Chapter 258 "Thump!"
Heimdall only glanced at it a few times, so Finney didn't really notice. Even if he had, he wouldn't have cared too much; he wasn't doing anything shameful.
Based on the previous two incidents, he deduced that while the system experience would be significantly reduced after a thousand kills, the duration wasn't permanent.
So, after resting for about six hours, Finney prepared to go find the previous fire demons to test again, but upon leaving the cave, he found a large group of fire demons outside, seemingly searching for something.
"Could they be looking for me?"
Finney wondered for a moment, then suddenly realized something. He found a group of fire demons, revealed himself in front of them, and asked, "What are you looking for?"
"It's him!"
"Roar!"
Although the fire demons didn't answer, seeing this reaction, Finney, if he wasn't blind, could tell they were indeed looking for him.
Seeing this, Finney sighed helplessly, didn't argue, and chose to counterattack. After dealing with nearly a hundred fire demons, he checked his experience and found it was still in a weakened state.
"Looks like six hours isn't enough..."
Finney thought to himself. He'd spent about a day between his previous two battles, so he figured it wouldn't take more than twenty-four hours.
To maximize his experience gain, Finney didn't fight again and returned to his cave to rest.
Another six hours passed. Finney went out again to experiment with a batch of fire demons and found that his experience gain had finally returned to normal.
"More than six hours, less than twelve hours!"
Finney noted the time and left the cave.
After this much rest, he was basically fully recovered, and with his experience back to normal, it was time to witness Surtur's strength in his weakened state.
With a flick of his wrist, Finney opened a portal and returned to the underground palace.
The fire demons that had previously swarmed the walls were now few in number, as they were still searching for Finney's location on the surface.
"I didn't expect you to dare come back!"
Surtur was extremely surprised to see Finney emerge from the portal. He had assumed Finney would flee directly back to Asgard, but instead, he had returned.
"Didn't I tell you? I think my strength is still considerable, and you in this state are not enough to make me run away at the mere sight of you,"
Finney said, looking at the towering Surtur who had risen from his throne.
"Ignorant ant!"
Surtur was immediately angered by Phine's words. Dragging his longsword, he walked towards Phine, shouting, "My time is about to begin!"
"When my crown and the Eternal Flame unite, my power will be fully restored. I will be taller than those mountains, and I will plunge my sword deep into Asgard!"
"So it hasn't come yet!?"
Phine shrugged. If Surtur were truly in his full power, he would be running as far away as possible. With an attack that could shatter Asgard with a single strike, he couldn't withstand two more attacks.
These words clearly stung Surtur. He gripped his sword with slightly strained hands and charged towards Phine.
Having sent out his henchmen, he now had to act personally. Having witnessed Phine's previous teleportation, he knew that only he and his minions could stop Phine's departure.
Phineas had been on guard ever since Surtur got up, so he calmly retreated to dodge the attack.
The already weakened Surtur didn't pursue further, instead raising the Twilight Sword with both hands, unleashing its power, and firing a swift pillar of fire at Phineas.
Phineas, currently in his 'possessed by evil spirits' state, instantly switched to water mode.
However, even in this mode, Phineas didn't dare to directly confront the flames, quickly using his flight technique to soar into the air, nimbly dancing like a butterfly.
The Twilight Sword now acted like a flamethrower, Surtur using it to lock onto Phineas, the fierce pillar of fire wantonly destroying everything around them.
Phine dodged left and right, searching for an opportunity to counterattack.
"I am Phine Helsey,"
"A human wielding supreme magic,"
"A weakened fire giant,"
"Witness the true power of fire!"
"Explosion!"
A crimson magic circle shone in the dimly lit underground palace. Although fire demons and fire giants possessed extremely high resistance to fire, Phine still trusted the 'Explosion Magic.'
Enhanced by the incantation, this 'Explosion Magic' was incredibly powerful.
A deafening roar followed.
The ground began to tremble violently, many supporting stone pillars snapped instantly, rocks rained down from the top, and lava seemed to spring up from nowhere, creating a scene of utter collapse.
"Damn insect, you actually used fire against me!!!"
Surtur roared in extreme rage.
The 'Explosion Magic' did not disappoint Phine; even with Surtur's high resistance, the 'Explosion Magic' still inflicted damage.
Although not serious, he was still injured, mainly by the flames, which was an insult to Surtur.
Seeing Surtur enraged and practically bursting with fire, Finney was more worried about the collapse of the area.
"I'll burn you in the hottest flames for a million years!"
Hearing Surtur's threats, Finney decided to defeat him first; even if the place collapsed, it wouldn't kill him.
"A million years? You might not even survive ten!"
Finney retorted, watching Surtur charge towards him with his sword, pondering how to defeat him.
Even in his weakened and incomplete state, Surtur was still enormous; he jumped, barely reaching his knees.
Should he hit him on the knees?!
Finney looked up at the charging Surtur, sword in hand.
After hesitating, Finney ultimately decided against such a humiliating attack and instead used the 'Golden Grand Evolution Technique' to defeat him.
"Up!"
Finney raised a rock to trip Surtur as he charged.
But to his surprise, the rock shattered before Surtur's immense strength, and Surtur continued his charge without slowing down.
"Pool!"
Finney's expression remained unchanged as he instantly changed strategy, conjuring a wide swimming pool in his mind.
With the powerful ability of the 'Golden Grand Evolution Technique' to alter the rules of reality, the ground beneath his feet transformed in the blink of an eye into a swimming pool filled with clear water.
"Splash!"
Surtur, clearly unprepared for the sudden change in the ground, lost his footing and plunged headfirst into the pool.
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(End of Chapter)