Chapter 528: Battle between two mythical creatures (1)
Chapter 528
"Grey!" Thalos thundered in shock as he stared at the cloud of dust obscuring his view. But before he could even think of taking a single step forward, he felt the air directly in front of him shift violently, almost as if the atmosphere itself was being torn apart.
Glancing up, he realized the phoenix was no longer where it had been a moment ago. His instincts screamed at him, and Thalos immediately knew what was coming next. The beast suddenly appeared before him, its massive maw glowing fiercely. And in the very next heartbeat...
BANG!
A powerful bolt of lightning shot out at point-blank range, kicking up another cloud of dust as it struck Thalos head-on. For a moment, his fate was uncertain, obscured by the raging haze.
The phoenix tried to take to the skies, its wings flapping with force, but before it could ascend, one of its wings was instantly caught in a crushing grip.
"Where do you think you’re headed, huh?" Thalos chuckled darkly. The phoenix twisted its neck and looked back, its glowing blue eyes widening in disbelief as the dust slowly cleared.
The gargoyle stepped out into full view, and to the beast’s shock, he looked completely unscathed. Not even a scratch marked his rocky hide despite taking the blast directly.
"That actually did nothing but tickle me. Is that really how hard you hit?!" Thalos asked mockingly. And before the beast could even respond, the gargoyle yanked it straight out of the air and prepared to slam it into the ground with brute force.
But the phoenix reacted quickly. Its head twisted sharply, and from its maw burst a dozen condensed balls of lightning, each blazing with deadly power. Thalos merely swung his forearm through the air, casually swatting the attacks aside one after another like they were nothing more than insects buzzing too close.
That distraction, however, gave the phoenix just enough time to retaliate. It spun with incredible speed, slamming its massive talons into Thalos with bone-crunching force.
The claws glowed with condensed lightning, and for the first time in a very long while, the gargoyle hissed in pain. The sensation was alien to him, almost forgotten, yet now it tore through his body relentlessly.
The beast dug its talons deep into his shoulders and torso, piercing through his stone-like skin. Finally, it managed to gain a firm grip.
Without hesitation, the phoenix beat its wings furiously and shot into the sky, carrying Thalos upward. Violent gusts of wind trailed behind as the two figures rose higher and higher, the mountain peak shrinking below them.
"Fuck you!" Thalos roared, veins bulging across his rocky neck as he grabbed onto the talon’s leg. He strained with raw power, trying to pull himself free, even as the beast continued climbing toward the heavens.
SHRIIIEK!
The phoenix screamed in fury, its voice shaking the air. Its beak clenched and its glowing eyes narrowed as it glared down at the gargoyle thrashing in its grip.
Thalos gritted his teeth, grinding them hard as waves of lightning seared through his body. His shoulders bled profusely, but unlike human red or beastly black blood, what seeped out of him was a strange, shimmering pinkish fluid that dripped down his arms.
Then, with all its strength, the phoenix suddenly twirled in midair, spinning violently before releasing him. Thalos’ body was flung downward like a meteor, crashing back toward the mountain with tremendous speed and velocity.
Not satisfied, the beast tucked in its wings and nose-dived after him. While airborne, its maw opened wide, building energy at a terrifying rate.
Within moments, a massive sphere of lightning condensed, crackling with so much force that the very skies trembled. It launched the attack toward the falling gargoyle, the ball hurtling down faster than anything before.
"Shit!" Thalos cursed, bracing himself. He crossed his arms in front of his face, his golden gauntlets glowing fiercely as they absorbed as much of the impact as they could.
BANG!
The attack struck him with devastating force. "Ack!" Thalos grunted, his voice nearly drowned by the explosion. The sheer power behind the lightning accelerated his descent, and within a split second, he smashed into the mountain with bone-shattering force.
The ground erupted violently. A massive crater formed as the mountain top caved in, rock and debris flying in all directions. Thalos’ body crashed through the surface, carving a deep hole that stretched downward, the mountain itself trembling under the devastation.
’When was the last time I felt pain? Ten years ago? Twenty? No... it was when the otherworlders struck, thirty-eight years back. That was the last time I bled. And now? Today, a mere phoenix dares to make me bleed?’
The thought burned through his mind as his body continued sinking into the dark depths of the mountain. Then, suddenly, the darkness lit up.
The phoenix was already nose-diving toward him again, its speed unmatched, its massive beak glowing even brighter as it charged another devastating strike.
’Me! Thalos the great! Bleed because of a mythical creature?! ARGH! Unacceptable! I am also a mythical creature!’ Thalos suddenly roared inwardly as he held out his hands and a loud bang was heard.
The phoenix quickly spun around, its glowing eyes narrowing as it caught sight of a greatsword zipping through the air with incredible speed.
The weapon whistled sharply as it tore through the space between them, and with a flash of light, the beast vanished, teleporting just in time so it would not be crushed in its path.
The sword instantly shot into Thalos’ grasp. He gritted his teeth, his eyes closed as he forced himself into calm, steady breaths, his massive frame still crashing deeper and deeper into the mountain.
The ground shattered and quaked under his descent, rocks caving and collapsing as if unable to bear the weight of the gargoyle’s fury.
Then suddenly...
"Gotcha!"
BANG!
Thalos kicked the air with such overwhelming force that the atmosphere itself seemed to ripple and bend. The impact propelled him straight upward, his body exploding with speed like a meteor reversing its fall.
His eyes snapped open, glowing faintly as a shimmer of light appeared within the darkness ahead. He felt it. The beast’s presence. Its life force called out to him like a flame in the void.
A wide grin appeared on Thalos’ face as his instincts sharpened. Without hesitation, he shot forward even faster, his greatsword gleaming like a streak of silver lightning.
Just in time, the phoenix teleported into view, its body blazing with storm energy. But unfortunately for it, Thalos was already there. His massive form blurred in front of it, grin widening devilishly as he swung his sword like a baseball bat with every ounce of strength packed into his monstrous arms.
BANG!
BANG!
Two deafening impacts tore through the heart of the mountain, echoes thundering in all directions. Thalos’ strike slammed directly into the phoenix with brutal precision. Its body was instantly hurled across the rocky cavern, bone-crushing force sending shockwaves that cracked the mountain walls.
The beast’s body did not stop there. It burst straight through the cavern wall, its lightning-coated frame tearing an exit into the open sky outside.
Sparks danced violently off its body as it skidded across the surviving portion of the mountain top. Its talons scraped deep trenches in the stone, and arcs of lightning carved jagged burns across the ground until finally, its momentum gave way and it came to a grinding halt.
Smoke and lightning crackled violently around it as it pushed itself up, snarling furiously.
Thalos came crashing down in front of it, landing heavily with his usual devilish grin spread wide across his face. His shadow loomed over the phoenix as his greatsword was raised and ready for carnage.
"You hit me, I hit you. So now... are you ready for round two?" The gargoyle taunted, pointing his blade forward as his voice rumbled with a dangerous thrill.
SHRIIIEK!
The beast answered with a piercing cry that shook the skies themselves. Its body pulsed with a thunderclap-like explosion as lightning surged outward in a violent dome. The phoenix blurred instantly, teleporting at a speed the eye could not hope to track.
Its target was locked. Its wrath was clear.
It was coming straight for Thalos the Great.