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Chapter 13 – Blood and Fire
The battlefield was engulfed in flames. Crackling sounds echoed as the trees burned.
The flames surged with the force of tidal waves, consuming the forest and casting the night sky in shades of orange and crimson.
The intense heat scorched the air itself, distorting it into shimmering waves. Amidst this fiery spectacle stood Edem, his crimson aura flickering fiercely against the overwhelming blaze.
Before him, the Flame Tiger prowled. Its mane burned like a living crown, embers drifting from its body with every step. Its molten eyes locked onto Edem with sovereign disdain, as though declaring the human an intruder in its dominion.
As the embers fell, they crackled softly.
Edem's smile widened. His body trembled—not from fear, but from exhilaration.
"He he he... Indeed, this creature possesses the ability to control flames, which explains its arrogant demeanor," Edem remarked mockingly toward the Flame Tiger.
ROOOAAAR!!!
The Flame Tiger's roar almost shattered the sound barrier, a thunderous bellow that rattled Edem's bones and sent shockwaves tearing through the ground.
"It appears you lack patience," he said with a hint of disapproval, observing the increasingly tense situation. Then, almost without warning, they clashed with an intense burst of dust and flame, burning the air around them as if the very atmosphere was set ablaze.
The fiery confrontation filled the forest with heat and smoke, their conflicting wills creating a scene of chaos and turmoil that echoed throughout the night.
WHOOMPH —
CRASH —
SIZZLE —
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Edem initiated the engagement by discharging his dual firearms.
BANG—
BANG—
BANG—
The Crimson Howlers sang, releasing a formidable array of crimson projectiles that echoed throughout the battlefield. Upon impact, each round detonated, penetrating the Tiger's hide and producing powerful shockwaves.
BOOM —
However, the Flame Tiger was far from ordinary. With a mere swipe of its claw, it conjured an arc of living flame that engulfed the barrage, causing the explosions to dissipate harmlessly into the air.
ZAP —
Edem dashed through the chaos, his vest humming as it absorbed heat, his gauntlet crackling with blood energy. He closed the distance and struck.
CRACKLE —
The Wolf Fang Gauntlet connected, claws raking across the Tiger's flank. Sparks ignited, but only superficial scratches marred the blazing fur.
A paw the size of a boulder slammed into Edem's chest. His nano vest flared crimson, absorbing part of the blow, but the force still launched him backward like a rag doll.
THUD — CRASH —
SPLINTER —
He crashed through burning trees, splintering wood, before skidding across molten soil.
[HP 430/450]
His ribs screamed. He coughed blood, crimson droplets hissing as they struck the scorched earth.
HSSSSST —
Edem was breathless. "Ha… ha… ha…"
"So strong… magnificent!"
---
The Flame Tiger gave him no reprieve. It lunged, claws dragging molten lines across the ground, flames wreathing its body.
BAM —
BOOM — ROAR —
Edem fired furiously, the Crimson Howlers discharging explosive rounds. Several bullets struck true, detonating against the Tiger's shoulder and chest, tearing patches of flaming fur asunder. The beast bellowed in fury but pressed forward, its body radiating searing heat. Molten fissures spread across its hide, glowing like veins of magma.
The beast slammed into him, sending him flying.
SMASH — KRAAASH —
The ground exploded beneath him.
CRRRAACK — THUD —
[HP 400/450]
Edem felt his arm shatter under the impact, bones splintering inside his flesh. His body cartwheeled through the air before colliding with the earth, leaving a crater. Smoke choked his lungs.
"Cough… cough… Damn it…" His vision blurred. His armor cracked, his gauntlet sparked erratically, and the vest that once seemed invincible now flickered weakly, struggling to withstand the Tiger's inferno.
Yet his smile remained unchanged.
"More… show me more! Is that all you've got?" Edem growled.
STAGGER — PANT —
He staggered to his feet, one arm hanging uselessly, his body trembling under the weight of his wounds. But his eyes gleamed with a predator's madness.
---
HUMMM — ROOOAR —
The Flame Tiger circled him, its molten breath scorching the earth. Its golden eyes narrowed with intensity, its roar reverberating through the forest as if proclaiming: You are the prey.
"HAHAH—cough… cough…"
Edem's laughter rang raw and intense. "Prey? Allow me to demonstrate otherwise."
With a resounding roar of his own, he activated [Blood Barrage].
WHAM — HUMMM —
The Crimson Howlers glowed violently, crimson energy flooding their chambers. He unleashed the skill in full, a storm of explosive bullets ripping the battlefield apart.
BANG — BANG —
BANG —
Ten seconds of frenzied shooting.
TICK… TICK… BOOM —
The Flame Tiger roared in fury, its body bombarded relentlessly. Explosions tore into its flesh, ripping chunks of burning fur and scattering embers across the sky.
KABOOM — SIZZLE — RUMBLE —
When the barrage ended, smoke and ash cloaked the battlefield.
