Chapter 201 - 190

Flashes of light in the distance, accompanied by more roaring and rumbling, told them that what they had heard hadn't just been a warning growl, but an actual battle cry. As they hurried through the tall grass, Nick pushed ahead, jumping high enough to get an idea of what lay ahead of them. Multiple scenarios filled his mind, from a dwarven raid to a stampede or a frenzied guardian. Yet, when he finally saw what was happening, he found himself uncertain about the appropriate course of action. A rock worm, even larger than the one they had fought a few days earlier, was battling a massive feline. Boulders erupted from the ground, launching toward the majestic beast and forcing it to keep moving while a white glow enveloped its fur, granting it speed beyond what Nick could track with his eyes. Is that... no, it's not a spirit; it's just very powerful. Huh, it's very handy to be able to tell at a glance. As he fell back down, he slowed and lifted a hand to halt the girls. "It's two monsters fighting." "Not the temple's guardian?" Elia asked, looking ready to jump in. But Nick shook his head. "That is not a spirit. Just a very big lion fighting a rock worm, which happens to be close to a temple." It could still be connected. In fact, it's likely related to the temple, but it doesn't seem overly crazy, which is already an improvement compared to the others we met. "Oh," Elia muttered, obviously unsure of what to do. Their self-imposed mission of ensuring that no more temples were tainted by demons didn't precisely cover what to do when facing a territorial battle between monsters. Rhea, on the other hand, exhaled in relief. "Oh, well. That's good. We should find a nice hill to observe from. I could do with a show." Nick blinked, surprised by her casualness, but eventually shrugged it off. He was also curious about how the fight would go, and it wasn't like they could sneak past the monsters without taking a huge detour. "Alright," he said, checking the land for a suitable vantage point. Once he found one, he led them toward a tall hill that overlooked both the battle and provided a good view of the temple in the distance. This particular one didn't seem to have suffered badly from the ravages of time; aside from a few crumbled columns and a moss-eaten lateral wall, it was still intact. But what captured his attention the most wasn't the building. Rather, the battle unfolding just half a mile away was far more interesting. The gargantuan rock worm burrowed and broke through the surface, sending a rain of boulders crashing down, each missile the size of a large cartwheel. Across the battered plain, an immense lion—fully ten feet tall at the shoulder and crowned with a mane like molten gold—danced among the rockfall. White mana shimmered across its pelt, allowing it to shrug off shrapnel. In fact, now that Nick could focus, the fight appeared quite one-sided, despite all the wanton destruction caused by the subterranean monster. At any moment, a dozen boulders erupted from the ground, blocking out the sun and obstructing any retreat, but the lion gracefully side-stepped around them, never once risking any serious harm. It came to a point where Nick began to wonder if the monster was merely toying with his food. The rock worm might not have been particularly tasty, but he knew that the mana levels in the flesh would render it palatable anyway. Rhea leaned back, propping her elbows on her pack. "I can't imagine a better show. Pass the jerky?" She already held a strip of smoked thunderhoof, its seasoned sweetness drifting on the breeze. "This is better than a front-row seat to a gladiator match." Elia bit her lip, torn between eagerness and caution. "We probably don't need to intervene," she said at last. "But—" She trailed off as another volley of boulders erupted. The lion twisted on its haunches, its autumn-gold mane flaring as it narrowly evaded the maw that smashed into the earth in its wake. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Nick tore off a chunk of jerky and offered the rest to Elia. "I really don't think you need to worry," he murmured, chewing. "See how the lion never stops moving? It's preventing the worm from boxing it in. It has to be familiar with how they fight." Rhea hummed. "I don't know, avoiding being hit is all well and good, but that can't last forever. This worm is even bigger than the one we fought. I doubt it's going to get tired any time soon." Elia's clawed hands dug into the mossy edge of a boulder. "It might not be a spirit, but I can sense something coming from it. It won't lose so easily." Her voice trailed off as the worm surfaced next to the lion, jaws opening wide, rows of obsidian teeth dripping with tar. The lion leapt onto a jagged monolith that erupted beneath it, scattering rocks like hail, and crouched as glowing power coalesced in ripples along its mane. Nick's pulse spiked. "Uh Oh," he murmured. With a whisper of mana, he conjured a [Force Barrier] that materialized between them and the edge of the hill, just in case his hunch was correct. A second later, the lion leaned forward, its head thrown back, unleashing a roar so full of raw majesty that it shook the hill beneath their feet. Ferns trembled. The barrier hummed under the sonic force. Nick tightened its weave, jaws clenched, boots slipping on loose rocks. It wasn't even directed at them, and they were quite far from the splash zone. Yet, he could feel his barrier crack under the strain, almost faltering if not for his continuous efforts to patch it up. When the roar faded, silence enveloped the area. The entire battlefield lay scattered with broken boulders. The rock worm writhed, its carapace cracked in several places, and purple ichor seeped from its wounds. The protection its armor provided against most attacks seemed to have completely failed against the sound-based skill. Just