A Puppet Master Pulling The Strings.

As the lion prepared to release another blast of heat, Maya took this opportunity to counter-attack.

She formed ice with her Frostborn innate talent, shaping it into a bow and arrow before firing it at the lion's eyes.

The arrow flew through the air and reached the beast's vicinity, but before it could hit the target, flames erupted from the lion's mane and melted it in mid-flight.

Then the beast's eyes flashed with bloodlust as it released another roar, letting out a fiery breath toward Maya, who was standing several meters away from it.

The impact of the attack exploded like a bomb and created a massive crater on the ground as a shockwave blasted the nearby trees into bits, leaving nothing but charred remains behind.

Fortunately, Maya had anticipated this outcome and managed to evade it at the last second, preventing her from getting injured by the explosion.

But this exchange of blows caused the Fiery Lion King to get distracted from Levi, who seized the chance to use his talent and launch a sneak attack on it.

With one swift motion, he unleashed his domain and commanded the surrounding shadows, forming them into sharp blades that shot towards the beast at lightning speed, piercing its thick hide and sinking deep into its flesh.

The Fiery Lion King roared in pain as its blood gushed out of its wounds and splattered onto the ground, creating puddles of red liquid beneath it.

"ROOOOAAAARRRRRRRR!!!!"

Enraged by the attack, it swung its claws toward Levi, releasing flaming slashes that aimed to slice him into pieces.

But Levi smirked and continued controlling the shadows, moving them around like threads, which he weaved together to create a web that blocked the Fiery Lion King's attack.

Then he ordered the web to move, wrapping itself around the beast's body and trapping it, preventing it from escaping.

Each move he made was calculated, precise, and carried out with confidence. He acted like a maestro guiding the orchestra, like a puppet master pulling the strings. And when he finished his performance, there was only one thing left to do—end this fight.

He manipulated the darkness around him, transforming into a black blade that floated above him like an extension of his arm.

And he sent it toward the lion's chest with all his might.

The creature roared in defiance, but it was futile as the blade pierced its body, sinking deeper and deeper until it reached its heart.

A fatal wound.

In an instant, the beast stopped moving and collapsed on the ground, lifeless.

Levi's breathing was heavy, and beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as he wiped it with the back of his hand, but he grinned nonetheless.

Even though the fight didn't last long, maintaining the Absolute Domain over the battlefield filled with strong and fiery currents of heat, which could kill him and Maya in seconds if he didn't manipulate the flow of energy, drained a great deal of mana from him.

But now he could absorb its mana core and enjoy the fruits of his labor.

"Maya, take care of its mana core." Levi said, and she nodded in response, walking over to the corpse of the Fiery Lion King.

While she harvested the mana core, Levi used his Infinite Devouring skill to recover the mana he had spent during the battle.

Once done, Maya brought over the mana core to him, which was pulsating with powerful energy.

"Do you think you can absorb mana inside it?" Levi asked as curiosity flashed across his eyes.

After all, Maya had ice and wind affinity, and mana cores are associated with the mana elements and affinities, so there was a high chance that she would fail to absorb its mana.

Maya pondered for a bit and said, "I don't know for sure, but I'm willing to try, if that's what you wish."

"Mhm, if it doesn't work, I'll absorb it."

With that said, she held the mana core with both of her hands and closed her eyes, focusing on the energy contained within the core.

It was different from the pure ice element mana that she possessed; instead, it was hot and filled with power that threatened to burn her if she wasn't careful.

However, she ignored that feeling and concentrated harder on it. Soon enough, she took a bit of fiery mana inside her core, where her ice mana resided.

It collided and began fighting for dominance within her, causing her veins to bulge under her pale white skin as if they would burst open at any moment.

Her face contorted into an expression of pain and anguish, making her seem like she was suffering from intense agony.

"Urgh..." Maya gritted her teeth and groaned. But before she could suffer any more damage, Levi grabbed the mana core from her hands, making her snap out of her trance.

"What happened? Are you alright?" He asked.

Maya blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the dizziness she felt after taking in the incompatible energy.

"Yes... Yes, I'm fine." She assured him while breathing heavily, still struggling to calm the raging storm inside of her. "I succeeded in absorbing some of its mana, but it began clashing with my ice mana, causing a lot of stress within me. I believe if I tried more, it might cause permanent damage to my core."

"Alright, I understand." Levi nodded in understanding. "This means that without having a suitable affinity with the mana core, it's impossible to absorb it."

"Indeed."

"Well, that's fine. We just need to get you an ice affinity mana core. I am sure some of the mana beasts in the city should have one."

He then took a deep breath and closed his eyes while holding the mana core. Then he activated Infinite Devouring and began absorbing the Fiery Lion King's mana core, filling himself with its energy.

Unlike Maya, he felt no strain when absorbing fire mana, as his talent was unique and capable of absorbing all types of mana in this world with no resistance.