Although Little Fiery was an everlasting fire capable of incredible power, that did not mean it was indestructible. Anda was always cautious, never allowing it to engage a powerful foe directly.
While the demonic moose was distracted by the miniature sun, the hunting party moved into their positions. Leyvi equipped his Volcanic Armor and charged toward the beast, his arm wreathed in tremendous fiery Qi, aiming a devastating blow at its skull.
But the moose sensed the attack at the last moment. It flicked its massive head, swinging its snow white antlers toward Leyvi as if swatting an irritating fly.
Leyvi had no choice but to redirect his punch toward the incoming antlers.
"Big Bang Punch!"
BOOM!
The violent clash of forces sent Leyvi flying backward. He landed in the water a full kilometer away, but thanks to his armor, he was uninjured. As he tried to swim back to the surface, he was shocked to see that his Big Bang attack had not damaged the antlers in the slightest. They were clearly the toughest part of the beast's body, and he would have to avoid a direct confrontation with them if possible.
Leyvi realized this moose was on a completely different level, far stronger than the Commander Level Demonic Earthworms or the Demonic Jaguar he had faced before.
With an enraged roar, the moose leaped high out of the water, its colossal form blotting out the sky as it descended toward Leyvi, aiming to crush him beneath its massive right hoof.
Shit! Leyvi thought as darkness fell over him. He had not anticipated that the moose could move so quickly despite its immense size.
He tried desperately to swim out of the way, and while his Swimming Expert skill gave him exceptional speed in the water, the hoof's area was simply too vast to evade in time.
But just before the moose's hoof could crush Leyvi, another colossal figure shot in from the side and tackled the beast with tremendous force. The impact sent both of them crashing into a nearby mountainside, the collision triggering tremors that shook the ground and sent a landslide of heavy rocks tumbling down upon them.
Leyvi surged out of the water and leaped onto a tall boulder, his eyes wide as he saw a huge, golden-furred ape emerge from the cloud of dust and falling debris.
"Is that Bodo?" he exclaimed.
Then he saw the giant golden ape's face. The areas not covered by thick fur, around the eyes, nose, and mouth, were unmistakably Bodo's features, now set in a mask of primal ferocity. It was indeed him.
"DOHOHOHO!" An earth-shaking, familiar laugh echoed across the newly formed lake.
"Yup, it's definitely Bodo," Leyvi answered his own question, nodding in stunned acknowledgment. "He's almost as big as the demonic moose itself."
Bodo, in his giant golden ape form, was a sight to behold. He stood nearly as tall as the moose, his body covered in dense, shimmering golden fur that seemed to radiate a faint, powerful aura. His muscles, already formidable in his human form, were now monstrously enlarged, corded with power that visibly rippled with every movement. His fists were like massive boulders, and his presence dominated the shattered landscape.
Golden Ape Bodo did not stop. He continued his relentless assault on the demonic moose, which was still struggling to get back on its feet. He rained down blows upon its body with his giant fists, each impact landing with a sickening, thunderous crunch.
The demonic moose cried out in agony, fresh blood flowing from its mouth and nostrils. Bodo's transformed state possessed incredible, overwhelming physical strength, turning the tide of the battle in an instant.
But in the next moment, the tide of the battle turned once more.
The moose's broad, palm-like antlers began to glow with a brilliant, icy light, unleashing another terrifying blizzard. The force of the attack slammed into Golden Ape Bodo, hurling him away from the mountain base and sending him crashing into the lake, where he landed hard on his backside. The intense cold of the blizzard instantly froze the water around him, trapping his feet, his hands, and much of his lower body in a thick, unyielding prison of ice, immobilizing him completely.
As he was caught in the storm, sharp icicles pelted his massive form, cutting and stabbing at his golden fur. However, given his immense size and durability in this form, the projectiles only managed to create superficial wounds, nothing serious enough to truly injure him.
Realizing this, the demonic moose continuously channeled its bloodline power, maintaining the furious blizzard around Bodo. It created a localized storm so intense that the heat from the mini sun high above could not melt the ice fast enough. The beast intended to go all out, to exterminate all the intruders as quickly as possible, and it no longer underestimated them.
