Chapter 7: Battle With A Calamity Beast (2)

*Breakthrough Detected! Mana Core is expanding to accommodate the overflow. Rank Up: mid-stage, Transcendent Dominion.

"I didn’t know I could boost my rank like that!" Lucien roared, feeling the power in his veins turn from a stream into a flood.

*Your dominion core was overwhelmed with the ’Essence’ you took from Adeline and your own rage. It had to enlarge or explode.*

Lucien slowly stood up while overwhelming mana exploded around him like a storm. "I can rank up during battle?" he muttered in disbelief.

*Not technically correct, you ranked up because the mana core you have now isn’t for a true Dominion but for a Transcendent Dominion, you raged and it made your powers stronger* the system replied calmly. *Your current strength now surpasses ordinary Mid Stage Arch Priests and mid stage Transcendent dominion.*

Lucien smirked darkly before disappearing instantly. BOOM!

Lucien didn’t wait for the beast to recover. As the black rage took hold and his breakthrough stabilized, he felt a level of power he hadn’t known existed.

His previous stage form was a candle, this new stage was a roaring furnace. He moved before the Calamity beast could even lift its pinned head.

Lucien didn’t just move fast; he turned into a jagged streak of golden lightning. He covered the fifty feet between them in less than a second, his fist already cocked back.

The air around his hand screamed, compressed by the sheer speed. The beast barely had time to blink all six of its eyes before Lucien’s fist connected with its obsidian jaw.

*CRACK.* 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

The sound was like a thunderclap echoing through the silent forest. The multi-ton monster was lifted clean off its feet, its massive body horizontal to the ground as it was sent skidding backward across the clearing.

It plowed through two ancient oaks, shattering them into kindling, before finally coming to a halt.

It shook its head, violet fire sputtering in its mane, its stone-like jaw hanging at an unnatural angle. "How... how are you so strong, boy?" it rumbled, its voice distorted by the pain.

Lucien smirked, his mismatched eyes glowing with a predatory light.

The beast roared, realizing its survival was on the line. It opened its mouth, and a vortex of swirling purple flames began to gather in its throat.

*Notice: The beast is channeling its ’Calamity Breath’. High magical damage incoming.*

Lucien didn’t back down. He planted his feet, feeling his red soul energy flare around him like a physical shield.

He reached his hands forward, palms open, and channeled his newly expanded mana core into a singular, devastating point.

A sphere of light materialized between his hands. It wasn’t the white, holy glow of before, it was blinding, chaotic gold, as hot and fierce as a miniature star.

As the beast unleashed its torrent of violet calamity fire, Lucien shoved his sphere of light forward to meet it. The two attacks collided in the middle of the clearing.

The force of the impact was so great that a shockwave rippled outward, flattening the grass for a hundred meters and stripping the leaves off every tree.

The violet fire battled against the golden starlight, the air itself warping and sizzling from the intense magical pressure.

"Arrghh!" Lucien roared, pushing more mana more of that dark, greedy essence he’d stolen from Adeline—into the spell. The golden light intensified, beginning to overpower the violet. *So strong and relentless.*

The Calamity Beast realized too late that it was losing. With a desperate whimper, its attack broke.

The sphere Strike plowed through the remaining purple flames and slammed directly into the beast’s broad chest.

*BOOM.*

The explosion was deafening. Dust and smoke filled the clearing, but through the haze, Lucien could hear the satisfying sound of something cracking.

When the air finally cleared, the mighty lion was on its side, its chest caved in, struggling to breathe. The violet flames in its mane had flickered out, leaving it a massive pile of charred stone.

"You... you monster..." it wheezed, its remaining four eyes looking at him in terror.

"I’m just the guy who won," Lucien said, walking calmly toward it.

He reached out and placed his hand over the beast’s chest, right where its mana core pulsed beneath the ruined obsidian armor. He felt the residual heat, the final flickers of its massive life force.

"You can talk all you want, but your core belongs to me."

He didn’t use magic this time. He plunged his hand directly into the wound his strike had made. The stone-like hide gave way under his raw, priest and dominion strength.

He gripped the smooth, pulsing sphere of purple energy hidden deep within its chest cavity and yanked.

With a sickening wet thud, the core came loose. The beast let out one final, agonizing shudder and fell still as it started decomposing and turning to ashes while the particles disipates in the air.

Lucien stood there, breathing heavily, covered in the beast’s black blood and dust. He held up the core it was the size of a human full fist, radiating a dangerous, heavy aura. He’d done it. He’d beaten a Calamity Beast at a mid-Transcendent Dominion rank.

He cracked a genuine, exhausted smile. "Well, original Lucien," he thought, pocketing the core. "At least we have the strength to match the ego now."

He dusted himself off, his eyes finally fading back to their normal mismatched colors as the adrenaline faded.

The exam wasn’t over, and he still had thousands of cores to collect if he wanted to hit that Elite spot, but after this? He knew no beast in this forest could stop him except from the ancient mythic beasts and above.

Lucien breathed heavily. "That was exhausting..." he used his mind and saw his screen stats, his HP was now, 900/5000. He didn’t have anything to heal himself and hasn’t even unlocked the shop items.

After several moments of resting regaining only 1500+ Hp, he then heated a sharp sound.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Lucien slowly turned, a tall young man stepped out from the shadows lazily with his hands inside his pockets. His soul energy aura was enormous, far stronger than ordinary students.

*Peak Stage Arch Priest.*

The system analyzed instantly, the young man yawned before smirking lazily. "You worked pretty hard for that core." His eyes locked onto the glowing purple core greedily.

"Now hand it over."

Lucien narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I’ve spent the entire day taking cores from weaklings," the young man continued casually. "I’d rather not waste time fighting seriously because obviously I’m more powerful."

Lucien slowly tightened his grip around the core before smiling coldly. "If you want it..." dark mana slowly flickered around him once more, "...then come get it."