as Nick had managed to kill one with spiritual damage, the lion appeared to possess its own methods for dealing with stubbornly resistant enemies. The lion leaped down, landing with predatory grace. It circled the worm, hissing with a low menace, then sprang, its massive jaws closing around the creature's sinewy body. Chunks of dark shell snapped free as the worm reared and shook, but the lion was relentless. Its jaws just kept moving until it had bitten all the way through. It then repeated the process, shredding through the worm's armor and demonstrating that it hadn't even needed to resort to the roar. Eventually, even the seemingly relentless rock worm could no longer endure the damage, and it crumpled into a quivering heap. Rhea whooped, the jerky forgotten in her hand. "By the heavens, did you see that? It cut the worm's armor like parchment!" She didn't seem to mind being wrong in her initial assessment. If anything, watching such a violent battle seemed to invigorate her. She mentioned a gladiator fight. Is that something the upper class of Berea does in their spare time? Watching people fight to the death or against monsters? I guess it shouldn't be too surprising. Elia's eyes shone. "I've never seen sound wielded like that." She brushed a lock of hair from her face, keeping her attention fixed on the lion. "It must be some kind of affinity. Nick, did you feel it use the air?" He shook his head, still awed. "No, it was definitely not wind magic. I could feel the sound travel through the air, but it wasn't its origin." He leaned forward, examining the flattened remains of the boulders. "It's a different kind of magic altogether. Very interesting." They watched as the lion devoured its meal, its teeth grinding the worm's segments into powder. With each bite, waves of force radiated through the ground. It didn't seem to mind the rocky texture. If anything, it looked like it enjoyed it, just as Talbot did while crunching rat bones. It was only the proportions that were off. Several minutes passed before the worm was consumed, surprising Nick since he hadn't expected the lion to eat the whole thing. Muzzle slick with gore, the majestic feline raised its head and inhaled deeply. Then its golden eyes lifted, fixing on the hillock where Nick, Elia, and Rhea huddled. It stepped forward with the uncanny grace of a sentient predator, its paws silent on the rubble-strewn grass. After a brief pause, it inclined its massive head as if in greeting and then turned to pad toward the temple. Nick was still trying to process what had just happened when Elia leaped to her feet. "We have to follow!" He exhaled, exchanging a wry look with Rhea. "Figures." Rhea offered a tired chuckle. "At least it just ate. It probably won't want to give itself indigestion." They trooped down the slope, over shattered stone, through the chorus of carrion beetles combing the fallen worm. As they drew closer, they noticed the creature left no footprints—only a silent, stately tread. Wildflowers bent toward its shoulder as it passed. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION [Blasphemy] has blocked the effects of a [Minor Domain] The temple lay just beyond the far edge of the battlefield. Unlike the smaller shrine at the Messenger's glade, this was a sprawling complex: austere marble walls, three tiers of stairs, and broad pedestals holding cracked statues welcomed them. Above, a battered yet intact dome reflected the afternoon sun in fractured shards. At its base, the great lion settled onto a dais of shattered pillars. It closed its golden eyes, basking in the sunlight that danced across its mane. The air around it thrummed with fading mana, and now that he was closer, Nick could sense that each of its breaths was enough to create ripples in the surrounding air. Elia approached, raising a hand in cautious greeting. When the lion merely cracked an eye and regarded her with something akin to curiosity, she smiled and walked closer. With a prayer, her silver flames bloomed around her, flickering halos mingled like gentle will-o'-wisps, and her three tails fanned out, each ablaze in soft blue. She knelt before the lion, as one would before an honored ancestor. Nick stood behind her, barriers primed, senses straining for any potential threat. Elia seemed convinced this would be a friendly interaction, and the brief regard the lion had shown them made it plausible, but he wouldn't lower his guard. Rhea crouched at the edge of a dais, much more cautious. Her recent success with transmutation had provided her with a much-needed offensive capability, but Nick doubted it would be effective against such a powerful being. In fact, he was certain that the lion was a Prestige creature. The worm had demonstrated abilities that far exceeded those they had faced, yet it had been handled effortlessly. And if it wasn't enough, Nick's new spiritual senses told him that this creature carried a weight that couldn't be faked. I almost mistook it for a powerful spirit, but it's too connected to the earth. In fact, it might be some kind of land-bound being. That would certainly explain its power. Earth's history was littered with such creatures, who entwined their very souls with specific locations and gained significant power in exchange for not being able to leave—not that they ever wanted to. But nothing in this new world had hinted at their presence here as well. Their birth was primarily due to the severe lack of mana in Earth's atmosphere, which compelled creatures to engage in dangerous deals to survive. Here, that wasn't an issue. And yet, the lion appeared to be just one such being. Moments ticked by. Then the lion's eyes watched them, amber orbs reflecting silver flames. It was clearly intelligent, much more than its appearance would suggest. "You have come at last," it said, its voice deep as rolling thunder yet laced with warmth.