Panting heavily, Arthur took the opportunity to create some distance, his injured arm hanging limp at his side. The pain was excruciating, but he couldn’t stop now. Not when he was this close.
The Crystallon Rex snarled, shaking off the effects of the psychic assault. Its crystal began to glow once more, energy building in the core. Arthur braced himself, knowing that another laser strike would be deadly at this range. He needed a plan—and fast.
The Rex charged again, its eyes locked on Arthur. He could feel the heat of the energy building in the crystal, the faint crackle of electricity in the air. Arthur darted to the left, barely avoiding the Rex’s gaping jaws, but he wasn’t quick enough to dodge the swipe of its claws. The beast’s talons raked across his side, sending sparks and chunks of scales flying.
Arthur stumbled, gritting his teeth. He could feel the exhaustion setting in. His Psychic ability was draining his energy faster than he anticipated.
He needed a new strategy.
Arthur’s horns pulsed again, gathering more [Psychic] energy, but this time, he was smarter. Instead of a direct attack, he sent out a wave of fear—a surge of [Aura of Dread] designed to throw the Rex off balance. The beast paused, its predatory instincts battling with the sudden flood of fear that washed over it.
It worked. The Rex hesitated, its glowing eyes flickering with uncertainty. Arthur took the opportunity to dive under its guard, sliding beneath the massive beast and using his tail to sweep its legs out from under it.
The Rex toppled, its enormous body slamming into the ground with a thunderous CRASH, but even as it fell, it lashed out with its tail, striking Arthur in the side. The blow was so powerful it knocked Arthur off his feet, sending him tumbling across the battlefield.
Arthur staggered, his massive form heaving with each labored breath, his injuries blazing with pain. But the sight of the Crystallon Rex—injured, struggling to rise—ignited a fresh determination within him. He steadied himself, digging his claws into the shattered earth beneath him. His monstrous heart thundered in his chest. This wasn’t just survival; it was dominance, a clash between apex titans where only one would emerge.
The Rex was slow to rise, but Arthur could see it—this fight had taken its toll on the beast. It was wounded, its movements slower, less precise. Arthur’s psychic assaults had weakened its mind, and now it was running on pure instinct.
Arthur bared his fangs, a grim smile crossing his face. Now was the time.
He lunged forward, this time aiming for the back of the Rex’s neck. The beast tried to retaliate, but Arthur was ready. He faked a stumble, letting his body fall limp as if he had been struck by the Rex’s tail. The beast, thinking it had won, hesitated for just a moment.
NOW!
In a burst of speed and desperation, Arthur sprang to life. His wings unfurled as he leaped onto the Rex’s back, his jaws locking around the creature’s thick neck. The Rex roared in fury, thrashing wildly as it tried to dislodge him, but Arthur held firm, his teeth sinking deeper into the beast’s flesh.
The Rex snarled, before flexing it’s muscles as it spun, managing to get Arthur off it’s wounded neck. It limped.
Its once-imposing glow flickered as it strained to gather the last remnants of energy in its core. The sound of crackling energy filled the air again, a high-pitched whine signaling another blast. Arthur could see it building—a deadly, concentrated laser that would slice through anything in its path. But this time, Arthur had no intention of letting it fire.
With a roar that shook the battlefield, Arthur surged forward, every fiber of his colossal body ignited by primal resolve. His claws tore into the ground, propelling him forward like a juggernaut. He closed the distance, charging straight at the Rex with terrifying speed. Just as the creature’s crystal flashed bright, Arthur’s own horns flared with psychic energy, and he released a second wave of his [Aura of Dread], stronger and more visceral than before.
The Crystallon Rex faltered, its instinctual terror overwhelming its focus. It tried to retreat, but Arthur was already upon it.
Arthur’s jaws snapped shut around the Rex’s crystal-adorned neck, his razor-sharp teeth piercing through its thick, armored hide. With a fierce wrench, he forced the Rex back, slamming it into the ground with a bone-rattling impact. The ground quaked beneath their weight, and a cloud of dust and debris exploded around them.
The Rex struggled, its limbs thrashing as it tried to shake Arthur off. But Arthur tightened his grip, feeling the core crystal vibrating against his teeth. He knew the beast was seconds away from firing, desperate and cornered. Summoning the last reserves of his energy, Arthur pulled back, then slammed his tail into the crystal at the base of its neck with all his might.
The crystal cracked, and as it was stunned, Arthur took the opportunity to clamp his maws on it’s neck once more.
The Rex bucked, slamming its body into the ground in an attempt to crush Arthur, but he was relentless. His Psychic power flared, reinforcing his muscles, giving him the strength to hold on. Blood gushed from the wound in the Rex’s neck, but it wasn’t enough. Arthur needed to end this.
CRUNCH.
The sound of bone snapping echoed across the battlefield, followed by a low, gurgling growl as the Crystallon Rex fell still, its body collapsing to the ground. Arthur stood over it, his chest heaving, blood dripping from his mouth as he released his grip.
He had won.
A surge of chaotic energy erupted, bathing the battlefield in blinding light. Arthur instinctively shielded his face, but the shockwave tore at his scales, sending shards of crystal and burning debris in all directions. He was thrown back, rolling across the ground before coming to a painful halt.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
You have absorbed the Soul Core of the Crystallon Rex, direct descendant of the Titan of Brutality. Choose your evolution:
Crystal Armor: Forge a layer of crystal over your scales, increasing defense while enhancing resistance to elemental attacks.
Laser Pulse: Unleash deadly, concentrated energy beams that can be used for precision attacks.
Brutal Strength: Enhance your raw physical power, granting you the ability to overpower foes through sheer force.
Arthur’s mind raced through the options as the choices flickered before his eyes, each more tempting than the last. But he already knew which one he wanted. The Rex’s laser, that devastating pulse of energy that had nearly cleaved him in two—that was the power he craved. His instincts, however, warned him that his Void Core might reject the pure energy form of the Laser Pulse, as it had done before.
He gritted his teeth. "No risk, no reward," Arthur thought. "Let’s do it."
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He selected Laser Pulse.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
The Laser Pulse is incompatible with the Void Core. Rebuilding ability into a more suitable form...
Skill obtained: Destructo Beams.
- You now possess small, orbiting beams of destructive energy that can be fired at high intensity, providing fast, concentrated attacks against your enemies. The beams absorb ambient destruction energy to recharge.
Arthur felt a sharp, almost excruciating pain in his skull as the Destructo Beams took form. Thin, red-hot beams of destructive energy flickered to life around him, swirling slowly in orbit around his massive body. They hummed softly, their presence comforting in a way that only a true weapon of destruction could be.
His lips curled into a half-smile, a mixture of triumph and exhaustion. "Perfect," he murmured. The Crystallon Rex may have had strength, but now Arthur had precision—an edge in the unforgiving world of monsters.
The ground beneath him crackled as lava ebbed and flowed from the molten plains surrounding him. The air, thick with sulfur and smoke, only added to the tension. Every inch of the Scorching Badlands was a hostile, volatile wasteland, but this—this was where he thrived. The constant danger, the lurking threats—it was what he had become accustomed to. No, what he had evolved into.
His victory roar echoed across the burning landscape, loud and savage, declaring his dominance over the land.