Chapter 555: Lionfang

Lento didn’t waste another second.

With a furious roar, he charged toward Adam, his crimson aura erupting like flames around his muscular body. His gauntlets glowed intensely, and the energy surrounding his fists grew denser with every movement.

"LET’S SEE HOW LONG YOU CAN KEEP THAT CONFIDENCE!"

His first punch came straight toward Adam’s face.

Adam tilted his head slightly, allowing the enormous fist to pass just beside him.

BOOOOM!

The punch struck the stone wall behind him, creating a massive crater. Cracks spread across the surrounding surface, and countless fragments scattered throughout the chamber.

Adam glanced at the destruction before looking back at Lento.

"Whoa. That’s quite destructive."

He even raised his eyebrows slightly, pretending to be surprised.

Lento grinned.

"HAHA! That’s right! And I’m just getting started!"

He immediately launched another attack.

This time, his movements became noticeably faster. His crimson aura surged, reinforcing his muscles as he accelerated toward Adam with another barrage of punches.

The air cracked under the force of his movements.

Adam shifted his body, narrowly avoiding the first few strikes. However, Lento’s speed continued increasing, making each subsequent punch harder to evade.

"Not so fast!"

Adam raised one hand.

[Telekinetic Command!]

An invisible force suddenly seized Lento’s body, attempting to halt his forward momentum.

For a brief moment, his movement slowed.

But then, the invisible restraint shattered.

CRACK!

Lento forcibly broke through Adam’s telekinetic control, his muscles bulging as the crimson energy around his gauntlets intensified.

"Hah! Is that all?!"

He laughed arrogantly.

"My artifact is far stronger than whatever trinket you’re wearing! Every second I fight, I become stronger! You can’t stop me!"

Before Adam could respond, Lento closed the remaining distance.

His fist slammed directly into Adam’s torso.

BOOOOOOM!

The impact sent Adam flying backward. His body crashed through several stone pillars before finally breaking through a section of the chamber wall.

Dust and debris filled the air.

Lento lowered his fist, laughing triumphantly.

"HAHAHAHA! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT?!"

However, his laughter gradually faded when a figure emerged from the dust.

Adam landed lightly on the ground, his wings spreading briefly to stabilize his body. He brushed a few pieces of stone dust from his shoulder and looked down at the spot where Lento had struck him.

Then he raised his head.

A smile slowly appeared on his face.

"...Now this is getting interesting."

The white aura surrounding his body began to intensify.

Adam slightly spread his arms, and several invisible forces stirred throughout the chamber. At the same time, the Crown of the Hollow Glutton above his head emitted a faint, ominous glow.

"Since you’re getting stronger with every exchange, I suppose I should stop holding back as well."

His eyes narrowed.

[Skill Activated: Sovereign Impact]

The kinetic energy generated by Lento’s previous attack began to accumulate within Adam’s body.

[Kinetic Energy Absorbed.]

[Sovereign Impact: 1/5 Stacks]

Adam rolled his shoulders once.

"Come on, Lion. Let’s see whose artifact can keep up."

Lento immediately answered Adam’s challenge with another roar.

"DON’T GET TOO COCKY!"

His legs pushed against the ground, sending cracks spreading beneath his feet as he charged forward once again.

Adam moved to meet him.

BOOOOM!

Their fists collided.

This time, Adam didn’t simply evade. He twisted his body, redirecting the force of Lento’s punch before responding with a heavy strike toward his opponent’s ribs.

Lento crossed his arms to block.

The impact forced him several steps backward, his boots grinding against the stone floor.

His eyes widened slightly.

"Not bad!"

He immediately swung his other fist.

Adam ducked beneath it, spun around, and delivered a kick toward Lento’s side.

THUD!

The lion beastkin was pushed sideways, but before Adam could follow up, Lento twisted his body and swung his enormous gauntlet toward him.

Adam raised his arm to block, but the sheer force behind the strike sent him sliding several meters across the floor.

’He’s definitely getting stronger.’

Adam narrowed his eyes.

The effect of Endless Battle was becoming increasingly apparent. Each exchange seemed to increase Lento’s physical strength, and his attacks were noticeably heavier than before.

However, Adam wasn’t standing still either.

