SSS Awakening: Rebirth of the Strongest Vampire God-Chapter 99: Evolution is a beautiful thing

A deafening shockwave rolled through the hall as the blood lance pierced straight through Vak’Rath’s core, exploding from his back in a splatter of molten blood. Damon hurriedly absorbed all of his blood essence.

As the last of Vak’Rath’s essence poured into Damon, the Flamelord let out a final, pitiful shriek, and his towering body crumbled inward, collapsing in a pile of scorched armor and dimmed embers. A burst of golden light signaled the mini-boss’s defeat.

[Ding! Bloodline Extraction successful.]

[Ding! Skill Acquired: Infernal Pulse (C-Rank, Active)]

Unleash a shockwave of heat and force from your core, dealing area-of-effect fire damage and knocking back enemies. Scales with Fire Affinity. Cooldown: 20 seconds.

[Ding! Fire Affinity +2]

[Ding! Fire Resistance upgraded to B-Rank — Reduces fire-based damage by 25%]

[Mini-Boss Defeated – Flamelord Vak’Rath]

[Ding! You have gained experience points.]

[Ding! You have leveled up!]

[Loot acquired: Flamelord’s Ember Core (Epic Material), Rune-Etched Warplate (Heavy Armor), Emberbrand Axe (Fire Elemental Weapon)]

The dungeon’s heat slowly began to fade. Lava receded into the earth as the runes dimmed to a soft crimson. Silence fell once more.

"Ready for round two?" Damon winked. He tossed both the items to Mark, but Mark shook his head. "Can’t use it. Need fire affinity."

"Ok then. Guess I will be taking them."

"You have fire affinity?" Kate raised a brow.

"Ya. A little." Damon briefly answered. The two still did not know just what sort of an ability he possessed. He decided to let them find out on their own.

Damon checked the stats on the items.

[Item: Rune-Etched Warplate]

Type: Heavy Armor

Grade: Rare

Level Requirement: 30

Defense: +120

Fire Resistance: +15%

Set Effect (1/3): Reduces fire-based damage over time by 30%

Set Effect (2/3): Adds [Lava Skin] Passive – Minor chance to reflect fire damage when struck

Durability: 90/90

Description: Replica of a warplate forged by the Flame Lords and carved with ancient ignition runes. The original was said to be worn by those who bathed in lava without flinching.

[Item: Emberbrand Axe]

Type: Two-Handed Axe

Grade: Rare

Level Requirement: 30

Attack Power: +175

Fire Damage Bonus: +20%

On-Hit Effect: 10% chance to ignite the target, dealing 50 fire damage per second for 5 seconds

Special Active: [Ashen Cleave] — A sweeping fire-infused strike that deals bonus area damage in a cone. Cooldown: 15 seconds.

Durability: 80/80

Description: An axe once wielded by the great Vak’Rath, the flame lord’s lieutenant. Its edge glows with eternal embers.

***

The moment Damon equipped the Rune-Etched Warplate, a ripple of heat shimmered across his body like a second skin. His silhouette distorted briefly, and for a moment, he looked like a figure wreathed in shimmering haze. The armor adjusted to his frame with a dull clunk, runes glowing faintly at the edges like sleeping embers awakened.

When he gripped the Emberbrand Axe and swung it once in an arc, a sharp hiss tore through the air. The motion left behind a faint trail of fire that lingered a heartbeat longer than it should have. The weapon felt perfectly balanced in his hands, heavy but not sluggish.

With a second swing, he triggered the passive effect by accident: the edge burst into flame, a glowing crescent slashing the air. The stone floor where the blade passed over now steamed, scorched black.

Kate raised a brow. "You were definitely not a fire build an hour ago."

Damon just smiled. "Evolution is a beautiful thing."

"Why are you acting mysterious for no reason?" Kate pouted and punched Damon’s chest.

Mark simply looked around and did not participate in the bickering.

Just then, the system chimed again.

[Main Gate Unlocked – Final Boss Room Available]

[Objective Updated: Defeat the Flame Sovereign to clear the Temple of the Flame Lords]

The massive inner doors at the far end of the chamber creaked open, revealing a looming corridor bathed in ominous crimson glow.

"That should be a hidden boss." Damon gave the new axe one last twirl and rested it against his shoulder. "Let’s finish what we started."

The next flame lord was a mage type boss, fire witch Seraphine. Half way through the fight, she summoned fire golems which were quite sturdy and took a lot of effort to grind. After a certain point, Mark and Kate were once again only able to provide assistance from long-range. Nearing the fire witch was impossible.

Only Damon was still able to casually charge up close to the woman and finally finished her off by exchanging a few blows. She had much lesser physical armor than the first boss and this fight ended faster.

[Ding! Bloodline Extraction successful.]

[Ding! Skill Acquired: Blazing Witchfire (C-Rank, Active)]

Unleash a focused stream of cursed flame that ignores standard fire resistance and burns both mana and health over time. Causes enemies struck to suffer from Witchbrand, lowering their spell defense and regeneration for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds.

[Ding! Fire Affinity +3]

[Ding! Fire Resistance has been upgraded]

[Ding! You have gained experience points.]

[Ding! Loot acquired: Seraphine’s Emberlace (Epic Robe – Mage), Scorchbrand Ring (Rare Accessory), Fragment of the Cinder Crown (Quest Item)]

Damon grinned as he read through the list of notifications. "Did you get something interesting?" Kate asked as she examined the items. Once again all the items required fire affinity. "Bah! This is bullshit! Hey, tell! Why are you grinning like an idiot?"

"Mmmm."Damon hummed. "I did get something good. You will see it soon enough."

Kate narrowed her eyes at the guy was still continuing to be mysterious but she didn’t bug him too much about it.

"Damon, do you think we will be able to manage the next fight?" Mark stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "You’re the only one who could move up close by the end."

"It should be fine. As long as you guys are gaining a few levels, its all good."

Mark nodded.

The group then proceeded to jog to the next chamber but they were assaulted by another pack of magma hounds before that. Damon only smiled at the extra buff which was going to make the next fights easier.