Chapter 390: Let The Fight BEGIN

"Whaaat—you don’t know who the great Ratgul is?" the white birdman exclaimed in a high pitched voice, his expression a picture of genuine shock.

"Ratgul designed this System Event all by himself, and—"

From that point on, Thalion struggled to keep listening as the birdman launched into a full sermon praising Ratgul. Suddenly, a lot of things made much more sense. Many aspects of this trial had been

hella

strange, and the idea that a

god

had designed it instead of the unfinished System explained a lot. Even then, that such a chaotic event existed at all was already… questionable.

"Yeah, okay, okay. Ratgul is amazing and created the treasure hunt, I get it. Can you tell me more about the next stages—or did they not share anything beyond this one?" Thalion cut in, trying to shut down the endless praise. He didn’t have all the time in the world to listen to rambling.

The white birdman’s eyes narrowed. His aura rose sharply, killing intent almost visibly pouring off his body.

"I am Aris, and I will kill you extra slowly, you

heretic

."

With those words, Aris beat his wings and shot toward Thalion, who had been hovering midair while enduring his Ratgul monologue. Now he had to react

fast

. One powerful wingbeat—Tempest Glide and Skydive activated—and he blasted upward, Aris immediately on his tail.

It became obvious within seconds that Aris was faster than Eagly. It would still take him a moment to close the gap, but Thalion had another problem. As Aris’s staff began to glow with white light, preparing a powerful attack, Thalion could do absolutely nothing. He had no way to fire attacks behind him. He always needed to face his target—and he was definitely

not

an owl.

Maybe I should’ve just found an owl and given Eagly the neck…

Turning around with such a fast opponent right behind him was impossible. His only options were his domain skills—but would they even do much? Thalion had no doubt Aris had ways to block the lightning that would rain down on him. Even Aris’s aura alone slightly surpassed Thalion’s full-power output. No—he needed to

surprise

Aris if he wanted to turn this fight around.

For now, Aris wasn’t firing any skills. He was simply focusing on closing the distance. He probably assumed that in close combat Eagly was useless, and as long as he stayed behind Thalion, he couldn’t be hit by any skills either. All in all, a solid plan—if Thalion hadn’t been a shapeshifter.

Thalion didn’t slow down, but he stopped making sharp turns. That was normally his only advantage, since Aris needed much longer to perform such maneuvers. But now Thalion

wanted

Aris to catch up.

The plan was simple: let Aris come close, then shapeshift—either into his human form or the Crippled Eclipsari.

He had considered the wyvern, but Aris had probably fought plenty of them already, while Thalion barely had any experience in that form. No, the best options were the crippled Eclipsari or his human body.

The problem with the crippled Eclipsari was mobility. He couldn’t truly fly and had barely any movement skills. Yes, he could condense darkness to stand or push himself around, but compared to Aris, he would move like a snail. The

only

scenario where the Eclipsari form made sense was if Aris got close enough for him to grab. Then Aris would be in for a very unpleasant surprise.

But would Aris even make such a crucial mistake? He was arrogant and proud, yes, but also a skilled fighter. The way he hunted Eagly showed he relied not only on strength but also on solid tactics. Aris could likely overpower Eagly in the long run and definitely had a range of long-distance skills. No—he chose this approach because it was the safest and smartest option. Which meant he had been planning this even while talking about Ratgul and maybe even earlier.

It was also possible Thalion was simply overestimating him and that this tactic was just something Aris’s elders taught about hunting other birds.

If Aris never came close enough for the crippled Eclipsari to latch onto him, then Thalion would need to shift into his human form. With Blood Thorns, he had good ranged options and was dangerous in close combat. Not on the level of the prince or Eric, but more than enough for Aris.

And deep down, Thalion had to admit—he was

very

curious how the white birdman would react to his curse. So far, this trained hunter with two wingsets was the strongest foe he had encountered here. Not just in level—his race and class progress had to be extremely high as well.

All in all, it should be perfect to assist Thalion. At the moment, an army of bloodthorns wouldn’t accomplish much anyway. On this stage they would likely just collapse the moment they touched the green mist. But someone like Aris—that was worth keeping around, depending on how loyal he would remain after the curse took over.