[Sovereign Impact: 2/5 Stacks]

The kinetic energy accumulated within his body continued growing.

Lento noticed the faint glow surrounding Adam and grinned.

"What’s wrong? Still trying to keep up?"

He raised both gauntlets.

"Then how about this?!"

The crimson aura surrounding his fists suddenly changed.

A terrifying image of a gigantic lion’s head emerged behind him. Its enormous jaws opened, revealing rows of sharp, glowing fangs.

"Lionfang!"

Adam’s eyes narrowed.

Lento swung his fist forward, and the spectral lion opened its jaws toward him.

Adam immediately extended his hand.

[Void Tendrils!]

Several dark tendrils erupted from the ground, twisting toward Lento from multiple directions.

But before they could reach him—

CHOMP!

The spectral lion’s jaws snapped shut.

To Adam’s surprise, the tendrils were swallowed whole.

Their dark energy disappeared into the enormous mouth, which then began glowing with a mixture of crimson and black.

Lento threw his head back and laughed.

"HAHAHAHA! Did you think you could overwhelm me with those tricks?!"

The spectral lion opened its jaws again.

"LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT MY ARTIFACT CAN DO!"

BOOOOOOM!

A massive torrent of dark energy mixed with crimson aura erupted from its mouth.

Adam immediately spread his wings and twisted his body aside.

The attack passed close enough to tear through several of his scales before crashing into the opposite wall.

KRAAAAAASH!

The entire section of the chamber collapsed.

Adam landed on one foot, his expression becoming more serious.

’It absorbed my Void Tendrils and released them with twice the power?’

A notification appeared before his eyes.

[Skill Detected: Lionfang]

[Effect: Allows the user to consume incoming energy-based attacks through the manifestation of a spectral lion’s jaws.]

[Stored energy can be released as a counterattack with twice its original power.]

[Warning: The amount of energy that can be consumed is limited by the user’s current capacity.]

Adam briefly examined the notification.

’So it’s a counterattack ability. Anything I throw at those jaws might end up coming back twice as strong.’

Lento noticed his expression and mistook it for hesitation.

"What’s the matter?! Finally realized how powerful my artifact is?!"

He clenched both fists, causing the spectral lion to roar behind him.

"Endless Battle makes me stronger the longer I fight, while Lionfang turns your attacks into my own power! There’s no way you can win!"

Adam remained silent for a moment.

Then he smiled.

"That’s certainly a troublesome combination."

He rolled his shoulders before slowly raising his right hand.

"But I wonder..."

His white aura intensified.

"Can those jaws swallow everything?"

Several dark spikes began forming around his body.

[Eclipse Spines!]

Dozens of sharp, black-purple projectiles emerged from the surrounding space, each one carrying a dense concentration of Abyssal energy.

Lento immediately grinned.

"HAHA! COME ON! FEED ME!"

The spectral lion opened its jaws wide.

Adam’s smile didn’t disappear.

Instead of releasing all the spikes at once, he sent several toward Lento from different angles.

The spectral jaws snapped shut, consuming the first wave.

CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP!

The lion’s mouth glowed brighter as it absorbed the attacks.

But Adam had already moved.

Using Abyssal Glide, he accelerated sideways, slipping beyond Lento’s immediate field of vision.

Lento noticed the movement and quickly turned.

"Where are you—"

Adam appeared above him.

"Over here."

He brought his leg down in a powerful kick.

BOOOOOOM!

Lento crossed both arms just in time to block, but the impact drove him into the floor, creating a deep crater beneath his body.

[Sovereign Impact: 3/5 Stacks]

Adam landed a short distance away.

Lento slowly raised his head.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but rather than looking worried, he began laughing again.

"HAHA... HAHAHAHA!"

The spectral lion behind him suddenly roared.

The energy it had consumed was still gathering inside its jaws.

"YOU THINK THAT’S ENOUGH?!"

Lento raised his fist.

"TAKE THIS!"

The spectral lion spat out the accumulated energy.

A massive projectile, now twice as powerful as the attacks it had consumed, tore through the chamber toward Adam.

Adam’s eyes narrowed.

’So he can store multiple attacks before releasing them.’

He immediately spread his wings.

However, instead of dodging, he raised his left hand.

A dark dimensional maw began opening before him.

[Avarice’s Maw.]