With the new rules set by the God of Destiny, raw damage didn’t matter anymore.
What mattered now was landing clean hits on your opponent.
The scale of destiny would only tip when attacks landed unblocked and unavoided.
Alex’s mind raced as he adjusted his strategy.
[Score: 8 Vorsak – 0 FateBreaker.]
Vorsak had an 8 point advance.
His claws glimmered faintly with residual blood energy, but that wouldn’t matter unless he could land consistent hits.
Vorsak stood across from him, his massive wings partially folded, his golden scales shimmering with raw energy.
The dragon smirked, already confident in his advantage.
Alex gripped his staff tightly, activating his area-based skills.
The staff lit up, and he spun it around himself.
Rain of Fire! Crimson Cataclysm!
Vorsak didn’t even flinch.
With one beat of his massive wings, he lifted off the ground, avoiding every single attack, and as for the rain, his movements were flawless.
The projectiles dissipated harmlessly into the air, failing to make contact.
“Not bad,” Vorsak chuckled. “But you’ll have to do better than that.”
Gritting his teeth, Alex looked at his claws and leaped toward him, swiping fiercely.
The claws slashed at empty air as Vorsak deftly maneuvered backward, dodging the blows with precise wing movements.
“Your tricks won’t work on me,” Vorsak taunted.
He countered with a powerful strike of his own.
His claws glowed with crackling energy as he slashed forward, aiming at Alex’s torso.
Alex barely managed to evade the first swipe, ducking low and rolling to the side.
But Vorsak’s follow-up claw swipe grazed him, sending Alex skidding backward.
Ding!
[One sphere added to Vorsak’s scale.]
[9 – 0]
[Match point.]
Alex cursed under his breath.
He somehow managed to hit him thrice afterward with some low-damage spells though, bringing the score back.
But the dragon had now learned about every single one of Alex’s skills, meaning he wouldn’t fall for anything.
Yet even then, Vorsak’s speed and precision were overwhelming.
Every time Alex got close enough to attack, the dragon either evaded or countered with terrifying accuracy.
Desperate to regain ground, Alex activated [Fury of Thunder] again, summoning a barrage of lightning strikes around Vorsak.
The dragon’s wings flared out, and a shimmering golden barrier surrounded him.
The lightning strikes hammered against the barrier but did nothing to break through.
Ding!
[Blocked attacks don’t count.]
The God of Destiny’s voice rang out, his tone amused.
Alex clenched his fists.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t land a single clean hit.
Meanwhile, Vorsak was relentless.
The dragon closed the distance and unleashed a flurry of claw swipes and tail strikes, each one chipping away at Alex’s control of the fight.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[Three spheres added to Vorsak’s scale.]
[Match point.]
Alex’s heart sank.
The scale tilted dangerously in Vorsak’s favor, with Alex only one sphere away from losing entirely.
He stumbled backward, clutching his side, his breath ragged.
Alphox, watching from the sidelines, growled deeply.
“Is that all you got, human?” he shouted.
Alex wiped blood from his lip, his mind racing.
He couldn’t rely on Alphox, and he certainly couldn’t rely on brute strength.
Vorsak was faster, stronger, and better at avoiding attacks.
But Alex had one advantage: unpredictability.
He tapped his [Digital Inventory Watch], selecting the [Demonized Whispers of Shadows] dagger and gripping it in his right hand.
He gave up on using his staff completely, throwing it on the ground as it wouldn’t work.
Instead, going in close combat was his final solution.
He activated [Shadow Veil], which was the dagger’s unique skill, his form vanishing into a shroud of darkness.
Vorsak’s eyes darted around the battlefield, searching for any sign of his opponent.
“Coward,” the dragon snarled, swinging his claws at the empty air around him. “Hiding won’t save you!”
Alex moved silently through the shadows, positioning himself behind Vorsak.
He lunged out, striking the dragon’s side with his claws.
Ding!
[One sphere added to FateBreaker’s scale.]
Vorsak whirled around, roaring in frustration, but Alex had already disappeared back into the shadows.
Another strike came from above, Alex slamming down on Vorsak’s shoulder.
Ding!
[Another sphere added to FateBreaker’s scale.]
The scale began to balance, and Vorsak’s frustration turned into panic.
He unleashed a frenzied barrage of attacks, clawing, slashing, and whipping his tail in all directions.
But in his rage, his attacks became wild and unfocused.
Alex dodged effortlessly, using the openings to land more hits.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[Seven spheres added to FateBreaker’s scale.]
