The Paladin's aura flared, bathing the ruins in searing brilliance. Ash turned to white cinders. The air itself seemed to burn Elior's lungs.
> [Warning: Purification Field Detected]
Effect: Continuous Vitality Drain – 5% per minute.
Countermeasures: None available.
Elior staggered, smoke curling from his scales. The light scoured his bloodfire, gnawed at his vampiric essence. His systems screamed in chorus.
The dragon roared: "Overwhelm him—break the shell!"
The vampire hissed: "Drink the source, turn holy into hunger."
The Overflow Engine chimed coldly: [High-value loot identified: Silver Rune Core].
---
Desperation
The Paladin advanced, blade raised like judgment itself.
"Your kind spreads rot. I end it here."
Elior's lips peeled back into a grin, crimson fire bleeding between his teeth.
"Try me."
He lunged, claws wreathed in Bloodfire. The Paladin swung, their clash detonating in a burst of light and flame that flattened the smoldering ruins around them.
Elior felt ribs crack. The Paladin staggered from a claw gouge deep in his pauldron. Both bled—holy light and crimson flame dripping into the dirt.
---
System Trigger
> [Threshold Reached: Hybrid Ascension – Stage 1.5]
New Ability Unlocked: Bloodfire Resonance
Effect: Converts enemy energy into temporary power boosts.
Elior inhaled. The Paladin's holy aura flooded into him like poison—yet twisted, warped, and burned into fuel. His veins lit red, his claws elongated, scales crawling further up his throat.
The Paladin's eyes narrowed inside the visor.
"…Blasphemy."
---
The Reversal
With newfound strength, Elior roared, wings igniting into a full arc of crimson fire. He charged, smashing into the Paladin with brute force. The knight's shield cracked under the impact, holy runes flickering.
Elior's claws sank into the steel, tearing strips away. He bit down, fangs sinking into exposed flesh beneath the armor.
> [Soul Drain Active]
Vitality +20%
Holy Essence Absorbed: Minor.
The Paladin screamed, light exploding outward, hurling Elior back across the square.
---
The Order Revealed
As Elior rose, panting, the Paladin planted his sword into the ground. The air rippled. From the horizon, silver beams lanced upward—signals.
Elior's eyes narrowed. His systems pulsed in alarm.
> [Alert: Multiple Tier 4 Signatures Approaching]
Estimated Arrival: 2 hours.
The Paladin's voice carried through the smoke, hoarse yet resolute.
"You may kill me, monster. But the Order will burn you out of this world."
Elior's claws flexed. His blood boiled. His grin widened.
"Then I'd better kill you fast."