Reincarnated with an SSS-rank Tamer System: My Harem of Villainesses-Chapter 22 – Flame of Judgment
Adam lunged forward with his sword raised as the remaining hunters rushed at him from all directions.
They all moved with near-perfect synchronization as they tried to overwhelm him, but Adam was no longer the same person who had arrived in this world barely a month ago.
He dodged the first attack by tilting his body to the right while using his sword to deflect the second. A third hunter tried to strike him with wind magic, but Adam had already moved, closing the distance and landing a mana-reinforced kick directly into the man’s ribs.
The sound of bone breaking was followed by a choked scream as the hunter was sent flying backward.
But he had no time to recover when a pillar of earth burst from the ground, trying to crush him, though Adam leapt back just in time while watching the leader from a distance.
The leader of the hunters had begun to move again, casting spells with minimal movements of his hands while maintaining a relaxed posture.
That was when Nox decided to step in.
The small dragon shot off from Adam’s shoulder like a shining black bullet, his scales reflecting the light of the burning carriage as he opened his mouth and unleashed a massive burst of black fire directly at the leader.
The attack was devastating, capable of incinerating anyone it touched, but the leader dodged it.He evaded the burst with a fluid sidestep while simultaneously launching ice projectiles toward Nox, who only had to twist midair to avoid them with ease.
The fight between Nox and the leader immediately became chaotic. The dragon attacked with fire, claws, and incredible speed while the leader countered with spells of different elements and precise movements that revealed years of experience.
It was clear that Nox was far stronger in terms of raw power, but that man had the advantage of experience and knew exactly how to move to minimize the damage.
Adam, taking advantage of the distraction, quickly disposed of two more hunters with a brutal combination of strikes and cuts before launching himself at the leader from behind while he was busy dodging another attack from Nox.
His sword aimed directly for the man’s spine, but the latter dodged at the last second, spinning while using wind magic to propel himself backward, gaining distance.
"Incredible," the man said as he observed Nox floating above Adam. "You possess a dragon that must be at least S+ rank or higher. That explains many things."
Adam did not respond immediately; he simply held his sword in a guard position while watching the man in front of him. "Are you afraid?"
The man laughed at the remark, a low laugh that echoed through the forest. "Afraid? No, Adam. I’m just... surprised."
Adam simply stared at him. ’Status,’ he thought to see the leader’s statistics.
[Name: ???]
[Age: ???]
[Magic: Rank A+]
’Rank A+,’ Adam thought in surprise. ’Same as me.’
But there was a clear difference between them, and that was that Adam only had sixty percent total control over his mana and could barely handle it properly. That guy probably controlled it one hundred percent, which meant every spell he cast was used with maximum efficiency.
’Damn it,’ Adam thought as he clenched his teeth. ’This is going to be harder than I expected.’
The remaining hunters tried to attack him again, but Adam killed them quickly, breaking their bones and opening deep cuts.
Nox continued attacking the leader in a frantic exchange of attacks and counterattacks that tore apart the terrain around them.
Adam was about to join in again when he felt something strange happening.
Nox suddenly pulled back and flew straight toward him before disappearing into his body as if something had called him.
’What...?’ he thought in confusion, but he didn’t have time to ask mentally because the system appeared.
[Tamer System]
[Mission Updated]
[Fight against the leader of the noble hunters (alone) for more than 5:00]
[Reward: +200 XP + Secondary Skill: Flames of Judgment]
[Note: Nox cannot physically interfere in this combat. This is your fight...]
Adam read the message quickly while dodging an ice spear the man had thrown, taking advantage of his distraction.
’A skill?’ Adam thought as he rolled to the side and got back to his feet. ’That helps a lot.’
The downside was that he had to fight alone against someone with complete mana control. It would be difficult. But holding out for just five minutes wasn’t too long; he could manage it.
’Great...’ he thought sarcastically before charging forward once more.
The fight intensified immediately.
The leader was no longer playing around; he cast spells at tremendous speed while moving across the battlefield as if he knew every move Adam would make before he made it.
Adam blocked, dodged, and countered with his sword alongside magical attacks, but it was clear he was being outmatched in technical skill and control.
A fire spell burned his left arm and a gust of wind pushed him backward, slamming him into a tree. Then a pillar of earth burst from the ground, striking him in the ribs hard enough to make him spit blood.
’That new skill would be useful...’ he thought as he wiped the blood from his mouth and watched the leader slowly approaching him.
As if fulfilling his wish, the system appeared before him:
[Notice: Mission Completed!]
[Rewards successfully granted]
[Tip: Try concentrating your mana into a single point]
Adam couldn’t help but smile ironically at his luck. Without wasting time, he concentrated all his remaining mana into a single point while raising his right hand and pointing his index finger at the leader.
He could feel the information of the skill appearing in his mind as if he had always known how to use it.Flames of Judgment.
It was one of Nox’s many abilities, or at least that was what the information in his head said.
And not only that, the skill could improve as he ranked up, but at this moment it functioned perfectly at Rank A+ despite his poor mana control. The problem was that it consumed absolutely all his mana at once.
One single chance. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
The leader noticed what he was doing and quickly tensed, beginning to form a defensive magical shield while retreating.
But it was too late.
A fireball the size of a human head formed at the tip of Adam’s finger, shining with an orange and white intensity that illuminated the entire forest. Magical runes spun around the sphere while the temperature of the air rose drastically.
"Die." Adam murmured before releasing the attack.
The fireball shot forward like a meteor straight at the man with an impossible-to-dodge speed.
The impact was catastrophic.
The resulting explosion destroyed several trees in a wide radius, leaving behind only scorched and charred trunks. The ground partially melted from the extreme heat, causing leaves to fall from distant trees.
Adam fell to his knees immediately afterward, completely exhausted and without mana. Every muscle ached and he breathed with difficulty; he could feel the blood from his multiple wounds soaking his clothes.
Nox appeared at his side, clear concern in his eyes. The small dragon immediately began using healing magic, enveloping Adam in a barely visible green light, causing his most severe wounds to heal.
’I... I did it.’ Adam thought as he looked toward where the attack had struck.
A massive column of smoke was rising into the night sky.
That seemed to be it.
He had won.
Or so he thought until he saw a figure moving within the smoke.
Adam’s eyes widened as he watched the man stagger out from between the flames and smoke.He was completely wrecked.
Literally. His left arm was gone entirely; only a burned and bleeding stump remained. His clothes were shredded and much of his skin was burned, exposing red and black flesh in several places.
Half of his mask had disappeared, revealing part of his disfigured face, though still not enough to fully identify him.
He was still alive...
The leader looked toward Adam with what seemed to be... a smile on what remained of his face.He said nothing.
He simply turned around and began limping away into the darkness of the forest, leaving a trail of blood behind him.
Adam tried to stand immediately to chase him, but his body did not respond; he was too exhausted and completely out of mana.
He could only watch as the man disappeared among the trees until he could no longer see him.
[Tamer System]
[Updated Statistics]
Level: 11 ➜ XP (210/1500)
Strength: 105
Endurance: 103
Agility: 102
Battle IQ: 104
Charisma: 55
Magic: 65 (+5 from skill Flame of Judgment – bonus in mana handling)]
[The system grants him the advantage of possessing abilities from his beasts/individuals, but with a limit of only one per individual]
Adam read the message with blurred vision while Nox continued healing him slowly.
Only one thing was running through his mind right now, and that was how he would make it to the academy on time.
Then, before closing his eyes, he saw Nox looking at him with concern as he continued using healing magic on him.
Then everything went black.
