The Lion King 6

“Hngh-!!”

The Lion King grunted powerfully while folding both arms across his chest in a resounding battlecry:

[Fire Spirit Arts: Spirit Unison – Aphrission]

An entire regional expanse erupted into brilliant conflagration all at once.

Behind the Lion King, a colossal fiery titan’s towering upper torso materialized from those scorching flames.

Gooooooong-

With its immense burly arms and billowing vermillion mane, that entity transcended mere spiritual embodiments altogether.

For elemental spirits did not truly exist within this planar dimension itself.

What manifested represented the Lion King’s very spiritual essence unified alongside his father Salamander’s own spirit avatar – simultaneously both spirit incarnate and sovereign’s astral self-projection alike.

As Vanguard Commander Oz’s apocalyptic demolition sorcery [Frost Titan Javelin Strike] barreled towards the ramparts relentlessly:

That fiery giant simply reached out grasping that colossal frozen spearhead directly with its burly grasp.

Kwaaaaaahng-!

Accompanied by thunderous shockwaves rattling the entire ramparts themselves, explosive vapor clouds erupted outwards from that cataclysmic collision between overwhelming heat and sub-zero chill.

“Hurk…!”

“Watch out! Everyone take cov… eh?”

The soldiers instinctively hunched down defensively before realizing no collateral damage had transpired whatsoever – a testament to the Lion King’s astounding mana control capabilities.

Kragakagakagak-

“Hngh-!”

Despite catching that spearhead directly, its momentum still threatened overpowering that titanic grip as the javelin’s rotation threatened propelling itself forwards relentlessly.

Yet right before the outermost ramparts, that spearhead ground to a complete halt – the Lion King still standing with folded arms glaring down that projectile with blazing crimson irises.

Eventually, after the Lion King exerted another resounding shout:

“Haaah!!”

That fiery giant’s grasp shattered the entire frozen projectile simultaneously.

Kwuchaaaaahhng-

Thick glacial shards scattered chaotically as the Vagabond strode forth unhesitatingly.

“Hwah!”

That elongated white staff twirled rhythmically in dazzling revolutions – the continent’s paramount martial artist displaying his profound mastery over arcane stave techniques.

Compared to those fragmented shards, his staff seemed almost comically short in reach. Yet its percussive strikes snapped outwards in whiplike extensions tracking along diverse trajectories to pummel every single obstruction amid those vapor clouds with pinpoint accuracy.

Those whirling revolutions of white amid the enshrouding mists resembled the blossoming petals of an ephemeral blossom in full radiant bloom.

“Hah!”

Kshurahk-

With one final horizontal revolving sweep, the Vagabond dispersed that obstructing vapor revealing their unobstructed frontline vistas once more.

Shimmering ice shards sparkled like refracted prisms throughout those waning sunrays while the breached magic circle’s obliterated remnants cascaded across that obsidian ocean below.

The Demon Lord’s opening salvo – Vanguard Commander Oz’s apocalyptic magic successfully neutralized by the Alliance’s paramount forces.

Yet they possessed no respites to celebrate that initial victory.

Lilith cracked her whip menacingly while wearing a darkly brooding expression:

Kkyak-

“You worthless cumdrops-!”

That impact point radiated outwards with viscous scorching demonic miasma aureoles saturating the entire battlefield – stimulating those imp legions into heightened frenzy alongside bolstering their physical and mental states alike.

Kkirruk, Kkhuh, Grrrehhh-!

Grrrrekkekkekkkk-!

The writhing obsidian tides convulsed furiously.

Those already monstrous muscular physiques swelled even larger with veins bulging grotesquely.

Bloodshot pumpkin irises alongside fully engorged genitalia all throbbing erratically.

Lilith the Succubus Queen’s signature power enhancing skill, Frenzy, manifesting in full potency.

“Ooh, you leveled up that ability nicely too?”

