"Storm Blade Continuous Slash."
Loren swung his long blade, striking Eldrin's staff blow after blow, each strike heavier than the last, overwhelming him with sheer force.
This wasn't any martial skill, just a series of brute-force, stat-driven hacks. Even if he yelled "Mountain-Splitting Force," it would be the same.
Eldrin was forced to retreat step by step under Loren's onslaught. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. If this continued, he would undoubtedly die.
Loren loved kiting melee fighters and rushing down ranged ones.
Humiliation and fury surged from within Eldrin's heart. He had imagined his own death before—perhaps dying under the siege of a group of mages, or perishing at the hands of an Angel. But he never expected his end to come so suddenly.
Loren kept his eyes fixed on the red crystal at the tip of Eldrin's staff. As Eldrin cast his spells, the color of the crystal grew increasingly dim.
From the start of the battle until now, Eldrin had already cast quite a few high-tier spells. He wasn't like Loren, with a mana bar longer than his life. In theory, his Mana should have been depleted long ago. But this was also the formidable aspect of Crimson Magic.
Killing people through cruel methods could accumulate energy for the Crimson Core—that red crystal atop Eldrin's staff. When casting Crimson Magic, he could use the energy within the Crimson Core to substitute for Mana.
It was just Eldrin's misfortune to encounter Loren. Any other mage would likely have been worn down to death by Eldrin.
"Throat-Severing Slash! Throat-Severing Slash! Throat-Severing Slash..."
Cracks had already appeared on Eldrin's staff. Loren immediately launched an even more ferocious offensive, starting to spam the same martial skill repeatedly, striking the exact same spot on the staff.
Throat-Severing Slash was one of Loren's favorite martial skills. It had minimal wind-up, was fast, and dealt decent damage. It was useful whether for ambushes or head-on clashes.
Eldrin gritted his teeth. He had already noticed the Crimson Core's color gradually fading. He was nearly out of resources, yet Loren's offensive showed no sign of weakening. Could his Mana be infinite?
"Crimson Grasp!"
A large, skinless hand suddenly reached out from the void, seizing Loren and successfully interrupting his attack.
Seizing this opportunity, Eldrin swiftly retreated and cast Crimson Magic again:
"Blood Concealment!"
Thick blood mist began to spread from Eldrin as the center, and his figure vanished within the mist. Before he disappeared, Loren saw the Crimson Core on the staff had turned a pale white.
It seemed Loren's earlier act of naming the magic he used had angered him, so this time Eldrin proactively shouted the spell's name, perhaps thinking it would boost his imposing aura.
Seeing Loren still wearing that same composed, effortless expression, Eldrin tightened his grip on his staff, feeling unprecedented pressure.
Loren's body once again became intangible through Void-walking, successfully escaping the giant hand's grasp. The moment he broke free, Loren also threw out a scroll:
"Crippling Tempest."
The scroll transformed into a violent gale. Debris from the houses on the ground was instantly blown away by the storm. This was a Fifth-tier spell, the highest-grade scroll Loren had purchased, specifically to counter Eldrin's move.
The blood mist Eldrin had just conjured was instantly dispersed, revealing Eldrin in the midst of chanting. Thick, sturdy roots sprouted from beneath his feet.
Second-tier magic: Rooting. Valentina had used this move before. To think of using this to resist the Crippling Tempest, Eldrin's reaction was indeed quick.
However, the effects of Crippling Tempest, a Fifth-tier spell, weren't that simple. Eldrin indeed wasn't blown away, but his skin and flesh began to be torn by the storm, and the blood that flowed out was instantly scattered.
Loren had been guarding against Blood Concealment from the very start. Blood Concealment could not only hide one's form but also had an evasion effect. Even if Loren knew his location, he couldn't hit him. He could only disperse the blood mist first.
"Blood Siphon!"
"Lightning Flash, Dark Ocean Wave, Mountain Rolling Boulder, Sword of Light..."
The moment Eldrin cast a spell, Loren threw out another handful of scrolls.
A crimson beam of light suddenly connected Loren and Eldrin's staff, but before Eldrin could take any further action, all of Loren's spells blasted into Eldrin's body. This time, he didn't have time to cast any defensive magic.
The spells Loren had enhanced with Spirit-Wisdom Enlightenment were not to be underestimated;
even scrolls received the same boost.
The roots on Eldrin's feet were blasted apart by the magic. He was sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut. His body was now a mangled mess of flesh and blood, his internal organs nearly spilling out. His legs, due to the effects of Rooting, were broken in the opposite direction.
"Why... I've worked hard my entire life. For nearly a hundred years, I studied magic day after day, practiced techniques, tempered my body... only to ultimately lose to you."
Eldrin's lungs had been shattered. His words were weak and breathless, yet they were still filled with intense hatred.
"Because I'm using cheats."
Loren told the truth. The attributes Eldrin gained through hard work were unstable and hollow, while the attributes Loren obtained through stat allocation were extremely solid.
The difference was clear!
Although Loren was still conversing with Eldrin, he wouldn't give him any chance to catch his breath. In a flash, he appeared beside Eldrin:
"Throat-Severing Slash."
In the final second before death, Eldrin felt time slow down infinitely. Using his one remaining eyeball, he looked at his own body. The Ember Radiance had already shattered. Not only had he lost his hope for longevity, but he would also die here and now.
To be killed by Loren just like this, toyed with and killed like a cat playing with a mouse.
This kind of ending... he, Eldrin, would not accept it!
"God of Hatred Ligoss, I beseech you, grant me power! As long as I can kill Loren, I am willing to pay any price!"
The long blade was only a few fingers' width away from Eldrin's neck. Yet, at that moment, intense black energy erupted from Eldrin's body, forcefully blocking Loren's long blade, preventing it from advancing even a fraction further.
"Oh? A second phase for the BOSS."
Loren promptly retreated, putting distance between himself and Eldrin.
Eldrin had fought to the very last moment, suddenly powering up right before death, while Loren only had a slightly dirty corner of his clothes. This suddenly gave Loren the illusion that he was the villain here.
Facing Eldrin, who was undergoing a bizarre transformation, Loren sheathed his blade, showing not a trace of panic.
Since those ordinary people could borrow the power of the God of Hatred, there was no reason Eldrin couldn't. This situation was within Loren's plans.
As the kingdom's strongest mage, after becoming one of the Blackened, his power would be incomparable to that of ordinary Blackened.
Hatred condensed to form his internal organs. His broken legs were enveloped by the black energy, until finally his legs disappeared entirely. Eldrin floated within the swirling black mist.
His staff fused with his mangled hand. The Crimson Core was also dyed a blackish-red by the black energy. Eldrin's aura soared.
Looking at Loren, who was still smiling, Eldrin let out a furious roar. His voice now bore no resemblance to a human's;
it sounded more like some kind of frenzied beast.