The Abyssal Lion prowled through the clearing, its obsidian hide steaming from the earlier blast.
Four crimson eyes tracked every movement with intelligence unbefitting a beast.
Smoke curled from its flanks, and the forest seemed to hold its breath.
Vancroft stood still, a faint shimmer of magic circles rotating around him like translucent rings of starlight.
He pressed two fingers together and whispered.
"Etch: Contractus Formalis."
A golden circle formed beneath his feet, layered with intricate sigils spiralling inward.
Then a secondary ring flared to life around his hands.
"Rescindam: Ventus, Terra."
Let wind and earth be sealed.
"Auge: Ignis, Aqua."
Let flame and water rise, unbound.
The magic surged like a breath taken in reverse.
His connection to wind and earth dulled, like voices fading in the distance—while fire and water surged through his veins like a fever.
Sparks danced at his fingertips; mist formed beneath his feet.
The contract circle locked.
Then the lion charged.
BOOM!
It moved like a blur of teeth and shadow. Vancroft responded instantly—one hand out, carving a burning glyph in the air.
"Sigil of Flame: Ignis Sigillum—Exuro Fulguris!"
A rune of fire—Burning Lance!
A bright, spear-like flame burst forward, cracking through the air and slamming into the lion's side.
It let out a guttural snarl and skidded—but did not fall.
Already, its hide was hardening. Adapting.
The next attack had to be different.
Vancroft moved—his hands weaving a dual spiral of blue and white as glyphs gathered around his boots.
"Circle of Tides: Aqua Sigillum—Lamina Hydra!"
Hydra Blades—Split and seek!
Dozens of rune-etched water blades materialised mid-air and darted toward the lion from all angles.
Some struck true—drawing black blood—but others clattered uselessly against its thickened skin.
"It's learning," he muttered. "Good."
Vancroft snapped his hand upward, drawing a sigil mid-motion.
"Vinculo: Fortis Aqua!"
Binding Circle—Water Strength!
A pool formed beneath the beast—suddenly erupting into spectral chains of liquid, grasping its limbs and holding fast.
The lion roared in fury, but the enchantment only needed to last a few seconds.
That was all he required.
Breathing heavily, Vancroft slid his hand across his chest, forming one final rune.
"Final Clause: Sacrificium Corporis—Potentia Ignea!"
Offer pain for flame.
The rune blazed bright red, branding his skin—burning down his right arm.
He launched himself forward.
The lion broke free—and lunged, maw wide.
Vancroft ran straight into its mouth.
The beast's jaws closed.
Too late.
"Círculum Internum: Ignis Nexus—Explodere Core!"
Internal Rune: Flame Conduit—Detonate the Core!
A burning glyph etched itself within the lion's mouth, carved into the air by
Vancroft's scorched hand.
BOOM.
The explosion tore through the lion's skull from within—fire bursting from its eyes and throat.
The Abyssal Lion toppled with a crash, smoke pouring from its maw.
Silence fell.
Vancroft stepped from the smoking ruin, bloodied and panting, his right arm trembling from backlash.
He brushed his shirt sleeve—singed and torn—and looked to the stunned party above.
Mira stared, mouth open. Kael had forgotten how to blink. Rhea looked ready to fall over.
"Ignis… Aqua… Contractus…" he muttered, a faint smirk touching his lips. "Looks like the new function works."
And then, with perfect dramatic timing, he dropped to one knee and whispered.
"…I might need a salve or two."
The smoke had barely cleared when Rhea's eyes widened in horror.
"Wait—!" She shouted, but too late.
A wet, cracking sound echoed.
The Abyssal Lion's mangled skull began to reform, its sinews knitting together, flesh sliding back over bone.
Its shattered jaws writhed back into place—and with a guttural, hellish growl, it lunged forward, mouth wide toward the kneeling Vancroft.
"VAN—!"
CLANG!
Steel met Fang.
Rhea appeared in a crimson blur, aura blazing red around her sword like wildfire.
Her blade clashed against the beast's regenerating maw with explosive force, pushing it back by sheer pressure.
Sparks flew as her aura blade bit into its teeth, halting the fatal strike.
"Don't you dare!" She roared, her stance grounded like a seasoned knight.
Mira rushed to Vancroft's side, breath catching at the sight of his cracked skin, raw from the backlash of magic.
Without hesitation, she raised both hands, focusing her arts through spoken command.
"Let light mend what will, restore what should not break—Healing Surge!"
