Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 317 The End
[Echoes of the dying embers].

One of the last embers from the dead world, it was stored in the Ash Church of Zarit in the form of a flame crystal within the [Ember Instructor's Staff].

Along with the fragments of the town after the fusion of different dimensions, they arrived at a small valley called "Grey Valley" in the Yuansha Province of the Kingdom of Servia on the continent of Aifara, which became the secret realm in Xia Nan's understanding.

Just like the literal meaning of the name of this combat skill.

"Embers": The warmth that remains after the flames have burned out, life and power that are on the verge of extinction but have not completely disappeared;
"Echo": The sound continues to reverberate in space even after it has stopped, as if the power and will of the past are still at work in the last moment.

Even if one has mastered the energy conduction and flow routes, only by experiencing the rekindling of the flame of life after it has been extinguished can one break through the original bottleneck and take the final step before entering the field.

The intensity of its effects, to some extent, aligns with its extremely demanding entry requirements and its sacred status as the "world's spark."

When the user's health drops below 33%, meaning they are in a critically injured and dying state, the conditions for using [Ember Echo] are met (cooldown time is 30 days).

After selecting to cast, the user's health will be restored to 66% the moment [Echoes of Ember] is activated, and will continue to restore health at a rate of 0.333% per second for one minute.

At the same time, during these sixty seconds, the user will enter the "Ember" state.

The status effect is as follows:
1. Overall increase of 33% in the five-dimensional attributes (Strength, Agility, Constitution, Perception, Charisma);

2. Endurance Overload – Increases maximum stamina, accelerates stamina recovery, and slows stamina depletion rate;

3. Enhanced Resilience – Makes it harder to be interrupted when attacked, and grants physical resistance to blunt, piercing, and slashing damage;
4. Fire resistance is greatly increased (not from divine power);

5. +25% special damage (Ember).

It looks very complicated and difficult to understand.

But in reality, it can be summarized in just three words:

— “Phase Two”.

……

……

Goblin Nest.

Somewhat surprisingly, it wasn't Saloyan, who should have had a stronger sense of perception, who was the first to notice something was wrong.

Instead, it was the two Thorn Demons tearing at each other, fighting for ownership of their prey on the ground.

Over countless years of battles in purgatory, they gradually evolved into ferocious, beast-like bodies, which gave them a slightly stronger physique than other monsters of the same level, but also significantly reduced their intelligence, making them even weaker than the lowly minions and little devils beside them.

But it was precisely because of this that their beastly instincts, so different from those of intelligent beings, made them the first to sense that extremely dangerous aura emanating from an unknown place, like a volcanic eruption.

The whistling stopped abruptly.

The two Thorn Demons were like birds startled from their slumber in the depths of a dense forest at night by some inexplicable commotion. They flapped their wings, leaving behind their prey, which they had finally managed to hunt with their remaining life force, and flew towards the rock wall next to them as if fleeing for their lives.

"Ok?"

Saloyan frowned slightly, the pale blue current of [Lightning Pull] still lingering on his fingertips.

He had never seen the Thorn Demon he summoned turn out like this before.

A sense of vigilance immediately arose in my heart.

As he moved his lips, preparing to chant a spell, he focused his mental energy to the maximum, carefully sensing the changes around him.

Then, he keenly noticed an unnatural dryness and heat in the nest, distinct from the infernal dark fire.

Amidst the stench of blood, sulfur, and decay, a sense of desolation and annihilation quietly crept in.

"Something's wrong!"

Saloyan suddenly became alert.

Just as he realized something was wrong and was about to take temporary precautions.

hum-

The changes accelerated abruptly.

The ground trembled slightly, as if some being from the depths of the earth had been awakened by the noise they made, emitting a muffled, high-frequency hum.

Dust, soil, and even droplets of blood defied gravity and rose silently, hovering in mid-air, shimmering with a faint, crimson light like starlight.

"Bang... bang... bang..."

The muffled thud of a heartbeat, like a drumbeat, gradually quickened, exploding in the scorching air.

Saloyan turned around abruptly, his gaze fixed on the direction from which the sound came.

On the ground not far to the side, there lay the black-haired youth who had just died, his heartbeat having stopped.

At this moment, as if he had been resurrected from the dead, he supported his body with his arms, knelt on one knee, and slowly got up.

