Chapter 364: A Battle Against A God Of Wind And Thunder

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Then he poured Ki, Mana, Spirit Energy, and Psionic Power into it. The different energies resisted one another at first, making the sphere tremble against his control. Riven tightened his grip and forced them to merge with his blood until their violent movement became stable.

"Blooming Blood Lotus."

RUMBLE!

An evolved form of the Blooming Lotus was unleashed. The pinhead-sized sphere shot forward so quickly that it appeared to vanish, piercing through the emerald winds before Quetzalcoatl could close his wings.

It tore through his left wing and left a massive hole across feathers, flesh, and bone. Yet the compressed sphere did not explode immediately. It continued past the Esper, landed among the ruins behind him, and only then released all the energy Riven had forced inside it.

BOOOOOMMMM!!!

"CRYAAAAHHH!"

The gigantic bird screamed in pain as the explosion struck him from behind. His wounded wing failed to support his weight, sending him crashing into the floor. Quetzalcoatl rolled uncontrollably across the ruins, his enormous body smashing through damaged buildings and blowing them apart one after another. Clouds of dust and broken stone rose in his wake, hiding him from sight for only a few seconds.

Riven descended and chased after him before he could recover. However, Quetzalcoatl twisted his long neck through the debris, opened his massive beak, and fired powerful thunderbolts in every direction. The attacks struck the ground around Riven and forced him to weave between the explosions while keeping his sword raised.

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

At the same time, Daniela and Label followed the battle from a safer distance, waiting for an opening to assist Riven. Daniela kept her eyes on the thunderbolts while Label summoned her Living Cauldron Familiar, Chemy.

She quickly opened several bottles of explosive potions and poured them into his wide mouth one after another. Chemy’s body shook as the mixtures reacted inside him, releasing sparks and clouds of multicolored smoke. Label steadied him with her psychic power, aimed toward the wounded Esper, and then...

"Chemy, big form, now!"

"Gryyyurr!"

Chemy suddenly expanded to a massive size of over ten meters. Label lifted the Living Cauldron into the air with her psychic powers, keeping him steady as he gathered Alchemical Mana within his body.

The explosive potions churned faster, combining into a single concentrated reaction that made his metal surface glow.

"Now!!!"

Daniela nodded and jumped straight into the boiling cauldron, much to Riven’s disbelief. Even while fighting Quetzalcoatl, his expanded senses allowed him to see exactly what the two girls were attempting. Chemy’s Alchemical Mana wrapped around Daniela the instant she entered, protecting her from the boiling mixture as the explosive potions gathered beneath her feet.

"What are you two doing?!" Riven asked in disbelief.

As this happened, Quetzalcoatl rushed at him before Riven could receive an answer. The Esper kicked him down and pinned him against the broken ground, crushing several of his ribs beneath his giant claws. Riven coughed blood as the pressure increased, and Quetzalcoatl’s massive beak descended toward his head, surrounded by emerald electricity...!

And then...

BAAAAAAAANG!

Chemy fired a literal living cannonball covered in countless colors. Daniela shot out of the cauldron inside a round barrier resembling a circus balloon, spinning rapidly as she crossed the battlefield.

The projectile struck the enormous bird directly in the throat and knocked him away from Riven before bursting apart. Bright, burning confetti, colorful shards of ice, rainbow electricity, and several other alchemical effects exploded across Quetzalcoatl’s head and chest all at once.

"?!"

Riven was taken aback as he saw Daniela emerge from the fading explosion above the giant bird. She landed on the very tip of his beak and balanced there for a moment, avoiding the emerald sparks racing across their surface. Then she descended along Quetzalcoatl’s head and neck, dancing between his feathers and moving with immense dexterity as she drew her weapons.

"HYAAAAA!"

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

She slashed down Quetzalcoatl’s neck, leaving several deep wounds between his feathers. Explosions followed every strike as Daniela combined various Skills into a dazzling but deadly performance. Blades imbued with bursts of elemental energy struck in rapid succession, forcing the Esper’s head lower while she continued descending toward his back.

"Hah!"

Riven laughed despite his injuries and leaped higher. He intercepted the giant bird’s beak with Fenrir Fang just as Quetzalcoatl snapped at Daniela. The impact threw her off balance before she could land another strike, sending her falling between the Esper’s claws.

"Uaaaagh?!"

Riven’s shadows extended beneath her and fused with his Spiritual Energy and Mana, forming a huge hand in the air. It caught Daniela only a few meters above the ruined ground, barely saving her life. Instead of freezing in fear, she immediately furrowed her eyebrows, twisted around within the shadowy palm, and fired several weapons at the monster’s face. Several flying weapons struck Quetzalcoatl’s eyes, forcing him to pull his head back and loosen his pressure on Riven.

"Gyyaaaarrgghh!"

As the bird screamed in pain, he stumbled another step backward and fell onto his back. His eyes widened when dozens of sharp icicle spears suddenly rose from the ground and pierced through his feathers. The frozen weapons drove into his back one after another, pinning part of his enormous body against the ruined floor as frost rapidly spread across the wounds.

"GRRRRR?!"

Quetzalcoatl stared in shock as Riven’s expression became more serious. His eyes gleamed blue, and the power of the Ice Element he had mastered surged through the battlefield. Cold Mana gathered around Fenrir Fang as he swung it across the Esper’s leg, cutting through flesh and frozen feathers. The strike loosened Quetzalcoatl’s grasp, allowing Riven to tear himself free before the claws could close around him again.

At the same time, the wounded bird forced himself upright and charged again. Even as he bled, thunder and wind surged around his body, fusing and compressing into dozens of feathered snakes. They hissed as they flew toward Riven from every direction, their bodies twisting through the air while emerald lightning jumped between them.

"Oh no! RIVEN!!!"

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