Chapter 59: Standing Back Up

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Standing Back Up

The beast opened its mouth.

Wind gathered instantly.

The air became heavy.

Damon’s eyes narrowed.

Then the Wyvern released it.

GALE ROAR.

BOOOOOOM!

A wall of compressed wind exploded forward.

The roar itself carried a terrifying sonic burst.

Everything in its path shattered.

Large rocks cracked apart.

Stone fragments exploded into dust.

The ground was carved open as the attack surged forward.

Damon felt the danger immediately.

His body moved before his mind finished thinking.

He jumped back.

Then again.

And again.

Yet the attack still caught him.

The outer edge slammed into him.

The pressure struck like a hammer.

His chest tightened.

His feet left the ground briefly before he regained control.

The damage wasn’t severe.

But if he had remained close?

The result would’ve been ugly.

Damon slid backward.

But the moment he stabilized himself, his instincts screamed again.

Danger.

Extreme danger.

The Wyvern was already moving.

Wind wrapped around its body.

Lightning followed.

The two elements fused together perfectly.

The pressure around it spiked.

Then Damon recognized the Art.

Thunderlance Drive.

The compressed wind reduced resistance.

Lightning amplified the speed.

The Wyvern became a living spear.

And then... It disappeared.

Damon’s pupils shrank.

Too fast.

One moment it stood dozens of meters away.

The next...

It was already in front of him.

The air signals reached him.

His instincts reacted.

His body moved.

But not fast enough.

He raised his guard.

BOOOOOOM!

The first impact landed.

Compressed wind detonated on contact.

The explosion blasted Damon backward.

His guard shook violently.

The force alone threatened to break through.

Yet that wasn’t the real attack.

The wind had only opened the path.

Half a second later...

The lightning arrived.

A blinding flash engulfed everything.

And Damon could only watch as the second strike crashed toward him.

The second strike landed completely.

BOOM!

Damon crossed his arms in front of his chest at the last second.

Even then, the impact was terrifying.

The compressed lightning exploded through his guard and blasted him backward.

His body bounced across the ground.

He rolled several times before finally sliding to a stop.

For a moment, everything spun.

The numbness in his arms worsened.

His muscles screamed.

The taste of iron filled his mouth.

"Cough!"

Blood splattered onto the ground.

Damon wiped his lips and cursed.

"That thing hits like a truck..."

The attack had done more damage than he expected.

Far more.

His entire body ached.

The first impact had broken his balance.

The second had punished him for it.

Through their connection, he immediately felt panic.

Freya was worried.

Sylphie was even worse.

The two of them practically flooded his mind with concern.

Mixed within it was anger.

A lot of anger.

Especially from Freya.

The lightning fox looked ready to jump into the battle herself.

Damon raised a hand.

A simple thumbs up.

"I’m fine."

The message traveled through their connection.

Neither of them believed him immediately.

After all, they could see him struggling to stand.

But eventually they settled down.

Reluctantly.

The Stormreign Wyvern watched the entire scene.

Its massive eyes narrowed.

The human should have stayed down.

Any Master Rank Elemental User would have.

Yet Damon slowly pushed himself back to his feet.

His legs trembled slightly.

Blood still stained his chin.

Then he smiled.

A wide smile.

The kind that made normal people uncomfortable.

The Wyvern paused.

For the first time since the battle began, it looked slightly confused.

Why was this human smiling?

Damon cracked his neck.

His eyes burned with excitement.

Now he understood.

This was the strength of an A Rank Beast.

And this was only a Low Rank A Beast.

The gap was ridiculous.

Yet instead of discouraging him, it only made him more excited.

Now he knew exactly where he stood.

And he wasn’t done yet.

"Alright."

He rolled his shoulders.

"No more playing around."

His white core trembled.

Aether surged through his body.

The pressure around him immediately changed.

His instincts sharpened.

The bestial traits he carried began flowing through him more freely.

The killing intent of both spirit elementals mixed into his presence.

The air around him seemed heavier.

Lightning danced across his skin.

Wind wrapped around his body.

The two elements didn’t merge.

Instead, they overlapped in layers.

One enhancing the other.

The next second... He disappeared.

The Wyvern’s eyes widened.

Damon reappeared beside its neck.

Slash!

His knife cut into the scales.

Not deeply.

Just enough.

Then he vanished again.

Before the Lightning Shed could trigger.

The static burst exploded harmlessly.

Damon was already gone.

Slash!

Another wound appeared.

Then another.

Then another.

The Wyvern growled.

Its head swung wildly.

Trying to catch him.

Trying to predict him.

But Damon refused to stay still.

His speed was different now.

Every movement felt smoother.

More natural.

The longer the battle continued, the more his instincts adapted.

The more comfortable he became.

The more dangerous he became.

The Wyvern suddenly opened its mouth.

Damon immediately felt the warning.

His senses screamed.

GALE ROAR.

BOOM!

Wind exploded outward.

The sonic blast shattered rocks across the battlefield.

But Damon was already moving.

His body twisted.

His feet barely touched the ground.

The attack missed.

The sonic wave passed behind him and tore apart a stone formation.

Freya barked excitedly.

Sylphie chirped loudly.

The two practically celebrated from the sidelines.

Damon couldn’t help laughing.

"Glad you’re enjoying the show."

The Wyvern became even angrier.

It attacked relentlessly.

Its tail swept across the battlefield.

Its claws tore through the earth.

Its fangs snapped whenever Damon came close.

Yet every attack missed by the smallest margin.

Again.

And again.

And again.

The battle slowly changed.

The Wyvern was still stronger.

Still carried overwhelming power.

But Damon had found something.

A weakness.

The Lightning Shed.

Every time he attacked deeply, the defensive Art responded violently.

But when he left smaller injuries repeatedly...

The reaction weakened.

Then weakened again.

And again.

Until certain spots stopped reacting completely.

Dead zones.

That was what Damon called them.

And now he was targeting them.