Chapter 146: Dark Wraith
But volcanic mastery provided unexpected resistance. The molten power flowing through his veins created internal heat that opposed the wraith’s life-draining assault. Fire and ice met within his enhanced body, creating thermal stress that translated into visible steam.
The Dark Wraith recoiled from the unexpected resistance, its shadow-stuff form rippling with confusion. Ancient intelligence flickered behind ethereal eyes as it processed this new variable in what should have been an easy execution.
Ethan pressed his advantage immediately.
Crystal manipulation erupted from the stone floor, jagged spears of mineral matter piercing upward through shadow-pools where the wraith’s essence gathered. The creature’s form scattered like disturbed smoke, avoiding the crystalline attacks through ethereal dispersion.
But his dispersion created a vulnerability in its defence.
Volcanic mastery answered his will with molten fury. Magma geysers erupted in precise patterns, their superheated glow forcing the wraith’s scattered essence into tighter concentrations. Steam hissed where lava met shadow-stuff, creating visibility gaps in the creature’s defensive concealment.
The wraith’s counterattack came as environmental sabotage. Darkness flowed across stone surfaces like liquid night, transforming solid footing into treacherous shadow-pools that grabbed at his feet with ethereal tendrils.
Enhanced Speed was activated in response. Reality slowed as his perception accelerated, allowing navigation through the shifting terrain with flowing precision. Each step landed exactly where solid stone remained, his enhanced agility turning environmental hazards into minor inconveniences.
Fire magic erupted in controlled bursts, D-rank flames creating illumination that banished pockets of artificial darkness. The wraith’s form became visible in stuttering glimpses—solid enough to target, ethereal enough to avoid sustained assault.
Water manipulation followed immediately. Pressurized streams hammered the creature’s partially-materialized form, their impact dispersing shadow-essence while steam generation created additional concealment that favored his superior mobility.
The Dark Wraith adapted with terrifying intelligence. Shadow-tendrils lashed from impossible angles, their ethereal substance bypassing conventional defenses to strike at gaps in his crystal armor. Cold beyond description accompanied each impact—not temperature, but existential chill that threatened to freeze his enhanced vitality.