Chapter 182: Azure Fire Burning the Moon, bl**d Stained Royal City (16)
The night sky erupted with an angry roar.
Burning houses collapsed as filthy crowds ran frantically beneath the flickering interplay of scarlet and bright white light, creating a strobe effect that made my gradually clearing vision flicker in and out.
I dashed across an ice platform, soaring above the collapsing houses, charging toward the towering city walls in the distance.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ice platform formed continuously beneath my feet before shattering, and in mere moments, I covered the few hundred meters along the city wall’s edge. As I leaped atop the wall, my legs suddenly went soft, and I nearly sank to my knees.
I quickly steadied myself, clutching a nearby blue brick.
“Whoo—whoo—”
So tired.
Why do I put myself through all this hassle?
Struggling to lift my head, I gazed into the distance.
Beyond the city lay an endless plain, with woods further on. Over there, everything was calm and tranquil, a stark contrast to the fiery chaos and black smoke that filled Qing City behind me.
Without the shell, I just needed one more leap to escape the city—simple as pie.
Boom! Boom! Boom…
A thunderous noise rolled in from the distant horizon. I turned my head and saw, a hundred meters away, a tornado swirling with black smoke had appeared out of nowhere. It spewed fire and bolts of lightning, casting gigantic shadows in the night sky as it slowly ascended away from the city below…
Higher and higher!
Up into the sky so high it could block out the moon.
Grandma Bersa’s anxious voice called from the golden light on the other side of the luminous cloud, “Viki! What are you doing! Stop it, cough cough! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”
And from the center of that storm, eerie howling echoed, the massive body of the monster flickering in and out of the black smoke.
I knew Victoria was in there too.
That woman… really doesn’t care about her life.
She could’ve easily followed me out of the city but insisted on risking it to stop that monster from landing, as if letting it snack on a few more people was a big deal. She unintentionally opted for the worst plan… Hmph, smart but stupid woman.
In my line of sight, the storm changed direction after rising high enough, rumbling towards the city wall. Infernal fire leaped from the storm, howling as it rushed right over my head and out towards the distant city—
Boom!
The storm exploded.
Flames ripped through the sky, the monster’s battered body shot out from the chaos, trailing thick black smoke as it fell towards the lush woods in the distance.
…That’s food.
Annoying, but plentiful food.
The moment that thought popped into my head, black mist surged out from within me, spreading through my vision and merging into the night.
Drip, drip.
My drool cascaded down like a waterfall from my lower lip, splattering against the cold blue brick wall.
Boom!
Black flames surged from my feet, climbing up my legs, waist, chest, and arms… illuminating the night sky with a pale glow, wrapping my entire body like a fiery ball as I suddenly leaped into the air, trailing white light through the night like a shooting star, crashing back down, then bending my knees and jumping again.
So hungry, so hungry, so hungry, so hungry…
The tornado above vanished with the explosion, and Victoria’s figure burst out from the haze, chasing after the falling monster.
She looked pretty rough.
Her slender frame swayed under the moonlight, like a withered leaf in an autumn breeze, ready to fall at any moment.
She could barely stay aloft.
…Not a chance! That monster is mine!
And then, I’ll eat you.
Boom!
My body was once again propelled into the air by black smoke, soaring ten meters high.
The temptation of food felt like a stimulant unlocking some energy within me, instantly revitalizing my tired body. I charged ahead with incredible speed, the green grass and rocks below becoming a blur as I rose, plummeted, slammed down, and jumped higher—this time, I didn’t come crashing down.
Black smoke guided my body as I wobbled into the night sky.
This feeling… it was as if an invisible force was holding me up, completely different from Victoria’s floating experience. The wind didn’t slice at my face, my hair wasn’t whipping wildly, and the black flames wrapped around me, creating a cozy and warm bubble of air.
“..Hehe!”
I couldn’t help but burst out laughing, sparkling drool spilling from the corners of my mouth, landing on my cheek. I quickly clamped my hands over my mouth.
“Whoo whoo whoo…”
My uncontrollable giggles slipped through my fingers.
This is… what it feels like to be unbound.
It’s amazing… why did I choose to hide before? It’s utterly ridiculous…
Food is right here, and I’m not eating it! What was I thinking… Ah, we’re almost at the woods—so fast.
The lush woods were just below me.
I glanced down, and there was the monster’s flaming body, suspended in mid-air at the edge of the woods. It dodged Victoria’s wind blades and raised its grotesque claw, swatting her down into the forest.
At the same time, its hideous face turned toward me, letting out a long howl in a show of intimidation.
“Roar—”
But to me, that was the sound of deliciousness calling.
I was so excited I could barely contain myself, my heart racing, goosebumps rising all over my body. With my still-unfamiliar control over the black flames, I spiraled in the air, diving toward the monster.
Boom!
The burning black fireball sliced through the air like a raging meteor, smashing directly into the monster’s body, sending it crashing down.
Crack, crack, crack…
The monster was pinned beneath me, crashing through countless branches and trunks before slamming to the ground, dragging itself several meters into the dirt. Its huge body struggled against the inferno, but the black flames held firm, and I felt no heat. This only fueled my excitement further.
Eat it… eat it… eat it…
Boom!
In a surge, the black flames expanded, filling the air with smoke that consumed everything—the soil, flowers, trees around me, even startled birds taking flight… everything turned to ashes in the dead smoke.
“Roar—”
The monster’s struggles intensified.
It wrapped itself in Sin Fire… this scarlet flame seemed to have some serious resistance to the abyss, as neither dead smoke nor black fire could take it down in the short term.
“What a tough cookie…”
The cake that was right at my mouth still wouldn’t go down, and I began to feel anxious. The swirling dead smoke around me thickened into a ferocious cyclone.
Suddenly, the monster caught me.
Its terrifying giant claw, ablaze, engaged in a fierce clash with the black flames, sharp claws stabbing into my abdomen and piercing my chest… bl**d gushed out.
“Cough—”
That hurt a bit.
In the next moment, a huge green hand emerged from the dense dead smoke, crashing down on the monster’s head like a hammer.
Boom!
The impact shattered the ground beneath us.
Dirt and debris scattered, falling apart in the dead smoke. The monster’s body froze for a moment, loosening its grip on me slightly.
“Just food…”
The arm lifted high, preparing to strike again.
Boom!
“And you dare…”
Boom!!
“To resist…”
Boom——!!!
“Really pissing me off.”
Crack.
The monster’s face shattered.
