BOOM!!!!!!!
The collision of force shook the entire battlefield.
Fist against fist.
My much smaller frame trembled violently beneath the overwhelming strength of VARKHUL's massive body.
Over seven feet tall.
Packed with brutal muscle.
A monster forged for destruction.
The volcanic ground beneath my feet cracked apart as I was slowly pushed backward.
Losing the contest of raw strength.
My arm shook violently from the pressure.
Then—
I released the force from my side.
BOOM!!!!!
My body blasted sideways like lightning.
The pressure behind his extended arm caused the ground where I once stood to explode into a crater.
SWISH—!!!!!
I appeared in his blind spot.
Blue lightning coated my body like raging armor.
BAM!!!!!
My fist slammed into his gut.
The punch landed perfectly.
But—
No reaction.
It felt like punching an immovable mountain.
Not flesh.
Not muscle.
A wall.
My eyes narrowed.
Facing stronger opponents was nothing new—
but never had the gap felt this absolute.
BOOM!!!!!
Using the momentum from the strike, I pushed myself backward across the volcanic earth.
VARKHUL slowly straightened his body as though nothing had happened.
That confident smile remained on his face.
Sharp fangs slowly revealed themselves.
Predatory.
BOOM!!!!!
Without hesitation—
I fired forward again like an arrow released from a bowstring.
This time, no crater formed behind me.
My control had improved.
Blue lightning surged brighter around my body.
Faster.
Sharper.
More concentrated.
BAM!!! BAM!!! BAM!!!!!
A barrage of attacks rained down upon him relentlessly.
Punches.
Elbows.
Knees.
Palm strikes.
Each impact exploded with force.
Yet—
VARKHUL made no attempt to defend himself.
As though he wanted me to understand the difference between us.
The overwhelming gap.
But instead of fear—
rage boiled inside me.
Blue lightning exploded wildly around my body as my aura surged upward.
VARKHUL's grin only widened further.
Those sharp, razor-like fangs fully revealed now.
Like an apex predator amused by a cub trying to bare its claws.
BAM!!!!!
His massive arm swung downward.
A strike powerful enough to smash my body into the volcanic earth.
BOOM!!!!!
My smaller frame twisted away with agile precision.
The attack barely missed me as I continued attacking relentlessly.
Each strike bruised my fists.
Small fractures formed across my knuckles—
only to heal moments later.
ROOOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!!!
A beastly roar erupted from deep within my soul.
Blue lightning exploded violently around my body.
Azure scales began spreading across my skin like dragon armor.
My aura intensified.
Wild.
Violent.
Explosive.
VARKHUL watched calmly.
Amused.
Not even slightly upset that his attack had missed.
Meanwhile, frustration filled my face.
Despite all my attacks—
his body remained untouched.
I floated backward through the air, creating distance.
Then raised my hand.
A massive sphere of compressed air gathered within my palm.
The surrounding atmosphere distorted violently.
BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!
The blast erupted forward and engulfed him completely.
"HAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!"
I roared as I pushed even more power into the attack.
The volcanic battlefield trembled violently beneath the pressure.
Yet inside the storm—
his silhouette never moved.
Then—
Through the violent wall of compressed air—
a smile appeared.
Cheeky.
Mocking.
BOOM!!!!!
Using my own attack as cover—
I blasted forward.
Rings of pressure exploded behind me as I surpassed sonic speed.
My body became a blur of blue lightning.
Every ounce of energy in my body gathered into my fist.
Scales glowed brilliantly.
Energy compressed to a single point.
Ripple-force layered upon the strike.
A technique designed not to destroy the surface—
but the inside.
No matter how durable the exterior was—
the inside could still break.
That was my plan.
BAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!
My fist connected directly with the center of his forehead.
The impact exploded outward.
Shockwaves ripped across the landscape.
Mountains shattered in the distance.
The volcanic earth collapsed beneath him.
I unleashed everything into that strike.
Ripple force.
Internal destruction.
Concentrated impact.
A thousand-fold amplification.
I intended to fry his brain from the inside.
Yet—
in the final moment before impact—
VARKHUL never moved.
No panic.
No attempt to dodge.
No defense.
