The hunt for survival(2)

As the Umbrablaze Phoenix felt its strength waning, it retreated to a higher perch, its fiery wings beating with determination. Although blind and deaf, the phoenix possessed an unparalleled connection to the flow of mana, capable of sensing even the faintest traces of its presence.

As the phoenix spreaded its mana throughout, delving into the essence of the battlefield, to seek any fluctuations in the intricate web of mana. To its surprise, amidst the chaos, it detected a peculiar absence—a void where vibrant yang energy should have resided.

Curiosity piqued, the phoenix focused its mana sense further, unraveling the threads of mana to uncover the source of this anomaly. And there, lying seemingly lifeless on the ground, was the corpse it had previously ignored—the body that had relentlessly attacked it, devoid of yang energy moving.

With a sudden realization, the Umbrablaze Phoenix comprehended the truth. It recognized that the seemingly lifeless corpse was none other than Rune, who, unlike all living beings, didn't possess yang energy but instead emanated an aura of pure yin energy.

The phoenix, unyielding in its pursuit of power, saw an opportunity in this revelation. It tapped into its innate ability to control and manipulate pure yang energy, channeling its connection to the elemental forces that surrounded them. With a surge of concentration, the phoenix directed its focus toward the vast pool of molten lava below.

Harnessing its mastery over yang energy, the Umbrablaze Phoenix commanded the flowing lava, bending it to its will. The fiery liquid responded, rising and swirling in a mesmerizing dance, shaped by the phoenix's commands.

With each movement of its wings and every thought that fueled its intent, the phoenix sculpted the molten mass, fashioning it into a weapon of destruction. The lava twisted and contorted, assuming a form akin to a blazing serpent, fueled by the phoenix's indomitable will.

With the molten serpent under its control, the phoenix launched it at Rune, unleashing a torrent of scorching heat and destructive force. The serpent of fire surged forward, its searing fangs reaching out to consume Rune's presence.

As the molten serpent hurtled towards Rune, she relied on her Acrobatic Gymnast skill to evade the attack. Her body contorted and twisted with unparalleled flexibility, narrowly dodging the scorching fangs of the fiery serpent.

Though her weakness against fire caused first-degree burns with each near miss, Rune's Vampiric Regeneration at level 4, instantly healed these low level burns, as it gradually faded. She returns back to her frontal assault.

Now, with the molten serpent problem neutralized, Rune focused on her next move. Using Harmonious-Agility, enhancing her speed and agility to an extraordinary degree. She closed the distance between her and the Umbrablaze Phoenix, by jumping upwards, her movements becoming a blur as she unleashed a swift and precise Sword Dance.

The Phoenix, caught off guard by Rune's relentless assault, attempted to retaliate with amaterasu. However, Rune's keen sense and blessed luck allowed her to completely avoid it midair, dodging iit with ease.

Landing back on the ground, Rune swiftly transitioned into her Elven Archery skill which enhances all projectile's speed and accuracy. Threw her sword towards the beast, sensing its presence as it was a normal item, dodged it simply by dropping its body slightly.

However it was within her plan, as the sword was thrown in a flat fashion, one side of said sword was dipped in shadows as the light was above their fight. Going exactly as imagined, Rune used shadowstep and appeared on the shadow of her sword midair above the phoenix.

Grabbing the sword as she descended because of gravity towards the beast's back, but unfortunately for Rune, the umbrablaze phoenix already acknowledged Rune's talent and was prepared for her planned surprise attack.

The beast turned its body upwards towards Rune, falling towards it with nowhere to go. It fired its strongest and largest amaterasu, which soon it will engulf Rune. Despite this her face was smiling with a sinister smile, using her skill assassination which transition the user behind the enemy, teleported Rune below the beast.

With abyssal embrace's tentacles, catching umbablaze phoenix by wrapping its body. The beast panicked, flying upwards at speeds of the bullet train. As the Umbrablaze Phoenix desperately tried to escape Rune's Abyssal Embrace, she sensed an opportunity. With a surge of strength, she retracted the tentacles, causing the phoenix to lose its balance in mid-air.

