The same beast he had met in the desert, the one that had a stronger aura than the rest and was veiled in black smoke. The one that the ability to kill him easily there but stopped to observe him.
The only beast he was scared of back in the desert.
“… It was you…”
Alan muttered, as he backed away, his expression contorted, and he tried his best to recollect himself. The sheer pressure it unleashed made it hard for him to even stand, the terrain below wasn’t any help.
“Ugh…”
He coughed up a mouthful of blood as he stared at the beast, which had now finally revealed itself.
Escaping the black mist it used to hide in, Alan was finally able to see what exactly had caused his such trouble…and it was a humanoid type.
It had the curvaceous figure of a human woman, dressed in what appeared to be scales that protruded from its body to cover itself, however the areas it didn’t cover were gray, like dead skin. The face was covered with a helmet that seemed to be carved out of rock, and possessed eight slits, each glowing a blue hue. The legs of the creature seemed to be that of a human too, but upon closer inspection the feet were actually hooves. Like that of a horse.
It also wielded a bow made of the same material that it’s scales and helmet were made of, the arrows of which were nowhere to be found. A strange, dark mist was released from the bottom of its feet. It appeared to be corporeal. And dyed the snow a black color as well.
Alan coughed up more blood, as he tried to use Dragon eyes to confirm his suspicions, but was shocked to see…
Dragon eyes did not work, whatever the thing in front of him was, it was far, far above his current level.
“Shit…”
He cursed, one would have expected him to resign to his fate, to die at its hands, but Alan still held on, despite the tsunami of mana that bashed into him from all sides.
From the corner of his vision, he saw space itself distort. The air shattered like it was glass and a terrifying, vacuum like sound filled the area, and the snow disappeared into the fissures that had been created by the beast.
The fissures lead to a realm unknown, and the only thing that seeped out besides the intense suction force was darkness, a corporeal darkness that spread to the land.
Alan backed away more. He finally figured out what was wrong with his spatial mana. The planet, the giant structures, had nothing to do with it… It was this vile thing.
This thing, which wielded the space element as well, was the one restricting his own. His knees buckled as the intense pressure descended once again, and the beast moved.
An arrow of blue light formed on it’s bow, cracking the air and sending ripples everywhere. The ripples crashed into Alan and further injured him.
“Fuck!”
He was almost unable to move, and he was also unable to utilize his mana very well. He tried his best to control his mana to weave a path in his body through his veins, trying to stimulate it, but the beast was approaching.
The arrow flickered in and out of existence, as the beast was in front of him, its arrow pointed right at Alan’s forehead. The thing hadn’t even been fired, but his forehead felt hot as a searing pain coursed his body. His head, the closest to the arrow, was in immense pain. The thing spoke.
“Die.”
The words, seemed foreign, yet he could understand them. The beast had spoken in a language he had never even heard of, but the intention behind it was so clear Alan knew what they meant.
“Like hell!”
Just the before the arrow was released, Alan managed to stimulate some of his mana and his body was able to move. Quickly erecting a shield around him, he whacked the arrow away with his spear. He continued to stab the beast where it’s head was.
The beast stood still, the Ame-No-Sakahoko struck, but it was of no use, the helmet was merely scratched, a minor dent appeared on it as Alan struck again.
He quickly tried to attack the areas where the scales were absent, but he was flicked away. The beast flicked its fingers, and didn’t even touch Alan, but the surrounding mana carried him up and threw him to the side. The beast closed the distance in an instant. Alan activated his [Draconian form] and soon would go into the full dragon form…
But the beast simply slapped him.
His lower jaw was sent flying, nowhere to be seen, the intense force probably having vaporized it. The scales did little to protect him. A hollow, cold snicker was heard as Alan used almost all the mana in his body to transform into a full dragon, and unleash his full might.
But pressure bore down on him, he was unable to transform as he felt as if a tight box had been constructed around him, seemingly invisible. It closed in, and he felt crushed, his organs, enlarged by the transformation were being compressed. Fearing he would be turned into a cube of flesh, he cancelled the transformation.
His lower jaw had healed, but what good would it do? The ‘indescribable’ terror was still in front of him, looking at him coolly.
In the blink of an eye, the beast slapped him again, Alan was able to raise his arm to block it, but the bones in his arm shattered, the muscles bulged and receded, as it was bombarded by internal shrapnel that originated from his bones… And the cells died. They withered away until his arm turned to dust, and like dust, it flew, carried by the wind.
The force was simply…astonishing.
He went to his knees once more, unable to fight back. His bloodline energy had been depleted trying to restore his limbs and make his body capable of fighting back, albeit a little. He summoned the remains of his tattered armor.
He didn’t summon it to use it as protection, he summoned it and simply used the skills embedded within it…but.
That did more damage to him than the beast. It was right in front of it, and the chaos blast hurt him more.
“Even immune to chaos…”
He sighed, but there was still a glint in his eyes, one that shined, waiting for an opportunity to arise. He hadn’t given up yet.
The beast also noticed this, and began to grow curious, wondering what it was exactly that gave the ant in front of it some hope.
It played with him, throwing him around the area enclosed by the darkness, but it always kept a vigilant eye. .
Alan’s body was mangled and torn, parts of his skin had ruptured, letting what remained of his organs to gush out. He was dead, almost.
‘Now…’
He spoke to himself, but he was so weak he couldn’t even exclaim it within his own mind. Hurriedly, he called on the last of his mana as the beast was at a distance.
The beast rushed at him, sensing the wrathful mana that appeared, but it stopped, afraid.
“… My turn, bitch.”
He cursed at the beast, as he activated the strongest skill he had. It was not Glacial Meteor, or Glacial Collapse, not even a space or chaos attribute skill.
He simply activated…
[Possession has been activated.]
His body rose, as someone within him awoke and began to take control. Finally, the beast shivered in fright and tried to run, but…
‘Swoosh!’
A whistling sound was heard, and the darkness that surrounded the area disappeared, and crimson blood dyed the black snow.
The beast looked back, shocked to find the ant that had become so terrifying in an instant struck in the chest with an arrow the size of a human arm. .𝒎
“… What?”
His own blood escaped from his mouth and the wound, as the skill was cancelled at the most opportune moment. The mana that was used to activate it recoiled, and dealt great damage to his already injured body.
‘Thud.’
He fell to his knees, hanging onto the last strings of consciousness he had left, thankfully he still had some mana left, and could do…something. The mana that was supposed to be used for [Possession] came back to him, although not pleasantly. He could still utilize it.
From the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of a chain, wrapped in what appeared to be…a flower? A dandelion.
The chain latched onto his body, and the dandelions it was covered in made his stomach churn, he lost his senses, and his mana was gone, he could not utilize it. A rain of dandelions filled his dark vision, and with every one… He felt pain. And the last string of consciousness he was holding on too…disappeared, like a fire in rain.
“We caught it, a dragon.”
𝑖𝘦.𝑐𝘰𝘮