She smiled indulgently while brushing slender fingertips across empty space tauntingly.

Grreeeekkkkh-!!

Giiiikkkkkk-!!

Unleashing deafening unified screeches, those frenzied imp legions surged forth like a massive tsunami causing miniature earthquakes from their sheer combined footfalls alone.

Even further amplified beyond their already formidable might rivaling elite Apostles individually, that demonic locust swarm stampeded onwards with utterly unstoppable momentum.

Now the warriors’ turn had arrived to enter the fray decisively.

Soldiers scrambled into defensive preparations while mage commanders issued wide-area bombardment orders across the frontlines.

Yet just as the warriors moved to lead the charge:

“Hold positions men! Stand by at ranks!”

The Lion King’s command remained firmly in place without any sign of relenting just yet.

Generals inquired with growing impatience:

“Your Majesty! Give us the order!”

“We must commit our Alliance forces immediately now! Grant us marching orders forthwith!”

Yet the Lion King remained utterly unmoved still:

“Remain steadfast.”

He unfolded his arms allowing them to hang loosely at his sides before stating simply:

“For I am the Alliance itself.”

His irises flashed brilliantly before outstretching both arms expansively sideways once more.

Grooooooong-

The very air itself seemed to grind into motionless stillness altogether.

‘…No.’

Doyun realized the regional mana itself had frozen completely rigid throughout that entire combat zone.

Utter silence without even the faintest zephyr – an eerie phenomenon unlike anything experienced before prompting visible unease across the ranks.

Soon after, Doyun reacted with widening eyes while Lei quivered recoiling instinctively backwards:

“Wh-, Wha… Whaa…”

“Lei?”

Heineken reacted with puzzlement given his comparatively lesser mana sensitivity compared to Lei and Doyun themselves.

Yet Doyun sensed the utterly ludicrous revelation being wrought right before their eyes in visceral dismay – every single hair standing on end from that titanic distortion.

‘The entire regional mana itself… All mana across this battlefield…’

Converging inwards towards the Lion King himself at the epicenter resembling nothing else except gale winds being steadily inhaled by some tremendous conflagration engulfing every wisp of oxygen across that blaze’s vicinity – hungrily gorging downwards insatiably with gargantuan voracity.

An inconceivably immense magic akin to some celestial incarnate flame itself gorging on the entire battlefield’s circulating mana without any restraints whatsoever.

Grrreekkkhh-!

Kyaaaahhh!!

Imps already scaling the outer rampart walls clawed futilely, completely unable to gain any purchase against the Great Celestial Extremis Barricade’s impenetrable foundations.

Eventually resorting to forming humanoid pyramids using their own writhing bodies like some zombie horde from fiction itself at utterly astonishing swiftness.

“Hnngh-!”

The Lion King’s incandescent irises blazed ever more intensely until appearing to literally ignite into open infernos radiating from within those crimson pupils outwards.

Regional winds previously spiraling inwards from every direction abruptly ceased altogether.

[Fire Spirit Arts: Spirit Unison]

Both the Lion King’s outstretched arms elevated skywards as if bracing against some colossal burden descending overhead.

[Supreme Technique]

All across that battlefield, every single entity turned their undivided attentions upwards following his upraised arms in eerie synchronicity.

Vanguard Commanders, demonic officers, imp soldiers, Alliance warriors, generals and infantry soldiers alike – even Doyun himself among their ranks.

Not a single soul failed gaping upwards in unrestrained awe altogether at the unfolding revelation manifesting overhead:

[Solar Radiance]

A veritable sun materialized amid the heavens looming over Muspelheim itself.

“Wh… Wha… What…”

“Good… Heavens…”

Accompanied by sizzling sounds akin to stones baking within ovens, the entire rampart turned scorching crimson from those blazing celestial rays.

Kkirruk, Greeekkkh-!!

Greeeeekkkkkkhhh-!!

