Chapter 246: The Queen’s Gambit

Chapter 246: Chapter 246: The Queen’s Gambit

BOOOOM!

Lucian’s feet cratered the sand as he launched himself forward, the Blood Reaver morphing into a massive greatsword, its dark blade humming with lethal Sword Intent.

Louisa didn’t flinch. A cruel, amused smile played on her lips as she casually waved her hand.

CRACK! CRACK!

Two violent tears in space opened beside her. From within the dark rifts, two horrifying figures emerged. They were corpses, their skin a sickly grey, their eyes hollow pits of black. Yet, their auras were terrifying—Early Astral Realm.

Lucian’s eyes widened as he recognized them. The Vice Principal and the Head Instructor of the European All-Star Academy. She must have turned them after they destroyed the academy.

"Kill the women," Louisa commanded softly.

The two corpse puppets blurred, rushing past Lucian with terrifying speed, their sights set on Clara and Lena.

"Clara! Lena! Watch out!" Lucian shouted, trying to pivot.

ROOOOAAAR!

The massive death bear intercepted him, its clawed paw swiping down with the force of a falling mountain. Lucian barely managed to cross his arms, activating Crimson Vessel.

CLANG!

The crystallized blood armor flared, absorbing the blow, but the sheer force pushed Lucian back, his boots carving deep trenches in the sand.

Meanwhile, Clara and Lena found themselves facing the undead monsters.

Clara’s eyes widened in recognition. "The Vice Principal... and Head Instructor Garett!"

FWOOSH!

The Dark Wyvern swooped down, firing a massive blast of dark fire at the Vice Principal. But the corpse puppet reacted with terrifying speed, unleashing a blinding torrent of flames from its palms. BOOOOM! The two fire attacks collided, creating a massive shockwave of pure, scorching heat that radiated outward.

Clara gritted her teeth. Her aura blazed as she reactivated her Lunar Sovereign Form. A massive silver halo flared behind her head, and a dome of frost erupted around her and Lena, shielding them from the heatwave.

Lena can’t take a direct hit from an Astral Realm attack, Clara thought, glancing at the silver-haired girl. Her physique isn’t as reinforced as Lucian’s or mine.

The Dark Wyvern rushed forward, its massive claws slashing toward the Vice Principal. But Garett, the Head Instructor, stepped in. His mana erupted, forming a giant, golden avatar around his corpse. The avatar’s massive golden fist punched downward, forcing the Dark Wyvern to bite down on the fist to stop its momentum.

SQUELCH!

The Vice Principal took advantage of the distraction, gathering a massive sphere of fire to incinerate the wyvern. Lena fired a concentrated blast of soul energy directly into the puppet’s mind, but the Vice Principal didn’t even flinch. It’s a corpse. It has no soul.

But Clara reacted instantly. "Lunar Frost: Absolute Zero!"

A beam of freezing moonlight shot from her palm, hitting the Vice Principal’s fire sphere mid-charge. HSSSS! The fire was instantly frozen solid, shattering into ice crystals. The Dark Wyvern seized the moment and jumped back, its scales heavily scorched.

Back on the beach, Lucian fired a blinding Light Judgement directly at the bear, pushing the massive beast back.

But Louisa wasn’t done. She raised her hand, and dozens of arrows made of pure death energy materialized in the air, raining down on Lucian.

Lucian roared, swinging his greatsword. "Eclipse Sword Art, Second Form: Skybreaker!"

A massive arc of dark energy, infused with blue-white fire, light, and Sword Intent, tore upward. CRASH! The spatial slash obliterated the arrows, causing a chain reaction of explosions in the sky.

The bear lunged again, its jaws snapping at Lucian’s throat. Lucian activated Light Steps, vanishing and reappearing behind the beast.

What better time to use this than now?

Lucian raised his hand, his eyes blazing. A massive, swirling lotus of white-hot flames formed in his palm. The air around it twisted from the sheer heat.

"Sunfire Lotus."

Louisa’s eyes widened. "Dodge, you stupid beast!"

But it was too late. Lucian hurled the lotus directly at the bear.

BOOOOOOOOM!

The Sunfire Lotus detonated on impact. A terrifying explosion of white-hot fire expanded outward, creating a localized field of absolute combustion. The bear let out a deafening, agonizing roar as the flames engulfed its front legs, melting through its death-energy-infused fur and charring the flesh to the bone.

Lucian didn’t stop. He rushed forward, the Blood Reaver glowing with a terrifying crimson light. "Eclipse Sword Art, Third Form: Blood Moon Eclipse!"

A storm of overlapping, crimson sword slashes rained down, aiming directly for the bear’s exposed skull.

"DAMN IT!" Louisa screamed, snapping her fingers. Swoosh! A spatial tear opened beneath the bear, and it sank into the shadows, reappearing beside Louisa, heavily injured and whimpering.

Louisa looked at Lucian, her eyes wide. Then, she started clapping. Clap. Clap. Clap.

"My, my, my," Louisa purred, her voice dripping with venomous admiration. "You’ve grown so much stronger, my little puppy. From a pathetic blood sack to a warrior who can wound an Early Astral beast. I’m almost proud."

Lucian glared at her, his chest heaving as he pointed blood weaver at her. "I’m going to kill you, Louisa. Slowly and believe me, I’m going to enjoy every single moment of it."

Louisa just smiled. She placed her hand on the injured bear’s forehead. "I’ve been using this beast to refine my death energy for decades, feeding it my own lifeforce."

HUM!

The bear let out a pained groan as its body dissolved into pure, black death energy, which rushed into Louisa’s body. Her aura exploded outward.

CRACK!

A dark, jagged crown materialized above Louisa’s head. Her aura surged, climbing to the absolute peak of the Early Astral Realm, bordering on Mid Astral. She reached into the air, pulling out a massive, S-Rank longsword that dripped with corrosive death energy.

"Now, let me show you what real power looks like," Louisa hissed.

She swung her sword once.

WHOOOOSH!

A torrent of death energy, like a tidal wave of black ocean, erupted from the blade. It rushed toward Lucian, swallowing the very light in the air.

Lucian gritted his teeth, fire blazing around him. He clapped his hands together. "Flame Dragon’s Breath!"

FWOOSH!

A massive torrent of blue-white fire shaped like a dragon’s maw shot forward. But the moment it touched the ocean of death energy, it was instantly swallowed, the flames dying out like a candle in a hurricane.

Lucian’s eyes widened in shock. "What—"

BOOOOOM!

The ocean of death energy crashed into him. Lucian screamed as the corrupting darkness consumed him, tearing through his Crimson Vessel, burning his skin, and invading his mana core.

Devouring Void! Lucian thought in a panic, forcing his SSS-Rank ability to activate. He began absorbing the death energy, but the sheer quantity was overwhelming.

While Lucian was distracted, Louisa vanished.

She reappeared directly behind Clara, who was still holding back the Vice Principal.

SHUNK!

Louisa’s death-infused blade pierced straight through Clara’s back, exiting through her chest.

Clara’s eyes widened in shock, blood bubbling from her lips.

"CLARA!" Lena screamed, firing a massive soul blast at Louisa.

But the Vice Principal instantly moved, tanking the soul attack with its soulless body. The Dark Wyvern charged forward to help, but the Vice Principal unleashed a massive wall of fire, halting its advance.

Simultaneously, the golden avatar of Garett swung its massive fist, slamming directly into Lena from behind. CRACK! Lena was sent flying like a ragdoll, crashing into the sand, knocked unconscious from the brutal blow.

Louisa leaned down, her lips brushing Clara’s ear, a sadistic smile on her face as she twisted the blade.

To be continued...