Devouring Dragon Heir-Chapter 85: Ch Individual battles

Arthur moved like a flash, a streak of silver and blue in the dense green of the forest.

Before the S-rank ape monster could even fully react, before anyone watching on the screens could truly realize what was happening, the colossal ape had already lost a limb.

Arthur’s silver sword, infused with crackling thunder energy, had sliced through one of its thick, muscled arms with terrifying swiftness.

The limb hit the ground with a dull thud, dissolving into pixels. The ape roared in pain and fury, its remaining hand clutching the stump.

The sudden commotion of the high-level battle, the ground-shaking impacts, and the flash of lightning, attracted nearby participants.

They began to converge on the site, drawn by the sounds of conflict.

They did not rush in to help. Instead, they moved cautiously, waiting in ambush for Arthur to defeat the ape.

Their plan was to take advantage of his exhausted stamina once the difficult fight was over, to swoop in and claim his points. Their eyes held a greed fueled by the confidence in their numbers.

Arthur and the ape’s fight quickly came to a climax. Arthur clearly had the upper hand, despite the ape’s raw power.

His lightning roared through the battlefield. Each of his movements were precise, and each strike was delivered with overwhelming force.

The ape, though strong, was outmatched by Arthur’s speed and his mastery of offensive thunder magic.

It roared, thrashed, and tried to retaliate, but Arthur’s sword was too quick. With lightning infused it pierced through the ape’s skull

The ape finally lost the color in its eyes, its monstrous form wavering as the battle ended. It dissipated into pixels, leaving only scorch marks on the virtual ground.

Arthur landed lightly, looking at his increased score with satisfaction. He had earned the points.

*Stinnnnn... g...*

Suddenly, a swift arrow passed just an inch away from his right ear.

Had he not dodged the attack, subtly shifting his head with the help of his honed instincts, developed over countless battles, the arrow would have struck him?

Arthur turned around as his expression became somber.

He gripped the handle of his sword tighter. His gaze swept the immediate surroundings, confirming his suspicion.

He was surrounded by a group of ten participants, hunters from various factions, had emerged from the foliage confirming his suspicion that they had been waiting in ambush since his fight started.

The man in the lead, a large burly individual with a crude, confident smile stepped forward. "Hehe," he chuckled, his voice rough. "You know death will be painless as long as you cooperate with us, right? Just give us your points, and you can respawn without further trouble."

"Tch, cowards," Arthur retorted, his voice low, filled with contempt for such shameless people.

He immediately moved, launching himself forward with the same explosive speed he had used to tackle the ape.

The ten individuals surrounding him had made a very crucial mistake. They had assumed Arthur was a normal hunter who was exhausted from a tough fight and an easy prey to be ganged up on.

They had underestimated his resilience and the true depths of his power.

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Ellara Crimson, the fiancée of Arthur, was now walking with Flora Duskbane.

They had known each other for quite some time now, having met through Legacy Family gatherings and social events.

A temporary alliance was the best choice for the current scenario, given the unpredictable nature of the battle royale.

They moved cautiously through a region of the map that featured scattered ancient ruins, their eyes looked out for both monsters and other participants.

When Elara had met Flora earlier, after they had both spawned in separate locations, Flora had immediately started talking about Veridian.

She had specifically told Elara about Veridian’s weird ability to cast terrifying illusions, even exaggerating the tale of her own torment to make it sound even more horrifying.

She painted Veridian as a truly malicious entity, almost the most significant threat of the entire competition and a master of illusions.

Flora had been successful in her deception. Ellara, concerned for Arthur’s safety and genuinely disturbed by the description of Veridian’s power, had trusted Flora’s words.

And now, they were actively looking for Arthur together, hoping to regroup. Elara was entirely unaware of Arthur’s current predicament of being surrounded by a group of opportunistic hunters.

Flora’s true motive, however, was not solely to help Ellara. It was a calculated move.

She had been humiliated by Veridian and she vowed revenge.

Her goal was to lure Veridian into a confrontation with powerful participants. She planned to use Arthur and Elara as a means to draw him out, believing that Veridian would inevitably target Arthur due to his higher points.

Elara was a strong S-rank hunter herself, capable of handling most threats.

Her presence made Flora feel secure.

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On the tip of one of the small hills, Julie stood silently, leaning against the rough bark of a sturdy tree.

Her white-light brown hair flowed gently in the breeze. Her posture was relaxed, yet her eyes, wide and luminous, constantly scanned the landscape.

She was in her mortal form as Julie, but her soul was still Raphael, the Spirit Queen.

She had deployed the Elder Spirits, for reconnaissance across the expansive map.

Lumina, the Light Spirit, and Violet, the Darkness Spirit, had been sent to scout the northern regions.

Snow, the Ice Spirit, and Pyro, the Fire Spirit, were currently exploring the eastern territories.

Gale, the Wind Spirit, had been sent to the west meanwhile Aqua, the Water Spirit, was observing the southern part.

Meanwhile, Hola, the Space Spirit, and Chronos, the Time Spirit, rested deeply within her soul space, their immense powers too vast and complex for casual use in this suppressed form.

Spark, the Lightning Spirit, and Gaia, the Earth Spirit, floated close by, shimmering faintly around her chating with her..

In her mortal form as Julie, Raphael was able to channel the powers of the Elder Spirits through her body.

This allowed her to utilize their unique elemental abilities, though her own individual powers as the Spirit Queen were completely sealed in this world by the Heavenly law.

This suppression was a consequence of passing through the portal of reincarnation, which adjusted entities to the local planetary rules.

After using the Gate of Destiny to escape the collapsing Spirit Realm,

Raphael had been miraculously transported to the Realm of Reincarnation. This was a cosmic hub, a transition point for souls between lives.

There, she met Yama, the guardian of that realm, a being of immense power. Yama told her that he would have to reincarnate her somewhere, as the portal of reincarnation had already marked her as an eligible soul for a new life.

This was a process that could not be reversed. But since she was the daughter of Zeus, a powerful Celestial, Yama was quite scared.

He asked her to keep his involvement a secret, fearing Zeus’s wrath if he learned his daughter had been subjected to such a process.

Raphael, seizing the opportunity, then asked Yama to search for her darling’s soul, Klaus, and ensure she was reincarnated on the same planet, in proximity to him.

Yama, wanting to appease the daughter of Zeus, had complied, though the process was complex. He had arranged for her to take over the body of now dead Julie.

After arriving at this world, she had been detected by the ten Elder Spirits across the universe. Despite the vast distances, their inherent connection to their Queen drew them.

They gathered around her from different parts of the universe, coalescing into their familiar forms within her proximity.

Since the Elder Spirits did not pass through the reincarnation portal, they weren’t influenced by the local heavenly laws and were thus able to aid her with their powers.

Suddenly, Gale’s voice sounded in her ears through a mental transmission from wherever gale was present

"Raphael, I have found a strong monster," Gale conveyed. Her tone was excited, signaling a formidable opponent, perhaps even an S-rank monster.

"Then let’s go, everyone meet me there" Julie instructed, a delicate smile gracing her face.

Her eyes, usually innocent, now held a sharp, decisive glint.

She began to walk purposefully towards the west, the direction Gale had indicated.

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