Chapter 221: Boss Battle and Technique

The moment Amon and Sidney entered the boss room, a wave of scorching air rushed toward them, carrying the smell of burning stone and sulfur.

The room resembled the inside of a volcano.

At the center of the chamber stood a circular platform surrounded by molten rock.

The creature stood nearly four meters tall, its massive body covered in dark volcanic armor.

Its head resembled that of a horned lion, except its lower jaw split into four sections whenever it breathed.

Each breath released fire between its teeth, while two curved horns extended backward from its skull.

Behind its back, seven jagged stones revolved in a circle, leaving trails of sparks whenever they moved.

Sidney peeked around Amon’s shoulder, her fiery ears standing straight up. "Big Brother, what is that thing?"

"A monster, obviously."

"I know that! I mean, what kind of monster is it?"

"How should I know? Do you expect me to memorize every ugly creature in existence?"

One of Sidney’s tails flicked against his leg.

Amon ignored her and thought. ’This doesn’t look too hard to kill.’

He glanced at Sidney, whose attention remained fixed on the monster.

The flames around her ears flickered, and her two tails moved restlessly behind her.

"Listen carefully. Stay behind me and try not to get involved."

Sidney nodded. "Understood! I’ll watch you fight and learn everything!"

"Good. Stay behind me."

A deafening roar shook the chamber.

The Magma Sovereign lowered its horned head, and its glowing eyes settled on the intruders.

The seven stones accelerated, producing a grinding sound like boulders crushing one another.

The monster opened its four-part jaw, unleashing a torrent of fire.

The flames swept across the platform with enough force to melt the black stone beneath them.

Amon raised one hand, and the mana around him responded immediately.

Frost Manipulation.

Cold erupted from his palm, forming a towering wall of ice between him and the incoming flames.

The two forces collided with a thunderous hiss, releasing clouds of steam that rolled across the platform.

The Magma Sovereign continued pouring fire into the barrier, expecting the ice to melt under its relentless assault.

Instead, Amon pushed more mana into the spell.

The barrier thickened before shattering into dozens of enormous spears, each projectile spinning toward the monster’s head, joints, and exposed armor.

The Magma Sovereign reacted quickly. Six floating stones moved in front of its body, absorbing the ice spears and dissolving them into steam.

The stones brightened, and concentrated beams of fire shot from each one, converging on Amon from different directions.

Sidney gasped, but Amon had already vanished.

Spatial Steps.

The beams converged where he had been standing and blasted a crater into the platform.

Amon reappeared above the monster, a pale blue spear of ice forming in his hand.

Frost Spear.

He hurled it downward.

The Magma Sovereign drew its stones together, attempting to absorb the attack.

The spear struck the outermost stone, which glowed brighter as it consumed the spell’s energy.

For a brief moment, the monster appeared to have countered him.

But the spear exploded.

Amon had condensed the spell around a dense core of mana and detonated it at the moment of impact.

The sudden force shattered the stone, sending fragments scattering across the platform.

The Magma Sovereign staggered.

Amon landed on its shoulder, his armored boots cracking the volcanic plates beneath them. "One down. Six to go."

The monster swung an enormous arm toward him.

Amon leaned backward, letting its claws pass over his face, then launched himself away as its other arm smashed part of the platform into rubble.

Before the monster could recover, Amon extended his left hand.

Mana Thread.

Nearly invisible strands shot through the steam and wrapped around the remaining six stones.

The threads tightened around their surfaces, linking them to Amon’s fingers like puppet strings.

The Magma Sovereign’s body blazed brighter as the stones vibrated, trying to break free.

Streams of fire raced along the threads, threatening to burn through his control.

Amon remained calm as he pulled.

The six stones jerked out of formation.

The monster’s defensive arrangement collapsed, leaving each stone suspended at a different angle around the chamber.

The Magma Sovereign’s chest split open.

Magma surged through its body, forcing damaged plates apart as molten fragments spilled onto the platform.

Amon immediately understood what it was doing. ’It’s charging an eruption.’

The ground trembled, and rivers of lava began flowing toward the platform.

The exposed core swelled with concentrated fire energy.

Amon raised his hand, and the air around him suddenly grew colder.

He wanted to finish the fight before the eruption damaged the chamber or endangered Sidney.

His mana surged.

Its chest continued glowing. The eruption was almost ready.

Amon appeared directly in front of its exposed core.

The monster’s eyes widened, and its four-part jaw opened to release a point-blank blast of fire.

Amon didn’t dodge.

Black scales covered his face and neck as Dragon Emperor’s Scale Armor spread over his body.

Ice condensed around his left arm, forming a sharp, reinforced blade.

He stepped through the flames.

Fire washed over his armor, sending sparks across the black scales, but he continued forward without slowing.

Amon reached the exposed core. "Sleep."

He drove his ice-covered fist into it.

A sharp, crystalline crack rang through the chamber.

Frost spread across the core in branching patterns, forcing its intense heat to collapse inward.

The Magma Sovereign convulsed. Its floating stones shook violently before fracturing under the disruption of their master’s energy.

One after another, they shattered into glowing fragments that rained across the platform.

The monster’s roar became a strangled growl.

Amon twisted his fist.

The core cracked from one side to the other. A second later, it shattered.

The Magma Sovereign’s enormous body froze in place, its glowing cracks fading as the energy sustaining it dispersed.

Its arms sagged, the flames covering its armor dwindled.

The impact shook the chamber one final time and then silence returned.

Amon brushed volcanic fragments from his shoulder and glanced back at Sidney. "See? That’s why I told you to stay behind me."

She stared at the enormous corpse, then at him. "Big brother, you killed it so quickly!"

"Of course. What did you expect? A ten-hour battle?"

"I thought the boss would be more difficult!"

"It might have been if I were weaker."

Amon approached the corpse.

A faint golden glow emerged from beneath its chest, gathering into a small object surrounded by wisps of crimson energy.

His eyes brightened. "Now that’s what I’m talking about."

He reached forward and caught the object.

[Boss Monster Defeated!]

[You have obtained: Flame Emperor’s Origin Scripture.]

[Grade: Diamond]

[Type: Fire Elemental Cultivation Method]

[Description: A cultivation method developed through the refinement of volcanic fire and the essence of a Magma Sovereign.]

Amon examined the notification twice. ’A Diamond-grade cultivation method. Not bad at all.’

The object resembled a thin crimson crystal tablet, with golden characters shimmering beneath its transparent surface.

The method was clearly suited to someone with a strong affinity for fire, making it ideal for Sidney’s newly awakened Vermilion Flame Spirit Physique.

Amon smiled and walked over to her, holding out the tablet. "Here. This is your gift for awakening."

Sidney accepted it with both hands. "For me?"

"Who else? The monster certainly isn’t going to use it anymore."

Sidney nodded, carefully storing the tablet.

For a moment, she looked so happy that Amon felt the trip had been worth the trouble.

Seeing her obtain something that could help her become stronger was more satisfying than he had expected.

Amon ignored the system message as she looked up at him.

"Big Brother."

"Hmm?"

Sidney took a small step toward him.

Her fiery ears tilted forward, and her two crimson tails swayed behind her with deliberate seductiveness.

Amon narrowed his eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

She approached again, a mischievous determination appearing on her face.

"I want something else."

She came closer with a hungry look in her eyes.

Amon stared at her suspiciously. "...What exactly do you want?"

Sidney didn’t answer with words.

She rose onto her toes, pressed her soft body fully against his, and kissed him.