SSSSSS —
Edem collapsed to one knee, gasping. His guns smoked.
COUGH — HUFF —
Through the haze, he saw it.
WHOOSH —
The Flame Tiger still stood.
GRR —
Its body bled molten blood that sizzled as it burned through stone. Wounds marred its flank and chest, flames sputtering weakly along its mane. Yet its golden eyes still blazed with unstoppable fury.
The beast had been wounded—but not slain.
"FUCK…"
Edem scarcely had the opportunity to curse before the Tiger advanced with a thunderous roar and a powerful charge.
HISS —
The impact was hell.
CRUSH — RIP — SHATTER — CRUNCH —
He was engulfed in fire as claws tore through his vest, rending the crimson metal. His gauntlet shattered, claws penetrating deep into his chest.
[HP 20/450]
"AAAAAH—ARGH!"
Agony consumed him, as though engulfed in molten rivers. His vision darkened, his body convulsed. Blood flowed freely, sizzling as it hit the burning ground.
For the first time since entering the Primordial Forest, Edem felt the chilling grip of death tighten around his throat.
THUD — SILENCE —
He staggered, choking, his body barely holding together. His armor destroyed, his weapons cracked, his flesh torn open.
"Is this… my end…?" he whispered hoarsely.
His laughter, once defiant, broke into coughs of blood. His legs buckled. His strength bled away with every heartbeat.
THUMP — THUMP —
THUMP — THUMP —
THUMP — THUMP —
The Flame Tiger loomed, battered but triumphant, ready to finish the hunt. Its jaws opened, molten fangs dripping fire.
SNAP — SIZZLE —
Edem's eyes widened—not with fear, but with desperate hunger.
"No… I refuse!"
ROAR — RATTLE —
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In his delirium, in the haze of blood and fire, instinct seized him. His broken body lunged forward, hands clawing at the Tiger's wounded chest. His lips pressed against the gaping wound.
And he drank.
GLUG — GLUG — GULP —
He drank the Flame Tiger's blood.
SSSHHH — GURGLE —
[RARE BLOOD CONSUMED +5 STATS]
[ALL STATS TEMPORARILY INCREASED BY 20%]
It was poison. It was fire. It was life itself.
HISSS — BURN —
The molten ichor scorched his throat, burned his insides like liquid magma. His body writhed, convulsing, as if every vein had ignited. He screamed—a sound half agony, half ecstasy.
But as the flames consumed him, something else stirred.
HUMMM — PULSATE —
[HP +50]
[HP +50]
[HP +50]
His wounds began to close. Torn flesh regenerated, shattered bones mended with unsettling cracks. His chest snapped back into place, ribs realigning, skin sealing.
CRACK — POP — SLIDE —
The blood of the Flame Tiger fused with his own.
THROB —
A surge of molten-crimson power coursed through his veins. His eyes glowed faintly red, threads of fire dancing within them. His breath steamed, his body trembling under the weight of newfound vitality.
HISS — PULSE —
Edem collapsed to his knees, panting, blood dripping from his mouth—but alive. Barely alive.
He looked up at the Flame Tiger, its body weakening from blood loss. For the first time, fear flickered in its golden eyes.
QUIVER — LOW GROWL —
Edem wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smiling ferally, crimson dripping from his lips.
LICK —
"Your blood… is mine now."
WHISPER — CLICK —
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CRUNCH — FOOTSTEPS STOP —
Far away, two figures halted in their march through the forest.
The night sky ahead was ablaze, smoke and fire billowing high enough to be seen miles away. The ground trembled, shockwaves echoing like distant thunder.
RUMBLE — DISTANT THUNDER —
Captain Luo narrowed his eyes, his jaw set. His military armor glinted faintly in the firelight.
CLINK —
"That's no ordinary beast skirmish," he muttered. "Something is tearing the forest apart."
Beside him, Zack's face was pale, his hand tightening around his weapon. "Sir… what kind of monster could cause this? Could that be… an Intermediate Tier?" His voice trembled.
He had awoken due to gene potions, but even so, he couldn't face such a rank. Still, the council's request had been clear: secure an Intermediate-tier core. His awakened power—skin hardening—suddenly felt laughably fragile.
Luo's expression hardened. "That's what we're searching for. Whoever is battling that… is dangerous."
GRIND —
They hastened their steps, heading directly toward the inferno to witness the clash.
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Back on the battlefield, Edem rose slowly, his regenerated body trembling with unstable power. Flames licked across his arms, faint traces of the Tiger's essence mingling with his crimson aura.
LAP — HISS —
Before him, the Flame Tiger staggered, its once-mighty mane dim, its breath ragged.
WHEEZE — LOW GROWL —
Predator and beast stared at each other, blood and fire binding their fates.
SILENCE — HEARTBEAT —
Edem licked his lips, crimson eyes glowing.
SLIDE —
"Round two begins… now."
SNAP — ROAR — CLASH —
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