The moose concentrated a huge amount of its power, and a single, massive, and lethally sharp icicle began to form directly above its antlers. It grew with alarming speed, and as it expanded, it began to spin, building up a terrifying rotational momentum.
Seeing the impending attack, Leyvi knew he had to act. He burst forward, rocketing toward the moose with the intent to shatter the growing icicle before it could be launched. The attack was clearly designed to finish the fight; a spinning icicle of that size and speed could punch a massive, fatal hole straight through the immobilized golden ape, destroying vital organs.
"Snort!"
The moose saw Leyvi's desperate charge and let out a derisive snort. In response, multiple smaller, sharp icicles sprouted instantly from the surface of the large, spinning one, like thorns bursting from a vine. A moment later, they broke free, shooting toward the approaching Leyvi in a deadly, widespread volley.
Leyvi had no time to dodge. He was left with no choice but to face the volley of icicles, each one larger than his own body. His Volcanic Armor burst into intense flames instantly as he accumulated fiery Qi at a breakneck pace.
Big Bang Annihilation Lite Version!
BOOM!
A full body explosion of Qi erupted from him, shattering every incoming icicle into harmless shards of ice. The force of the detonation, however, completely halted his forward momentum. Leyvi landed heavily on a nearby rock, his Volcanic Armor smoking and sizzling from the strain of the explosion. He was just about to gather himself for another charge when he realized with a sinking feeling that he was already too late.
The demonic moose was poised to launch the massive, spinning icicle, which now carried a terrifying, built-up rotational force.
Yet, Leyvi did not panic. Someone else had already acted.
From behind the humongous moose, Ava moved with blinding speed. She shot into the space between its hind legs, and with a single, precise swing of her hand, the long, sharp claws she had formed sliced cleanly through its most delicate and vulnerable body parts.
Blood splashed out, dripping onto the ground below.
ROAR!
The moose's roar was one of pure, unadulterated agony. It could endure the blunt trauma of its body being smashed by the giant ape, but this specific, excruciating pain was beyond its tolerance.
The distraction was critical. The massive, spinning icicle was launched, but its aim was ruined. It shot harmlessly into the air, arcing toward a distant part of the landscape instead of its intended target.
The moose stomped the ground desperately in a blind frenzy, causing tremor after tremor, its movements driven by the primal fear of another attack to its wounded area. But Ava was already gone. She had immediately retreated after her strike, melting back into the environment to wait for another opening.
Nice! Leyvi praised inwardly as he swiftly made his way toward the immobilized Bodo. But then a thought struck him. Why did she glance at me right before she retreated? What the heck was that? Is she threatening to do the same to me? This girl, what grudge could she possibly have with my holy rod?
A few moments later, Leyvi landed atop Bodo's giant, furry head, looking down at the moose still stomping the ground in a pained, desperate frenzy. "Brother Bodo, are you alright?"
With the blizzard gone, the ice trapping Bodo had melted, finally releasing him.
"Doo... Sorry, Brother Leyvi. I was a burden this time. I am not used to this form yet," Bodo replied, his voice a deep rumble even through his apology as he began to stand.
"Do not worry about it. You have done plenty," Leyvi said with an encouraging smile. "Now, retreat. It is time to end this."
With his spiritual sense monitoring the entire battlefield, he saw that Valenia and Cempaka had already gathered their energy, their strongest attacks fully prepared. His final task was to ensure their strikes would land true.
"Valenia! Cempaka!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the air as the signal.
Bodo immediately shrank back into his human form and retreated from the immediate area. Meanwhile, Leyvi approached the paranoid demonic moose.
When the beast saw Leyvi below it, a fresh wave of fear and anger surged through it. It tried to stomp on him, but before its hoof could connect, a terrifying, invisible force descended upon it. Its legs immediately buckled, and its colossal body crashed to the ground. The pressure was so immense that the moose's entire form began to sink into the softened earth.
It was Leyvi's Spiritual Pressure. He was going all out, pouring his mental energy out at an incredible rate to pin the demonic moose in place, ensuring it could not possibly escape the two ladies' ultimate attacks.