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n96 Prey and Hunter

nThe flaming monster pursued relentlessly, hurling crimson fireballs that blasted craters in the earth. Lumian was thrown off balance multiple times.

nFlames licked at the charred logs that littered the desolate landscape, casting flickering red light in every direction.

nLumian barely spared a thought for the fire still consuming his clothes. Gritting his teeth against the searing pain, he was sent sprawling by the shockwaves of detonation after detonation. He staggered to his feet and careened wildly towards his destination—veering left, then right, arcing and darting straight ahead.

nMercifully, he didn’t have far to go based on his plan. Just as he felt the taste of blood in his mouth and his body threatened to give out, a dilapidated building loomed before him.

nBoom!

nLumian contorted his body mid-stride, narrowly avoiding a fireball. The scarlet projectile exploded just ahead, unleashing a hellish maelstrom of flames.

nSeizing the moment, Lumian dropped to the ground and rolled beneath the worst of the conflagration. With the momentum, he tumbled into the partially collapsed structure.

nThe flaming monster halted and hesitated, wary of pursuing its prey into a potential death trap.

nIt watched as Lumian rolled deeper into the building, summoning a swarm of red Fire Ravens around it.

nTheir screeches filled the air as they took flight. Half of them dove towards the building’s support beams, while the others bore down on Lumian from all sides.

nThese avian flames were unerring, constantly adjusting their trajectories to match Lumian’s movements.

nIn that instant, the flaming monster could almost see its enemy’s charred remains.

nFire Ravens were far more difficult to dodge than mere fireballs!

nAnd then, Lumian disappeared from the monster’s view.

nHe had rolled into a well-preserved basement.

nBang!

nLumian slammed the wooden door shut and leaped aside, using the force of the impact.

nSwoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! The scarlet Fire Ravens slammed into the door.

nBoom!

nThe heavy door disintegrated into flaming splinters.

nRumble!

nThe remaining Fire Ravens struck their intended targets, bringing down the decaying structure in a torrent of debris.

nStone, wood, and dust engulfed the area, entombing the basement.

nLumian had already taken refuge in a corner, using the accumulated dirt to smother the flames that clung to him.

nBut he was still badly burned, his internal organs battered by the force of the explosions. Without swift medical attention, he wouldn’t last another day.

nThe flaming monster’s attack had been devastating, even more potent than Ryan sans his Hurricane of Light!

nLumian had intended to use Invisibility to elude the flaming monster, slipping into the basement to perform his enigmatic sacrificial dance, activating the black thorn symbol on his chest to terrify his foe. He’d planned to bide his time for Fallen Mercury to complete the exchange of fate. But the persistent fire had thwarted his Invisibility, nearly costing him his life.

nThe one consolation was that he had a backup plan in the event he couldn’t escape the monster’s pursuit, nor could he perform his sacrificial dance in peace.

nHe’d even considered collapsing the building to bury the basement and buy time, but the flaming monster had done the job for him.

nPhew… Exhaling deeply, Lumian sat cross-legged.

nHe retrieved the bottle of gray amber perfume from Aurore, unscrewed the cap, and placed it before him.

nOutside the demolished building, the flaming monster’s gaze cut through the swirling dust, searching for any trace of its quarry.

nIt was certain that the cunning intruder wouldn’t have been buried alive so easily.

nGiven the complexity of the traps he’d laid and his intimate knowledge of the ruins, he must have left himself an escape route!

nThe flaming monster wasn’t particularly intelligent, but its Hunter’s instincts led it to circle the collapsed building.

nIn less than ten seconds, it discovered a hidden cave entrance angling downward.

nThe opening was concealed by debris from the fallen structure, sheltered from the ensuing collapse. It was difficult to spot and tucked away in a discreet location.

nThe monster raised its right hand, conjuring a fist-sized white fireball in its palm.

nWith a sudden lunge, it hurled the fireball down the passageway.

nThe flames streaked through the air, penetrated the basement, and collided with the far wall.

nBoom!

nThe blast wave didn’t affect Lumian, who was deliberately hiding in another corner. It only overturned the bottle of gray amber perfume in front of him and quaked the entire basement.

nThe gurgle of liquid flowed from the open bottle, its elegant and sweet fragrance intensifying instantly.

nLumian leaned against the wall, eyes closed, lost in Cogitation.

nHis mind conjured a crimson sun, holding it steady for a few seconds.

nSuddenly, a terrifying sound reached Lumian’s ears, as if from an infinite distance yet unnervingly close.

nBlue veins bulged across his face, hands, and neck, quickly turning red.

