[: 3rd POV :]
Having vanquished every Winged Beast from the first to the eighth, Daniel now stood on the brink of his ultimate goal which was the ninth Beast.
Despite the equality in strength among the previous beasts, the ninth Winged Beast stood apart.
It was a creature of unfathomable power and complexity, a force of nature that defied the laws of physics.
Daniel knew that this battle would challenge him in ways he had never imagined, pushing him to the very limits of his abilities.
Even so, it was time for him to conquer the 9th Winged Beast.
With a calm expression etched upon his features, Daniel addressed the Saintesses.
“Alright, it’s now the time to finally conquer the 9th Beast,” he declared, his voice tinged with excitement and expectations.
Though he felt that there would be challenges, it wasn’t to the point where he would be stressed over it.
With a swift motion, Daniel gestured for the Saintesses to follow as he teleported them to the location of the 9th Winged Beast.
As they materialized in a desolate landscape shrouded in mist, Daniel’s senses were immediately assaulted by the palpable aura of malevolence that hung heavy in the air.
It was clear that the 9th Beast had been expecting them, and it was ready to defend its territory at all costs.
Surveying their surroundings, Daniel’s eyes narrowed in grim as he took in the sight of the ancient ruins that lay scattered around them like the remnants of a forgotten civilization.
The land seemed to echo with the whispers of a bygone era, a haunting reminder of the countless lives that had been lost to the passage of time.
But amid the ruins, there was a sense of foreboding that hung like a dark cloud over the landscape.
It was clear that they were not alone, and that the 9th Winged Beast lurked somewhere in the shadows, waiting to unleash its fury upon them.
All of a sudden, a haunting voice echoed through the landscape.
It seemed to emanate from all around him, yet there was no visible source—only an eerie presence that hung heavy in the air.
“Why have you come here, mortal…?”
The voice drifted towards him, carrying with it a sense of otherworldly resonance that sent shivers down Daniel’s spine.
It was as if the very fabric of reality itself had spoken, its words a whisper on the wind.
Though the voice did not reveal the creature’s presence, its intonation held a strange power that seemed to reach into the depths of Daniel’s soul.
There was an unsettling familiarity to it, a sensation that defied explanation and left him feeling unnerved.
Without hesitation, Daniel responded, his voice steady despite the unease that gnawed at his core.
“I’m here to conquer you, the 9th Winged Beast,” he declared, his words ringing out with unwavering confidence.
Yet, as his answer hung in the air, a palpable sadness seemed to envelop the space around him.
The voice of the beast carried a weight of sorrow, as if it had heard these words countless times before, spoken by countless souls who had dared to challenge it.
“Sigh, it’s the same reason again and again…”
The lament echoed through the emptiness, its mournful tone a testament to the endless cycle of conflict and defeat that had defined the beast’s existence for millennia.
At that moment, Daniel felt a pang of empathy for his enemy.
He sensed that there was more to this creature than met the eye, that behind its fearsome facade lay a story of loneliness and despair.
Yet, even as he acknowledged the sorrow in its voice, he knew that he could not show any mercy.
Despite the innocence that it shows, he knows how terrifying the beast is.
“Sigh, if you choose to challenge me mortal, then you would know how much it takes to defeat me”
“If you still choose, then… show me what you’ve got. After all, that is my purpose. But if you don’t, leave this place at once.”
As the enigmatic voice of the 9th Winged Beast echoed through the expanse, Daniel felt a surge of strange emotions wash over him.
There was an air of resignation in the beast’s words, a weariness that hinted at the weight of its eternal existence.
The unexpected offer caught Daniel off guard, stirring a sense of bewilderment within him.
It was unlike the beast to show such leniency, and for a moment, he found himself questioning whether this was truly the same creature he had come to face.
Yet, as he stood amidst the eerie stillness of the ruins, he could feel the unmistakable presence of the beast’s aura that he had encountered before in his past life.
“Then, I would challenge you right here, right now,”
Daniel declared, his voice unwavering as he summoned his scythe, the glint of resolution shining in his eyes.
“Sigh, if that’s what you want, so be it,”
The Beast responded with a resigned sigh, its tone tinged with a sense of acceptance.
It was as though it had resigned itself to the inevitability of their confrontation, acknowledging that there could be no turning back from the path they had chosen.
Moreover, it felt like the beast had known this right from the start and it couldn’t escape from the fate of time that had been bestowed towards it.
Whether or not the beast knew that it would win or lose the fight, it still decided to follow the path that had been decided for it.
‘How cruel can the time be…’ It muttered within its existence as it stared deeply towards Daniel’s existence.
‘An unfamiliar man whose time had been twisted…and the moment he had appeared…my time had been twisted…’ It muttered strangely.
“Don’t regret the words that you have just said, mortal…”
The voice of the beast echoed ominously, its words laden with a sense of foreboding that sent a chill down Daniel’s spine.
“I won’t,” Daniel replied with a smirk as his grip tightened on his scythe as he braced himself for the impending clash.
With a sudden surge of energy, the 9th Winged Beast revealed itself, its otherworldly form emerging from the shadows with an unsettling grace.
It was unlike anything Daniel had ever seen before, a grotesque fusion of angelic and demonic features that defied description.
At its centre was a single colossal eyeball, its golden iris shimmering with an otherworldly glow.
Surrounding it were nine wings, each pulsating with dark energy as they unfurled from its monstrous form.
Hovering around the eye were circular rings, their movements hypnotic and mesmerizing as they spun in a mesmerizing dance.
The sight sent shivers down Daniel’s spine, a primal instinct warning him of the danger that lay before him.
Despite having faced the beast once before, its appearance still managed to evoke a sense of unease within him.
The chills he felt weren’t a fear that he felt, but rather, the existence of the 9th Beast that he couldn’t describe in words.
If he could accurately describe, then it would be the fact that the 9th Beast was a Divine Beast.
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Of course, all of the beasts contained divine essences, yet, what he felt from the 9th Beast was different.
It was as though the beast should be an existence that transcends even higher than Divinity, yet it was limited to just Transcendent.
Just as Daniel pondered about the nature of the beast, he felt a sudden shift in the air, a subtle disturbance that set his senses on edge.
Before he could react, a powerful force slammed into his stomach with bone-crushing impact, sending him hurtling through the air like a ragdoll.
With a thunderous crash, Daniel collided with one of the towering pillars of the ancient ruins, the impact reverberating through the crumbling structure.
Dust and debris filled the air as the pillar trembled under the force of the impact, threatening to collapse at any moment.
“Shit, did the beast use its ability?”
Daniel cursed under his breath, his mind racing to comprehend the sudden assault.
Though the blow hadn’t caused any serious harm, there was a lingering sense of disbelief at the beast’s unexpected attack.
Despite the damage caused, it healed within seconds.
If the beast thought it could intimidate him with a surprise attack, it was sorely mistaken.
Daniel was more than ready to face whatever tricks it had up its sleeve.
But Daniel was caught in its unexpected barrage of attacks once again.
Without knowing where it came from, he felt an impact clashed against his chest that sent him flying towards the sky, and another impact that sent him down to the land of the Ancient Ruins.
Each time he blinked, there wasn’t any chance for him to react.
After all, it was due to the beast’s unique skill that could control time to a certain extent.
It was an overpowered ability even though it had its limitations, and just with that, Daniel was defenceless against it.