Cain braced himself as he thought that Bastion might use his ultimate skill like Lucan had used in a desperate attempt against Dante. If Bastion's skill was indeed similar to Lucan's, then that ultimate move would be even deadlier in his hands, especially when he was still burning his blood essence while using it.
Subsequently, Bastion lifted his sword in both hands, the metal bending beneath the pressure of his surging aura. Veins pulsed an ominous crimson as he focused all of his strength and the last remnants of his blood essence power into a single, overwhelming attack.
Bastion unleashed a storm of superheated wind, and his flames darkened from burning orange to nearly black-red. The ground beneath him cracked further, forming a spiderweb pattern of molten rock.
Above, the swirling flames formed into an eastern draconic shape—large, hissing, and churning with terrifying strength. Its half-formed maw snapped at the air, roaring with an ethereal cry that sent tremors through the battlefield.
Cain felt the temperature spike dramatically. The swirling flames Bastion generated were so powerful that his own Infernal Ascendance aura faltered for a moment, battered by waves of astonishing heat.
'This is the same ultimate Lucan used, as expected.' Cain recalled the monstrous, fiery dragon Lucan had summoned against Dante.
'But Bastion's version… It's bigger, stronger, and more refined. He's poured everything into it.'
A massive Crimson Dragon began to form overhead. Its eyes burned with destructive intent. Then, with Bastion's shout, the dragon rose higher.
Still forced to maintain a defensive stance, Cain knitted his eyebrows against the scorching torrent. Even at a distance, the swirling flames burned his arms. His own foxfire, while powerful and strengthened by Infernal Ascendance, seemed overshadowed by the sheer mass of Bastion's ultimate attack.
"This is the pinnacle of our art, the skill Lucan never perfected," Bastion said. His voice seemed to reverberate with the dragon's own in a hollow echo. "It devours everything in flame."
Cain's blue eyes narrowed. He sensed that if he faced this draconic assault as he was, he would be overwhelmed. Even with Infernal Ascendance doubling his fire damage, Bastion was about to unleash something monstrous—powered not only by skill but also by the final power from his life force.
A heartbeat later, Cain felt his own body nearing its limit since sustaining Infernal Ascendance already strained his vast energy. Find more chapters on My Virtual Library Empire
'It seems that I still need to burn a bit of my blood essence too at the end of the day.' Cain thought to himself.
He then immediately acted. Amid the swirling chaos, a surge of pain rippled through him as he let the barest fraction of his own blood essence ignite—a forbidden technique he typically reserved for only the direst situations.
Cain's aura spiked as red-hot agony raced through his veins all at once. It was different from Bastion's unrestrained fury; Cain burned only a sliver of his essence, but the effect was massive, as his bloodline's rank was like a heaven compared to Bastion's.
All of his stats tripled. The foxfire around him roared to life in a blinding flame, turning from deep red to near-white with goldish at its core. Even his other clone, who was battered, instantly recovered itself as it absorbed some of the ascending strength.
"Do you think your dragon is that scary?" Cain's voice was distorted by the surge of energies swirling within him. "Then let me show you mine."
He spread his arms wide, channeling monstrous amounts of fire energy into the air. A vortex of foxfire spiraled upward, crackling with arcs of scorching lightning.
Within seconds, a massive dragon shape took form. Its scales were outlined by swirling flames. The dazzling eyes locked onto Bastion's draconic fire as if it were looking at its prey.
The temperature rose at an alarming speed. The collision of magical powers howled through the entire atmosphere. Cain's dragon blazed with red, orange, and gold colors, each layered with white-hot edges.
Sensing its master's lethal intent, the dragon let out a thunderous roar that shook and sent a shockwave across the battlefield. Fenix and Butler Zen reacted swiftly, creating a strong barrier around them since they needed to protect their companions.
Fortunately, Dante had retreated and sat on Nix's back since he was reminded by Fenix the moment the dragon took form. Otherwise, he might have been hurt from the shockwave.
Looking at Cain's dragon, which was even bigger and fiercer than his own, Bastion was taken aback as he couldn't believe that Cain still had that much strength without even appearing to be struggling to create that terrifying dragon.
'No, that must be an illusion. Yes, it should be an illusion.' Bastion thought to himself while he was denying himself at his end's rope.
He then directed his dragon forward. The dragon reared back, jaws gaping wide as it dove at Cain's foxfire monstrosity.
The two monstrous summons surged toward each other. Bastion's Crimson Dragon charged forward with jaws wide and flaming claws outstretched. For a brief moment, its roar thundered across the battlefield in a challenge meant to tear Cain's dragon apart.
But the Foxfire Dragon moved with astonishing speed. It opened its own blazing maw, and before the crimson beast could even react, Cain's dragon swallowed Bastion's in one massive gulp.
In a blaze of devouring flame, the crimson dragon vanished into the Foxfire Dragon's throat, as though it were no more than a tiny spark.
The Crimson Dragon barely had a moment to resist. One howl of outrage rang across the air before disappearing completely as it was consumed by the overwhelming Cain's dragon.
"Impossible!" Bastion's voice crackled. He poured every last remnant of his life force into this attack, yet it was obliterated in an instant as it was devoured wholly.
The resulting shockwave swept outward in a circle of scorching wind, crushing any remaining ice spikes and sending up plumes of dust. Cain's dragon soared triumphantly before dissolving into a hail of embers as its mission was complete.