Multiple enemies slain | Experience awarded | 21649 Ether gained

Now that's a big number, Leo commented. Though, with about a hundred kills, I expected a bit more… Some of them must have been barely above level fifty.

Not that he could complain. With this, he was getting closer and closer to accumulating the Ether required for the Beta tier mutations. He still needed the Voidling body parts, but he could always buy those from Naz'Tor. Not that he planned to—he would rather hunt for those himself once he had some free time.

Now levels…

Congratulations! You have reached level 72. Class and Racial attributes have been distributed.

Leo clicked his tongue. Here, he had hoped for much more—at least level seventy-four. However, just like the Ether he gained showed, those Lesser Infernal Daemons were much weaker than him. He was lucky that he still got three levels with such a large level gap.

At least I'm getting stronger. Almost halfway there to the next evolution. And here I thought it would take weeks or months to get here. Oh well…

Nightmare Pursuit forcefully stopped. You live to fight another day. Well done.

There it is. He let out a long sigh. Even if there were more Daemons out there, he very much doubted they would try to attack him after this. From here on out, he and Nyx should have an easier time finding the second hatchery.

I wonder if I can track it now, he mused, dismissing the other notifications. He didn't care about the new task he had finished. All it gave him was more Ether and experience. No point in wasting time reading all of that.

Slowly, Leo released his hold on Nyx and stepped away from her. His leg still stung like hell, but at least now it could support his weight.

"Leo?" the feline said, walking a step behind him.

He waved her off. "We gotta clear this place." He motioned to the dozens of bodies scattered across the battlefield. "No reason to let it all go to waste. Go on, Nyx, enjoy yourself."

She hesitated for a moment but didn't need to be told twice. A few shadow tendrils erupted from her body and dragged a few corpses toward her. Leo followed in her steps and freed Devour from its cage.

It was time to feast… and heal. The clock was ticking…

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"And? How is it going?"

Leo rolled his eyes, refusing to answer; he had better things to focus on—like the Hunter's Pulse forming in his hand. He gave it everything: his senses, more Essence than necessary, and intent, which was so well-crafted that if it didn't work, nothing would.

As the final part of the preparations, he extended his Essence toward the middle of the lava pond before him. There, he found the remnants of the sealing pillar's signature and connected it to the skill in his palm.

Here we go!

The Hunter's Pulse erupted in a visible wave of crimson Essence, sinking into the walls and then pushing far beyond. It went on and on before, finally, its energy ran out, and it snapped back.

Leo blinked and gazed at the two black trails that appeared in front of him. He reached out, ready to quickly mark his new target and be done with it. Yet, before he could do that, the dark tracks wavered, escaping from his grasp. He tried to follow, but they just faded completely.

"Dammit," he cursed.

"What happened?" Nyx asked, already standing by his side.

"I almost had it, but it slipped through my fingers… It must be too far or has some kind of natural protection against tracking. I'm sure of that."

She sighed. "So we are back to square one?"

"Not exactly." He shook his head. "I know the general direction we need to go in. It's not much, but better than nothing."

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"Lead the way then."

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It took a lot of running, flying, and a good part of an hour to arrive at the island where the second hatchery was located. Similar to the first one, they had to enter a cave and go down until they came across another lava lake decorated with a sealing pillar in the middle.

While Nyx took care of the eggs and larvae around the small underground chamber, Leo fished out another Crystallized Essence out of his soul. He overcharged it with his energy and once more delivered it to the base of the pillar with the help of shadows.

“Three… Two… One…”

The entire cave shook as pieces of the sealing pillar descended into the lava. He waited for the inevitable screeches or other disconcerting noises, but none came. The shaking stopped, and silence prevailed.

"Huh… Guess we really killed all the Daemons here."

Quite frankly, he expected this to happen. On the way to this island, they had encountered only a single Nightmare, and it flew away the moment it spotted him and Nyx. Still, with how the Void was, he didn't want to lower his guard.

Now, only the guardian remains. Leo mused, glancing at the new notification.

Well done! Both sealing pillars have been destroyed. Please defeat the guardian of this layer to fully unseal the Realm Tear.

"Our final destination is waiting. Ready to go?"

Nyx looked up from yet another meal and nodded.

Bloody glutton…

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"I can see why this is the guardian of this layer," Leo muttered to Nyx as they hid behind a large boulder.

Right in front of them, in the middle of an open rocky field the size of two—maybe three—football stadiums, slept their final enemy. And what an enemy it was…

Even with the beast asleep, Leo could easily tell it was larger than him—a behemoth of muscle. Its hulking frame was covered in thick, scaly hide, mottled in shades of crimson and obsidian. Spikes littered its powerful back and long tail, waiting to rip apart anyone who came too close.

Its massive arms and legs weren't any less dangerous. Each limb ended in sharp claws that appeared crimson in the light of the tiny lava ponds strewn around the area.

Greater Infernal Goliath (Nightmare Voidling) | Rank: D+ | Type: Nightmare, Lava, Regenerator, Armor, Might

We might have met our match. Leo frowned. That's a lot of strong types… Bestiary?

Race: Nightmare Voidling | Subspecies: Greater Infernal Goliath

Expected Potential: D+ to C+

Arsenal: Lava

Weaknesses: Speed

Greater Infernal Goliath is a menace to face. There aren't many creatures out there of the same rank that can boast about biological armor this powerful. In addition, its regeneration is off the charts, allowing it to heal from most non-life-threatening injuries within a minute. Their lava affinity is another danger. While Goliaths do not possess perfect control over their Essence, it's more than enough to wield their element with decent proficiency. Beware of their large-scale techniques.

All right, it's not that bad. He decided. If it's slow, then we can at least outrun it. The rest we can figure out on the fly.

Of course, his mind instantly went to Ruination. If he hit the Goliath in the head with a full-powered Obliterate, it should die. He could even do it now and strike when the beast was asleep. Yet, one thought stopped him.

There is still one more layer left.

Even if he destroyed the Supercluster core waiting there, he still needed to get out of this Void Rift. Last time, he needed to defeat another guardian to activate a Void Gate. It might be different here, but he would rather have his ace ready for the last layer.

I can always use it later in the fight, anyway. Leo nodded at the thought. Maybe my normal skills will be enough. Come on, Nyx.

Next to him, the feline tensed but offered a nod back. He took it as a sign and activated every skill that could be activated. Manifestation followed right behind, covering his form in shadows.

Strike fast, strike hard.

With that, Leo disappeared in a series of Blinks. His serrated blades snapped out and descended on the long, 'unprotected' neck of the Goliath. They slid into the thick hide, but that was all they did. Barely any blood seeped out of the long gash that seemed to be already closing.

Yet, there was no time to be shocked—the beast finally woke up.

After another Blink, he jumped away just in time to see the Goliath stand up and rub its neck. It then snapped its four-eyed crimson glare at him and roared. At the same time, its entire body caught fire, covering it in black armor of flames.

Okay… This might be a bigger problem than I thought. As to prove that, the Goliath roared again and punched the ground with its fiery fists, causing it to erupt.

Rings of lava exploded from below the surface, starting from the beast's position and continuing outward. Each reached higher than the last one, raining more and more of the liquid flames upon the ground.

Before this technique could reach him, Leo Blinked away, way past the boulder he was initially hiding behind. Nyx, meanwhile, took to the skies, prodding the enraged Nightmare with her shadows.

Yeah, this definitely won't be easy. He grimaced, scanning the battlefield that now became one big field of lava. Ruination might be a go sooner than I expected…