Imps already scaling the ramparts unleashed ear-piercing shrieks before plummeting back down from those searing temperatures despite their innate pain-resistant natures amplified by Lilith’s Frenzy state enhancements.

Even those mindless berserkers descended into sheer maddened desperation clawing back beneath whatever rubble remained from their collapsed climbing pyramids solely for the barest shadows providing meager respite from that all-consuming radiance – such was the intensity of those celestial flames.

And yet the Alliance forces remained utterly unscathed on their end.

Lei stammered while turning towards her teacher in bewilderment:

“Wh-, Why aren’t we burning up too?”

“…Sheer insanity in terms of mana control abilities.”

Mana manipulation prowess invoking comparisons towards a certain acquaintance from the past itself.

The Vagabond glanced meaningfully towards Doyun, that apparent protagonist responsible, before shaking his head in sheer incredulity.

“…?”

Rather than join the others gawking gobsmacked upwards, Doyun stared at that celestial manifestation with mouth agape while seemingly lost in contemplative reverie instead.

More profound realizations seemed to dawn upon him compared to mere astonishment alone.

‘Manipulating such titanic mana volumes… Using this method…’

A master of mana control transcending even the Lion King himself, Doyun appeared enlightened witnessing that supreme technique firsthand.

Rekindling memories of his Breath failures alongside the inspirations gleaned from the Lion King’s divine miracles prompting those dormant epiphanies within.

Doyun’s Dragon Heart smoldered unconsciously in spite of himself – faintly at first, yet steadily intensifying alongside that secondary Dragon Heart nested within his physical bosom.

“Goddammit Oz you dried up lizard cunt!! Throw up some barriers or splash some iced water already aarrghh!!”

Satan howled petulantly swearing profusely from those overwhelming heat levels singeing even his demonic hide causing considerable discomfort despite the Vanguard Commanders’ innate resistances against such trivialities.

Lancelot, Lilith and Oz reacted in turn with reluctant admiration:

“…Quite the formidable man despite adversarial circumstances.”

“Wow… That’s kind of… pretty too?”

“Sublime! Supreme! Pyro-, Pyromancy! Oh, oooh!”

Even across such immense distances, that widespread area-encompassing magic inflicted perceptible superficial damage upon the Vanguard Commanders themselves – undoubtedly devastatingly apocalyptic against lesser demonic mooks in comparison.

More concerningly, those opening acts appeared merely preambles before any decisive offensives even commenced yet.

‘If that radiance somehow descended upon the surface itself…’

Truly an unfathomable divine revelation akin to the very celestial sun god manifesting amid this mortal realm itself.

“Lord Oz. Are you certain leaving that conflagration unchecked proves wise?”

“Annihilation! Absolute! Eight tenths of imp forces face! Annihilation!”

Though rattling his jawbones erratically as if suffering fresh senility, Oz’s frantic implications remained undeniable.

“What?! After all the miasma I consumed enhancing those fuckers?! My Lord, do something about this somehow!”

“Oh, oooh, ooh!!”

Lilith clutched Oz’s clavicle bones shaking him violently while his hollow skull rattled back and forth limply.

Yet the bone wizard soon shoved her backwards dismissively after shaking off those awestruck mutterings.

“Kyah!”

Brandishing his staff once more with renewed intensity, that skeletal visage hardened with ominous dark energies flickering across his empty eye sockets.

[Darkness heed my call-!!]

Those guttural invocations rattled souls directly through sheer menacing reverberation alone.

His previous demolition sorcery had been preemptively prepared through memorized rituals without expending much personal mana reserves.

Yet now, Oz compressed every ounce of his power unleashing another apocalyptic offensive at full unbridled capacity.

Having witnessed that supreme celestial miracle firsthand, the bone wizard’s casting pace accelerated immeasurably beyond all prior comparison through sheer inspiration alone.

That spell’s completion manifested virtually instantaneously in the blink of an eye.

[Sable Grip]

“Huh?”

