Chapter 210: Raise the Stakes
Still far away, a colossal figure emerged on the horizon, drawing the horrified gaze of every Mage.
The abomination stood over twenty meters tall, bearing the grotesque head of a lion fused onto the muscular body of a gorilla. Pitch-black veins pulsed beneath its skin, and a long tail slithered behind its back.
Its roar made the very sky tremble. The pressure it released alone sent chills down everyone’s spine, causing the Ether flowing through their meridians to stagnate slightly.
"Th-That’s... a Mage Master-level Corrupted Beast!"
"How is this possible?! Weren’t we told that no creature at that level would make it this far?!"
The gap in power between Ranks was an almost insurmountable abyss for any Mage.
A Super Genius could fight against someone in the later levels of the same Rank while still being in its early stages—that was fairly common. But facing an enemy from the next Rank, even if it was only Level 1, was considered impossible.
Everyone’s faces turned pale with sheer terror. For all intents and purposes, that beast was an invincible existence.
As it advanced, the abomination trampled and crushed the weaker Corrupted Beasts that crossed its path. The ground shook violently beneath every step.
Priam’s expression darkened. He hadn’t expected something this shameless. Were those bastards really treating the lives of ordinary disciples like disposable dust?
He let out a scornful snort and stepped forward ahead of his faction. At the same moment, the other Super Geniuses also took position at the front of their respective channels, their guards raised and expressions tense.
There was only one enemy and five channels.
The beast would inevitably choose only one path to invade.
Three of the Super Geniuses broke out in a cold sweat from pure anxiety. If that creature entered their channels, it would be an absolute catastrophe. Their chances of defeating it were practically nonexistent.
The only ones who remained completely unfazed were, naturally, Priam and Walhart.
The Corrupted Beast charged forward like a meteor, crossing kilometers in the blink of an eye.
As the distance rapidly closed, Dandara’s and the Generals’ expressions changed drastically.
The monster was marching in a straight line, heading directly for Priam’s channel.
The moment they realized its trajectory, the other three factions let out heavy sighs of relief. Meanwhile, the soldiers in Walhart’s faction wore dark smiles, openly reveling in someone else’s misfortune.
Priam, however, simply made a calm gesture toward his troops.
"Fall back to the entrance of the channel and wait there."
After giving the order, Priam began walking alone toward the beast at a slow, steady pace.
The hearts of his nine hundred soldiers tightened. They all knew how unbelievably powerful the Boss was, but seeing an abomination of that caliber charging toward him awakened an instinctive fear that was impossible to suppress.
*BUZZ!*
The moment it noticed Priam approaching alone, the Corrupted Beast let out a deafening roar. The countless black veins covering its body pulsed with a menacing glow.
Then...
"!"
The troops behind him instinctively took a step backward in panic.
In the next instant, the beast opened its massive jaws and fired a concentrated beam of black light straight at Priam!
But...
In the very next millisecond, Priam’s entire body erupted with a radiant glow, releasing a pure, indescribable elemental aura.
It was as if his entire physical existence had transformed. If any Mage there had closed their eyes to sense him, they would have sworn they were standing before the pure manifestation of the Wind element itself, not a person.
Keeping his Elemental Physique at full power didn’t consume Ether, but it placed an enormous burden on his body and caused tremendous physical strain. Even so, maintaining it for a few hours in combat was entirely possible.
With a smooth, graceful motion, Priam shifted lightly to the side, dodging the destructive beam with mere millimeters to spare.
*KBOOOOM!*
The black beam slammed violently into the runic wall of the channel, making the entire structure shake. The force of the impact caused several Mages in the neighboring channels to lose their footing and fall to the ground.
The runic barrier remained intact, but every Corrupted Beast caught near the explosion was instantly reduced to dust and chunks of flesh.
Seeing that, every Mage felt their scalp go numb with terror.
There was no longer any doubt.
Without question, it possessed the power of a Mage Master.
That casual attack alone would have effortlessly obliterated any one of them.
*ROAR!*
With another earth-shaking roar, the Corrupted Beast adjusted its aim and unleashed the same attack again and again.
From the other factions, the Mages watched with wide eyes, feeling the suffocating weight of every explosion in their own chests.
But Priam simply continued weaving between the blasts as he advanced, never giving the Corrupted Beast even the slightest chance to touch him.
Within seconds, he was already standing face-to-face with the abomination.
The Corrupted Beast swung a colossal claw, tearing through the air in a devastating strike.
Priam dodged with effortless elegance.
The very next instant, the monster’s long tail lashed toward him like a bolt of lightning.
Priam leaped, avoiding it by mere millimeters. Landing lightly on the moving tail, he performed a flawless somersault in midair before coming down directly onto the monster’s back.
Every one of his movements was executed with surgical precision and unbelievable efficiency. It was an incredibly dangerous dance, yet Priam’s expression remained cold and indifferent, as though he were deliberately cooperating with the beast to put on an impressive performance.
