Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 48

The Succubus suffered significant wounds from the Sand Soldiers’ attack.

When it came to the monsters, succubi were particularly sensitive to injuries.

Perhaps it was because the Succubus was female that this sensitivity was heightened.

Regardless, it was a golden opportunity for Zeon.

Now that it was confirmed that the Succubus was Kaeshu’s only weakness, it was time to focus on exploiting it.

“Khaah!”

Zeon launched a Sand Missile at the Succubus and detonated Claymore. In response, Kaeshu coiled up and protected the Succubus.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Zeon’s attack was blocked by Kaeshu’s tough scales, but Zeon wasn’t disappointed.

He had already anticipated this level of resistance.

One of the most significant lessons he had learned while following Dyoden was the ability to envision the bigger picture.

Before starting a battle, he would already have in mind how it should conclude, progressing through each step.

Thanks to the trials given by Dyoden, Zeon learned how to lead the battle in his favor.

‘The first step is to block the eyes of the nine heads.’

Fwoosh!

Instantly, the sand on the ground, where Kaeshu’s body was, soared into the air.

The sand dust densely rose, obscuring Kaeshu’s vision.

Kaeshu, despite having a protective barrier, instinctively closed its eyes due to the thick cloud of sand.

At that moment, Zeon disappeared.

The second step in the picture he had painted was hiding his presence.

Zeon swam through the sand, moving to the center where Kaeshu was coiling up.

Even then, Kaeshu did not notice Zeon’s movement.

The Sand Soldiers were attacking from outside, distracting Kaeshu.

This was the third step drawn by Zeon.

Swoosh!

Zeon quietly emerged through the sand.

It was inside where Kaeshu was coiled up.

The Succubus’ eyes widened in surprise at the sudden appearance of Zeon.

In an instant, Zeon detonated Claymore.

Bang!

With a powerful explosion, numerous sand beads pelted the Succubus.

“Kyaaah!”

The Succubus screamed in agony from the intense explosion.

The barrier that had covered her body was momentarily dispersed by the force.

Zeon seized the opportunity and unleashed the Sand Blaster.

The Sand Blaster, which sprayed sand at a high pressure, exerted even greater power when concentrated on a narrower gap.

Fuswoosh!

The high-pressure sand sprayed directly at the Succubus.

A large hole was punctured in the Succubus’s abdomen. However, the Succubus, fused with the chimera, did not die.

Instead, thanks to Kaeshu’s incredible regenerative abilities, the wounds healed rapidly.

With her head bowed, she shouted in a venomous tone,

“Did you think I’d die so easily?”

“I know. It won’t happen like that.”

“What?”

Zeon’s voice echoed right in front of the Succubus.

When the Succubus hastily raised her head, Zeon was right there, standing in front of her.

After unleashing the Sand Blaster, he walked close to the ground with Sand Strides.

This was the sixth step drawn by Zeon.

And finally, the seventh step.

Zeon activated the Sand Mixer along with Exion.

Even deploying the Sand Mixer alone was powerful, but with Exion, the potency multiplied.

However, Exion wasn’t infinite, so unleashing it across a vast area was impractical. But when confined to smaller targets like the Succubus, the story was different.

Gaaah!

The sand, including Exion, rotated at a terrifying speed.

“Kyaaaah!”

The Succubus let out a desperate scream.

Her flesh was sliced away by the sand. The smooth skin disappeared in an instant, revealing her red flesh.

The Succubus tried to recover with Hydra’s unique rapid regeneration ability, but the Sand Mixer didn’t allow her the opportunity.

Kuwaah!

Belatedly, the nine heads of Kaeshu sensed the Succubus in distress and lunged with terrifying speed to protect her.

At that moment, Zeon snapped his fingers and muttered.

Snap!

“Self-Destruct! Sand Soldiers.”

In an instant, ten Sand Soldiers exploded in mid-air.

This was also a skill Zeon had recently grasped.

After realizing its potential to deal a significant blow to monsters, he had practiced the self-destructive power of Sand Soldiers relentlessly, and today marked the first time he put it into action.

Kwaaaaang!

Kwwang!