“Why’d it get dark all of a sudden?”

The very heavens blackened into absolute ebony pitch once more.

Soon after, that encroaching darkness coalesced into a singular shadowy silhouette materializing across the illuminated skies.

A colossal obsidian hand – manifesting before that solar radiance itself as if to utterly eclipse every morsel of light from existence altogether.

“Su-, Sublime…! Pyro-… mancy’s Supreme…!”

Oz trembled his bony fingers outstretched while that sable-formed hand mimicked his own movements precisely.

“Mine… to seize…!”

Despite that overwhelming brilliance, those shadowy digits reached out enveloping the sun itself in smothering pitch blackness.

Kugugugugugung-

Resounding like the entire sky itself was shattering asunder, that umbral hand plunged into the sun’s heart steadily devouring its radiant luminescence altogether.

“Hngh…!”

Despite bracing that celestial sphere with both arms, the Lion King furrowed his brows straining against that opposing offensive.

Regardless of Oz’s unmatched elemental mastery, no spellcasting could simply negate the Lion King’s Level 10 mana death technique while within these holy barrier grounds prevailing against individual Vanguard Commanders alone.

Yet diminishing its overwhelming potency down to more manageable levels remained feasible even amidst such extraordinary circumstances.

As those shadowy tendrils seeped inwards consuming the sun’s brilliant rays, its luminescence steadily dimmed slightly in tandem.

“Formidable indeed, Lord Oz.”

“Wow… That spell was pretty spectacular too?”

“Insane levels of badassery.”

Even the Vanguard Commanders reacted with awed admiration towards Oz’s magic – never anticipating he could manifest such overwhelming might even within those holy barrier constraints.

However:

“Hmm?”

Satan scowled with apparent bewilderment in turn.

“What’s that supposed to be?”

One Alliance Apostle leapt skywards approaching that celestial radiance alongside the enshrouding shadow: Doyun himself.

Accompanied by whistling zephyrs streaming past, Doyun’s palm clasped around Yupiteur’s hilt loosely resting against his waist.

‘Not a chance in hell, you dusty fossil.’

Doyun’s aureate luminescence represented the paramount elemental aura manifesting against that consuming darkness across these mortal realms below.

Recalling those inspirations gleaned from witnessing the Lion King’s supreme miracle technique firsthand:

‘Manipulating titanic mana volumes.’

Having breached Level 8 mana capacity did not equate understanding that separate specialized realm regulating all those reserves simultaneously without limitations whatsoever – the very crux behind his previous Breath failures after all.

Yet the Lion King’s divine magic revealed those elusive insights Doyun required to shatter through such self-imposed boundaries instead.

During the Apophis Plains campaign, Doyun had unveiled the [Manifest Blade]’s alternate manifestation as [Blade Flames] – incinerating the majority of those retreating Demon Lord’s armies through overwhelming blazing conflagrations.

Yet afterwards, his fire abilities remained limited to merely wreathing sword blades with flickering embers at most.

‘But now…’

He could finally manifest the fullest extent of pyric transcendence itself.

Those fleeting ephemeral inspirations gleaned from sensing Hellfire essences – not as mindless destructive conflagrations eluding his restraints but purified infernos manifested under his complete sovereign dominion over the flame itself.

Both this era’s paramount warrior alongside the former era’s ultimate combatant exchanging divine revelations inspiring one another towards unprecedented altitudes.

[Războlnic’s Style Sword Enlightenment Supreme Art]

Chikalik-

Before Yupiteur’s blade had even fully emerged from its sheathe, lambent aureate flames began seeping forth from the slightest gaps between the hilt and sheathe’s openings.

Soon after, that lustrous blade slid outwards accompanied by brilliant incandescent radiance:

[Manifest Blade: Blade Flames]

Fwaaaaaahhhhh-

An utterly titanic consecrated blaze erupted engulfing that sable hand completely within aureate holy flames.