Chapter 231: An Intense Battle Like No Other, Ignias True Power!

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Seeing how he was barely making a dent in the dragon’s ancient bones, Riven quickly decided he needed to change tactics and strategize on the spot. "Vladimir—flank left! Shadow—support me!" he called out clearly while holding his ground however he could against the overwhelming pressure. He thrust both palms forward with focused intensity. Psychic force and dense Abyssal mana erupted together in a concentrated beam of pure tearing energy. Soul-Tearing Beast Claw Assault, amplified by Netherworld King Swordsmanship and Abyssal Assault Arts, was unleashed in a single devastating wave.

At the same time a giant made of bones and rotten flesh manifested beside him — the Great Abyssal King of Rot, a powerful Phantasmal Spirit Guardian that emerged to protect its master. The guardian immediately began wrestling against the giantess, its body already burning under her intense heat. It was clear the spirit would not last long against her overwhelming power, but it bought Riven the precious seconds he desperately needed.

As that fierce struggle unfolded, Riven’s combined attack struck the dragon’s flaming chest and carved a shallow but visible groove through the fire-flesh. The residual will of Ignias simply roared louder in response and regenerated the wound within seconds. Her thick bone gained a few new cracks under the force, yet nothing too serious had been inflicted yet. Riven realized he would have to spend a great deal of time and effort if he wanted to begin grinding down those super-hard bones at all.

"HMPH! Strong or not, you’re still merely a mortal!" she roared with contempt, her voice shaking the entire chamber. "I had to sacrifice my blood and flesh to gain enough power to escape that monster with my people, but I am still an Ancient Dragon!"

The dragon retaliated without mercy, sweeping one massive wing in a wide arc. Flames shaped themselves into dozens of miniature dragon heads that lunged independently toward him from every direction.

"Infernal Dragon Domain – Fire Dragon Swarm!"

"?!"

Riven swung his blades in rapid succession, cutting through the swarming dragons as they exploded against his face and body one after another. The continuous blasts pushed him backward while burning his entire form. His armor constantly shattered under the heat and force, only to regrow anew moments later through sheer regenerative power. "She’s tough!" he thought grimly as the pain seared across his skin.

As she continued firing the miniature dragon projectiles without pause, the Shadow Self intercepted most of them by growing extra arms and wings to bat the fiery constructs aside. Even so, three of the projectiles still slammed hard into Riven’s real body. His barrier of psychic force cracked under the impact. Intense heat seared straight through his coat and into his flesh. He skidded backward across the stone floor, his boots carving deep furrows in the rock as he looked up at her once more. Suddenly he noticed a giant sword of pure flames forming in the air, roaring with concentrated draconic power.

"Infernal Dragon Domain – Divine Dragon Sword of Eternal Fire!"

"?!"

FLASH!

The massive sword lunged toward him with terrifying speed. Riven quickly disappeared through Abyssal Shift, but the blade adjusted course and chased him relentlessly. He groaned under the pressure as he leaped higher into the air and coated his hands in thick layers of ice before crashing directly against the giant flaming sword. The divine fire construct exploded into hundreds of smaller swords that immediately impaled his entire body. Those blades then ignited, setting his whole form ablaze.

"KUAAGH?!"

BOOOMMM!!!

Riven’s body exploded into a pillar of raging flames. Both his Shadow Self and Vladimir gasped in pure disbelief at the sight.

"RIVEN!"

Vladimir, still not fully recovered from the earlier fight and the recent arm graft, charged from the side with a fierce howl. His goal was to break the dragon’s concentration, which seemed to be a necessary requirement for her to maintain such complicated spells.

"I’ll chop you to pieces!"

The Dual Flame Dragon Axes, Surtr and Logi, blazed to life in his hands with intense heat. He leapt high into the air, spinning with practiced force, and brought both blades down onto the dragon’s hind leg in a powerful cross-slash. The attack carved deep into bone and fire-muscle alike. Dragon energy clashed against dragon energy and partially cancelled each other out, allowing Vladimir’s strike to pierce through her immensely hard bones for the first time.

"UUUGGGHH?! WHAT THE...!"

Ignias screamed in sudden agony. Her entire massive body lost its balance as the complex spell she had been maintaining deactivated at once. Riven’s burning form dropped heavily onto the ground, covered in blackened skin and crispy, charred flesh. For a moment he appeared completely dead. Then he tore apart his own ruined skin and was reborn anew as the Second Wind Effect of the Immortal Alien Body activated with full force!

RUMBLE!

His Aura erupted outward with overwhelming power. His stats increased five times over in an instant. For one full hour he touched the ceiling of A Rank strength, and his entire presence changed dramatically in that critical moment.

"How did you even— Those axes... that arm!" Ignias screamed in rising fury and disbelief. "What sort of abomination are you?! Have you grafted a piece of my followers into your body?! You’ve stolen the divine blood I granted to only a few of them! A-And that axe...! Forged from my own essence?! Unforgivable!!!"

As she roared in outrage, Vladimir cursed under his breath. The dragon’s massive claw closed around him and began smashing him against the floor over and over and over again. He groaned in pain and vomited blood with each impact.

CRASH!

CRASH!

CRASH!

CRASH!

"Gaaahaaaa?!"

While Vladimir was being battered mercilessly for his insolence and the desecration of the Ancient Dragoness’s power, he caught sight of Riven appearing between them. Riven punched Ignias’ clenched fist with tremendous force and pushed it away, causing even more cracks to spread across her ancient bones.

"UGH?!"

As she groaned from the unexpected resistance, Vladimir roared with renewed determination and swung his two flaming axes against her arm, cutting cleanly through the wrist. Her entire skeletal claw fell away and collapsed into a scattered pile of bones on the ground.

CLAAASH!

"GYAAAAHHHH! YOU INSOLENT RAT!"

Sparks and molten blood sprayed outward as if her very bones contained liquid fire within them. Ignias shrieked in pure rage and kicked out with furious strength. Vladimir was launched across the chamber like a ragdoll, crashing hard into a massive crystal formation and shattering it into a rain of glowing shards that scattered across the floor.

CRASH!

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