CHAPTER 156: PHANTASM

[Call of the Phoenix]

For the first time since she bonded with Kael, Py used this bloodline skill of hers. And the shocking power it contained shook the minds of all those whose eyes fell on the creature in the skies. The feral snarls and manic growls even in the faraway battlefield seemed to die down for a moment, as the summoned Phoenix regarded all beneath it with silent majesty.

The two burning suns suddenly shifted to Kael, who had not stopped even as it appeared. Even now, the bear's focus was all on it, that it didn't even notice that Kael had been spinning around it without a break, generating so much momentum that even the surrounding air seemed to tremble.

A flicker of acknowledgement shone in the Phoenix's eyes, before its gaze fell on one last person.

And what it saw made its eyes flash with genuine shock.

Alice, far at the edge of the magma domain, seemed to have been frozen to a still like the others, but the Mythical Phoenix could tell that was far from the truth.

The five-meter blue female giant was crouched in a sword stance, as she gripped the hilt of a massively sheathed katana in her right hand. Just the building pressure blooming around that still figure shook the imaginary heart of this mythical phantom that had been summoned by Py, and soon after, a flicker of respect shone in its eyes.

Finally, its gaze fell on the main building far away, where a two-meter undead donned in a white suit glared at her.

When the mythical summon saw this being, it couldn't help but give a quiet sigh.

It knew it already.

There was no way those two incredibly talented humans below it would leave this place alive, but still, she would do what she had been called for.

Her beak opened, and a pillar of red, fiery flames fell from the skies and onto the bear, connecting the heavens to the earth.

It was almost as if someone pressed play on the paused world.

The bear, who had been frozen from the aura of the mythical Phoenix, shook with a start when it sensed the danger to its life. And with an angry bellow, it drew upon its domain and raised a pillar of magma that curved around it to form a dome.

-BANG!

The pillar of flames impacted against the red-hot dome, a wave of pressurized hot air blasting out into the surroundings.

But the bear roared back in defiance and drew more from its domain to support the barrier it had raised.

A flicker of surprise shone in its manic eyes when it realized the attack was far weaker than it expected. Realization set in when it realized the creature above it wasn't real. It was justa phantom projection of something far greater.

The bear snorted in disdain.

Its crimson eyes, despite its mania, shone with a glint of intelligence.

To think it had been almost scared into a frenzy by this mere illusion.

A budding anger rose anew within it the more it thought about this. Unfortunately for the bear, it was so focused on the Phoenix that it didn't notice the booming cadence of TTANGS that resounded increasingly around it.

"AAAAH!" Kael cried out as his eyes, one shining with a ghostly green light under the impact of his resounding Will, and the other glinting with the cold blue of Godly Focus, traced arcs in the air, as he spun and spun around the bear, both of their figures protected behind the dome.

He had lost count of how many times he had spun by now, but he knew he couldn't hold on any longer.

With a last spin, he flew above the back of the head of the bear, away from its clear sight, still glaring at the pillar of flames falling upon it.

In this slowed time, all he had to do was stretch his black spider limbs for just a tiny bit for him to touch the surface of the dome. But he ignored this sight, his dichrome eyes falling on the beast beneath him.

With a pull from his intent, he decisively dumped the rest of his Energi into his Strength and Vitality stats, raising both of them by more than forty points.

Then he pulled on his web, his body dragged down with such a force that the air exploded around him, concentric waves blasting out.

"Ignition Fists!" He growled out, golden flames blooming around his clenched hands raised above his head.

And at the very last second, he activated Double Impact.

-BAAAAAAANG!

The back of the bear's head, protected by its fiery armor, exploded into chunks of stone and meat, as a pained roar shook the dome.

In its pain, the bear lost control of using its domain to support its barrier, and finally, the pillar of fire overwhelmed it, obliterating the barrier.

Despite the anguish it was under, the bear quickly looked above in fear, wondering if death was finally about to embrace it, when...

It saw the massive Phoenix disappear with a final flicker of bright red flames.

Unfortunately for it, that was the last light it saw. That rising hope about to bloom in its chest didn't even get a chance to appear.

The last sound the Epic ranked bear heard was the excited sound of Kira, who was finally drawn for the first time on this long night.