As though my strongest attack meant absolutely nothing to him.
BOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!!
A devastating shockwave erupted from his body.
The volcanic ground beneath him collapsed inward, forming a massive crater.
Yet—
that untamed smile still remained on his face.
Only wider now.
My body floated before him.
Rage burned across my expression.
That final attack—
had achieved almost nothing.
"ROOOOOAAARRRRR!!!!!"
I roared directly into his face.
My body floated at eye level with the giant beast.
Then—
something inside me erupted.
ROOOOOOAAAAARRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!
The roar came from the depths of my soul itself.
For a brief moment—
a phantom image of a colossal white tiger appeared behind me.
Ancient.
Monstrous.
Divine.
BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!
My aura exploded outward violently.
CRACKLING!!!!!!!
My hair rose upward—
light blue mixed with white.
Sparkling lightning danced within it.
Blue thunder raged wildly around my body before slowly compressing inward.
Condensing.
Refining.
Forming Azure Armor around my body.
Strengthening the scales already covering me.
> Beast Ascension — Form I
BOOM!!!!!
I vanished.
My fist surged forward with more than four thousand times the force from before.
Sonic rings formed around the strike itself.
The volcanic battlefield screamed beneath the pressure.
BAM!!!!!
A massive fist struck me before my attack could land.
Too fast.
I barely managed to defend with my opposite arm.
BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!
My body was launched away like a cannonball.
Mountains exploded apart as I crashed through them one after another.
Rock.
Fire.
Magma.
Everything shattered in my path.
BOOM!!!!!
My feet slammed vertically against a massive volcanic mountain over a thousand meters away.
Cracks spread beneath my feet.
My defensive arm had gone numb from the impact.
But instead of fear—
my blood boiled hotter.
A grin slowly spread across my face.
"So you finally decided to fight back…"
I muttered.
"I was starting to think you were just a punching bag."
BOOM!!!!!
I blasted forward again.
Blue lightning erupted violently around my body.
In less than a second—
I was back before him.
Fist pulled back.
BAM!!!!!
He raised his arm to block at the last moment.
But I twisted my strike midway.
The punch landed regardless.
For the first time—
a serious look appeared on his face.
Then suddenly—
he burst into laughter.
"Hahahahahaha!!!!!"
I moved backward cautiously, remaining on guard.
My attack had left only a tiny bruise on his face.
Nothing serious.
Yet—
his laughter became wilder and wilder.
Genuine.
Unrestrained.
His massive hand pressed against his stomach as he laughed openly.
"Hahahahaha!!!"
More than three minutes passed before he finally calmed down.
Then he looked at me again.
Still smiling.
"You really are exactly as Nyxarion described."
His voice carried amusement—
but also interest.
"You never give up despite the obvious gap in power and realm."
"Hot-blooded."
"Energetic."
"And far more devious than someone your age should be."
His smile widened slightly.
"I certainly wasn't trying to fry people's brains when I was your age."
I remained silent.
Watching him carefully.
"That final attack…"
"You intended to kill me with internal destruction."
"You targeted the inside instead of the surface."
His red eyes narrowed slightly.
"Smart."
"Very smart."
Then his expression changed.
Still smiling—
but far more serious now.
"And despite everything…"
"…you still keep fighting."
Silence fell across the battlefield.
Volcanic winds howled around us.
Then—
he disappeared.
DANGER!!!! DANGER!!!! DANGER!!!!
My instincts exploded.
SWISH—!!!!!
He reappeared directly before me.
His massive body lowered.
His enormous face inches from mine.
His crimson eyes stared directly into my glowing blue pupils.
The pressure alone distorted the air around us.
"You have no arrogance."
"No blind confidence."
"You calculate."
"You adapt."
"You learn."
His eyes narrowed further.
"So tell me…"
"…what exactly makes you so special?"
My instincts screamed louder.
But I ignored them completely.
Because one name froze my thoughts.
Nyxarion.
VARKHUL's smile slowly faded.
"What did Nyxarion see in you…"
"…that made him cross realms for your sake?"
DANGER!!!! DANGER!!!! DANGER!!!!
My pupils turned completely blue.
Lightning exploded around my body.
CRACKLING!!!!!!!!!!