Lucavion''s strikes grew sharper, his movements fluid as if the chaos of the battlefield was merely a well-rehearsed dance. The breakthrough coursed through him, a surge of energy unlike anything he had felt before. His [me of Equinox] burned brighter, steadier, the duality of life and death perfectly bnced in each flicker. It wasn''t just power; it was mastery, the culmination of his struggles manifesting in every calcted step, every precise swing.


    ''I can feel it,'' Lucavion thought, his de cutting through the air with a hum that resonated with his newfound strength. ''The pieces I''ve been missing… they''ve finally fallen into ce.''


    The battlefield trembled as monsters, sensing the shift in his aura, hesitated before charging again. This time, their roars carried a desperate edge. Lucavion''s presence was no longer just a threat; it was a deration. He wasn''t here to survive—he was here to dominate.


    [You''re glowing,] Vitaliara murmured, her voice tinged with wonder. [Not literally, but… there''s a presence about you now. It''s unsettling.]


    Lucavion smirked, sidestepping a lunging beast and dispatching it with a single upward sh. ''Unsettling? That''s quite theplimenting from you.''


    [Don''t let it go to your head,] she retorted, though her tone held a note of pride. [You''ve achieved something remarkable, yes. But the storm you''ve stirred will only draw stronger foes.]


    ''Good,'' he thought, his smirk sharpening as his gaze swept the battlefield.


    [What do you mean good?]


    ''The adventurers here can still go for a long while. The fact that I attracted the monsters should mean that this will end faster.''


    [Really? Can everyone here withstand that?]


    ''If they can''t, then we can just retreat back. Can''t we?''


    [Well, if ites to that, those mages sure can retreat. And if something dangerous happens, I will cover for you.]


    ''Let''s hope it doesn''te to that.''


    Lucavion took a deep breath, the battlefield''s roars and cries dimming in his mind as he steadied himself. His de shimmered faintly, the glow of the [me of Equinox] pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. Normally, he would have relished the chance to test the full extent of his newfound 4-star strength, experimenting with the heightened bnce of life and death that now burned within him. But this wasn''t the time for indulgence. Stability was key.


    ''This battlefield isn''t a testing ground,'' he thought, his smirk fading into a sharp, focused expression. ''It''s a stage. And right now, the audience demands efficiency.''


    He took another breath and activated his first core, [Devourer of Stars]. The air around him shifted as starlight mana coiled around his form, faint streaks of silver and ck intertwining like threads of the cosmos. The energy settled over him, not heavy but invigorating, like the whisper of a distant neb.


    And then he moved.


    In an instant, Lucavion dove into the wave of oing monsters, his de a blur of starlit arcs. The first creature, a hulking beast with jagged tusks and molten eyes, barely had time to react before his strike cleaved through it, leaving a trail of shimmering light. The starlight mana surged, amplifying his strength, and he felt an almost intoxicating lightness in his movements.


    ''This breakthrough wasn''t just about mana control,'' he realized as his next strike felled another monster with ease. ''My body—my very foundation—has been strengthened. Makes sense. Breaking through to 4-star wasn''t just a mental feat; it was physical. That energy barrier was stronger than anything I''ve faced, and for good reason.''


    He twirled his de, starlight radiating outward in a controlled burst that pushed back the smaller creatures surrounding him.


    SWOOSH!


    A serpent-like creature lunged at him, its fangs dripping with venom that hissed as it hit the ground. Lucavion shifted, his de slicing cleanly through its neck.


    STAB!


    The venom evaporated in the heat of the [me of Equinox], leaving only a faint, acrid scent.


    [You''re moving differently.]


    ''What do you mean?''


    [Let''s say, your fire is different now.]


    ''Well, that is the point of breakthrough.''


    [Indeed….But it is still much more than I thought.]


    ''I feel the same. It is a bit hard to control, right now.''


    [Hmm….Careful. On the right.]


    SWOOSH!


    Lucavion''s wrist turned with precision, his de angling upward as the leaping sea monster descended upon him.


    STAB!


    The long estoc glimmered for a split second, catching the faint glow of starlight mana. In one smooth motion, the de pierced through the creature''s open maw, sliding effortlessly upward until it reached the brain.


    The monster convulsed, its death throes shaking the ground beneath them. Lucavion raised a mana barrier around himself in an instant, shielding his body from the spray of thick, dark blood.


    The fluid sttered against the barrier and hissed as it evaporated, leaving only a faint tang of salt and decay in the air.