By now, the scale had almost fully tilted in Alex’s favor.
Vorsak’s breathing was heavy, his golden scales dimming as fatigue set in.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Sensing his opportunity rise, Alex didn’t give up, and as his [Shadow Veil] reached its limit, he went all in.
Using both his [Demonized Whispers of Shadows] and [Bleeding Claws], he began slashing repeatedly at the dragon.
His opponent was going crazy, using every single one of his attacks to try and hit the human.
Yet, now that he had his confidence back, Alex felt invincible.
He backed away.
[Score: 9 FateBreaker – 0 Vorsak]
[This is the end,] the God of Destiny said, his tone dripping with finality.
Alex gritted his teeth, grabbed his staff back from the ground, and activated [Demonic Spear].
A massive, shadowy spear materialized in his hands, crackling with energy.
He hurled it with all his strength, the spear cutting through the air like a comet.
The spear pierced through Vorsak’s wing, pinning it to the ground.
The dragon roared in agony, thrashing wildly as Alex closed the distance.
With a final burst of speed, Alex leaped forward, his claws glowing with shadow energy.
Slash!
Slash!
Slash!
Each strike landed cleanly, and the scale above tipped completely in Alex’s favor.
He had needed one hit, but he still went for more just to be sure.
Ding!
[10/10 for FateBreaker.]
[Vorsak Loses.]
The battlefield fell silent.
“W-Wait, no!” Vorsak cried, his voice trembling with fear. “This can’t be!”
The God of Destiny smirked.
[Bye bye.]
With a snap of his fingers, the execution began.
Golden halos appeared in the sky, their radiant light casting an ominous glow over the battlefield.
Chains made of pure light shot down, wrapping around Vorsak and binding him tightly.
“No! Stop!” Vorsak roared, struggling against the chains.
But it was futile.
The chains tightened, lifting the dragon into the air.
[Losers don’t deserve to live, anyway.]
A beam of golden energy shot down from the heavens, striking Vorsak and erasing him from existence.
Ding!
[You have slain “Vorsak, Dragon of Destiny” and gained 10 billion experience points.]
Alex stood there, breathing heavily.
“Damn,” he muttered under his breath.
As much as he didn’t like Vorsak, seeing the dragon erased like that left a sour taste in his mouth.
But he knew there was no other option. It was either him or the dragon.
Turning his gaze upward, Alex saw the God of Destiny clapping enthusiastically, his face lit up with excitement.
[Amazing! Truly fascinating!]
The god’s laughter echoed across the battlefield as the golden chains disappeared, leaving nothing behind.
A new prompt appeared before Alex though.
One that he had been expecting.
Ding!
[Choose something to extract.]
Alex’s eyes scanned the options, each one more tempting than the last.
[Dragonheart Essence (Artifact)]
[Description: The heart of a legendary dragon, imbued with immense power.]
[Dragon Core (Divine+)]
[Description: The core of a dragon, fusing it with your soul will allow you to learn one of its skills.]
[Wings of Destiny (Artifact – Perfect Condition)]
[Description: Wings of the dragon of destiny, a legendary dragon that only hasn’t joined the Primordial Dragons because of his laziness. It is said that he had the potential to, though.]
Alex’s jaw tightened as he weighed his options.
All three were incredible.
The [Dragonheart Essence] was rare and powerful, while the [Dragon Core] offered immense skill potential.
But it was the [Wings of Destiny] that truly caught his attention.
“Wings of Destiny,” Alex said, making his choice.
The wings, despite having been damaged in the fight, were now in perfect condition.
They were a crucial ingredient for acquiring the [Dragon Bloodline], a goal Alex had been chasing for ages.
The [Dragonheart Essence] could be acquired from another powerful dragon if he found one, but wings from a dragon with such a high potential were rare.
Just as he was about to move, though, another notification appeared.
Ding!
[Double Extraction has been triggered. Select another loot.]
Alex’s eyes widened in disbelief.
[Perk #2: Double Extraction; Every extraction has a 5% chance to trigger the “Double Extraction” perk, meaning you can select two items out of the three available instead of one.]
A grin spread across his face.
“Holy shit,” he muttered, quickly selecting the [Dragonheart Essence].
With both items in hand, Alex let out a deep breath.
The [Dragon Core] was tempting, but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to secure both the wings and the Dragonheart.
Only the [Soulstone] was needed now.
Ding!
[You have completed your Tier 6 Advancement Task.]
[Rating: SSS.]