The bear's agonized roar shook the entire forest! Birds fled from trees for hundreds of meters in every direction! Small animals scattered in panic!

The ice spear had penetrated deep into the wound, and the lightning energy was now discharging directly into the creature's internal organs. The bear thrashed violently, trying to dislodge the projectile, but the ice had frozen into place, stuck fast to the surrounding tissue.

But Levi knew one attack wouldn't be enough.

He was already moving, activating Thunder Step and circling around to a different angle!

"Crackle!"

His body became crimson lightning as he relocated!

The bear, enraged and in agony, turned toward where the first attack had come from. Its massive paw swept through the air, its claws extending with golden energy as it prepared to retaliate!

"Slash!"

The attack carved through solid trees like they were paper, felling three ancient oaks with a single swipe!

But Levi was no longer there.

He reformed thirty meters away at a different angle and immediately launched another attack!

"Water Manipulation: Ice Blade Barrage!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Multiple smaller ice projectiles materialized and shot toward the bear from the new direction!

"Ding! Ding! Ding!"

The bear reacted faster this time, its aura erupting outward in a defensive barrier that deflected most of the attacks!

But three blades got through, striking the creature's legs and forcing it to stumble!

"ROOOOAAR!"

The Crimson Gold Bear had fully committed to battle now. Its entire body began to glow with golden light as it activated its bloodline ability.

The ground beneath it began to tremble, and suddenly, dozens of golden spikes erupted from the earth, spreading outward in all directions like an expanding field of deadly flowers!

Levi's Danger Sense screamed!

He activated his Void Step Boots!

"Weng!"

A platform of solidified air formed beneath his feet, and Levi launched himself upward just as the golden spikes tore through the space where he'd been standing!

From his aerial position, Levi could see the full extent of the bear's attack—a hundred-meter radius covered in lethal golden spikes, each one pulsing with Origin Realm energy.

"Troublesome," Levi muttered.

He couldn't fight from a distance forever. Eventually, he'd need to get close to deliver a finishing blow. But those golden spikes made approaching extremely dangerous.

Unless…

Levi's eyes narrowed as he formulated a plan.

He detonated one of his golden Astra drops.

"BOOM!"

Power flooded his body! His aura spiked dramatically, jumping from Level 6 Genetic Soldier to temporary pseudo-Level 9 strength!

Then he activated Divine Tiger Thunder Might!

"ROOOAR!"

His body expanded and transformed! White fur erupted from his skin! His frame grew to three meters tall! Fangs extended from his jaw! His eyes became feral slits!

Golden lightning replaced the crimson, crackling across his body like living serpents!

The transformation took less than two seconds.

The Crimson Gold Bear's eyes widened in shock as it felt Levi's aura suddenly surge. This was no longer a weak Genetic Soldier—this was something that approached its own level of power!

Levi didn't give the bear time to adjust.

He raised his saber and activated Star Annihilation Slash!

"Weng!"

Dark energy swirled around the blade, growing denser and darker until it looked like a piece of the void itself!

[Ding! Star Annihilation Slash, 8,500x multiplier activated!]

The multiplier was insane—even higher than usual!

The dark energy compressed further and further, becoming so dense that it actually began to warp the space around it!

Then Levi swung downward with all his might!

"STAR ANNIHILATION SLASH!"

"KA-BOOOOOM!"

A crescent of pure annihilation erupted from the blade!

The attack was massive—over ten meters wide—and it carved through the air with a sound like reality itself tearing!

The golden spike field meant nothing to this attack!

The crescent of dark energy sliced through the spikes like they were made of paper, disintegrating them upon contact!

The Crimson Gold Bear roared and raised both paws, golden energy condensing into a massive barrier!

"CRASH!"

The crescent struck the barrier with apocalyptic force!

For exactly three seconds, the two powers were locked in a stalemate—darkness versus gold, annihilation versus protection!

Then the barrier cracked.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

Spiderweb fractures spread across the golden shield!

"SHATTER!"

The barrier exploded into countless fragments!

And the crescent continued forward, now diminished but still deadly!

"SLICE!"

The attack struck the Crimson Gold Bear's chest, carving a deep gash that exposed bone and internal organs!

"ROOOAAAAAR!"

The bear's scream of agony echoed for kilometers!

It staggered backward, golden blood pouring from the massive wound. Its legs trembled as shock and blood loss began to take their toll.

