Adam’s palm blazed with prismatic light, the rainbow radiance intensifying until it was almost too bright to look at. He thrust his hand forward.

[Prismatic Beam]!

The lance of concentrated light shot toward the wyvern lord’s chest—blazing, blinding, unstoppable. It struck the creature square in the sternum, and for a moment, the world went white.

When the light faded, smoke curled from the wyvern’s scales. A deep, smoldering wound marked where the beam had struck—but it hadn’t penetrated. The wyvern lord’s hide was blackened, cracked, but intact.

And between Adam and the wyvern lord, two smaller wyverns fell.

Their bodies tumbled through the air, smoking, lifeless. They had thrown themselves into the path of the beam—sacrificed themselves to shield their alpha.

Adam’s eyes widened. His voice, when it came, was low.

"You used your own kind as shields?" He stared at the wyvern lord, his crimson eyes hard. "Do you have no empathy?"

The wyvern lord’s golden eyes blazed. Its massive chest expanded, and a roar tore from its throat—deep, resonant, shaking the air itself.

"ROOOAAARRR!"

The sound was a challenge, a declaration, a dismissal of Adam’s words.

Adam’s lips curved into a fierce grin.

"I can do that too."

He drew a deep breath, his chest swelling, and unleashed his own roar.

[Draconic Roar]!

The sound exploded from him with concussive force, sovereign will given voice. The shockwave slammed into the wyvern lord, staggering the massive creature mid-air. Its roar cut off abruptly, replaced by a startled, almost confused silence.

The wyvern lord shook its head, recovering quickly. Its golden eyes narrowed, and dark energy gathered around its maw. It spat—not a single bolt, but a barrage. Projectiles of shadow streaked toward Adam in rapid succession, each one humming with killing intent.

Adam’s eyes lit up. His blood sang with the thrill of combat.

"Now this is fun!"

He opened his mouth, and flames answered.

[Fire Breath]!

A torrent of searing flame erupted from his throat, meeting the shadow projectiles head-on. Fire clashed with darkness in mid-air, explosions rippling across the sky. The wyvern lord’s projectiles shattered against Adam’s flames, dissipating into wisps of shadow that scattered on the wind.

But one slipped through.

A dark bolt, smaller than the others, faster—it streaked past Adam’s guard and struck his shoulder. Pain lanced through him, hot and sharp. His scales held, but the impact spun him sideways, and he had to beat his wings hard to stabilize.

He glanced at the wound. A shallow gash, already smoking, the edges blackened with shadow energy. His regeneration was already working, knitting the flesh back together.

’Not bad,’ he thought, his grin returning. ’Not bad at all.’

He looked up at the wyvern lord, circling above him, its golden eyes gleaming with predatory satisfaction.

"You’re stronger than I expected," Adam called out. "Good."

He rolled his shoulders, the wound on his shoulder already closing.

"Let’s go again."

Lilith watched the battle from Ignis’s back, her crimson eyes tracking every movement. Her voice, when it came, was calm—almost bored.

"It seems Adam is enjoying himself."

Ignis’s flames flickered with jealousy. Her draconic head turned slightly, her golden eyes fixed on the wyvern lord.

"He’s having all the fun..." she grumbled. "I want to fight too..."

Isolde’s hood had slipped back during Ignis’s evasive maneuver, and she hadn’t bothered to pull it up again. Her crimson hair spilled over her shoulders, catching the fading light. Her pale eyes were fixed on the battle above, her expression guarded.

’He’s toying with it,’ she thought, her internal voice quiet. ’The wyvern lord is strong—stronger than most things in this region. But that man... he’s not even using his full power.’

She glanced at Lilith, at the serene smile on the spider’s face, at the way her fingers traced idle patterns in the air as if she were watching a particularly interesting play.

’And they’re not worried.’

Her gaze drifted back to Adam.

’What kind of monsters are you?’

The wyvern lord circled lower, its golden eyes fixed on Adam with a new wariness. The humanoid creature before it had not fallen. Had not fled. Had not even seemed particularly threatened by its attacks.

It had never encountered prey like this.

Adam waited, his wings beating slowly, his crimson eyes never leaving the wyvern’s face. His voice, when it came, was calm—almost conversational.

"What’s wrong? Scared?"

The wyvern lord’s eyes blazed. Its tail lashed, and it dove—not to attack, but to flee.

Adam’s eyes widened.

"Hey—!"

The wyvern lord shot past him, wings folded, diving toward the forest below. Its remaining followers scattered, retreating in all directions.

Adam spun, watching it go. His voice was incredulous.

"It’s running away?!"

Ignis’s voice rang out from below, gleeful and mocking.

"The wyvern is running! Hahaha! What a coward!"

Lilith’s lips curved into a slow smile. "How disappointing. I was hoping for more entertainment."

Isolde shook her head slowly. Her voice was flat.

"It’s not cowardice. It’s survival. The alpha realized it couldn’t win, so it retreated to fight another day." She glanced at Adam. "That’s how nature works."

Adam’s wings snapped wide, catching the air, and he shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. The wyvern lord’s golden eyes went wide as the distance between them vanished in a heartbeat.