nSimultaneously, silver-black spots seeped from his skin.

nHe opened his mouth to scream, but collapsed and curled up before a sound could escape.

nFallen Mercury slipped from Lumian’s left palm, but it dared not make a move. It didn’t even attempt to approach his exposed face or right hand to create a marionette through contact.

nIt just quivered there, violently.

nOutside the basement, the monster poised to conjure a fireball froze beside the entrance Lumian had excavated.

nIt couldn’t help but shudder.

nA few seconds later, it fled, abandoning the hunt.

nLumian plunged into a darkness teeming with flickering flames. His mind was overwhelmed with excruciating pain and malevolent thoughts.

nIn that moment, death seemed preferable. He sensed something deep within him rapidly growing and taking form.

nIt appeared to be a trauma—composed of all negative personalities and a particular will. Once assembled into human shape, it would utterly supplant the original him.

nAmid the unending darkness of despair and pain, Lumian caught a whiff of a scent.

nElegant and sweet.

nIt was Aurore’s fragrance, a familiar aroma.

nAurore… Grande Soeur… Lumian slowly regained his composure, as if hearing the comforting melody once more.

nI want to live!

nThe loop hasn’t ended yet!

n…

nA rush of thoughts flooded back to him. Lumian finally vanquished the pitch-black will and the agony-laced darkness within his heart and opened his eyes.

nThe first thing in his sight was the toppled bottle of gray amber perfume on the ground.

nIt toppled? Lumian’s heart ached as he reached out his right hand.

nInitially, he’d only intended to mimic Aurore’s use of incense to control his symptoms and rely on the natural perfume as a wake-up call. Unexpectedly, more than half the bottle had spilled.

nIn the next instant, his body quivered. He saw the charred, bloodstained back of his hand and the silver-black circular spots that had yet to fade.

nWithout needing a reminder, Lumian could “smell” the unfamiliar, hair-raising scent on himself.

nIf he crossed paths with Valentine now, he’d be “purified” by his Holy Light Summoning without revealing a thing.

nLumian scooped up the remaining half of the gray amber perfume, tightened the cap, and stowed it away.

nHe then picked up Fallen Mercury, still trembling violently, and asked in Hermes, “Is the fate exchange over?”

nFallen Mercury swiftly shook left and right, signaling it wasn’t.

nLumian exhaled in relief.

nHe feared that by the time he awoke, the fate exchange would’ve been completed—the shock would last no more than a minute.

nIf he couldn’t locate the flaming monster in time, his recent torment would be futile.

nBreathe in, breathe out… Lumian adjusted his dreadful condition and mustered his remaining strength before crawling out of the basement through the hole he had dug earlier.

nEach motion tugged at various wounds, making him wince in pain.

nUpon exiting the basement, Lumian searched for the flaming monster’s tracks and sighed inwardly.

nUsing Cogitation in such a state and fully activating the thorn symbol on my chest is downright suicidal…

nI haven’t done it since becoming a Hunter, barely repressing the symptoms with gray amber’s scent. Had I done it a few times before, my body might have mutated slightly, turning me into a monster…

nI can’t risk this for a while unless I have a death wish…

nHe opted for Cogitation to fully activate the black thorn symbol on his chest rather than the sacrificial dance’s partial activation, as time was of the essence and he couldn’t perform the dance.

nWith Cogitation, he could frighten off the flaming monster in five or six seconds. The enigmatic sacrificial dance, however, took 30 to 40 seconds—even with his familiarity.

nIn Lumian’s hunting strategy, this was his last resort. If he couldn’t evade the flaming monster’s pursuit by other means, he’d attempt Cogitation!

nLumian hadn’t anticipated that Cogitation would leave him gravely injured from the start and on the brink of losing control, turning into a monster.

nBefore long, Lumian discovered the flaming monster’s tracks and pursued them.

nA few minutes later, the prints appeared fresher, so he slowed his pace.

nSoon after, Fallen Mercury shuddered on its own, notifying Lumian that the fate exchange was complete.

nWithout hesitation, Lumian brandished the iron-black axe and charged forward, following the flaming monster’s footprints.

nIn under twenty seconds, he spotted the scorched and smoldering prey.

nIt cowered in a rock-encircled corner, quaking.

nLumian dashed over, cast aside Fallen Mercury, and seized the axe with both hands, cleaving down with all his might.

nWith a dull thud, the flaming monster’s head and body separated.

nBright red blood spurted out violently, igniting into scarlet flame clusters on the ground.

nLumian, unable to hold on any longer, collapsed to the ground with his axe.

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