The real question was whether the curse could even dominate someone this strong, and what means of escape Aris possessed. There was still an entire army behind him that could come to his rescue. And since he had already killed many trial takers, chances were high he carried an escape token. Thalion had no treasure capable of blocking it this time, unlike with the fiery elf whose armor and blade had melted to a crisp.

There was also the question of whether Aris could even be brought into a higher tutorial stage. Still, even if that wasn’t possible, turning him was worth the attempt. He had knowledge of the upcoming stages—and that alone would benefit Thalion greatly.

Thalion began mimicking a panicked bird, flapping his wings awkwardly and casting frantic glances over his shoulder to judge Aris’s position. If this trap was going to work, he needed to play his cards just right. Aris was no fool, and Thalion hoped he wouldn’t see through the bluff.

It seemed Aris didn’t fully trust the scene in front of him. Instead of flying in to smash his staff over the head of the “panicking” eagle, he charged it even more and unleashed a beam of brilliant white light. Thalion barely dodged. It passed just under his left wing, searing off a few feathers as he made a sharp, last-second turn. Had he reacted a moment later, the beam would have drilled straight through his spine.

That confirmed it—Aris wouldn’t be coming any closer. He hadn’t forgotten that Thalion was a shapeshifter.

It was time.

Thalion waited for the perfect moment—right when Aris’s staff was nearly fully charged. He shifted into his human form and hit Aris with a powerful Crimson Gaze the instant their eyes locked.

Unfortunately, nothing much happened… except a tiny white crystal embedded in the staff exploding into shards.

Jeez, does everyone have charms against mental attacks?

Thalion cursed internally. Normally such a mental strike might have ended the fight instantly, but his recent opponents all seemed to carry something to block it.

Aris’s eyes widened as the crystal shattered, and he immediately focused on Thalion’s chest to avoid eye contact. That was the other annoying part. Sure, it was technically worse for his enemies to never meet his gaze again, but Thalion had a skill he could only use once per fight—half the time it did nothing but destroy a protective trinket. And after the target knew what he was trying, getting them to look into his eyes again became nearly impossible.

Thalion had some tricks, like shifting from crippled Eclipsari to human form, which often changed his height just enough to force surprise eye contact. Aris adapted quickly and his beak opened in an expression Thalion interpreted as a wide grin.

Great, now he’s also having fun. Wonderful. Have the time of your life, mate, while I’m just here trying to kill you. If I had already evolved to E-Grade, I would’ve plucked you bald by now.

Thalion didn’t hesitate after the failed gaze. He summoned his blood claws and simultaneously activated Telekinetic Dash at full force, shooting toward Aris in a straight, vicious line.

Aris didn’t slow down either. His staff vanished, replaced by the two blades strapped to his belt. Both swords glowed with the same white light as the staff. He slashed at Thalion just as Thalion brought his claws down with all the strength he could muster.

Thalion wanted to turn Aris, but he couldn’t afford to hold back—not against an opponent like this. If he went easy, he’d be dead. Yes, there was a real chance he might kill Aris outright and lose his opportunity, but that was a risk he had to take.

Their attacks collided. For a moment it looked like the two were evenly matched, but then Aris simply pushed through, sliding forward with brute technique. Thalion’s claws were too sturdy to be cut, so Aris’s momentum instead launched him backward, decisively winning the first exchange.

Being overpowered was grating—especially for someone who usually overwhelmed his enemies with sheer force. But since this System Event started, he’d had the privilege of experiencing the other side, and he hated it. The only real advantage he had left was the Outsider's recovery speed, and even that felt more like a necessity than an edge.

Aris didn’t give him a second to breathe. With a beat of all four wings, he surged forward and slashed again—one blade aimed at Thalion’s chest, the other toward his abdomen.

If he still had the Blade of the Blooded Templar, he would’ve instinctively known how to dodge, but fighting with claws left him lacking experience. And he hadn’t fought a true aerial duel like this in… honestly, he couldn’t even remember the last time.

Good thing I’m not fighting someone who’s done this his entire damn life,

Thalion thought sourly as he activated Mana Wave to block the attack and create a little distance from the incredibly skilled fighter.

He needed a trick. A surprise. A miracle. Something absolutely unhinged.

The Heart of the Sanguine Archon was starting to beat faster, but Thalion doubted the boost alone would be enough to match Aris.

No—he needed to get creative.

And try some crazy shit.