Sovereign of the Ashes

A deafening roar, far more intense than before, echoed through the underground space.

The already massive Leoarachnid increased in size after devouring the demihuman.

More blood oozed out of Its swollen body, saturating the air with a pronounced metallic odor.

“It’s evolving!” Seven informed Sein from above.

“This doesn’t seem like a normal evolution based on the evolutionary patterns of magic beasts I learned in the divine tower courses. Could it be triggered by the demihuman it just devoured?” Sein pondered with a serious face.

“SHOOT, SHOOT!”

“FIRE!”

Commands to open fire echoed around them.

Earl Krue, witnessing such an extraordinary transformation for the first time, eagerly commanded the deployment of their heavy artillery.

The magic beast, clearly in the midst of an incomplete evolution, was trapped in its current form as a quasi-ranked magic beast.

At this point, it was in a state of frenzy, lacking the human-like judgment and rationality that Seven demonstrated.

All three Demon Breaking Crossbows found their mark, inflicting serious wounds on the Leoarachnid’s legs and waist.

The rounds from the Black Flame Cannons also struck the side of the beast.

While the explosions were not quite as powerful as Sein’s simplified version of the magic cannon, these attacks were comparable to advanced magic spells in their impact.

“We must stop it from evolving! For now, it’s only a frenzied quasi-ranked magic beast. Let’s launch an all-out attack!” Sein declared firmly.

As a spellcaster with nature akin to a black magic initiate, Sein did not favor casting spells from a safe distance like most mages.

He preferred close-quarters combat, leveraging proximity to amplify the effects of his spells. This was a unique aspect of his combat strategy.

The risk involved did not deter him.

His leadership and the cries of Seven galvanized the knights and mercenaries.

The mercenary groups employed by the Gypson Dukedom consisted of elite fighters, a standard that extended to the soldiers within the dukedom’s own army.

The frenzied quasi-ranked magic beast before them was formidable, but it had not broken their resolve.

However, the supply of arrows for the Demon Breaking Crossbows was limited, and the ammunition for the Black Flame Cannons was not endless.

The frenzied Leoarachnid began breathing black fire, effectively countering the incoming arrows launched by the Demon Breaking Crossbows.

In the end, it was the close-quarters combat that truly tipped the scales of the battle.

While Sein was among the first to charge forward, the leader of the Scarlet Scales Mercs was the first to engage the beast with remarkable bravery.

She wielded her massive sword single-handedly, aiming for the injured leg of the Leoarachnid.

Her movements were a blur amidst the faint traces of pyro elemental particles surrounding the beast.

A loud clank echoed as her sword struck the Leoarachnid, sparks flying in the underground space.

The creature’s tough hide, already torn by the crossbow arrows, was now more susceptible to damage.

The two leaders of the mercenary groups and two senior squires from the Gypson Dukedom quickly joined the fray.

With Sein casting spells in close proximity and Seven launching aero blades from above, they had the Leoarachnid outnumbered seven to one.

Despite being surrounded and continuously wounded, the Leoarachnid’s evolution seemed to accelerate under the relentless assault.

New wounds appeared on its body every moment, but astonishingly, it showed no signs of succumbing.

Sein was taken aback by the beast’s resilience.

“Is this what distinguishes a creature on the brink of reaching Rank One from those below?” he wondered as he observed the growing pool of blood beneath the Leoarachnid.

“No good! We can’t handle this, let’s fall back for now!” One of the mercenary leaders called for a retreat.

Challenging ranked magic beast in a contest of endurance and physical strength was undoubtedly foolish. The odds were unfavorable, even with a seven-to-one advantage.

The leader’s suggestion resonated with most, except for the leader of the Scarlet Scales Mercs.

In the heat of battle, she seemed to be in a trance, her combat ferocity and prowess outmatching several of her male counterparts.

Her relentless assault was what kept the others from immediately retreating, despite the daunting challenge posed by the Leoarachnid.

After all, none of them wanted to be outdone by a woman in combat.

“Hold on, I’ve got a spell to try,” Sein interjected.

He began the incantation for Solar Eye spell, while Sev ceased attacking and returned to protect him.

The elemental energy in the air gradually intensified, impressing even the most seasoned knights in their midst.

Everyone, including the leader of the Scarlet Scales Mercs, was looking at Sein.

This divine tower mage seemed to be more powerful than they expected!

As soon as Sein completed the incantation, six golden eyes materialized around him.

He directed a potent golden beam of energy toward the raging Leoarachnid below.

Light immediately engulfed the area and banished the darkness, as if the sun itself had risen underground.

* * *

Once the dust settled, the gruesome aftermath was laid bare, marked by a field of scattered remains.

The majority of these scattered remains belonged to the underground demihumans, with some belonging to human knights, mixed with parts of the Leoarachnid.

Following the release of Sein’s Solar Eye spell, the Leoarachnid, severely disfigured and missing much of its head, erupted in a violent explosion upon its death.

The powerful blast claimed the life of a nearby senior squire, and the dispersal of corrosive remains caused additional harm to mercenaries and soldiers in proximity.

Sein surmised that the explosion was not an intentional act by the Leoarachnid, but rather a consequence of uncontrolled elemental energies running amok within its body after its brain was destroyed.

This chaotic release of energy was particularly concentrated at the junction between the lion and spider parts of its body, reinforcing Sein’s hypothesis.

After the battle, Sein investigated the Leoarachnid’s remains, searching for every relevant clue he could gather.

His attention was drawn to an unusual black stone.

It appeared to have once been the statuette of a god, but its features were now marred by the corrosive effect of the Leoarachnid’s stomach acid, rendering its face unrecognizable.

From what Sein could make out, it had a humanoid form with what appeared to be the lower half of a spider.