"You think I’d let you run?" Adam’s voice was cold, almost amused. "Where do you think you’re going?"

The wyvern lord’s tail lashed, its wings beating frantically as it tried to accelerate. But Adam was faster. His form blurred, matching the creature’s speed with ease, drawing alongside its massive head.

[Prismatic Beam]! 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Light gathered in Adam’s palm—rainbow radiance, blinding and beautiful. The wyvern lord’s eyes darted sideways, toward the two remaining wyverns that still hovered at the edge of the battlefield. A command, a plea—a desperate hope that they would once again throw themselves between their alpha and destruction.

The wyverns moved.

They dove, wings folded, bodies angled to intercept the beam.

"Please don’t interrupt Adam’s fun."

Lilith’s voice drifted through the air, soft and sweet as poisoned honey. Silver threads shot from her fingers, stretching across the sky in an instant. They wrapped around the wyverns’ wings, their legs, their throats—holding them suspended, helpless, their desperate cries silenced by silk.

The wyvern lord watched its last shields fall, its golden eyes wide with something that might have been fear.

Adam’s smile widened.

"No more shields huh."

[Prismatic Beam]!

The lance of light shot forward—blazing, unstoppable. It struck the wyvern lord’s chest, right where its heart should be. The creature’s scales, so tough, so resilient, cracked and shattered under the assault. Light poured through the wound, illuminating the wyvern from within.

For a moment, the wyvern lord hung there, suspended in the fading light, its golden eyes fixed on Adam’s face.

Adam’s voice was quiet, almost gentle.

"Good fight."

The wyvern lord’s body went limp. Its wings folded. Its tail stopped lashing. It fell, a dark comet plummeting toward the forest below, crashing through the canopy with a thunderous crack of splintering wood.

The remaining wyverns, still bound by Lilith’s threads, began to thrash and screech—desperate, leaderless, their will to fight shattered with their alpha’s fall.

Lilith tilted her head, studying them with mild disinterest.

"What should we do with these?"

Adam landed on Ignis’s back, his chest heaving slightly, a satisfied smile still playing on his lips.

"Let them go." He glanced at the bound wyverns. "They’re not a threat anymore."

Lilith’s threads retracted, silver strands unraveling from the wyverns’ bodies. The creatures didn’t hesitate. They fled, wings beating furiously, disappearing into the darkening sky.

Isolde watched them go, her pale eyes thoughtful.

"They’ll find a new alpha. Or one of them will become one." She glanced at Adam. "That’s how wyverns work."

Adam shrugged. "Not my problem."

Ignis’s draconic head turned, her golden eyes gleaming with admiration.

"That was awesome, Adam! You made that big wyvern look like a baby lizard!"

Adam’s lips twitched. "It was a good fight. Stronger than I expected."

Lilith drifted closer, her body pressing against his back. Her voice was soft, almost purring.

"You were magnificent, Adam."

Adam stretched his arms above his head, the tension of the fight slowly draining from his muscles. His crimson eyes drifted to the treeline where the wyvern lord had crashed.

"Hey, Ignis. Let’s grab some of that wyvern meat first. It might be good to eat."

Ignis’s draconic head perked up, her golden eyes gleaming with immediate enthusiasm. Her flames flickered brighter, casting warm light across the clearing.

"Meat?! Yes! Let’s get the meat!"

She descended rapidly, her massive claws touching down on the forest floor with surprising gentleness. Adam slid from her back, landing lightly on the soft earth. Lilith glided down beside him, her silver-threaded gown catching the fading light. Isolde followed, her movements stiff, her pale eyes scanning the darkening trees.

Isolde’s voice drifted through the quiet, flat and unimpressed.

"By the way... your camouflage isn’t very useful, is it?"

Adam’s eye twitched. He turned to face her, crossing his arms.

"That’s rude. I canceled it because I thought there were no more enemies. I also wanted to conserve my energy."

Isolde’s lips pressed into a thin line. She said nothing, but her expression remained skeptical.

Adam turned away, already walking toward the wyvern lord’s corpse. He had only taken a few steps when a cascade of familiar blue light flooded his vision.

[Shadowfang Wyvern Lord (Lv. 71) Defeated!]

[+1800 EXP | +2100 EP]

[Lesser Wyverns Defeated by Party Members: 6]

[+900 EXP | +750 EP]

[Ding! Level Up!]

[Level: 70 -> 71]

[EXP: 115/540 -> 2275/560]

[Ding! Level Up!]

[Level: 71 -> 72]

[EXP: 0/560 -> 1715/580]

[Ding! Level Up!]

[Level: 72 -> 73]

[EXP: 0/580 -> 1135/600]

[Ding! Level Up!]

[Level: 73 -> 74]

[EXP: 0/600 -> 535/620]

[Skill Point Gained: +4]

[Total Skill Points: 14]

[Crown of the Hollow Glutton]

[Souls Captured: 292 -> 299]

[+7 Souls Acquired]

[ Evolution Points: 5104 -> 7954 ]

[ Evolution Requirement Met: 7954/6000 EP ]

[ Please select your evolutionary path: ]