Chapter 195
Although Odian and Finch managed to hold back part of the flame beasts, Nina’s path was far from safe.
A group of flame beasts blocked their way once more.
Among them stood a massive black flame beast, its aura overwhelmingly powerful—so much so that even Setan felt a flicker of unease.
Its burning gaze locked onto Nina. He looked at her like a predator eyeing its prey.
The creature had sensed something from her—an energy it craved. That was why it had left its nest and pursued them.
Of course… the other males would make fine meals too, it thought, its stomach already growling.
A slight frown formed on Nina’s face. All the other flame beasts were dark red, but this one was black, larger, and far more dangerous.
And its target… was clearly her.
Setan’s expression turned grave.
“Little female, this one is extremely strong. Even I’m not confident I can defeat it. We should break through first. Once we leave their territory, they won’t chase us easily p>
Flame beasts depended on the firestones beneath their domain—outside of it, their strength would weaken.
Still… something about this felt off.
They weren’t even at the core of the territory yet. Why had something this powerful appeared?
Setan reinforced his shield.
“Hold on tight. I’ll need to dodge—this won’t be stable p>
“Okay.” Nina wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him firmly.
The sudden closeness made Setan’s heartbeat stutter. His face flushed deeper as he looked away briefly, then forced himself to refocus.
He surged forward, accelerating.
Behind them, the black flame beast gave chase relentlessly, launching blazing fireballs.
Setan weaved through the attacks with precision, but the beast was too fast. It caught up pretty fast.
With a roar, it cut them off. Its eyes burned with killing intent.
Setan’s gaze sharpened. Still airborne, he engaged it directly.
Fireballs slammed into his shield in rapid succession. The barrier trembled violently, then began to weaken.
His brows drew tight together.
This is bad.
He tried to push past it, but the beast blocked him again.
Another blast—and the shield shattered.
Setan glanced around. The other lion warriors were all entangled in their own battles.
No one could help.
He darted to assist one of them, clearing a path.
“You take Nina and go!” he ordered.
But before they could move, the black flame beast charged again, accompanied by several red ones.
There was no escape now. They were forced to fight.
Setan took on the black flame beast.
Nina turned to the others, summoning vines to strike down the surrounding enemies.
The difference in strength was clear. Setan was struggling.
After clearing the beasts around her, Nina looked up just in time to see the black flame beast appear behind him, its claws slashing down.
“Behind you!” Her vines shot forward instantly, intercepting the attack.
Setan reacted at once, narrowly dodging the strike. He cast her a quick glance.
She saved me p>
With Nina’s support, the pressure eased slightly.
But then, the black flame beast shifted its focus. Toward her.
Setan’s heart tightened.
“Go!” he said urgently. “I’ll hold it off p>
Nina shook her head. “We kill it together. You won’t be able to hold it for long. It’ll just come after me again p>
She could feel it clearly now. She was its true target.
Setan mulled over her words and finally agreed. You’re right. Then we kill it together. But be careful p>
This flame beast was far stronger than he had expected.
Nina drew upon the power of the spirit pearl, reinforced by the spirit crystal.
Her aura surged.
In an instant, her strength skyrocketed—faintly surpassing even the black flame beast.
Setan’s eyes widened slightly. He had known she wasn’t weak, but he hadn’t imagined she was this powerful.
The flame beast sensed the threat, yet it was unwilling to give up such tempting prey.
With a roar, it summoned more flame beasts to its aid.
Though Nina’s strength was sufficient, the beasts’ flames restrained her abilities—and their ability to fly made things worse.
For a moment, she couldn’t gain the upper hand.
Seeing this, Setan adjusted his strategy. He focused on disrupting the black beast’s flight, creating openings for Nina to strike.
In turn, Nina shielded him whenever danger closed in. Each time those vines rose before him, blocking attacks meant for him, Setan felt something strange stir in his chest.
I can’t believe a female is protecting me p>
He had never seen anything like this before. She made him feel things he had no idea he could feel.
With his support, Nina finally seized an opportunity. Vines lashed out, binding the black flame beast tightly. She gathered her power—ready to deliver the finishing blow.
But the beast knew it couldn’t escape. Its eyes flared with madness.
In the end, it chose… to self-destruct.
Setan’s pupils shrank.
“Watch out!” Without hesitation, he lunged forward—pulling Nina into his arms, retreating as fast as he could.
At the same time, he raised his shield, wrapping her completely within his protection.
Nina reacted as well. She poured every ounce of her power into suppressing the beast’s explosion.
Boom p>
Flames tore through the vines, surging toward them.
Setan let out a muffled groan as searing pain spread across his back.
A wave of scorching heat swept past Nina and then… silence.
She lifted her head. The black flame beast was gone. Only charred remnants remained on the ground.
She quickly checked the children.
All safe.
She then exhaled in relief.
It’s over.
“Little female… are you alright?” Setan’s voice came low and hoarse, tinged with weakness.
Nina looked up at him. His face was pale.
“I’m fine. What about you p>
She checked him—and her expression tightened.
The clothes on his back were gone. His skin was scorched red. It was quite a burn.
Fortunately, he was a Blazing Lion—a fire-elemental beast. If it had been anyone else… their back might have been burned away entirely.
Nina immediately began to heal him, and Setan gave a faint, self-deprecating smile.
This was the first time in his life that he had been injured by fire.
He looked at her again, confirming she was unharmed. Only then did he relax slightly.
That beast… had truly been dangerous.
A gentle, soothing energy flowed over his skin.
The pain quickly eased.
“I’m better now,” he said softly. “We should leave. This place isn’t safe p>
He helped her up, then lifted her again—taking to the air.
The lion warriors followed closely behind.
This time, their escape went smoothly.
At last, they flew beyond the flame beasts’ territory.
To be safe, Setan carried them farther still, before finally finding a cave where they could rest.