as it entered the field, losing its sharp shape. By the time it reached Alvian’s body, sixty percent of its power was already dissolved. What was left hit his Clearwater Coating and broke into harmless bits of light.

[Energy lance hit: Tiny damage. 60% strength lost while passing through Domain.]

[HP unchanged: 128/136.]

Alvian fought back.

He did not use the Domain. He used Severing Sword Aura. A silver air wave shot from his blade, boosted by the acid of his Clearwater Coating. The air blade moved across the five-meter space in a split second.

The Lance fighter tried to dodge. His A-Rank reflexes were fast, but the air blade was faster. It hit his weapon arm. The acid synergy ate through his armored glove, through the armor underneath, and right through flesh and bone.

The hand was cut clean off.

The fighter screamed. Blood sprayed out from the stump. He fell backward, holding his arm, while his energy spear vanished as he lost focus.

[Lance specialist: Knocked out. Not killed. No EXP gained.]

[Pool remains: 380 base EXP.]

The Duke healed his dissolved fist. Lava poured from the wound, rebuilding the rock shell. But the healing was slower now. The new fist was smaller and lighter. He was losing rock and lava faster than he could rebuild it.

"Surround him!" the Duke roared. "Attack him from outside the field! Stay out of his range!"

The three bodyguards—one now missing a hand—circled around Alvian. The Barrier fighter threw shield walls around the edges of the Domain, trying to trap him inside. The energy walls melted slowly, but they slowed Alvian down. The Tracker gave position information to the Duke.

The Duke attacked from far away. He threw lava balls over the Domain. The flying balls of melted rock flew high in the air, missing the five-meter Domain completely.

One lava ball hit Alvian’s shoulder.

The heat was brutal. Even through his Clearwater Coating, the heat burned through. His jacket caught fire. The skin underneath turned red and blistered.

[HP -8! Lava attack hit!]

[HP: 128 → 120.]

[The System suggests not standing still while a volcano throws rocks at you.]

Alvian ripped the burning jacket off and threw it away. The shirt underneath was already burned. His shoulder burned with terrible pain, but his high Vitality kept the injury from getting worse.

The fight reached a standstill.

The Domain dissolved anything that stepped into its range. The Duke and his guards had learned to fight from far away. The Duke threw lava from a distance. The Barrier fighter tried to box in the field. The Tracker helped them attack together.

Alvian could not make the field bigger without hurting the mansion. He could not get close to them because the bodyguards blocked his path. His Essence cost was adding up fast.

[Essence: 12 → 9 → 6 → 3.]

[Domain upkeep: 3/second.]

[Domain ending in: 1 second.]

[The System notes that this is not going well.]

One second. He had only one second of Domain left. Then he would run completely out of magic energy.

He made a choice.

He turned off the Domain.

[Domain turned off. Essence: 3 → 0.]

[All S-Rank and A-Rank Skills needing Essence: UNABLE TO USE.]

[Available Skills: Clearwater Palm (D-Rank, Talent resonance), Clearwater Coating (E-Rank, passive).]

[Good luck, Host. You will need it.]

The five-meter field disappeared. Air rushed back into the empty space. The courtyard returned to normal temperature. The melting stopped.

The Duke saw his chance.

"NOW!" he roared.

He charged again with full power and maximum weight. A living volcano in human form—nine feet tall, three hundred pounds, fists as big as giant rocks. He swung both hands down in a smash that could break a building. The air squeezed under the blow. The pressure wave alone would kill a normal Awakened.

Alvian did not dodge.

He met the huge attack with his acid-coated palm.

Just Clearwater Palm—the upgraded D-Rank Skill, powered by his Talent energy, trained over weeks of real fighting. Acid met lava.

The hard lava shell dissolved instantly on touch. Not slowly this time. The Clearwater Palm concentrated all its melting power into one small spot. The acid ate straight through the rock shell, through the liquid lava, through the extreme heat, and through the power of the A-Rank Talent.

And touched the Duke’s real flesh underneath.

The Duke screamed.

In total pain.

The acid from Clearwater Palm burned through human skin like paper. The Duke’s real body, hidden under his lava form, was soft and weak. The acid found it, and the acid ate right into it.

The Duke fell back, holding his fist. A hole in his lava shell exposed raw, bleeding flesh beneath. The acid was still working—melting skin, melting muscle, and dissolving the Duke from the inside out.

Alvian stood in the courtyard, his palm still raised, his Essence at zero, his HP at 120, his whole body shaking with tiredness.

The Duke looked at his injured fist. The lava tried to heal the spot, but the acid residue kept melting the new flesh away. The wound would not close.

"What are you?" the Duke whispered. The lava sound in his voice broke. Fear came through. Real fear—the first real fear he had felt in decades.

Alvian looked at him.

"Someone you should never have messed with."

The Duke’s bodyguards moved in tight around their boss. The Barrier fighter created a complete shield dome around them. The Lance fighter, missing one hand and bleeding, formed a shorter energy spear. The Tracker guided their positions.

Alvian stood alone. No Domain. No Severing Sword Aura. No Essence.

Just a boy with acid hands and a sword.

The Duke’s eyes burned with pure hatred above his lava mask. The fear was already going away, replaced by something colder and far more dangerous.

"You think one trick will save you, E-Rank?" The Duke’s voice turned cold and hard. "I am Level 45. You are nothing."

Alvian raised his sword.

The blue lines in the steel glowed once. Twice. Then went dark.

The Clearwater Coating on the blade was fading away. He had no Essence left to keep it up. All he had left was his Talent resonance—the faint buzz of acid power in his blood. It was the only power he had left.

It would have to be enough.

The Duke charged again.