Chapter 530: Grey is Conscious!
Chapter 530
Black, dark, darkness! That’s all that surrounds me! What happened? Di...did I die?! No, wait a second! If I was dead, I shouldn’t be able to sense or see anything going on outside, right?
Wait! How am I seeing things with my body’s eyes closed?! Hmm, the images aren’t clear. That means it’s not sight I’m using. It’s my senses, my spirit, reaching out and allowing me to glimpse what’s happening beyond this darkness.
But what exactly is going on?
Oh shit! Thalos versus the Phoenix? Fuck, fuck, fuck! This is a clash I have no business getting involved in.
No—more like I can’t. I’m far too weak. Thalos stands at the Divine-ranked stage of the beast rankings, a level most creatures only dream of reaching.
And he isn’t just Divine-ranked, he’s right on the cusp of stepping into the Primordial rank, the stage directly beneath the god-tier rank, which is the highest realm in the beast hierarchy.
For the Phoenix to be able to match Thalos blow for blow, that means it’s also on his level. Fuck! And to think I had the guts to believe I could confront it? Good thing it put me in my place before I made an even bigger fool of myself.
But... shit! How do I wake up from this state? Thalos is in grave danger. I...I...I need to help him. But how can I? Their battle is on a completely different scale. Every time their attacks clash, stray lightning bolts slam into me, draining my strength and leaving my body weaker and weaker.
No! I can’t just stay like this. I have to wake up!
Body, you need to fucking move... for Thalos’ sake!
---
’Fuck! Even if I’m immune to lightning attacks, this one would definitely blow my head off. Fuck!’ Thalos cursed inwardly as the glow in the Phoenix’s beak grew brighter and brighter, threatening to swallow him whole.
His sharp eyes darted around as his mind raced, and finally, he came up with an idea. He let go of his sword and flicked his wrist, sending it skidding across the ground, away from his pinned body. The glow from the Phoenix’s beak intensified, sparking wildly, ready to erupt at any moment.
’Come on, boy!’ the gargoyle thought as he twitched his fingers ever so slightly.
The sword responded, quivering for a moment, then shot into the air with deadly speed, its blade screaming as it cut through the wind.
Bang!
The weapon streaked upward, aiming straight for the Phoenix’s neck. But without even bothering to look back, the beast simply removed one of its wings from pinning Thalos and swung it behind, swatting the sword out of the air with a single, brutal strike.
"One difference between us," Thalos growled with a devilish grin. "I’m a war general, which means I’m far more intelligent than you."
The beast’s glowing eyes widened as realization struck, but it was already too late.
BANG!
A deafening bang echoed across the mountain as Thalos’ freed hand shot forward with lightning speed and monstrous force, smashing directly into the Phoenix’s beak.
CRACK!
Its mouth snapped shut as the power of the punch shattered its beak instantly. The force generated was so overwhelming that a massive shockwave exploded outward, slamming into Grey’s fragile body and sending it skidding even closer to the edge of the mountain.
Now, only ten inches separated him from a fatal fall. Any further and he’d be gone.
Thalos immediately pushed himself to his feet, his chest heaving as he glared down at the Phoenix. The beast was writhing violently, black blood gushing from its shattered beak in gruesome torrents, staining the ground as its pained screeches echoed across the battlefield.
With a sharp motion of his hand, Thalos summoned his sword. The weapon tore through the air with a loud shing and landed perfectly in his grasp. His lips curled into a dark smirk as he raised the blade.
"Now tell me, how do you want your death?" the gargoyle taunted coldly. "Quick and painless... or dragged out and much, much more painful?"
The Phoenix, still thrashing in agony, suddenly froze. Its glowing eyes snapped up, and to Thalos’ surprise, a guttural voice growled out from its bloodied throat.
"How about... none."
’Huh?! It can speak? Oh shit! It can fucking speak!’ Thalos’ eyes widened in shock, his entire body stiffening for just a second.
But a second was all the Phoenix needed.
In the blink of an eye, it teleported out of sight, and the next instant, it reappeared directly in front of the gargoyle, glowing eyes burning with killing intent.
"No, I can’t speak like normal humans, but I can communicate my thoughts. Kek!" The phoenix chuckled darkly, its glowing blue eyes glinting with sinister amusement. The sound wasn’t laughter in the human sense, but more like a distorted vibration echoing in Thalos’ head, chilling and mocking.
