Chapter 181: East Anekta Crisis (20)

Edens gaze sharpened.

Aphelios was relatively exposed atop the middle head. The Hydra’s three heads moved independently, but the old man appeared to rely on their positioning and movements to remain safe. He wasn’t particularly fast, and his own physical capabilities were nowhere near those of the creature beneath him.

If Eden could reach him, the fight might end.

Of course, getting there was the difficult part.

The Hydra wouldn’t simply allow him to approach.

And Aphelios wasn’t stupid enough to remain stationary if he noticed what Eden was planning.

He needed to create an opportunity.

A very specific one.

Eden adjusted his flight path, deliberately moving closer to the Hydra’s middle head.

The three heads immediately reacted.

Aphelios noticed.

"Oh? Have you finally decided to stop running?"

Eden didn’t answer.

He accelerated toward the creature.

The right head opened its jaws, gathering purple lightning. The left followed with its poisonous green flames, while the middle head began concentrating an enormous amount of black Essence.

All three attacks were directed toward him.

Aphelios laughed.

"Then come! Let me see what you can do!"

Eden’s eyes narrowed.

’Now.’

He adjusted his wings and changed direction at the last possible moment.

The Hydra’s three heads unleashed their attacks simultaneously.

The sky disappeared beneath a storm of destructive Essence.

Eden activated Burst-Step.

His body vanished.

For a fraction of a second, the entire battlefield seemed to slow.

He reappeared directly above the middle head.

Aphelios’ laughter stopped.

"What—"

Eden’s boot slammed into the old man’s chest.

The impact was immediate and brutal.

Aphelios was launched away from the Hydra, his frail body tumbling through the air as he lost his grip on the creature’s horn.

Eden didn’t waste a second.

Golden chains materialized around his arm.

[Malevolent Chains]

Several links shot toward Aphelios, wrapping around his torso and limbs before tightening. Another chain extended from Eden’s wrist, connecting the captured old man to his arm.

Eden pulled.

Aphelios’ body was dragged back toward him, stopping his uncontrolled descent.

At the same time, Eden used his wings to maintain distance from the Hydra.

The creature reacted immediately.

All three heads turned toward Aphelios.

Its enormous body twisted, and its wings beat violently as it attempted to pursue them.

But it couldn’t simply unleash its attacks.

Not without risking its master.

Eden smiled faintly.

"Got you!"

Aphelios struggled against the chains.

"Release me!"

Eden pulled the chains tighter.

"I’m ending this."

The Hydra roared.

Its three heads moved in unison, attempting to close the distance between Eden and Aphelios.

Eden immediately accelerated.

He couldn’t remain in one place. The creature was still fast enough to catch him, and its physical reach was enormous.

The middle head lunged.

Eden twisted away, pulling Aphelios along with him.

The Hydra’s jaws snapped shut just behind them.

A shockwave swept across the sky.

Eden’s wings trembled.

His body was already approaching its limit.

’I need more power.’

He glanced at the notification still hovering at the edge of his vision.

[Blackout: 60%]

He had been holding back.

Eden poured more Essence into the skill.

His scales thickened, spreading across his body until almost every exposed section of skin was covered. The muscles beneath them expanded, and his physical attributes surged.

His wings grew larger.

Then something began emerging from his head.

Two black horns slowly pushed through his hair, curving backward along his skull.

The transformation was becoming increasingly monstrous.

[Blackout: 75%]

Eden’s expression remained cold.

He pulled Aphelios toward him.

The old man screamed as the chains tightened around his body.

"Stop! You fool! You don’t understand what you’ve done!"

Eden looked at him.

"Then explain it while you still can."

Aphelios’ eyes widened.

"That creature—"

The Hydra lunged again.

Eden abruptly changed direction, dragging Aphelios away from its jaws.

The middle head snapped shut.

Its teeth missed them by several meters.

Eden accelerated, then swung his arm.

The chains tightened.

Aphelios was sent flying hundreds of meters through the air.

Eden followed immediately.

Burst-Step.

He appeared beside the old man and struck him across the face.

Aphelios spun violently.

Before he could continue falling, Eden pulled the chains again, redirecting his trajectory and dragging him closer.

The Hydra roared.

Its right head unleashed a barrage of purple lightning.

Eden twisted through the air, keeping Aphelios close enough to prevent the creature from firing directly at him.

The lightning struck the surrounding buildings.

Several structures collapsed almost simultaneously.

Eden didn’t look back.

He was beginning to understand the Hydra’s limitations.

