Sparks rose from Shaka's armor, clothing, and hair, mirroring the surrounding forest fires. Then, flames engulfed his entire body, making him look like a war god bathed in fire.
The air was no longer murky, and his skin could no longer feel the burning heat. He stood in the scorched rock hell as if on flat ground. Power gradually surged from his body as the flames climbed higher.
Monsters, forced out by the sea of fire and fleeing in panic, turned their gaze to Shaka. They realized that if they did not defeat him, they would never escape the flames behind them. At the same time, their instinct to eliminate humans awakened from their genes, and they pounced like madmen.
"Roar--"
"Moo—"
"Meow--"
Berg bears, Minotaurs, hellhounds, and dozens of other monsters emerging from the fire launched a full-scale attack on Shaka.
"Come on, beasts! I declare that from this moment on... this road is open to all!"
Red light flowed in Shaka's eyes as his "Zone" state activated. Flames erupted from his body, and as he leaned forward, the distance between him and the enemy vanished in an instant his feet carving a shallow pit in the soil beneath him.
Shaka charged through the sea of fire, his axe flashing as he beheaded a Berg bear. The monsters that followed were fearless; with flames at their backs and prey ahead, they knew which choice to make.
As Shaka's axe fell, three more Bugbears leaped up, claws extending from their paw pads as they tore at the ground from three directions.
Don't underestimate me!
Shaka braced himself on one leg to halt his charge, then spun at the waist. His short axe traced a precise crimson line of fire in the air strengthened by the wind, the scorching heat instantly ignited the weakened beasts. In just three seconds, all four monsters turned to black ash and vanished.
[Red Blossoms] is a fire-based enchantment. While it provides no explicit stat boosts, the flame propulsion grants brief [Super Speed], and the attached flames maximize attack power.
The monsters advanced one after another. Flames wrapped around Shaka's legs as his figure leaped through the fire in a crimson arc.
"The fifth one... the sixth one..."
"Seventh... um."
After his seventh flash, the crimson trajectory stopped abruptly. The Minotaur's giant horn crashed into view.
Shaka swept his axe across flames melted part of the horn, but the weapon itself shattered on impact. It wasn't a [Tier 1 Adventurer Armament]; just Cecil's Level 1 masterpiece, a high-performance blank card at best. Having endured both flame infusion and the blow from a Level 2 beast, its purpose was fulfilled.
Weapon damage in combat is fatal it means the attack is interrupted, and subsequent plans are fatally flawed.
"A miscalculation."
The bull's head struck his chest, denting and shattering his armor. Air was squeezed from his lungs as a burning sensation rose to his throat. As he fell, a hoof the size of a sandbag sent him flying backward.
Shaka crossed his hands to protect his vitals but was still knocked dozens of meters away. After slamming into two or three burning trees, he slid slowly down the mountainside.
Agony wracked his body, and he coughed up blood, feeling his internal organs churn.
The monsters didn't wait for him to recover four or five hellhounds leaped, their flaming fangs sinking into his armor.
"Ughhhhhh—"
Sharp teeth tore through flesh, flames seared wounds, and the smell of cooked meat filled the air.
Shaka took a deep breath, his fingers igniting with fire. He grabbed the nearest hellhound by the throat, its bones crushing like tofu under his grip. He ripped three of them from his body, then gasped for air as the Minotaur charged, its massive hooves big enough for a person to wrap their arms around slamming down where he lay.
Fresh from escaping the hounds, Shaka lunged left, tumbling down the mountain path. The earth rumbled as the four-meter-tall beast's full-force strike carved a two-meter-radius crater into the ground.
"Moo ooh ooh————"
Missing its target, the bull roared to the sky. The deafening sound left Shaka dizzy, blood trickling from his mouth and nose. My hearing is failing... my ears won't stop buzzing.
His vision blurred, leaving only the Minotaur's shadow swaying in the firelight. Shaka struggled to his feet and vomited blood.
"Ha." He sneered. "Come on! Let's see who walks away alive!"
Crimson flames erupted from his body flickering and leaping like a final, frenzied burst of energy. Instead of retreating, Shaka advanced, his feet propelled by fire, leaving a crimson trail in the air. The bull grabbed a dead tree and swung it down at him.
"Ughhhhh!"
Shaka neither dodged nor evaded. His fist, wreathed in flames, struck the wood, splitting the giant tree in two and shattering it into splinters.
"Ora ora ora~!"
Shaka's momentum never slowed, straight punches, elbow strikes, and side kicks rained down on the beast. They traded blows for minutes before the bull deflected his punch and sent him flying with a headbutt.
Shaka landed and rolled, ignoring the sound of his bones protesting. His eyes empty and numb, he charged again.
He moved faster now, a strange spiritual energy radiating from him. His skills refined themselves each punch seemed to double his power and speed in return.
If Shaka had been thinking clearly, he would have recognized this: the first gate to a realm he had failed to cross countless times the realm of selflessness.
[The Ultimate Refinement Through Countless Trials]
A terrifying technique that doubled speed and power by consuming massive amounts of stamina. It was neither skill nor magic it was simply the limit of human capability.
Shaka swung fists and feet, using the bull's strength to amplify his own attacks tenfold.
The beast gradually faltered as the forest fire intensified, oxygen growing thin in the air. Your body is failing you!
Shaka seized the moment, his fist blazing with fury.
"One Hundred and Fourteenth Style: Wild Bite!"
"Nine Wounds!"
"Baqiang!"
His fists spewed scorching flames a three-hit combo that knocked the giant bull to the ground. He leaped up, clasped his hands together, and followed with [Outer Style: Naraku].
Ignoring the beast's struggles, Shaka knelt on its body, his flaming fingers tearing at its hide. When his strength nearly gave out, he grabbed the bull by the neck with both hands and roared hoarsely:
"Yan Hua!"
As the incantation surged, towering flames exploded from his body, engulfing both him and the beast and blasting everything around them away.
A moment later, the fire faded, withered leaves swirling wildly as Shaka his eyes glazed over collapsed slowly to the ground.
Time seemed to stand still...
The forest fire raged on, crackling as it scorched the trees.
At that moment, the giant bull limp on the ground suddenly moved. Having survived the flames, it had developed resistance to fire. Shaka's desperate burst had not been enough to end its life.
It reached to the side, grabbed a magic stone from the ground, and chewed it to pieces. Then a second, then a third remnants of its kin who had fallen to fire and Shaka's hand.
Thump, thump, thump.
A loud drumbeat erupted from its chest. It snapped its eyes open, a ring of scarlet down growing from its neck. Its horn grew thicker, and black keratin spread across its body.
It stood slowly, grabbed Shaka's right foot, sneered disdainfully, and crushed it with ease.
It's Level 3 now.
"Ughhhhhh " The shinbone fracture jolted Shaka from his exhausted daze. His vision was blurry, his throat burning but he could faintly hear someone calling his name...