Blazing Horizon Spear art
The boss’s expression gradually returned to normal.
He no longer bothered meeting every attack head-on. Instead, his eyes followed the path of Lothe’s spear, quietly observing every movement.
Another thrust shot toward his throat. The boss tilted his head.
The spear skimmed past his neck by less than an inch.
Before Lothe could pull it back, the boss stepped forward.
Too close.
The spear instantly lost its greatest advantage.
Lothe’s eyes narrowed. The black sword flashed.
He barely managed to raise the middle of the spear to block.
Clang!
A violent force surged through his arms. Before he could stabilize himself, another slash followed from an impossible angle.
Dark qi clung to the sword like flowing ink, hiding the true path of the blade until the very last moment.
Lothe twisted his body.
The sword grazed his shoulder, tearing through his jacket before crashing into the wall behind him.
Concrete burst apart.
The boss didn’t stop.
He remained glued to Lothe’s position, never allowing more than two steps between them.
Every time Lothe tried to widen the distance, another sword strike forced him back.
Every thrust was interrupted.
Every sweep was cut short. The spear, a weapon that dominated at range, was slowly being caged.
"So that’s your plan..." Lothe muttered.
The boss smiled faintly. Their weapons collided again.
The boss suddenly changed his rhythm.
Instead of attacking immediately, he knocked the spear off line before driving his shoulder into Lothe’s chest.
Boom!
Lothe staggered backward.
Before he could regain his footing, a kick slammed into his abdomen.
His body lifted off the ground.
The black sword descended.
Lothe crossed his spear above his head just in time.
Bang!
The impact blasted him straight through a concrete pillar.
Dust exploded throughout the room.
Broken chunks of concrete rained onto the floor.
The boss lowered his sword.
"It seems..."
"...that’s the end."
Silence answered them.
Nothing moved within the cloud of dust.
Then—
A sharp whistle split the air. The boss’s instincts screamed.
Without hesitation, he threw himself sideways.
A black spear burst from the dust like a dragon breaking through the clouds.
It tore past his face before punching through the reinforced concrete wall behind him.
The wall exploded.
A figure slowly emerged from the settling dust.
Lothe.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, while dust covered most of his clothes.
His expression, however, remained calm. He stretched out his hand.
The spear vibrated violently before flying back into his grasp.
The instant his fingers wrapped around the shaft—
Something clicked inside him.
Every exchange. Every adjustment. Every thrust. Every mistake. Everything he had learned during the battle flowed through his mind like a river finding its course.
His grip unconsciously shifted. The spear felt lighter.
More natural.
Almost as though it had become an extension of his own body.
A familiar mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.
[Ding!]
[A self-created Spear Technique has been detected.]
[Recording complete.]
[Technique: Blazing Horizon Spear.]
[Rank: Level 1 - Tier 3.]
[You have gained 100 EXP]
[Description: A self-created spear art born from combat comprehension. Each thrust compresses qi into the spear’s path, leaving behind a faint trail of heat while allowing every strike to flow naturally into the next. Continuous attacks increase the pressure placed upon the opponent, making the technique progressively harder to counter.]
The notification disappeared.
A faint smile appeared on Lothe’s face.
"So that’s what it was..."
The boss frowned. "What are you smiling about?"
Lothe didn’t answer.
He simply lowered his spear. Purple qi quietly flowed along the black shaft before gathering at the spearhead.
The surrounding air began to ripple. Not from flames—
But from heat, It was faint. Barely noticeable.
Yet every thrust left behind a wavering trail, as though the air itself had been scorched.
Lothe stepped forward.
One step. Then another. His spear moved.
The first thrust shot toward the boss’s throat.
The boss blocked.
The second came before the first clash had fully ended.
Then the third.
The fourth.
Each thrust flowed naturally into the next.
Each one left behind a faint trail of heat.
The air shimmered.
The room seemed to grow warmer with every exchange.
The boss’s eyes narrowed. He could no longer read the rhythm.
Every time he believed the attack had ended, another thrust emerged from a different angle.
The spear moved like flowing water.
Endless. Relentless.
His sword barely kept pace.
For the first time since the battle began... He was being forced backward.
The boss gritted his teeth. Dark qi erupted around him as he forcefully broke away from another thrust.
Enough.
He gathered dark qi around his sword before lunging forward himself.
The black blade descended.
Lothe didn’t retreat. Instead—
He thrust.
Straight. Simple. Direct.
The boss smiled. "I’ve already seen this."
He shifted sideways. The spear missed.
Or so he thought.
Lothe’s lips curled upward.
The space beside the spear distorted.
An invisible blade silently cut through the air.
The boss’s instincts exploded with warning.
He jerked backward.
Shhk!
A thin cut opened across his neck. Blood slowly trickled down his skin.
The room became deathly silent.
The boss slowly touched his neck. His fingers came away stained red.
His pupils contracted.
"If I had reacted a moment later..." His gaze toward Lothe completely changed.
"I can see you’ll become a serious problem."
Dark qi surged violently around him.
"So I’ll eliminate you now."
Before Lothe could attack again— Everything disappeared.
Darkness swallowed the room.
The walls. The floor. The bodies.
Even the sound of breathing vanished.
"Lothe!"
Seana’s voice echoed through the darkness.
It was the last thing he heard before silence consumed everything.
Lothe stood motionless.
The darkness felt strangely familiar.
It reminded him of the endless void he had drifted through before awakening in the apocalypse.
The difference was... He felt no danger here, but he knew he was in danger.
"No need to struggle." The boss’s voice echoed from every direction.
"This is my Domain." Slow footsteps approached.
"When I’m done killing you..."
His voice was filled with cruel amusement.
"...I’ll take my time playing with her."
He stopped only a few steps away.
"And there’s nothing you can do about it."
Lothe remained silent. His head stayed lowered.
The boss smiled. "So..."
"Any last words?"
A chuckle echoed through the darkness.
"I wouldn’t celebrate so early..." Lothe slowly raised his head.
"...if I were you."
The boss’s smile froze.
Lothe’s eyes were no longer onyx black.
They had become a deep, ancient purple.
A lazy smirk spread across his face.
"No last words..." His voice echoed throughout the Domain.
"As you’re the one who’s going to die."
The darkness shook violently.
From behind Lothe, countless purple tendrils burst forth like awakened dragons, tearing through the Domain as they surged toward the boss from every direction.