Adamâs palm blazed with prismatic light, the rainbow radiance intensifying until it was almost too bright to look at. He thrust his hand forward.
[Prismatic Beam]!
The lance of concentrated light shot toward the wyvern lordâs chestâblazing, blinding, unstoppable. It struck the creature square in the sternum, and for a moment, the world went white.
When the light faded, smoke curled from the wyvernâs scales. A deep, smoldering wound marked where the beam had struckâbut it hadnât penetrated. The wyvern lordâs hide was blackened, cracked, but intact.
And between Adam and the wyvern lord, two smaller wyverns fell.
Their bodies tumbled through the air, smoking, lifeless. They had thrown themselves into the path of the beamâsacrificed themselves to shield their alpha.
Adamâs eyes widened. His voice, when it came, was low.
"You used your own kind as shields?" He stared at the wyvern lord, his crimson eyes hard. "Do you have no empathy?"
The wyvern lordâs golden eyes blazed. Its massive chest expanded, and a roar tore from its throatâdeep, resonant, shaking the air itself.
"ROOOAAARRR!"
The sound was a challenge, a declaration, a dismissal of Adamâs words.
Adamâs lips curved into a fierce grin.
"I can do that too."
He drew a deep breath, his chest swelling, and unleashed his own roar.
[Draconic Roar]!
The sound exploded from him with concussive force, sovereign will given voice. The shockwave slammed into the wyvern lord, staggering the massive creature mid-air. Its roar cut off abruptly, replaced by a startled, almost confused silence.
The wyvern lord shook its head, recovering quickly. Its golden eyes narrowed, and dark energy gathered around its maw. It spatânot a single bolt, but a barrage. Projectiles of shadow streaked toward Adam in rapid succession, each one humming with killing intent.
Adamâs eyes lit up. His blood sang with the thrill of combat.
"Now this is fun!"
He opened his mouth, and flames answered.
[Fire Breath]!
A torrent of searing flame erupted from his throat, meeting the shadow projectiles head-on. Fire clashed with darkness in mid-air, explosions rippling across the sky. The wyvern lordâs projectiles shattered against Adamâs flames, dissipating into wisps of shadow that scattered on the wind.
But one slipped through.
A dark bolt, smaller than the others, fasterâit streaked past Adamâs guard and struck his shoulder. Pain lanced through him, hot and sharp. His scales held, but the impact spun him sideways, and he had to beat his wings hard to stabilize.
He glanced at the wound. A shallow gash, already smoking, the edges blackened with shadow energy. His regeneration was already working, knitting the flesh back together.
âNot bad,â he thought, his grin returning. âNot bad at all.â
He looked up at the wyvern lord, circling above him, its golden eyes gleaming with predatory satisfaction.
"Youâre stronger than I expected," Adam called out. "Good."
He rolled his shoulders, the wound on his shoulder already closing.
"Letâs go again."
Lilith watched the battle from Ignisâs back, her crimson eyes tracking every movement. Her voice, when it came, was calmâalmost bored.
"It seems Adam is enjoying himself."
Ignisâs flames flickered with jealousy. Her draconic head turned slightly, her golden eyes fixed on the wyvern lord.
"Heâs having all the fun..." she grumbled. "I want to fight too..."
Isoldeâs hood had slipped back during Ignisâs evasive maneuver, and she hadnât bothered to pull it up again. Her crimson hair spilled over her shoulders, catching the fading light. Her pale eyes were fixed on the battle above, her expression guarded.
âHeâs toying with it,â she thought, her internal voice quiet. âThe wyvern lord is strongâstronger than most things in this region. But that man... heâs not even using his full power.â
She glanced at Lilith, at the serene smile on the spiderâs face, at the way her fingers traced idle patterns in the air as if she were watching a particularly interesting play.
âAnd theyâre not worried.â
Her gaze drifted back to Adam.
âWhat kind of monsters are you?â
The wyvern lord circled lower, its golden eyes fixed on Adam with a new wariness. The humanoid creature before it had not fallen. Had not fled. Had not even seemed particularly threatened by its attacks.
It had never encountered prey like this.
Adam waited, his wings beating slowly, his crimson eyes never leaving the wyvernâs face. His voice, when it came, was calmâalmost conversational.
"Whatâs wrong? Scared?"
The wyvern lordâs eyes blazed. Its tail lashed, and it doveânot to attack, but to flee.
Adamâs eyes widened.
"Heyâ!"
The wyvern lord shot past him, wings folded, diving toward the forest below. Its remaining followers scattered, retreating in all directions.
Adam spun, watching it go. His voice was incredulous.
"Itâs running away?!"
Ignisâs voice rang out from below, gleeful and mocking.
"The wyvern is running! Hahaha! What a coward!"
Lilithâs lips curved into a slow smile. "How disappointing. I was hoping for more entertainment."
Isolde shook her head slowly. Her voice was flat.
"Itâs not cowardice. Itâs survival. The alpha realized it couldnât win, so it retreated to fight another day." She glanced at Adam. "Thatâs how nature works."
Adamâs wings snapped wide, catching the air, and he shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. The wyvern lordâs golden eyes went wide as the distance between them vanished in a heartbeat.