A soft golden aura enveloped her palms, then surged into Vancroft's body like warm water pouring over open flame. The violent tremble in his arms lessened, the bleeding halted, and his lungs expanded with a deeper breath.
"Purify the flesh, still the pain—Mend and Renew!" she called again, layering her second spell.
This time, a rush of light coursed through his back and shoulders, dulling the pain receptors as much as her arts would allow.
She gritted her teeth; she could feel how his nerves were reacting to her healing.
"Hold on," she whispered. "You just need a few more seconds."
A soft glow enveloped Vancroft's charred chest and arm.
His eyes opened sharply, crimson circles etched deep within them as he processed the situation.
Kael took the flank, shield raised.
"Don't let up! Abyssal Lions regenerate like damned trolls," he growled. "We can't win trading blows!"
The lion snarled louder this time—its hide already hardened against flame and water alike.
This time, its bloodlust was controlled, cold, and calculating.
Vancroft staggered to his feet, breath ragged.
"Damian."
[I'm here]
"We don't have the fuel for an A-rank spell. The previous contract's toll was already severe."
"There's no time," Vancroft hissed.
"Options?"
[One]
[Make a new contract. Reduce regeneration rate to zero. Multiply pain sensitivity… fourfold. Then channel it.]
Vancroft's jaw clenched.
"That's suicidal."
[It's necessary.]
He turned to Mira. "Mira", he said lowly, urgently, "no matter what happens—use your strongest healing spells on me. Continuously."
Mira nodded, swallowing hard. "I'll do my best."
Vancroft looked to Rhea and Kael.
"I need one minute," he said. "That's all. Can you buy it?"
Kael smirked, slamming his shield into the ground.
"That's what I'm here for."
Rhea gave a feral grin.
"Try not to die before we're done."
With that, the two leapt forward, engaging the Abyssal Lion head-on.
Kael blocked the first swipe of its monstrous claws with a thunderous clash, his Aura Shield blooming in golden waves.
The beast tried to lunge past him, but Rhea's sword intercepted it mid-leap, a red comet in motion, slicing deep across its shoulder.
Their coordination was seamless—Rhea dancing like wildfire, Kael anchoring like stone.
Meanwhile, Vancroft stepped back, circles already forming beneath him.
He extended his hand, burning lines of ancient script unfolding from his fingertips like ribbons of molten gold.
"Etch: Contractus Extremis."
Two golden circles layered atop one another beneath him, darker this time—more sinister.
A third ring, pitch black and pulsing, spun above his head.
"Rescindam: Salus Corporis."
I rescind the safety of my flesh.
"Multiplicare: Dolour Quater."
Magnify my pain—fourfold.
The runes seared into his bones, veins glowing with cruel red light. Mira gasped as blood trickled from his mouth, but she pushed harder.
"Healing surge!" she cried, summoning another wave of regenerative light.
Vancroft raised his left hand and whispered,
"Form: Infractum."
A magic circle burst outward—a bow, carved of burning runes and gold threads.
His right hand:
"Tension: Fractura".
Strings of glowing fire pulled taut.
And then—he carved the final glyph, etched across both arms like brands.
"Ignis Ultima: Phasmatum Phoenix—Sagitta Regia!"
Final Flame: Phantom Phoenix—Royal Arrow!
From the magic circle before him, a colossal phoenix of fire emerged, coalescing into an arrow. Wings folded into blazing fletching, its beak a razored point.
The runes blazed—pure A-Rank magic.
The phoenix arrow lit the sky as he drew it back, the air screaming from pressure alone.
The Abyssal Lion noticed—its four eyes wide, a guttural snarl forming.
Too late.
Vancroft loosed the arrow.
The world split.
A wave of pure, blinding flame tore through the forest, engulfing trees, tearing soil, and slamming into the Abyssal Lion with divine fury.
It pierced through it, carved a hole through the distant mountain, and left behind nothing but a trail of scorched earth.
Silence.
The lion fell, body disintegrating, ash caught in the wind.
Vancroft stood for a moment longer—then collapsed to one knee, his breathing shallow.
Mira rushed to him, pouring what little mana she had left into another healing sigil.
Kael exhaled, dropping to the ground.
"That… wasn't even a fight. That was a holy judgement."
Rhea sheathed her sword with a shake of her head. "He's insane."
Vancroft opened one eye, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"Contract function test... over."
He then lost consciousness.