The force of the self-destructive attack was so great that the heads of a giant monster like Kaeshu were sent flying in all directions.

Meanwhile, Zeon ground the Succubus down to its bones with the Sand Mixer.

Despite the Succubus screaming for dear life, her cries were drowned out by the sound of sand spinning at a high speed.

Zeon’s complexion paled.

In an instant, he had exhausted all his mana.

Sand Mixer, Sand Soldier Summon/Self-Destruct, and Claymore – all were skills that consumed an enormous amount of mana. Using them consecutively naturally led to the depletion of mana.

However, Zeon had Elura’s Tear.

Once a day, this miraculous item restored all of his mana.

Zeon instantly replenished his mana, thanks to Elura’s Tear.

Kwagak!

In the blink of an eye, the Succubus vanished.

Kaeshu’s nine heads, which had been sent flying by the self-destructive attack of the Sand Soldiers, glared at Zeon.

Though the two were forcibly merged by Haeltoon, the death of the Succubus, even in such a state, was enough to enrage Kaeshu.

Each of Kaeshu’s heads glowed in a different light.

‘It’s the second phase.’

While the term “second phase” sounded optimistic, in reality, the true battle was just beginning.

What Zeon could hope for was that, with the removal of the Succubus, Kaeshu’s responses might not be as agile as before.

However, contrary to Zeon’s expectations, they unleashed their skills in unison.

Kuuuung!

Suddenly, the air became heavy, and an immense pressure pressed down onZeon.

Even the sand clouds suspended in the air swiftly descended to the ground under the overwhelming force.

“Ugh… gravity control?”

Zeon’s face distorted.

Among numerous skills, gravity control was one of the most challenging and powerful to handle.

That’s why there were very few Awakened in Neo Seoul who could manipulate it. Of course, its power couldn’t match that of Kaeshu.

Kaeshu was increasing gravity across the entire vast underground facility.

Zeon felt like he was under the pressure of three to four times the usual gravity.

In the midst of this, one of Kaeshu’s heads held a flame in its mouth.

Zeon immediately realized the identity of the skill it was about to unleash.

“Breath?”

While not as powerful as a dragon, it wouldn’t be difficult for it to turn Zeon to ashes.

Zeon desperately rolled away.

In his line of sight, he saw Kaeshu’s tail, which had been severed just moments ago.

Until recently, it had been fused with the Succubus.

Without further thought, Zeon propelled himself toward Kaeshu’s severed tail.

Despite the tremendous pressure, he was able to move thanks to Exion’s protection.

The moment Zeon reached the tail, an intense fire breath attack engulfed the area where he had stood.

Kwaaaah!

Under the tremendous heat, the sand beneath Kaeshu melted in an instant.

Zeon, without hesitation, plunged into the severed tail of Kaeshu.

Kwagagak!

He rotated Exion, which enveloped his entire body, like a drill.

Inside the tail, Kaeshu’s flesh was carved away.

Due to the immense pain, Kaeshu started to rampage.

Bang! Kwaaang!

Nine heads collided with each other and tangled together.

Even though it was reborn as a Chimera, it didn’t mean it couldn’t feel pain.

Despite Haeltoon’s claims of creating an optimal combination, the fusion with the Succubus seemed to be nothing more than a vulnerability.

Amidst the excruciating pain, Kaeshu swung the severed tail recklessly, slamming it against the walls.

At the same time, Zeon was also being swayed around. However, he did not lose his balance until the end and controlled Exion.

Kwaaaah!

Zeon continued to burrow into Kaeshu’s tail at a faster speed.

Then, unable to endure the pain any longer, one of Kaeshu’s heads bit into the tail.

Crunch!

Enormous fangs sunk into the tail.

The protective field surrounding itself was of no use.

Due to the nature of self-inflicted harm.

Meanwhile, Zeon delved deeper, avoiding Kaeshu’s fangs.

Now he had entered through the tail into Kaeshu’s main body, even the formidable scales couldn’t protect Kaeshu.

Kwagagak!

Zeon rotated Exion with all his might.

Despite the massive mana consumption, he gritted his teeth and endured it.

