In arcana, not all supreme skills were perfect. Some were so powerful they took massive tolls on their users.

An example of this was Ashley's Sun Burn Divine Scripture.

An ability that granted her access to torrents of scalding Sun's essence. The more she tapped, the stronger she became, and the more damage she could inflict.

But in exchange, her soul and body — which had little flame resistance — were under constant torment from the scalding source essence.

This was why she had been hesitant and fearful of using it. She had tried to grow strong enough that she wouldn't have to rely on such painful means to win a battle… but it seemed she had no choice.

Her consciousness tapped into a blazing stream of Sun's essence. Like a bridge, a trickle of this great force funneled through her soul into her body.

In an instant, her eyes glowed resplendently, her veins simmered with the same light, and her hair blew in the windless atmosphere as the temperature of her surroundings rose drastically.

Her face twisted in pain. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to annihilate Barb and be done with this painful strength.

Buzzz!

Just before she could move toward the battle, something buzzed in her grasp. She was surprised the KRM still held fast in her hands — it hadn't melted from her scalding touch.

She had been so carried away she forgot to put it away, and now it buzzed, seemingly excited.

A flashback of the resonance she had felt when the weapon was first bestowed to her echoed in her mind. "Let me see…"

She let a trickle of essence flow into the KRM Blazing Glory, and like a thirsty creature, the weapon gulped. Sun's essence flooded the epic weapon as it drained from Ashley with wild relish.

Glowing cracks widened across the frame. The once mystical golden weapon crumbled, revealing a form that seemed directly crafted from star matter.

In a mystical state between solid and illusionary, the weapon pulsed with vibrant energy and excitement. Shedding its base form, information pulsed into Ashley's mind as the two abilities of the epic-grade weapon revealed themselves in full display:

[Sun's Collision: Each bullet holds within it a mini sun, impacting its enemy with both the tremendous force of a star and the unbearable heat of a sun.]

[Glorious Blaze: Each bullet strike unleashes a baptism of glorious blazing cadence, decimating the target. It also has a pulsing effect where the damage spreads evenly — cell for cell, bone for bone — until the entire being of the target crumbles.]

Magnificent abilities indeed. But she had no time to admire them. She had to move now.

Her body levitated like a sacred divinity as she flew with graceful speed.

Before long, she reached where both Baruth and Barb were locked in fierce engagement.

She noticed Baruth had grown considerably in size — definitely due to his berserker class skill — as his strikes carried raw, unhampered fury and madness.

The round bulb of a Finger wasn't to be scoffed at either. The creature engaged in its own unique and eerily effective battle style.

Like a fierce ping-pong ball, Barb's style took maximum advantage of its weight, shape, texture, and agility.

The round figure of the Finger was barely a blur to the eyes, moving with impeccable speed and accuracy, catapulting through the air and meeting Baruth's strikes with heavy collisions of its own.

The worst part was that the Finger had sustained zero injuries. Its absurdly tough rubbery skin acted like the ultimate defense.

Despite how lethal and savage Baruth's strikes were, they did next to no damage. Each strike was fended off by rippling skin that dispersed the force outward in a disrespectful shrug.

Ashley no longer hesitated. She plunged into the battle, ready to join the fray, her soul in extreme torment. But she held out barring the pain from affecting her mind..

Her glowing figure blasted into the moving Finger mid-flight. Baruth, though radiating pure craze, still registered her presence and adjusted his rhythm to accommodate hers.

The Berserker Hero did not let the hateful creature touch ground lest it gather momentum for another strike. He intercepted it mid-air, his massive mace circling twice before colliding into the boneless structure of his foe, catapulting it upward.

Ashley didn't wait either. Already on the path, gun locked on aim, she snarled: "Let's see if you can shrug this off, bastard!"

A massive clap of sound rang out as the gun spat a bulky caliber streaking through the air, meeting the uncontrollable ascending figure of Barb.

The bullet struck the center of the revolting face — right where its nose should have been.

Its skin strained and stretched like rubber, bulging backward uncontrollably. But this bullet carried the skill Sun's Collision.

And as powerful as Barb was, even with fire-resistant skin — before a sun? It was like a needle bursting through a balloon.

Pop!

Its frame violently landed into the earth. Despite the life-threatening damage, Barb writhed and squirmed as the scorching red gaping wound in its center healed.

But not without a cost — its size shrank.

It didn't get a breather. Just as it tried to streak for a vicious comeback, Baruth was already beside it, mace swinging upward like a golf player striking a ball.

Its frame shot into the skies once more, where Ashley was already anticipating its direction.

Bang!

Another massive caliber ripped through the poor Finger. Its defense couldn't resist.

Like a deflated ball, the Finger landed lightly on the crusty soil with minimum impact. It writhed once more, healing smaller.

The sound of its clattering teeth grew louder, veins bulging across its features. Was it furious — or scared?

Suddenly, the ground trembled violently. A dispersing shockwave flitted through them.

Ashley frowned, gazing toward the explosion in worry. She was sure that was where Richard was… Could he be in danger?

Unfortunately, she couldn't dwell on it. She needed to worry for herself.

The Finger seemed to realize something. Its numerous teeth clenched, its obsidian eyes glinting with resolve as its frame bulged.

Its skin shifted from yellow to steaming red as it swelled.

"Not good! Run!" Ashley alerted Baruth as she blitzed through the air, hoping to get far. But she couldn't — the source was too close, the detonation too quick, too cataclysmic.

Boooooooom!

A ravaging tide of black corrupt force tore through the plains, aiming to level and destroy everything in sight.

Finally, after minutes, the shockwaves and debris calmed, leaving a silent, blackened crater.

For a brief moment a haunting silence reigned with no living being in sight, until...

Suddenly a trembling hand gripped the edge of the crater.

It was Ashley. She flung Baruth's frame over before pulling herself up.

Steamy huffs of breath drifted from her flushed nose and mouth as relief clouded her.

She had deactivated her ability, so the constant soul-searing pain was gone. And the annoying Finger was dead.

[Congratulations! You have fulfilled your end of accomplishment: Vanquish the Eighth Finger of Gluttony — Barb!

Territory Quest has now taken one more step toward completion: 5/6]

Finally, it was over… right?

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