Chapter 185: East Anekta Crisis (24)

Several kilometers away, the battle between Luka, Luvian, and Ember had yet to reach a conclusion.

Or rather, it had been reaching one.

Luka was visibly struggling.

His Dark Matter had become noticeably thinner, and the wounds inflicted by Luvian’s crimson flames were taking longer to regenerate. Every time he tried to reconstruct a damaged limb or reinforce his defenses, another portion of his reserves disappeared.

Ember was in a similar state.

Her purple flames continued burning around her body, but their intensity had diminished considerably. She had already spent a tremendous amount of Essence healing her injuries, and the prolonged battle was beginning to take its toll.

Luvian, however, remained relatively composed.

He stood several meters away, his right hand extended toward Luka. Crimson flames danced around his fingers, occasionally forming small sparks that drifted through the air.

"You’re slowing down," Luvian remarked.

Luka clicked his tongue.

"Oh, fuck off."

Ember adjusted her grip on her sword.

"Enough. He’s running out of options."

Luka glanced at her.

"That’s funny coming from someone who’s barely standing."

Ember didn’t respond.

Instead, she gathered her remaining Essence around her blade. Purple flames erupted along its edge, forming a bright, flickering aura.

Luvian noticed.

"Don’t overdo it. Your injuries haven’t completely healed."

"I know."

She stepped forward.

Luka’s expression changed slightly.

He had been waiting for an opening. Despite his deteriorating condition, he was still dangerous enough to kill either of them if they made a mistake.

But the longer the battle continued, the worse his situation became.

Luvian’s flames were a problem he couldn’t solve.

They didn’t simply damage his body. They burned away the Dark Matter itself, permanently reducing the substance he relied on to regenerate and fight.

And Ember was still an S-Rank Awakened.

Even exhausted, she was a threat.

Luka needed to leave.

But before he could make his move, something changed.

A faint vibration passed through the ground.

All three of them paused.

Luvian turned his head.

"What was that?"

Another tremor followed.

Then another.

The surrounding buildings began to shake, and several distant structures collapsed in quick succession.

Ember looked toward the city.

"An earthquake?"

"No," Luvian muttered.

He could feel it.

Something was approaching.

A strange pressure began spreading through the air, accompanied by a faint, almost imperceptible sound resembling the grinding of countless teeth.

Luka’s expression stiffened.

His eyes slowly widened.

He knew that sensation.

He had felt it before.

Not long ago, during his previous encounter with Eden.

A dark-red mass of Essence began emerging from behind the buildings in the distance.

At first, it looked like a wave.

Then it grew larger.

And larger.

Until it resembled an enormous crimson flood rolling across the island.

It swallowed the streets beneath it, consumed the buildings in its path, and continued moving toward them without slowing down.

Ember stared.

"What... is that?"

Luvian didn’t answer.

His expression had changed completely.

The moment he recognized the energy, his body reacted instinctively. His fingers curled, and crimson flames burst around his arms.

Luka took a step backward.

Then another.

For once, he wasn’t smiling.

"...You’re kidding."

The red Essence advanced.

A building standing directly in its path disappeared within seconds. Its upper floors were swallowed first, followed by the lower structure, leaving nothing behind.

Luvian’s eyes widened.

’That’s without a doubt Eden’s skill...’

Luvian stared at the approaching mass.

He remembered the previous encounter.

He remembered how Eden’s Devour had consumed his attacks, how even his Flameheart Skill had failed to destroy it. Back then, the skill had been dangerous, but it had still behaved like something Eden controlled.

This was different.

There was no precision.

No direction.

No restraint.

It was simply consuming everything.

’What the hell is that Moron thinking?!’

Luka’s expression grew increasingly tense.

"That bastard..."

He looked toward the distant skyscraper.

Even from here, he could see the enormous crimson mass surrounding it.

"Just how much stronger did you become?"

Ember raised her sword.

"We need to stop it."

Luka turned toward her.

"Are you insane?"

"If it keeps spreading, the entire island will be destroyed!"

"See if I care."

Ember gritted her teeth.

"We can’t just run!"

Luvian stepped forward.

"She’s right. We have to at least try to redirect it."

Luka looked at him as though he had just suggested they throw themselves into the ocean.

"Redirect it?"

He gestured toward the enormous wave.

"Look at that thing! It just swallowed an entire building without slowing down!"

"We don’t have another choice."

Luvian raised both hands.

Crimson flames erupted around him, expanding into two enormous streams of fire. Ember immediately understood what he intended and joined him, pouring her remaining Essence into her purple flames.

The two energies intertwined.

Crimson and purple.

One capable of burning through Dark Matter, the other capable of overwhelming nearly anything with its destructive output.

Together, they formed an enormous wall of fire.

’Wait... this might be a good Opportunity.’ Luka thought.

He watched them for a moment before clicking his tongue.

"Fine. I’ll help."

Dark Matter erupted from his body.

It spread across the ground, rising into enormous spikes and thick, twisting pillars. The black substance formed a massive barrier in front of them, reinforced by several layers of condensed Dark Matter.

For a brief moment, the three of them stood together.

An S-Rank Awakened.

A mysterious flame wielder.

And a man whose Dark Matter had once been considered nearly impossible to destroy.

Luvian and Ember poured everything they had left into their defenses.

Meanwhile Luka half-assedly pretended to go all out.

The crimson wave reached them.

It simply vanished.

The Dark Matter barrier was swallowed in an instant, its dense structure offering no more resistance than a thin sheet of paper.

The flames followed.

Crimson and purple fire were consumed together, leaving nothing behind.

Ember’s eyes widened.

"What?!"

Luvian immediately stepped backward.

"Move!"

The three of them split up.

Luka threw himself to the left, while Ember and Luvian dashed in opposite directions. The crimson Essence surged through the space they had occupied a moment earlier, swallowing the ground and tearing through the surrounding structures.

Luka barely avoided it.

A tendril shot past his shoulder, consuming a portion of his clothing and the Dark Matter coating around his arm.

He landed hard on the ground and immediately rolled away, narrowly avoiding another strand.

His heart was pounding.

’What the fuck is with that guy?!’

He looked back.

The crimson wave continued advancing.

There was no sign of it slowing down.

No sign of it even noticing that the three of them had escaped.

It was simply moving forward, consuming everything.

Luka slowly rose to his feet.

Then, despite the situation, a nervous smile appeared on his face.

It was absurd.

He had already considered Eden an opponent he would rather avoid if given the chance. The man’s ability to manipulate Dark Matter, his ridiculous regeneration, and his seemingly endless collection of skills had made him a difficult target even before this disaster.

But this?

This was something else entirely.

Luka glanced toward the crimson flood.

He couldn’t even begin to imagine what would happen if it caught him.

There would be no regeneration.

No escape through Dark Matter.

No second chance.

He would simply cease to exist.

And yet, as he watched the crimson mass swallow another building, his smile slowly widened.

"...Well."

He looked toward the opposite side of the island.

The battle had given him an opportunity.

A very convenient one.

With the entire island descending into chaos, nobody would have the time or resources to pursue him. Ember and Luvian were too busy escaping. And Eden...

Luka glanced back once more.

"...I suppose you’re a little busy."

He turned and began moving away.

He had no intention of staying long enough to find out whether Eden could regain control.