CHAPTER 210: CHAPTER 210- ARMOR

The ground trembled as Julian and Leo continued their deadly dance, lightning and frost tearing through the battlefield in chaotic harmony. Each blow echoed like thunder, each step leaving craters of molten stone or ice.

Meanwhile, not far away, Glain sat slumped against a mound of twisted roots, his breathing uneven. His druidic aura flickered weakly, its once vibrant green now dim and pale. Rafael knelt beside him, his face covered in sweat and dust.

"Don’t you dare die on me, old man," Rafael said, his voice trembling. "You can’t just—"

Glain gave a faint chuckle, the kind only a tired soul could make. "Hah...Do not panic Rafael."

As he spoke, vines and glowing leaves began to sprout around Rafael, wrapping gently around his arms and chest. The soft warmth of healing light seeped into his wounds.

Rafael’s eyes widened. "Stop... Don’t use your strength on me. I’m fine. You’re the one who needs to rest."

Glain didn’t answer, only smiled faintly, eyes half-lidded as the roots pulsed with life.

"Damn it..." Rafael’s voice cracked, his throat tight. "Old man! Rest, please... just rest."

His tears mixed with the dirt beneath him as the roots continued their gentle glow, healing him despite his protest.

In the distance, a shrill, inhuman screech pierced the air.

Leo’s body twisted, segments of his exoskeleton shifting open as veins of venomous light crawled across his arms. His wings unfurled, broad, iridescent, humming with a greenish toxin. Steam hissed from his joints as he exhaled, the air turning acidic around him.

"Julian Deaw," Leo growled, voice distorted with the insectoid resonance of his new form, "let’s see how long you can last against divinity and decay."

Julian narrowed his eyes, lightning crackling along his sword. "You’re nothing divine. You’re just rotting flesh wearing arrogance."

Leo laughed, the sound vibrating like the hum of a thousand wings. "Then rot with me!"

He slashed his claw across the ground, releasing a wave of venomous mist that corroded the stone beneath them. The air shimmered with toxic particles, each drop of poison lethal enough to melt armor.

Julian immediately leapt back, his instincts screaming. The shadows beneath him rippled and extended, creating a barrier of condensed darkness to block the mist. Sparks of lightning arced through the shadow shield, burning the air clean in flashes of blue light.

But Leo was faster than before. He reappeared behind Julian, his venom-coated claws slicing through the haze. Julian barely twisted aside, his coat ripped, the edge of the claw grazing his shoulder. Pain burned like acid, the poison seeping in.

"Tch—poison?" Julian gritted his teeth, his hand glowing faintly as he applied a burst of lightning to cauterize the wound. The scent of burnt flesh filled the air, but he didn’t flinch.

Leo smirked, his mandibles twitching. "You’ll run out of tricks soon enough."

"Maybe," Julian replied, his eyes glowing brighter, "but you’ll run out of time first."

He extended his hand, and dozens of blades materialized from his inventory, spinning rapidly around him. They vibrated with both lightning and shadow energy, each one crackling with destructive potential.

With a single gesture, Julian unleashed them.

They shot forward like a storm of death, a thousand knives guided by gravity, twisting midair, curving, surrounding Leo from all angles. The air thundered as they struck, colliding with Leo’s frost and venom barriers in a maelstrom of light and toxin.

Julian stayed back, his stance firm, using range and precision now, avoiding the corrupted air as lightning flared across the battlefield.

Leo roared in fury, his exoskeleton shattering pieces of its own shell just to release another surge of raw energy.

From afar, Rafael could barely lift his head as the sky flashed with blue and green light, whispering hoarsely, "Julian..."

The clash between them intensified, a storm of light and poison consuming the ruins around them. Leo moved like a beast unleashed, his claws slicing through air thick with venom, every strike laced with enough toxin to melt steel. Julian blocked the blows with his shadow-forged armor, the inky blackness shifting and reshaping each time Leo’s attacks landed.

The armor hissed where venom touched it, the surface boiling as shadows regenerated over the damage. Julian’s eyes glowed fiercely beneath the dark aura, his lightning-infused sword humming with deadly energy.

Leo lunged forward again, wings cracking open, launching shards of icy crystal laced with greenish acid. Julian spun his blade in a circular motion, discharging a surge of electricity that shattered the shards midair, explosions of frost and sparks painting the battlefield.

"Still hiding behind tricks, Julian?" Leo taunted, his voice distorted by his monstrous form.

Julian didn’t answer. He stepped forward, boots cracking the poisoned ground beneath him. The air vibrated with static. Then—he vanished.

A bolt of lightning split the air.

Julian reappeared behind Leo, his sword already descending in a flash of blue and white. The blade pierced through Leo’s shoulder, lightning exploding outward, sending cracks of thunder rolling across the ruins.

Leo roared a sound that shook the earth but even as smoke and blood burst from the wound, a twisted grin formed on his insectoid face.

"Heh... impressive," he rasped, his voice half a growl, half a hiss. "You actually hurt me."

Julian didn’t waste a breath, his eyes narrowed, body low and ready.

"But..." Leo tilted his head, laughter bubbling up from deep in his chest, dark and mocking. "You think that’s enough to kill me?"

With that, his wound began to regenerate, ice forming over torn flesh, sealing it with a hiss. The frost crackled, glowing faintly with venomous light.

Julian stepped back slightly, lightning still dancing around his armor. His mind raced— ’He’s adapting faster than before... even his poison’s mutating.’

Leo spread his wings again, the green luminescence behind him flaring like an infernal halo. "Let’s see how long that shadow armor lasts before it melts off your bones."

Julian raised his blade, eyes cold and unwavering. "Try me."

The battlefield trembled once more as the power collided.