It was overwhelmingly powerful, but its attacks had to account for Aphelios’ position. The creature was clearly attempting to avoid hitting its master, and that hesitation gave Eden opportunities to move.

He could exploit that.

At least for a while.

[Blackout: 85%]

Eden’s horns grew longer.

His wings became broader, their crimson membranes stretched between dark, skeletal supports. His entire body was now covered in black scales, and his physical attributes had reached a level he could barely sustain.

The strange voice returned.

[Look at you.]

Eden’s eyes narrowed.

[Reduced to this.]

A chill ran down his spine.

[How much longer will you keep struggling?]

He ignored it.

Aphelios was still screaming.

"Release me! You can’t kill me! You don’t understand what you’re dealing with!"

Eden pulled him closer.

"You’re right."

He glanced toward the enormous creature approaching them.

"I don’t."

Then he tightened his grip.

"But I don’t need to understand it to kill you!"

The Hydra’s three heads began moving differently.

The left head lowered, its jaws opening as poisonous green flames gathered inside.

The right head moved above it, purple lightning branching between its teeth.

The middle head remained fixed on Eden.

A mass of pitch-black Essence began forming inside its mouth.

Eden’s eyes narrowed.

It was preparing another simultaneous attack.

He needed to end this before it fired.

He manifested a Dark Matter blade in his free hand.

Crimson Essence began spreading across its surface, and the blade’s tip pointed directly toward Aphelios.

The old man noticed.

His expression finally changed.

"No..."

Eden tightened the chains.

The Hydra roared.

All three heads unleashed their attacks.

Eden immediately activated Burst-Step.

His body vanished from the path of the incoming flames, and the three attacks converged behind him.

The resulting explosion swallowed several kilometers of sky.

Eden reappeared farther away, already accelerating toward Aphelios.

The old man was only a short distance ahead.

Several meters.

That was all.

Eden’s blade moved.

Then something struck him from the side.

He didn’t even see it.

A massive force slammed into his body, tearing through the air with enough power to make the surrounding buildings tremble.

The Hydra’s tail.

It had moved while its three heads were attacking, sweeping through the battlefield with terrifying speed.

The impact shattered Eden’s Malevolent Chains.

Golden links scattered through the air.

The chain connecting him to Aphelios snapped.

Eden’s body was thrown downward.

For a brief moment, he couldn’t feel anything.

His wings were gone.

His weapon had disappeared.

The sky spun around him as he fell.

He tried to move.

Nothing.

Then he felt the pain.

His entire body seemed to be breaking apart.

The tail had struck with such overwhelming force that even Ferocious Evolution hadn’t been able to absorb the impact completely.

Eden crashed into the roof of the hotel skyscraper.

The concrete shattered.

His body continued downward, punching through the floors in rapid succession.

He couldn’t stop.

Forty floors.

He tore through offices, corridors, reinforced walls, and structural supports, leaving a trail of destruction behind him.

By the time he finally stopped, he was buried beneath an enormous pile of rubble.

For several seconds, there was no movement.

Then a hand emerged.

Eden dragged himself out of the debris.

Blood covered his face and torso. His right arm hung at an unnatural angle, and his legs barely responded when he tried to move them.

His breathing was shallow.

Ferocious Evolution was still active.

Black scales covered almost his entire body, and the two demonic horns remained on his head.

[Blackout: 95%]

His body trembled.

He tried to stand.

A sharp pain shot through his chest.

He coughed violently, spitting blood onto the ground.

’...Nine—’

He forced himself to assess the damage.

’Nine broken bones.’

’...At least.’

Several ribs, his right arm, parts of his shoulder, and more than a few fractures throughout his legs. His internal organs had also sustained considerable damage.

Violent Vitality was working desperately to repair everything, but the amount of Essence required was enormous.

Eden leaned against a broken support pillar.

His vision blurred.

He had survived.

Barely.

That single attack had nearly killed him.

And the Hydra hadn’t even needed to use one of its three heads.

The voice returned.

[Pathetic.]

Eden closed his eyes.

[So weak.]

The words were quieter now.

But somehow, they felt closer than ever.

[You can’t even stand.]

A cold sensation spread through his spine.

Eden slowly opened his eyes.

"...Shut up."

He wasn’t sure who he was talking to.

Above him, the sound of another enormous roar shook the remaining floors of the building.

Dust fell from the ceiling.

The battle wasn’t over.

And Aphelios was still alive.

Far above, the Hydra’s enormous silhouette moved through the burning sky.

’Damn it.’