CHAPTER 63: CHAPTER: 63 EVOLUTION THROUGH CANNIBALISM.

"Are you ready?" Vivian asked after packing the tent and other necessities back into his subspace.

They had rested there for a few hours since Vivian was completely exhausted from running and fighting all day.

Now, after some proper rest, he looked refreshed, and so did Charlotte, who nodded in response.

"Then let’s go," Vivian said, before dashing straight toward the center of the second floor.

Charlotte flew close behind him, gripping her staff tightly with both hands.

As they went deeper, Vivian couldn’t sense any groups of Grizzles, and an unconscious frown appeared on his face as he pondered.

’Odd. Why aren’t there any Grizzles around?’ By now, they should have at least come across a small group, but there was none.

’What could be the reason?’ He sank deeper into thought, glancing at Charlotte, who was also frowning.

She had noticed it too.

They should have found at least one group by now, yet there wasn’t a single trace of them anywhere.

They went deeper into the floor, searching for the Grizzles, but found none.

Vivian stopped and focused his senses, but he still couldn’t detect any sign of them.

Not giving up, he sat down in a lotus position and activated both his enhanced senses, his early intuition and mana perception, at the same time.

Charlotte stood nearby, keeping watch as he concentrated on his search.

Half an hour passed before Vivian’s eyes suddenly snapped open.

He looked into the distance, a faint frown forming on his face.

Charlotte noticed and asked, "Did you find something?"

Vivian hesitated for a moment before replying, "I’m not sure, but about one and a half kilometers ahead... I can feel a concentrated presence."

Though he wasn’t sure, after using both the effects of early intuition and mana perception, Vivian barely managed to sense something.

It felt like a concentrated presence, a faint demonic aura that made him hesitate.

Charlotte stayed calm as she looked into the distance. Wrinkling her nose slightly, she said, "Let’s go and check it out."

Vivian didn’t say anything, just nodded, stood up, and started running in that direction.

Charlotte followed closely behind, flying at his side.

The closer they got, the stronger that ominous presence became.

Before long, they could make out something in the distance.

Just as they were about to speed up, a ground-shaking roar echoed through the floor.

ROAR!!!

They didn’t stop. Instead, both pushed to their full speed, and in the blink of an eye, they reached the source.

When they arrived, both Vivian and Charlotte frowned. Vivian drew his sword from his subspace, his expression tense.

"It’s about to evolve," Charlotte said quietly.

Vivian nodded, his eyes narrowing.

The creature before them looked nothing like a normal Grizzle, its form was twisted, unnatural.

"It used cannibalism," Vivian muttered, glancing at the scattered corpses of other Grizzles lying around.

In the middle of them stood the one that was about to evolve.

At this point, it couldn’t even be called a Grizzle anymore.

It had used its demonic instincts to evolve, devouring its own kin and absorbing their cores to speed up its growth.

Now, it stood nearly three times larger than a normal Grizzle, its eyes pitch-black and filled with madness.

In its current state, it could already fight on par with a four-star warrior or mage.

And if it managed to finish evolving, it might even rival those of the five-star level.

They couldn’t afford to delay any longer. Vivian met Charlotte’s eyes and gave a firm nod.

"I’ll create openings, you focus on its vitals," Charlotte said, flying about ten feet ahead of Vivian.

Vivian gave a curt nod and charged toward the half-evolved Grizzle.

Charlotte began chanting, her voice low and steady. After a few moments, she whispered,

"Spears of Flame."

One, two, three... at least ten blazing spears formed above her head.

When the spell was complete, she waved her hand sharply, and the spears shot forward at lightning speed.

The half-evolved Grizzle turned toward the attack and let out a furious roar before charging straight ahead.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The fire spears struck its body with explosive force, flames and smoke bursting around it.

The creature staggered back a few steps, roaring in pain, its right arm burned badly from the attack.

Vivian used the opening Charlotte had created to close in on the half-evolved Grizzle.

Mana gathered along the edge of his blade as he moved with sharp focus.

The moment he approached, the creature noticed him and swung its massive left arm at a strange angle toward his head.

Vivian saw the incoming strike, an arm as thick as a tree trunk, but didn’t panic.

