The dragon spewed forth blood-red flames, tongues of fire blazing like rivers of molten lava cleaving the dense darkness of the Dark Forest. The flames weren't just hot; they were a horrifying wave of heat, twice as intense as anything Hastora had ever felt. His skin felt scorched, despite being a considerable distance from the epicenter of the blast. The ground beneath his feet melted, forming hissing pools of magma, spewing out suffocating sulfurous smoke that burned his throat. The acrid smell of burning flesh and sulfur filled the air, piercing his nostrils and making his eyes water. The pungent aroma of death.
Hastora, with his raven black hair flowing and red eyes burning like embers, didn't hesitate. He ran, his body maneuvering nimbly amidst the dense and twisting trees of the Dark Forest, weaving like a serpent. His shadow, faint and distorted, reflected between the pitch-black tree trunks, nearly invisible in the suffocating darkness. The dragon's tongues of fire continued to chase, licking at the ground behind him, leaving a trail of burning destruction and a choking aroma of death. His breath came in ragged gasps, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, yet his expression remained cold and calm, devoid of any panic.
He couldn't keep running. With a swift and precise movement, like a skilled death dancer, Hastora raised his hand, his palm facing downwards. Dark energy, dense and pulsating like a heart about to explode, throbbed between his fingers. The clumps of dark energy grew larger, forming gigantic, dark hands, each as tall as the towering trees, with long, sharp fingers like steel thorns ready to tear flesh. <𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀> worked flawlessly, like a precisely programmed machine. This magic allowed Hastora to have complete control over darkness.
The dark hands shot upwards, chasing after the dragon that was flying at high speed. The dragon's scales shimmered under the dim moonlight filtered through the dense forest canopy, reflective like obsidian stones reflecting the little light that existed. The dragon twisted and turned in the air, dodging the attacks with elegant yet deadly movements, like a skilled dancer evading a sword attack. However, Hastora didn't give up. He moved his hand again, this time forming giant, dark spheres, the size of horse carriages, that shimmered with dense dark energy that almost absorbed light. The spheres spun around, ready to launch at devastating speed.
"Try to avoid this," hissed Hastora, his voice cold and calm, like a whisper of death. His eyes blazed with a cold, yet controlled, fire of anger, like hellfire restrained by a will of steel.
The dark spheres shot out, leaving a trail of thick, dark mist behind them. They moved with incredible speed, targeting the dragon from various angles, like bullets aimed by a skilled sniper. The dragon roared, a sound that echoed throughout the forest, a sound that shook the marrow of his bones, and swooped and circled with incredible speed, its scales scraping against each other, creating a sharp, piercing whistling sound. It slammed its body into one of the dark hands, shattering it with immense force. The blast of dark energy shook the air, creating a shockwave that toppled the surrounding trees.
Flying while spinning, the dragon increased its speed and power. Its sleek and powerful body cut through the air with agility, like an unstoppable arrow. It darted towards Hastora, its shadow growing rapidly, like a monster about to swallow everything.
Hastora felt immense pressure. He knew he couldn't withstand the attack directly. With a precise movement and accurate calculation, he dodged, his body leaping sideways, avoiding the dragon's attack that slammed into the ground with devastating force.
"Boom!"
A roar that shook the earth. The ground trembled violently, dust and earth flew up, forming a thick cloud of dust, obscuring the view. Hastora coughed, covering his mouth and nose with his tattered sleeve. Dust filled his mouth and nose, tasting bitter and stinging. He waited, observed, trying to see a gap in the cloud of dust dancing in the air, his brain working hard to analyze the situation.
After a while, the dragon flapped its large, powerful wings. The resulting wind was so powerful, it cleared the cloud of dust in an instant. The surrounding trees fell, broken by the incredible force of the wind. Hastora was impressed, not by the dragon's power, but because he had anticipated this possibility.
"Tougher than I thought," he muttered, his eyes observing the dragon with interest, not fear. "Not bad, however, it seems something interesting is going to happen."
The dragon's horns began to glow, emitting a colorful light that grew brighter. Immense energy radiated from its body, creating a terrifying and deadly aura. Hastora knew this was an attack far more powerful than before, yet he showed no fear.
Quickly, Hastora created a thick, dark mist, enveloping the entire battle area. The darkness that already existed in the Dark Forest was further deepened, creating a thick and nearly impenetrable wall of darkness. He ran away, disappearing among the dark trees, leaving the dragon in the thick darkness.
The colorful light from the dragon's horn exploded, releasing a devastating wave of energy. The wave of energy swept through the entire area, destroying everything in its path. The tremendous blast shook the earth, creating a large crater in the ground. Soil and trees flew like splinters of wood.
The dragon thought Hastora was dead. It turned, about to leave.
"You think you can escape?" Hastora's voice sounded cold, calm, yet full of deadly threat.
He emerged from behind the dark mist, his eyes blazing red, brighter than before. Immense dark energy radiated from his body, like an aura of death enveloping his surroundings. He swung his sword, unleashing a devastating attack. The surrounding earth and trees shattered into pieces by the power of his attack.