But it wasn't dead yet.

Origin Realm beasts possessed terrifying vitality. Even with such catastrophic injuries, the creature could still fight for several more minutes.

Levi didn't intend to give it those minutes.

He activated Thunder Step, his transformed body becoming golden lightning as he closed the distance!

"Crackle!"

He appeared directly in front of the wounded bear!

"Inferno Strike!"

"WHOOSH!"

His saber blazed with compressed fire energy as he thrust forward!

The blade pierced directly into the bear's chest wound, plunging deep until it reached the heart!

"Pierce!"

The fire energy detonated inside the bear's body!

"BOOM!"

The explosion was muffled by flesh and bone, but the effect was devastating! The bear's entire torso bulged outward as internal organs were incinerated instantly!

The Crimson Gold Bear's eyes went wide, then glazed over.

Its massive body swayed once, twice…

Then it collapsed forward, crashing to the ground with an earth-shaking impact.

Dead.

"Huff… huff… huff…"

Levi stood over the corpse, his transformed body heaving with exertion. Steam rose from his white fur as his body temperature slowly normalized.

After ten seconds, his transformation canceled. His three-meter frame shrunk back to normal size. His fur retracted. His fangs shortened.

Levi stumbled slightly as fatigue caught up with him, but he managed to stay on his feet.

[Level 1 Origin Realm Beast defeated]

[Massive amount of experience gained]

[Warning: Severe meridian damage detected from golden Astra drop usage]

[Regeneration activated]

Levi grimaced as pain shot through his body. Using a golden drop always came with consequences, and fighting an Origin Realm beast had pushed him to his limits.

But he'd won.

"Squeak!"

Luna emerged from his pocket, where she'd been hiding during the intense battle. She looked at the massive bear corpse with awe, then squeaked proudly as if she'd personally defeated it.

Levi smiled despite his exhaustion. "Yes, yes, you were very helpful with your… moral support."

Luna puffed out her tiny chest indignantly.

Levi approached the corpse and drew his saber. First, he harvested the beast's core—a crystalline sphere located near the heart that contained concentrated Astra energy. Origin Realm cores were incredibly valuable, worth at least 100,000 credits.

Then he cut off one of the bear's ears as proof of kill, even though there was no academy mission requiring it. Habit.

Finally, he activated the Celestial Slaughter Art.

His hands moved through the familiar seals, and his Astra energy flowed into the corpse. This time, the extraction was much easier—the bear had just died, so its life essence was still fresh and potent.

"Weng."

A mote of pale gray energy emerged, much larger than any Levi had extracted before. This was an Origin Realm beast, after all. Its accumulated power far exceeded that of mere Genetic Soldiers.

Levi's seals guided the mote, compressing and shaping it according to the Celestial Slaughter Art's method.

The pattern formed quickly—much faster than usual.

"Whoosh!"

The completed Celestial Slaughter Mark shot toward Levi's forehead!

"Thump!"

It sank into his skin, through his skull, into his soul!

[Ding! Celestial Slaughter Mark acquired]

[Ding! First threshold surpassed!]

[Physical Strength increased by 30%]

[Soul Strength increased by 30%]

[Killing Aura significantly enhanced]

[Soul Pressure upgraded]

[New Ability Unlocked: Slaughter Domain (Initial Stage)]

[Slaughter Domain: You can now manifest your accumulated killing intent as a physical domain that suppresses all enemies within range. Current range: 10 meters. Effect: Enemies within domain suffer 20% reduction to all stats.]

Levi gasped as power flooded his body once again!

His muscles tightened and became more defined! His bones became denser! His blood grew more potent!

But most dramatically, his soul underwent another transformation!

What had been like thick clouds now condensed further, becoming almost liquid. Not quite there yet, but approaching that threshold.

And with that transformation came a new sensation—he could feel his killing intent more clearly now, could shape it, direct it, weaponize it in ways he hadn't been able to before.

"Slaughter Domain," Levi whispered, testing the words.

He activated the ability experimentally.

"Weng!"

An invisible pressure expanded outward from his body, covering exactly ten meters in all directions!

Within that sphere, the very air felt heavier. The ambient temperature dropped slightly. And most notably, Levi could sense everything—every insect, every blade of grass, every particle of dust.

And if there had been enemies within that domain, they would have felt their strength, speed, and defenses all weakened simultaneously.

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