If he couldn’t withstand this, he would perish at the hands of Kaeshu.

If he, a C-rank Awakened, wanted to kill Kaeshu, a monster close to the S-rank, he had no choice but to destroy it from the inside.

This was the final step Zeon envisioned to bring down Kaeshu.

Tremendous pressure crushed Zeon.

Kaeshu constricted its muscles, applying intense pressure. Still, Zeon gritted his teeth and pressed forward.

Under the tremendous pressure, blood vessels in his eyes burst, muscles contorted throughout his body. Nevertheless, Zeon did not stop his advance.

He had no idea how far he had progressed.

Now, Zeon had reached his limit.

The mana he had recovered through Elura’s Tear had bottomed out, and his meticulously trained physique was now groaning.

The once ferocious speed of Exion’s rotations had significantly slowed, and Zeon’s steps had noticeably become sluggish.

Nevertheless, Zeon pressed on.

Due to the excessive use of mana and the limitations of his stamina, Zeon’s body was gradually collapsing.

Moreover, Kaeshu’s blood carried a potent venom, accelerating his deterioration.

Flesh peeled away, bones were exposed, and immense pain surged.

Even moving felt like hell.

Still, Zeon didn’t give up.

If he could breathe, he could move.

While he could move, standing still was not an option.

In his laborious steps, something caught Zeon’s eye.

A round object, as large as an adult torso, emitting a dazzling light.

Zeon instantly recognized the identity of the round object.

‘The Hydra’s Magic Stone?’

Magic Stones occasionally also came from monsters.

Unlike those mined from Magic Stone mines, the ones from monsters sometimes contained the creature’s essence.

Thus, occasionally, absorbing the essence from a monster’s Magic Stone granted new skills.

Naturally, the higher the rank of the monster, the higher the probability of obtaining a Magic Stone with valuable skills. However, the odds were so low that Awakened individuals rarely acquired Magic Stones with desirable skills.

Zeon couldn’t tell if the Magic Stone he was looking at had a skill inside it, but he had no other option.

Zeon reached out to the Magic Stone. Instantly, an indescribable wave of excruciating pain engulfed him.

“Kraaagh!”

Zeon screamed in agony.

Through the hand that touched the Magic Stone, an overwhelming energy surged like a tidal wave.

A scorching-hot energy circulated inside Zeon.

He had no remaining strength to control this unfamiliar energy.

“Kwaaah!”

Zeon screamed, his eyes rolling back.

It felt like his entire body was burning.

He desperately wanted to let go of the Magic Stone, but it clung to his hand like a magnet.

Zeon lost consciousness, but the overwhelming energy continued to pour into him.

He had no idea how much time had passed.

The Magic Stone lost its light, and the influx of energy into Zeon ceased.

A change occurred in Zeon precisely at that moment, who was lying as if he was dead.

His decayed flesh fell away, replaced by fresh, new skin.

His darkened face regained a healthy complexion, and his dormant heart, which had stopped, resumed its beating.

Gasping for breath, Zeon opened his eyes.

“Puuha! Am I not dead?”

Zeon checked his body while lying down.

All the depleted mana had been restored, and the wounds that had exposed his bones were completely healed. Not only that, but his entire body was overflowing with vitality.

His wrist itched.

Zeon removed the gauntlet while lying down. There, a light was seen coming from the sixth line of the rank insignia.

“What is this? I skipped B-rank and directly became A-rank?”

Zeon was astonished by the tremendous change that had occurred within him.

It felt like an immense energy, as if a volcano were inside his body.

If his mana was like a lake previously, now it felt as though he possessed an entire ocean.

It was the Hydra chosen by the Gold Dragon Haeltoon as its guardian.

Naturally, it was a special entity armed with incredible skills such as rapid regeneration, gravity control, and breath.

Among them, Zeon realized he had gained the ability of rapid regeneration.

The evidence was in the complete recovery of the wounds that had been exposed to the bone.

He didn’t acquire gravity control or breath due to their incompatible nature, but the rapid regeneration alone was satisfying enough.

“With this, could this have been a blessing in disguise?”