Jiahao

Buzz~

The air was torn apart the instant the Riyao moved, and a visible shockwave spread out from the spot where he disappeared.

The blast wave blew up the rubble on the ground and extinguished all the torches on the rock face.

Riyao appeared in front of Brain in an instant.

Brain's pupils contracted sharply. Before he could even make any defensive move, Riyao's fist had already slammed into his chest.

Brain's power in Demon Form far exceeded ordinary people's imagination. His body flew backward like a cannonball, his back slamming hard against the rock wall deep in the cave.

The rock wall cracked under the enormous impact, and spiderweb-like cracks spread outwards from Brain's body. Gravel and dust fell down, embedding half of him into the wall.

Riyao gave him no chance to catch his breath.

His body once again transformed into a blur, rushing towards Brain, who was embedded in the wall, his dark red magic power condensing into a scorching light membrane.

But just as he was halfway there, the scales on his body suddenly began to twist.

Midnight activated its Reflector Magic; Riyao was too fast and was only now reacting.

Even in his sleep, the Midnight's Reflector Magic precisely locked onto the scales on Riyao's body.

"Tch, all of you Oración Seis are such show-offs, aren't you all just Jiahao?"

The dark red scales that had covered his arms and chest seemed to come alive, tightening, wrapping, and binding inwards, digging into his flesh like countless iron chains.

The edges of the scales embedded themselves in the skin, and with each breath, a tearing pain shot through the gaps between the scales and the muscles.

The pain caused Riyao's forehead to break out in a dense layer of cold sweat. The sweat slid down his cheeks, gathered on his chin, and fell to the ground with a soft thud.

His breathing became rapid and heavy, as if an invisible hand was gripping his chest tightly, and he could only inhale a very small amount of air with each breath.

A feeling of suffocation welled up inside me.

But Riyao did not struggle.

Instead, he flashed a maniacal smile.

It was a smile that sent chills down your spine; the corners of the mouth stretched to an inhuman angle, the teeth gleaming a stark white under the dark red magical light, and the eyes burning with an almost manic excitement.

"Hehe..."

His deep laughter echoed through the cave, like a sound rising from the depths of hell.

The dark flames on his body surged and erupted.

Dark flames erupted from his body, like a black beast that had been imprisoned for too long finally breaking free of its cage.

Flames, carrying terrifying heat and destructive power, spewed out in all directions, burning anything they touched, as if all matter were flammable.

Sizzle~

Acrid white smoke billowed from wherever the ink flames touched the surface.

The rocks on the cliff face were scorched black, the soil on the ground was burned into a glassy charcoal crust, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of sulfur and burnt material.

The pitch-black flames, though clearly flames, flowed like water, like oil.

Unlike ordinary flames that leap and flicker, it was like a flowing black liquid, slowly spreading along the ground and rock walls, viscous and heavy, engulfing everything in its path with its scorching black heat.

Brain's scepter howled as it was scalded by the splashed ink flames, emitting an even more piercing scream than before, with a hint of genuine fear in its voice for the first time.

"Yame!"

Although the Midnight distorted the approaching inky flames, causing the black flames that were flying towards him to bend in the air, the scorching temperature inside the cave made him frown in his sleep.

The edges of his flying carpet were scorched by the high temperature, the air was filled with the smell of burning fabric, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Brain struggled to free himself from the dent in the wall, his expression grave.

There was a noticeable dent in his chest, and a faint grinding sound could be heard from his ribs when he breathed. A trace of blood clung to the corner of his mouth.

Looking at the monster engulfed in black flames, he realized for the first time that he might have underestimated this young man.

Riyao grinned, his eyes shining brightly in the dark flames on his face, which was enveloped in black flames.

Let's see who gives up first.

[Ink Flame Molten Flow]

The dark flames on the ground seemed to have been heated to boiling point, and began to surge violently.

Bubbles rose and rolled on the surface of the black flames.

As the bubbles burst, the splashes of ink-like flame landed on the surrounding rocks, instantly burning blackened pits into the hard stone, from which wisps of white smoke rose.

Brain's gaze suddenly swept across a corner of the cave and he realized that Jellal was gone.

His expression changed drastically.

They can't afford to stay in this stalemate with Riyao any longer. If they drag this out any longer, not only will Jellal escape, but he and Midnight will likely perish here.

[Dark Rondo]

Brain clasped his hands together in front of him, and a terrifying dark magic power erupted from his body, transforming into a massive dark energy shockwave that swept towards the Riyao.

Wherever the shockwave passed, the air was torn into countless black cracks, and the flowing ink flames on the ground were forcibly pushed away by the shockwave, leaving a deep trench in the ground.

Riyao was blasted out of the cave by the shockwave.

His body tumbled several times in the air before finally stabilizing himself by carving two long furrows in the ground with his feet. The soil beneath his feet had been scorched black by the intense heat, resembling glass.

Inside the cave, Brain didn't give chase; instead, he shouted into the air.

"Cobra! Jellal wants to monopolize Nirvana! Stop him!"

Cobra clearly heard Brain's voice, grinned, and headed towards Jellal's direction.

Riyao, standing firm outside the cave, raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers joined together, and gently hooked towards the cave.

The remaining black flames inside the cave seemed to receive some kind of command and exploded simultaneously.

[Ink Flame Thousand Threads]

The pitch-black flames transformed into countless fine black threads, clinging to every inch of the cave's stone walls. From the ground to the ceiling, from the entrance to the depths, all sides were sealed off by these black threads.

The silk threads intertwined to form a huge net, each thread trembling slightly, as if it were alive, radiating a scorching heat.

What the hell is this?

Brain reached out and tentatively broke a thread.

Just one.

Boom~

The entire inky flame netting detonated simultaneously.

The cave walls began to collapse in a chain of explosions, huge boulders crashed down from the ceiling, and dust and rubble churned into a gray fog inside the cave.

Midnight was finally jolted awake. He rolled off the rock, his blanket caught beneath the falling rocks. He squinted, his eyes still half-closed, and looked at the collapsing cave with annoyance.

The cave collapsed completely.

Riyao did not leave immediately.

He raised his hands, palms facing each other, and began to gather magic power between them.

Dark red demonic power and Hundred Battles Spell Formula golden patterns surged simultaneously into his hands, converging above his head into a constantly spinning ball of energy.

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ヽ('⌒´メ)ノ