Chapter 277: Defeat

As a curse-type skill, Astral Combat was difficult precisely because it was even more invisible and intangible than mental attacks. Most creatures, even if they could sense that someone was attacking them, had no idea how they were supposed to fight back.

As an existence that had become powerful so quickly after the apocalypse, the earth fire’s fortune was naturally not weak. Its Main Star was not some insignificant star that could easily be overlooked either. However, the earth fire had one fatal weakness.

"Military tactics have no fixed form, and water has no fixed shape." Essentially, it was the same. It was also floating and unstable, without a true life star of its own, possessing only external fortune.

Unlike living creatures that had possessed life from birth, the earth fire had only gained life after the apocalypse, so its own "fate" was only just beginning. Even though it had been connected to a powerful Main Star, it was still far less stable than that of other people, making it unable to easily alter its fate.

Perhaps as it gradually became stronger, none of these things would remain a problem. But at present, its condition was much easier for Joo Joowon to act against than even those beings that had not yet become supernatural species.

Not to mention that his Forsaken Star and Celestial Fiend was originally a type of Main Star that could easily trigger fluctuations in the fortune of others.

Once fate lost its order and fortune lost its normal course, this might only cause interference when it happened to other people. However, for a lifeform whose fate was already floating and unstable, it was enough to be fatal.

For someone who did not walk this particular path, even if they discovered that Joo Joowon was taking action, it would still be difficult to defend against. Because of this, the earth fire immediately fell into a state of madness. It was just like the insects and moths throwing themselves into the flames earlier. It almost wanted to burn everything in existence just to kill him.

Joo Joowon truly could not stop this kind of attack, but the earth fire also understood that as long as it eliminated Joo Joowon, everything would naturally be resolved.

When faced with the threat of death, no one would simply sit around and wait to die.

Joo Joowon was not afraid. As long as he obtained an aura that could be used to cast Astral Combat, there was basically no threshold for him to use this innate skill.

He was not afraid of being burned either. The healing skaill was not limited to working on the physical body. It was only because the energy absorbed by this skill was special that he had continued avoiding injuries, intending to save it for a critical moment. Otherwise, he would not even need to keep running and could endure for a very long time.

The fate of Byeol and Joo Joowon’s own fate had been stacked together, giving him a much thicker health bar and energy bar than ordinary Star Fate users.

The light in Joo Joowon’s eyes flickered between brightness and darkness. Waves that resembled a meteor crashing into a planet seemed to appear within them, while an invisible sound of compression spread toward the surroundings. At a certain moment, a cracking sound suddenly rang out between heaven and earth. It was like the sound of an eggshell breaking, yet also like the sound of an object being crushed beneath a hydraulic press.

This sound, which only the person involved could perceive, was so enormous that it shook the heart like the morning bell and evening drum.

Tiny points of fire suddenly scattered outward, like dandelion seeds being blown away by the wind, floating and drifting before slowly disappearing into the air.

The earth fire, which had been ignited by the humus in the mountain, was itself like a dodder vine relying on another plant for survival. It had not yet completely transformed into an elemental lifeform and evolved to the point where everything about it had become stable.

The area of blazing fire reaching toward the sky gradually began to shrink. Joo Joowon’s body continued to rise higher as he looked down from above and examined the area where the earth fire was gathering.

The other party was not dead yet. It had only suffered a heavy blow after losing its "fortune."

The earth fire was ultimately a spiritual lifeform rather than a completely material lifeform. After its spirituality was worn away, it was practically half-crippled.

He had not simply relied on the Astral Combat curse to attack the other party. Instead, he had used the astral signs to strike at its soul.

After all, Joo Joowon had no methods specifically aimed at elemental lifeforms, so he would rather expend more energy and fight desperately in an area the other party could not defend against.

To achieve victory, one should always attack a fallen enemy mercilessly in the direction where they were weakest.

Joo Joowon stepped forward. Specks of light and dust scattered from his body, transforming into countless flickering rays of light that shone as brilliantly as the stars.

However, this was not a good sign. Just like fireworks, which would disappear after their brilliant display, the light would also fade away.

This was a sign that his spirit body could no longer maintain itself and was about to disperse.

Even so, Joo Joowon was not anxious. He followed the shrinking range of the earth fire and walked over, lowering his head to look at the precarious cluster of sparks within the flames.

So obvious, yet so weak.

An invisible pressure spread out around him.

"Submit, or do you want to die?"

The earth fire suddenly exploded as if it had been startled, and the crackling sound of burning wood continued without end.

A many-sided die appeared before his eyes. It shrank into a tiny black dot at the bottom of his vision and began to roll.

[ System Notification: You are using the skill [Intimidation] on the earth fire. The current random Basic Bonus is 40. ]

[ Skill evaluation in progress... ]

[ System Notification: You passed the skill [Intimidation] and forcibly brought the earth fire under your control. The sub-panel has been loaded. Click here to view details. ]