"Dragon Swordmanship level one <𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁>"
A black dragon, made of the same dense dark energy that Hastora possessed, emerged from his sword, attacking the dragon with incredible speed. A strong and intimidating dark aura enveloped the black dragon, like a shadow of death taking form. The black dragon moved at speeds exceeding the speed of sound, leaving a trail of thick, dark mist behind it.
The dragon reflexively spewed its blood-red flames, but the black dragon charged through it, shattering the flames with ease, like a hot knife cutting through butter. The flames couldn't even touch the black dragon's pitch-black scales. The blast of energy shook the air, creating a shockwave that hit the surrounding trees, toppling them like crackers.
Hastora attacked again, his sword enveloped in a darker and denser black aura, like a black hole ready to swallow everything. He aimed for the dragon's neck, aiming to end the fight quickly, with cold and calculated efficiency. However, the dragon avoided his attack with agile and swift movements, faster than Hastora had anticipated.
"What?" Hastora was surprised, not because his attack failed, but because of the dragon's speed and intelligence. "How can a dragon have such intelligence?"
He paused for a moment, analyzing the situation, his brain working hard to find a loophole. This wasn't just a fight; it was a deadly game of chess.
Hastora was astonished. He observed the dragon, his curiosity beginning to outweigh his anger. This dragon was different, more intelligent than any dragon he had ever encountered. Dragons usually relied only on instinct, but this dragon... it planned its attacks, it adapted, it thought strategically. This was an intriguing puzzle, a challenge that tickled his cold and calculative mind. He wanted to know the secret behind this dragon's intelligence, the secret behind the magic crystal on the foreheads of monsters, the secret behind the motionless demonic beasts. This was an opportunity to expand his knowledge, to strengthen his position.
"I'll end this quickly," muttered Hastora, his voice cold and determined, without a hint of doubt. He didn't waste time on emotions; efficiency was everything.
A different energy flowed through his body. His eyes blazed bright red, brighter than before, a dense black aura surrounded him, stronger and denser than before. He raised his sword, ready to unleash his next attack, an attack that would end this fight quickly and efficiently.
"Space Time Swordmanship level two <𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻>"
His sword slashed, a cut invisible to the naked eye, so fast that it surpassed the perception of time. Time seemed to distort, the dragon's right wing was severed before it could react. The wing fell to the ground, stained with pitch-black blood, while the dragon stumbled, losing its balance. Hastora attacked the dragon's wing in the past, before the wing evolved, creating the illusion that he was cutting the already evolved wing directly. This was a cunning and effective tactic.
"Enough playing around," said Hastora, his voice cold and triumphant, without a hint of satisfaction. "Let's end this game here."
He swung his sword again, with a precise and deadly movement.
"Dragon Swordmanship level one <𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁>"
The black dragon reappeared, bigger and stronger than before, like a shadow of death growing larger. It charged at the injured dragon, hitting it with immense force. A tremendous blast of energy shook the earth, creating a shockwave that destroyed its surroundings. The dragon's body shattered into pieces, flung in various directions, leaving only dust, smoke, and the pungent aroma of death.
"He's dead," said Hastora, but he didn't feel satisfaction. He approached the place where the dragon had died, not out of curiosity, but because he was looking for something valuable, something that could increase his strength.
As he was about to step forward, a strange sound echoed in his head, a piercing and disturbing sound, like a needle piercing his brain.
"What is this?!" Hastora held his head, an excruciating pain piercing his brain. The sound echoed again, a sound he didn't recognize, a sound filled with anger and hatred, a sound that was foreign yet felt close.
"$##¥£" (An undefined sound, indicating chaos and uncontrolled power.)
"What? What sound is that?" Hastora frowned, trying to understand the sound, his brain working hard to interpret the undefined sound.
He meditated, trying to control the mana in his mind, trying to hear the sound more clearly, with intense focus and concentration. Slowly, the sound became clearer, more defined.
"You damn bastard! Can't you hear me?!" The sound shouted, filled with uncontrolled rage.
"Who are you, you bastard?!" Hastora retorted, his voice cold and threatening, without a hint of fear. A dense black aura surrounded him, indicating his controlled anger, like an iceberg ready to erupt.
"You dare ignore me!"
"Who do you think you are, huh? You think you're so important?" Hastora asked, with a dismissive tone.
"Of course, you damn fool! I will kill you!"
"Try it if you can," said Hastora, remaining calm, with a sly smile on his face. "And more importantly, who are you?"
He felt this voice held the key to all the mysteries that existed, a key that would open the door to greater power. He waited, patiently waiting for an answer, with the patience of a hunter waiting for his prey.
"I am Zarafel," the voice replied, with a tone full of pride.
"Zarafel? Who are you? Where did you come from? Why can I hear your voice in my mind? What kind of creature are you?" Hastora asked, his curiosity bubbling, yet controlled.
Zarafel answered proudly, his voice echoing in Hastora's mind, full of power and dominance.
"I am Zarafel! And I am from the Aevum race!"