Chapter 267: The Power Of Divine Axe Arts, Utter Devastation

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Seeing the poisonous fog approaching, Noir barked once and immediately generated a solid shadow barrier around Daniela to keep her completely safe. The dark dome pulsed with steady protective energy, sealing her off from the approaching poison and the chaos outside.

At the same time Riven blurred forward. A pair of powerful draconic wings erupted from his back and propelled him through the air at high speed. The force of his takeoff sent nearby vines, leaves, and loose dirt flying in every direction.

S L A A A A A A A A S H !

A gigantic horizontal cleaving attack was unleashed. Divine Cross tore through the battlefield in a brilliant arc of pure destructive power. All four of the giant D-Rank Monsters were eliminated instantly. Their massive bodies were bisected cleanly and then exploded outward, burning into mismatched piles of foul-smelling burnt vegetation. The sudden silence that followed felt almost unnatural after the earlier chaos of hissing, roaring, and thrashing vines.

"Woah..." Vladimir swallowed hard, staring at the widespread destruction with wide eyes. "Just how strong did you get...?! Just...! Just when I thought I had finally grown strong myself, you go and do something like this?!"

"What? Am I not allowed to grow stronger?" Riven sighed lightly, his expression calm as he folded his wings. "Well, there are still plenty of mobs left to kill, so smile at least. You can go all-out, Vladimir."

From the surrounding orchard, more and more Corrupted Dryads and Carnivorous Flowers surged forward. They roared with mindless fury and charged with all their strength and madness. The ground trembled under the weight of their collective advance, and the mist grew even thicker as fresh waves of poison were released into the air from their gaping mouths and ruptured stems.

Vladimir and Riven stepped forward together, each one covering the left and right sides of the battlefield. Their auras flared brightly in response to the approaching wave of enemies, ready to meet the next tide head-on.

"Hahahaha!"

Vladimir laughed wildly as he swung his sharp claws with ruthless precision. He defeated everything that crossed his path with dexterous, lightning-fast slashes. Burning explosions of crimson fire followed every single movement he made, lighting up the misty orchard in brief, violent flashes of destructive light. Green blood and shredded plant matter flew through the air with each strike.

"Let’s get this done quickly. I want to cook Elisa’s breakfast."

Riven kicked one of the giant carnivorous flowers away with casual force. When three more rushed toward him and tried to coil their thick, thorny vines around his arms and legs in an attempt to trap him, he simply sighed in mild annoyance.

"You shouldn’t have done that."

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

His Spiritualized Mana Aura erupted outward in a sudden wave of overwhelming power. Dozens of spectral arms and floating swords formed in the air around him and sliced through all the vines and flower bodies at once. Abyssal Assault Arts had already been fully internalized within his Aura thanks to his surplus Spiritual Essence and the seamless combination of technique, magic, and cultivation methods he had refined over time.

"I’m sorry," he said quietly while walking toward the scattered remains of the monsters. His voice carried a strange note of genuine regret. "You’re such fascinating species of plants. I’ll make sure you get a proper spot in my Realm. You’re going to live peaceful lives after this, I promise."

Riven walked away after carefully storing both the remains and all the dropped items into his inventory. The glowing rewards vanished one after another as his Storage Ring absorbed everything without leaving a single scrap of plant matter or core behind.

Meanwhile, behind him, Daniela desperately threw explosive SS-Rank weapons using her Weapon Throw skill combined with Dice Thrust. The chaotic fusion of techniques lit up the misty air with repeated flashes of bright light and booming detonations.

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

Each Weapon Throw proved incredibly deadly. The Corrupted Dryads exploded into pieces under the blasts. The giant carnivorous monsters blew apart, desperately tried to regenerate or fight back through the smoke, and then blew up a second time before finally dying for good. Shattered petals and burning vines rained down across the orchard floor.

"Oh no, there are valuable weapons scattered all over... Noir, can you pick them up?"

"Woof!"

Noir nodded obediently and expanded his shadows into dozens of tiny, agile hands that rapidly retrieved every weapon from the muddy ground. He stored them safely inside Daniela’s personal Shadow space without missing a single one.

He had shared a piece of his own Shadow with her some time ago, making it far easier for her to retrieve weapons however she wished without any delay or difficulty.

This simple action showed clearly how much smarter Noir had grown and how deeply he had bonded with Daniela over their shared adventures and battles.

"Hehehe, thank you! You’re such a good boy! Good boy, good boy!" she chuckled while caressing his large head and soft black fur with both hands. Her fingers scratched behind his ears in the way she knew he loved. "Cute good boy!"

"Awr! Warf!" Noir made happy, playful sounds as Daniela rubbed his face and big cheeks. He playfully licked her hands and face in return, his tail wagging so hard it stirred the surrounding mist and sent small clouds of residual poison drifting away.

"Hehehe, you smell!" she laughed, not minding the faint scent of swamp, monster blood, and burnt vegetation that clung to his fur.

"Maybe he’s due for a bath," Riven commented with a small smile as he watched the pair with quiet fondness. "Let’s go. The two dungeon bosses are waiting in the swamp."

"Oh! Okay!" Daniela answered brightly, still petting Noir as she prepared to follow.

The group began moving deeper into the poisoned orchard, the last of the lesser monsters already reduced to ashes and cores behind them. The mist thickened once more as they approached the darker, wetter heart of the dungeon.

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