Northern didn't hesitate.
He extended both hands, summoning the full force of the frozen sun. It pulsed ominously, the cracks along its surface glowing with a pale, icy light.
The frozen sun imploded in an instant, collapsing inward before exploding outward in a colossal blast of frost and void essence. The force of the detonation shook the entire cavern, a blinding wave of freezing light engulfing everything in its path.
When the light faded, silence reigned.
Northern hovered in mid-air, his breath visible in the cold air as he surveyed the aftermath.
The cavern was now encased in frost, jagged icicles hanging from the ceiling, and the ground below was coated in a thick layer of shimmering ice.
At the center of the destruction lay the creature, its once-terrifying form now frozen solid, trapped in an eternal scream.
The crimson glow of its eyes had dimmed, leaving behind only lifeless orbs encased in frost. The frozen sun had dissipated, leaving only faint trails of frost lingering in the air.
Northern landed softly on the icy ground, his Void wings folding behind him and vanishing as he approached the frozen corpse.
Yet, as he drew closer, a faint pulse of dark energy emanated from within the frozen form.
Northern paused, his splintered eyes narrowing as he detected something-something still alive, buried deep within the creature's core.
Before he could react, the ice began to crack.
A low, guttural growl echoed through the cavern once more, and Northern's expression hardened.
'Oh fucking hell... don't tell me.'
The frozen corpse shattered, sending shards of ice flying in all directions.
From within the broken remains, a new form emerged-a smaller, more concentrated version
of the creature, its body now sleek and compact, with veins of crimson energy pulsing violently beneath its skin.
This time, there were no signs of hesitation. The creature lunged forward with terrifying speed, faster than before, its claws glowing with an ominous red hue.
Northern, of course, was unfazed, confident in the defense that the void force gave him. They clashed, the force of the impact sending him skidding backward across the icy ground. The
invisible shield held; however, Northern's eyes slowly widened.
...cracks spidered across its surface.
Besides the fact that the creature had somehow evolved, its strike had a terrifying effect on the Limitless Void's shield—an impeccable form of defense Northern had thought to be impenetrable.
His mind raced as he steadied himself.
'This cannot be an ordinary monster.'
It had suddenly become faster, stronger, and the void ice seemed to have no effect on it anymore, just like the flames from before did not.
Perhaps it was the kind of monster that adapted to every attack, growing stronger with every encounter.
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips despite the situation.
"Alright," he muttered, his voice low but resolute. "Let's see how far you can stand against me."
He would take this as a serious preliminary lesson to prepare him for the Festival. Northern anticipated he would be fighting all kinds of talents and drifters, some cunning, some brutally strong.
He didn't expect it to be easy, most especially since he was more used to fighting monsters than fighting Drifters.
Northern summoned the Illusion Sword, the Molten veins weaving its dark and elegant self around his body.
The Spirit Linen glowed and formed a white cloak with high collar around the armor, fluttering like the cape of a hero in the soft wind.
A white essence flowed into the sword as Northern's splintered gaze narrowed and he blasted forward. The creature matched his speed, vanishing in the same moment.
A lusterless black steel had elongated from its hand. Both of them met with a terrifying clash, the walls around them shattering with cracks, echoes resounding deeper into the expanse.
Northern's eyes widened.
'It even matched my strength?'
He pulled his sword back immediately and swung again, carving a delicate arc through the air. The monster parried with both hands-although the shock reverberated through its body. Immediately it grew another blade on the other hand and lunged towards Northern.
Very much aware of his surroundings without needing to look, Northern kicked the sword away and immediately thrust his knee into the creature's chest. Air exploded out of its back. But it did not give in, did not move an inch; instead, it brought the second sword again, locking in on the Illusion blade and forcing Northern back.
Northern resisted and pushed forward instead but was met with an even more ferocious resistance. The creature gnashed its maw stubbornly and refused to move.
Both of them for a moment were locked in a tugging of some sort without a yielding side.
Northern suddenly grinned.
'You'd be foolish to think all I can do is with one hand.'
Northern extended his hand, creating a ball of chaos essence that stretched to form an arrow.
The creature glanced at his other hand; however, Northern grinned in that moment. The glance was all that Northern needed.
If it was an adaptive creature as it seemed, he did not want it adapting to Chaos, so of course, he was not going to be stupid enough to use his chaos essence like that, more so, on such a
He shoved the monster's sword to the side, sliding it downwards and with a jerk to the front, he dove on and smashed the enigma with his forehead, throwing its dark and grotesque head
The creature faltered for a moment, its balance broken. Northern wasted no time, taking advantage of the chaotic moment. He dove in further with an unnatural bend, twisting his sword low and severing both the creature's legs with a clean cut.
Crimson gore sprayed across, his white cloak flying in front of him to stop the blood from smearing his face.
The Linen flared dramatically as Northern swung it back. He shot towards the fallen creature, all four eyes glowing with a cold light as he raised the Illusion Sword above the chest of the creature, the chaos essence swirling its blade glowing even brighter.
Northern brought the sword down with cold indifference, driving it deep into the chest of the monster with a satisfying crunch soothing his healing ears.
He made sure his sword struck the core he had seen before stepping back from the monster.
[You have slain Catastrophic Maelstrom Dark Enigma]
[You have gained +10 talent fragments]
Letting out a huge sigh, Northern reflected. The fight was short but tough; the bastard would
have continued evolving if he hadn't employed his senses.
"I can't imagine facing another of those... It should be the floor boss," he muttered.
He suddenly froze, a foreboding feeling seeping underneath his skin.
'Why do I feel like I just said something very wrong?'
Before Northern could journey any further in his thoughts, several glowing red eyes came
alive in the depth of the darkness.
They began to move closer, coming out of the depth. More of them, in their initial form,
And Northern's mouth fell.
'Crap, I jinxed it...'