The moment he landed on the creature’s back, his fists pulsed with bursts of compressed wind.
*Sky-Rending Wind!*
A blinding light erupted from his fists as razor-sharp wind condensed into a single focal point.
The beast’s colossal head shot high into the sky, scattering a grotesque rain of black blood across the entire channel.
The crowd watching was left completely speechless, frozen in shock by the surreal sight before them.
However... even after being decapitated, the monster’s grotesque body didn’t stop immediately.
The abomination continued thrashing around, blindly lashing out at the air with savage ferocity.
Priam simply dodged every wild attack with casual ease for about twenty seconds, until the giant finally ran out of strength and collapsed onto the ground like a mountain of dead flesh.
Priam landed lightly on the ground and let out a long sigh. The elemental glow surrounding him faded, returning him to his normal state.
"Boss is incredible!"
After a brief moment of deathly silence, Priam’s entire faction erupted into thunderous cheers, applause, and deafening shouts.
A Mage Master-level Corrupted Beast had been killed with a single strike by a Mage Disciple! Who else in the world could possibly accomplish such a feat?
If Priam had fought to the point of exhaustion, traded injuries, and won by a narrow margin, it would have already been shocking. But he had done it in mere seconds—cleanly, flawlessly, and with apparent ease. It looked less like he had slain a terrifying abomination and more like he had casually killed a helpless rabbit.
The sight left everyone stunned. Even Flaris, Shione, and Lumiere—who had promised themselves they would never again be surprised by Priam’s absurd feats—were now staring at him with eyes shining with admiration and respect.
Dandara, meanwhile, wore a gleaming look in her eyes, surrounded by a faintly chaotic aura of fascination.
In the neighboring channels, Inigo, Sallya, and Daraen watched everything in complete disbelief. Priam’s absolute, surgical victory had been nothing short of incredible.
As he walked back toward his army, Priam spoke in a calm, steady voice.
"Still don’t get it? That was a Corrupted Beast, not a Mage. It may have possessed the raw strength of a Mage Master, but its nonexistent intelligence and glaring biological flaws made it infinitely inferior to a real Mage."
Hearing that, everyone’s expressions changed.
"I would never presume I could defeat a Mage Master at my current stage. But against Corrupted Beasts? Even if there were five of them together, I’d still guarantee victory without much difficulty."
He quickly pointed out each of the creature’s mistakes.
What Mage would be stupid enough to repeat the exact same elemental attack pattern after realizing their opponent could dodge it effortlessly?
What Mage would make the ridiculous mistake of using such a wide tail attack, throwing their own body forward and leaving their head completely exposed?
On top of that, the monster’s entire physique had been built around brute strength, leaving its agility and reaction speed laughably underdeveloped.
Priam’s reasoning opened everyone’s eyes.
Of course, his explanation didn’t diminish his incredible execution in the slightest. By advancing the way he had, Priam had deliberately baited the enemy into making that fatal mistake, creating the perfect opening for a one-hit kill.
That display of combat had demanded extraordinary perception, flawless judgment, perfect control over his own strength, and above all, unwavering confidence. If his attack had failed to kill the beast, it would have handed it a dangerous opportunity to counterattack.
"In a real battle, the most important factor is your ability to observe," Priam continued, pointing toward the new wave of monsters appearing on the horizon.
"Corrupted Beasts are much easier to deal with than you think—you just need courage. As long as you can identify your opponent’s fatal weakness, they’re nothing more than bags of points waiting to be collected. Everyone, keep the massacre going!"
The soldiers roared in unison and charged forward with renewed bloodlust.
Priam’s demonstration had launched the army’s morale to unprecedented heights. Their veins burned with adrenaline, as if they needed to unleash all that energy immediately.
"He’s simply magnificent..." In the neighboring channel, dozens of female Mages from Daraen’s faction looked at Priam with completely captivated expressions.
In that chaotic and merciless world, whether among men or women, a Mage’s raw strength and dominance acted as the greatest source of attraction. The more powerful someone was, the more beautiful and imposing both their physical presence and aura became.
Priam’s dominant charm, however, was different. He never tried to show off or act impressive. His aura simply flowed naturally, revealing exactly who he was—and that made his presence even more magnetic.
"Stop getting distracted on the battlefield like a bunch of lovestruck fools!" Daraen scolded firmly.
The girls nodded at once, though excited whispers still spread through the ranks.
Meanwhile, in the far-right channel, the atmosphere was heavy.
Priam could clearly feel the aura of frustration and hatred radiating from Walhart. Watching everyone celebrate and admire Priam, Walhart looked as though he were about to explode with rage.
’What’s wrong?’ Priam mocked inwardly, a cold smile curling across his lips. ’If that wasn’t enough for you, then raise the stakes. Dig yourself an even deeper hole and bury yourself once and for all.’