    Before he could exhale, another beast surged toward him—a massive, crab-like creature with jagged ws that gleamed with a metallic sheen. Its movements were swift and aggressive, each strike meant to crush or skewer.


    Lucavion sidestepped the first swipe, his de carving into the creature''s side with a flicker of starlight.


    The shell cracked under the force, but the monster pressed forward, undeterred. He pivoted smoothly, his footwork light as he deflected the next attack with the t of his de, angling it to redirect the force away from his core.


    ''This is endless,'' he thought, his breath steady even as the exertion began to mount. Around him, the battlefield was a swirling maelstrom of chaos—monsters roaring, ws shing against steel, and spells exploding in bursts of light and sound.


    [They''re pressing harder now,] Vitaliara warned, her tone sharper than before. [Focus.]


    ''I''m already focused,'' Lucavion thought, his smirk faint as his de found its mark again, severing the crab-like creature''s vulnerable joint and leaving it to copse with a guttural shriek.


    But she wasn''t wrong. The tide of monsters was unrelenting, and even as he fought with precision and control, the sheer volume of enemies forced him to adapt constantly. The other adventurers and soldiers nearby were not faring much better. While they fought valiantly, their movements had begun to slow, their strikes losing some of their earlier sharpness.


    Lucavion''s eyes flicked across the battlefield, noting the positions of key fighters and the thinning lines of defense. ''They''re holding, but only barely,'' he thought, adjusting his stance as another creature—a slithering mass of tentacles and fangs—rushed him.


    His de met the creature with a fluid, upward arc, the [me of Equinox] igniting along its edge as it tore through the beast. The duality of life and death surged, consuming the monster''s essence and leaving behind a faint shimmer in the air.


    And, Lucavion didn''t let the energy dissipate.@@novelbin@@


    He once again began to pull the death energy toward himself, drawing it into the [me of Equinox] like a silent predator feeding on the battlefield''s chaos. The me within him grew brighter, steadier, as it absorbed the remnants of mana and life force left in the wake of his strikes.


    ''Not bad,'' he mused, feeling the subtle increase in strength ripple through his core. ''The battlefield itself is an endless resource. If I use it right…''


    Well…there was a change of


    ''Reaching at least the mid-4 star by the end of the expedition.''


    And it was a remarkable idea.


    "KIEEEEK!"


    Lucavion''s de danced through another foe, its shimmering edge humming with the residual power of the [me of Equinox], when an ear-splitting screech ripped through the battlefield. The sound was unlike anything he''d heard before—a sharp, guttural cry that carried an undeniable weight of menace.


    His instincts red, a chill running down his spine as he turned toward the source. From his right, an enormous, evolved Sea Serpent lunged, its scales glinting like liquid metal under the dim light. Its fangs, each as long as his arm, gleamed with venom, and its coiled body surged forward with a force that made the very air ripple.


    ''Fast!'' Lucavion thought, his senses kicking into overdrive as he realized he wouldn''t be able to evade the attack in time.


    Channeling mana around his body, he braced himself, his stance lowering. The serpent''s massive form bore down on him, its jaws opening wide enough to swallow him whole. With no other option, he raised his de, the starlight mana ring around it in a brilliant surge.


    [Void Starfall de. Converge.]


    The starlight mana condensed, spiraling into a concentrated point at the edge of his de. As the serpent''s strike collided with his weapon, Lucavion angled the de just enough to deflect a fraction of the attack downward. Find more to read on empire


    The ground beneath him exploded, a deafening crack echoing as the serpent''s force met earth instead of flesh. Dust and debris shot into the air, and the shockwave sted Lucavion backward. He skidded across the battlefield, his feet digging into the ground to steady himself, but the sheer power of the attack left him breathless.


    When he finally came to a halt, he found himself in the middle of a raised tform, surrounded by adventurers and knights scrambling to react to the serpent''s arrival.


    "An evolved Sea Serpent!" amanding voice shouted. Lucavion''s gaze snapped upward to see Captain Eryndor, his figure framed against the chaos, his expression sharp with urgency. "Caedrel!"


    The knight beside Eryndor, a stocky man with a stern demeanor, nodded and leaped down alongside his captain. Both moved with practiced precision, their weapons gleaming as they took the position where Lucavion had just emptied.


    "KIEEEK!"


    Yet at the same time, another simr voice echoed from the side.


    ''Hmm?''


    And it came from ra''s side.