Seizing the moment, Rune swiftly descended, her sword gleaming with yinflow, With a powerful thrust, Rune plunged her sword deep into the phoenix's neck, piercing through its black feathers. The beast let out a deafening screech of agony as the blade sapped its remaining vitality.

An uncontrolled energy erupted from the wounded creature, letting out a piercing screech that reverberated through the battlefield, the bird thrashed in agony, its wings flailing wildly, and its fiery aura expanding with each passing moment.

As the Umbrablaze Phoenix writhed in pain, its once-mighty flames flickered and dimmed. The immense release of energy drained its strength, causing it to lose altitude rapidly. The ground shook beneath its descending form as the phoenix's weakened body crashed onto the battlefield, creating a massive shockwave that echoed through the air.

Rune, having anticipated the phoenix's fall, swiftly activated her Indomitable Will, increasing her pain resistance to brace the fall. She stood firm amidst the ensuing chaos, her eyes locked onto the fallen creature.

With the phoenix lying vulnerable before her, Rune sensed an opportunity to seal the battle. Drawing upon her skill, Pain Transmutation. she channeled her stored pain throughout the torture from Wrath and the battle, increasing her strength stat by 100 points. Rune also activated her sin skill, Wrath, as their battle was almost 12 hours long. The stat increase was immense, almost to the level of perfect performance.

However, the same level of wrath and anger were given, making Rune lose control, but thanks to mind resistance, she didn't completely lose her sanity. With her strength stat reaching almost 500. Her sword, fused with condensed mana and yinflow and the principles of scream of death.

Struck down… creating a canyon would be an understatement, on top of creating a canyon on the phoenix's head, the sound wave created from scream of death was so loud, Runaan all the way from wrath's tribe could hear it albeit, only sounded like a door being slammed shut.

And Rune's longsword who'd she relied on for the past week or so shattered... more specifically turned to dust from the sher force of the attack.

Silencing the phoenix's scream completely as it's dead. However, the umbrablaze phoenix has lived hundreds of years, its mana stored within was intense. In the form of amaterasu, the inextinguishable flame spread from Rune's sword towards her body, engulfing her whole.

Due to her weakness to fire being level 5, the pain was immense, As Rune found herself engulfed in the all-consuming flames of the Umbrablaze Phoenix, her Vampiric Regeneration kicked in, providing her with a lifeline.

The flames, although intense, couldn't completely overpower her regenerative abilities. With each lick of the fiery inferno, Rune's wounds healed incrementally, granting her a sliver of respite amidst the torment.

But due to the flames being inextinguishable, it was almost like a curse, she couldn't die but she also couldn't get rid of the flames. Cooking her flesh with 3rd degree burns then healing them instantly.

The pain Rune experienced from the inextinguishable flames of the Umbrablaze Phoenix was excruciating beyond imagination. As the flames seared through her flesh, they penetrated deep into her nerve endings, causing intense agony that seemed never-ending.

The intense heat of the flames scorched her skin, causing it to blister and char. The pain receptors in her body were constantly stimulated, sending signals of distress and agony to her brain. The burns inflicted by the flames reached the level of third-degree burns, which involve damage to all layers of the skin, including the nerves.

Third-degree burns are known for their debilitating pain. The intense heat destroys the nerve endings, making the pain sensation even more intense and persistent. The flames relentlessly consumed Rune's body, causing her to feel an unrelenting, searing pain that seemed to devour her from within.

With each moment, the flames would continue to inflict fresh burns on her healing flesh, preventing any respite or relief. The combination of intense heat, charred skin, and the constant cycle of burning and healing created an agonizing torment that tested Rune's endurance to its limits.

Despite her Vampiric Regeneration providing her with some healing, it couldn't fully extinguish the flames or nullify the pain. It only offered a temporary reprieve as her wounds healed, only to be immediately ravaged again by the relentless inferno.

Again… and again… in an infinite cycle…