"You think Iâd let you run?" Adamâs voice was cold, almost amused. "Where do you think youâre going?"
The wyvern lordâs tail lashed, its wings beating frantically as it tried to accelerate. But Adam was faster. His form blurred, matching the creatureâs speed with ease, drawing alongside its massive head.
[Prismatic Beam]!
Light gathered in Adamâs palmârainbow radiance, blinding and beautiful. The wyvern lordâs eyes darted sideways, toward the two remaining wyverns that still hovered at the edge of the battlefield. A command, a pleaâa desperate hope that they would once again throw themselves between their alpha and destruction.
The wyverns moved.
They dove, wings folded, bodies angled to intercept the beam.
"Please donât interrupt Adamâs fun."
Lilithâs voice drifted through the air, soft and sweet as poisoned honey. Silver threads shot from her fingers, stretching across the sky in an instant. They wrapped around the wyvernsâ wings, their legs, their throatsâholding them suspended, helpless, their desperate cries silenced by silk.
The wyvern lord watched its last shields fall, its golden eyes wide with something that might have been fear.
Adamâs smile widened.
"No more shields huh."
[Prismatic Beam]!
The lance of light shot forwardâblazing, unstoppable. It struck the wyvern lordâs chest, right where its heart should be. The creatureâs scales, so tough, so resilient, cracked and shattered under the assault. Light poured through the wound, illuminating the wyvern from within.
For a moment, the wyvern lord hung there, suspended in the fading light, its golden eyes fixed on Adamâs face.
Adamâs voice was quiet, almost gentle.
"Good fight."
The wyvern lordâs body went limp. Its wings folded. Its tail stopped lashing. It fell, a dark comet plummeting toward the forest below, crashing through the canopy with a thunderous crack of splintering wood.
The remaining wyverns, still bound by Lilithâs threads, began to thrash and screechâdesperate, leaderless, their will to fight shattered with their alphaâs fall.
Lilith tilted her head, studying them with mild disinterest.
"What should we do with these?"
Adam landed on Ignisâs back, his chest heaving slightly, a satisfied smile still playing on his lips.
"Let them go." He glanced at the bound wyverns. "Theyâre not a threat anymore."
Lilithâs threads retracted, silver strands unraveling from the wyvernsâ bodies. The creatures didnât hesitate. They fled, wings beating furiously, disappearing into the darkening sky.
Isolde watched them go, her pale eyes thoughtful.
"Theyâll find a new alpha. Or one of them will become one." She glanced at Adam. "Thatâs how wyverns work."
Adam shrugged. "Not my problem."
Ignisâs draconic head turned, her golden eyes gleaming with admiration.
"That was awesome, Adam! You made that big wyvern look like a baby lizard!"
Adamâs lips twitched. "It was a good fight. Stronger than I expected."
Lilith drifted closer, her body pressing against his back. Her voice was soft, almost purring.
"You were magnificent, Adam."
Adam stretched his arms above his head, the tension of the fight slowly draining from his muscles. His crimson eyes drifted to the treeline where the wyvern lord had crashed.
"Hey, Ignis. Letâs grab some of that wyvern meat first. It might be good to eat."
Ignisâs draconic head perked up, her golden eyes gleaming with immediate enthusiasm. Her flames flickered brighter, casting warm light across the clearing.
"Meat?! Yes! Letâs get the meat!"
She descended rapidly, her massive claws touching down on the forest floor with surprising gentleness. Adam slid from her back, landing lightly on the soft earth. Lilith glided down beside him, her silver-threaded gown catching the fading light. Isolde followed, her movements stiff, her pale eyes scanning the darkening trees.
Isoldeâs voice drifted through the quiet, flat and unimpressed.
"By the way... your camouflage isnât very useful, is it?"
Adamâs eye twitched. He turned to face her, crossing his arms.
"Thatâs rude. I canceled it because I thought there were no more enemies. I also wanted to conserve my energy."
Isoldeâs lips pressed into a thin line. She said nothing, but her expression remained skeptical.
Adam turned away, already walking toward the wyvern lordâs corpse. He had only taken a few steps when a cascade of familiar blue light flooded his vision.
[Shadowfang Wyvern Lord (Lv. 71) Defeated!]
[+1800 EXP | +2100 EP]
[Lesser Wyverns Defeated by Party Members: 6]
[+900 EXP | +750 EP]
[Ding! Level Up!]
[Level: 70 -> 71]
[EXP: 115/540 -> 2275/560]
[Ding! Level Up!]
[Level: 71 -> 72]
[EXP: 0/560 -> 1715/580]
[Ding! Level Up!]
[Level: 72 -> 73]
[EXP: 0/580 -> 1135/600]
[Ding! Level Up!]
[Level: 73 -> 74]
[EXP: 0/600 -> 535/620]
[Skill Point Gained: +4]
[Total Skill Points: 14]
[Crown of the Hollow Glutton]
[Souls Captured: 292 -> 299]
[+7 Souls Acquired]
[ Evolution Points: 5104 -> 7954 ]
[ Evolution Requirement Met: 7954/6000 EP ]
[ Please select your evolutionary path: ]