Chapter 60: Taking Over

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Taking Over

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.

Slash!

A deeper wound appeared.

No Lightning Shed.

Slash!

Another one.

Still no response.

The Wyvern finally realized what he was doing.

Its attacks became more desperate.

But Damon had already gained momentum.

His movements flowed naturally now.

The battle felt alive.

His instincts screamed.

His senses expanded.

His body reacted before his mind could think.

It felt incredible.

Then he saw it.

An opening.

A real one.

Damon immediately rushed forward.

His knife pierced one of the damaged areas.

Wind surged into the blade.

Layer after layer.

The weapon trembled.

The strain was too much as cracks spread across it.

But Damon ignored them.

"Just a little more."

The compressed wind exploded through the wound.

The Wyvern roared in pain.

Then Damon followed with lightning.

Wild lightning.

Violent lightning.

The current flooded directly into the injured area.

The massive beast convulsed.

Its muscles locked.

Its body shook.

A deafening screech erupted from its throat.

Damon didn’t stop.

He poured everything he had left.

The lightning ravaged the inside of the wound.

Then came another layer of wind.

More compressed.

More destructive.

The moment it detonated...

CRACK!

The knife shattered.

Fragments scattered everywhere.

The attack finally ended.

For a brief moment, silence fell.

The Stormreign Wyvern staggered.

Its massive body trembled.

The previous confidence was gone.

Blood flowed from several injuries.

One wing drooped.

Its breathing became heavy.

The damage was obvious.

For the first time since the battle began, the guardian looked genuinely weakened.

Damon jumped back several meters.

Breathing heavily.

His chest rose and fell.

His aether reserves were nearly drained.

Sweat covered his body.

Yet his eyes remained bright.

The fight wasn’t over. Not even close.

But the balance had shifted.

Behind him, Freya was jumping excitedly.

Her tails wagged wildly.

Sylphie flew circles above her head.

The two spirit elementals looked happier than ever.

To them, their master had just done something amazing.

Freya barked proudly.

Sylphie chirped in agreement.

The praise flowed through their connection.

Damon laughed despite his exhaustion.

"Yeah, yeah."

He wiped the blood from his mouth.

"I know that was cool."

Freya barked even louder.

Sylphie nearly fell from the air laughing.

Across from them, the Stormreign Wyvern slowly lifted its head.

Its golden eyes locked onto Damon once more.

This time there was no anger.

No arrogance.

Only caution.

The beast had finally acknowledged him.

And Damon knew exactly what that meant.

The real fight was about to begin.

The smile on Damon’s face never faded.

The Stormreign Wyvern was still standing, but only barely. Blood dripped from the countless wounds across its body while its breathing grew heavier with every passing second.

He had done it.

He had pushed himself against an A Rank beast and survived.

Even better...

He had forced it into this miserable state with nothing but his own strength.

His chest still hurt from the earlier attacks and dried blood stained the corner of his lips, but none of that mattered.

"Worth it."

He rolled his shoulders and laughed softly.

"So that’s what an A Rank really feels like."

His body ached everywhere, yet the excitement burning inside him drowned out the pain.

Now he knew.

He knew exactly where he stood.

The wyvern slowly lifted itself, trying to recover before Damon attacked again.

Its sharp eyes never left him.

Damon looked down at what remained of his knife.

Only a fragment of the blade was left.

"...Yeah."

He tossed the broken knife aside.

"I think you’ve earned your retirement."

The broken knife landed on the ground with a small clang.

The wyvern narrowed its eyes.

Then...

Damon simply stretched lazily.

"I’ve had my fun."

He turned around as though the battle was already over.

The Stormreign Wyvern froze.

"..."

Then its eyes widened.

The two little spirits that had been sitting at the side the entire fight suddenly stepped forward.

Freya stretched her body.

Sylphie flapped her wings excitedly.

Both of them had been waiting.

Damon smiled without looking back.

"My turn is over."

He raised one hand and waved casually.

"You two finish it."

The two spirits lit up instantly.

"Kyu!"

"Chirp!"

Their excitement overflowed through the contract.

They had wanted this since the beginning.

The wyvern looked at Damon...

...then at the two spirits...

...then back at Damon again.

Its expression almost seemed to say...

Shameless human.

Damon yawned.

"There are no fair fights."

"If I have teammates, why wouldn’t I use them?"

He grinned.

"You should’ve thought about that before trying to kill me."

The wyvern released a furious roar that shook the valley.

BOOOOOOM!!

Wind exploded outward.

Lightning flashed across its scales.

Even badly injured, its pressure remained terrifying.

But this time...

Freya didn’t even blink.

Her body slowly grew.

Nine magnificent tails spread behind her like a fan.

Lightning rolled across every tail before gathering around her feet.

The air itself crackled.

Beside her, Sylphie spread all four wings.

Gentle...

Silent...

Elegant.

Yet the pressure surrounding the little Sovereign Roc made even the storm hesitate.

The wyvern finally understood.

The human hadn’t abandoned the fight.

He had simply handed it over.

And somehow...

That frightened it even more.

"Don’t disappoint me."

Damon folded his arms.

"I’m watching."

The battle exploded.

BOOM!

Sylphie vanished first.

Not fast.

Gone.

The wyvern’s eyes searched wildly.

Nothing.

Its senses spread through the air.

Still nothing.

Then...

Slash!

A deep cut opened beneath its neck.

The wyvern roared.

It swung its claws immediately.

Only wind remained.

Slash!

Another wound appeared across its shoulder.

Its tail whipped around with enough force to shatter boulders.

But Sylphie was already somewhere else, as she glided between the violent winds as naturally as breathing.