Having just gone through a fierce battle, the plate and chainmail armor on his upper body was completely destroyed, the remains lying quietly in a corner. His inner shirt was also torn in many places, revealing bloody wounds. His leg armor and arm shield were still intact, but like their linings, they were covered in dust and mud. His dark, tousled hair was stuck to his cheeks with sweat and blood, making him look somewhat disheveled.

"Crackling." An extremely clear sound, like firewood exploding in flames, rang out from within him.

boom--

An invisible shockwave suddenly spread, stirring up countless dust particles and pebbles.

Like a burst dam, crimson flames erupted violently from its body, and even from a considerable distance, one could still feel the scorching heat in the air.

Strangely, despite the temperature being so high that it could melt steel, the flames that burst forth in an instant and then disappeared back into his body left no trace of scorching on his body or even his clothes.

Instead, it put Xia Nan's body into a state similar to the embers after the fire has burned out.

Crimson flames burst and flickered on the body's surface. The granular sparks and ash seemed to be a natural effect of some kind of action. With each breath as the chest rose and fell, the muscles of the arms contracted when exerting force, the landing of the legs, and even the fluttering of the hem of the clothes, crimson sparks and ash could be seen falling and dissolving into the air.

The pale white bone leg armor was soaked in flames, turning it a scorching crimson.

Reaching out, he grabbed the hilt of the sword that had fallen to the ground. Crimson flames spread from his fingertips to the blade at a visible speed, turning the entire two-handed sword into a molten state of billowing scorching mist.

Only the snake-scale arm shield retained its dark and cold color.

Her jet-black, tousled hair swayed violently in the scorching heat. As if sensing the gaze coming from ahead, Xia Nan slowly raised her head.

His intense focus made Xia Nan's upward movement, which Saloyan saw, move so slowly it was almost suffocating.

Then, he caught a glimpse of those eyes.

Those cold, sharp eyes, like those of a solar eclipse, were pitch black inside, yet surrounded by a ring of intense firelight.

Originating from purgatory, the unique mental power under the influence of fel energy, combined with the extremely keen perception of a demon baron, caused Saloyan to momentarily lose his senses.

It was as if I could see a magnificent, dilapidated palace, with a slumped, gray knight standing motionless on the throne.

Boom——

The explosive sound and the surging, scalding air instantly brought Saloyan back to reality.

The fiery figure that had been burning brightly was no longer in sight.

Only a few clusters of rapidly disappearing crimson sparks remained in the same spot.

"hold head high!"

The howl of wolves burst forth from the air.

The sudden loss of connection with his summoned creatures left Saloyan feeling empty.

Turning around suddenly, the four little devils were already decapitated.

As the mane swayed, sparks fell, and a huge winter wolf with eclipse-like eyes and molten crimson fangs strolled lightly to the side.

Its originally dull black fur now took on a crimson hue under the intense firelight.

The ember state lasts only a short time.

Xia Nan would not say anything more.

He was just killing.

Faced with this unfathomable demonic projection from purgatory, he could not possibly hold back any strength, nor would he give the other party any chance to maneuver or entangle.

The best time to end the battle is the brief moment before the opponent realizes the true nature of your [Echoes of Ember].

And so, amidst the endless sparks and ashes, the wolves, illuminated by the firelight and ravaged by the scorching winds, pounced on their prey.

With the aim of mind control, [Charm of Humans] and [Tasha's Laughter], which is a backup plan, were both resisted by [Staring into the Abyss] with consecutive immunity.
The [Freezing Ray], intended to distract attention, was deflected onto the Serpent Scale Arm Shield by [Gravity Control] after [Mind-Guiding Vision] was briefly activated;
The final killing move, unleashed twice in succession, a total of six [Scorching Rays], was forcibly withstood by Xia Nan, whose fire resistance was greatly enhanced under the "Ember" state. At the cost of burns on his body surface, he gained the opportunity to bring the demon into his attack range.

immediately……

—【Fang Hunt】+【Whirlwind Slash】+【Gravity Etching】

Clad in crimson flames, granular sparks and ash left afterimages behind him.

In his lingering flame state, Xia Nan unleashed a sword strike with all his might, within the limits of his current abilities.

"Sizzle... Buzz!"

Wolf teeth fell diagonally.

The head, wreathed in infernal flames, like countless other heads that had spun up amidst the howls of wolves, reflected the energy field, flames, and the cold glint of metal, and was detached from its original position.

In the gushing blood from the neck.

It spins and lands.

　It burned out...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)