"Roar—!"
Nidhogg let out a nascent dragon's roar. Its newly formed wings beat furiously, carrying its small body toward the massive resentful spirit formed of countless wailing souls. It opened its mouth and spat out a stream of dragon's breath mixed with golden sparks. The flames, hot enough to melt steel, were easily dodged by the spirit, which moved in a ghostly manner that defied the laws of physics.
"Dammit!" Hunter roared. The berserk power of a Sequence 8 'Barbarian' made his muscles bulge, and the curved blade in his hand whistled through the air, stirring up a vicious wind. But every one of his attacks passed harmlessly through the spirit's translucent body, as if he were slashing at empty air.
Their situation was even more desperate than when they had faced the Goblin King.
The resentful spirit seemed in no hurry to kill them. It was more like a cruel child enjoying the process of toying with its prey. It let out a silent shriek, and a cold, twisted spiritual force instantly enveloped the entire cavern, dragging the two of them into their own deepest fears.
Just as it slowly raised a claw made of pure resentment, preparing to reap the souls of these two mentally broken victims, a cold sneer filled with mockery and arrogance sounded from the iron door through which they had come.
"What a pair of pitiful insects."
"Vulture," the Sequence 7 powerhouse, had silently infiltrated the area at some point. He looked at the scene before him, a cruel smile spreading across his gaunt face. He had initially been wary of this sealed church ground, but it seemed his caution had been unnecessary.
He saw Hunter trapped in a nightmare, he saw the dazed Jasper, and he saw the fledgling dragon that had just absorbed the "Life Source Fire"—its aura was strong, but it was still fundamentally weak.
Greed instantly overwhelmed his caution.
The extraordinary trait of a Sequence 8 'Barbarian' and a contract beast with a mythological bloodline... this was a gift from the heavens! If he killed them here and then destroyed the resentful spirit, who would ever know what had happened?
"Die, loser."
Vulture hesitated no longer. He raised his hand, and a highly compressed, dark-red fireball radiating a destructive aura quickly formed in his palm. This was a fatal move of a Sequence 7 'Arsonist,' powerful enough to turn Jasper and the Nidhogg in his arms to ash.
However, just as he was about to throw the fireball, the massive resentful spirit that had been toying with Jasper and Hunter suddenly stopped all its movements.
Its head, composed of countless faces, slowly and stiffly turned toward Vulture.
If Jasper and Hunter were merely two tasty snacks, then the living, spiritually abundant Sequence 7 Extraordinary One before it was an unparalleled, gluttonous feast!
In the resentful spirit's chaotic consciousness, only the most primal desire for a more powerful soul remained!
It completely abandoned the two easy prey before it.
"Hiss—!"
A shriek sharp enough to tear the soul apart echoed through the cavern! The spirit's massive body instantly transformed into a pure black torrent of endless pain and resentment, lunging at the stunned Vulture at a speed that surpassed sight!
"Insolent monster!" The shock on Vulture's face vanished in an instant, replaced by the arrogance of a Sequence 7 powerhouse. He hurled the fireball in his hand!
The dark-red fireball traced a deadly arc through the air, but the resentful spirit twisted its body at an unbelievable angle, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow! The fireball struck the distant rock wall, creating a deafening explosion and melting a huge crater in the hard rock.
Having missed, Vulture immediately changed his strategy. He clapped his hands together, and dozens of chains made of fire erupted from the ground, coiling toward the spirit from all directions like fiery serpents, attempting to imprison it. However, the spirit's body became illusory and indistinct, allowing the flame chains to pass through it without causing any harm.
"A spiritual body?" For the first time, Vulture's expression turned grim. He knew he had encountered the most troublesome kind of enemy.
The resentful spirit gave him no time to think. It shrieked again, but this time, the attack was not aimed at his body, but at his soul!
Vulture's body froze. The scene before his eyes began to distort. He seemed to see himself in his youth, killing his own partner—who was both his teacher and his friend—to advance to Sequence 7, stealing his extraordinary trait. That face, with eyes that would not close in death, was now grinning menacingly at him, demanding his life.
"An illusion! Break!" Vulture roared, the spiritual energy in his body burning wildly as he forcibly dispelled the mental assault. But that brief moment of distraction was all the opportunity the resentful spirit needed!
The spirit's massive form appeared instantly in front of Vulture! Its claws, made of pure resentment, ignored the protective flames burning on Vulture's body and plunged viciously into his chest!
"Aaaaargh—!"
Vulture let out a horrifying scream. It was not the pain of the flesh, but the ultimate torture of his soul being torn apart and devoured, inch by inch. The spiritual energy in his body gushed out like a bursting dam, only to be greedily absorbed by the spirit. He desperately tried to command his flames to push the spirit back, but the fire was like a candle in the wind, quickly dimming amidst his screams.
Just a few seconds later, the screaming stopped abruptly.
With a soft thud, Vulture's shriveled corpse fell to the ground and turned into a pile of dust. A ruby-like extraordinary trait, radiating a scorching heat, rolled out from the ashes.
After devouring the soul of a Sequence 7 powerhouse, the massive resentful spirit seemed to have reached some kind of limit, or perhaps it had fulfilled its duty of guarding this place. Its once-solid body began to turn transparent and unstable. On the countless tormented faces, there was now a hint of relief.
Finally, with a long, ancient-sounding sigh, its massive body, like snow under the sun, slowly and silently dissipated into the air.
The entire cavern once again fell into a dead silence.
Jasper and Hunter awoke from their nightmares, gasping for breath. They looked at each other in lingering fear, then at the pile of ashes that was once "Vulture" and the tempting extraordinary trait on the ground.
They had survived.
Not because they were strong, but simply because a hungrier predator had chosen a fatter prey.
This realization sent a chill deep into their bones.