A scream suddenly rang in Kairav's ears, followed by the chilling grip around his neck abruptly releasing him.
At that moment, as if awakened from the brink of unconsciousness, his awareness slowly returned.
His weakened body immediately collapsed onto the sandy beach.
As his hazel eyes, still blurry, opened, they became fixated on the horizon of dawn above him. A strange sense of déjà vu surged through his heart.
For the second time in his life, he saw the magnificent sight of multicolored waves of light resembling an aurora sweeping across the sky. This time, the cosmic phenomenon painted the sunrise in vibrant hues.
A luminous red star within the bull constellation flickered brightly as the spectrum of light surrounded it.
Simultaneously, the Cosmic Resonance Radiation was unleashed upon Lushterra.
The blackish rain of cosmic energy descended from the sky, sinking into Casildo's body as he activated his technique—Radiant Soulforge Awakening—to summon his bull spirit.
Dark mist engulfed his body, and the bull totem etched onto his back seemed to come to life.
The totem bull stomped his hooves and lowered his head for several moments before a massive black bull spirit burst forth from Casildo's body, letting out a fierce, intimidating roar.
Bellow!
Ping!
[ System: Scanning Object... ]
Scanning: 85%... 95%...100% Complete!
Name: Caraka
Species: Spirit Animals ( Bull Spirit )
Origin: Aetherialium
Element: Terra
The mighty black bull spirit charged forward at incredible speed, leaving behind a thunderous rhythm in his wake.
His massive, well-defined muscles were a testament to his immense strength. His fiery eyes burned with determination as he searched for his enemies, ready to gore them with his sharp, spear-like horns.
But unfortunately, the bull spirit found nothing but emptiness.
The water monsters had already retreated beneath the sand the moment they sensed the overwhelming magical energy unleashed by Casildo's Radiant Soulforge Awakening.
"Tch! What a bunch of cowards!" Casildo scoffed, placing his hands on his hips.
"Is that what they call an animal spirit?" Kairav muttered in shock, still sitting on the ground, staring at the surreal sight that had just unfolded before his eyes.
Casildo immediately turned his head, his eyes widening. "Wait… aren't you blind? How the hell can you see my spirit? Did your vision magically clear up when you were about to die?!"
He quickly walked over as Kairav slowly stood up, his gaze still locked onto the bull spirit.
"Bro, why does your cow look like some dumb dairy cow? Look at it—it's pacing around like a crazy bull after losing his enemies!" Kairav said, frowning in confusion.
He pointed at Casildo's bull spirit, who indeed appeared restless, pacing in frustration after being deprived of a fight. To Kairav, the bull looked as stupid as his owner.
"IT'S A BULL!!!" Casildo shouted, his patience snapping. "How the hell are you still this annoying after nearly dying?!"
Boom! Kaboom!
Growl!!
"See?! Every time you open your mouth, something bad happens!" Casildo groaned, eyes widening in horror at the impending disaster before them.
The sandy beach suddenly erupted, shaking violently for several seconds.
A massive explosion tore through a section of the shore, revealing the monstrous form of a gigantic aquatic beast emerging from beneath the sand.
The creature was exponentially larger than the normal water monsters. It was the result of ten blue jellyfish monsters merging into one colossal entity.
Kairav froze in shock for a brief moment before screaming, "Why are you just standing there?! Tell your dumb dairy cow to attack it!"
"Shut up! He knows his duty without being told!"
At that moment, the bull spirit's burning gaze locked onto his new target. Pure rage ignited in his eyes as he detected the enemy's presence.
Fueled by battle lust, the bull spirit lunged forward, his razor-sharp horns gleaming menacingly in the light.
He showed no hesitation, even as the massive creature responded by swinging its enormous hand-like appendage.
With a single powerful strike, the bull spirit was sent hurtling through the air, crashing violently into a solid rock cliff.
Growl!
Bang!!!
The thunderous sound of rocks colliding filled the air as the massive cliffside crumbled from the sheer force of impact.
Chunks of debris rained down, burying half of the bull spirit's body beneath a pile of rubble.
A furious, pain-filled roar echoed across the battlefield.
Bellow!!!
"Why is he so weak? I thought animal spirits were supposed to be powerful…" Kairav remarked, clearly unimpressed by the outcome.
Casildo immediately bristled at his comment. "Are you an idiot?! Didn't you just say the only way to defeat that thing is to evaporate it or freeze it?! My spirit can't even touch it—"
His words abruptly stopped.
A sharp pain pierced through his chest, causing him to stagger and collapse onto the ground.
A violent cough wracked his body, preventing him from speaking further.
The pain intensified, and soon, the metallic taste of blood flooded his mouth. A crimson stream trickled from his lips.
"Casildo! What's wrong?!" Kairav asked in alarm, dropping to his knees to check on him.
It took Casildo several moments to gather himself. Through ragged breaths, he finally managed to speak. "Spirit animals… they are like a second life force to Astral Conjurers…"
His weak gaze drifted toward his bull spirit, who was still being brutally beaten by the colossal water monster in the distance. "If my spirit dies… I die as well…"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The savage roars of both creatures clashed in the air, mixing with the deafening sounds of their battle.
The bull spirit was being mercilessly pummeled. Every time he tried to rise, another devastating blow would send him crashing back down.
The monster was relentless. It slammed, tossed, and hammered the bull spirit with its enormous hands, never allowing him a moment to recover.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bellow!!!
Kairav's hazel eyes widened in horror at the one-sided fight.
He could already picture his bleak future.
The bull spirit's body was gripped tightly by the monster's massive hands, slowly being crushed as he let out pained roars.
"You're not gonna die now… right?" Kairav asked, his face turning pale as he glanced at Casildo.
Casildo chuckled weakly, wiping the blood from his lips. "Why? You'll be joining me soon anyway…"
"Screw that! My future is still bright! I just started college!" Kairav snapped, his expression twisted in frustration.
Casildo's laughter grew louder. With an indifferent smirk, he waved his hand dismissively. "Fine, fine… I'll delay your death for a few more minutes."
After that half-joking remark, Casildo slowly pushed himself up, grimacing as pain wracked his body.
He stretched his muscles, forcing himself to ignore the agony, his sharp gaze locked onto the water monster still attacking his bull spirit.
Kairav frowned, sensing the reckless stupidity about to unfold. "What are you doing?"
"You're lucky you haven't tasted the wrath of my Wira hammer, you ugly amphibian ghost!"
"Are you insane?!"
Kairav's eyes widened in disbelief as Casildo suddenly sprinted toward the monster.
The creature immediately turned its attention toward him as he prepared to unleash his technique—Terra Tombstrike.
In a swift motion, Casildo stomped the ground, launching himself high into the air.
With a clenched fist, he prepared his next attack.
And in the next instant, he came crashing down with a thunderous impact.
Crack! Crack!