SSS Awakening: Rebirth of the Strongest Vampire God Chapter 691 Training time

Damon dodged nimbly among the heads, narrowly evading the snap of jaws while fierce heat seared along his side. He touched down with grace, his gaze fierce and determined. Now came his chance to unleash the enhanced version of his burning lance.

The moments that followed blurred into a frenzy as Damon traded fierce strikes with the grotesque salamander abomination. He had figured his improved hellfire burning lance strike would drop the monster in one go, yet the creature summoned its domain ability.

Glowing molten runes ignited under the salamander's form as a ring-shaped barrier spread rapidly, engulfing Damon without delay. The heat surged ferociously, far beyond mere warmth, manifesting as a crushing force that disrupted mana flow and warped his senses. The atmosphere grew dense and heavy, breaths laden with scorching sparks that clawed at his insides.

Within this domain, a faint pull of gravity drew toward the salamander, bolstering its strength. Fissures spread like webs over the ground while underground magma flows throbbed like living veins. The creature's hide turned shadowy, with radiant cracks etching its frame as the trapped soul emerged completely.

Damon sensed the shift right away. The salamander's combat prowess exploded upward in a flash. All three necks struck simultaneously—one charged with massive fangs, another spewed a twisting blaze packed tight like iron, and the third bellowed a cry that shook the entire domain. That noise assaulted his concentration, ripping at his mental fortitude.

Any other fighter would have fallen in a heartbeat, but Damon just grinned at the enclosing field. "It's too bad for you that my fire resistance is already insane." The twisting blaze crashed directly into him. Fire coiled around his frame, howling wildly as though desperate to burn him away, yet ultimately, it barely affected him.

Damon advanced through the blaze. His blood raced, hellfire gathering along his limb as the Burning Lance reshaped itself. He spun aside from the biting maws and drove his shoulder into the monster's torso for leverage.

"Your domain is impressive," Damon remarked steadily, his words cutting clear amid the raging inferno. "But you picked the wrong element." He drove forward. The Burning Lance stabbed right through the salamander's torso, striking its core. On this strike, the lance carried roughly 60% of his maximum strength, and the beast had no way to resist it now.

The salamander let out a piercing shriek. Its domain started to collapse as it flailed in agony. Fractures sped across the glowing runes underfoot, magma channels flickering as its grip faltered. Flames burst out in a savage explosion.

One neck vaporized on the spot. Another tore away entirely, its cry silenced abruptly. The last neck issued a choked, raging wail before crumbling to dust. The domain broke apart. The intense heat faded, giving way to the chilly, heavy quiet of the Forest of Doom. Liquid rock hardened swiftly, splintering beneath his boots as the final pieces of the salamander's corpse tumbled into a smoldering heap.

Damon effortlessly drew in the blood essence, sensing his fire resistance rise just a bit more, together with his connection to the fire element. "…So that's a peak C-rank abomination with a domain," he murmured. "Stronger than I thought. Cunning as well."

His eyes shifted toward the forest's heart. This remained merely the edge of the wilds. Far greater challenges lurked within, ready for him. He ran his tongue over his lips eagerly. The real hunt awaited.

He was on the verge of moving on when an unusual sensation caught his attention. He knelt amid the charred ground, as something seemed amiss. He couldn't quite identify it, but traces of grudge and timeless malice appeared to linger on the burned soil, seeping into the dirt like toxin.

"Hmmm… even after death, you're still tainting the land," Damon whispered. He knew little about souls, yet it struck him as bizarre that the soul hadn't fully faded even after its second demise. He lingered, gazing at the area a while longer, before venturing further into the woods.

Damon's subsequent foes included yet another salamander, then a brute resembling a gorilla, and finally a vicious, twisted bird unlike any he'd encountered. He battled steadily against several of these creatures, but soon altered his approach, shifting to toxins and resuming his poison studies.

His miasma spread through the wilds, toxic flowers sprouting all around. Though they failed to fell any beast outright, they greatly sapped the abominations' vigor, speeding up the hunts considerably.

By chance, Damon also advanced his soul poison concepts and experiments here, leveraging the unusually potent souls of these monsters. Yet he stayed highly alert. Such robust souls could potentially inflict spiritual harm.

The intense practice session dragged on for a stretch before Damon headed back to the camp. He hadn't secured any major breakthroughs on this outing, but steady gains had accumulated in various ways.

He dispatched his shadow clones and summoned beasts for reconnaissance, searching for nearby areas ideal for unlocking additional meridians. He'd wished for a volcanic zone or akin, but fortune didn't favor him.

Tomorrow would bring more exploration to uncover something fitting. Lost in reflection, Damon returned to the site. The instant he entered, his mother embraced him and handed over a hearty serving of meal.

He considered mentioning he didn't truly require it, having just consumed potent blood essence repeatedly, but yielding and devouring it all proved simpler than arguing with her. So he obliged.

Nearby, Aurora, Kate, and the rest of the four ladies sat in lotus positions, deep in meditation. Damon settled among them quietly, though he first raised a sturdy blood shield around his form.

From his soul space, he retrieved a flask of toxin—one among the score or so he'd claimed from La Rocha. Now was the moment to trial his upgraded physique against a venom from that enigmatic, ancient artifact spirit.

***

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