Caesar blinked, not quite reacting. In all his time in this world, this was the first time he had seen a monster that lost levels just by being beaten up.
Unless... Caesar narrowed his eyes, watching Andorn crawl out of the ruins. Although his aura was still surging, it was significantly weaker than before. It felt like a punctured ball, with the air leaking out.
"So he's just an inflatable doll."
Caesar figured it out.
This guy's Rank wasn't earned through his own training at all. It was entirely dependent on that ritual from earlier, which forcibly pumped others' Soul Power into his body to prop him up. This kind of power looked intimidating, but in reality, his Foundation was hollow. As long as he took a heavy blow exceeding a certain threshold, his Realm would drop!
"What kind of look is that?!"
Even though Andorn couldn't see, he could feel Caesar's contemptuous emotion, which made him even more frantic. He was the one chosen by the Seven Sages, the existence destined to become a god of the new world!
"Shut up, you fraud."
Caesar spat and charged forward again.
Now that he knew the other party's secret, he fought with even more abandon.
—How could a mere 'overnight expert' who struggled for most of his life compete with the leveling speed of his own year of hard work?!
This time, Caesar no longer held back his magic. He combined [Poison Jab] with [Mud Shot], specifically targeting Andorn's lower body, being as nasty as possible.
Andorn grew more alarmed as the fight went on.
With every collision, he could feel the power within his body draining away. That damned Dragon Clan hatchling was like a tireless pile driver; every strike was devastatingly heavy.
"Ora!"
Bang!
Another Dragon Tail whipped across his waist.
Andorn tumbled away like a tattered rag doll, spitting out a large mouthful of black blood.
[Rank: LV.37 (↓)]
Another level dropped.
Fear finally crept into Andorn's heart. The power he was so proud of was leaving him, and that feeling of weakness made him panic. He could feel that the gaze of the monster before him had changed—it was no longer looking at an opponent, but at a walking... experience pack.
"No... this is impossible..."
Andorn trembled as he climbed up from the ground. His once meticulously combed hair was now as messy as a bird's nest, and his magnificent bishop's robes had turned into a beggar's outfit.
"I am the chosen one... I am the one who will change the world..."
He muttered to himself, his expression dazed. Suddenly, he realized something and reached into his robes, pulling out a diamond-shaped crystal emitting an eerie purple light.
Caesar's eyelid twitched.
The System panel instantly popped up a red warning box:
[Warning! High concentration of ghost element energy reaction detected!]
[Held Item detected: elemental crystal (Ghost)!]
Caesar's heart skipped a beat.
How does he still have a z-crystal?
It shouldn't be legal for Team Plasma to carry z-crystals, right?!
He watched as Andorn slammed the crystal into a slot on his wrist, a frenzied and resolute smile appearing on his face.
"You forced me..."
"Let me show you... Ultimate Magic!"
Andorn stood up unsteadily, a terrifying aura suddenly erupting from him like a final burst of life.
He began to move his arms.
Left hand raised high, right hand pressed down, his body twisting into a bizarre angle.
That was... the starting pose for a Z-Move!
Although the posture was ugly, even looking a bit like he was having a cramp, the ghost elements in the air began to riot wildly following his movements.
The sky darkened rapidly, as if night had fallen.
The wails of countless vengeful spirits echoed in the air.
Caesar's scalp felt numb.
He's about to use his ultimate!
Ghost-type Z-Move—[Never-Ending Nightmare]!
The magic fluctuations before him were far more terrifying than when he used the Fire Z-Move himself. Once it landed, forget this pit—the surrounding area would likely be leveled to the ground.
He had to interrupt him!
Caesar tried to rush over, but a literal energy storm had already formed around Andorn, pushing him back more than ten meters.
"Cecilia!"
Caesar shouted without looking back.
"Aim for this dancing idiot!"
"Coming!"
Cecilia, who had been observing from the sidelines, saw it was her turn. She rushed out and took a deep breath, her cheeks puffing out.
Pfft—!
A cloud of gas mixed with silver electric arcs sprayed straight at Andorn, who was dancing with abandon.
Draconic Magic—[Paralysis Breath]!
This move didn't deal much damage, but it was highly insulting and carried a 100% Paralysis effect.
Andorn was currently at the critical moment of channeling the Z-Move, fully concentrated. All his defenses were set against physical attacks and magic bombardment; he hadn't prepared for this soft gas at all.
The moment the gas enveloped him...
Zzzzt!
Currents surged through his body.
Andorn's movement of raising his hands suddenly froze, and then his limbs began to twitch violently and uncontrollably.
His left hand went east, his right hand went west, and his neck was swaying wildly.
The originally ritualistic "Z-Dance" instantly turned into breakdancing.
"Wu... uh... Gwah!!!"
Andorn let out a scream of extreme terror.
The ritual movements were interrupted.
The massive ghost energy gathered behind him instantly lost its guidance and became incredibly violent.
Boom!!!
Without Caesar even needing to lift a finger, the out-of-control energy exploded directly on Andorn.
The giant black phantom let out a shrill roar and turned on its master, swallowing more than half of Andorn's body in one bite.
Shields shattered, flesh and blood flew!
Andorn was instantly blown more than ten meters away by the energy, slamming heavily onto the ground. He lay there in a heap, twitched twice, and then stopped moving.
The Ghost z-crystal also fell from his wrist, rolling to Caesar's feet.
Caesar picked up the warm crystal, blew the dust off it, and then looked at the distant Andorn, who was now barely breathing.
"Nice dance."
The Earth Dragon walked up to Andorn, looking down at the once-arrogant bishop.
Andorn no longer looked human, but he wasn't dead yet. His lips quivered—Caesar didn't give the villain a chance to deliver his last words. Like a judge on a talent show turning his chair, his thick Dragon Tail swept out with the sound of whistling wind!
[Dragon Tail]!
Bang!
This strike directly crushed all of Andorn's ribs, caving in his chest cavity.
"...!" Andorn's eyes widened. Those already blind eyes were filled with resentment and disbelief.
He wanted to speak, but only bloody foam surged from his mouth.
Caesar showed no mercy. His right claw rose, and blue-purple Dragon Element condensed into a sharp blade of light—
"Remember this for your next life," Mentor Kapu-Lias gave his final critique. "When you're in a fight, just fight. Don't dance."
Pfft!
[Dragon Claw] pierced through the heart!!
Andorn's body suddenly stiffened, then went completely limp.
A thick, almost black Soul energy drifted from the corpse. Before it could dissipate, it was greedily sucked in by the [sharp claw] on Caesar's chest.
The System notification rang pleasantly.
[Mission Complete: Kill LV.39 Plasma Bishop Andorn (Weakened State)]
[Experience Gained: 12500!]
...[Ding! Item 'sharp claw (Viola's soul fire)' status updated.]
[Current Status: Dozing (7050/10000)]!
Oho, is the old timer... waking up?