Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 205: Book 3: Chapter 56: Bargain Shopping

Read chapter 205 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 3: Chapter 56: Bargain Shopping Chapter 56: Bargain Shopping The aether around him began to churn. His channels howled in warning as he began the aether manipulation to cast the [Vita-Surge Cloak], the spell that would set his body ablaze from the inside out. Azure light erupted into being around his skin as Alex’s form ignited and the spell took hold, his very veins erupting with what felt like liquid lightning, pure vital intent swimming throughout his body. His aura rippled outward, a storm of azure-blue aether swirling violently as it fused with the blue-black of the [Demon Asura Style]. The clash of energies roared like colliding storms, and his [Wyrm-Heart] hammered in his voidspace so hard it rattled his teeth. The ground at his feet spiderwebbed into cracks. His muscles bulged and his bones creaked audibly under the strain. His skin shimmered with too much power coursing through too few channels, draconic scaled patches flickered in and out of existence on his skin like half-formed armor. But Alex didn’t care. He locked his eyes on the Queen, and the world narrowed to her alone. “RRRRAAAAAH!” He launched forward, every step exploding into shockwaves. The Queen unfurled her wings completely, screeching with delight. Her own energy flared to meet his charge, and then they collided. The chamber thundered with the violence of feral beasts. Alex’s [Flare]-wreathed fists smashed against her body, each strike detonating like a shaped depth-charge and sending shards of carapace flying, blood spraying. She countered with quick wing sweeps, slashing across his shoulders and arms, drawing toxic blood that hissed as it splattered the cavern floor. He ducked before driving a knife-handed [Flare] into her abdomen, and the Queen staggered back a step, mandibles clacking in irritation. She retaliated instantly, her own claws swiping across his chest and opening a jagged gash from shoulder to hip. Alex roared in her face, ignoring the wound, [Wind Lance]s screamed from behind him in a spiraling flurry. Dozens of razor-sharp focused projectiles whistled through the air, carving furrows across her wings, forcing her to recoil and defend. As he pressed forward, she suddenly slammed a kick into his torso that launched him into a wall. His head snapped forward as her shadow fell over him, only for him to return fire. Scales gleamed under the shimmering cloak spell on his arm as he drove an uppercut into her jaw so hard it sent a shockwave through the chamber. Her mandibles clicked shut, gore dripping down her chin. The fight devolved into pure carnage. Punch met claw. Fang met scale. Her tail cracked the air like a whip, slamming into Alex’s left leg hard enough to crack bone but he grabbed it mid-swing, dragging her forward, and drove his right knee into her chest with enough force that it splintered part of her carapace. But it wasn’t enough. His vision blurred. His body was giving up, his aether was running dry almost to the point of empty. And yet he kept going, spurred on by the injuries he had already managed to give her. [Wrath Siphon] keeping him going just a bit longer. Another punch, another kick. His fist crunched through exoskeleton and into soft tissue, and she responded in kind. Savage blow after savage blow, they went at it. And then it was over... Alex found himself heaving, looking down at the Chimera Queen in anger, barely able to breath… As she held him aloft by his throat. The Queen laughed a grating, insectile rasp that scraped against Alex’s ears. To her, he wasn’t a threat, just food that had tried too hard to bare its teeth. He writhed in her grip, but the [Vita-Surge Cloak] was now gone, his aether energy spent, and his channels all but burned out. His body was wrecked, every limb broken and almost useless. Even his toxic blood sputtering across her chitin didn’t bother her; her strength was unshakable. Mandibles flashed in his vision. Agony tore through him as her bite ripped into his right arm, nearly severin