Then...
BANG!
A huge sphere of lightning erupted directly in front of the beast, sparking with a blinding brilliance, and in the blink of an eye it smashed into Thalos. The impact was devastating—so immense that his feet were ripped off the ground as though the very earth rejected him.
He was seconds away from being hurled off the edge of the mountain when the phoenix appeared behind him in a flash, teleporting midair before raking him viciously with its talons.
The strike carried the force of a falling meteor. Thalos’ body was flung forward violently, tumbling and bouncing across the mountain’s surface with bone-shattering speed. Each impact cracked through his gargoyle frame, loud crunches echoing across the battlefield as fragments of stone skin split apart.
Pink blood oozed faster and thicker than before, splattering the ground in messy streams. The gargoyle staggered, spitting a mouthful of his own blood, his jaw tightening in rage.
His glowing eyes locked onto the phoenix, burning with hatred, but before he could act, his expression shifted. His pupils dilated as he registered the impossible sight before him. All around the beast, not one, not two, not even ten—but fifty crackling orbs of lightning shimmered into existence.
"Shall I make your death harder?" the phoenix asked with mocking cruelty. Its voice reverberated like thunder.
Without hesitation, all fifty orbs shot forward with terrifying speed, streaking like comets toward Thalos. In the blink of an eye, the gargoyle was engulfed.
Yet even in that dire moment, his instincts as a warrior general roared louder than his pain. His gaze flicked to Grey’s unconscious body, still lying dangerously close to the edge of the mountain.
Thalos snarled and, without caring about the cost, dashed in front of Grey. He threw his battered frame forward, spreading his arms wide to shield the unconscious mage with his own body.
The orbs slammed into him with unrelenting force. Each impact detonated across his form like bombs. Lightning ripped into his stone skin, tearing through his body, exploding against his chest, shoulders, and back. Sparks surged around him, but even as he roared in agony, he refused to move away.
Unknown to him, some of the lightning seeped past his defense, arching around his battered frame. It struck Grey directly, surging into his frail body.
"ARGHHHHH!" Thalos roared. His voice shook the mountain, but it was filled with raw pain. Cracks spread deeper across his form as pink blood poured out in streams. His face twisted, his arms trembled, and yet he stood.
A minute later, the barrage stopped.
The gargoyle collapsed to one knee in front of Grey. His chest heaved as he huffed and panted, mild exhaustion mixing with the agony of his wounds. His once towering frame now looked battered, beaten, but unyielding. In the air above, the phoenix hovered arrogantly, its body still sparking with contemptuous energy.
"Shall we finish things n...huh?"
Its sentence froze, cut off by confusion.
"H...huh?" Thalos muttered as well, blinking. His instincts flared. Something massive was stirring behind him. A surge of energy, overwhelming and raw, prickled against his senses.
Slowly, not wanting to take his eyes off the phoenix, he dared to turn. What he saw made his jaw tighten in disbelief.
Behind him, a human floated above the ground. Grey. His back arched as if weightless, his face turned skyward. His body was wreathed in searing light, every inch of his skin glowing with energy. Sparks of lightning crackled violently across his arms and fingers, spilling raw arcs into the air.
And then his eyes snapped open.
They were no longer their usual color—they were pitch white, glowing with unearthly radiance.
His lips curved into the faintest of smiles, eerie and calm, as he tilted his head ever so slightly. Slowly, deliberately, his gaze slid to the phoenix, amusement flickering across his face as though he had been waiting for this moment all along.
"I told you, didn’t I?" His voice echoed with unnatural power, layered with a resonance that didn’t feel entirely human. "The Supreme Magus is not to be messed with. He is a force to be reckoned with across two worlds."
His words hung heavy in the air, every syllable carrying enough weight to make the atmosphere tremble.
Then his tone dropped into pure killing intent.
"Now die."
The moment the words left his lips, the world shifted.
Around the stunned phoenix, blue lights shimmered into existence. Dozens of them. Then hundreds. Lightning arrows materialized one after another, their tips gleaming with deadly brilliance. In an instant, the sky was filled with their glow, all of them pointed directly at the beast.
The phoenix froze. For the first time, fear flashed in its glowing eyes.