After Maria and the others went behind the rock, Zane and the humanoid ice monster began their first fight.
"How about we finish this without anyone interfering?" Zane said while preparing to attack.
"Fine by me!" the Ice Demon roared, wearing a wide smile.
And THEN...
"HEAVENLY DRAGON STEP... "
FWOOSH!
Zane vanished from his spot, leaving behind a cloud of dust as he shot forward like a lightning bolt.
"What?!" The Ice Demon started looking around for Zane.
Suddenly, Zane appeared behind it with his sword drawn.
"Take this!" Zane shouted, swinging his blade.
BOOOM!
The Ice Demon teleported just in time, but its hand was severed.
"Well, well... Look at that. You were able to cut my hand and catch up to my speed. How interesting," it said as its hand began regenerating.
Before it could finish speaking, Zane attacked again, forcing it to teleport once more.
CRACK!
The ice mask covering the Ice Demon’s face split down the middle and shattered into tiny pieces, revealing a furious, terrifying face underneath. It had no lips to cover its mouth, exposing sharp, long, red teeth.
"You damn human! How dare you touch my mask?!" the monster roared. Blood from the altar began rising from the ground, surging into its chest.
A huge wave of black mana blasted from its body and the ground beneath. The ice turned black and corrupted as the temperature plummeted even further.
STEP.... STEP.... STEP...
The Ice Demon stepped out from the shadows, breathing out black steam.
"HEAVENLY.... "
"Too slow."
WOOSH!
A heavy, ice-covered fist struck Zane right in the face.
BOOM!
Zane was sent flying backward, crashing down beside Maria and the others.
"Zane, are you alright?!" Mariana shouted.
"Yeah... Yeah, I am," Zane said, pushing himself up. "You guys stand back."
The Ice Demon laughed, its voice echoing from every direction. "Is that all you’ve got, kid? How disappointing. I was expecting more from you!"
If I continue like this, I will die, Zane thought, closing his eyes. The only way out is to master Aura right here. Get faster updates on novelping.com.
He began focusing deeply, trying to channel his aura properly.
A few seconds later...
[DING!]
[NEW POWER ACQUIRED : AURA]
[REWARDS : HEAVENLY DRAGON BURST , DRAGON AURA ]
"It worked," Zane muttered, opening his eyes.
The moment he looked up, the Ice Demon was already in his face preparing another attack, launching Zane flying toward the entrance of the dungeon.
[DING!]
[WARNING]
[WARNING]
[MASTER IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION: ACTIVATING SELF-REGENERATION ]
"Thanks, System," Zane whispered.
"Mmm...?" The Ice Demon paused, sensing a sudden change in Zane.
Zane slowly stood up. "System, activate DRAGON AURA ."
FWOOOSH!
[ACTIVATING DRAGON AURA ]
FWOOSH! BOOM!
A massive surge of Aura erupted from Zane, coating his sword. The display shocked Maria and the others—he had only been introduced to the concept of Aura three days ago.
"Whoa... Zane learned Aura?!" Mariana shouted in disbelief.
If Zane can learn Aura just from hearing about it, he might even surpass his ancestors, Maria thought, staring at him in awe.
"Now then, let’s test this power and see what it can do," Zane said, eyeing his glowing blade.
He swung his sword to test its strength.
BOOOM!
A massive fissure split the ground from his swing alone.
"Let’s go!" Zane shouted, charging toward the Ice Demon.
The Ice Demon grinned and surged forward to meet him. Their collision created a massive shockwave that rippled all the way outside the dungeon.
"Aaah! What is this power?! What’s with this wind?!" the City Lord shouted, staring at the dungeon entrance in shock.
Both fighters took a few steps back before Zane activated another skill.
"FLAME TORNADO!"
"Ice Wall."
BOOOM !
The spells collided. Zane immediately followed up.
"Heavenly Dragon Step!"
"Ice-Shatter Step!" the Ice Demon countered.
They began exchanging rapid blows, generating heavy winds and shockwaves so intense that Maria and the others had to cover their eyes.
BOOOM!
Coating his sword in Aura, Zane landed a direct hit, sending the Ice Demon flying backward.
"HEAVENLY DRAGON BURST !"
Zane pursued the airborne monster, unleashing a massive explosion that shook the entire cavern like an earthquake.
[DING!]
[ICE DEMON MONSTER HAS BEEN DEFEATED ]
[REWARD : HEAVEN FRAGMENT (CAN ONLY BE USED WHEN ESTABLISHING A HOLY VESSEL )]
"I won...!" Zane panted to himself.
"Zane, let’s get out of here!" Maria shouted. "These monsters are too strong! We barely survived a first-floor monster!"
"Yeah, let’s go," Zane agreed, following Maria and the rest of the group.
Suddenly, a terrifying roar echoed from deep within the dungeon, causing the entire structure to tremble.
"Run, Zane!" Mariana yelled.
Just as they were about to make it out, the floor gave way. Zane tripped and fell into a deep fissure created by the collapsing dungeon.
"ZANE!" Maria screamed, lunging forward to grab his hand, but she missed.
Joshua grabbed Maria, slinging her over his shoulder as they scrambled out of the collapsing cave. They burst out of the dungeon just as the entrance caved in, sealing the cave completely.
"No... No, no, no! How am I going to explain this to the princess?!" Maria panicked, pacing back and forth while clutching her head.
"What do you mean ’explain to the princess’, sister?" Joshua asked, confused.
"Zane... Zane is the Fifteenth Prince! And I failed to protect him!" Maria cried out.
"What?! Zane is the Fifteenth Prince?!" Mariana gasped in shock.
"If what you’re saying is true, we need to report to the princess immediately," Joshua said grimly, heading toward the city.
A few hours after the incident, deep within the dark depths of the dungeon, Zane slowly opened his eyes.
"Where am I...?"