Chapter 556: The Lion’s Greed

The projectile struck the opening.

For a brief moment, the entire chamber trembled as the two opposing forces collided. The dark maw distorted under the immense pressure, its edges rippling like a black hole struggling to contain something.

Then, the projectile disappeared inside.

[Incoming Energy Absorbed.]

Adam lowered his hand slightly.

"Not bad. But unfortunately, I’ve got something similar."

Lento’s grin disappeared.

"What?!"

Adam glanced at the notification before looking back at him.

"Although I suppose our methods are a little different."

The dimensional maw slowly closed.

Lento stared at him, seemingly unable to accept what had just happened.

His artifact could consume incoming energy attacks and return them with twice the power. Yet Adam had simply swallowed the entire counterattack without allowing it to reach him.

"YOU...!"

His crimson aura erupted again.

The spectral lion behind him opened its jaws, releasing a deafening roar. At the same time, the gauntlets on his fists became increasingly monstrous, their protrusions extending like the claws of a giant beast.

"DON’T THINK THAT MEANS YOU’VE WON!"

Lento charged once more.

Adam didn’t retreat.

Instead, several Void Tendrils emerged from the ground, spreading toward Lento’s legs and arms.

"Again with those tricks?!"

The spectral lion snapped its jaws, consuming the incoming tendrils.

But this time, Adam wasn’t aiming to damage him.

The moment the jaws closed, Adam used Telekinetic Command to seize several broken stone pillars scattered around the chamber.

They suddenly rose into the air.

"What’s this?!"

Before Lento could react, the pillars shot toward him from multiple directions.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The first pillar struck his shoulder. The second crashed against his side, while the third came down toward his back.

Lento roared and shattered them with his gauntlets.

"YOU THINK SOME ROCKS CAN STOP ME?!"

Adam tilted his head.

"No. I just wanted to see how quickly you would react."

A dark shadow spread beneath Lento’s feet.

[Eternal Coils!]

Enormous serpentine tendrils erupted from the shadow, wrapping around his legs and climbing toward his torso.

Lento’s expression changed.

"What?!"

He immediately tried to tear them apart, but the bindings tightened, simultaneously draining his stamina and mana.

The spectral lion opened its jaws again, attempting to consume the restraints.

Adam had already anticipated that.

He raised his hand, and the tendrils suddenly dispersed into dozens of smaller strands, slipping away from the spectral jaws before reforming around Lento from different directions.

"Damn you!"

Lento strained against the bindings.

His crimson aura surged violently, and the strength granted by Endless Battle began to show its effects. The restraints creaked under the pressure.

CRACK!

One of the bindings broke.

Then another.

Adam watched carefully.

’As expected. His strength keeps increasing, and Endless Battle makes restraining him increasingly difficult.’

He wasn’t particularly worried about the damage Lento could inflict. What concerned him was allowing the lion to accumulate too much power.

The longer this continued, the more troublesome the fight would become.

Lento finally broke free, tearing apart the remaining tendrils with brute force.

He landed heavily, breathing slightly harder than before.

Yet his grin returned.

"HAHA! Keep trying! Every attack you throw at me just makes this fight more enjoyable!"

Adam slowly lowered his hand.

"Enjoyable, huh?"

His crown glowed faintly.

"Then let’s make it a little less enjoyable for you."

A wave of oppressive pressure suddenly spread throughout the chamber.

[Domineering Will.]

The surrounding air grew heavy as Adam’s authority descended upon Lento.

For the first time, the lion’s expression showed a hint of discomfort.

His knees bent slightly, but he quickly forced himself upright.

"Don’t think... something like this can stop me!"

Adam raised an eyebrow.

"Still standing? Not bad."

He glanced at the crimson gauntlets.

’His artifact must be reinforcing more than just his physical strength.’

Lento roared and charged again, determined to crush Adam before the pressure could affect him further.

Adam’s smile widened.

"Come on, then."

The white aura surrounding his body surged.

This time, he wasn’t planning to let Lento dictate the pace of their battle.

Lento let out another furious roar and forced his body forward despite the oppressive pressure weighing down on him.

His crimson aura flared violently, spreading across his shoulders and arms. The stone beneath his feet shattered as he accelerated toward Adam, his gauntlets raised for another devastating attack.

"CRUSH!"

He swung his right fist.

Adam shifted his body slightly, allowing the punch to pass beside him. At the same time, he caught Lento’s wrist and pulled it forward, disrupting his balance.

Before Lento could recover, Adam’s left hand transformed.

Black scales spread across his fingers, and his nails elongated into sharp claws.

Slash!

Adam raked his claws across Lento’s chest.

Blood sprayed into the air.

"GAAH!"

Lento staggered backward, clutching his chest. Four deep gashes had appeared across his muscular torso, staining his clothes crimson.

Adam examined his claws.

"Your defense isn’t as impressive as your strength."

For a moment, Lento simply stared at him.

Then his expression twisted with rage.

"You... YOU DARE?!"

His roar shook the chamber.

The crimson aura surrounding his body suddenly exploded outward, becoming considerably denser than before. His muscles tightened, and the Nemean Cestus began emitting a violent red glow.

The wounds across his chest continued bleeding, but Lento seemed to care little about them.

In fact, his anger appeared to be making him even more dangerous.

[Endless Battle — Power Accumulation Increased.]

[Physical Attributes Temporarily Enhanced.]

[Greed Authority — Intensifying.]

Lento clenched his fists so tightly that the gauntlets creaked.

"YOU THINK A FEW SCRATCHES ARE ENOUGH TO DEFEAT ME?!"

The spectral lion behind him grew larger. Its mane was now composed of swirling crimson energy, while its enormous jaws opened with a deafening roar.

"THE MORE YOU HURT ME, THE STRONGER I BECOME!"

He slammed both fists against the ground.

BOOOOOOM!

A violent shockwave spread throughout the chamber, tearing apart the remaining stone floor. Adam immediately jumped backward, spreading his wings to avoid the expanding destruction.

Lento raised his head.

His eyes were now burning with an intense golden-red light.

"COME HERE! I’LL TEAR YOU APART!"

He disappeared from his previous position.

Adam’s pupils contracted.

’Faster again?’

Lento suddenly appeared in front of him, swinging his right fist with enough force to distort the surrounding air.

Adam crossed both arms.

BOOOOOOM!

The impact sent him sliding backward, his claws digging deep grooves into the stone floor.

He glanced at his arms. Several scales had cracked from the collision, but his expression remained composed.

"...Well, that’s quite an increase."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

’So Endless Battle doesn’t merely reward prolonged combat. His anger and the damage he receives seem to accelerate its accumulation.’

Adam rolled his shoulders, allowing the damaged scales to regenerate.

’If I keep trading blows with him, he’ll eventually become stronger than he should be.’

His gaze shifted toward Lento’s gauntlets.

’I need to end this before that happens.’

Meanwhile, Lento was already preparing another attack.

The crimson energy around his body continued to surge, and the spectral lion opened its jaws once more.

"THIS ISN’T OVER!"