His expression stayed calm. Using the momentum of his charge, he bent his waist low, his blade flashing as he stabbed into the creature’s arm and slid past it in a dangerous arc.

The Grizzle let out a miserable cry as its thick skin tore open, dark blood spilling out. But sensing the danger ahead, it tried to retreat.

Before it could, glowing chains burst out from the ground, Charlotte’s spell, and wrapped tightly around its limbs, locking it in place.

The Grizzle roared furiously, realizing it was trapped.

Its chest swelled, and it opened its mouth wide, spewing out a swirling ball of black gas.

The ball of black gas radiated a thick demonic aura as it hurtled toward Vivian. But his eyes remained calm, still as water.

He gripped his sword tightly, struck the ground with a powerful swing, and the force shattered the earth beneath him, propelling him high into the air, out of the attack’s range.

The half-evolved Grizzle narrowed its black eyes, watching Vivian soar above.

It roared as he came down in a deadly arc, sword aimed straight at its chest.

Realizing the danger, the creature tried to move aside, but there was no time.

So, it thrust its already-injured right arm in front of its heart, sacrificing it to block the blow.

Vivian’s sword struck hard, piercing through flesh and bone, but not deep enough to reach the heart.

The blade tore through the Grizzle’s arm instead, severing it completely.

The Grizzle let out a miserable cry as it staggered backward.

Its left arm was split open, and its right arm had been completely severed.

Vivian also stepped back. He knew the next clash would be difficult.

The Grizzle would fight desperately now, cornered beasts always did.

Once pushed too far, it would go mad and unleash everything it had.

Charlotte flew closer to him and said, "Target the head this time. I’ll hold it back."

Vivian glanced at her, gave a short nod, and moved toward the Grizzle once more.

Vivian’s movements were swift. He focused his mana into his legs and dashed forward, closing the distance in a blur.

Meanwhile, Charlotte closed her eyes and ascended higher into the air, her voice beginning a long, steady chant.

The surrounding mana trembled, then started to gather around her, drawn by her power.

When her eyes snapped open, they glowed faintly as she whispered,

"Two elements, fire and air."

The moment the words left her lips, a massive ball of fire began to form above her head, large enough to engulf a hut.

A powerful gust of wind swirled around it, feeding the flames and making them burn even fiercer.

This was Charlotte’s own creation, a fusion spell she had developed herself.

By forming a massive fireball and wrapping it in condensed wind mana, she could amplify its heat and destructive power to terrifying levels.

The spell placed a heavy strain on her body, yet the sheer force it unleashed made every bit of pain worth enduring.

The fireball grew rapidly, its surface roiling like molten lava.

The wind around it howled and tightened, compressing the flames until they shone so bright they resembled a miniature sun hanging in the sky.

Charlotte’s eyes turned cold as she raised her hand toward the Grizzle and whispered one word—

"Nebula."

The massive fireball surged toward the Grizzle, its speed steady, unstoppable.

The moment the beast saw it coming, its eyes widened in horror. It tried to retreat, but the spell was already upon it.

"ROAR!!!"

The Grizzle bellowed in despair, raising its mangled arms to shield itself.

The blinding light of the fireball filled its vision before it could react.

BOOM!

The explosion swallowed the creature whole.

Flames roared as the Grizzle’s cries echoed through the air, its body melting under the unbearable heat.

Its eyes burned with madness as it thrashed wildly, releasing bursts of black gas in every direction.

Vivian darted through the chaos, narrowly dodging the searing blasts.

His mana surged as he closed the distance, and with a single, precise swing, his blade sliced toward the Grizzle’s neck.

Chik!

With a swift motion, Vivian slashed at the Grizzle’s throat.

But its hide was too thick, the blade bit deep, yet the head didn’t come off in one strike.

"ROAR!!!"

The Grizzle howled in agony, thrashing wildly as blood poured from the half-severed wound.

Its massive body jerked and twisted, trying to throw Vivian off.

But Vivian didn’t hesitate. He released his grip for a split second, drew back his sword, and drove it forward again with all his strength.

The blade tore through flesh and bone, this time cleanly severing the head.