Chapter 370: Ashen Magmahide Part 1

With Partial Assimilation active, Ethan quickly discovered just how absurdly powerful his Ember Wraith had become.

He went on another rampage.

The Ashen Wasteland became his testing ground as he tore through every beast unfortunate enough to cross his path. Flames erupted from his body with every movement, scorching the blackened ground and reducing lesser beasts to ash before they could even react.

His newly acquired skills made the slaughter even more effortless.

Blazing Arc allowed him to carve through groups of beasts with sweeping waves of fire, while Inferno Core turned the flames surrounding his body into something far more destructive. Combined with his vastly increased mana reserves, Ethan could unleash attack after attack without having to worry about running dry.

It was unbelievable.

Ethan had never imagined that an evolution could change Spark so drastically.

’Couldn’t have asked for better.’

He couldn’t help but grin.

And if Spark had become this powerful at its current stage, he couldn’t wait to see what it would eventually evolve into next.

For now, though, there were still plenty of things to test.

Using Flame Flight, Ethan burst into the sky.

It was even easier to control now.

The moment he thought about moving, flames erupted beneath and behind him, propelling his body through the air. He shot upward before banking sharply and accelerating across the Ashen Wasteland.

In this form, flying felt almost more natural than walking.

Ethan’s mana senses had also become dramatically more sensitive.

The world around him appeared almost entirely orange through his enhanced perception. Heat radiated from every living creature, while concentrations of mana burned brightly within his vision. Some beasts appeared as little flickering ashes, while stronger creatures radiated enough energy to stand out like bonfires against the dark landscape.

It was incredible.

More importantly, it made finding beasts ridiculously easy.

From above, Ethan could see hundreds of Common Beasts scattered across the wasteland, along with dozens of Elite Beasts roaming between the jagged formations.

The environment itself was just as hostile.

The ground stretched endlessly beneath him, covered in layers of grey ash that were occasionally disturbed by the movement of something beneath the surface. Blackened rock and jagged obsidian formations rose from the landscape like enormous teeth, while glowing cracks split the ground and revealed the molten orange light beneath.

Yet, as Ethan continued flying in one particular direction, something changed.

The obsidian formations became more frequent, larger, and sharper.

They rose from the ground in enormous clusters, creating a natural maze of black stone. Even from the sky, Ethan could sense something different coming from deeper within them.

A much stronger presence.

Ethan accelerated.

He burst through the air, flames trailing behind him as he flew between the towering obsidian formations.

After a while, he finally saw it.

The Boss Beast.

It stood in the middle of a massive basin surrounded by obsidian pillars.

The creature resembled a gigantic, four-legged beast covered almost entirely in thick layers of black volcanic hide. Its body was bulky and heavily built, with enormous limbs ending in claws that dug into the scorched earth. Cracks ran across its body, glowing with a deep orange light as though its flesh contained molten rock beneath it.

Its head was shaped almost like that of a horned crocodile, with a wide jaw filled with uneven black teeth.

But the most frightening part was the ash.

A constant cloud of it poured from vents along its back and shoulders, surrounding the creature in a swirling black haze. Every breath it released sent waves of super-heated air across the ground.

"Fuck me, you’re ugly."

Ethan then narrowed his eyes as he studied its stats.

{Boss Beast Status}

{Race: Ashen Magmahide

Growth Stage: Mature

Beast Rank: B+

Strength: 60

Speed: 31

Stamina: 45

MP: 65/65}

The Boss Beast immediately attacked.

Its enormous jaws opened, releasing a torrent of burning ash and scorching air.

Ethan didn’t even move.

The flames surrounding his body swallowed the attack, and the heat didn’t bother him.

If anything, it felt almost refreshing.

Ethan’s eyes widened slightly.

’This form is awesome!’

The Boss Beast’s attacks were almost entirely based around heat and burning ash. Against a normal B Rank Titled, they would have been terrifying. But against someone currently wrapped in the flames of an Ember Wraith?

They were practically useless.

That meant Ethan could finally experiment, and he decided to start with his newest skill, which he had used once before.

’Inferno Core.’

A massive surge of mana rushed through his body, and the flames surrounding Ethan immediately intensified.

They grew brighter, hotter, and more violent.

Instead of merely covering his body, the fire began swirling around him like a miniature inferno, bending the air and causing the space around him to shimmer from the heat.

It reminded Ethan of Predator’s Frenzy, except instead of strengthening his physical body, Inferno Core seemed to push every part of his fire-based power beyond its normal limits.

His flames roared.

’Sorry, Wolfy, but this is so much better.’

Unlike Predator’s Frenzy, Ethan wasn’t strengthening his body but turning himself into a furnace.

The Boss Beast charged.

Ethan smiled.

"Let’s see what this can really do."

He raised both hands.

’Blazing Arc.’

A massive crescent of condensed fire exploded outward.

The attack was in principle similar to Ember Pulse, but there was a crucial difference. Ember Pulse was a controlled release, while Blazing Arc was concentrated destruction.

Both had their respective places and uses.

The crescent of fire tore through the air like an enormous flaming blade, its power amplified further by Inferno Core.

The Boss Beast attempted to brace itself, but it didn’t matter.

The flaming arc slammed into its body and completely overwhelmed its ash-covered defences. It sent the massive creature skidding backwards as flames engulfed its body.

Its hide cracked, and chunks of blackened armour broke away.

The Ashen Magmahide roared in pain as its body was scorched beneath the overwhelming heat.

Ethan’s grin widened.

’I’m a fucking flaming machine!’’

And he wasn’t finished with the beast just yet...