Chapter 71: Your blood will be on your hands
Vince stepped through the mouth of the cave, leaving the howling wind and ash-choked air behind him.
Inside, the shadows were absolute, but the ambient heat was almost unbearable, radiating off the stone walls like a furnace.
The low, rhythmic growl echoed through the darkness at steady intervals, vibrating in Vince’s chest. He kept moving forward, taking measured, silent paces.
Through his perception, his mind mapped out the interior in vivid detail: massive stalactites hanging like fangs from the vaulted ceiling and thick pillars of rock lining the cavern floor. Yet, as he pushed his perception further toward the source of the growling, his mental radar returned a strange, hollow void.
Nothing.
Vince narrowed his eyes, expanding the range of his perception even further as he walked directly toward the echoing growl.
Still, his sense mapped out only empty stone and warm air. She was suppressing her mana core so completely that she was virtually invisible to detection—a masterclass in stealth from an ancient predator.
Where is she—
Thump.
Vince’s boot caught against something thick, heavy, and covered in coarse, rigid scales lying across the cavern floor.
Before he could process what he had just tripped over, a blinding pair of slitted amber eyes snapped open in the pitch black.
The massive object under his foot—a long, heavy reptilian tail—whipped upward with terrifying, casual power.
The force of the strike caught Vince squarely in the chest. Even with his mana-reinforced endurance, the raw kinetic impact launched him backward like a cannonball.
Vince soared right out of the dark cave mouth, twisting in mid-air before landing heavily on the jagged volcanic stone outside, his boots digging deep grooves into the shale as he caught his stance.
From the depths of the shadowy cavern, heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed against the stone.
"Who dares... disturb my rest?"
A woman walked out from the darkness into the hazy sunlight of the apex.
She stopped at the cave entrance and threw her head back, letting out a primal, thunderous roar.
The sheer pressure of the soundwave surged outward like an elemental shockwave, ripping through the atmosphere and blowing the thick, smoky fog away for miles in every direction, leaving the barren peak exposed.
Vince straightened up, his eyes locking onto the figure standing before him.
She was breathtakingly fierce—a terrifying fusion of primordial danger and striking beauty. Standings a full head taller than Vince, her long, raven-black hair tumbled wildly down her back. Her skin was a contrasting canvas: thick, brilliant crimson scales armored her forearms, lower legs, hips, and jawline, while the smooth skin of her underarms, neck, and inner thighs remained exposed. A sleek, five-inch black horn protruded elegantly from her forehead, and two-inch obsidian talons tipped her fingers and toes.
Despite her warrior frame, she possessed a remarkably toned, hourglass figure—busty enough to complement her athletic physique, though noticeably more compact than Lyrielle, Moriele, or Elena, balanced by striking, shapely hips. Her long, heavy tail lashed behind her with lazy grace.
She wore primitive, fitted garments of dark, heat-cured hide that bound only her chest and waist, leaving her cut, muscular abs and scaled limbs completely bare.
Her cold, amber slitted eyes glared down at Vince, dripping with ancient disdain.
"I should burn you to ash for disturbing my sleep, human,"
She said, her voice a deep, husky rasp that vibrated with natural authority.
Vince met her intense glare with his usual unbothered profile.
"Not the most hospitable thing to do to a guest, don’t you think?"
Vetra let out a dry, contemptuous huff, her long tail swaying dismissively as she turned her back on him.
"Go back from whence ye came."
"C’mon, Vetra,"
Vince said casually, stepping forward.
"Don’t act so cold."
Vetra paused, though she didn’t bother turning around.
"Get lost, human,"
She growled, completely unbothered by how a random human knew her name.
To her, weaklings weren’t worth the effort of curiosity. She took another step back toward the cave.
Seeing she was about to dismiss him entirely, Vince didn’t hesitate.
He planted his boot into the scorched stone and launched himself forward, closing the distance in a blur of mana-boosted speed. He leaped into the air, driving a heavy, full-force fist straight toward her shoulder in a sudden sneak attack.
Thwack!
Without even glancing back, Vetra’s heavy tail whipped upward with instinctual precision, colliding directly with Vince’s strike.
The impact sounded like two iron girders slamming together.
Vetra didn’t shift an inch, her body completely unfazed by the force of his attack, while Vince was repelled backward, landing lightly on his feet a few paces away.
A faint, dangerous grin spread across Vince’s face as he cracked his knuckles.
"I challenge you to a duel."
For the first time, a subtle hint of genuine surprise tugged at Vetra’s fierce features.
She turned around slowly, her slitted amber eyes narrowing as she looked at him as if he were a lunatic.
"Are you some knight with a death wish?"
"I am no knight,"
Vince replied smoothly, his voice completely level.
"But if I win... you’re coming with me."
Vetra stared at him for a quiet moment before letting out a sharp, mocking chuckle.
"You have no idea what you are asking, human. I have dueled against the finest fighters this continent had to offer—tribal chiefs, S-rank mercenaries, imperial champions. None of them could leave a single scar on my skin. They all broke."
Vince tilted his head, his deep eyes locking onto hers with absolute, unwavering resolve.
"Guess I’m here to break a record, then."
Vetra froze.
The utter lack of fear or hesitation in his posture caught her off guard. She searched his face, unable to find a single trace of deceit or foolish bravado behind those glowing, purple-ringed pupils. There was only pure, calculated confidence.
A slow, predatory smirk carved across her scaled jawline, exposing sharp, white fangs.
"Suit yourself, human,"
Vetra growled, turning toward the open plateau.
"Come with me."
They walked toward the absolute center of Mount Ignis’s apex.
The area was a massive, circular clearing of flat obsidian stone—a natural arena enclosed on all sides by swirling borders of volcanic smoke, magma and glowing embers, looking remarkably like an ancient fighting ring.
Without a single word needing to be spoken, Vince understood. He had been brought to the stage.
Vetra stepped into the ring, her bare, clawed feet gripping the hot stone. Vince walked into the opposite side, stopping twenty paces out. They began to circle each other slowly, two predators measuring up their prey.
"If you die,"
Vetra purred softly, her fire mana beginning to flare around her body in violent crimson wisps,
"your blood will be on your own hands."
Vince dropped low into his combat stance, his muscles tightening as the mana inside his pathways hummed to life.
"Who said anything about dying?"